books, blabberings, and a life semi-common
I love this interview! I don’t watch Conan on a regular basis (mostly because by that time at night, I’m either sleeping or stuck on Food Network) so when Tom Felton tweeted this interview, I had to watch it.
And I’m so glad I did.
His reactions to the online HP world and descriptions of dirty innuendos is fantastic.
Let’s watch more interviews with this fella.
Except maybe it is.
I found out on Saturday that the premiere for Water for Elephants (which I can’t wait to see) was on Sunday. My response? “Oh that’s cool.”
I knew some people who decided to get in on the premiere action. They were way close to Robert Pattinson, got his autograph, and some pictures. My response to that? “I’m so happy for them.”
The thing is, at some point in the near past, I probably would have been silently planning the best way to attend the premiere or I may have even been a little jealous about those that were close to him.
But really… I don’t care that much anymore.
Okay, wait, I should clarify. I don’t really care much anymore with anything regarding the ‘fan aspect,’ by which I mean, I don’t mind that I miss his appearances on television shows, I find joy in my friends being happy even if I’m not part of the hoopla, and I’m perfectly happy just seeing the movies.
Last year, when it was announced that the Twilight Trio would be appearing at the Los Angeles stop of The Official Twilight Convention (re: TwiTour), I sort of went into lockdown mode. I called the people I trusted (BFF, Jibs, Red) and asked the simple question, “Do I want to spend the money on this?” To be honest, I had already put myself through the entire buying process; all I had to do was press ‘Buy’ for the final time. I ended up not going but this incident is perhaps the best indication for the majority of one of my Twitter feeds.
Don’t get me wrong. I think the kid is still really gorgeous. Okay, sometimes he looks way grunge-like and almost like there may or may not be some grime lurking in some areas, but don’t we all have bad days? I’m just lucky I don’t have people snapping photos of me when I’m in that ‘I don’t give a fuck what I look like’ type of mindset. But yeah, he’s still really frickin’ pretty. Just take a look at this post’s photo from yesterday’s premiere.
I’ll also still go see his movies. Granted, I probably won’t go see all of them or I haven’t seen all of the ones that are out. I mean, listen, I tried to watch Little Ashes but I couldn’t get past the first 20 minutes or something. That movie was just not for me which is a shame because Dali? Interesting. I did, however, love his acting chops (Rob’s not Dali’s, obviously) in Remember Me. The appearance of Emilie de Ravin in that movie was almost enough to make me never want to see it (and okay, the emotional aspect) but I sucked it up, ignored her as best as I could, and watched it. Boy can act. It’s not his fault the Twilight Saga writers don’t give him much to work with.
I digress.
Damn, what was the point of this blog again?
Oh, right.
So, recently, Rob P. has been doing the press junket for WfE. That’s awesome and, you know, normal for an actor and a movie but I just can’t bring myself to care. 
If I happen to catch a link on my Twitter feed, I’ll probably click it (about an 85% chance there) when I have a free moment at work. If a picture is linked (like the one above), I’ll click it, look at it, smile, and maybe use it like I did in this blog. But I just… I don’t care enough to set my DVR to record him rehashing what fame has been like and as cute as all the stories about the elephant are… Well, I mean, do I really need to know that?
Probably not.
Though they are really cute.
Seeing him with an elephant reminds me of when I was younger (and first watched Aladdin) and wanted a pet tiger. Clearly, tigers were not made to be pets, no matter how many fabulous men think so.
I think I’ve lost the entire point of this post… Because that baby tiger is so cute and it makes me want one again.
Oh…
So, to end it all… I’m still a fan of Robert Pattinson (imperfections and all – I mean, he needed to calm down about the leaked photos, okay?) but I’m not super-watcher-of-television-appearances anymore.
But that’s okay.
Once upon a time, I followed (practically religiously) Hanson religiously. I won’t even get into all the television appearances (and Mmmbop videos!) I have on tape.
Mmmm… Hanson… My first real taste/glimpse of a fandom and the hysteria surrounding celebrities. Those times were crazy but so much fun to remember.
Oh my God, I’ve lost my grasp of this post! I’ll end it here before I start spouting random things about Scottish fold cats, the Disney princesses, and who knows what else?
PS – I know Rob has said he’s terrible with lines in past interviews (see? I used to watch that shit all the time) but I’m still waiting for him to do live theatre… Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead? Anyone? Anyone else? No? Just me?
Yesterday, BFF wrote a blog about The Hillywood Show and the annoyance at having requests for money shoved in fans’ faces, and it reminded me of the days I spent with BFF on the fan site. It also brought to mind a comment from a fellow fan regarding our decision to close the website that basically said, “You let a lot of HillyFans down,” which, to be honest, still angers me. No one really knows how much time and effort and money we put into the creation and maintenance of HillyFans.Com, nor does anyone really know the arguments and stress that occurred.
So I’d like to explain a bit of what happened. This isn’t meant to be a post to bash anyone. In fact, all I’ll really do is state facts and share my opinions and feelings on incidents and events that occurred. I’m not saying everything was meant to have my particular action (and there are outside factors that weighed in on my feelings a few times) but this is exactly my take on the entire situation.
Be prepared for a trip down memory lane.
MT and I went to Harry Potter The Exhibition at Discovery Times Square tonight. This is the exhibit that we were originally going to travel to Boston for a while back but decided we couldn’t make it happen. Good thing it came to us instead!
The exhibit is fantastic. It’s not that long; it took us a little over an hour to get through the entire exhibit and a lot of that was because we chose to do the audio guides. Those are worth $7, in case you were wondering; there are some awesome tidbits from the production crews and producers.
Anyway, the exhibit has costumes (Cedric Diggory’s Yule Ball costume! Draco Malfoy’s uniform from Year 2!), props (whoa that TriWizard cup is BIG), and crazy-amazing set pieces (walking through the doors of the Great Hall is mesmerizing). They’re just so fun to look at. MT and I kept pointing things out to each other. You know, just in case one of us happened to miss something.
If you can get to it, you should. So much fun!!
I had this entire blog planned out for today revolving around the lunch LMc and I had but I’m going to save that for tomorrow when I (hopefully) have more time and more energy.
Yes… I’m still feeling low. It’s physical, not mental or emotional, and if I’m being honest, it’s a bit scary. There are pains that go on for longer than they probably should. I am going to call my doctor tomorrow and try to set up an appointment ASAP. I have a few other things that need to be done anyway but this… This is something I need checked out. It’s literally to the point where I am thinking the worst and it’s keeping me from sleeping straight through the night and is cause for a few nervous tears.
But let me put that aside for a bit.
I want to tell you why Sis2 and BiL2 make me giggle and make me feel loved. I went over to their house for dinner tonight (OnNomNom) and they decided to give me my Valentine’s Day gift early. Yes. They bought me a few things and they made me laugh.
The first one is a really adorable shirt. She admitted that she actually bought it for me in California over the holidays but she forgot to give it so she wrapped it up! Anyway, it has all these different colored clouds on it with different faces – there is even a stormy vampire one with a lightning bolt that made me laugh the most. I don’t actually know if it fits because the sizes run small but I hope it does because seriously, it’s adorable! If it does fit and I wear it, I’ll make sure to take a picture to share.
And they gave me three other things… They were more playful, silly gifts. See, if you haven’t noticed by now, I’m pretty entrenched in the Twilight fandom. I’ve made some pretty great friends there and it’s a fun place to be, especially if you ignore the crazy fans and the crap writing of the books.
I am now the proud owner of an Eclipse poster.
BiL2 said I should hang it up in my bathroom.
Sis2 said I should just cut out Edward since he’s the only one I like in the poster anyway.
She knows me so well!
In addition to those, they gave me the Sweethearts candies… You know, the ice ones for Edward and the fire ones for Jacob. Hahahaha. I tried to leave the Jacob ones on the table but she wouldn’t let me.
Though, I have to say that the flavors of the Jacob ones sounded much better than the Edward ones. This may be a problem.
Anyway…
Those were my Valentine’s Day gifts from two people I love very much. I’m not a big fan of the holiday. It’s just a day for the card stories and gift shops to make a ton of money. Gifts of love should be shown every day, not just on February 14th.
But whatever.
It’s February 7th and I laughed and shook my head at my siblings’ antics.
It kind of made my day.
Perhaps “bad romance” is not the phrase that should be used in this case despite the fact that the song by Lady Gaga blasts out of the speakers when watching The Hillywood Show’s latest endeavor, “Eclipse Parody.”
photo taken from TheHillywoodShow.com
In the opening scene of the parody, audiences are transported into the bedroom of Edward Cullen. This particular set bears a striking resemblance to that which is used in David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse film. The scene is one where Bella tries to renegotiate the terms of both an impending marriage and her future as a vampire; in just a few lines, it’s easy to see slight changes from the last two parodies. Jacob Jost, who portrays the immensely emo-vampire Edward Cullen, seems more comfortable in the role and the body language and nuances he exudes is reminiscent of the acting of Robert Pattinson in the film. Yet, while I believed that Kristen Stewart finally felt more comfortable with her lines and acting in Eclipse, her Hillywood counterpart Hilly Hindi, seems to have gone the opposite route. There was a slight awkwardness to her movements and the forced breath-infused words seem forced and unnatural.
This is where Lady Gaga comes into play – literally. Don’t get me wrong; I love many of the Ga’s songs and one of them is “Bad Romance” but it just seems so out of place in a parody of Eclipse. In a book told from Bella’s point of view, the idea of her calling her relationship a bad romance doesn’t seem ironic; it seems confused and incorrect. Perhaps if the story was told from either Edward or Jacob’s perspective, it might make a little more sense.
In “New Moon Parody,” fans got a taste of a “bad Bella Swan” in an alternate reality where she had a relationship with Jacob rather than wait around for Edward to come back. Was that personality brought over to “Eclipse Parody” despite its lack of realism from the work from which the parody was derived? Perhaps if that was the case, the montage of scenes that follow wouldn’t be so disjointed from the work. Instead, I am forced to wonder if I’m watching a parody of Eclipse or a fan’s tribute to Lady Gaga and her public persona.
As the parody takes the audience into the meadow, one has to question, “Where do they find these sets?” If I wasn’t so sure the cast didn’t travel outside the country for filming, I would ask if they somehow managed to use the actual meadow sound stage from Vancouver. I would also like to note at this time that the costumes replicated from the movie are incredible and spot-on. Despite the added sexiness to Bella that seems wrong, somehow, the costumes are brilliant and it’s in the parking lot that a camaraderie between Jacob and Edward is laughable – in the good way. They act like two regular guys as they stare after the girl they’re both lusting after – talk about being true to life there.
One thing that I’ve always appreciated with The Hillywood Show is their remix of songs. “Twilight Parody” did a great job with Katy Perry’s “Hot ‘n’ Cold” song and both “Dark Knight Parody” and “New Moon Parody” had amazing new backtracks of lovable songs. So was I the only person who thought the sudden change from Gaga to Jordin Sparks was abrupt? In any case, I was pleased with the use of “Battlefield” if only because I thought it truly captured ECLIPSE after I read it and heard the song for the first time – whichever one came first. It’s fitting that Sparks croons, “Don’t try to explain your mind; I know what’s happening here. One minute it’s love and, suddenly, it’s like a battlefield,” as The Hillywood Show reenacts the training scenes. Even without a scene of his own, Drew Lorentz seems to have a better grasp of Jasper Hale than Jackson Rathbone – and his hair is better, too, to be honest. The training sequence is done really well though I found all the cuts to Bella singing to be superfluous; let me see the training!. On its own, the camera work and the actors portraying the Cullen family members do the scene justice and suddenly cutting to a singing Bella almost ruined the effect for me.
The return to “Bad Romance” is a let-down at this point. While the song is immensely popular and is a dance song for the next hundred generations, it is one of the most overused and overplayed songs this year. It is during this switch that viewers start to see a new side of The Hillywood Show, one that I don’t know is helpful or harmful. Part of the intrigue of the show and its work has always been their ability to do more with less and never be lured into doing what is expected of a time and age where sex is at the forefront of most teenagers’ minds. Why, then, the sudden influx of sensual motions – some embarrassingly amusing and others downright obvious and uncomfortable? Part of it, perhaps, is over-exaggerated lip-syncing and movements but one truly needs to ask, “Why so sexual?” It just seems a bit unnecessary in the grand scheme of parodies. Is it an attempt to appear older and more mature? This may be the case but if it is, then it should have been done on a lesser scale. The shots meant to heighten the senses, and dare I say teenage boys, are sudden and new and should have been done on a bit of a sliding scale over a number of parodies if the Show wanted to break out of its shell.
However, what seems to be entirely unnecessary is the inclusion of the Harper’s Bazaar photo shoot that was done by Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson and was featured in the magazine’s December 2009 issue. The photo shoot is that of the actors and, besides the accompanying article, had nothing to do with Eclipse. During a time when the paparazzi and some fans are so obsessed with the idea of the dating costars, one has to wonder if this parody included scenes for those “Robsten” supporters out there. With the scenes that follow, it seems plausible, which is a shame because, truly, what was the point of this inclusion? While a marriage proposal and slight sexual tension was prevalent in the books, I am left feeling like a Peeping Tom (a Peeping Tricia?) because when I see these scenes in the parody, I don’t think of Bella and Edward; I think of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.
The lighting and smoke for the fight between the newborns and the Cullens is great. As is the filming (although that compliment works for the entire parody which, no doubt, is in thanks to the new camera as well as the brilliant focus of Hannah Hindi). The next few scenes jumble together in thought – the tent scene was amusing, Edward and Jacob singing part of “Romance” may be the only good thing about the song’s use for the parody, wolves helping Jacob serenade Bella is hilarious and breaks up the in-your-face attitude that is scattered through the short film. It’s a montage of well-placed scenes that is slightly broken up badly by Bella hitting Jacob. While Kyle Dayton has a subtle acting skill that needs to be brought into the spotlight more, Hilly overacts the punch a bit too much and it’s distracting and takes the focus away from Kyle’s ease in front of a camera.
Her shining moment, however, seems to come in the fight scene between Jacob and Edward, both of whom are believable through mere facial expressions by the actors who portray them. To show such emotion with the set of a jaw and the glare of a gaze is not one that can easily come across without words but, somehow, these two do it and they do it well. More importantly, for the first time, I believe that Hilly doesn’t want to be in the situation she’s been put in as Bella. There is a moment (around 7:35 if you’d like to look) where she sings, “You know I never meant to hurt you,” and she doesn’t look at the camera. She doesn’t even look at the two guys for a second and right there is how I wish Hilly acted throughout the entire film. It’s a moment of clarity that acting isn’t just about saying lines or lip-syncing but about being part of a group of people all working to create something. And then her face gets squished and I can’t help but laugh because she looks adorable, even smushed between two chests.
The parody could have ended around 8:15 with Bree screaming and everyone standing there though I’m still not sure why the Cullens suddenly became a gospel choir while singing Jordin Sparks. Instead, the parody switches – yet again – to “Bad Romance” and it is confusing once more as the question remains – is this a parody of Eclipse or a parody of the media storm regarding Kristen and Rob’s relationship? The idea of fiction vs reality is further exemplified by the sudden and seemingly random appearance of Kristen Stewart’s Eclipse premiere dress in a way that does not match. While Stewart’s MTV Movie Awards dress made its way into “New Moon Parody,” it fit the idea and look that was occurring in the form of a rock concert in the Cullen household. The white dress in a forest while the others are in their costumes is odd and lends a tribute to the actors of the film rather than the film itself.
Also odd is the lack of featured original choreography. Though the Show has used choreography from the artists’ videos in past parodies (“Twilight Parody,” “Dark Knight Parody”), the use of original moves was one I always looked forward to. There was, perhaps, two counts of eight during “Eclipse Parody” that was not taken from the great minds of Molly Munson and Jacob Ballard. I have to say that it was truly a let-down to not see more of the fun and intricate choreography that both Hannah and Hilly are capable of creating.
As said earlier, the sexuality seen in the parodies is jarring and unexpected, not because of the films and books themselves, but because The Hillywood Show has never delved into this new look. The inclusion of Isle Esme, feathers, and lingerie lends itself to a few things: the idea that there will not be a “Breaking Dawn Parody” and that the girls are going for some sort of shock value, perhaps in an attempt to garner more views.
Though the filming is gorgeous, as well as many of the sets and locations, and while Hannah continues to have a keen eye for what makes a hit regarding camera angles and views, “Eclipse Parody” is a piece that needed more work and less inclusions of potential controversy in the face of wanting more recognition. With beautiful sets, costumes, and make-up, as well as gorgeous renditions of certain scenes, the parody as a whole lacks the irony and cohesiveness that made “Twilight Parody” truly shine for the gem it is. The parody’s length is also one of questionable doubt – as it was with “New Moon Parody” and “Runaways Parody” as well. When is too much truly too much? Does everything need to be seen and filled in or are scenes becoming filler for what could have been an amazing yet shorter parody?
The spotlight here should be on Jacob Jost for the improvement of his acting over all three “Twilight” parodies and Kyle Dayton for his subtle nuances that make him a better Jake than Taylor Lautner. Both actors have the look and the talent to push them through in their future endeavors if those endeavors happen to include trying to make it big. The naturalism of each actor on screen is calm and sometimes seems even more professional than those actors who have been on screen their entire lives.
In closing, if The Hillywood Show would like to be more well-known, they should focus on these actors and put forth the positive spins of their creations. I truly hope the abrupt change of style to a more “mature” look is not one that will stick around and, if so, that they are able to reign it in a bit more. As it stands, the need for wagging eyebrows seems to be the goal rather than the gorgeous work they’ve done in the past.
With the recent news that TwiCon 2010 was canceled in both host cities (Las Vegas and someplace in Canada that was already switched), I’ve found myself immersed in reading people’s thoughts on the matter. The thing is, I’m not surprised that it’s been canceled, but I am surprised at the number of shocked fans that seem to be, especially when many of them attended last year’s fiasco.
Here’s the thing… I went to TwiCon 2009. An insane amount of money was dropped for the event though. Did I think the prices were astronomical? Sure. Was I willing to pay it? Yes, because I believed it would be worth it and that I’d get what I expected, that is to say, I would get what was advertised.
Last year’s convention was incredibly chaotic and disorganized, right from the beginning. It’s possible that it was already like that before the first fan even touched down in Dallas, to tell you the truth. Volunteers didn’t know enough and many were on a power trip. A few that actually wanted to help were fantastic but even they were getting frustrated at what was happening. The four managers – the “team” that made up TwiCon LLC – were mostly at odds with each other, at least when it came to answering the same question.
Fans were jipped out of time with the actors. One of the strongest pulls of any convention are the actors of the franchise and with a number of the TWILIGHT actors on board, excitement was expected. The Q&A session, scheduled to run for one hour, lasted a mere 30 minutes. Why? Because those running the event couldn’t get 3,000 fans (note that it had originally been said that registration would cut off at 2,500) into the large ballroom in enough time. They started herding us in 30 minutes before the start time. Lack of planning? I’d say so.
I was lucky enough to be one of 250 fans in a Meet & Greet. Scheduled to run from 6-7, the attendees were promised a visit from every actor, as well as some of the fandom’s best-known celebrities. Needless to say, that didn’t work out the way it was supposed to and tables were given two minutes with random celebrities – some tables didn’t even get any.
There were so many complaints – from attendees, from volunteers, etc. – at the end of the Convention that I was actually surprised to go on the forums when I landed back in Jersey to see so many people excited for 2010. Did people honestly think it was only “first year issues” that TwiCon was dealing with? Was everything supposed to magically get better in a year? Did people not realize that the first TwiCon had apparently/supposedly been “in planning” for a year to begin with?
Look, I’m not saying there was nothing good about the Convention. I met The Hillywood Show and we all know how that ended up. I was on a panel on “Writing to Get Published” and the two people I worked with were both amazing women (hi, Jackson Pearce) that I’m glad I met. I finally met people I’d been talking to online.
That being said, all of the good times I had at TwiCon 2009 were times I spent on non-related convention things. Going out to dinner with the Vegas kids, leaving the 100 Monkeys concert to go have dinner with Jackson and Stephanie where we chatted for close to two hours, possible more. Hanging out at The Draft and outside with friends, heading to the pool on our final day, roaming Dallas to do silly touristy things.
So I am seriously wondering how people thought this year could be different, how things would be okay, and how they had high hopes for 2010. When I received a text message stating that all events were canceled, I literally thought, “Well, no shit.”
I feel horrible for the fans who may not get money back. I’m not saying they won’t but I’m not saying they will either. I’ve done nothing with TwiCon this year, except possibly post one or two things on HillyFans.Com because a press release mentioned the girls. I have no clue what’s happening behind the scenes and I have no idea of any letters or e-mails being sent to attendees (well, prior-attendees?).
For the price I had paid and the aggravation I went through (especially as being part of TwiCon‘s pathetically-handled Journalism Team), I knew that I would never attend another TwiCon. So I am seriously baffled.
Some time later, I found out about The Official TWILIGHT Convention. I took a chance on it since it was in my home state in August and THS was going to be there. BFF and I went and had a blast. We spent waaaaaay less money on this convention, even with Gold Tickets, and we actually got what we paid for.
So the question for this blog post is —
Why do you think fans who got shafted at last year’s TwiCon are so surprised by the turn of events for this year’s TwiCon?
Fangirl: -noun. a fan, aficionado, or supporter who has an intense, occasionally overwhelming liking and enthusiasm for a person …
We’ve all been there, haven’t we?
Sometimes, there is such an overwhelming sense of awe at a particular person that you just can’t help the butterflies in your stomach or your mind from swirling all these thoughts in your head. It’s like someone is standing behind you, turning a wind-up in your back, tightening you in preparation for a meeting that you’ve been anticipating for a long time, possibly since you first ever saw the particular person on television or stage or whatever.
Maybe you haven’t been there, but I have and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Yes. I fangirl sometimes. I can’t help it. And there’s nothing wrong with it. It happens. So long as you can control yourself in the face of that person and not act like a bumbling idiot, you’re good. I, myself, have often had a fangirl moment, but many times, I keep it inside until I am away from said celebrity and then I squeal fashionably with friends.
Here, I give you my finest fan girl moments.
Drew Sarich
Many of you may not know the glory that is Drew. He is best known for his roles in overseas theatre as well as his roles here in NYC, including but not limited to the Broadway shows Lestat and Les Miserables. I had been a fan of his for quite some time but never had the chance to meet him. All that changed when a friend of mine took me to meet him at the stage door of Les Miserables.
Most of my friends will be quick to say that I am a talker. Meeting Drew left. me. speechless. I fumbled for words and then when it was all over and Friend took me away from the barricades (that’s funny because it was at Les Mis… never mind), I did an impersonation of the bumbling idiot but it was okay because I was away from Drew. But there were butterflies in my tummy and I sort of squealed in Friend’s ear.
Fangirl.
The Hillywood Show
Yes. I fangirled them when I first met. That’s okay. I still fangirl them when I see them. The only difference is that now, they laugh at me then we continue our conversation.
HillyDad may be the exception to that though. Hardcore. !!!111!!*
Hunter Parrish
First conversation ever with him (pretty much word for word) —
Me: You were really great in the role and um, yeah, I haven’t seen it in a few months but you were awesome and… CanIhaveapictureandcanyousignthis?
HP: Oh, thanks, yeah, sure.
Last conversation with him (a summarization) —
Me: (giving a nasty look to annoying girls next to me who swear they are bigger fans of Hunter than I am) Annoying. Seriously.
Bad Fangirls: Oh my God, it’s Hunter Parrish! From Weeds! He’s so hot!
HP: Mary! Did you see I pointed to you?
Me: Yes! Thanks so much. You know that meant the world to me, right?
HP: I told you I would! Hey, are you on Facebook?
Dear friends, it is possible to fangirl someone in the beginning then form a good camaraderie with them by the end of a run of a show.
Peter Facinelli
Mike Dexter, y’all. I walked up to the autograph table at TwiCon with a wildly beating heart, handed over my book and watched as he admired the drawing done by my awesome friend, Kate. Then he spoke to me and the angels sang.
I walked away, dazed but not confused, and may have done a little dancing jig when I told Sara about it.
Later that night, he joined our table at the Meet-n-Greet of Doom and I happily smiled and nodded while I drank alcohol and stared at his awesomeness. My insides squealed. Then, in the hallway after the meeting, he acknowledged a few of us and we were all giddy.
Fan. Girl. Moment.
Anya Garnis
Sara will confirm this. I love this chick. She’s a fierce dancer and totally deserved to be in the Top Ten of Season 3’s So You Think You Can Dance. When I met her at the tour stop in Atlantic City, I think my body melted – and not just because it was hot and we were stuck in a mob of people up against barricades and I was wearing sweater Uggs. The lady is gorgeous and super sweet and when it was all over, I sighed and just thought, “I met Anya Garnis. I win.”
Dan Radcliffe
I love Equus. I think it’s a brilliant play that can speak to anyone. Dan Radcliffe is kinda cool but I was never OMGosh HARRY POTTER about him. He seemed like a fun kid but whatever, there are other actors with whom I hold in a brighter light.
Then I saw him in Equus and was blown away.
So when I finally made it to the front of the barricade after a matinee show, I was giddy with excitement when he finally made it over to me. Most people just threw things in front of him so he could sign them or yelled out, “Harry Potter, I love you!”
Me? I took a deep breath and told him, “I obviously didn’t see it today but I’ve seen the show twice and both times, you’ve impressed me and blown me away. I plan on seeing it more times.” Then I let out another breath.
He actually looked at me (and he’s not that tall so it’s not like he had to crouch down for me to see his amazing eyes) and said “Thank you, I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Please, do come back!” He said it in his cute little accent and I’m pretty sure my friend Matthew had to hold my waist so I didn’t fall over.
Oh Dan Radcliffe, you do crazy things to me.
Mark Salling
The meeting was quick and normal and nothing special happened, but I talked of nothing else for about a week after it happened.
sldkjfoiewuts dljs~!11
JC Chasez (and some others)
Chicago. Challenge for the Children.
Before the charity basketball game, some friends and I walked around and checked out the booths around the mezzanine. I found one for The Jane Goodall Foundation. I got to talking to one of the volunteers there and they were having some sort of contest during halftime and blahblahblah.
Next thing I know, I am one of the contestants. It was silly and stupid but fun. I didn’t win but during the course of the game, I had celebrities cheering me on, Justin Timberlake ran out because I couldn’t, for the life of me, chuck the stupid bouquet of plastic flowers into the bucket, to do it for me (and I totally touched his back in thanks), Billy Bush said my name in a big arena, a few other celebs cheered on, “Yeah Mary! Go go go!” and I had fun.
After all of that, though? I was walking past one of the teams and a few of them turned around and thanked me for being a good sport and told me I did a good job. I saw JC Chasez and with a quick glance around to make sure I wouldn’t get kicked out of the arena, asked him if I could have a hug because I was such a big fan.
And so, JC Chasez, in his basketball-playing, sweating glory, smiled and gave me a big hug and said “Thanks” one more time.
I walked off the court dazed and happy and my friends wouldn’t stop teasing me for the rest of the time in Chicago.
After all of that? Some of us were waiting in the lobby for some of the celebs to come back – I may or may not have been a little tipsy at that point – and a few of them saw me and pointed my way and said things like, “You were the girl today at halftime! Good job!”
It was a shining moment.
Chewbacca
I may or may not have followed Chewbacca around Comic Con NY.
It may or may not have happened on more than one day.
That is all.
Those were just a few choice stories that I love to share because I seriously fangirled and was PROUD of it.
Now, here are the moments I look forward to doing a fangirl jig:
Robert Pattinson – I will fangirl him, but on the inside. On the outside, I will be normal, calm, buy him a drink, then have my wicked way with him. OMO (perhaps only Sara will understand that one).
Taylor Hanson – I have been a fan of him and his brothers for over a decade. I have never met him. But when I do, I will blink and be speechless because he’s talented and pretty and frickin’ awesome.
J.K. Rowling – I dare a fan of the HARRY POTTER series to tell me that they will not fangirl this woman upon meeting her (either to her face or in secret, afterward). I DARE them.
Lady Gaga – I am not ashamed to admit that I will most likely squeal in her face should I ever get the chance to meet her.
Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, James Marsters, Eliza Dushku – Yes. Yes I will stare and blink and my mouth will form an O. It’s so true. I lumped them all together because in my mind, they are all connected. And that is a good thing. If any of these happened, it will just never be enough.
Of course, there are more, but I don’t want to bore you anymore.
However, a few of my awesome friends decided that they would help me out in the fangirl department. After all, how can I say everyone can have these public moments without shame if I only talk about myself?
I have one friend who would like only to be known as SimplyImp on this blog though she has already admitted this future fan girl moment to many of our coworkers. You see, she has publicly stated that she will fangirl Kevin Jonas should she ever meet him. Why? She finds him super awkward in that cute way. Who cares about the years between them or that he’s married. I hope she does meet him because it would be phenomenal.
Then Jill, who I recently met and will now call her Jibs in this blog of fangirling, told me she would have fangirled over Christian Slater if she had met him any time between 1990 and 2008. “Then RPattz came along and totes voided my almost-20 year obsession.” Girlfriend, I feel your pain. Hot Rob is the way to go.
Then I have these two other friends, Sara and Sarah, who for shits and giggles, I will call TweedleOne and TweedleTwo. There is no reason for this other than the fact that I feel like it.
TweedleOne tells me her fangirling moments (past and future):
Zac Hanson
If she had met him when she was still a young tween, there is no way he would have survived the meeting. I am intensely glad we are not for the same Hanson brother, for that would be very bad, and probably a bit too much for said brother to handle.
Jackson Rathbone
TweedleOne is a very big fan of the Rathbone – very big fan. She met him at TwiCon in Dallas this past summer, numerous times it would seem because hell, the guy was everywhere. She is not ashamed to admit that she fangirled him, though she did it after the actual meeting because it is slightly inappropriate, as an adult, to fangirl someone to their face.
You see, when she first met him, he said, “Hey, sweetheart” and as we all know, the Rathbone has a mumbly Southern twang that made TweedleOne’s heart go pitter-patter. To his face, she merely smiled and said, “Hi, how are you?” Afterward, though, she thought something more along the lines of Holy shit, Jackson Rathbone just called me Sweetheart.
Cue fangirl squealing.
George Clooney
Remember how TweedleOne said she would never fangirl in someone’s face?
This is the exception to that rule of hers.
And then there is my ever-beautiful red-headed friend, TweedleTwo. She is a self-proclaimed Fangirl Extraordinaire. I shall allow that as she admitted to me that she fangirled Peter Facinelli this past summer to the point where she cried after meeting him. However, she did not cry until AFTER the meeting was order. That takes guts, my friend, that takes guts.
Like me, TweedleTwo also fangirled The Hillywood Show and those whom we fans call HillyMom and HillyDad. Girl, you are not alone.
She also admits to not being ashamed over the fact that should she ever meet any of the following celebrities, she would fangirl the crap out of them:
Robert Pattinson
Taylor Swift
Alexander Skaarsgaard
“Okay, anyone from the Twilight cast!”
Carrie Underwood
Lady Gaga
What was the point of this blog?
Oh right…
It’s okay to be a fangirl sometimes, my friends! In fact, it is far better to admit to being a fangirl or having a fangirl moment, than it is to pretend to hate any and all fangirls when really, you’re just hiding it all inside.
Please note – Fangirls who claw and antagonize a person for whom they claim excessive feelings over are a different story and should be avoided at all costs. This blog only supports the healthy moments of a fangirl (or fanboy). Any harm done to a celebrity or any uncomfortable feelings caused by a meeting with a fangirl is wrong and this blog does not endorse that type of fangirling.
Who have YOU fangirled or fanboyed over?
Be proud and tell your stories!
An Ordinary World 