Everytime I have something I feel is interesting to say in a blog, I always give up about halfway into it and tend to summarise the last parts. It's not a bad thing, but it does bug me sometimes when the whole crux of each story is the final bit, or the conclusion, and when you mess that up it brings the whole story down. You may be wondering why I am telling you this, but if you think about it, you'll probably guess why. It isn't hard. You got it yet? That's right, I have a great story to tell, and even though I feel it was my best day ever this year at least, if I don't explain it to you properly, you might not understand why that is. I'm going to give it a shot.
Have you ever had one of those days, where things don't seem to go that well to begin with, but somehow change for the better?I had one of those days. It wasn't as bad as last Wednesdays being late for 'The Guardian' film screening, but it did start off pretty slow. Just a regular day really. I woke up, slouched around for a bit, before eventually deciding to hop in the shower and got out, dried and dressed with little time to spare before leaving for my lecture. Bog standard stuff really. We get to our lecture, and even though Jana really tries her best and is very organised and knowledgeable, it was probably the slowest lecture of the year. Time dragged on, and we [Me and Jo] thought the clock must be wrong or something. Eventually we got out, and went our separate ways for the day. Stuart my flatmate, went home, while I stayed on campus to pick up a dictaphone from Zak and sort out other stuff.
I headed to the lab, checked my emails, found a number I needed, and once I stepped outside got on the phone to a lady called kate Hudson, one of the PR people at this red carpet premiere events tonight. She seemed a bit reluctant in giving me the information I required, basically what was going on that night, but after telling her my name, press number and newspaper name, she talked me through the basic setup; we as print press, would be put inside the foyer of the cinema, and we would get to interview the stars as they walked in to the screening. I was expecting that sort of, but it was still going to be awesome. Turns out it would be more awesome than I thought.
I bumped in to a few friends on campus after I collected a very kind lending of a dictaphone from Zak [Thanks ZAK!], including Phil, flatmate Phil, Ben, Nabeel, Khalid and Nikki and Rachel to name a few. As Khalid was physically dragging me to his lecture, I wrestled free telling him I needed to be going to London, and eventually they headed off without me. I saw the brand spanking new edition of The Rabbit out already, so I picked up a copy and spent the next five minutes reading it outside the SU bar. After that I plopped it in my bag and headed home.
When I got there, I became a bit lazy, as instead of getting ready to head off straight away, I just dossed around for a bit by rechecking my emails and facebook etc for about an hour. After that I thought, enough! I started to get ready to go into town. I emptied my rucksack, all the while wondering what I would do if I turned up to the premiere with this backpack and they wouldn't let me in with it, and only put in the stuff I absolutely needed [which included my DS for train entertainment purposes :D] and set off. I had no change so I was gonna walk it. I made it in good time, though walking slow to avoid getting sticky and sweaty didn't work, d'oh! I bought a pen and pad from Smiths, then a computer game Id wanted for a while from HMV, and then it was time for the train station!
I walked there, beating several buses in the process, because traffic was getting heavy! As I got there, I couldn't buy my special ticket'n'tube fare from the auto machines so they made me walk all the way around to the other side for one! I as a bit miffed but I thought 'Hey, IU'm making good time, I can deal with this no probs.' As I got into the station, it wasnt long before thr train pulled up and away I went! Chloe text me just before to let me know if I was going out tonight but I guess she forgot I was heading to london despite me thinking I told everybody! :p After a read of my paper and a quick few notes and possible questions to ask the celebrities, I made it to London not long after 5PM.
I immediately headed towards Leicester Square on the tube, and immediately after getting my bearings, walked towards the Leicester Square Odeon. I rounded the corner, and to my surprise, it looked like nothing had been set up. I knew I was an hour early but surely they'd be setting up by now? Then I saw two women entering, seemingly normal, and the blond girl working there let them in and past. I thought 'Something fishy is going on here.' That was, until I began to walk around, and it was then I spotted a second Odeon in the same small square. This was the one. I trotted over to it, and pulled out the press pass badge I was hiding around my neck beneath my jumper. I didn't want any unwanted attention drawn to me beforehand, but now I was amongst other journalists I was happy to show it off a bit. So I waited for a few minutes until I realised that we weren't supposed to be here until another hour, and it didnt seem like much of a crowd. I decided to hunt out the internet cafe that me and Lucy, on our amazing day in London last year, found, which coincidentally led us to Italian food central when we happened to be in the mood for pasta!
After a few minutes of wrong turns and wandering, I located the cafe! It was here that i was going to do most of my research for the questions i was going to ask the celebrities. I could have done it before I left, but seeing as I knew I was going to be wasting time in London I figured better to do it then, which I did. I imdb'd them all [THAT's why it exists :p] and noted everything down. I then had to leave, to get back to the Odeon, but when I did I realised I didn't know the way to Leicester Square! I was stuck in Chinatown, and no way out! But that was only temporary, I quickly figured it out and got back to the cinema. Now, when I arrived, there were gates up and everything. I wandered straight to the front of the cinema, flashing my press pass around again, and it was here, after asking some woman what I was supposed to do or where to go, that I met my first fellow journalist. Her name was Fiona and she was from Belfast, another freelance journalist like the woman I met in the press conference. We quickly started up a chat about writing and who we were and what we did, and seemed to get along, which was awesome. Then, after a while, another journalist by the name of Suchandrika joined us and we ended up wiling away the time, looking out at the barrier with crowds of fans behind it, thinking how lucky and how cool we were :P
We still had no idea what we were doing, but the same women kept coming up to us and asking us our names or checking our press badges. We sort of worried if we were allowed to be here, and because I rung up earlier and was told I'd be inside the foyer, eventually we went inside and hung around there. Pretty soon they closed the doors to the cinema, and we were joined by only a few others, exclusive here we come! As time passed, they began to put the red carpet out, and the crowd by the barrier outside began to multiply by crazy numbers, it began to dawn on us that we were really very lucky! Suchan then told me about how she had a ticket to the screening, something I wasn't lucky enough to get a ticket for, and then I got a bit jealous, until she mentioned how she had been given two tickets, but only took 1 because she wasn't ever told about it so she didn't bring anyone. I asked her if she could enquire about the spare ticket, and after a quick chat, I was holding that ticket in my hand! Something I didn't really think about but noticed was the number of the ticket, A27. I wondered what this meant, but it was then that they placed up the little rope barriers and we were told that this would be where the press would be standing. It was so freaking cool!
I nabbed a place at the very front, and even after a mini shuffling around, I was eventually still at the front but towards the middle as the PR people wanted to bunch similar media together i.e print/internet, radio, and TV. Still, I had my sweet spot, and my dictaphone and notepad at the ready :D It was not much longer when we heard the first cheers, and we could see that Emma Thompson had arrived. I haven't ever seen her before in a film, so I didn't really recognise her, but it was still cool. Somebody who did come in who wasnt recogniseable was the producer Lyndsay Doran, and I asked her a simple question about how she felt working with the rest of the producing staff, and she was really sweet and funny! Then, not much after she arrived, we could see Will Ferrell walking along the fans gates, so they were both out signing. We waited inside, me thinking how freaking lucky I was to even be doing this, and the first celeb to enter was indeed Will Ferrell. It was a couple of minutes after he had done the TV interview that he moved over to us. And then I got my chance to ask him my question! I was standing right in front of him, as in centimetres away from his face :p My question was this: You've chosen comedy roles throughout your acting career, is that something you'd want to stick with for the rest of your career? And in his own funny way, he said 'Yes' and moved on straight away! While I felt cheated, it was my fault for asking him such a closed question. Anyway, as he began to answer all the other print journy's questions, I realised just how much of a funny guy he was. When Emma Thompson came in just before he got to us, he and her did this really funny banter where they were discussing who was in the movie, joking around and generally being hilarious :D
So, after asking both Ferrell and Thompson my questions, and being quite freaked with how down to earth and regular they are when you meet them, Mr Hoffman came in. He took AGES to get to us, choosing the TV crews for most of his time [BOO!] but I took it back when he got to us. He asked if we were going to see the film, as in all of our little group, and when some of them said no, he told his bouncer bodyguard dude that he wouldnt go in unless we got in! He was a top guy, even when answering questions, unfortunately I didnt get to ask him mine because we were all competing for the 2 questions they let us ask him, but even then he managed to get a couple more in :D
Anyways, after we had done the whole celebrity thing, I talked to Suchan and asked if we should go into the cinema now. We did, and only when we got down to the cinema screen did we realise how big it was! The screen was tiny from where you walked in at the back. Then, when we priduced our tickets for them to tell us where the seats were, we realised we were in the freaking front row! We were both gobsmacked, and when we got there we found a bottle of water and chocolate bar placed handily in the cup holder for each of us. It was posh choc too!
Another unexpected surprise was the cast turning up to introduce the film, Ferrell holding this big Private Function sign for a joke, and when he asked for any questions, Suchan put her hand up and asked him where he got that sign from, which he replied with something funny which I have forgotten [But its on dictaphone somewhere if youre really desperate to know!]. Anyway, we got to see the film, and it was good, nothing spectacular but surreal after seeing the stars just beforehand. As the credits rolled, the whole cast sans Ferrell came back, including writer and producer, and they did a Q and A session. Me and Suchan asked questions, and it wasnt very long but very funny :)
Afterwards, Suchan told me that there would be this after party, and that there would be free drink. It was the first I'd heard of such a thing! We got upstairs, and started to follow everyone else thinking we'd get there, but Suchan was getting directions from her friend Ollie who turned out to be taking us god knows where, so we walked back, grabbed a map off the girls handing them out, and joined forces with another group, and this was when I had to ring somebody [My mum :)] to tell them about where I was and what just happened.
After 5 minutes of walking, we arrived at what has to be the fanciest hotel I've ever been in, ever. We thought we'd get turned away because we didn't have an invite, but turns out these press passes are like gold, they even got us into the main party area even though neither of us were on the list! Free canapes, and alcohol, and pretty soon I was a bit tipsy and had my first ever taste of crab [which tastes really good btw]. The cast and producer and writer were there, but I didnt see them the whole time. After a while, I knew I would have to go back to the train station, so I left earlier than the rest, and on my way out recieved a copy of Saturdays Times paper even though it was about 1 in the morning! and when I picked my stuff up from the cloakroom, which was free, I got a goody bag, and you'll never guess what was in it, a WATCH! Nothing gold, but if you see it you'd say it looked nice, leather strap and silver watchpiece! really swish, and for doing nothing at all! :D
I asked the bouncer which way to the nearest tube station, and this is where it began to sort of go wrong for me. He told me Charing Cross was nearest, and even gave me directions. So after getting there, I realised it was closed. No way in. D'oh! I had to go all the way back, and then get to the second nearest which was Leicester Square. Eventually I made it, and I rushed down to the Northern line, and while I waited seven minutes for it to arrive, which is long when you're all warm and sticky, and after getting on and getting off the next step, i'd realised I'd gone the wrong bloody direction! So another ten minute wait, to get back to where I was and one further stop, but as I got to Central Line, there was a half hour delay on the last eastern line of the night. Really warm, really sweaty, I stood next to this drinks machine that was out of order with a tramp/hobo right next to me sleeping/unconscious on the floor. After a few minutes, the girl next to me started up a conversation and we became mini London friends. It was the same on the commute this morning, I'd met this person and talked for a bit, but never got their contact details, which is one of the many cool things about London; you can talk to nearly anybody about anything and then suddenly they're gone again, just like figments of your imagination.
We chatted, and eventually the train came, and we felt like sardines on the train, I've never seen it so squashed! This drunk girl next to me kept talking to some other guy, and when we finally made it to Liverpool Street, I said goodbye to the Law student and I rushed upstairs. When I got there, turns out that the last freaking train had gone! I was mortified, because it was only 2:30 and the next train wouldnt come for hours! Oh dear. However, if you read the beginning parapgraph again, you will know that bad things can turn into good things. This is what happened.
I hung around for a few minutes, wondering what to do, and I thought I'd check the bus station to see if there was a bus going my way. However, I stepped outside to do that, and realised I couldnt get back inside again because the station was closing. By chance, the drunk girl from the tube, came up to me and said something which I cannot remember. Anyway, turns out she lives in Chingford where Lucy lives, and she has £20 but it costs about £40 to get her there, and she has work in the morning! She moans to me for a bit, and we chat briefly, not wanting to get too involved because she was really drunk, but stciking nearby enough cos I thought she was slightly hot :p She kept asking minicab drivers who were all wandering around like vultures for their next fare, and she kept getting expensive prices. Then, she told me she was going to storm back into the train station sneakily, and I was up for it! She got it as the two guards were distracted by other stuff. I hesitated for a bit, then sneaked in. I didnt know what i was doing there, but I saw a policeman and woman. I walked over and asked them what I should do. They recommended me two things: a) a hotel or b) wait for the train in the 24 hour cafe round the other side. I went for the latter, completely losing drunk girl in the progress [I wonder if she ever got back, and where the hell did she just disappear to?] . As I saw it though, it was really busy, so instead I camped on the steps of Liverpool Street for a good 30 minutes to an hour, before going in there and buying a single mug of tea, and I read my Times newspaper! After wasting another 30 minutes, I decided to go back outside again. I waited another ten minutes, it was probably about 3:30 or something, I really wasnt keeping track of time. I went back around to the original side of the station, and sat down near this mid to late thirties looking bloke having a cigarette. A minicab driver wandered over, and asked if the smoker wanted a minicab, and he made a funny joke about paying £20 for a train or £180 for a cab to where he lived which was Ipswich. I laughed, and pretty soon this other dude came over for a light. Then, both of them clearly were drunk, started chatting, then another minicab driver came over and again the mentioning of living so far away was brought up, and then they started talking about prisons because the driver said if he was going to visit his mate in the nick near Ipswich he wouldve given him a free ride. Unfortunately, it wasnt so, so instead he took the second guy home for a £10 seeing as he lived much closer. That left me and the smoker.
he instigated a chat, and originally I let him do most of the talking, but after I mentioned that he could go to the 24 hour cafe when he said he was hungry, he asked if I wanted to go so i said yeah cos I needed the walk. We got there, and he offered to buy me tea! [I know where some of you might think this is going jokingly, but nope lol] He said he was in trouble with his girlfriend cos hed been out and was supposed to be back at 10, but instead he decided to go these salubrious bars, [he used the word salubrious a helluva lot!] basically gentlemans clubs, and then hed missed the train, just like me :D So we sat down and he made sure we sat down next to these three girls. he began to chat to them, and he was an extremely funny guy, really was. He kept making these jokes, and pretty soon we had introduced ourselves to quite a few of the tables around us. People even asked us how we knew each other but we didnt know each other! So after a while, of extremely awesome random friend making and joking and laughing in this 24 hour cafe while it was the middle of the morning outside, this girl was sat next to this Old irish guy who was a bit eccentric, and after speaking to her for abit at first, I eventually managed to swap contact details with her. We had great chemistry I reckon, and no doubt [I lost her details! I WAS SO ANNOYED ABOUT THIS] she will contact me again, seeing as she only lives in ipswich. Yes, you heard it correctly, I met a girl in the middle of the night in a random cafe, her name is Gemma, and as we parted ways I gave her 20p so she could use the toilets in the station and she said it was extremely nice of me and she hugged me =)
Me and the smoker dude caught the same train back, and do you know what the weirdest thing is? Even though me and him got along really well, had a great laugh depsite being completely different people, I didnt even know his name. That is the power of London :)
