오렌지 키스 : spartacus

spartacus

Showing posts with label spartacus. Show all posts

I know, I know. It's mega late. I'm sorry. You know me. You know the drill. And besides, I'm doing this partly for me... so I can look back and relive this day all over again. And also for you. So you can enjoy it with me. (And I have two more recent events to recap. Yay me.)

I've decided that Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo is my favorite. I love Anime Expo too but Comikaze hits me right in the childhood feelz. The 90s kid in me comes back alive. And it's not just the superhero fan in me that is satisfied. Of course, there is pop culture but my video game, anime, and literary sides had their more than fair share as well.

They've expanded the convention to occupy the structure closer to Staples Center. The convention floor was more spacious, especially artist's alley, and the meet-and-greet area was separate from all the chaos of the exhibit floor. Some people felt that this year was smaller but I thought it was just spread out to more floor space. Like last year, I didn't go to many panels but I absolutely loved artist's alley. I admit, I did shell out more $$ this year but then again, I didn't know what a goldmine artist's alley was last year. Remedied!

They finally did a red carpet premiere in Los Angeles. Well, black carpet.

December 2 was also my brother's birthday. Had he been here with me, this would've been the ultimate birthday gift. Both of us are huge LOTR fans and we loved The Hobbit book. We even got our mom to read it.

My day started off at around 8:30AM after dropping the key off at the office. My awesome premiere-going friends were troopers and stayed there since the night before. The crowd wasn't as awful as the ones at the Thor premiere but then again, this crown occupied the whole Hollywood/Highland block. It's been a while since I went to a Kodak Theatre (Dolby now, lol) or Grauman's (TCL) Chinese Theatre premiere. It's less predictable than the ones held at El Capitan... which end of the street will they get off at, which direction will they go to once they cross the street to the fans, are they stopping traffic. It was guesswork until the first car arrived.

Gofobo was giving away tickets to watch the movie at the premiere. I would've gone if it were a weekend the next day and not a workday Tuesday. It was bad enough that I lied my way out of a busy Monday; to skip Tuesday too would be too much. And yes, you get to watch it with the cast in the place where they do the Oscars but that's not the thing that made me so sad missing.

Kimmel taping ends at around 5:30PM. The actors started arriving at 6:30PM. El Capitan was just there, right where we were waiting for arrivals. Getting standby tickets were easy enough, I was dressed appropriately, the crowds weren't awful and we had good spots. I wished I had the thought to check who the guest was that night. It was Orlando Bloom. Oh vey. I mean, I did see him at the premiere eventually but to be sitting there for 15 minutes just looking at and listening to him? Why are you so elusive, Bloom? First, my New York trip gets scrapped then this. So close but so far away.

But that's for later.

This was 10+ years in the making. Guys, you know that I love a LOT of things but I will drop - have dropped - almost everything for The Lord of the Rings. The exception was that Thor 2 premiere. I was tempted to go to the fan event but at the Thor premiere, I had my mom with me and it was guaranteed that we'll see the cast. I've been to my share of big premieres but nothing means as much as this. I read a LOTR book once every year, usually The Hobbit, and I've watched the movies more than I can count (I can mime to the entirety of FOTR's theatrical version). I have most of the DVD versions, double for some, and I don't think twice about picking up other merch. In short, in my scale of fandoms, The Lord of the Rings is number one.

I was so honored to share breathing space with the likes of Peter Jackson, Howard Shore, and the rest of the cast of LOTR and The Hobbit.

TCL Chinese Theatre has a special exhibit for The Hobbit. The premiere was supposed to be held there but they changed it to Dolby at the last minute. They even had Thror's throne. I originally went on a food run but I got sidetracked by this display as well as watching the crew set up the black carpet. It was an amazing set. Black carpet, poster panels, fake Mirkwood trees. I actually called it the Mirkwood carpet. As I was watching everything unfold, I just couldn't believe that it was finally happening. Living in LA meant that I didn't have to work too hard to see my favorites in person but LOTR being a hardcore New Zealand production, the distance seemed too far. But if Spartacus happened, this was so on!

Speaking of Spartacus, Manu Bennett (Azog, the Defiler) was the first one who arrived. And I think I was the first one to realize that. Days ago, he sent a tweet of a yellow Lamboghini with the caption, "My warg for the LA premiere" or something to that effect. Well, I recognized that "warg" when it pulled up. And a little peek into the driver's side confirmed it. I told the people around me that I was 1000% sure it was Manu and we started calling out to him. Then the rest of the crowd followed. He didn't sign but he did a hi-touch (if you're a K-pop fan, you'd know what this is) with the fan line. Dude, I'm a Spartacus fan. Of course, I'm sure that's Manu Bennett. Oh Crixus! XD

And then from afar, we saw Sean Astin. OMG, he's one of my LOTR people! I remember losing it when I saw Dominic Monaghan at The Avengers premiere. I didn't do that there because Luke Evans (Bard the Bowman) went over to the fan line. I wanted to ask him what he thought of The Philippines, a la Jeremy Renner, but the crowd was too much and I was just tongue tied. He's actually pretty awesome. :) And that Welsh accent? Yes, please.

And then things became mad crazy. Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins) has arrived with partner Amanda Abbington. Needless to say, the Sherlock fans went insane! The autograph hounds didn't hesitate to push the actual fans and it was just madness. I managed to have Martin sign my Thorin's map but that was the end of it for me. Luke and Martin. It was too much to have something signed, take photos, and try not to get squished all at the same time. There was this little kid in front of me that reminded me of Rue. If I'm small, she was smaller than I was. Good thing I'm used to elbowing and pushing back.

The elves arrived next. Evangeline Lilly did go to the fan line but went the opposite direction from us. Same with Orlando Bloom (if you don't know, get off this page). Pfft. But you can bet that I screamed myself hoarse at my first glimpse of him. Many of you will never understand and frankly, I can't explain it either. ;-) I love him. End of story.

I don't have a ~good picture of Evangeline. It was funny that some of the Lost fans were egging her on with "Kate, dammit, RUN!" I know some celebrities don't want to be associated with previous work while promoting a new one but it amuses me how diverse fanbases are and it really does draw a crowd. Sort of like a free pre-promotion to the new stuff an actor puts out.

I have a fangirly rule that I will never ever chase down a celebrity just to get an autograph or picture or just to look at him/her. Guys, I broke that rule for Orlando Bloom. And I'd do it again if I have to. Like Evangeline, he went to the direction away from us. I was pissed and ~~ready to cry~~ kind of defeated but when people started to dart to where he's going, I left my purse with my group and did the same. He was so gracious, signing for so long and just smiling at everyone. [I may have my fangirl glasses on LMAO.] I did not get ~close enough to him but I saw him. I'm content. I could not contain my face-splitting grin.

While chasing after Orli, I missed Richard Armitage (Thorin). At least I avoided that madness. But I was just in time for Benedict Cumberbatch (Smaug) making his way to our line. Oh man, it was ON! The Sherlock fans, Star Trek fans, and the other people who are fans of BC... pushing and shoving and screaming with the autograph hounds. I legit got scared for a second there. Kinda like when the crowd started going insane for Leonardo di Caprio at The Inception premiere.

I admit, I never got the appeal for BC before. But after seeing the guy in person and hearing his voice up close? Yes. What ever it is, yes. *Right up there with the Hiddles*

I know... I know. I haven't posted anything in a while. I need a kick in the butt.

But here's one update. My hair. It's red.

I used the Clairol Herbal Essences Color Me Vibrant in 44 Paint the Town.

Other updates about my life since turning 25:

aka Die Hard 5.

How hard is it to er... die hard? It's like Mission: Impossible. How can it be impossible when the "missions" were "accomplished" four times now. The previous Die Hard movie was called Live Free, Die Hard. It looks like this franchise is going the Fast & Furious route where they just play around with the title to make it sound different when in fact, it pretty much has the same plot. But this is me being nitpicky again.

The first thought when I saw this movie poster was, "VARRO!!!!" Jai Courtney who plays Bruce Willis' son in the movie was the gladiator Varro, Spartacus' best friend in Spartacus: Blood and Sand. That friendship has one of the most heartbreaking stories that continues on to Spartacus: Vengeance. Also, during the Spartacus: War of the Gods premiere, the producers mentioned that Jai Courtney was going to be a part of this movie so I really looked forward to it.

The Die Hard franchise is one of those straight-up action movies with little to no plot. And it doesn't really matter if you've seen the previous movies because the explosions and gunshots and action will hit you on the face from the first minute! The previous film had John McClane's daughter in the mix. This one now has his son, Jack. And like father, like son... he's in the "killing bad guys" business as well.

Their father-son banter was hit and miss. At times, it worked but there are times when it was awkward at best. Forced humor, I should say. It's not the fault of the actors. They had good chemistry. I don't know, it just felt forced. But the action was great. Questionable and unbelievable but still great. After all, isn't the action the reason why people watch/like these kinds of movies? At least that's my reason. The first Die Hard is as old as I am and I think that the plot for this one would've worked even if it was used 25 years ago. XD I just... I think I laughed more than anything.

To sum it all up, A Good Day to Die Hard is the McClanes killing bad guys and a couple dozen innocent people stuck in traffic in Russia. That's pretty much it.

Last Tuesday, I took my mom to her first red carpet premiere. Yes, my mom doesn't like the 4-hour long waiting that I usually do when attending these things. I took my brother to the one for The Avengers and he almost gave up on that. Good thing he didn't though. From my experience from last year, Spartacus red carpet premieres are a more muted event with more grown ups, less batshitcrazy fans. So I figured I might as well get my mom into the experience.

Yes, I took my mother to the Spartacus: War of the Damned premiere. Spartacus... the show known for blood, gore, sex, and violence. Heh. I happen to absolutely LOVE this show. I think it's pure genius - writing, acting, graphic - everything about it is amazeballs. My mom doesn't really follow the show but she knows about it. And besides, I didn't take her for the episode-watch, I mean I can wait two-three days to see it on my TV. I took her to see the actors. She might not know any of them (apart from John Hannah and Lucy Lawless probably) but hey, they're hot and good-looking a fck!

The premiere was held at the Regal Theatres at LA Live. I don't like how they did things. It's like they had no idea why fans - with passes or not - line up early for a premiere. Fans line up because they want to see the stars and possibly take pictures with them. At least with the Spartacus premiere last year, it was disorganized but fans still got to meet the stars who walked the red carpet. This year, unless you make a mad dash from the ticket line to the fan area, you're screwed. But I still managed to snap a couple of pics with the actors. I just really don't like how this premiere was handled. As if Starz still couldn't believe the turn out this show will have. And I think Regal still have to work out how to handle a premiere. I'm not a fan of Arclight Cinerama Done premieres but they handle it better out there.

Dan Feuerrigiel, Agron

I managed to get photos with two of the actors, Dan Feuerriegel and Peter Mensah. Now, I wanted to meet Peter Mensah in the last True Blood premiere I went to but he didn't attend that. His character, Oenomaus, is my brother's and my favorite character in the whole entire series. We think he's awesome... looking all statue manly but he had a softer side. That's why I was so happy to get a photo with him. I also got one with the oh so nice Dan Feuerriegel. He looks thinner in person. But look at that huge smile of his!

The moment that made my night was from Peter Mensah. I had another person take a photo of us on my S3 and I have this cat case on it. I didn't buy it off that site though. But yeah, it's a peeking cat and I actually thought of replacing it soon. So after the picture, Mr. Mensah started laughing (see his smile on my picture!) and pointed to my phone.

Peter Mensah, Oenomaus

"That is possibly one of the cutest phone cases that I've seen ever!"

Oh man. I might just keep that phone case forever and ever. XD

Geez, that man is so tall. I should start a list of very tall people I've had photos with... Peter Mensah, Dan Feuerriegel, Alexander Skarsgard, Joe Manganiello.

I tried to get other actors; I saw John Hannah (The Mummy, yo) in the lobby but he was busy talking with people and I didn't want to be rude. I also so Liam McIntyre but I already have a picture with him from last year. I wish I was brave enough to approch Rob Tapert, the producer of the show and Lucy Lawless' husband but eh, missed opportunity.

So the meeting/taking pics with the cast was a bust. But something neither my mom nor I expected was scoring FRONT ROW and SMACK DAB CENTER seats to watch the episode. I know that sitting in the very front of a movie theater sucks but being a photo girl, I was excited to have the cast right in front of me with just the carpeted floor between us. Did I mention Dustin Clare who plays the rockstar gladiator Gannicus was in attendance? I got my wish!!!

I pretty much freaked out when I saw the photo updates from the Starz twitter. Dustin Clare! I was so bummed when he was a no-show last year. Oh how much I love Gods of the Arena. I'm glad that he was able to come to this last one. He's so good-looking, it hurts. And to stand there with Liam McIntyre and Manu Bennett and Dan... damn, are they all that hot and handsome down under? XD

This happened. Right in front of me.

It was dark in the theater and I didn't use flash so please forgive the editing; it's the best that I can do. There you go. When Rob Tapert was introducing the cast, he got to Liam and Dustin last. Even my mom said that they're absolutely good looking.

Almost everyone was there. Except Craig Parker, unfortunately. And to think I wore my "One must does simply walk into Mordor" shirt for him. XD Hahaha, that's okay. Manu Bennett was in The Hobbit as the Pale Orc. That counts. Lovely to see newlywed Katrina Law and the ever gorgeous Viva Bianca.

I love Spartacus fans. They were so animated. And most of them were guys! As the cast started going into the theater, a couple of them started chanting drinking songs. Especially when they saw Dustin Clare! It was so much fun! Guuuh, Dustin... <3

I won't say much about the episode itself. Just watch it and see for yourself. I personally thought it was brilliant and it sets the bar pretty high for the rest of this final season. I'm sad that it's over but this show might go down as one of my - if not THE - favorite TV shows of all time. When I first discovered this, my eyes were opened and I was instantly hooked. I got so many people watching and liking this not because of the gore or the sex but at how brilliant everything is in this show. Especially the dialogue. So hats off to Steven DeKnight and his team. To Starz for being brazen enough to bring this on air. To the actors and actresses and crew who give it their absolute all. I love you all and here's to a wonderful season.

More pics after the cut. All photos belong to me.

Spartacus: War of the Damned - Enemies of Rome screening

Where: Regal LA Live
When: 22 January 2013, 7:30pm

I am so looking forward to it. Last year was fun plus one! (The plus one was my LOTR moment haha.) I hope this time Dustin Clare shows up. And if the killed off members of the cast still attend, I hope Craig Parker is one of them. I would want a followup conversation about The Hobbit!

Stan Lee's Comikaze 2015

More Than 10 Years in the Making.

I'm still alive. And red!

A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

Spartacus: War of the Damned Red Carpet (20130122)

Jupiter's Package!

CATE.

ADVENTURES ON THE PAGE

OUT AND ABOUT

TWEET TWEET

Earworm

Past Fangirlishness

Followers