SAN ANTONIO — Blazing guns, tough talk, cowboys riding into the sunset — the Monday night premiere of Texas Rising at a red carpet Alamo event was vintage Texas with a bit of Hollywood flair.
A Lone Star-studded audience including Land Commissioner George P. Bush and Cecilia Abbott, the first lady of Texas, got a sneak preview of the new miniseries about the Texas Revolution and the rise of the Texas Rangers. (Gov. Greg Abbott reportedly got hung up in Austin.)
“It’s one thing to play a hero in a movie. It’s quite another to be a hero in real life,” said Bill Paxton, who plays his ancestor Sam Houston in the series.
“Tonight we come together at this place, this hallowed place, to celebrate and honor the true heroes who fought so that Texas could be free,” Paxton told a crowd of nearly 1,000.
The premiere doubled as a fundraiser for the Alamo Endowment, an organization working with the Texas General Land Office to maintain and operate the Alamo complex. The state recently took over management of the Texas shrine after ending its longstanding partnership with the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.
“There is no arguing that the Alamo has come to embody our willingness to fight and die for independence,” said San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor.
Bush said preserving the Alamo is one of his top priorities.
“Right here is where all Americans became Texans,” he said. “Texas doesn’t just have history; we truly have a legend.”
Several Texas stars were honored at the event, including “Lone Survivor” Marcus Luttrell, National Teacher of the Year Shanna Peeples of Amarillo and Top Chef Paul Qui of Austin.
A 10-part series, Texas Rising first airs next Monday on the History network. The series stars Paxton, Brendan Fraser, Ray Liotta, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Kris Kristofferson and Olivier Martinez as Santa Anna.
Disclosure: The Texas General Land Office was a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune in 2011. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/18/george-p-bush-headlines-red-carpet-alamo-event/.
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