European Premiere: Valentine's Day!

Attending the European premiere of the Warner Bros. movie Valentine's Day was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. On Thursday, since I do not have any classes, I went with Jason to Camden to meet Alexa for lunch. On my way home, I decided to stop by Leicester Square, as I knew that the premier was to be held there later that day. I got to the theater around 3:00, to see that a small crowd had already started to gather around where the red carpet would be rolled out about 3 hours later. So...I stood, and thought...do I want to stand here, in the freezing cold for 3-4 hours to possibly catch a glimpse of some of the most famous stars in the world, or do I want to go home and relax? If you know me at all, you know that I of course chose to stay. Luckily, I was able to get a spot only about one person back from the red carpet. Since I was stuck standing there for hours, by myself, I made friends with several people standing around me. There were a few photographers, and even some men who went to all the movie premieres in London as a hobby. They had stacks upon stacks of celebrity photos, many of which they were in alongside the celebrity. They talked abut the stars like they were best friends since they had met them on many occasions before.
Around 5:15, they shut off the gates to the corrals that we stood in on the sides of the street, and they began to roll out the red carpet. It was so cool being right next to, behind the scenes, of something I had witnessed on television for years and years for awards shows, premieres, etc. They began to play music over the loud speakers, famous and current love songs to go along with the movie's theme. There were also lights shining down hearts all over the red carpet and flashing around the square.
One by one, the stars began arriving in cars at the end of the red carpet. I was near the middle of the carpet, closer to the entrance of the theater, but I was aware of the arrival of the stars by the screams that erupted from fans towards the end of the carpet. An announcer came over the speaker to introduce each of the stars as they stepped out of their cars. The first actor to make his way towards us was Topher Grace, from "That 70's Show," and several other movies. When he approached us, the absolute amazing-ness of what I was experiencing finally hit me. Topher Grace was standing three inches away from my face!! All of the stars passed right by me, signing autographs and allowing people to snap pictures of them while they walked by. Directly across from me there was a section for all of the press to stand in, so the celebrities would walk over there for short interviews. Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore looked incredible as usual- and people of course went WILD over Ashton. He looks even better in person than he does in all of his movies. The other stars I saw and captured great pictures of were Jessica Alba, Emma Roberts, and Hector Elizondo.
I was pretty pumped to see Hector since Princess Diaries is one of my favorite movies of all time, sadly enough. Jessica Alba, obviously, drew a great deal of male fans- the two guys standing behind me, who were probably about 25, screamed like little girls when she accidentally grazed their hands while signing autographs. She is beyond stunning...

Finally, it was extremely thrilling to see the director, Garyy Marshall, up close. The director and producer on 30+ movies, including the world-renowned "Pretty Women," seemed like one of the friendliest celebrities on the red carpet.



Needless to say, I went to go see the film "Valentine's Day," with my roommate Keetin yesterday. For such a star-studded cast, it definitely lived up to my expectations of a perfect romantic comedy to see on the holiday. I definitely think it was even more of a special experience for me because of my recent encounter with the stars I now saw on the screen in front of me.

Exploring my City

In a desperate attempt to catch up with my blog, I am going to try and highlight the best moments of the last 2 weeks in London- and then move on to tell everyone about my incredible trip to Paris! Then I will have you all caught up :)

One of the greatest days in London I have had so far started off as an attempt by Keetin, Matt, and I to make an organized visit to Westminster Abbey and the area close by. Our first task was definitely completed- as we spent about two hours walking around the inside of Westminster Abbey, audio tour in tote. (Note to everyone who is reading this- I am a huge sucker for audio tours. I love getting all of the random facts and taking my time as I explore new places).
Westminster Abbey is such a cool place because of all the history it represents and the history that is embedded within it. It is the final resting place of seventeen different monarchs, and even is the resting place for famous people such as Darwin and Newton, along with well-known composers, poets, statesmen, bishops, etc. One of the most interesting parts of the Abbey for me was seeing the tombs of Elizabeth I and the coronation chair. Westminster Abbey has been the official coronation church since 1066 and is still in use today for this purpose. It was one of the most gorgeous interiors of a building I have ever seen- all of the sculptures are magnificent and exceptionally original. It's such a surreal experience walking on the same ground that the current Queen of England (as well as many monarchs before her) glided across during her coronation.

After drooling over the beauty of Westminster for a little longer, we had lunch with Keetin's dad who was in town for the weekend. Matt and I then decided to head over to the Tate Modern Museum- which was quite a hike away, but walking and wandering is definitely the forte of Sarah and Matt adventures. We began by walking by Big Ben and Parliament- which are breathtaking and very well-known structures in London. We also passed by the London Eye. I'm waiting for a really bright and sunny day or until Kevin comes to visit to go on it since it's a relatively long ride and having a perfectly clear day is a necessity. Matt and I walked along the Seine past the Eye and ran into a huge crowd of street performers. Of course, we stopped and watched a bunch of dancers, creepy mimes, and even a random group of junior high aged boys jumping and doing flips off of a ledge onto a mattress they had placed on the beach below them. We also came across a man doing artwork with the sand on the banks of the river- which truly was amazing. It was fun seeing the more local and hidden parts of London that you can really only find if you wander around with no destination. We found a miniature skateboarding and biking park, full of bright graffiti and young boys showing off their tricks...surprisingly enough there were a lot of talented kids there. We stopped at a little coffee shop to take a break from the cold weather and even got some street food- sugar covered almonds, my favorite snack in the entire world!
After lots and lots of walking (all of which was really enjoyable) we made it to the Tate Modern Museum just as it was getting dark. Not that I am bashing modern art in any shape or form, but it really isn't my cup of tea. It is a little bit difficult for me to appreciate a giant red painting with a black line down the side as an impressive form of art. Matt and I had fun time making up over-exaggerated interpretations about each painting or piece of art we came across. Having seen some of Andy Warhol's artwork before and learning more about it in class here, I really liked a few of his pieces. Yet, I knew that I had reached my time limit within the museum when we came across the entire exhibit that looked like pokemon characters. I couldn't help but crack up...
To get home we crossed Millennium Bridge towards St. Paul's Cathedral, both of which are amazing feats of architecture.
Keetin was at home waiting for me to go out with her and her dad for dinner. We met one her dad's business partners and his wife at an AWESOME restaurant that was located by Drury Lane Theater. The entire place was made up of old theater and opera props. The table that we actually sat at had to be reached by a flight of stairs, and was an old opera box with a table placed inside of it. We had a great view of the entire restaurant and could look down on everything around the restaurant.
Keetin's dad's friends are both from Brazil, and are good friends with one of the owners of a Brazilian club in London which was not too far away, so we decided to go! Since they knew one of the managers, we didn't have to wait in the long line outside and we were immediately ushered in and given a great table on the outskirts of the dance floor. There was a live Brazilian band playing authentic music and people dancing all over the tables and dance floor. They had completely different drinks than what we were used to having, but they were absolutely delicious. Keetin and I danced pretty much the entire time- it was an awesome night!

Paris blogs and picture to come soon! Loving my life here in London :)