CALLING ALL CELEBRITIES
I understand this post is somewhat late than anticipated, but hey it has been a busy week for me and I’ve had a soar throat for the last couple of days that has left me unable to speak for some of the time. Only yesterday did it worsen and threw me into a feverish state that all I could do was just sleep in and rest. All that sleep did some good as I know find myself able to write. So I've been on my death bed for last couple of days. As soon as I touch down in London town I will complete this Blog!
Hamilton
********************************************************************************
Monday started with a quick shoot of documentary Cinematographer and Director Kevin Keating. This was a somewhat simple interview for which I did sound. Slowly learning the ways of filmmaking.
Monday night was probably the most exciting night I’ve had in a long while. Partly because of the number of celebrities attending this event. I wrote a couple of weeks ago that I had volunteered for GLAAD; reason being was because I wanted to do something within the community and help people and give up some of my hours and generally get some volunteer credits.
I was assigned the position of ‘Celebrity Escort’, a position only given to those who have volunteered for a couple of years. This was my first time volunteering and I felt privileged that I was giving the role. I felt the excitement of interacting with celebrities, but at the same time reminded my self of previous times that I’ve had the chance to hang out with celebrities, that they are real people like you and me.
With little time for induction I dived into my position, I was given a radio and folder with information about my two celebrities, I acquainted myself with their personal profile, finding out they were two soap stars from ‘All My Children’: Jeffrey Clarkson and Eden Reigel who have one of the most controversial storylines ever produced by that show.
I didn’t know who they were until that night, but I found one of them plays a transgender male to female and the other a lesbian. You can work out who plays whom.
My job was very simple; all I had to do was escort them from their car to the red carpet to the VIP bar then to their table. During the show I would come and pick them up and take them backstage to get ready for them to present. Everything was timed to a schedule and I had to get my two celebrities on call ready back-stage at the call of their name on the walkie-talkie. On the process of all that I shared and elevator with Rosie O’Donnell and her wife Kelly, this was as I took Jeffrey and Eden to their table, all of us, including publicist, cramped inside one of the Marriot Marquis glass elevators. As we stepped out I said “Nice to meet you Rosie” and she replied “Nice to meet you too”. She was as friendly as she seems on her show “The View” and as outspoken as she can be.
On a far table I spotted the two ‘James’ from the movie ‘Shortbus’; Paul Dawson and PJ DeBoy. They were very friendly and surprisingly short and I found it strange talking to them at the same eye level as me. On the movie they looked much taller and broader at the shoulders, but I found both to be the same height as me. We had a small chat about how I loved the movie and how I’d seen their co-actor Jay Brannan, perform his acoustic music a couple of weeks ago. All three of them have one of the best scenes in the movie that ends with the American National Anthem being sang into Jay’s ass.
The night went on without a hitch. That was until some random drunk person, who turned out to be a ‘big donor’, spotted me. He was unhappy with where he’d been seated, he was unable to get a drink and I was all of the sudden meant to solve all his problems. I was put on the spot. I radioed my team leader for back up. No answer. I tried to be as friendly as I could, pointing out that there was free wine on the table. This guy wanted hard liqueur. I suggested he sat down and that I would send someone to his table to sort his troubles and maybe ignoring it all I wouldn’t see him again and he’d forget about his complaint.
The biggest part of the awards came towards the end of the night. Escorting Jeffrey and Eden back to their table after they had presented, we run into Jennifer Hudson backstage. None of us say a word. We just take this moment in to breathe in the same air as this Academy Award Winner and stare in awe.
Jennifer went on to present Patti Labelle with Excellence in Media Award, for which turned out to be a pivoting point in both these women’s careers; one’s career just starting out the other receiving a ‘lifetime achievement’.
I almost cried, hold on I had a tear in my eye. For a moment everyone was lost because we didn’t know if Patti was the one giving Hudson the award, she gave a big speech about Hudson and her Oscar blah blah even called Hudson a bitch if she were to turn all Hollywood. "Beyonce who?” Lets just say it ended with both of them singing an acoustic version of "Nobody knows but Jesus" or something like it. (Hudson’s voice filled the whole 45 floors of the Marriott Marquis on Times Square).
This was a thrilling experience, the moment were two black women, compared themselves to gay men! (You can catch it on LOGO later this month when it gets aired)
The night ended with an after party. One party I was grateful not to be kicked out. Last time I made my way into a celebrity after party and was kicked out, was while working at Alexandra Palace for the ‘UK Music Hall of Fame’, I had the wrong pass. I had borrowed the pass from a co-worker who wasn’t staying and I decided to for him go and enjoy the free drinks (my pass was only limited to the catering side). On deciding to go the gent’s room after the consumption of too much liquid I had to go out of the room and pass security again. I didn’t know if I should risk it again. “What the heck I thought”.
Wrong idea, the security guard questioned my pass and asked me to leave the party right away. Then him and a second security guard took me by the shouldes to my managers office “I have ‘Tariq’ here, he was in the after party with the wrong pass” said the security guard. “Tariq?” my manager said as he looked at me not saying anything else, for his look could say I was not ‘Tariq’. It was already late and I had just been thrown out of a celebrity party for having the wrong access pass with the wrong name! It was short lived and I knew there would be more events and after parties, so I wasn’t all hung up on that event back then.
After the GLAAD after party I joined my cute team leader and a couple of others for a drink in near by ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ to celebrate the success of the night. The team leader and I got very chatty and didn’t realise it so until the lights of the bar were turned on and it was closing time. I looked at my watch and saw that it was 4am; I needed to be at work at 11am!
The week followed in similar suit. I recovered on Tuesday and Wednesday. By Thursday I had been invited to three separate events. This was when I began to fall ill. My soar throat began, but I didn’t think much of it and went out anyway. I joined co-workers for a ‘crew’ reunion in a near bar. I stayed long enough to introduce myself to previous employees and freelancers who worked on the documentary ‘Shut up and Sing’. I knew that these would be people whom I’d see again at some point of my career again, maybe when the time came and I needed help putting my own documentary together.
The second event of that night was a small concert by ‘Lisa Palleschi’ at The Bitter End on Bleecker Street, for which my friend Charlie, who is her PR, had invited me to. My favourite song was 'A New Beginning', because it talks about being at a place where I am right now 'on the edge of a new beginning', and I feel New York is my new begining and I'm spreading out my wings to fly and venture out.
After this social event and questioning a musical documentary on Lisa, we made our way to Keno41 in Midtown Manhattan. A much recently discovered Thursday night party for those who’s Friday fall on a Thursday. My throat was bad. I could hardly speak and I didn’t want to force my voice or myself. I stayed long enough to spot the punks who thought it was still 1993 and Michael Musto, the Village Voice Columnist.
By the weekend I was dying. My soar throat hard turn into a flu and I was looking so rough. I almost wish I hadn’t met up with my team leader from GLAAD for dinner, who knows what he must’ve thought on Friday night? I made it through the weekend by staying in bed most of the time. But I needed to make my way. Make my way home and here I am, still recovering, London has called me once again.
Next Blog: April 8th (or there abouts)
I understand this post is somewhat late than anticipated, but hey it has been a busy week for me and I’ve had a soar throat for the last couple of days that has left me unable to speak for some of the time. Only yesterday did it worsen and threw me into a feverish state that all I could do was just sleep in and rest. All that sleep did some good as I know find myself able to write. So I've been on my death bed for last couple of days. As soon as I touch down in London town I will complete this Blog!
Hamilton
********************************************************************************
Monday started with a quick shoot of documentary Cinematographer and Director Kevin Keating. This was a somewhat simple interview for which I did sound. Slowly learning the ways of filmmaking.
Monday night was probably the most exciting night I’ve had in a long while. Partly because of the number of celebrities attending this event. I wrote a couple of weeks ago that I had volunteered for GLAAD; reason being was because I wanted to do something within the community and help people and give up some of my hours and generally get some volunteer credits.
I was assigned the position of ‘Celebrity Escort’, a position only given to those who have volunteered for a couple of years. This was my first time volunteering and I felt privileged that I was giving the role. I felt the excitement of interacting with celebrities, but at the same time reminded my self of previous times that I’ve had the chance to hang out with celebrities, that they are real people like you and me.
With little time for induction I dived into my position, I was given a radio and folder with information about my two celebrities, I acquainted myself with their personal profile, finding out they were two soap stars from ‘All My Children’: Jeffrey Clarkson and Eden Reigel who have one of the most controversial storylines ever produced by that show.
I didn’t know who they were until that night, but I found one of them plays a transgender male to female and the other a lesbian. You can work out who plays whom.
My job was very simple; all I had to do was escort them from their car to the red carpet to the VIP bar then to their table. During the show I would come and pick them up and take them backstage to get ready for them to present. Everything was timed to a schedule and I had to get my two celebrities on call ready back-stage at the call of their name on the walkie-talkie. On the process of all that I shared and elevator with Rosie O’Donnell and her wife Kelly, this was as I took Jeffrey and Eden to their table, all of us, including publicist, cramped inside one of the Marriot Marquis glass elevators. As we stepped out I said “Nice to meet you Rosie” and she replied “Nice to meet you too”. She was as friendly as she seems on her show “The View” and as outspoken as she can be.
On a far table I spotted the two ‘James’ from the movie ‘Shortbus’; Paul Dawson and PJ DeBoy. They were very friendly and surprisingly short and I found it strange talking to them at the same eye level as me. On the movie they looked much taller and broader at the shoulders, but I found both to be the same height as me. We had a small chat about how I loved the movie and how I’d seen their co-actor Jay Brannan, perform his acoustic music a couple of weeks ago. All three of them have one of the best scenes in the movie that ends with the American National Anthem being sang into Jay’s ass.
The night went on without a hitch. That was until some random drunk person, who turned out to be a ‘big donor’, spotted me. He was unhappy with where he’d been seated, he was unable to get a drink and I was all of the sudden meant to solve all his problems. I was put on the spot. I radioed my team leader for back up. No answer. I tried to be as friendly as I could, pointing out that there was free wine on the table. This guy wanted hard liqueur. I suggested he sat down and that I would send someone to his table to sort his troubles and maybe ignoring it all I wouldn’t see him again and he’d forget about his complaint.
The biggest part of the awards came towards the end of the night. Escorting Jeffrey and Eden back to their table after they had presented, we run into Jennifer Hudson backstage. None of us say a word. We just take this moment in to breathe in the same air as this Academy Award Winner and stare in awe.
Jennifer went on to present Patti Labelle with Excellence in Media Award, for which turned out to be a pivoting point in both these women’s careers; one’s career just starting out the other receiving a ‘lifetime achievement’.
I almost cried, hold on I had a tear in my eye. For a moment everyone was lost because we didn’t know if Patti was the one giving Hudson the award, she gave a big speech about Hudson and her Oscar blah blah even called Hudson a bitch if she were to turn all Hollywood. "Beyonce who?” Lets just say it ended with both of them singing an acoustic version of "Nobody knows but Jesus" or something like it. (Hudson’s voice filled the whole 45 floors of the Marriott Marquis on Times Square).
This was a thrilling experience, the moment were two black women, compared themselves to gay men! (You can catch it on LOGO later this month when it gets aired)
The night ended with an after party. One party I was grateful not to be kicked out. Last time I made my way into a celebrity after party and was kicked out, was while working at Alexandra Palace for the ‘UK Music Hall of Fame’, I had the wrong pass. I had borrowed the pass from a co-worker who wasn’t staying and I decided to for him go and enjoy the free drinks (my pass was only limited to the catering side). On deciding to go the gent’s room after the consumption of too much liquid I had to go out of the room and pass security again. I didn’t know if I should risk it again. “What the heck I thought”.
Wrong idea, the security guard questioned my pass and asked me to leave the party right away. Then him and a second security guard took me by the shouldes to my managers office “I have ‘Tariq’ here, he was in the after party with the wrong pass” said the security guard. “Tariq?” my manager said as he looked at me not saying anything else, for his look could say I was not ‘Tariq’. It was already late and I had just been thrown out of a celebrity party for having the wrong access pass with the wrong name! It was short lived and I knew there would be more events and after parties, so I wasn’t all hung up on that event back then.
After the GLAAD after party I joined my cute team leader and a couple of others for a drink in near by ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ to celebrate the success of the night. The team leader and I got very chatty and didn’t realise it so until the lights of the bar were turned on and it was closing time. I looked at my watch and saw that it was 4am; I needed to be at work at 11am!
The week followed in similar suit. I recovered on Tuesday and Wednesday. By Thursday I had been invited to three separate events. This was when I began to fall ill. My soar throat began, but I didn’t think much of it and went out anyway. I joined co-workers for a ‘crew’ reunion in a near bar. I stayed long enough to introduce myself to previous employees and freelancers who worked on the documentary ‘Shut up and Sing’. I knew that these would be people whom I’d see again at some point of my career again, maybe when the time came and I needed help putting my own documentary together.
The second event of that night was a small concert by ‘Lisa Palleschi’ at The Bitter End on Bleecker Street, for which my friend Charlie, who is her PR, had invited me to. My favourite song was 'A New Beginning', because it talks about being at a place where I am right now 'on the edge of a new beginning', and I feel New York is my new begining and I'm spreading out my wings to fly and venture out.
After this social event and questioning a musical documentary on Lisa, we made our way to Keno41 in Midtown Manhattan. A much recently discovered Thursday night party for those who’s Friday fall on a Thursday. My throat was bad. I could hardly speak and I didn’t want to force my voice or myself. I stayed long enough to spot the punks who thought it was still 1993 and Michael Musto, the Village Voice Columnist.
By the weekend I was dying. My soar throat hard turn into a flu and I was looking so rough. I almost wish I hadn’t met up with my team leader from GLAAD for dinner, who knows what he must’ve thought on Friday night? I made it through the weekend by staying in bed most of the time. But I needed to make my way. Make my way home and here I am, still recovering, London has called me once again.
Next Blog: April 8th (or there abouts)
Labels: GLAAD
posted by Hamilton at 7:14 PM
2 Comments:
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We here in NYC miss you very much, Hammy Baby!!!! Get back here soon! xoxoxoxoxoxo
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