19th March 2001
Well, I've been fairly busy since the last update. I managed to get three trips in! The first (as I mentioned in my last safari journal) was to LA / Vancouver to catch up with my family, see my brothers new film and celebrate Mum's 50th birthday. The second was a weekend trip to the town of Bath in the UK and finally the third trip was a weeks-skiing holiday in France.
First of all let me answer the question I haven't heard the end of since I got back from the states. The film was fantastic, it was the first time I've watched a Jamie Blanks film without being privy to it's creation. There are two amazing shots in this film that I think you could call signature "Jamie Blanks".
I won't be drawn into an argument about which film is better, both this and Urban Legend are great films yet they are very different, once you've seen it I'll let you draw your own conclusions.
So it was that on the 31st of January at 11pm Lucy and I left the UK for the eight-hour journey to Los Angeles. Due to that freaky time-travel phenomenon that occurs when flying internationally, we arrived an hour later at Los Angeles airport. We weren't lucky enough to simply breeze through customs as I had made the fatal mistake of not knowing the address of the hotel where we were staying. This meant we were redirected to the "sin-bin" customs queue where I had to explain to the surprisingly understanding lady that we did in fact have somewhere to stay but simply didn't know where it was. She immediately told us to lie and put down the address of a random hotel for us. I should of lied in the first place!!
After re-presenting our forms with the blatant un-truth upon them to the customs official we were freed to collect our bags and go and reunite with my parents. Only thing was my parents weren't there! We were looking around the airport and there was no sign of them. Thinking that they may have left a message we presented ourselves to the arrivals information desk. Just then I saw them walk in - they had been given the wrong details by the airline. Fortunately they had been given the right date!!
The next morning, Lucy, Ben, Jade, my parents and I went to Farmers Market for breakfast. This is fast becoming a custom as we've done it every time we've visited LA. For those of you who don't know what Farmers Market is, it's a weird collection of touristy shops which would probably be best avoided unless you're going for breakfast - you see, they have the best pancakes and waffles there. I'm not sure how we first got onto it, but ever since our first trip for Urban Legend we've been regulars whilst in LA.
Anyway I won't bore you with all the details (that's what my video is for). Needless to say we saw quite a few posters before heading back to shower, change and head out for the premiere.
Before heading out we met in Jamie's room for a few drinks, a welcome addition to the party was Michael Rosenbaum (one of the actors from Urban Legend) I hadn't seen Michael since the UL premiere so it was great to have the opportunity to catch up with him again.
After drinks we all jumped into the Limo and took off for the Mann's Chinese Theatre. This is quite a famous theatre in LA (it was the theatre that the original Star Wars premiere was held), in its forecourt there are impressions of many famous actor's hands and feet that have been set into the concrete. We got out of the Limo and took in the atmosphere before heading up the red carpet. I was amazed to see that there were hundreds of photographers cramming the barriers to get their photos - I wasn't expecting anything on this scale! Lucy and I were right behind David Boreanaz. It was actually quite funny as when David stopped for photographs Lucy was stuck right next to him. I imagine her photo appeared in tabloid papers all over the world. The film itself was great; Jamie made me feel especially special by asking me to sit next to him during the screening, talk about a great experience.
Afterwards we waited for most of the crowd to disappear before we walked out and had a chat outside the cinema. My brother Ben was really excited to finally meet Don Coscarelli the director of the Phantasm movies. There was an autograph frenzy when someone recognised Michael Rosenbaum from his TV series 'Zoe Bean' - suddenly a thousand teenage girls asking for photographs and/or autographs set upon him. I suspected most of these people didn't actually know who he was, I was sure that if I asked Lucy to come up to me and ask for my autograph they all would have followed suit. My suspicions were confirmed when a girl asked him "You're in the new season of Angel aren't you?" to this he replied "no", she then apologetically added, "Oh sorry, I meant Buffy"... I couldn't stop laughing!
In what was probably Jamie's worst nightmare, he was pointed out as the director of the film by Michael (who was desperate to flee the constant requests for autographs) and was promptly set upon. I've included two photo's I'm quite proud of, my brother signing autographs for his fans b-). I can't think of anyone who deserves his success more.
We then headed out to the after-party that was held in a War Memorial of some sort. It was actually quite impressive "Maxim Magazine" had put it on so there were girls dancing in cages, lights, video projections and a fair contingent of celebrities. At first we went into the VIP room where Lucy and I were about one foot away from all the cast! We looked around a bit, before deciding to leave as it was far too crowded and headed out to the main hall, not before spotting Denise Richards (high five Stu!!)
We stayed at the party until all the VIP's had left then we headed off home. It was certainly different to the Urban Legend premiere!
Jamie Blanks & Steve Mirkovich with chicks
We left early the next morning for the airport, as we were going back to Jamie's flat in Vancouver to celebrate Mum's 50th Birthday, we were all leaving on different flights so Lucy and I went by ourselves. The schedule was such that Mum, Ben and Jade would fly up shortly after us on another flight with Dad, Jamie and Simon following on the final plane.
Lucy and I arrived in Vancouver late due to problems on the plane, we actually zoomed down the runway twice but the pilot was getting an abort light every time he was about to lift off (he stopped with just enough runway to go). It's quite scary being told by your pilot that the plane has flashing warning lights, we went back to the terminal but had to stay on the plane, when we finally went (third attempt at takeoff) I was a little apprehensive. Fortunately we arrived safely - albeit late.
Since we had taken so long to get to Vancouver we decided to wait at the airport for Mum, Ben and Jade. Thinking they were only 30 minutes behind us. We brought ourselves a beer and kept an eye on the arrival queue. We waited a good hour before I spotted Dad, Jamie and Simone. My first thought was that Mum, Ben and Jade had been held up in customs, only later did I find out they had missed their plane and had to take a last minute detour - to Denver. We headed back to Jamie's flat and were joined by our missing party later that night. Jamie's flat was fantastic, I could understand why he wanted to get back to it. I made a very brief visit into Vancouver itself to drop off some photos with Jamie but most of that day was spent waiting for Mum, Ben and Jade to arrive.
The next day I woke up to the sound of Jamie sneaking out of the house to buy the papers to see how his film had gone (it was the opening weekend). He managed to get the number two film for the weekend which was very good (especially considering it was a horror). The main celebrations for the day, however were reserved for Mum, this was her birthday. We took a trip into town to do a bit of shopping before heading out that night to a Chinese restaurant (I guess you can tell what type of food my family prefers by now).
Unfortunately Lucy and I had to fly back to the UK (and our jobs) the following day. Mum and Dad drove us to the airport and I found myself once again having to say goodbye - something that doesn't get easier, I was comforted by the fact that I would be back in Australia for a visit later in the year.
First of all let me answer the question I haven't heard the end of since I got back from the states. The film was fantastic, it was the first time I've watched a Jamie Blanks film without being privy to it's creation. There are two amazing shots in this film that I think you could call signature "Jamie Blanks".
I won't be drawn into an argument about which film is better, both this and Urban Legend are great films yet they are very different, once you've seen it I'll let you draw your own conclusions.
So it was that on the 31st of January at 11pm Lucy and I left the UK for the eight-hour journey to Los Angeles. Due to that freaky time-travel phenomenon that occurs when flying internationally, we arrived an hour later at Los Angeles airport. We weren't lucky enough to simply breeze through customs as I had made the fatal mistake of not knowing the address of the hotel where we were staying. This meant we were redirected to the "sin-bin" customs queue where I had to explain to the surprisingly understanding lady that we did in fact have somewhere to stay but simply didn't know where it was. She immediately told us to lie and put down the address of a random hotel for us. I should of lied in the first place!!
After re-presenting our forms with the blatant un-truth upon them to the customs official we were freed to collect our bags and go and reunite with my parents. Only thing was my parents weren't there! We were looking around the airport and there was no sign of them. Thinking that they may have left a message we presented ourselves to the arrivals information desk. Just then I saw them walk in - they had been given the wrong details by the airline. Fortunately they had been given the right date!!
| We drove from the airport to our apartment and immediately went to Jamie's room to see my brothers. For the first time in over a year my entire family was in the same room at the same time! It was a little surreal at first. We had a few drinks and caught up on all the required information - I even had some of my mail from Australia handed to me before Lucy and I left to drop our gear in our room and freshen up. We then met up once again in Jamie's room before heading out to a Chinese restaurant - just like old times. |  |
The next morning, Lucy, Ben, Jade, my parents and I went to Farmers Market for breakfast. This is fast becoming a custom as we've done it every time we've visited LA. For those of you who don't know what Farmers Market is, it's a weird collection of touristy shops which would probably be best avoided unless you're going for breakfast - you see, they have the best pancakes and waffles there. I'm not sure how we first got onto it, but ever since our first trip for Urban Legend we've been regulars whilst in LA.
 Dad, Mum, Jade and Ben at Farmers Market |
 Ben and Jamie at Johnny Rockets |
 My favourite place in Hollywood - Johnny Rockets on Melrose |
 Marley Shelton and her friend stopped when they saw us looking at posters [Marley is in the green top] |
 This Valentine poster covered the side of an entire building! |
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Anyway I won't bore you with all the details (that's what my video is for). Needless to say we saw quite a few posters before heading back to shower, change and head out for the premiere.
Before heading out we met in Jamie's room for a few drinks, a welcome addition to the party was Michael Rosenbaum (one of the actors from Urban Legend) I hadn't seen Michael since the UL premiere so it was great to have the opportunity to catch up with him again.
After drinks we all jumped into the Limo and took off for the Mann's Chinese Theatre. This is quite a famous theatre in LA (it was the theatre that the original Star Wars premiere was held), in its forecourt there are impressions of many famous actor's hands and feet that have been set into the concrete. We got out of the Limo and took in the atmosphere before heading up the red carpet. I was amazed to see that there were hundreds of photographers cramming the barriers to get their photos - I wasn't expecting anything on this scale! Lucy and I were right behind David Boreanaz. It was actually quite funny as when David stopped for photographs Lucy was stuck right next to him. I imagine her photo appeared in tabloid papers all over the world. The film itself was great; Jamie made me feel especially special by asking me to sit next to him during the screening, talk about a great experience.
 Lucy - stuck behind David Boreanaz and the tabloids |
 Ben with two of his Hollywood pals, Don Coscarelli and Michael Rosenbaum |
Afterwards we waited for most of the crowd to disappear before we walked out and had a chat outside the cinema. My brother Ben was really excited to finally meet Don Coscarelli the director of the Phantasm movies. There was an autograph frenzy when someone recognised Michael Rosenbaum from his TV series 'Zoe Bean' - suddenly a thousand teenage girls asking for photographs and/or autographs set upon him. I suspected most of these people didn't actually know who he was, I was sure that if I asked Lucy to come up to me and ask for my autograph they all would have followed suit. My suspicions were confirmed when a girl asked him "You're in the new season of Angel aren't you?" to this he replied "no", she then apologetically added, "Oh sorry, I meant Buffy"... I couldn't stop laughing!
In what was probably Jamie's worst nightmare, he was pointed out as the director of the film by Michael (who was desperate to flee the constant requests for autographs) and was promptly set upon. I've included two photo's I'm quite proud of, my brother signing autographs for his fans b-). I can't think of anyone who deserves his success more.
 Jamie signing his autograph |
 ... and now how about a photograph? |
We then headed out to the after-party that was held in a War Memorial of some sort. It was actually quite impressive "Maxim Magazine" had put it on so there were girls dancing in cages, lights, video projections and a fair contingent of celebrities. At first we went into the VIP room where Lucy and I were about one foot away from all the cast! We looked around a bit, before deciding to leave as it was far too crowded and headed out to the main hall, not before spotting Denise Richards (high five Stu!!)
 |
We went out into the main dance floor bit and was surprised to see Rachel Hunter with her friends. Jamie's agent Simon offered to introduce me so I jumped at the chance, she was just about ready to leave so he asked her if I could possibly have a photo, she kindly agreed and posed with me as Simon took the photo. I thanked her and she replied "you're so welcome" before heading off - now although our conversation was brief I found her to be a genuinely nice person! |
We stayed at the party until all the VIP's had left then we headed off home. It was certainly different to the Urban Legend premiere!
Jamie Blanks & Steve Mirkovich with chicks
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We left early the next morning for the airport, as we were going back to Jamie's flat in Vancouver to celebrate Mum's 50th Birthday, we were all leaving on different flights so Lucy and I went by ourselves. The schedule was such that Mum, Ben and Jade would fly up shortly after us on another flight with Dad, Jamie and Simon following on the final plane.
Lucy and I arrived in Vancouver late due to problems on the plane, we actually zoomed down the runway twice but the pilot was getting an abort light every time he was about to lift off (he stopped with just enough runway to go). It's quite scary being told by your pilot that the plane has flashing warning lights, we went back to the terminal but had to stay on the plane, when we finally went (third attempt at takeoff) I was a little apprehensive. Fortunately we arrived safely - albeit late.
Since we had taken so long to get to Vancouver we decided to wait at the airport for Mum, Ben and Jade. Thinking they were only 30 minutes behind us. We brought ourselves a beer and kept an eye on the arrival queue. We waited a good hour before I spotted Dad, Jamie and Simone. My first thought was that Mum, Ben and Jade had been held up in customs, only later did I find out they had missed their plane and had to take a last minute detour - to Denver. We headed back to Jamie's flat and were joined by our missing party later that night. Jamie's flat was fantastic, I could understand why he wanted to get back to it. I made a very brief visit into Vancouver itself to drop off some photos with Jamie but most of that day was spent waiting for Mum, Ben and Jade to arrive.
 The view from Jamie's Balcony in Vancouver |
 The view from Vancouver's Prospect Point. |
The next day I woke up to the sound of Jamie sneaking out of the house to buy the papers to see how his film had gone (it was the opening weekend). He managed to get the number two film for the weekend which was very good (especially considering it was a horror). The main celebrations for the day, however were reserved for Mum, this was her birthday. We took a trip into town to do a bit of shopping before heading out that night to a Chinese restaurant (I guess you can tell what type of food my family prefers by now).
 The main reason we were in Vancouver was to celebrate Mum's birthday. |
 At Prospect point I saw my first Racoon. |
 Another picture of the Racoon, you're lucky I've contained myself - I have thousands of these that I could unleash upon you. |
 Final meal with the family before we had to go our seperate ways. |
Unfortunately Lucy and I had to fly back to the UK (and our jobs) the following day. Mum and Dad drove us to the airport and I found myself once again having to say goodbye - something that doesn't get easier, I was comforted by the fact that I would be back in Australia for a visit later in the year.