A Day in the Life of a College Student…
Here’s another entry of our guest VABN blogger, Holden from Sydney.
First off, when I found out that Zac, Vanessa and Kenny were coming to Aus I was over the moon! That is until I found that my final university exams ever (Hopefully) clashed with their promotion here in Melbourne. But after much *coughlyingcough*, erm convincing of my parents of why I wanted to fly up to Sydney for the weekend and a lot of help from Animation!Kat and Peryne from the FF boards, I was allowed to go! Mind you, my parents still think that I’ve already finished my exams, when in fact I don’t start until tomorrow.
I met up with Kat and Peryne for the first time at the Melbourne airport on Saturday afternoon. It was kind of nerve wrecking to be meeting them for the first time, but Kat put me at ease fairly early on. We flew into Sydney and to our hotel, which was thankfully only one street away from Greater Union Cinema on George Street, where the premiere was held. After settling in we ventured out to scope out the venue, and there was already signs up alerting everyone to the premiere. Just seeing the sign alone had me giddy with excitement.
Sunday was rather uneventful considering I attempted to study in my hotel room all day, which really didn’t lead to anything but me surfing the internet via my iPhone for any news of the cast arriving in Sydney.
Monday comes and premiere day! Wooo! I could feel the excitement before I even got up, and as a result I was up at least an hour before I needed to be, which ended up being a good 4hrs before I was meant to meet Kat and Peryne. LOL. But those hours was very well spent with a good portion of the time being spent over my dilemma of whether I should swear shorts or jeans, and if so, which shoes. It was a very big problem. Apparently I had underestimated the weather situation in Sydney.
We got to the venue at about 1030AM, I had already recieved txts from a friend from FF, Kenzie, also known from ZF and FF.net, that people were already there, so we wandered around for a little while trying to find a bathroom in case we needed one later. And of course there’s no bathroom! Could have been disasterous if we needed one! We then continued to strategise on the best possible place to stand, which given how indecisive we were, took a while. Though I will take complete responsibility for that, given that half the reason why we took so long was because I was so freaking nervous about meeting Kenzie and Kylie, who I know from LJ, and as CJ.xox.Dancerella on FF.net, who also turned out to be one of the girls Kenz befriended earlier. After numerous txts back and forth from Kenz and Kylie telling me they had the best spot, and that I needed to get my butt over there and meet them, I finally sucked up the courage to tell them exactly who I was. I was freaking out over nothing, but still!
So we sat, talked, got our bums numb, and at one point I was even studying, whilst the hours passed. I shall give myself props for actually studying whilst we were waiting. LOL. How I managed to study given where I was, and what it was for, is beyond me. Kylie had come with three other amazing fanfic authors, Ellie (AussieEllie), Dani (Pandora147) and Karen (karenefron) who provided lots of entertainment for us. At one point they were even writing a fanfic collaboration. The fanfic junkie in me was beyond excited over that. I literally got to see awesome fanfic authors in action! And Karen’s endless energy whilst she sang along to all the soundtrack songs was infectious because one look at her and you couldn’t help but be excited too. I could hear all the other fans behind us commenting on how into it she was. LOL.
Less than an hour before they arrive and camera crews are spanning up and down the red carpet. This kinda led to me having to duck a number of times due to the fact that my parents don’t, to my knowledge, know the real reason I flew to Sydney for the weekend. It didn’t help that Kylie, Ellie, Dani and Karen kept getting interviewed. LOL. But after the first few I forgot about it.
Cheerleader dancers entertained us for a little while, and pom poms where thrown at us to get everyone even more hyped up, and finally the deafening screams somehow get louder!
Kenny comes down the carpet first, doing a number of interviews along the other side of the carpet before he came to sign autographs. I had an OMG moment the second he finished signing my HSM3 People Edition. Somehow, even though I was right up against the barrier (Which I still don’t know how that happened, given that I started off behind Ellie, Kenzie and her friend), it didn’t occur to me that I could really get an autograph until he had signed it first. I vaguely remember turning around to Kat and squealing that he had signed my People, only to find that she was being squished so much that I was worried about whether she could breathe.
Zac came next doing interviews along the way, and a number of hair flips as well. The screams were somehow even louder than before, and the crowd was pushing so much as he came by. But I got my second autograph! I forgot how much shorter he is in person (I saw him at the Hairspray premiere last year), but once again the pics don’t do him justice. The guy is hot in the pic, but even hotter in real life. Though, personally I would have preferred it if his hair was slicked back, it makes him look way sexy. But the hair flicks were pretty squee worthy. He rushed by pretty fast and smiled along the way.
Next was Vanessa! Now, anyone who knows me will know that out of the HSM cast, Vanessa is without a doubt my standout favourite. So given that, my excitement over seeing Vanessa was so much more than what I felt for the others.
I started screaming the second I could see her coming down the carpet, and then even more when she came over to our side to start signing autographs. I could hear her asking her minder if he could please hold the flower she got, and her box of TimTams as she signed. Every second she got closer to me, I think I died a little more. Then all of a sudden she’s right there standing in front of me signing her autograph. I think I froze. LOL. I went completely blank and awestruck at the fact that she was right there. The girl is stunning, and amazing, and so tiny, and precious, and holy crap she was right there! If it wasn’t clear before why Zac is always gazing at her, it was clear now. Pictures do her absolutely no justice at all!
In my head I remember saying, “I love you Vanessa!” but whether my mouth actually formed the words is another question. And as if I it seeing her in the flesh and getting her autograph wasn’t enough, it got better! She then got pulled up for an interview in the middle of the carpet, and RIGHT. IN. FRONT. OF. ME!! If I wasn’t hyperventilating already, I’m fairly certain I was then! I was FREAKING out! Even just thinking about it and typing this out I’m beginning to freak out at the memory of it all. If I just put my hand out I could have touched her back she was that close! But… I refrained, because well 1) She would have probably found that odd, and 2) I’m pretty sure someone would have arrested me. She did her interview for 5 mins and I got a super up close view of her hair, which, by the way, is amazing, and I found myself having a new appreciation for the beauty spot on her neck. Needless to say, if my love for Vanessa wasn’t extreme enough, being that close to her cemented it even more.
Ashley was last, and came after a pretty long gap after Vanessa. I got her autograph as she went past as well. She looked gorgeous, and I’m completely loving her darker locks. I remember thinking that her dress looked somewhat like a curtain, or maybe a really pretty tablecloth, but regardless, Ashley was a sweetheart. A little girl near us, who had skipped school and been there since before we arrived, told Ashley she loved her as Ash signed her homemade poster. The little girl was so excited that Ashley said “Thank you,” that I’m pretty sure she forgot all about the fact that she had been crushed against the barrier for the last few hours by people that were twice her height.
After Ashley went by and I could no longer see anything down the carpet I turned around to find Kat and Peryne had already moved away from the crowd. Which, considering how crushed they were getting, I expected. Sadly they weren’t as successful as I was, but hopefully they’ll have more luck at the Melb premiere tomorrow! I was bouncing with excitement, grinning like a fool and hyperventilating as we walked back to our hotel, and I was only just able to form somewhat coherant sentences. It took me over 2hrs, 4 different phone calls, and numerous posts on LJ to calm down enough to ensure that I wouldn’t die from lack of air.
I never expected the weekend in Sydney to be so successful! It was definitely worth all the studying I did before I left (A lot of which I still need to do), all the convincing of my parents to let me go, and all the aches and pains I’m still suffering from! I think my back and shoulders are going to be sore for the next week! And it was also definitely worth risking the possibility of failing my uni exams that start tomorrow. But, truth be told, if I end up do failing these exams, which fingers crossed I don’t, at least I can say it was all worth it. But regardless, wish me luck on passing them! LOL. I’ll be attempting to drive straight from my afternoon exam to the Melbourne premiere at the Jam Factory, so whilst I doubt it will be as successful as the Sydney premiere was, that isn’t going to stop me from going.
Just want to give a huge thanks to Kat and Peryne for letting me tag along with them to Sydney. I wouldn’t have been able to convince my father to let me go to Sydney at all, had it not been for them. So huge thanks! And another huge thanks to Kenzie and Kylie, who were the ones who grabbed the best spots along the barrier and managed to convince me to come say hi, which ultimately led to me getting a spot along the barrier too so I could get autographs of the four and to have the biggest freak out moment of my life. So I owe you two a million! Hugs to you all! It was a joy and a pleasure to meet you!
You can find my pictures over HERE, but make sure to credit me please. Thanks!
Related posts:
- The Melbourne experience: seeing Zac up-close for the second time
- Get ready…Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!
- HSM3 Premiere in Melbourne, Australia
Posted in HSM3, VABN topics, guest blogger
Tagged with Ashley Tisdale, Australia, HSM3, Kenny Ortega, Sydney, Vanessa Hudgens, Zac Efron
i think that maybe this one interview is being taken as a total misrepresentation of australia. i live here and it is such an accepting multicultural place so i would totally rule race out as a factor.
i think that the interview was totally out of line but some people just want to cause controversy. i think both vanessa and ashley handled themselves well, and hopefully that didn’t hinder their experience down under! =)
I think people have to be more media savvy and not get too upset over it.
The interviewers want to be controversal because controversy sells. They did not want the standard answers Zac, Vanessa and Ashley give to other reporters during the promotional tours( I’m sure someone at the radio station did a Goggle search of their previous interviews)that’s why Marc said to Ashley “your answer sound so rehearse when one of the fan question was about the paps.
If the interviewers just ask the same questions that were asked of them in other interviews, why would anyone turn in to their radio show? What is best way Marc and Jo radio show can different from the other media outlets that followed Disney request for no personal questions? By asking personal questions.
No one should be surprised by this type of interview. Whether you live in the US,UK or any place else, you have read or heard this type of interview before with other celebrities so you should not be surprised by scarastic tone of the interview.(especially, if you watch David Letterman Show here in the US).
Personally, I think I’m more surprised not because of what they asked, but because they asked at all. The Matt and Jo show are usually really good about what they ask and comment on, in a way that still makes their interviews interesting without having to bring up the same old questions everyone else does. So this one struck me as odd.
Especially given how much they hyped it up with all that jaws-esk music.
I reckon the interviewers have not been doing their homework or just that they wanted to get it from the horse’s mouth. It is after all old news. I would definitely say a little bit tackless and tasteless the way the questions were word. Antagonise the interviewee and what do you get. You forget that this is a Disney promotional tour and those questions which should have been geared towards all things HSM and Disney became more personal and tabloid fodder. Not surprised the publicists intervened. I personally feel there is a right time and place for such questioning and it is the interviewee’s onus to answer as she or he sees fit.
can someone put it on youtube, it wont play for me
Can’t watch it either but after all the comments… I don’t know if this is something I care to listen to. I just don’t like hearing or seeing anything that is negative to anyone more so about Vanessa.
Matt and Jo are obvioulsy a couple of scum bags. They are from “Down Under”? Well, they better not come to the good ol’ USA!
Vanessa doesn’t need to deal with losers like these two.