LIAM DAY

Hello!

Another quick update on my celebrity watching! Last Monday (28th January) famous actor Liam Neeson (Schindler’s List 1993, Batman Begins 2005 and Taken 2008 to name a few) took a trip back to his home town of Ballymena, County Down - which so happens to an hour away from where we study at University! Not wanting to miss the opportunity to see someone so famous (and Hannah to meet the man of her dreams), Rebecca, Emma, Hannah and myself travelled early Monday morning to see if we could catch a glimpse of the movie star.

Although we arrived in Ballymena at the ridiculous hour of 8am, after a yummy McDonalds breakfast and a few hours of retail therapy, we were excited to see Liam at the Town Hall. It rained horribly for the majority of the day but that didn’t put off a crowd of over one hundred people gathering.

Our early start did not go to waste! The four of us found a place at the front of the barrier which gave us a perfect view of everything that was happening. However it also appeared to be an opportunity for the local news too! We got interviewed four different times and posed for endless photos. Although it felt really awkward at first, it was a good laugh.

The weather magically cleared up and just after lunchtime Liam appeared! The camera men went crazy trying to get photographs and we were also snapping away, praying he’d do a round of the barrier. Unfortunately we didn’t get to shake his hand, never-mind get a photo with him! However it was very exciting and I took some photos with my new camera.

When we arrived home, we made sure to catch all the news and by 7pm my Facebook newsfeed was filled with notifications that I was on television!! I’m very awkward on camera but thankfully, they cut the majority of the interview out. We appeared on UTV (below), BBC Newsline and RTE and also some photos appeared in a local newspaper and the BBC website. Here's the clip from UTV - I am on at 0:28 seconds! 

All in all, it was a excellent day and a great way to start Semester 2! Many thanks to Rebecca, Emma and Hannah for making it so much fun!

Lots of Love for Liam,

Claudia

CELEBRITY ETC.

What exactly would you do if you saw your favorite celebrity?
First of all, who IS my favourite celebrity? I have so many - I think I would freak out if I saw any of them. I remember when I met The Wanted and 2 thirds of Biffy Clyro I got really shy and could hardly speak but afterwards went all giddy, so I guess something like that would happen on a much larger scale, ha.

If you switch places with someone for one day, who would it be?
Haha, maybe my answer here is kinda boring, but I’d probably just swap with a guy, just to see what it’s like to live as a guy as a day. Just one day though.

What you saw at the news and talk about it.
This is terrible because I’m a Media student but I haven’t watched the news in ages. I would when I’m at home because that’s basically all my Mum would watch so it’s kinda on in the background. Last time I watched the news I remember hearing that Liam Neeson was coming to Ballymena in the new year. Hannah (Currently his biggest fan) was ecstatic and insisted we all go for a road trip to see him.

Celebrities you would like to see working together in a movie or T.V show?
I’d love a collaboration of all my favourite actors and actresses - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Andrew Garfield, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Johnny Depp, Sandra Bullock, Robert Downey Jr, David Tennant, Meryl Streep, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ellen Page, Colin Firth, Angelina Jolie, and Anne Hathaway. That would probably be the biggest budget film of all time but sounds amazing!! Oh and it would need to be directed by Christopher Nolan. Yes I am done here.

A hero who has let you down.
I definitely wouldn’t call BIGBANG my heroes because that’s really lame, but feel disapointed with how they are now compared to their older work. Yes I still would call them my favourite group, but I think YG is changing them to be more marketable. Maybe it’s what they have to do to get world-wide fame, but I miss the way they used to be. :(
Also, TOP is FAR TOO SKINNY! I miss old TOP.

A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days.
I don’t think I can pin-point one particular artist that has helped me through something tough. I certainly am aware that I would turn to music if I’m feeling annoyed, upset and even for positive emotions too - but I think there are specific songs which I’d use for that than actual artists.
Like I’d be more likely to want to listen to oppressive music genres if I was feeling angry or depressed, like The Used or My Chemical Romance. But if I was feeling more content it’s likely I’d be listening to K-Pop or film soundtracks. I don’t know - it varies I guess. You probably could guess my mood by the songs I’m currently listening to.

If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
Myself in 30 years, so I can ask what mistakes I made so I can avoid them, the people I should hold onto, the ones I should let go, the bad habits I shouldn't start, the good ones I should and where I was most happy and productive.

ROLE MODELS

I have a wide selection of Inspirational People on my Facebook bio. (From what I’ve gathered, I’m also one of the few users who actually use this feature on Facebook)

I think ‘Role Model’ is quite a broad term and there would be people on my list which would be influential in some ways, but very bad role models in other ways, which you may think as you read this list.

Audrey Hepburn: to not be afraid to stand up for what you believe in.

2NE1: to be original, versatile and wear cool clothes.

Alexander Lee Eusebio: to give up something you know is wrong, despite the circumstances, for Christ.

Selena Gomez: to be beautiful inside and out, funny and not allow fame or success make you conceited.

Lady Gaga: to work hard and achieve your dreams.

Choi Seung Hyun: to remember although you may be rejected at first, work harder and try again.

Nicki Minaj: to not care about what anyone else thinks.

Josh Peck: to remind me that it doesn't matter what you look like, but health is important.

Jesus Christ: to remind me that I am well and truly loved: by dying on the cross, and through answered prayer, meeting my needs, listening when I feel broken and blessing me in a million wonderful ways to give me a wonderful and fulfilling life on earth.

Yay - I liked making that post.

Note: You have NO IDEA how CROSS I am that these images are low-resolution. I edited them for hours! I've no idea what happened. :( Apologies.

Bye bye.

INVINCIBLE

Hey,

I feel I must speak of my adventures this past week.

I’ve had an extraordinary week filled with fun and festivities - I feel much better since my last post here. I was really getting depressed for a while but I think this week has definitely made up for feeling so crappy.

First of all, I got my driver’s test! Hoorah! If you know me at all you’d be aware about how much I HATED learning to drive - it was a despair - I was on the verge of giving up. It’s not that I wasn’t any good, I just couldn’t master it. Then I booked my test in late January after much deliberation and persuasion from my parents. Within a month and a half I bloomed into a pretty good driver, which also boosted my confidence.

I took my test on Monday morning (5th March). I felt nauseous - it was terrible. I was so nervous I couldn’t remember the answers to the question that the examiner asked me, and at one point I panicked so much I couldn’t put my poor wee car into gear. Although this cost me two minors, I successfully got through the rest of the test without any problems. I was delighted and still quite shocked that I passed!

Hopefully I’ll get a run out tomorrow because I haven’t had the opportunity from being in Coleraine all week. 

I also had my first deadline this week for my course. I had to create a Motion Graphics piece using Adobe After Effects on a topic of my choice. I chose myself.. sounds a bit egotistical but I was inspired by P.J Ligori’s video.

Here it is, posted below, you can have a look. There’s a couple of mistakes, yes, but it’s not the final version. There’s lots more to be done. I worked for 9 hours on this for only 30 seconds of footage - it’s ridiculous how time-consuming animating is.

I thoroughly enjoyed making my wee illustrations on Photoshop, and if you have any feedback it would be much appreciated! 

Thirdly and finally, I must tell my tale of my evening with 5 lovely men - The Wanted!

The Wanted are a British boyband who’s hits you are likely to be familiar with: ‘Glad You Came’ and ‘All Time Low’.

They are near the end of their first Arena Tour and Belfast was on the list - Kathryn, Kerri and I ordered tickets. I am pleasantly surprised at how AMAZING of a show they can put on! Seriously, highly recommended. The atmosphere in the Odyssey was fantastic and we were all singing and dancing along!

The highlight of the night was spending 2 and a half hours outside the back gate patiently waiting for the tour bus to drive out - anxiously anticipating that we may see them again.

The persistence prevailed - at 12:30am they appeared! They walked up and down and kindly took photographs, signed autographs and offered hugs and kisses. Totally worth the wait. We were, as you can imagine, in hysterics.

First of all we met Jay - my favourite, such a cutie. We were so excited though we didn’t get photographs separately with him. :( However I’m peaking out of this photo with Kathryn.

We met Nathan next - which was a lot more successful - we got individual pictures with him and he gave us a hug. He was so adorable and down-to-earth. This is the best photo I think.

Lastly we met Max - Kathryn got carried away and our photographs didn’t turn out great - as you can see I’m not sure who looks more scary in my photo! 

Alas, we didn’t get to meet the almighty beautiful Siva or Tom either - but hey, maybe next time? ;)

It was an amazing experience though and none of us expected to have such a brilliant night! I’m still buzzing with excitement and it was almost 24 hours ago! 

But yeah, that’s me all caught up once again! 

Lots of Love,

Claudia

FAN-MAIL 2

People most likely to reply

Below listed of several celebrities that are most likely to reply to your letter if you decide to send some fanmail. I’ve gathered this from experience and just observing the response on MovieEye. So if you are thinking of sending even just one letter, try one of these.

U.K:

Judi Dench

Gok Wan

Colin Firth - very quick response from Sir Colin!!

Simon Cowell

Dawn French - James got his book autographed.

U.S.A and further:

Johnny Depp - He’s currently replying - post quickly!!

Obama - Surprisingly Obama does autographs and letter responses too!!

Whoopi Goldberg

Geoffrey Rush

Channing Tatum

Amanda Seyfried - really really good at replying.

Clint Eastwoood

Bear Grylls - Kerri got a response from this guy.

The Cheat

There’s also another cheap, easy way of quickly receiving good quality autographed photographs, without even writing a letter to the celebrity!

You simply send your home address to one of the email addresses below and within a couple of months, you receive said autograph in the post.

It took me a while to realise why this works so well. (I thought America Ferrea signed mine, she didn’t.) This website called StudioMail is paid by celebrity clients to send out autographs to fans who ask for them, without being hassled themselves. The sad news is that not only does it mean that your recipient will not read your letter, it’s been auto-penned so it’s completely fake.

So in some ways, I feel I should shun this, but your 99% likely to get a good response without any hassle at all. And you get a pretty glossy photograph too. All you need to do is send an email. They pay for everything.

If anybody is interested, I’ve gathered all the email addys that I sent to and successfully sent. I sent 25, so I’m gonna have a LOT of post in a month or two. So have fun.

Oh! And one more thing, if you are planning to send to more than one listed here, send them all in separate emails. The system at StudioMail will realise if you use 2 or more contacts in the TO: box and will ignore your email.

neilpatrickharris@studiofanmail.com

tyrabanks@studiofanmail.com

friends@studiofanmail.com

angelinajolie@studiofanmail.com

benstiller@studiofanmail.com

davidschwimmer@studiofanmail.com

halleberry@studiofanmail.com

jennifergarner@studiofanmail.com

kellyosbourne@studiofanmail.com

lisakudrow@studiofanmail.com

matthewperry@studiofanmail.com

mattleblanc@studiofanmail.com

nicolascage@studiofanmail.com

sethgreen@studiofanmail.com

tobeymaguire@studiofanmail.com

AlysonHannigan@studiofanmail.com

JenniferAniston@studiofanmail.com

JenniferGarner@studiofanmail.com

selenagomez@studiofanmail.com

JoshGroban@studiofanmail.com

courteneycoxarquette@studiofanmail.com

therock@studiofanmail.com

rodstewart@studiofanmail.com

owenwilson@studiofanmail.com

annehathaway@studiofanmail.com

Random people there, yeah, but I would really like replies from the likes of Neil Patrick Harris/Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother - new favourite TV show!), Angelina Jolie, Josh Groban, Selena Gormez and Anne Hathaway.

- Claudia

FAN-MAIL

I haven’t mentioned this in a while, but much of my spare time has been dedicated to writing fanmail to celebrities. Sad right? But you’ve no idea how EXCITING it is to get a response in the post.

I’ve already received 4 back, so that makes me professional enough to give you all some guidance to get the best results:

1. Use a reliable address: I find all my celebrity addresses on Movieeye.com which contains most celebrity addresses. The best thing about the website is it shows feedback from the users. The better feedback from the celebrities address, the more likely you will get an autograph returned.
2. Send an SASE inside your envelope: This stands for self-addressed stamped envelope. Including a stamped envelope with your personal letter also makes it more likely you’ll get a response. The celebrity receives hundreds of letters a day, and it would simply be too expensive to pay for all the stamps and envelopes themselves.
3. Stamp advice: If you are posting to the U.K: you need 1 first or second class as long as your envelope weighs less than 10kg (if uncertain, weigh them on kitchen scales) If you are posting to the U.S.A or further: you need 2 x first or second class stamps and an airmail stamp (which can be bought at the post office)
4. More stamp advice: For your SASE, if you are getting a response from a U.K celebrity, such as Gok Wan, Jamie Oliver or Colin Firth, just put a single 2nd class stamp on it. The autograph won't be over 10kg. For U.S.A or further a-field it is slightly more confusing. You could use the option of a reply coupon (which means the stamp is paid for in dollars) or just be lazy and place a U.K stamp on it and hope for the best that the celebrity will place a stamp on top - thankfully Amanda Seyfried done that for mine. Yes, that’s a waste of a precious stamp, but it makes it look like you’ve made an effort.
5. Keep your letters short and sweet: I use a basic template for all my letters because it is sometimes hard to know what to write. I also type mine out because my handwriting is atrocious and it isn’t a waste of time if the letter is not delivered or responded to. This letter shouldn’t be longer than 1 A4 page.
6. Content of letter: Face it, the person is reading hundreds or letters a day. Don’t talk about yourself too much, that’s boring. Praise the person and perhaps list qualities/films/songs that you particularly like of theirs. Say you are looking forward to their films etc coming out soon (check Wikipedia for everything here). Address them accordingly. And don’t insult them either.
7. Request for an autograph: If you don’t ask, you may not receive. So don’t forget to ask for an autograph at the end of the letter. Mine always says “I won’t keep you for much longer, because you are probably have so many other things to do. But if you have the time, may I have an signature for my autograph collection? I have included a self addressed stamped envelope. I hope you have a moment to sign something for me.” Ta-dah!
8. Prioritise: If you want to continue collecting autographs, you need to be realistic and not just wishful thinking that your dream celeb will respond. What I do is copy a number of addresses and paste them into a word document, putting them under different headings to how likely the person will respond. It’s a waste of time and money if you don’t do this properly. I’ve already made the mistake of sending some under the wishful thinking mindset and ended up with no replies 6 months later. (Example: Katy Perry, Emma Watson)
9. Think when would be the best time to fan-mail: If you are choosing a number of celebrities to send to, you need to think of what they would be doing at the minute as well. Like, it would be very stupid to send mail to them when they are currently promoting a film or on tour. I also check MovieEye regularly and a trend can be noticed of the number of feedbacks that the users are submitting. Recent feedback shows that the celebrity is currently replying to fanmail and it would be wise to send your letter as soon as possible so you can get a response too.
10. Good luck! Yes, good luck. And don’t get depressed if you don’t get a positive response. I got a return-to-sender from Helen Mirren a fortnight ago and I was RIPPIN’.

- Claudia

MOVIE EYE

Hello!

Not going to bore you with some random info about my day, because, really, who wants to read that. But I will tell you I’m about to write some letters! To some very special people.

James found this site called MovieEye, which provides the contact details: house/P.O box address or email, of celebrities. You can send them letters and they reply! The site has a lot of positive responses (even though it does look very tacky) and some people have got autographs and pictures back.

So James and I are going to chance our luck and send a few tomorrow to our favourite celebrities. I wouldn’t even mind if I got an autopen’d photo back, it would be just awesome to own a glossy photo of them!

So far I've got: Tim Burton, Amanda Seyfried, Ashton Kutcher, Justin Chon (Twilight), Emma Watson and Johnny Depp.

I also plan to find Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Gok Wan (susposedly he posts his signed book out!), Harry Shum Jr, Rain and Angelina Jolie.

WISH ME LUCK. ♥