It was an emotional evening as the families and survivors of 9/11 came out to attend the premiere of World Trade Center at the Ziegfeld Theatre. The movie tells the true story of two Port Authority police officers, John McLoughlin (Nicolas Cage) and Will Jimeno (Michael Peña), who got trapped in the rubble as they rushed in to help with the search and rescue of victims. Little did they know it was all in vain.

Greeted with a kiss-kiss from director Oliver Stone, we thought it fitting to seize the moment and suggest that the only thing we felt was missing from the film was President Bush’s speech on the loudspeaker at Ground Zero after the attacks. That would have been a great juxtaposition, we thought, to show Bush outside revving everybody up for war with his “we’re gonna get ‘em” attititude—while these guys were buried alive! His response: “Hmmm...”

We also asked Nicolas Cage about his preparation for the role. He chatted us up about spending time in a sensory-deprivation tank to get the feel of claustrophobia. “I felt this was important to do to keep the film true-to-life.”

There was much weeping in the audience (which included families, friends, police officers, firemen, and many other brave men and women involved in the tragedy). The cast, crew, and real-life survivors all received separate standing ovations prior to the start of the film, although there were mixed reviews due to the controversy surrounding the undertaking: Were we really ready for this? But we feel this film is worth seeing, as it brings it home, making it more real and full of emotion.

Paying homage: Judith and Rudy Giuliani, Brian and Gigi Grazer, Gov. George Pataki, Charles Gargano, Maria Bello, Erika Christensen, Maggie Gyllenhaal (who is in the film), Sophia Coppola, Spike Lee, Sting and Trudie Styler, Stephen Dorff, Fire Commish Nick Scopetta, and Police Commish Ray Kelly.

We love New York—we must never forget!