JoBlo.com does London!

NOTE: This is not a
set visit report, but merely a prelude featuring my own personal
experiences in the city of London and there-abouts. The actual set
visit reports will be hitting the site very soon.

It
all began precisely when JoBlo.com called to announce what I
consider to be the most thrilling news I had received in a VERY long
time!! I was elated to receive
an invite to attend two set visits for New Line Cinema films
currently in production. The
city? London, England!
The films? THE
GOLDEN COMPASS and INKHEART.

My
initial reaction to JoBlo.com’s phone call was extremely loud
shrieking followed by animated deep laughs, with intermittent
boisterous screaming. To
classify this reaction as mere excitement would be an understatement
to say the least. If I could
have, I would have jumped through to the other side of the phone and
hugged JoBlo myself! Good thing it wasn’t possible as I probably
would have hurt him or broken him in half.

Why
all the delirium and raucous you ask?
Simply because London is one of the greatest cities in the
world (next to NYC of course) and because it has been at the top of
my to see list for several years! I
also happen to have a soft spot for Englishmen and their accents!
At last the opportunity had arrived for my dreams to be
realized, with an extraordinary privilege of visiting two film sets
to boot! It simply couldn’t
get any better than this (and yes, for once, the JoBlo.com readers
will get a female point of view on this stuff :).

The
days leading up to my departure seemed pretty much a daze as my
anticipation continued to build. The
prospect to embark on this journey became respectively sweeter upon
discovering that Heather from ComingSoon.net
would be my travel partner in crime. Having
met and befriended Heather on a previous set visit, I was overjoyed
to be accompanied by her on this incredible journey, thus further
intensifying the level of excitement.
The feeling remained surreal until our feet actually touched
down in Heathrow airport January 21st, 2007.
I was still in awe that this dream was really materializing
(yes, I get excited pretty easily!).

Upon
arrival and check in at our fancy 5-star hotel situated in the heart
of London, we took a quick nap and went off to see some sights.
Our hotel The Park Lane, was surrounded by the rich history
that England thrives off and is symbolized by.
Overlooking The Green Park, The Buckingham Palace was
literally just around the corner and the popular shops on Bond
Street within walking distance.

That
evening, Heather and I enthusiastically took our concierge’s
recommendation, and decided to head over to a traditional but
exclusive pub located in a posh neighborhood not far from our hotel.
We were on a mission to indulge ourselves in a traditional British
dish of “fish and chips”. Unfortunately,
we ended up on an extended expedition to locate this secluded
Grenadier pub. We kept getting
directed to a muse which we later discovered meant a small
cobblestone street!! I can
understand why this is a celeb fav spot.
It is impossible to find!! The
dinner was delectable however the locals came off as a bit snobby.
I suppose the stereotype has some truth to it.
Brits can be uptight, at least in this neighborhood.
It was time to move on to the next destination…

Moving
on from an appetizing dinner, we hit the popular lounge Blue Bar
located in the Berkeley Hotel. At
this point, our eyes were rolling to the back of our heads but we
braved one round of drinks. At
last we were pooped and headed back to hit the sack only to be faced
inevitably with jet lag!! Adjusting
from a 5 hour time difference, I was up tossing and turning for most
of the night. God help me…I
need sleep!!!

The
morning of, Monday, January 22, 2007 marked the official
“meet and greet” day with the New Line folks in their
hospitality suite. They were
super cool. We got the lowdown
on the set visit schedule with a recommendation to go see a theatre
show while in town. The
consensus was Billy Elliot and off we were to purchase last minute
bargain tickets in Leicester Square. ‘Bargain’ in British terms
means half the price, but DOUBLE in US dollars!!

Before
going any further, did I happen to mention that as North Americans
we are reduced to poverty status in this country?!?!
Our money is worth nothing here!!! We may as well hail from a
third world country! Despite
the feeling of getting raped with every purchase, we concluded that
denial would be the best option.

The
day quickly turned into night and we met with the rest of our large
group members to attend a fab NewLine welcome dinner at a popular
and packed Italian restaurant named Sale e Pepe.
Regardless of whether it was part of their schtick or if they
were genuinely fresh off the boat, the waiters were equally
entertaining with their enchanting Italian dialogue. Following
dinner, the group started branching out into smaller cliques, each
contemplating on how to maximize the evening in the great city of
London. Most settled on the
hotel lounge. I joined a few
of the reporters for some bubbly and small talk before calling it a
night. Others disappeared into
oblivion only to resurface in the a.m.
Perhaps it was past their bed time…

Tuesday,
January 23, 2007 marked our first set visit at the Shepperton
Studios for THE GOLDEN COMPASS. I
must admit I was totally psyched for my next experience which was
undoubtedly one of the most pleasurable and memorable.
It was a special treat to a traditional British afternoon tea
at the ritzy Dorchester Hotel where the likes of Grace Kelly had
once frequented. Sitting in
the lap of luxury, sipping on pink champagne and tea, nibbling on
scrumptious biscuits, devouring an assortment of finger sandwiches,
topped off with a climactic finale of fine desserts is an everyday
tradition I can very well get used too!! Needless to say, the
ecstatic experience left me completely fulfilled and yearning for
more…

This
was an evening where everyone went off with their own little cliques
to enjoy a variety of entertaining venues London had to offer.
Heather and I along with some others went to the theatre to
see Billy Elliot, based on the original film of a young boy and
aspiring ballet dancer, who triumphed in the face of adversity.
Ok, so we had nosebleed seats but regardless, the show was
outstanding and moved us to tears. We
headed back to The Park Lane to seal another evening with some
cocktails, bubbly and social yap.

Wednesday,
January 24, 2007 was day two of the set visit at the Shepperton
studios for another fantasy film, INKHEART.
The day ran a little longer than scheduled however, we made
it back to our hotel just in time for Heather and I to pack and
leave for our one day excursion to Dublin, Ireland!!
We were radiating with enthusiasm and the reality of being in
Dublin emanated an extreme excitement that became difficult to
contain. We hit the famous
Temple Bar district thriving with life, music and people. I even
sampled my first official Guinness beer.
Our night quickly escalated into vivacious fun with a couple
of adorable and animated locals whose agility evoked continuous
laughter from Heather and I.

Our
early morning sight seeing tour was a bit excruciating.
It was torture trying to keep our eyelids open as they
desperately yearned for sleep and our head’s felt like ticking time
bombs. Regardless, we were
troopers to the end. Dublin
was absolutely magnificent; although coming from a very big U2 fan,
the statement is laced with great partiality.
I can vouch that the Irish know how live and enjoy life to
the fullest! Dublin rocks!

Sadly
Dublin was short but sweet and Heather and I returned to London to
enjoy a few more days of sightseeing.
Our return to London marked the end of our journey together.
We split up to do our own thing for the few remaining days
left in this fascinating city. I
took a double decker bus tour, visited the London Eye, Tate Museum
among many other historic landmarks. The
architecture of every structure and building was exquisite.
One landmark amazed me more than the next.

In
conclusion, London is truly breathtaking and I really hated the
thought of leaving! This was by far one of the most memorable
trips I’ve taken thanks to the coolest site JoBlo.com and the
wonderful peeps at New Line Cinema. I
still dream of afternoon tea at The Dorchester as the taste
continues to linger forevermore in my mouth!

NEXT
WEEK: The set visit reports!!