Pictures
Vacation Is Having Nothing To Do And All Day To Do It In
I’ve spoiled myself by taking two fantastic vacations in the past three weeks, first to Macau and Hong Kong, and then to some remote islands in the Gulf of Thailand. All of my pictures from both adventures can be found here.
I can’t help it that my life is so awesome.
“There is probably no more obnoxious class of citizen, taken end for end, than the returning vacationist.” ~Robert Benchley
As the Good Book says, if you spit in the air, it lands in your face.
I’ve just added a batch of pictures from our high school’s production of Fiddler on the Roof, which was performed this weekend (and quite fantastically, I might add). I had a wonderful few months working with the students, doing hair and makeup design, and cutting more fabric for costumes than I care to remember. You can see all the pictures here.
Saturday Morning in Bangkok
I got up fairly early this morning and decided to spy on my neighbors as they went about their Saturday morning business. (I did feel like quite a stalker.) Bangkok is busy on the weekends – laundry, cooking, shopping, cleaning, fixing cars, making deliveries – and the view from my balcony is fantastic. (And yes, the pigeons tried to attack me again. They’re evil.) Enjoy all of my Saturday morning pictures here @ Photographic Daydream.
Let It Rain
I haven’t been having much luck with transportation lately – even my walks to school have been fraught with peril (beyond the usual, of course).
This past week has proven to be the worst rainy season I’ve seen yet during my (almost) three years in Bangkok. Aside from the horrible thunderstorms and ridiculous downpouring of rain, the area where I live and work is one of the lowest points in the city, so that means flooding… and I don’t own any galoshes.
Usually my walk to and from work takes about five minutes, but when you have to slosh through flooding sewer water as cars splash by and motorcycles try to run you off the also-flooded sidewalk, it can be a bit of a challenge. By the time I get to school, I usually look and smell like a drowned rat.
Of course, the flooding takes a toll on both driver and pedestrian – today, for instance, I waded through the water to catch a taxi to the mall. Unfortunately the taxi wasn’t in good condition to begin with, and the deep water didn’t help, so about half a mile from my destination, the taxi starts to rattle and shake and make all sorts of terrifying noises. It finally died on the overpass, so the driver coasted to a stop on the side and got out to look… not only had the engined konked out, but he had a flat tire to boot. Needless to say, I was kicked out of the taxi and had to catch another one for the rest of the journey (and I had to pay for both).
Last week my friend Helen and I got stuck at school during a particularly bad rainstorm and eventually had to brave the floodwaters so we could get home. Naturally we took the time to video our experience.
And that’s only the tip of the iceberg… at one point during the week we were in another friend’s car, driving through the flooded street in front of our school, when water started pouring in through the floorboards…
I would like to take this opportunity to point out that the water is NOT clean and does NOT smell good.
Tomorrow I’m breaking out the hazmat suit.
Being the Cullens
It’s every book lover’s fantasy: finding yourself face-to-face with your favorite character, able to have a conversation, shake their hand… wait in a ridiculously long line to get their autograph?
Maybe it’s not exactly as you imagined it would be, but it’s pretty darn close, and for thousands of Twilight fans, it’s a dream come true.
I spent an entire weekend at an Atlanta Twilight convention doing double-takes every time Edward Cullen, my favorite character in Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling series, walked by with his golden eyes and sparkling skin. It didn’t help that he walked hand-in-hand with the fictional Bella Swan and was followed by Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale… what’s a fangirl to do? Talk to their mom, of course!
No, Esme Cullen wasn’t at the convention, but Emily Hindi was. Wearing a button proclaiming herself to be the one and only “Hillymom,” Mrs. Hindi graciously granted an interview with her daughters Hilly and Hannah, creators and stars of The Hillywood Show, who masquerade as Bella and Alice at Twilight conventions across the country.
Mostly recognized for their hilarious Twilight parody video, which has reached nearly 2 million views on YouTube, the Hindi sisters are celebrities in their own right… but you wouldn’t know it from talking to them. Extremely humble and grateful to the fans for their success (even in the midst of non-stop travel and endless autograph signings), Hilly and Hannah are a breath of fresh air in a fame-hungry world.
It all started a few years ago when Hilly entered AOL’s “Be a Red Star” contest and came in third out of nearly 100,000 video entries. Though disappointed with the loss, Hilly trudged on, armed with a brand new camera and the support of a handful of fans who had seen her entry. Fifteen webisodes and several film parodies later, The Hillywood Show is a phenomenon of talent and humor. When their Twilight parody hit the web, their popularity soared, hitting a home run with the unstoppable force that is the Twilight fandom.
Parodies are nothing new to movie fans, and Twilight is no exception. YouTube alone is littered with parodies of the vampire flick, but The Hillywood Show is something special. The incredible costumes and make-up alone hint at a Hollywood-sized budget, not to mention the fantastic cinematography and editing, so it comes as a shock to many to discover that the entire show is written, directed, edited, and produced by Hilly and Hannah themselves. Funded entirely by the girls’ personal incomes and done on a single camera, one can only imagine what The Hillywood Show could become with a full production studio at their fingertips.
As I spoke with Hilly, Hannah, and co-stars Jacob Jost and Drew Lorentz (who play Edward and Jasper, respectively), I was struck by their attention to detail even when they aren’t behind the camera. Drew’s black contacts reflected the fictional Jasper’s constant vampire hunger, while Jacob’s golden gaze dazzled the girls in the autograph line just like Edward’s would. On the night of the convention’s “Vampire Ball,” Jacob was even coated in sparkly body glitter as they mimicked the now-infamous Entertainment Weekly cover. It is this dedication and creativity that has earned The Hillywood Show their well-deserved success.
I learned quite a bit about The Hillywood Show in my five minutes with them. Here are a few facts every Hillywood fan should know:
- Hilly and Hannah’s grandmother, a professional seamstress, makes most of their costumes.
- Jacob has known the Hindis for years and jumped at the chance to play Edward Cullen when they offered it.
- Drew started as an extra on the show’s Sweeney Todd pieces and eventually ended up as Jasper in the Twilight parody.
- Hilly and Hannah don’t really use scripts, “it’s just all in our heads!”
- Hilly does all the video editing on Final Cut Pro (completely self-taught), and a full-length parody can take up to two months to complete.
- Some of their make-up routines can take hours, but they’ve got their Twilight personas streamlined to 30 minutes.
- In the Twilight parody, Jacob does the “Are you afraid?” voiceover, which sounds eerily identical to Robert Pattinson’s voice in the movie.
- None of the Hillywood cast had read the Twilight series before seeing the film, but now they’re all fans. (Jacob hasn’t finished yet, though!)
So what’s next for The Hillywood Show? Will they rest on their laurels and take a well-deserved break? Doesn’t look that way. Hilly, Hannah, Jacob, and Drew are currently on tour, bringing their Twilight personas to conventions across the United States, including such heavy-hitters as TwiCon and Comic-Con San Diego. They’ve also got a New Moon parody planned for 2010. In spite of this busy schedule, they don’t seem to be getting sick of the Twilight frenzy. “We’re trying to ride the wave as long as we can,” claim the sisters. “It’s really getting us out there, and we’re really, really thankful.”
Twilight fans are thankful, too: The Hillywood Show brings us that much closer to our favorite characters.
Twi/Tour Convention Day Three
The third day of the convention was shorter but still packed with stuff to do! Kellan and Ashley returned for the first session and wowed everyone once again! They really are close friends and they act like brother and sister – it’s adorable! Here are a few of my favorite bits from their talk:
» Kellan’s publicist wanted him to audition for Edward, but Kellan refused!
» Ashley’s advice to aspiring actors: “Work really hard, stay out of clubs!” and “Believe in yourself!”
» Kellan is excited about New Moon and Eclipse: “I really just want to see the wolves, see them transform and kick butt!”
» Kellan admitted his weirdest quirk: “When I drink from a drinking fountain I always count to 10 for some reason.”
» They both expressed a desire to make a difference with their lives. Kellan said, “I want to be a light in the industry,” and Ashley said, “I want to be remembered for something… I don’t know what it is yet, but I’m going to do something great.”
» Ashley’s favorite part of Twilight was “jumping off the balcony… and ripping James’ head off wasn’t bad either!”
» Kellan’s favorite part was his car: “I just love that jeep! Jumping off it and eating my eggs in it!”
» The most akward part of filming? “Watching Rob try to run.”
» Ashley on Rob: “He’s still the same person… He’s funny, unintentionally.”
» Kellan on Rob: “I just like making fun of him.” And when he plays his guitar? “He transforms into this angel.”
» Kellan confessed his dream of filling up his pool with gummy bears!
» When asked what they would do for a Klondike bar, Ashley quipped, “What wouldn’t Kellan do for a Klondike bar?”
» Ashley had to disappear backstage for a few minutes, so Kellan took over for her! He did a great impression of her voice…
After the first session, Alison and I had the wonderful opportunity to interview the Hillywood Show. I’ll be giving them a post all to themselves later on this week because they’re just so fantastic… I was very much dazzled! But right after that, the great Catherine Hardwicke herself took the stage and had every fan enthralled!
» Catherine told the bedroom audition story again – fangirls were swooning with jealousy!
» She said that Rob actually made an audition tape for Twilight but didn’t send it to her because he hated it so much!
» Catherine was “desperate” for an Edward and was so happy when she found Rob!
» She talked extensively about her favorite places to film and her upcoming project, Hamlet!
See over 100 pictures from the day right here!
This week I’ll be going through all my material to bring you even more awesome quotes from your favorite stars! If you’ve been following my convention coverage, here’s what’s coming up next:
» To Con or Not To Con? A Fan’s Perspective!
» The Hillywood Show Exclusive Interview!
» More Great Material From Twi/Tour!
I’m actually taking a graduate course this week, so I probably won’t get everything up right away, but you’re more than welcome to follow my twitter and catch my updates! :)
Twi/Tour Vampire Ball
Originally I wasn’t going to go to the Vampire Ball, because a) it was too expensive, and b) press isn’t allowed into the evening events without tickets, but Alison and I decided to hang around outside the ball and snag pictures of people in costume… and we ended up getting access into the actual event for what we intended to be just a little while, which ended up being for three hours! We went around to the tables and got pictures of the entries for the centerpiece contest and tried our darndest to snag pictures of The Hillywood Show, who were dressed up as the EW cover. Unfortunately my camera battery died about 10 pictures in, so I just followed Alison around and gathered people’s names for her newspaper!
Once Kellan and Ashley arrived and started making their way around to all the tables, we knew we wouldn’t be able to get any pictures and we’d probably get kicked out if we tried. We ended up hiding in the corner, trying not to make eye contact with any of the celebrity handlers, who were fan-blocking and camera-confiscating all over the place… a few girls almost got kicked out for trying to tackle Kellan!
We did get to meet The Hillywood Show’s manager – Hilly and Hannah’s mom – who was so sweet and lovely! She got us our own photo op with the group and arranged for us to meet with them this morning for a short interview and photoshoot! I’ll be writing a full report later!
On today’s agenda: Kellan and Ashley together on stage, and then Catherine Hardwicke in the afternoon! I’ll be driving home directly after she’s done, so I might not get my report and pictures up until tomorrow, but keep following me on twitter for the latest updates!