Sunday, January 23, 2011, I awoke from my blissful sleep to the sound of the phone ringing (wake up call). I had to get up early because the group was going to meet in the lobby at 9:45 AM to head on our to our “secret surprise”. I also had to start packing for my trip back home.
I ordered room service again. I can get used to that. LOL! I ordered Cinnamon Bun French Toast and Orange Juice. Wow! They tasted exactly like a cinnamon bun. It felt more like I was indulging in a dessert rather then a breakfast. Yum!
All of the Mom Bloggers were very anxious to learn about the surprise our wonderful hosts, Marshall and Dustin, were keeping a secret from us. Once we were all gathered in the hotel lobby we finally learned about what they had in store for us. I am not at liberty to go into any detail (sorry) but I will say that it had something to do with Universal Studios and the Muppets. I will say that its something none of us will ever forget and I cannot wait to share the experience with my readers. Sadly it will have to wait until the summer before I can actually share withmy readers what occurred that morning but trust me, it’s worth the wait.
After we returned from our special surprise we had only an hour to get ourselves red carpet ready so we could head on out to the El Capitan Theater for the red carpet world premiere of Gnomeo and Juliet.
I was at a loss as to what to do with my hair. I also didn’t do too much with my make up. I wear glasses so I can’t really put on too much eye make up or I look really weird. LOL!
Between packing and getting ready that hour flew by VERY quickly.
I met the other ladies in the hotel lobby. They all looked so beautiful! We may all be “mom bloggers” but that doesn’t mean that we can’t look “hot” when we want to. LOL!
Once we were all ready to go we walked through the Hollywood and Highlands Mall (Center) to get to the El Capitan Theater which was across the street. While we were still inside the Hollywood and Highlands we stopped to take a picture on the “Oscar Stairs”.
See, I told you that the ladies all looked amazing. Our fabulous hosts looked pretty dapper too.
When we arrived at the El Capitan Theater the “talent” from the movie were already on the red carpet doing interviews.
Red carpet events tend to be rather crazy. There are so many people (celebrities, film makers, photographers, film crew, fans, guests…) that it tends to be rather chaotic. However I love it. It’s a lot of fun to be right in the middle of all the excitement.
The first people we spotted when we started on the red carpet was Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish.
I also saw Sir Patrick Stewart and some young stars from the Disney Channel.
We couldn’t stop and gawk at them. They were busy giving interviews and we needed to get inside the theater to find our seats before the movie started.
Once inside the El Capitan Theater we quickly found our seats and settled in before the movie began.
I was in awe of the theater. It was so grand!
The El Capitan Theater is the brain child of real estate developer Charles Toberman. Toberman was often referred to as the “Father of Hollywood”. Toberman envisioned a thriving theater district in Hollywood. Together with a man name Sid Grauman (as in Grauman’s Chinese Theater), Toberman erected several stylish buildings including the Egyptian, the Chinese, the Roosevelt Hotel and the El Capitan.
The El Capitan Theatre debuted on May 3, 1926, as “Hollywood’s First Home of Spoken Drama.”
Between 1926 and 1936, more than 120 live plays were produced at the El Capitan Theatre. Such legendary actors such as Will Rogers and Clark Gable graced the stage.
Back in 1989, The Walt Disney Company, together with Pacific Theatres, began the restoration of the El Capitan its former grandeur. The theater reopened in 1991 with the with the world premiere of Walt Disney Pictures’ The Rocketeer. El Capitan is now an exclusive first-run theatre for Walt Disney Pictures. The theater also hosts live shows, special events and world premieres.
Inside of the theater is amazing. We were unable to take photos once inside. You had to relinquish your cameras at the front door. They were returned to you once you left the theater.
Once inside we sat in our seats and anxiously awaited the start of the movie. While we waited we spotted Sharon Osborne, wife of legendary rock star Ozzy Osborne and host of CBS’ The Talk, in the audience. We also saw Elton John arrive. Patrick Stewart happened to be seated across the row from one of the bloggers in our group. She was super excited about that.
Finally Gnomeo and Juliet premiered for the audience. I loved hearing every one’s reactions to the film. I am not able to provide you with a review at this time (you’ll have to wait until the week of February 11th) but let’s just say there was a lot of laughing and over all the audience seemed to really enjoy the film.
When the end credits started to roll and the audience was clapping we saw the screen go up into the ceiling and the curtains behind the screen open up. To our shock and amazement there was Elton John sitting on state in front of a bright red piano! OH MY GOODNESS!!! The audience went wild! Elton John then proceeded to play Crocodile Rock for everyone. The audience was so excited that they were all singing along with him (including me).
Here is a video of that performance, compliments of EPK.TV. This is what is known as B-roll footage. It’s also not the entire performance but at least you get a taste of what we were fortunate to witness.
— The video is still uploading. I’ll post when it’s ready —
OH HOW I LOVE THAT MAN! I grew up listening to Elton John. I have so many of his albums. I love his music! The man is a Rock Star! Not only that he is SO NICE!
How can you top a live impromptu performance from Sir Elton John? How about an after party with the music legend?
After the movie and mini-concert we all headed over to the after party which was being held across the street in The Highlands. There was a mass exodus from the theater to The Highlands. I was worried it was going to be too crowded. Thankfully it was not.
On our way to The Highlands we met actress Ashley Jensen (Accidentally on Purpose, Ugly Betty…) who was kind enough to stop and have her photo taken with all of us.
For someone who has never attended an after party I honestly didn’t know what to expect. The entire place was decorated with Gnomeo and Juliet images. The tables had adorable centerpieces featuring Tulips (from the movie) and a British flag (the story is based in England). There were even Gnomeo and Juliet Valentines Day cards on the tables.
Oh! Let me tell you about the food! Every sweet treat you could possibly think of was found at the after party. They had tables upon tables of the most delectable treats you could possibly imagine. From fresh fruit to ice cream and from cookies to gourmet treats I had no clue what they were (mousse? pudding?). There was also plenty of soda, wine, water and other beverages readily available too. I was too in awe of everything to even think about eating.
Almost immediately I spotted my first celebrity, infamous celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton (www.PerezHilton.com). He was hard to miss. He’s rather tall and his purple ensemble and nerdy glasses (which are the “in” thing with teenagers, at least around here) made him stand out. A few of us bloggers approached him and asked him if he wouldn’t mind posing for pictures. He was more then happy to oblige.
Wow! How cool is that?
While we were chatting with Perez and taking pictures I notice that Sharon Osbourne and her son Jack were seated directly behind Perez. I would have loved to have said “hello” to her but I have was too much in shock to built up my confidence to do so. I must say she’s even more lovely in person then she is on TV. I really wanted to commend Jack for loosing weight and keeping it off. Aside from the scruffy bead he looked great. Its hard to believe he’s the same fellow that just a few years ago was chubby and out of shape.
Myself and all the other bloggers just wandered around The Highlands looking for famous people and just soaking in the entire experience.
Outside on a covered balcony they had set up tables with arts and crafts for the kids. There were a lot of young children at the after party.
While myself and Lee from My Sentiments Exactlee where checking out the arts and crafts we notice Gavin Rossdale, Gwen Stefani’s husband, and their two children Kingston and Zuma. Gwen was not at the event. We said hello to him but that was about it. There was no way we were going to bother him while he was with his children. We are moms and we totally respect a parent’s time with their children. It was just really cool to see him. He’s a very handsome man. Ha! No, he’s actually pretty hot. His sons are adorable and oh-so-fashionable just like their mom.
There was one young fellow there that was trying to pass himself off as a movie star. Some of the bloggers I was with had their picture taken with him. We later found out from Elton’s publicist that the man was not a movie star but rather a personal trainer. LOL!
There were plenty of young Disney stars at the after party. My kids would have flipped to be there and meet them in person. We saw many kids from the Disney Channel series Shake It Up including Bella Thorne, Zendaya, Davis Cleveland, Roshon Fegan, Adam Irigoyen and Kenton Duty. We spoke with a few of them. They are really nice kids and were happy to pose for pictures too. I only wish my kids were there to experience it too.
There was one young man there that looked awfully familiar to me. It took a few moments but it dawned on me that he might be the boy that plays “Chuck” on the TV series iCarly. My family is huge fans of the show (Dan Schneider, if you are reading this, please make more new episodes. Thanks!). Being the ultra shy person that I am I was afraid to walk up to him and ask him. Thankfully Lee is not shy and she walked right up to him and asked him if he was from iCarly. Sure enough it was him! AWESOME! His name is Ryan Ochoa. He’s now on the Disney Channel series Pair of Kings. He was more then happy to pose for pictures too. My family went crazy when they found out that I met Chuck from iCarly.
There was a few other young Disney stars there. My son recognized one young man in a photo but couldn’t remember what show he was on. We also met another boy who is going to be in a movie Lemonade Mouth which will air on the Disney Channel on March 25, 2011. His name is Blake Michael. He’s only 14. I can see that the girls are going to swoon over him with his long hair and “bad boy” looks. He was a very sweet boy who was happy to talk with us, although I did get the impression that he was a bit on the shy side. He best get over the soon because I’m sure young girls across the country are going to be chasing him down as soon as that movie premieres.
It goes without saying that we looked for Elton John while we were there. He was sitting at table one with Sharon and Jack Osborne and a few other people. He was enjoying some of the gourmet treats that were readily available. We didn’t want to bother him and ask him for a picture. My friend Lee was able to get her picture taken with him but then his publicist stepped in and asked if we could just leave him be. I totally respect that and I would never interrupt anyone who was talking or enjoying a good meal. Besides, there were plenty of little kids who really wanted to meet him. I met him the day before. Let the young ones enjoy their time with him.
We did meet the director Kelly Asbury again. Even though he was the man of the hour he still took time to chat with us. Even when people pulled him in other directions he still made the time to come back to us and finish the conversation. That really impressed me a lot. Here is this Hollywood director who could be rubbing elbows with any of the truly important people at the after party and he took the time to chat with us, making us feel equally as important as anyone else in that room (except Elton of course – the man is a Rock Star after all. LOL!).
Since the after party I have been going back and forth with Kelly on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/KellyAsbury). He’s hysterical! He has all these witty “gnome’isms” as I call it. He cracks me up!
Before we knew it our time was up and we needed to get going. Many of the bloggers had to catch the shuttle back to the airport. Before we left we did get to meet one other celebrity, magician David Copperfield. I never even knew he was there. Our Disney contact, Dustin, pointed him out to me. As soon as I pointed him out to a few other bloggers we just new we had to at least say “hello” to him before we left. His publicist was with him and asked if we wanted our picture taken with him. Ha! Like she had to ask such a silly question. Of course we did!
He’s very handsome isn’t he?
We really hated to leave but the party had thinned out a lot by that time. We never did see Patrick Stewart. Emily Blunt couldn’t make it because she had to catch a flight as did Elton John. James McAvoy was there and Louise from Mom Start was lucky to get her picture taken with him.
After we left the after party some of the bloggers left to return to the hotel to catch the shuttle. A few of us had time to kill before it was time to leave so our gracious Disney hosts took us over to the famous Rooservelt Hotel for a bite to eat. The hotel houses trendy eateries and clubs. Its also supposedly haunted by the ghosts of Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift.
We hung out by the pool lounge area. Next to the pool there were plenty of over sized couches, tables and fire pits. We all hung out there chatting and enjoying some delicious food including fries that were cooked in truffle oil. You know how expensive truffles are. This was the perfect way to unwind after a very eventful day and to reflect upon the weekend as a group and share with each other what our most memorable part was. I simply answered “Everything”. I loved EVERYTHING about the weekend.
Soon it was time to head on back to the hotel to grab our luggage and board the shuttle for the airport. Some of us quickly changed. After all, we didn’t to fly all the way home in our red carpet attire.
I dreaded the ride to the airport. I wasn’t looking forward to the red eye flight back home and I didn’t want this weekend to end. I truly enjoyed each and every moment of this very special weekend. I wish it could have lasted longer.
There was an incident in the airport. While I was taking off my shoes and putting my things in the buckets to pass through security there was a lot of commotion and someone yelled for all of us to stand still. For a good give minutes we all just stood there like statues. I am not sure what exactly happened. I did hear a commotion and saw a few people running. Thankfully everything seemed to be OK afterwards. I think a terrorist attack or bomb scare would have really put a damper on my magical weekend. Ha Ha.
The flight home was not so good. The plane was filled to the max. Many people had to check all of their carry on luggage because there was no more room on the plane. Every seat was filled.
Ian Zeiring (Beverly Hills 90210) was seated on the plane a few rows in front of me (we were both on the aisle so I could easily see him). Wow! He was flying to Newark, NJ via economy class. You would expect celebrities to fly first class and go into an airport like JFK in NYC, not Newark, NJ.
I couldn’t sleep a wink on the plane. My mind was racing with thoughts about this once-in-a-lifetime weekend. I was awake the whole flight home.
As soon as I stepped off the plane in New Jersey it was back to reality. In fact is was only 8 degrees that morning. When I left California a few hours earlier I was sitting pool side in short sleeves and perfectly content. Sigh…
A not so funny thing happened at the airport. I was suppose to call the car service that was picking me up so that they knew where to meet me. When I went to call them I realized my cell phone was dead. Thankfully I had some change on me but only enough to call my husband. I told him to call the car service and tell them to look for me outside (I described what I was wearing). Like a dummy I told my husband what I was wearing but never mentioned my jacket. My jacket would cover up my shirt. So I had to stand outside in 8 degree weather without a jacket on until the car service guy found me. BRRRR!!!!
I was able to make it home in time to see my son off to school. My husband went into work a few minutes late so he could help me carry my luggage inside. As soon as he left for work I took a much needed nap.
The whole weekend from start to finish was incredible. It’s been nearly a week since I left for California and everything is still very fresh in my mind. How in the world can you top a hug and a kiss from Elton John, a live impromptu performance, sneak peeks at spectacular movies that will be released this year, meeting celebrities, staying at an awesome hotel, gourmet foods, a tour of Walt Disney Studios, a secret surprise involving the Muppets… the list goes on and on.
I am also VERY grateful to Disney for inviting me on this trip. I will NEVER, EVER forget this and I will be talking about my experience for many years to come. I am sure I will share this with my grandchildren some day too.
I am also thrilled that I FINALLY got to meet my Disney contacts, Marshall and Dustin, in person. I am also so happy to have met so many lovely ladies (the Mom Bloggers). I knew a few of them from a forum we belong to and I was friendly with a couple of them before hand but have never met them in person. It was wonderful to finally meet them in person. I feel that our experiences together that weekend has bonded up for life. I left my home on Friday and came back on Monday morning with 20+ new friends. What a delightful way to start off a new year!
Kimberly
*I was a guest of Disney and my expenses were covered for this trip. There was no other compensation. Any opinion expressed is my own.
**PHOTO CREDITS – Katie Stratton Getty Images, Eric from LeStudioPhotography.com, Louise at Mom Start, Tricia at The Night Owl Mama, Brandy at LoudMouthPhotography.com. ** If I am forgetting anyone’s photo here please let me know and I’ll make sure to credit it you. Thanks!
Cheri says
It sounds like the trip of a lifetime, so fun! I was lucky enough to see the Elton John Red Piano concert at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, he truly is an amazing talent. After the concert I was invited on the stage (after Elton had left, of course) and couldn’t resist…I touched the piano *snicker* Got yelled at for that impulsive move but it was worth it. Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us and we’re really looking forward to seeing the film.
Beth @ TheAngelForever says
Wow, you sure had an amazing adventure in California. Just catching up on my blog reading. I have to admit, I am quite jealous of the insider information that you have. Can not wait to hear what Muppet related item you learned about.
Your photos really capture the essence of the experience. I feel like I am there with you and the rest of the bloggers. One of these days I hope to meet up with you since we are not that far from each other.
Tricia says
HOLY WOW Awesome Recap I think I saw a few people I know in there. lol Hugs
Lisa says
Wow Kimberly, it was like I experienced the weekend all over again. Boy do I miss everyone. It was the greatest weekend ever! Looking thru my blog, I forgot to publish my first post. After my computer finishes the clean up, I will add a pic. I can’t believe I forgot! Lol Does that ever happen to you?
april yedinak says
What an amazing experience! I love all the pics.
Kimberly says
I am so happy that you got to experience this. It was a chance of a lifetime. I have enjoyed reading about the fun you had. I can’t wait to hear about the Muppet surprise.
Colleen Turner says
Oh my gosh,what an awesome weekend! So jealous of the blogger that got her picture taken with James McAvoy…I love him :)! This sounds like a once in a lifetime experience and I think I would still be on cloud nine even a week later. I saw Elton John in concert and was awestruck at his talent…I cannot imagine actually meeting him! Thank you so much for sharing the fun (and love the pictures by the way)!.
Julie B says
I’ve been reading these posts with interest. What a fun time. Could you address a little the clothing issue; I know you were really worried before you left about your outfits, what you were going to wear to each event (as I would have been!) so were you happy with your outfits or were you ever over/under dressed for the special events?
keyomi says
Lovely post. and lucky u!!
btw..i cant believe u met david copperfield! i am officially envious of ur luck! i love his work!
Karen R says
What a great experience! I enjoyed reading your post. I am so jealous….Elton John and David Copperfield in one day!