Also in Thursday’s round-up of news briefs, Tim Robbins is set to take on the director role after long absence. Montreal’s genre event the Fantasia Film Festival hands out its awards. And Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal honored at European film event. The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Take That, George Michael Tipped As Olympics Closing Acts Sunday’s Closing Ceremony at the London Olympics will feature over 4,100 performers including a massive showing of Britain’s musical headliners. Among the performers who will apparently play are The Who, Paul McCartney, Elton John, the Rolling Stones, George Michael, Paul Weller, the Spice Girls, Adele, Ray Davies, Liam Gallagher, Annie Lennox, Madness, the Pet Shop Boys, Take That, Muse, One Direction and members of Queen, Deadline reports . Shia LaBeouf Eyes Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac Nymphomaniac revolves around the erotic pursuits of a woman, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg, from her youth to 50 as recounted by her husband, played by Stellan Skarsgard. Details about his possible role are still to be determined, THR reports . Tim Robbins to Direct City of Lies After directing three films in the ’90s including Dead Man Walking (1995), Tim Robbins has signed on to direct Endgame Entertainment’s City of Lies about two spies who fall in love while on separate spying mission in Prague, THR reports . Doomsday Book and Toad Road Take Top Fantasia Film Festival Prizes Montreal’s genre event, the Fantasia International Film Festival awarded Kim Jee-woon and Yim Pil-sung’s Doomsday Book its Cheval Noir Award for Best Film, while Jason Banker’s Toad Road took nods for Best Director and Best Actor for James Davidson. Yeon Sang Ho’s The King of Pigs won the Satoshi Kon Award for Achievement in Animation and a special mention from the First Feature Jury, Indiewire reports . Gael Garcia Bernal Honored at Locarno Film Festival “I think I still have a lot of room to grow,” Garcia Bernal told the crowd of more than 8,000 in the Piazza Grande. “Perhaps not in terms of height, but in terms of experience.” Garcia Bernal is one of the youngest honorees to receive the festival’s Excellence Award at 33, BBC reports .
A long time ago in a culture far removed from this one — 1987 to be exact — cinematic satirist Mel Brooks took on box-office game changer George Lucas’ Star Wars franchise and didn’t end up in the Hollywood equivalent of a Sarlacc Pit. Substituting the Schwartz for the Force, Yogurt for Yoda and Pizza The Hutt for Jabba, Brooks gave us Spaceballs and made us laugh harder (intentionally) than Jar Jar Binks ever did. To celebrate the movie’s 25th anniversary, Sony has released a commemorative Blu-Ray edition that mostly does justice to this comedy gem. The Film: Spaceballs (1987) Why It’s An Inessential Essential: Although Life Stinks (1991) was Mel Brooks’ last sturdy feature, the often gut-bustingly funny Spaceballs was his last really inspired comedy. Like many of Brooks’ earlier films, Spaceballs spoofs generic and genre cliches. In this case, the director aimed his blaster at science fiction and fantasy films, Star Wars in particular. Viewed 25 years after its theatrical release, Spaceballs suffers from lopsided structure and occasional laziness, but the movie repeatedly breaks down the fourth wall with such zeal and absurd charm that it’s impossible to resist. (It’s worth noting that the movie was released during the heyday of the Bruce Willis/Cybill Shepherd ABC comedy series Moonlighting , which was heralded for doing the same.) A large part of the movie’s giddy appeal is its game cast, led by SCTV Jedi the late John Candy and Rick Moranis. Candy plays the Wookiee-like Barf and Moranis is particularly hilarious as the clutzy, over-compensating Darth Vader spoof, Dark Helmet — a puny man topped by enormous circumcised headgear. As ringmaster of this circus, Brooks (who also appears in the movie as both President Skroob and Yogurt) is at a point in his career where he’s starting to toss things against the wall out of sheer desperation. And because he’s working with talented comedians and co-writers, most of what he throws sticks. The move is a collection of blisteringly strange and funny sketches, such as the one where Helmet fantasizes about seducing Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) while playing with a set of action figures that includes an even tinier facsimile of himself and the Druish princess. Brooks’ wise-ass, Brecht-by-way-of-Vaudeville sensibility is at the core of the movie’s cantankerous, Yiddish sensibility, and though some of the yucks feel a tad musty, the movie is never tedious. Riffs on cash-in sequels, “Moichandizing” and “turning off the movie” demonstrate that, at that point in his career, Brooks’ cultural comedy mojo was still working. Indeed, Spaceballs doesn’t just hold up as a laugh riot. It’s still highly quotable right down to the characters’ names. (Yogurt! Pizza The Hutt!). “May the Schwartz be with you” still provokes laughter after all these years, as does Barf’s “Funny, she doesn’t look Druish” comment about Princess Vespa. And when the Spaceballs and Dark Helmet land on the Planet of the Apes, one of its denizens grouses; “Oh shit, there goes the planet.” How the Blu-Ray Edition Makes the Case for the Film: The best special features on Sony’s25th anniversary release are the least serious ones. New interviews with a doddering and-haughty Brooks don’t contribute much. (“We were looking for a new genre to destroy,” he exclaims at one point). Much more satisfying is a very funny list of continuity errors in the film, including, a scene in which Dot Matrix (Joan Rivers playing a droid even bitchier than Anthony Daniels’ C-3P0) appears to stop leaving a trail behind her in one desert scene. The film’s gag audio commentary tracks are also suitably ridiculous. One is in “Mawgese,” presumably the native language of Barf, another, in “Dinkese,” the mother tongue of the Jawa-esque Dink Dinks. Unfortunately, the Blu-Ray edition does not markedly improve the picture quality that was found on the 2005 DVD release of Spaceballs . There are still notable visual blemishes, including artifacts that resulted from poor video compression. Still, the dual Blu-Ray/DVD package is worth buying if only because the menus included on the new DVD release are more interactive and the features they include are more impressive than the last time around. Other Trivia: The new 25th anniversary Spaceballs Blu-Ray is loaded with new special features. If you’re a dedicated Mel Brooks fan — even one who lost faith or interest after Robin Hood: Men in Tights and Dracula: Dead and Loving It — you’ll probably get a big kick out of the jokey introduction he recorded to the film’s original trailer. Brooks’ audio commentary track is also worthy, even if he is more than a little full of himself after the wild (and not entirely deserved) multi-platform success of The Producers . Compared to the meager 2005 DVD release, which came with a making-of featurette and a skimpy souvenir booklet, Sony’s 25th anniversary Blu-Ray release is a much more comprehensive presentation of the film. Simon Abrams is a NY-based freelance film critic whose work has appeared in The Village Voice, Time Out New York , Vulture and Esquire . Additionally, some people like his writing, which he collects a t Extended Cut . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Filmmaker and actress Julie Delpy won accolades at the Berlin International Film Festival back in 2007 with her hilarious 2 Days In Paris , in which she starred opposite Adam Goldberg as a couple who stop off in Paris for a short visit, staying with her parents en route back to the U.S. Delpy, who wrote and directed the feature that did solid numbers in release jiggered the formula for a sequel, 2 Days In New York , which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January. This time, she stars opposite Chris Rock , and similarly to Paris her family factors into the dialog-heavy plot that’s riddled with eccentricity, social commentary and crazy mishaps. In the film, Delpy’s character Marion is now living with her boyfriend Mingus (Chris Rock) in a New York apartment with their cat and two children from their previous relationships. Marion’s father (played by her real-life dad, Albert Delpy), her sister and her over the top boyfriend suddenly decide to pay a visit from France, unleashing another 48 hours of family drama. Similarly to 2 Days In Paris , Marion’s family is sometimes unnervingly open in their discussions about sexuality and other topics most would consider crosses social boundaries. The French-American cultural disconnect only amplifies the gulf and the result is laugh out loud funny. Julie Delpy and Chris Rock chatted with ML about the film at Sundance. Initially Rock was about to leave, but sat down for a few minutes before heading out of Park City. Delpy, who first acted in none other than French-Swiss maestro Jean-Luc Godard’s Détective in 1985 and has since gone on to do many roles including Before Sunset , has since taken on the director’s hat herself and is a steadfast filmmaking convert. She talks about making films outside the studio system, though she said she’d like to try it sometime and would consider it another welcome challenge. In fact, she would like to try almost everything – almost… Similarly to 2 Days In Paris , you pulled together financing through Europe, can a dialog-driven film exist within Hollywood or is this the only way to put together a film like your latest, 2 Days In New York ? Julie Delpy: I never even thought of going to a studio. It’s just the way I do things. I put the financing together through a European financing system and it’s not easy – it’s a struggle. It might be easier in a way to go to a studio Chris Rock: I think it depends on who you are as a filmmaker. JD: I’m sure if it was through a studio, I wouldn’t be able to do this film exactly the way it is. Though I’m not really sure because I’ve never really been approached by a studio. I’m not sure if they know who I am or know I’m a filmmaker. They don’t even know I’m an actress – trust me [laughs]. CR: I think it depends on who you are as a filmmaker determines how much control you will have and, you know, if you want more control, you’re better off not going through a studio, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. JD: Some things in this movie may not have been their whole thing. They may have wanted a different ending, though honestly, I don’t know what they would want because I haven’t worked with them. For me, I just do it in the way I know how. How did you both come together for this project? CR: I saw 2 Days in Paris and I Loo-oooved 2 Days in Paris . JD: I’d seen his work and have always loved his work. I met him briefly once and he stuck in my mind. The minute I thought of doing a sequel to 2 Days in Paris , I knew I was going to be in a relationship with Mingus who is going to be Chris Rock, so he just came to my mind How has this contrasted with your most recent work Chris? CR: It’s fun, but the French thing – you have to get used to the fact you don’t understand what people around you are saying, but other than that it wasn’t much different than any other movie. I found working with the star and director was easy because you’re always talking to the boss. It’s harder when you’re talking to different people about different things. Because normally when you’re doing a movie, the star is kind-of half-way the director anyway… If the star doesn’t like what’s happening, you’re going to do what the star wants 90% of the time anyway. I hope I get to work with more star-directors… I read that when you were writing this story, you said you wanted to build on “real ground,” what did you mean by that? JD: I spent a lot of time with [Krzysztof] Kieslowski after we did White (1994) talking about movies and writing and everything. He’d tell me that I’m such a movie buff and I was obsessed. He’d tell me, ‘I haven’t seen this, or I haven’t seen that,’ and I’d say, ‘what have you seen?’ and he’d tell me, ‘real life.’ And that stuck with me. What can be more true than take some truth and build something from that. Obsession with death for instance – so something like that – and build from there into a story. 2 Days in New York is grounded in reality. There’s a couple with kids re-constructed and brought together… [ Chris Rock is pulled out of the room at this point and they say their good byes ] [ Continuing ]: I like to base my stories on simple things. It could have been a drama, but I love comedy so that’s what I did. But for this, I like to incorporate things that I know. So in it, I talk about my mother’s death. She actually passed away three years ago. She was in 2 Days in Paris and she was a wonderful actress. So she couldn’t be in this film obviously, so I had to find a way to talk about it… Your father is in this film as he was, of course, in 2 Days in Paris. Are his antics in the film similar to how he is in real-life? Yeah he’s very crazy. He’s very funny and very light, but also a very profound person. He’s not a superficial person at all. He’s fun and he likes to laugh and loves life, but he also has profound problems. He’s not happy all the time, but if we’re at a festival and the film’s playing well then we’re all happy. For me it was great to write parts for my parents in the first film and in this film for my father. It’s wonderful to be able to do that. They gave me so much by exposing me to film. My father gave me directing education through his past direction of plays. They gave me so much, so I’m glad I could give back a little bit. He keys a Hummer in this film in one memorable NYC street scene, and I was thinking it’s his almost child-like rebellious way of perhaps lashing out about global warming… Yeah exactly, that is a stand on global warming. Is he like that in real life? No, but my dad hates cars. They’re all over the place in Paris and they park on sidewalks and have no respect. As he ever keyed a car? No, but he’s joked about it for years so I let him have his fantasy in the film. I mean, I hate cars too. I live in L.A. so of course I have a car, but it’s the only real way we have for transport. But we’re polluting every moment of the day and we’ll pay for it. We’ll be gone [some day]… But Earth will be ok, but it’ll shake us out. So what do you think about Sequels? What about a 2 Days in L.A. or 2 Days in Tokyo ? I think the franchise is going to stop there. I’m not a James Bond kind of girl. I think it stops here at 2 Days in New York . But I’d certainly like to direct more films and will if given the opportunity to do it…I have a lot of friends who are directors and they call me to ask if I’d like to be in them – people like Richard Linklater etc. or maybe not someone who’s my friend but just someone I really like, but I think my first desire is filmmaking. What other kinds of stories do you want to do? Everything. Just everything from sci-fi to dramas – but maybe not sports movies. It’s not that I don’t like sports movies, but it’s just that I don’t get it. I don’t really understand sports, but everything else I’d like to do. I’d like to do a thriller, though I don’t know if I’d be good at it, but I’d like to try it. Maybe it’s pretentious and I’m crazy and all that, but I think I will do a thriller one day. It’s such a struggle to make movies. With this movie, we stopped two weeks before we started shooting and the film fell apart and then we put it all back together and then four weeks into the shoot we stopped. It was really, really hard. Was it harder than 2 Days in Paris ? In a way it was. There was more money involved with shooting in New York. I thought Paris would be more expensive. No, Paris is much less expensive. New York is… I think $3 million went into trucks, so I mean it’s really expensive. I mean like basically it’s very very expensive. And it’s fine if you have the money, and we had the money, but when the money fell apart at the last minute, it was just drama. It was the most painful experience to think you’re about to shoot and then everything just stops. Would you consider going a different route when tackling some of the other stories and genres you’re interested in doing down the line – maybe even the studios? I think I would do it if given the opportunity. But I’m also interested in working within limitations. I have limitations with my films which is typically major financial limitations, but having a studio tell you what to do would be a limitation too, but it would be manageable. I think the only thing that’s not manageable is death. People dying or people who are sick is not manageable. Everything else is nothing. You know I consider in life, people in movies lose perspective because it becomes so important… I’m not like that. It’s life, there are people dying around you, there’s craziness – that’s serious. A studio telling me what to do, that’s manageable. That’s just a boss telling you what to do and that’s fine, I’ll do my best within my limitation… So if that opportunity came along, then you’d do it? Yes, it’s almost fun to me, it would be a fun thing to do.
Filmmaker and actress Julie Delpy won accolades at the Berlin International Film Festival back in 2007 with her hilarious 2 Days In Paris , in which she starred opposite Adam Goldberg as a couple who stop off in Paris for a short visit, staying with her parents en route back to the U.S. Delpy, who wrote and directed the feature that did solid numbers in release jiggered the formula for a sequel, 2 Days In New York , which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January. This time, she stars opposite Chris Rock , and similarly to Paris her family factors into the dialog-heavy plot that’s riddled with eccentricity, social commentary and crazy mishaps. In the film, Delpy’s character Marion is now living with her boyfriend Mingus (Chris Rock) in a New York apartment with their cat and two children from their previous relationships. Marion’s father (played by her real-life dad, Albert Delpy), her sister and her over the top boyfriend suddenly decide to pay a visit from France, unleashing another 48 hours of family drama. Similarly to 2 Days In Paris , Marion’s family is sometimes unnervingly open in their discussions about sexuality and other topics most would consider crosses social boundaries. The French-American cultural disconnect only amplifies the gulf and the result is laugh out loud funny. Julie Delpy and Chris Rock chatted with ML about the film at Sundance. Initially Rock was about to leave, but sat down for a few minutes before heading out of Park City. Delpy, who first acted in none other than French-Swiss maestro Jean-Luc Godard’s Détective in 1985 and has since gone on to do many roles including Before Sunset , has since taken on the director’s hat herself and is a steadfast filmmaking convert. She talks about making films outside the studio system, though she said she’d like to try it sometime and would consider it another welcome challenge. In fact, she would like to try almost everything – almost… Similarly to 2 Days In Paris , you pulled together financing through Europe, can a dialog-driven film exist within Hollywood or is this the only way to put together a film like your latest, 2 Days In New York ? Julie Delpy: I never even thought of going to a studio. It’s just the way I do things. I put the financing together through a European financing system and it’s not easy – it’s a struggle. It might be easier in a way to go to a studio Chris Rock: I think it depends on who you are as a filmmaker. JD: I’m sure if it was through a studio, I wouldn’t be able to do this film exactly the way it is. Though I’m not really sure because I’ve never really been approached by a studio. I’m not sure if they know who I am or know I’m a filmmaker. They don’t even know I’m an actress – trust me [laughs]. CR: I think it depends on who you are as a filmmaker determines how much control you will have and, you know, if you want more control, you’re better off not going through a studio, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. JD: Some things in this movie may not have been their whole thing. They may have wanted a different ending, though honestly, I don’t know what they would want because I haven’t worked with them. For me, I just do it in the way I know how. How did you both come together for this project? CR: I saw 2 Days in Paris and I Loo-oooved 2 Days in Paris . JD: I’d seen his work and have always loved his work. I met him briefly once and he stuck in my mind. The minute I thought of doing a sequel to 2 Days in Paris , I knew I was going to be in a relationship with Mingus who is going to be Chris Rock, so he just came to my mind How has this contrasted with your most recent work Chris? CR: It’s fun, but the French thing – you have to get used to the fact you don’t understand what people around you are saying, but other than that it wasn’t much different than any other movie. I found working with the star and director was easy because you’re always talking to the boss. It’s harder when you’re talking to different people about different things. Because normally when you’re doing a movie, the star is kind-of half-way the director anyway… If the star doesn’t like what’s happening, you’re going to do what the star wants 90% of the time anyway. I hope I get to work with more star-directors… I read that when you were writing this story, you said you wanted to build on “real ground,” what did you mean by that? JD: I spent a lot of time with [Krzysztof] Kieslowski after we did White (1994) talking about movies and writing and everything. He’d tell me that I’m such a movie buff and I was obsessed. He’d tell me, ‘I haven’t seen this, or I haven’t seen that,’ and I’d say, ‘what have you seen?’ and he’d tell me, ‘real life.’ And that stuck with me. What can be more true than take some truth and build something from that. Obsession with death for instance – so something like that – and build from there into a story. 2 Days in New York is grounded in reality. There’s a couple with kids re-constructed and brought together… [ Chris Rock is pulled out of the room at this point and they say their good byes ] [ Continuing ]: I like to base my stories on simple things. It could have been a drama, but I love comedy so that’s what I did. But for this, I like to incorporate things that I know. So in it, I talk about my mother’s death. She actually passed away three years ago. She was in 2 Days in Paris and she was a wonderful actress. So she couldn’t be in this film obviously, so I had to find a way to talk about it… Your father is in this film as he was, of course, in 2 Days in Paris. Are his antics in the film similar to how he is in real-life? Yeah he’s very crazy. He’s very funny and very light, but also a very profound person. He’s not a superficial person at all. He’s fun and he likes to laugh and loves life, but he also has profound problems. He’s not happy all the time, but if we’re at a festival and the film’s playing well then we’re all happy. For me it was great to write parts for my parents in the first film and in this film for my father. It’s wonderful to be able to do that. They gave me so much by exposing me to film. My father gave me directing education through his past direction of plays. They gave me so much, so I’m glad I could give back a little bit. He keys a Hummer in this film in one memorable NYC street scene, and I was thinking it’s his almost child-like rebellious way of perhaps lashing out about global warming… Yeah exactly, that is a stand on global warming. Is he like that in real life? No, but my dad hates cars. They’re all over the place in Paris and they park on sidewalks and have no respect. As he ever keyed a car? No, but he’s joked about it for years so I let him have his fantasy in the film. I mean, I hate cars too. I live in L.A. so of course I have a car, but it’s the only real way we have for transport. But we’re polluting every moment of the day and we’ll pay for it. We’ll be gone [some day]… But Earth will be ok, but it’ll shake us out. So what do you think about Sequels? What about a 2 Days in L.A. or 2 Days in Tokyo ? I think the franchise is going to stop there. I’m not a James Bond kind of girl. I think it stops here at 2 Days in New York . But I’d certainly like to direct more films and will if given the opportunity to do it…I have a lot of friends who are directors and they call me to ask if I’d like to be in them – people like Richard Linklater etc. or maybe not someone who’s my friend but just someone I really like, but I think my first desire is filmmaking. What other kinds of stories do you want to do? Everything. Just everything from sci-fi to dramas – but maybe not sports movies. It’s not that I don’t like sports movies, but it’s just that I don’t get it. I don’t really understand sports, but everything else I’d like to do. I’d like to do a thriller, though I don’t know if I’d be good at it, but I’d like to try it. Maybe it’s pretentious and I’m crazy and all that, but I think I will do a thriller one day. It’s such a struggle to make movies. With this movie, we stopped two weeks before we started shooting and the film fell apart and then we put it all back together and then four weeks into the shoot we stopped. It was really, really hard. Was it harder than 2 Days in Paris ? In a way it was. There was more money involved with shooting in New York. I thought Paris would be more expensive. No, Paris is much less expensive. New York is… I think $3 million went into trucks, so I mean it’s really expensive. I mean like basically it’s very very expensive. And it’s fine if you have the money, and we had the money, but when the money fell apart at the last minute, it was just drama. It was the most painful experience to think you’re about to shoot and then everything just stops. Would you consider going a different route when tackling some of the other stories and genres you’re interested in doing down the line – maybe even the studios? I think I would do it if given the opportunity. But I’m also interested in working within limitations. I have limitations with my films which is typically major financial limitations, but having a studio tell you what to do would be a limitation too, but it would be manageable. I think the only thing that’s not manageable is death. People dying or people who are sick is not manageable. Everything else is nothing. You know I consider in life, people in movies lose perspective because it becomes so important… I’m not like that. It’s life, there are people dying around you, there’s craziness – that’s serious. A studio telling me what to do, that’s manageable. That’s just a boss telling you what to do and that’s fine, I’ll do my best within my limitation… So if that opportunity came along, then you’d do it? Yes, it’s almost fun to me, it would be a fun thing to do.
Serena Williams just grabbed her first Singles Competition gold medal in her career and this is before she competes for another Gold alongside her sister Venus…
I’m Kirsty, I’m 16 from Sydney Australia I cannot believe I’m writing my Bieber Experience. I never thought I would ever be writing one but I am now. On Wednesday the 18th of July was his big Sunrise Performance and I didn’t win tickets but I still went. I got up at 3:30am and my sister, my friend and I went and caught a train at 4:45am. We got told by Sunrise if you don’t have a ticket, don’t show up you wont be able to see anything. Turns out they were wrong because I saw everything. I saw Justin’s car arrive and I was so excited he came out. Everybody started running on the streets. The terminal was blocked off by huge fences and police where everywhere, no one could get around the side where his car was because of the fences. While everyone was running up the street, my sister, my friend and I had a YOLO moment and jumped the fence with around 8 other girls. We missed him by a couple minutes but Dan and Scrappy were there and we got to say hello to them. They asked us how we got in and we said we jumped a fence and they laughed. Eventually security saw us and yelled, ”Get out! How did u get in here?” They chased us back down the escalator and all the other beliebers were looking through the glass. Later on in the day it was 1:00pm and we where lounging around my house sad because we thought that was our last chance of meeting him. I saw someone on Twitter say “at international airport waiting for Justin,” so we got up and went. We sat there for a while not sure what to do, later on a black van pulled up outside and Kenny got out. We slowly walked outside and said hello but he couldn’t stop for a photo because he was unloading luggage. Then another black van pulled up next to it and Alfredo and Vanessa walked out. Suddenly a Black Mercedes went right past us and stopped in a loading dock driveway. We all got up and everyone was telling everyone not to scream. The car opened and I saw Justin’s backpack. I knew he was in the car. Then the two back doors opened and Selena came out, followed by Justin. Selena stood up near the car and Justin started walking in our direction. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I had waited 3 and a half years for this moment and it was about to happen. We all didn’t rush to him , we just stood there and formed kind of a mini mosh. Moshe was by his side and we were waiting. Then it was my turn and I was surprisingly not crying, I was happy. I said, “OMG hi Justin,” and took a photo. He had his arm around my back and I said thanks and asked if I could have a hug. He hugged me and he was perfect. He said, “It was a pleasure to meet you,” and I said thank you. I walked off and went over to Selena I asked for a photo and she said sure. I told her she was pretty. At this stage I was crying my eyes out. I couldn’t even talk, I couldn’t breathe. I called my mum and tried to tell her what was happening but she couldn’t quite understand. Justin started to walk away, we where waving and stuff and then he left. It was a DREAM come true. I never thought it would happen but it did. Never Say Never! See the original post here: I’m Kirsty, I’m 16 from Sydney Australia I cannot believe I’m…
My name is Megan and these are my Bieber experiences. For the past 6 years I have done everything I possibly can to meet Justin. I spent the first 5 years going to his concerts, waited for him after shows, went everywhere I could just to see him. My first luck started when I won tickets to see him live at the VMAs 2 years ago. That day was incredible. I thought my luck ended there but it didn’t . Later that year, my sister and I scored tickets to the Ellen show the day he was there , we were SO close to him. We even got to go to the premiere after and see the movie. But still did not get to meet Justin. Weeks prior, we had bought tickets to see Never Say Never the movie at City Walk because we had heard Justin might show up and surprise fans. The next day we went to our movie, and he did. He came to thank us all but we still did not get to MEET him. All of these lucky moments with him made me more and more eager to meet him. I wanted just a picture or to say hi. I kept getting so close. One full year went by and it was not till May 16th 2012 my dream came true . Just that month Justin had moved into the neighborhood near me. I knew he would be living there but I did not ever expect to see him with how busy he is. While at dinner with my family, my sister and I noticed Justin’s van in the parking lot. We thought maybe he would be in Maggianos since him and Selena had gone there for dinner one time. We waited for 20 minutes outside because we did not want to disturb him if he was on a date. We finally saw him and his friend and bodyguard go walking into the book store right next door. We waited a little and then went up to him to ask for a picture. No one was really around to notice him because it was dark so we were so thankful we got the chance. It was late and im sure he wanted to go home, but he was really nice, took a picture with us and told us it was great meeting us . The next week I was at the commons studying for a final with my friends. That was the same day Justin had the altercation with the paparazzi. My friends and I were all there for the incident. We did not get to talk to Justin but we see him. However, we did talk to Selena during the incident. Although emotions were high and her and Justin were obviously upset about what had happened, she was so sweet and kept thanking us for helping . It really made me respect both her and the relationship they had . The picture ended up being taken by the paparazzi. And my last and final moment was July 30th, just 4 days after my birthday. I was waiting to meet my friend for lunch when i heard this girl say “I think it’s that Bieber kid”. I turned the corner to see him and Jazzy holding hands. I was on the phone but in shock. I smiled and said “Hi Justin.” I didnt want to bother him while he was with his family. He smiled and said hi and walked by. When he found out the sushi place was closed, he turned and walked past me again. At this point people started to notice him and one family took a picture with him. I was still standing there, in shock, and alone . He started to walk away when he noticed me and said, “ Oh did you want a picture too”. I panicked. He actually noticed me . I felt horrible because it was his day to relax but I said, “If it’s too much to ask then yes” . He said it was not a problem and he took my phone and flipped the camera towards us. He spent a good minute finding the right angle so the picture wasnt over and under exposed and you could see us just right. That actually meant a lot because he wanted to make sure our picture turned out just right . I never in the world, thought I would ever get to meet him. It took 6 years of being a fan, 5 years of waiting, and 1 year of luck. If you have not met him dont worry, I promise you will have your chance one day. Never say never. Thanks for reading my story. Continue reading here: My name is Megan and these are my Bieber experiences. For the…
My name is Hayley (19) and I met Justin on the 19th of June in New Zealand . My friends woke up early in the morning and made our way to his hotel at 8am. There was about 50 girls already there even though it was a school day. As we waited, sang and chanted, more and more girls, media and paparazzi began to show up. It had been hours yet Justin hadn’t even at least waved from his hotel window. We kept chanting until our throats were sore. At about 3pm a dark van parked putside the entrance and soon a big police van showed up too. Security starting pushing everyone behind the barriers. He was coming out soon they said! Everyone was pushing each other to get to the front of the barriers, and we were all so anxious and excited. People began jumping the barriers and everyone was crowding around the van, while security tried to move everyone back. No one would budge. It seemed the hotel didn’t have enough security to handle the huge crowd of 250+ people. The van started to leave so a group of 20 of us chased after it thinking it must be picking up Justin at the back entrance now. As it pulled up I saw Allison, Dan and Scrappy get into the van. I said Hi and they chatted with us for a little bit. Then the van left. Apparently Justin had snuck out a side entrance with Selena. I felt so disappointed, I could cry. All I wanted was to see him, just once. Me and my friends made our way to Starship Hospital because we’d heard he was visiting sick children there. We didn’t know if it was true but took a chance. We saw a big van, the same as the one earlier parked around the back, and we were sure it was his. Some other girls we met said him and Selena had just went in. I couldn’t believe it. I was screaming/crying/dying on the inside. There was a small group of 20 fans when Justin finally came out, Selena in hand. I saw Alfredo, Moshe and Kenny too! Everyone stayed calm and called out to them. We didn’t wanna scream and cry, we tried to stay very calm so he would come over. He did even though he was late for his concert! He was so nice, and took photos with as many people as he could. He took my camera and took a photo of us. HE TOUCHED MY CAMERA! I held his hand for a good minute before he left too, and told him I loved him. My friend Chris was also lucky enough to get a photo with him . No words can describe how I felt after that. It still feels like a dream. I never EVER thought I’d meet Justin but Never say Never! My dreams came true. Thank you Justin. Here is the original post: My name is Hayley (19) and I met Justin on the 19th of June in…
My name is Ashleigh and at around 5pm on the 18th of July 2012 I met the perfect Justin Bieber after 4 years of ever lasting support, adoring and loving this boy. I finally got the experience I needed. When Justin came here to Australia recently, I have been non stop trying to meet him. I needed to see him after not winning tickets to anything that involved him and all the trying to meet him when he came in 2010 and 2011 I had no luck. I thought I was so unlucky but not anymore. I went to the airport Monday night, waited 10 hours outside his hotel on Tuesday. Still no luck. But something in me said to try one more time so I did . Wednesday before he was gonna leave, this was my last shot. I was determined. My best friend, my sister and I came early in the morning to Sydney’s Airport and saw other Beliebers there too. We stuck together and looked around to where he could possibly come out from. This paparazzi came up to us and told us full details about Justin’s flight. His flight was gonna come at 6:40pm to leave for NZ so we left and came back. At around 5pm, we saw a black car drive in front of us and it had Moshe in the front seat. No doubt in my mind, that Justin was in that car. I got up to see and all you see is white supras, leather black pants with the matching jacket, the gold chain, white v-neck shirt, sunglasses and a red hat, a tall boy stepping out of the car. It was Justin Bieber. He came walking towards us, there were around 30 of us at this time. Everyone crowed around him and he was taking photos and signing thing. I was right behind him, I grabbed his upper arm and squeezed it a little and called out softly, “Justin.” He flexed his arm tight, turned around right infront of me, I couldn’t believe my eyes. He said “Hi” and smiled, I said “Can I have a hug Justin?” he replied “Of course.” I hugged him from the neck and he hugged me tight and squeezed me before letting me go. I let go and touched his cheek and he just smiled at me. I was right next to him ready to take a photo, but he was talking to another fan on his left. Then he looked at me, put his arm around me, put his cheek against mine, as I was shaking he held my hand for a second and let go and I took the photo. He said “Thank you” and smiled, I replied “I love you so much Justin” and he put down his glasses so I could see his eyes and he looked right into my eyes and said “I love you too” and he smiled and I backed away for the other beliebers to get photos. I ran over to Selena who was with my sister (my sister tagged along to see Selena because she is a massive fan) I took a photo with her and she called me beautiful , she was such an amazing person. Everything on top of that just adding in my perfect experience. At the point, I was just so shocked. I couldn’t believe I actually got the experience I wanted, to have a hug from Justin, a perfect photo with him and to hear him say “I love you too” was everything to me. I fell on the floor and started crying, of happy tears of course. He is the most amazing, down to earth, humble and perfect human being I have ever met in my whole life. Meeting Justin was the best thing that could happen in my life. I love Justin so much and very thankful that he came out and took the time to sign for us when he needed to take a flight. I will be forever thankful and blessed for this. All the effort and hard work finally payed off. I didn’t give up, I stayed by Justin’s famous words and it got me to where I am today. This is My Bieber Experience. -@imbiebergirl Continued here: My name is Ashleigh and at around 5pm on the 18th of July…
My name is Alice, I’m 16 turning 17 and I live in Brisbane, Australia. Let me start by saying I’ve never won any amazing prizes before. Before this event, I was convinced I had the worst luck ever. On 26 th June, 2012, I received an email informing me that I had won a Meet and Greet with Justin . I couldn’t believe it, so I called Universal Music to double check and when JB Hi-Fi announced it on their Twitter, that’s when it hit me. Finally I was going to meet my idol after dreaming (literally) about meeting him countless times! Days and nights of excitement and joy passed by and the 17 th of July, 2012 finally arrived. I boarded the plane to Sydney knowing I was meeting my idol in a few hours. After checking in at the hotel, my sister and I went to the meet up location for the secret show Channel V was hosting. I met so many amazing beliebers there, like Marie and Amelia (@BornToSing17); we were all so excited, people were crying, screaming and hyperventilating. After what seemed like forever, we collected our wristbands and got driven to the secret location. When Justin came on stage, I kept thinking “IS THIS REAL LIFE? IS THAT REALLY JUSTIN BIEBER?” He performed Baby, ALAYLM, Die In Your Arms, AATW, Be Alright, Boyfriend (Bluesy version) and Catching feelin gs for the first time ever live! I remember crying when he sang “Be Alright,” it’s my favourite song from the album and I couldn’t believe I was hearing Justin sing it live, less than 2 meters away from me . All I can say is that losing my voice was so worth it. Justin sounded absolutely amazing and Dan played the guitar perfectly. After the show, the majority of the crowd had to leave and people with blue wristbands were allowed to stay for the meet and greet. My heart dropped when they told us we couldn’t ask for any autographs and that we were only getting group photos taken. I felt so disappointed knowing that I couldn’t get an individual photo and that I won’t have any time to speak to Justin. But our time came, I ran up to him and he gave me the best hug ever. He said to me something along the lines of, “H ey sweetie, how are you?” and “It’s a pleasure to meet you” I couldn’t even respond to him because everyone was rushing, but he had his arms around me for the photo and it was the most amazing 30 seconds of my life. Everything was really rushed so I quickly got another hug before security told us we had to leave. I finally understand why so many beliebers say that he gives the best hugs ever. The next morning, we went to see Justin perform on Sunrise at 5am which was also perfect. He smelt amazing, looked flawless, sounded perfect and was just so, so sweet. You can tell he was genuinely happy to be there for his beliebers. I still can’t believe I was physically next to Justin jus t yesterday, b ut what can I say.. Never Say Never, right? For those who have yet to meet him, just dream big and believe; I promise you’ll meet him one day and it’s going to be worth the wait. And Justin, if you’re reading this, I hope you read my letter (all the beliebers gave everything to the girl collecting gifts when we were in line for the m&g!) and I promise I’ll be there when you come back to Australia for BELIEVE. Words cannot describe how much I love you and how much you mean to me , but thank you so much for everything; you made the 17 th of July the best day of my life so far. Thank you for existing, haha. Much love! -@xalicehuang Continue reading here: My name is Alice, I’m 16 turning 17 and I live in Brisbane,…
