Labors of Love for ‘Band of Brothers’

A blond, middle-aged woman from Seattle stood at the front of the crowd Wednesday night at the Hollywood Bowl, watching the celebrities arrive for the Los Angeles premiere of HBO’s 10-part miniseries “Band of Brothers.” Just another looky-loo, we thought. She, too, was waiting to chat with the series’ executive producer, Tom Hanks.

The woman clutched Stephen Ambrose’s book, on which the series is based, and she had a story to tell. This was no ordinary autograph hound. Her father, Donald Malarkey, was one of the actual Band of Brothers. He served in Easy Company, the 506th Regiment of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, during World War II. The elite rifle company parachuted into France on D-Day, fought in the Battle of the Bulge and captured Adolf Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest.

Sharon Malarkey Hill said her dad just turned 80 and lives in Salem, Ore. As she grew up, she said, he rarely spoke of his war experiences. “The only thing he told me about was being surrounded by Germans on Christmas Eve.”

Then she opened her father’s copy of Ambrose’s book, a second edition signed by many of the veterans of Easy Company. She was determined to collect just one more signature: Hanks’.

But the security guards had other plans. Just before Hanks’ limo pulled up, they forced Hill back behind a fence. She slipped us the book, with an imploring look that was impossible to ignore--even as a beefy guard checked our credentials and warned, “No autographs, ma’am.”

Hanks, escorting wife Rita Wilson, tossed a few quotes our way. Was “Band of Brothers” a labor of love? “It was a labor of obsession,” he said. “It was a labor of great admiration. If you love those things that inspire you, then yes, it was a labor of love.”

Ever so politely, we asked Hanks to sign Hill’s book. He seemed surprised. But as he opened the book and read the other signatures, he said, “Don Malarkey. Wow,” then graciously added his own.

The star couple headed toward the red carpet (which was beige), and photographers barked, “Tom, Rita! To the right.” A few feet away, tears welled in the eyes of Malarkey’s daughter as we handed her the book. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Later, on a big screen inside the Bowl, actor Scott Grimes brought Malarkey’s war experiences to life, dodging German bullets in a white-knuckle battle scene. Malarkey won the Bronze Star for his role in the real battle.

Thora’s World

Huddled in a corner at a Hancock Park garden party on Wednesday was Thora Birch, who’s been seen everywhere lately. The 19-year-old “American Beauty” star was enduring the attentions of an admirer. “You were in ‘Underworld,”’ he said. Raising one eyebrow, Birch politely corrected him: It’s “Ghost World.”

“Yeah, yeah. You were bigger then,” he continued, looking her up and down. “Much bigger.” Birch turned away with a wide smile, and a roll of the eyes. (She put on 20 pounds for the role.)

The actress, who is on a whirlwind tour to promote both “The Hole” and “Ghost World,” said she attended the event, hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles, because she wanted to meet people from Europe. “London is like the Grand Central Station of European cinema,” she said. “We should bridge the gap. We should share more with British cinema.”

Nothing’s Sacred

A camera operator linked by the tabloids to actress Julia Roberts has been questioned by police about allegedly chasing off a freelance photographer with rocks and bricks. According to an LAPD spokesman, the photographer, Francis Leslie Griffin of Studio City, told officers that 32-year-old Daniel Moder caused $1,500 damage to his Mercedes SUV. Griffin was camped out across the street while Moder was preparing for his mother’s funeral with other family members at a home in Woodland Hills.

The tabloid feeding frenzy was set off by unconfirmed reports that Roberts would attend the funeral.

Where’s Alec Baldwin and his can of shaving cream when we need them?

Off Keys

You had to be a die-hard Alicia Keys fan to put up with this: Her Wednesday night concert in Universal City didn’t happen until the wee hours of Thursday due to a planning glitch.

Keys took the Hard Rock Cafe stage two hours late and didn’t wrap her set until 3 a.m.

Loyal fans like Marlon Wayans stuck it out through amateurish sets by Kevin Bacon and his brother, Michael Bacon, and Steven Seagal. (Yes, he has a band.) The fans’ patience was finally rewarded with a full set from the pop sensation. Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock showed up just in time to catch Detroit homeboy Uncle Kracker’s show but left before Keys took the stage.

Sightings

Co-producer Steven Spielberg, cast member David Schwimmer, Elliott Gould, James Coburn, Harry Shearer, Lance Bass and Joey Fatone of ‘N Sync, Tim Curry, Larry David, Teri Garr, Freddy Rodriguez, Elizabeth Perkins, Eric Stoltz, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lesley Ann Warren and leave-taking Hollywood Reporter columnist George Christy, mingling at the “Band of Brothers” premiere ....Spotted at hip-hop producer Rick Rubin’s party at the house formerly owned by Harry Houdini were Coolio Andy Dick, Christina Aguilera, Milla Jovovich, Pauly Shore, Nastassja Kinski, Wu Tang, Jonathan Silverman, Paris Hilton, Rob Zombie, Nate Holden, Michael Bay and Slash ....Vince Vaughn, making nice with fans at the Bigfoot Lodge in Silver Lake ....Vaughn again, hiding under a baseball cap at the Roost in Los Feliz ....Mena Suvari, Rosie Perez, Marisa Tomei and Sean Lennon, attending a reading of “The Bombshell Manual of Style” at the Chateau Marmont.

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Times staff writers Louise Roug and Gina Piccalo contributed to this column. City of Angles runs Tuesday-Friday. Email:angles@latimes.com.