| |
 | |||||||||||||||||
 |
| | LinkBack | Thread Tools |
10-11-2007, 11:12 PM
| #1 (permalink) |
| Member  |  Oct 10, San Diego--I met Amanda First of all, I'm sorry you didn't get to go, Pranksalot. If you stay in San Diego you'll get another chance to see Amanda if she ever promotes a film at Comic-Con. I live in San Diego. I knew about the Dear tour stopping at Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego (thanks to you folks who posted the schedule). But I wasn’t going to go for a couple of reasons. The event did not conflict with work or anything—I was just reluctant to go because I’d feel a bit out of place (yes, some of Amanda’s fans are closer to 30 than to 20!) Also, I thought there would be too many people there, and the purpose of the event was to promote Dear and Steve & Barry’s. I never even heard of the retail chain before reading about Amanda’s involvement. And I’m not a likely customer of clothing for young women (at least not right now). This Dear event didn’t seem to be the best idea. Then around 4:00 PM one of my friends (let’s call him MP) called up to let me know that he was going down to Horton Plaza with another friend Amy. I didn’t even know that my friend was a fan of Amanda Bynes. I said, “You guys go on and have a good time.” We chatted some more and then I started to have a change of heart. “Go ahead and call me back if it doesn’t look too crowded,” I said. OK. Just before 5:00 he called back and said, “Just come on down and meet us there! When are you going to see Amanda Bynes in person again?” That was enough—I changed my mind, set the video recorder, washed my face, put on a new shirt and headed out the door. I drove south on I-5 but traffic slowed down as I approached downtown. I missed the first couple of exits because I was in the middle lane. I took the 10th Ave exit, took a right on Broadway, made a U-turn around 2nd Ave then a right on 4th, which takes traffic to the Horton Plaza entrance. I parked on one of the upper levels and called MP at 5:54 PM to let him know I’d arrived. I looked at the shopping center map and found the location for Steve & Barry’s. I entered the store and there were a lot of people, but fewer than I feared. Amy found me and led me to the aisle were people were lining up to see Amanda. The staffers gave cards with a number to every person (or group). The cards were to designate that we were here for the event. I guess the cards also made it harder for people to cut in line without being caught. Another staffer started handing out little flyers offering a discount on Steve & Barry’s merchandise. BTW, it’s a pretty nice store. Never been to an S & B store before. The line moved kind of slowly. We killed time by chatting and looking at the merchandise. When we entered another section of the store they collected our cards and started handing out 8 x 10 sheets with Amanda’s picture and the Dear logo (and room for an autograph). That was great, because I personally didn't bring anything that Amanda could sign. I don't think anyone really knew what we were going to get to do when we reached Amanda's table. There was a sign that said NO PHOTOGRAPHS. Another notice said that Amanda would only be signing Dear stuff. That’s OK—I didn’t notice anyone carrying other pictures, DVDs or anything. We got closer and we could see Amanda behind the table, under bright lights. Security guys were nearby. There were people off to the side who could've been Dear execs or assistants. I don't know if Amanda has a full-time assistant of her own, but that person would probably have been there too. Other staffers were maintaining the line. I wasn’t feeling that nervous—I’ve seen lots of celebs at Comic-Con over the last few years, so I kept it together. Fans were led up to Amanda one by one. They would not let people crowd the table. Every fan got to exchange greetings with Amanda, she’d sign autographs and then on to the next person. They had to keep the line going because there were so many people. In my group Amy went ahead of me, and my friend MP went last so he could get a picture. Yes, people were using their cameras from while in line. I guess the No Photographs rule meant that Amanda could not pose with fans. My turn. I was led to the table and said hello to Amanda. And I felt confident enough to sneak in a question for her! As she signed my 8 x 10 sheet, I remarked that fans were constantly debating about how tall she is. “Oh, really,” she said, “which fans?” I said that I meant fans on the Internet. “I wear heels,” Amanda said. She asked me if I ran a website and I said, “No, I just visit a couple of them.” She asked which one and then I mentioned AmandaBynesNewsBlogspot.com (it happens to be my favorite right now). I asked her if she would mind telling us how tall she is. “I’m about five-six and a half.” So that settles that question! I thanked her and moved along. Would have loved to ask a few more questions—when will she film another movie, for example? That would have been a good question. Couldn’t do it with all the people in line. Funny, now I have no idea what she was wearing. My friend MP kidded me about taking too much time with her. She told MP that she liked his shirt. So I got a question in, and MP got a compliment from Amanda Bynes. Needless to say, she was very sweet and gracious to us (and I’m sure other fans have the same impression). We left Horton Plaza around 7 o’clock. My thanks to MP for calling me up and encouraging me to go. Last edited by M_F_Burk; 10-12-2007 at 11:32 PM.. |
|  |
|
10-11-2007, 11:39 PM
| #4 (permalink) | ||
| Administrator  | Very cool and your very lucky. Is it a new photo?, I hope you can scan or take a photo of that autographed 8x10. I would love to meet Amanda one day, it seems like she helps make it so your dont feel nervous or uncomfortable around her. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> Quote:
<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> Quote:
 Last edited by open32; 10-11-2007 at 11:40 PM.. | ||
|
| |
|
10-11-2007, 11:46 PM
| #5 (permalink) |
| Member | I was cursing myself for missing the first exits to downtown San Diego. But the one I took got me there fast enough. My friends were in line, holding my place. I didn't have to worry after all. The 8x10 was a Dear promo shot--the one with Amanda standing up in spike heels and jeans. It's the same picture you see when you go to the Dear site: http://www.dearbyamanda.com/ Last edited by M_F_Burk; 10-11-2007 at 11:46 PM.. |
|
| |
|
10-12-2007, 03:19 AM
| #7 (permalink) |
| Member Newbie | I'm glad you had a good time! She was nice at the beginning of the tour (in Manhattan) and she's still a sweetheart. I'd be exhausted! 5'6" and a half? We're basically the same height! She was wearing heals in Manhattan, so I guess that would account for the height difference. |
|
| |
|
10-12-2007, 11:22 PM
| #11 (permalink) |
| Member | I live in the Clairemont area. And Comic-Con is a huge event that takes place at the San Diego Convention Center every summer: http://www.comic-con.org/ Lots of Hollywood stars come to the event every year to promote movies. This year I attended events and saw Jessica Alba, Kate Beckinsale, Clive Owen, Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Kristen Bell, the cast of HEROES and others. Who knows, someday Amanda Bynes may appear in a big movie that the studio will want to promote at Comic-Con. You may get another chance to see her in person. Keep your fingers crossed! Last edited by M_F_Burk; 04-11-2008 at 01:56 PM.. |
|
| |
|
« Previous Thread
|
Next Thread »
| Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
| Thread Tools | |
| |
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:33 AM.
