ADVISORY/Champagne 'Disappearing' in The Willard Room; Local Restaurant Toasts its Film Debut in sci-fi Thriller 'Hollow Man'.

News/Assignment Editors

ADVISORY...for Friday (Aug. 4)

--(BUSINESS WIRE)

WHAT: The restaurant and kitchen staff of The Willard Room toast their Hollywood film debut in "The Hollow Man," starring Kevin Bacon and Elisabeth Shue, by serving up complimentary champagne and film memorabilia for their dinner guests, courtesy of Moet & Chandon and Columbia Pictures.

WHEN: Friday, August 4, 2000 -- Media interviews with "star" servers at 4 p.m. - restaurant opens for dinner guests at 6 p.m.

WHERE: The Willard Room at the historic Willard Inter-Continental 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington DC - For reservations, 202/637-7440.

WHAT ELSE: Columbia Pictures shot the scene last August 27 in The Willard Room. In the scene, Kevin Bacon and his team of scientists (including Elisabeth Shue and Josh Brolin) celebrate solving the mystery of "invisibility" during a champagne dinner in The Willard Room, the grand and historic restaurant at the Willard Inter-Continental hotel just two blocks from the White House.

In selecting a location for the restaurant scene, filmmakers were searching for the most beautiful restaurant in Washington, D.C.-but wanted one with a terrace overlooking the Capitol building. The Willard Room fit the bill for beauty, with its two-story oak paneling, rich gold and green decor, and extravagant chandeliers-except it is located on the first floor of the historic Willard Inter-Continental hotel-and hence, no terrace with a view!

With the help of a little Hollywood magic, Columbia Pictures rebuilt a section of The Willard Room on top of the Labor Department building (just a few blocks away on Pennsylvania Avenue), which overlooks the Capitol dome, and added a romantic sculpture garden terrace. Even The Willard Room staff couldn't believe their eyes when they stepped onto the Labor Department and onto the "Hollywood" set of the restaurant-it was amazingly accurate. They even imported pieces of The Willard Room's customized carpeting from England, and used the restaurant's china, crystal and silver.

Several of the Willard Inter-Continental's employees can be seen in the film, including Nieto, servers Nenad Veljkovic, Matthew Guyette, and Sorto Armando, and Public Relations Director Kristina Messner. Although this was the first film shoot for the restaurant, the Willard Inter-Continental hotel has been featured in numerous Hollywood films, including RANDOM HEARTS, SPECIES II, and BORN YESTERDAY.