The Melbourne experience: seeing Zac up-close for the second time

Friday, 14 Nov 2008

Here’s the first entry of our guest blogger, Fanforum’s ani!Kat (blackgreywhite). She’s 1/3 of the Aussie ladies from Fanforum who went to both the Sydney and Melbourne premieres. Here’s her account of the Melbourne premiere and what its like to see Zac Efron up-close, the second time around

Those of you who have read “A Day in the Life of a College Student…” may know that Peryne and i attended the Sydney premiere with Holden on Monday. Whilst oxygen was frequently a problem and i’m pretty sure someone actually attempted to climb onto my back, it was a memorable experience! *lol*

On our return to Melbourne Tuesday afternoon, we geared up for the Melbourne premiere the following day. We arrived at Jam Factory (the venue) at 10am to find that there was a significant group of enthusiastic people already waiting, and that the workers had already begun to set up. Luckily a number of the barriers were already in place allowing us to assess where the best spot for us was. After much deliberation (certainly one of the bigger decisions of my 22 years *goof*), we decided on a spot just past the stairs before the bend going around to the stage. Our reasoning was that even if Zac, Vanessa, Ashley and Kenny were not brought to our section to sign, we would still be treated to a fantastic view of them walking down the red carpet.

Upon choosing our spot, we settled in for a long day of waiting. I’m not sure if it was just because we were more prepared for it, but the wait seemed far shorter than in Sydney. We were able to watch as the workers continued their set up of the venue as they steadily worked on assembling the stage, laying the red carpet and making various other preparations. Throughout the morning, a steady stream of people turned up but eventually the amount of people arriving appeared to stall. Don’t worry, it picked up again later *lol*. Luckily for us, our section remained largely empty for the majority of the day. Given the heat, this was a welcome relief.

At some point early in the afternoon, disaster struck (a more than slight exaggeration :-p *lol*). A worker came over and not only moved our barrier back significantly but also put extra rope barriers on our side of the carpet. It seemed impossible that stars would be able to come anywhere near us. A small part of us wondered if we should attempt to move but we decided that simply experiencing seeing them walking down the carpet was our priority over obtaining autographs. This made the decision to stay where we were easy. I won’t lie, it was disappointing to realise that our spot wasn’t as good as we had originally thought but we stayed positive about our ability to catch a glimpse of them.

About 3pm, two girls approached us asking if we had the ability to make room for them along the barrier. They told us that they had been wandering around asking at various places where they thought there was room only to be spoken to quite harshly by some of the people they encountered. Now, i understand that people who have been there for a lot longer, don’t want to relinquish space to people who come later but at the same time, if you’ve got some space i don’t see how letting a few more people in really hurts. Needless to say, i said yes and we easily found them a spot on the barrier. It turned out to be a great decision as they helped pass the remaining time with their pure enthusiasm over the prospect of seeing the stars up close. They were also rather enthralled by my copies of Details magazine and EW magazine both featuring Zac – sensible girls, who wouldn’t be enthralled?! *goof*. Some cute little children were also set up across from us, two of which were dressed in cheerleader outfits. We instantly knew that that this decreased our chances of obtaining signatures but still couldn’t help but aw at them at numerous moments *lol*. Their parents seemed very determined and my mind couldn’t help but go to Zac’s recent comments about the ‘enthusiam’ parents have been displaying of late *lol*. After seeing a group of children getting severely squashed in Sydney, i was a little concerned about their safety. The organisers kept an eye on them though and seemed well prepared to intervene if need be.

The heat was really starting to rise (i do refer to the heat in the literal sense, not the heat at the thought of Zac *goof*) but so was the excitement with the soundtrack being played over the speakers. Somewhere between 3 and 4pm, we received an unexpected but wholly welcome gift. A worker appeared and moved the extra rope barriers on our side into the centre of the red carpet. We realised that they were using them to divide the red carpet into two aisles and we were therefore in with a chance of having the stars come to our side again – SCORE! We couldn’t wipe the smiles off our faces *blush*. I still thought that the children would stand a greater chance but 1) was a little scared at how the parents would react if they didn’t and, 2) realised that if they did stop in front of the children, we’d be treated of a view of them for a nice amount of time. There’s always positives .

About 4pm, Holds rang to say she’d arrived. Luckily we still had room for her on the barrier and nobody had stood behind us yet meaning we didn’t have to feel bad about her joining us – DOUBLE SCORE! By now the crowd was really building and along with it, the temperature within the venue. People started to stand behind us and we struck up conversation with a few. It was interesting to experience the Zac fangirls up close (yes, apparently i’m not as extreme as you all thought *goof*). I’d been talking to the original two girls i mentioned about the Hairspray premiere last year and apparently news travels fast. I’d said that i was so stunned that he’d had to basically pick up my hand and CD booklet to sign it – this caused a frenzy which resulted in my hand being touched multiple times. Sorry girls but i’m afraid it’s been necessary to shower countless times since then *goof*. They asked me how i’d reacted and seemed very disappointed when i said that i’d merely said thank you for my autograph *lol*. Unfortunately this time also produced one of the more negative experiences of my day which was overhearing some slight Vanessa bashing behind us. I won’t mention specifics because i’m trying to keep this account as positive as possible (except for the mini rant at the end – sorry in advance) but let’s just say it stemmed from jealousy. Anyway, Holds quickly jumped in that what they were saying wasn’t cool at all (couldn’t have predicted that one huh? :-p) and when they tried to keep going, i jumped in that saying that there was no point in arguing with her over this – they just wouldn’t win (as it should be). They were much more respectful after that and continued with their squeezing over the possibility of sighting Zac.

Eventually people started to arrive and make their way down the red carpet. We weren’t able to recognise many as actual local stars but i’ve been assured that there was sportsmen and television stars. For some reason there seemed to be enough to fill multiple cinemas, they just kept arriving and arriving…and…arriving! *lol*. After the majority of the people had passed, Holds and i spotted who we thought was Barry Rosenbush coming along the carpet. After some squinting we concluded that we were right. I hope we weren’t wrong *lol*.

Next was Kenny who seemed in excellent spirits signing autographs for the eager fans and smiling enthusiastically. I thought he seemed wonderful but i’ll admit that my very first thought when first sighting him was “omg, why oh why is he wearing a scarf in this heat?” *lol*. He came past us and i got my very first autograph of this particular promo tour. I think they were running quite late by this point because they seemed to be being rushed down the carpet with less gap between them than in Sydney. Not long after Kenny passed us, Ashley appeared. I am loving her new brunette locks, she looks even more classy in my humble opinion! She also came right past us and provided me with autograph number two of the evening.

Vanessa was next! In my completely and utterly unbias opinion (hehe *tries to keep a straight face*) she was beyond stunning. So petite but so utterly poised it truthfully knocked me sideways a bit (not literally of course, that was the pushing going on *goof*). She signed for the children across from us so i was utterly shocked to find that she’d doubled back and was suddenly in front of me. Though my thoughts were a complete jumble consisting of something resembling “adjikjdljda”, i somehow managed to extend my magazine to her. Just as she was about to put her pen to it, two other things appeared in her way from fans just reaching out from behind in hope. To be truthful, i would have been a little disappointed to be so close and miss out *blush* but she gently pushed the two other things out of the way and signed for me! What’s bigger than a huge smile? That’s what i was wearing *lol*. I thankfully managed to splutter out a thank you! When i next came back from my daze, i found Holds smiling widely too having received her second autograph from Vanessa in the space of three days. I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more! Though i was a Vanessa fan prior, my respect for her has increased substantially after watching how she handled such a chaotic situation without seeming to miss a beat, Ashley too.

By this time, Zac had begun his walk down the red carpet. It was kind of impossible to miss as the screams reached maximum volume – i can feel the ringing in my ears just recalling it *lol*. Of course, the pushing behind us also increased when everyone noticed that he was close. I think the people behind us were actually trying to climb over the top of us for their chance at a glimpse! He also went to the children across from us (not the shock of the century *goof*) but didn’t double back as far as Vanessa. Most of you know that i am a huuuge Zac fan so of course it would have been wonderful to get his autograph again but since i have one (and may have been being selfish *blush*), the universe smiled on Peryne and she managed to get one as he turned the bend. Her Details magazine definitely stood out from the crowd ;-D. The smile on her face totally wiped away any initial twinge of disappointment i may have felt and my smile soon matched – i could actually feel my cheeks starting to hurt a bit *lol*. Whilst he was signing for her and the two people on the other side of her, i managed to grab a more than fantastic glimpse of him – i feel a little pathetic but that totally made my night *lol*. Like the Hairspray premiere last year, i was completely and utterly impressed by how he conducted himself the whole time – nothing short of completely professionally. I honestly couldn’t respect any entertainer more at this particular moment!! Of course…on a more superficial level, he was completely hot and handsome at the same time (how is that possible?! Hehe). I’m looking forward to being a fan of his for years to come

Everyone was quickly running towards the stage area so Holds, Peryne and i decided it was best to catch our breaths first. After we had done so, we made our way over and managed to find a place where we could see the interview taking place and them taking photos. It was a limited view from the side but we were happy! We then stood and watched Kenny, Ashley, Vanessa and Zac make their way up the stairs towards the theatre signing autographs along the way. This concluded a whirlwind day which was part of a whirlwind time spent during this promo tour of Australia. Peryne and i hopped on the train and were unashamedly hyper the train road home and for the rest of the night. Though the numbness in my legs and shoulders is starting to numb and the pain is starting to appear, this experience was fantastic and i’m so grateful to have gotten the opportunity *is grinning like the crazy girl she is*

Now, i’d like to quickly (well quickly for someone as verbose as me :-p) address something that is playing on my mind. I had a lot of time to observe over those two premiere days and have kept up to date on the online happenings since. Let me start by saying that i’m of the opinion that general fan behaviour was definitely up from what i personally experienced last year at the Hairspray premiere (i can’t speak for others though). Having said that though, there seems to be a worrying (well to me at least) trend which is more than a little disheartening. I speak of the trend which sees fans (and some media) ‘expecting’ a lot from stars and being more than a little rude when their expectations aren’t met. I do of course make a generalisation, i’m not saying this to offend anyone. When attending a premiere, i was of the opinion that we went realising that getting an autograph or a quick word was the luck of the draw – as much as i think the stars (Zac in particular) is magic (*goof*), i know he and the others are unable to perform the miracle of getting to everyone. It disturbs me slightly that it’s gotten to the stage where certain fans seem to think they ‘owe’ us something for being fans. I know they give me a gift every day with the work they do (ok, so i don’t watch something Zac related EVERY day…no really…i’m serious…why won’t anyone believe me? *goof*) and anything beyond that such as promo work is such a bonus!

I noticed quite a bit of talk about the speed in which Zac is taken down the red carpets. I can personally say i saw him sign countless autographs, more than enough to give a serious hand cramp (:-p) in Melbourne and i can only imagine it was similar in Sydney. I may not have been a receiver but i still feel lucky to have been in the presence of someone i do honestly admire (as much as you can someone you don’t actually know) and i know there are A LOT of happy fangirls walking around with autographs now. As an extra thought, i did notice a significant increase in pushing when Zac was in front of my sections at both premieres which leads me to believe that him staying in one place for too long could actually become increasingly dangerous – particularly for those younger people in the crowd.

For those who may have heard anything disheartening about Vanessa, from my personal experience she stayed the longest signing and possibly the longest with press – not the ungenerous person that some people would like others believe.

For those who may have been there but were unable to get autographs from one or more of the fantastic stars BUT are taking it in your stride, disappointed (maybe even deeply upset) but not playing the blame game…i applaud you. For anyone who are throwing blame on Zac, Vanessa, Ashley, Kenny, the minders or even the security guards…please think about this in perspective and be grateful to have been given opportunity to be in the presence of those you appreciate so much. I fully understand being upset, i just don’t like when upset turns to anger and bashing! For those of you who weren’t there, remember as always to take certain things written in the press with a grain of salt. I guess it’s more likely you’ll take my rambling with a grain of salt but well, i’m a babbler…what can i do?! Hehe!

Thanks for reading, i hope as many of you as possible can have a fantastic opportunity like we did one day!

PS. I’m firmly against bashing so i have tried to keep this as general in relation to other people as possible but please feel free to dispute if i have something inaccurate! It is after all just the opinion of one person…