Saturday 13 December 2014

On meeting your idols - furry, or otherwise

This week has had an unusual theme running through it, almost like those contrived situations on Scrubs where all the characters experience their own version of the same scenario at once, allowing Zach Braff to give a rousing yet humorous summary that ties everything together over the closing credits.

To give you a leading example of this, this morning I read a post on Buzzfeed (classic Saturday chill-out), about a teenager who was SO EXCITED to meet Harry Styles at a book signing (one fifth of One Direction, in case any of you are living under rocks) that she had a full-blown panic attack. Then, being the angel that he is, he fought through the crowds to comfort her. What a sweetie! 
Pics from
www.buzzfeed.com/kristinharris/harry-styles-is-literally-perfect

While I might not see the appeal of 1D, nor understand the hysteria that teenage girls are able to work themselves into about them, to have your idol go out of their way to come and see you and make sure you're OK must be the most wonderful feeling, and it was really lovely that he bothered to.

There are not a huge number of people that I would fantasize about meeting - and only a few more that I would go out of my way to make sure I met. I could probably boil it down to five:
So close...but not yet BFFs

1. The cast of Harry Potter. TBF, that's a ridiculously large cohort (and does encompass a HECK of a lot of awesome British talent), but obviously I really mean Emma, Rupert and Dan. I love them all. (Shush, I know that's three-in-one)
2. David Tennant - I feel no explanation is required here
3. Chris Hemsworth - none here either. Although despite his gorgeosity, and being voted the sexiest man alive this year, he's still below David Tennant on the list because DT is the King of wondrousness
4. Zachary Levi - because I actually would quite like to marry him, if at all possible, cheers? (Is it OK to write that on the internet?)
5. Miranda Hart, OBVIOUSLY. I'm fairly sure we could be best friends.

At the end of last week we had a little frisson of excitement in the office. For context, my office is based in our church building, so is home to the church offices, but also runs as a conference centre during the week.

On the Friday, the centre received a call from a Casting Agency saying that they needed a room on Monday (as a rule, don't make your bookings that last minute, people) to do some extras casting for a Major Hollywood Blockbuster that would be filming near Oxford the following week. So, no Hollywood megastars in the building itself, but the opportunity to be an extra was open to all of us. We could be in a Hollywood film! Can you imagine?! 

Not-so-secretly, we all wondered if it would be the new Bond movie...

Monday came around, and the mood was...well, it was frankly hilarious. There was this mixture of excitement, mockery, enthusiasm and incredulity (in both good ways and bad). Some of the (part-time) staff went to get cast as extras, others of us (full-time) remembered that we actually already have jobs and couldn't just swan off to be in a film (shame), while others scoffed not-so-quietly in the corner.

As the day went on, we gathered bits of information about what the scene would be, and who might be there...and eventually found out what the film was... And, I don't think I'm allowed to say what it is. Sorry. BUT, yes, it is a Hollywood blockbuster; no, it wasn't what we thought; and yes, it was quite cool.

But none of the stars in this film were people on my list. And probably not in my top 10 either (which would extend to: 6. Emma Thompson, 7. Eddie Izzard, 8. Andy Samberg, 9. Stephen Mangan, and 10. James McAvoy - read into all of that what you will)

I realised at that point that any excitement I might have had about being an extra would not really have been about being in the film itself (although I know how long you can eat out on that one: 'Look, there's half of my left ear in Harry Potter!' - niche in-joke reference for you there) For me, it was much more about who I would have the potential to meet.

I've had a fairly practical week at work this week, doing mail-outs and such, and so have listened to a lot of radio in the form of Chain Reaction. Several people mentioned meeting their idols - I think one of them (Barry Cryer, perhaps?) told the story of calling his idol when he was drunk, then actually being invited over for a drink, getting to know him quite well, and it being an unusual example of when meeting your idol 'works' as you'd imagined. 

But while I joked about me and Miranda becoming best friends if we met (I've stood near her, as shown above, but never actually met her...), I can hardly imagine that it would actually be so - can you? It's a nice idea, but does it really happen to anyone?

Later on this week my sister and I went to see comedienne Sara Pascoe at an intimate gig at the Old Fire Station. I really like her - she's very real, clever and quirky. She told the story of a celebrity-stalk that went 'to plan', much like in Barry Cryer's interview: that of her mother camping out to meet her father, a 70s pop-star, who eventually fell for her. They soon got together, and had three daughters. It's just not what happens to real people, is it?

As it goes (and the theme continues), I actually did get to meet someone famous who I admire at this point - K and I decided to do our traditional gig-routine of hanging around the stage door after the gig to get an autograph and a picture (it's so far worked with Russell Howard, Milton Jones and Ed Byrne!) Surprisingly few people seem to do this, yet it's such a great way to meet them, and say thanks for the show! (Have I just given away a great secret...?) It's not as committed as camping out for several years to meet someone and then marrying them; but it has good short-term returns!

Sadly, Sara was in a rush to run for the train, so we literally just got a hug and a hi, before she ran away to the train station. However, we did get a lovely tweet afterwards :)



So, all in all, I had my opportunity to meet some (short, scientologist-y) Hollywood stars at the beginning of this week and decided not to bother; and did get to meet a comedian I really like, but only fleetingly and with little evidence. No new BFFs, no friends in high places, and no 'plans working out just how you imagined'.

But. I did get a very special meeting this week which made me more excited than is probably normal. On Tuesday, the centre hosted a Christmas party for a group of old people's homes. As part of that party they brought in two BEAUTIFUL reindeer that would welcome the guests as they arrived. I went to say hello before all the action kicked off, then admired them out of the office window until they went home.


Honestly, they were so gorgeous, and so calm and majestic and funny. And I fed them lichen (which is what they eat in winter, who knew?!) 


So, while I may not have made friends with any Hollywood superstars this week (and I think I'm ok with that, but if you see Rupert Grint anywhere do let me know), it's nice to know I'm actually pretty contented with the non-famous animals. They're more snuggly than famous people anyway. (And that's why I did ecology...)

That said, I'm guessing these guys know Santa, so perhaps my excitement to see them will mean they'll put a good word in for me this year ;)

ANYWAY. Eat your heart out, Zach Braff.
'Til next time, Happy Christmas!