(L-R) Adam Sandler, David Spade and Selena Gomez attend a news conference to promote their film "Hotel Transylvania" at the 37th Toronto International Film Festival, September 8, 2012.Reuters
It is hard to say what the best moment was at Saturday's Hotel Transylvania press conference, although there's no question about which was the most awkward.
The stars were two rows deep to discuss the animated feature – Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Molly Shannon, David Spade and Fran Drescher, along with executive producer Robert Smigel and director Genndy Tartakovsky.
Asked what it was like to be in a movie with so many seasoned comedians when she was "new to comedy," Gomez responded that she was "new and young in general," which she obviously meant to express her humility. But then she quickly looked at her castmates and told them that comment wasn't meant to be insulting. If anyone felt slighted by the comment, no one showed it.
It was the only awkward moment in an otherwise free and easy gabfest, frequently peppered with jokes, as you'd expect.
When Gomez mentioned that she still lived at home, Samberg asked if she ever clashed with her parents. "Do they ever yell at you and say, 'Get a job!'?"
Sandler had nothing but praise for his younger co-star, saying that just mentioning her name around his kids stops them in their tracks.
The best line went to Drescher, who was asked about bringing her, ahem, distinctive voice to an animated feature. She didn't make her voice up, she said – how could she? She just found a way "to monetize it."
Dave McGinn