STRATFORD, Ont. - Count one 14-year-old girl from Justin Bieber's hometown as one of his luckiest fans, after she snagged tickets to an advance screening of the teen idol's biopic in Stratford, Ont.
Samantha Moher says her name was the first drawn Tuesday afternoon for one of 65 pairs of tickets to Thursday's screening of "Never Say Never."
She was among the more than 100 people who braved -17 C temperatures and swirling snow as Bieber Fever swept the southwestern Ontario city, now famed as much for Bieber as its Shakespearean plays.
The winners were drawn on the steps of the Avon Theatre by Bieber family friend Nathan McKay, while Stratford's Mayor Dan Mathieson read out the names.
"I was really surprised," an excited Samantha said of her win. "When I heard how many people called in, I thought, 'Oh, I have no chance at this."'
The Stratford Shakespeare Festival, which organized the advance screening, said the 65 winners were drawn from a pool of 1,703 entries.
Samantha, who has been a Bieber fan for "a couple of years," said it was worth standing out in the cold for the draw. She's already decided who she'll be taking to the movie.
"I'm taking my mom because it was her idea to go down to the theatre to hear the names being drawn," she said.
Ann Swerdfager, a spokeswoman for the festival, said a couple of other winners were among those who attended the draw.
The film opens in theatres on Friday, but Paramount agreed to the advance screening in Stratford on Thursday night.
There will be no additional tickets for Thursday night's screening at the Stratford Cinemas, Swerdfager said.
Bieber has said practice for the Grammy Awards will keep him from attending the screening. But Swerdfager said everyone in Stratford is hoping he'll put in an appearance Thursday night.
"We've been told that he won't be there, but all of Stratford has their fingers crossed that he actually will be," she said.
Bieber is nominated for two awards at this month's Grammys.
The singer also received four Juno nominations, but said he won't be able to appear at the March 27 show in Toronto because he'll be performing overseas.
Bieber has said he wasn't exactly comfortable being trailed by a camera crew for "Never Say Never," which peels back the curtain on his private life ever so slightly.
The film is more documentary than pure concert movie, covering Bieber's quick rise from YouTube sensation to worldwide pop star. It features interviews with Bieber's inner circle, including his manager, vocal coach, stylist, security guard and family members.
