Hollywood Goes Geek at Video Game Expo

LOS ANGELES, May 11, 2006 — -- Hollywood is trading chic for geek -- at least for a couple days.

The video game industry's mega trade show -- the Electronic Entertainment Expo -- is under way in Los Angeles, and it's clear to anyone attending the event -- affectionately dubbed E3 among gamers -- that the divide between electronic games and the rest of the entertainment industry is shrinking by the day.

If the word of gamers and industry professionals isn't enough to convince you, take it from the celebrities themselves, who have filled the cavernous L.A. Convention Center and made waves at the show's many after-parties.

"The fact of the matter is that video games make more than movies these days," said actor and comedian Hal Sparks on the red carpet at an exclusive video game party at the House of Blues on Sunset Strip.

"A big part of it is that it's a lasting form of entertainment, and it's something you can take home with you," said Sparks, who took in the gaming exhibition on its opening day. "You spend a lot more time with your average video game then you do with a movie."

Some of Hollywood's brightest stars fought off the crowds to promote games and try out the latest and greatest electronic offerings.

Comic book legend Stan Lee -- creator of Spiderman and the Fantastic Four, among other characters -- relaxed Wednesday in a small room at Activision's adrenaline-filled booth. He was as excited as the average button-mashing gamer about what he saw at E3.

"It is almost unbelievable to me, because I always deal with things in two dimensions, you know, drawings and stories, and then you have the movies bringing the characters to life," he said. "But then when you come to the video games, it's not only a movie, but it's a movie that you in a sense are controlling."

"It makes you both a participant and creator in a sense. It's mind-boggling. I think the people who do these games are absolutely geniuses."

"Desperate Housewife" Eva Longoria and hotel heiress Paris Hilton were also slated to attend the show to promote games, as was "ER" actor Shane West and othes.