The beginning and the end

Because this all started with me sharing my long lost love affair with all things Donny, I felt it appropriate to include a picture of the Osmond star. I'm not a big Hollywood kind of gal so, though the stars on the sidewalk were sort of cool, and it was fun when I walked over some of the older stars whose movies I loved, like Myrna Loy, I didn't really pay them a lot of attention. I did, however, take note when I saw the Osmond star, and before I left snapped a picture of it.

Actually, my inner fan girl insisted.

And then, of course, I had to take a picture of this star as a homage to Chris Carter, who named his female heroine after the one and only, Vin Scully.

And this:

because how could I not take a picture of the iconic Hollywood sign.

And this:

was the best place to forage for pictures, posters, and all things X.

And so ends my week of bliss.

But not the year.

Ciao

Thank You!

Frank Spotnitz has the most infectious smile and it seemed to light up the whole place. His genuine enthusiasm was delightful and if the fans weren't Frank fans before this day, they are now. 

David and Gillian answered our questions with grace. It was a hard task to come up with anything new having not seen the film yet, and so they got many of the same old questions. 

As did these two. 

So, thank you David and Gillian,

and Chris and Frank. 

Ciao
 

Arrivals

First off, I should admit that I'm a dinosaur. Not literally, mind you, just in the sense that I never have go tthe hang of some of the technology my kids use like they were born to it.

I guess there were. Born to it, that is.

For example, though i know and can use my mac with ease, cell phones and cameras confound me. 

Particularly cameras. I have never mastered the art of holding it at arms length and snapping those candid shots everyone under 30 seems to do so well. And the settings confuse me to no end. Give me my old Nikon F3 SLR with auto drive any day. 

So, my apologies for the less than perfect shots. You add excitement, nervousness, and a general anxiousness at 'not screwing up the pictures,' and ......well, I screwed up. 

But not always...........

Frank was an absolute delight to watch on the red carpet - he seemed truly joyful, and i got the distinct feeling part of that joy came from being able to make so many people/fans happy. His smile was infectious and lit up the entire body of people. One of those 100 watt smiles. 

Frank, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you've done on behalf of the fans. You are a 'redwood amongst sprouts.'  

And thank you Chris. The fans know how much you lobbied and fought to give us IWTB. The movie, like the entire X Files series, is something to be seen again and again as it is the only way to glean the deeper meaning, and the ferret out the secrets layered within the images and dialogue. There is a reason we watch episodes over and over again.

Okay, this is here because David walked over from his hotel.....and this is one example of 'I thought i got lots of shots of him,' but between the glare of the sun, and my contacts, I couldn't see what I was doing. 

Oh, and that whole anxious/nervous thing. 

And Gillian arrived via a large SUV, beautiful in her aubergine gown. Seeing the SUV pull up made it very 'ET/Hollywood red carpet-ish for me.'

Chris and Frank. 

As if I need to tell you that!

And this dinosaur must now take a very patient dog for his morning run. 

Ciao!

Fan stuff, 'the' shirt and almost ready to go.....

Final preparations aside, the street has been transformed from a regular carrier of commuters, sightseers and shoppers to the glitzy glam of a red carpet extravaganza, waiting for our heroes to show up.

This is 'the' t-shirt. Minus the signature - but this is proof positive for you, Alex, that your t-shirt did indeed enjoy all the ups, downs, and squealing of the pre-red carpet excitement. It needed a long rest afterwards. 

The 'X around the world map.' 

Fans in stands. 

East side.

West side.

(they brought us over to the stands in groups of 25)

And big cheers from the fans when the set up crew acknowledged our screams of 'move the signs."

 

And they did so........now we could all see!

Ciao

What does one wear to a sidewalk line up?

I arrived to join the line up of fans around 6:20 am. It was fun watching the set up progress.

Okay, maybe fun isn't quite the right term..... how's interesting? It took the event workers much of the day to get everything done.

They set up bleachers - courtesy of Big Light aka Frank Spotnitz:

Blocked off half of the street:

Pulled out equipment:
Unloaded more stuff, assembled lights and the display stands that would hold the posters:Rolled out the red carpet and set up the barricades: 

While we read papers, talked, and got to know one another.

Overnight, the sign above the theatre changed:

First shot at 6:20 am:Two hours later:                                                                                   

And this marked the moment, at 9:00 am on the dot, the X sign went up:

I was amazed at how much went into getting things ready for an event such as this. It was amazing to watch the transformation from city street to red carpet-ready extravaganza. And the 10 or so hours in line flew by.

Looking at the pictures and remembering the day makes me smile. 

A lot.

Ciao. 

On our way to Malibu

We spent a long time waiting for the bus.   

A very long time. 

While Marcella read the article in the TV guide we found (there is no longer a print edition of this in Canada), I sat with my ears plugged. I did not want any hints of what might be in the film, and she couldn't help squeeing at times. 

And insisting that she tell me one. little. thing. 

no no no!

Okay, so call me silly. I had to take a picture of the street sign. 

Besides, we were bored! Waiting for another bus! The drive was beautiful and if there is a next time, I'll rent a car. The bus windows were too dirty to take pictures out of. 

This shot of Starbucks was taken for my daughter who is saving for her education by providing the masses in Whistler with java. 

Do the folks in Malibu really need pink markers to make it in and out of Starbucks?

The cinema was playing Hellboy .... maybe #2? I thought it should make some mention of IWTB, but there was no one around to mention that to. 

Okay, we all know you've made it when you get tagged by the local graffiti artists, but the real question is, how did they get all the way up there and do it without being caught? 

It was a long day.

A very long day in which we shopped in Juicy (Marcella bought more than I did), avoided the Rolls Royce of chocolates (we did, really!), tried to decide on a wine in the wine store (too many to choose from!), enjoyed the first cherries of the season, and had a coffee on the patio at Starbucks. 

.... and so ends our day 2.

Except for the bus ride back.

Next time, definitely a car rental. 

Ciao.

What we did in LA

I've had a request from a friend who is travelling to ensure I am providing her with a synopsis of what I did during my crazy X Files week in Los Angeles, and what I'm up to now. Then I realized I really hadn't provided any pictures, except for what I uploaded to Big Light. 

So, here we go. 

                  

                   

I have a few of these pictures of Mt. St. Helens, taken from the plane. This isn't the first time I've seen this as I've flown over, but it never fails to make me pause and consider the day the mountain erupted. The second picture reminds me of an alien landscape.

Fitting, considering the trip, I thought. 

 

In the movie we have the 'wrong house.' In real life we have 'the wrong way.' I misread the sign (always wear glasses when reading directions, children. It helps if you caIn the movie we have the 'wrong house.' In real life we have 'the wrong way.' I misread the sign (always wear glasses when reading directions, children. It helps if you can see), and we ended up all the way at the wrong end of the metro line. 

Which made us very late for the Leno show. 

Very late. 

*sends kisses to Susie* who found us and allowed us to join the group we had hoped to meet up with. X Files stuff is so much more fun when shared with those who have the same passions. 

And so ends day one. 

Well, except for the ride back into Hollywood, supper, and all that stuff. 

And sleeping. We were both very tired at the end of the day.

Ciao.

It just keeps getting better

The film that is.

Each time I see it I am stuck anew at the beauty of the visual imagery, the crisp dialogue, and the fact that suspense is delivered via both of these as opposed to FX or computer generated images. Enhanced by Mark Snow's soundtrack, which plays like a support in the best way possible. It is story telling in the very best way possible, something the X Files television show was known for. 

With a little more illumination this time. In spots. 

Okay, that was my attempt at humour and the whole flashlight thing from the series. 

I can't fathom 30 or 106 million dollars, 106 being the average cost of a Hollywood flick these days, and 30 the number I Want to Believe was made for. Give or take a few thousand here or there. 

I am by no means any sort of an expert in any of this, I'm in education, a far cry from the world of tinsel town. There is one thing, though, I think holds true for many endeavors; it is often not how much money you have, it's how you use what you have available. Having less can lead to some incredible creativity.

Which is why kids will often toss the toy and play with the box. 

They get it. We adults often think it's the amount we have that determines the quality of a product. 

Not so. 

Ask any kid with a box. 

Ciao

Movie Reviews

I've avoided most of them, though I've heard the rumblings. I think the best review ever came from John Kenneth Muir, linked here. 

His is a far more eloquent summation than mine would be, but let me say, I concur wholeheartedly. 

I couldn't help but respond to his well thought out treatment of the film, and offer a few of my own thoughts on this here.

The central theme of redemption resonates in many of our hearts, making some uncomfortable enough to dismiss the entire film rather than deal with what is brought to the surface. It has always been easier to point fingers outward than deal with what is in our own hearts. Father Joe symbolizes the heart of the redemption story central to many faiths, and highlights our own state. A central theme that states: if we cannot forgive others, than we ourselves are not forgiven. This reality would not have been lost on the character of Scully, brought up in the Catholic faith. 

The following passage may be familiar, it begins with Peter (I love Peter) wondering how many times he should forgive someone, and he generously, or so he believes he is being generous, offers the number seven.

'Up to seven? "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven."'

A brief explanation here. Peter thought he was being generous offering to forgive seven times in his lifetime. Jesus' response, seventy times seven, refers to a daily allotment. In other words, as many times as is needed. 

Which brings us back to Father Joe, wondering if his God can look past his transgressions, his crimes. I'd like to think the answer to that is yes, God is way bigger than we are. But practically, do we practice what we believe?

I believe that is part of Scully's struggle, the head knowledge of what she was taught as a child (I've been through those Catechism classes, so I know, it's in there), and the practical knowledge as a professional in the field regarding how damaged those young boys would be, and the struggle with wanting to (perhaps) inflict further punishment, deeming the past and current situation as not being enough. 

I wonder about her own feelings of being forgiven, or not, as it pertains to William. She is not that much different than Father Joe, in some respects, doing penance in their own way: hers in a hospital seeing the face of her son daily in the other children, Father Joe in seeing his sins reflected back each time he passes a fellow offender on the way in or out. 

Yes, the movie is much deeper than many had expected, as Muir states. If I could be so bold to share this line from his review: 

"Based on the savage reviews proliferating on the web and in print, audiences and critics apparently desired a Wrath of Khan, when what they actually get is...The Search for Spock."

I never intended to get too serious, this is after all, a somewhat frivolous fan blog. 

And so, this is where I shall end. 

Ciao

What next?

I've still got things spread across my floor. I think I'm reluctant to put them away because it will signal the end of something I planned and obsessed about for close to a year. 

That and I'm notoriously house work phobic. 

Okay, not really. But it's been such an up up up kind of year I think I'm experiencing a bit of the doldrums right now. I wanted to draw your attention to this site: 

The Fox Files2 Blogspot 

There are some awesome videos linked on the site and I'd like to thank my dear friend Belle for providing the link. 

I am still sorting through photos, and am dismayed to discover my skills with a digital camera are somewhat lacking. Makes me wish I'd lugged the old Nikon F3 down with me. Ah well, there are images tucked away in my Hippocampus ready to be pulled out and lovingly recalled in all their glory. 

Is it too soon to start the campaign for an XF 3?

This was what went up causing much squealing and yelling at 9:00 am, the morning of the Premiere.