“Without Bradley Cooper, we don’t get to make this movie,” director-writer-star Dax Shepard (below, with Cooper) told the premiere crowd at Open Road’s “Hit & Run”.
“Without Bradley, the movie doesn’t sell, and we’re not here eating free popcorn.”
Co-stars and popcorn eaters Joy Bryant, Michael Rosenbaum (together, below), Jason Bateman and Tom Arnold added to the applause inside Regal's showcase theater at LA Live.
Other high-wattage popcorn munchers included Edward Norton, Erika Christensen, and a GQ’d Steve-O., who shares MTV roots with Shepard.
Open Road moved up the release to August 22, an unusual non-holiday Wednesday opening.
"We don’t have the budget that some of the majors have promoting some of the big summer tent poles,” Open Road CEO Tom Ortenberg told TheWrap. “What we do have is a great movie that plays terrific with audiences. So we thought we’d open a couple of days early and start spreading the word.”
The filmmakers, including co-director David Palmer and "Wedding Crashers" producer Andrew Panay, have more than social media muscle. There was actual horsepower too. On- and off-screen couple Shepard and Kristen Bell arrived in one of the two muscle cars featured prominently in the film.
“I didn’t suspect there would be any problems,” Bell tells TheWrap. “Dax does not harbor multiple personalities. The person at home is the person who is directing me.”
Also read: Kristen Bell Joins Showtime's Don Cheadle-Led 'House of Lies'
At left, Ortenberg, with southern California native and gold-medalist swimmer Tyler Clary, could soon be seeing box office gold from the film he acquired at the AFM last November.
Because Ortenberg’s also on the board of the Creative Coalition, he joined that organization's CEO Robin Bronk at a totally upgraded 2012 edition of the group’s “Be a Star” anti-bullying party with the WWE poolside at the Beverly Hills Hotel Thursday night.
After lackluster years at the Andaz and the Roosevelt with 
names like Jennifer Love Hewitt, Thursday’s nights turnout deserved the WWE’s preferred name for its own talent: Superstars.
At right, David Beckham, with WWE’s Dolph Ziggler and Ted Dibiase.
Also in the crowd, Beckham’s pal Piers Morgan, Dominic Monaghan, an un-Hulked Kellan Lutz (left, with Maria Menounos).
New to the event, Jennifer Rosero and the Bolthouse team handled the ropes, making for a good-looking crowd and making this the choice invite of the night despite the “Sparkle” premiere at Grauman’s.
With sports specialist Stacey Wechsler handling the event,support also came from Fox personality Joe Buck and Ryan Lochte, who made a quick and early appearance before jetting off to host a party in Vegas later in the night.
DJ Pauly D continued a month-long association with the WWE that cast him as social media ambassador during their ratings-topping USA live show, "Monday Night Raw." However, his short DJ set suggested he should read his room better or keep his hands on the decks and away from the microphone.
There’s no question he’s got $11 million dollars worth of charisma, which makes it unfortunate that he trotted out his best Atlantic City microphone material – like “Who’s celebrating a birthday tonight?” – aimed at the test-tube-shot demographic and missing the red-carpet crowd.
But the best comedy didn’t come from an audio mismatch but a visual sight gag. Planet-sized WWE superstar Triple H (far right, with Pauly D) dwarfed the security detail assigned to shadow him as he juggled a constant circle of introductions.
Also read: 'Jersey Shore' Star Pauly D Makes Forbes' Highest-Paid DJ List With $11M
The WWE rolls out its second biggest pay-per-view event of the year, SummerSlam, from the Staples Center on Sunday.
Meanwhile, their Creative Coalition tag-team partner brings rockers Journey to the RNC in Tampa and the B-52’s to the DNC in Charlotte over the next three weeks. Creative Coalition CEO Bronk told TheWrap she doesn’t think President Obama is already “in” for reelection.
At left, publicist and David Arquette's upcoming reality show co-star Mike McGuinness re-medals Tyler Clary at the WWE party. After letting everyone who asked wear his medal all week, Clary said, “It’s as much everyone’s medal as it is mine.”
What’s next for Clary? He’s returning to University of Michigan for three semesters to finish his computer science degree.
An oddball confederacy of concertgoers – Sam Trammell, Marilyn Manson, Joe Manganiello, and Joel Madden (pictured right)– kicked off this weekend’s Sunset Strip Music Festival. The crowd was hanging out of the windows in the poolside Tiki Hut to see the intimate performance by the remaining Doors members at the Mondrian on Friday night.
Virgin America CEO David Cush hosted the party, (left, with Nicole Richie and Madden), reminding people that the sleek airline and space invader began as a music company. It was only a few pre-digital years ago that a "megastore" anchored the corner of Sunset and Laurel Canyon.
Meanwhile, over on Cahuenga, Fergie anchored the latest issue release of trade paper Cigars and Spirits (on the cover) at A.V., flexing her part ownership of heavy Hollywood marketer, Voli vodka.
On the opposite coast from “Hit & Run,” another comedy premiered in New York this week.
Laura Prepon and Bryan Greenberg (right) closed the GenArt Film Festival with “The Kitchen” on Tuesday night.
And at the Brancott Estate Wines after-party at Gallery on the Lower East Side, actor turned director Ryan Eggold (left) showed off his Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film.
Photos: “Hit & Run” by WireImage; WWE by Jason Merritt (carpet) and Christopher Polk (inside) for Getty Images; Sunset Strip Music Festival by Bob Riha, Jr.; Gen Art by Jason Kempin/Getty Images.