BEWARE: LONG ACCOUNT!! Every little story in between leads up to the main event, hence why I’m trying to be as detailed as possible. And sorry it took me so long to post this. Just got back yesterday, and I’m exhausted. O_O ~~ Deb
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Goodness, where in the world do I begin? It’s been a whirlwind last few days in LA. Just got back last night, and now I have to sit down and relive my experience on paper because I certainly don’t want to forget this for the rest of my life. I’m so physically exhausted, but my emotions and adrenalin are still running high. I’m so happy I still can’t stop smiling, even in my sleep. ☺
Anyway, I’m not going to write about the Ninja Assassin premiere because some other fans have already written their accounts on that. Most of them were able to get tickets to watch the movie because Warner Brothers staff were handing them out by the end of the red carpet event. I’m glad that many of our friends were able to go in at the very last minute and watch the movie together.
I will start off saying now that I DO NOT have any pictures for this. This is a sore topic for me because we were told by security at the will call line before the start of the premiere that we were not allowed to bring cameras and cell phones with picture-taking abilities into the theater. Well, my ‘date’ Jeslyn and I were too obedient, and that turned out to be a complete mistake considering how we were NOT even searched by security as we went in for the movie, and everybody else and their mother had cameras with them. Sigh…. I will not linger on this any further…
Jeslyn and I had a chance of a lifetime to mingle, wine and dine with VIPs at the after party right the movie premiere (different from the one at The Kress). And just to give you a background as to HOW we pulled that off, I will tell you that none of this was due to my own efforts. I have special friends, one of whom was actually the executive producer of Ninja Assassin, and when he found out about the purpose of my trip to LA, he surprised me by reserving 2 tickets under my name at will call, and also gave me passes for me and my guest to the party afterwards. I give full credit and gratitude to him for all of this.
My passes
Free popcorn and drinks!
Jeslyn and I standing in line waiting to get in to get our tickets from will call. (Omo...low cleavage, yikes!)
You can barely see, but I'm the one right in the MIDDLE--turning around to see our group across the street and was hoping to wave at a familiar face! But thanks to Christina for catching me!
So anyway, after the movie, Jeslyn and I followed Rain as he hustled out of the theater into his getaway SUV. It all happened so quickly because people started to gather around him as he exited the theater. He got into the front passenger seat and as the SUV drove away, I saw him turn around to look back at the crowd. He didn’t wave back or anything (even though I think I waved at him), but I’m pretty sure I saw him smile because he was probably so proud to see that the crowd there was all for him. From this point, Jeslyn and I battled the cold (we only wore black dresses and shawls) and followed directions to where we were picked up by small limo busses to go to the after party. We noticed that the demographics of the crowd started to change as we made our way to the pick-up point. No more fans, no more chaos; just a few other people (who mostly seemed older) dressed formally, media personalities and some staff of Warner Brothers. Jeslyn and I started feeling out of place because we knew we really didn’t quite belong, but thankfully we had dressed the part, so we blended in just fine. ☺
We got on the bus and it was actually a short ride, but getting there was part of the fun because the bus drove up a really narrow and winding road. For a moment it looked like we were heading upward a hill to nowhere. Pretty soon we arrived at Yamashiro; it perched right on top of the hill (as part of Hollywood Hills) where you got a 360-degree view of LA. It was absolutely breathtaking, I can’t even describe it in words now, and even more mad that I don’t have a single picture to remember it by!
Front view of Yamashiro (had to google for image. Credit: seeing-stars.com)
This is just a part of the view that we could see from there! (Image credit: eatingla.blogspot.com)
Anyway, we were greeted by tons of black suit security men who checked our party passes and ushered us in. As we headed up the stairs, there were also hosts and hostesses holding trays of sake, wine, martinis and other alcoholic beverages. When we got in, we headed straight for the buffet line. Jeslyn was starving; she didn’t care about anything else! Ha!
After dropping by the ladies room (on the way there, I was walking behind famous CNN reporter Lisa Ling!) and grabbing food, Jeslyn and I found a nice, corner spot in one of the many dining areas of the restaurant. We sat there enjoying the delicious food and drinks while admiring the beautiful scenery and nightlights of the city. We toast to our drinks and talked briefly about what we thought of the movie. At this point, we didn’t know whether or not Rain had already arrived at the party. We hadn’t seen him around. I, for one, wasn’t eating because I was extremely anxious and nervous. Jeslyn, on the other hand, was enjoying the free food! As she was busy eating, I happened to turn around to scope the area to take a look at the crowd surrounding us (I was trying to see if I could see anyone famous). Then all of a sudden, at just the right angle and frame, I saw a familiar face. It was slightly dark because he was further in the dining hall from where I was sitting. I wasn’t sure if it was Rain, but I had a strong feeling it was. So almost instantly, I told Jeslyn I was going to get some food and that I’d be right back. She was like, “So now you wanna eat?”, and I said, “Yeah….”, hehe….So I headed towards another buffet line nearby and as I walked past, I looked into the main room (it had opened walls), there he stood, chatting with a group of white people—the same people whom I had seen him chatting with in the theater before the start of the movie. I couldn’t believe it, he was completely on his own, with no bodyguards, no English teacher and no WB assistant (that white lady who has been by his side during his time here in the US). He appeared to be very relaxed and calm with them.
So for the next 10 minutes or so, from where Jeslyn and I sat to eat, I kept turning to look at Rain. He was only a few feet away! For the entire duration of that time, I was able to get a straight-on view of his face. He was even taller than the people around him, so I could see his spiked up hair and his facial expressions. At one point, he laughed and smiled about something, so much so that his eyes appeared in a single line and I could see all of his teeth! It was so cute. He hardly moved from his spot and kept standing there talking and laughing with his friends. There were a couple of times that whenever I turned to look at him, he was looking directly at me too. I think at this point he knew I was watching him and I wasn’t doing a good job being discreet! So I had to quickly change directions and pretend to start talking with Jeslyn! It was nerve wrecking! Eventually we both left our table and inched our way closer to where Rain was. We blended in with everyone else, most of who just stood around chatting and holding drinks in their hands. We didn’t want to be too close, but close enough to where we could still catch glimpses of him. We could tell he was starting to leave the area when we saw a couple of his American bodyguards approaching. Pretty soon, he walked out of the area and headed towards the back. Along the way he’d stop to greet and shake hands with people, like as if he was making his rounds to greet everyone. So polite!
Jeslyn and I continued to inch our way forward but still stayed far away enough where it wouldn’t be obvious that we were following him. At this point, I saw my friend Jon from afar (the executive producer). I was on the lookout for him the entire night because I wanted to personally thank him for everything that he had done. He was actually about to leave the venue right when I saw him, so I ran after him. We reconnected and talked for a brief moment about his family. Then he asked, “So have you been close to Rain yet? Have you talked to him?” I said no and explained how I really didn’t have the guts to approach. He said that Rain was really nice and that other people had been having opportunities to talk to him as well. I just laughed nervously. Right then someone else came to greet Jon and he was distracted for a moment. Meanwhile in my own head, I kept debating whether I really wanted to get closer to Rain. Even Jeslyn said I should, otherwise I would regret it forever. All of the sudden Jon turned his attention back to our conversation and said, “Come on, let’s go.” I immediately knew what he meant to do, so with much anxiety and excitement, we went with him.
We followed him to the back of the building where Rain was. There was a bunch of people back there; Rain had landed up with a different group of people this time and was just talking away. As we got closer, Jon signaled me and said, “Wait right here.” He went over but before too long got stopped AGAIN by someone else who greeted him. I think he was heading straight for Rain but that didn’t quite work out. Jeslyn and I felt slightly awkward where we stood, so we moved to a different spot, which at this point was still very close to Rain. Just then, his bodyguards reappeared as Rain started moving towards another section of the room. We thought he was leaving, so we decided to head towards the entrance from around the other corner. It all seemed like such a rush. But a few seconds later, Rain turned around and headed BACK to where he was before. OMG…we felt like we were playing the cat and mouse game. So as we rushed back to our original spot, I saw Jon shaking hands with Rain and talking to him. I could tell that Jon was trying to look for me too, but we had walked away from where he had told us to stay! So I rushed forward and tucked Jon by the back of his suit jacket. Jon turned around, saw me, and then diverted Rain’s attention. He said, “Rain, I’d like you to meet my friend here, Debbie.” Holy crap!! Rain turned to look at me. He smiled, bowed slightly and extended his hand out to me. Despite my nervousness, I still remembered myself saying, “Hi Rain, I’ve been wanting to meet you.” (WTH??) He paused for a moment, smiled back at me and said, “Thank you, very nice to meet you too.” I could’ve died and gone to heaven then. He also shook hands with Jeslyn afterwards.
I wanted real badly to go back to him to ask for his autograph and tried to pull out my ticket from my clutch purse, but by this point his English teacher was already eyeing on us and would not stop looking at us. I didn’t want unnecessary attention; so I decided not to go with it and just remained close to keep watching Rain. He was still doing his rounds, shaking hands and talking to friends and strangers alike (he also talked to Lisa Ling!!). There was a prominent Korean woman there, with whom he spent quite a bit of time talking. Pretty soon, she decided to leave and everyone, including Rain stood up to say their goodbyes and escorted her out of the building. She was a short and older woman, but her presence was strong and demanding. Everyone kept bowing at her, and Rain, in particular, was very attentive to her. We had no idea who she was, but you could tell they were rather close and Rain treated her with respect and tenderness. It was like as if he was with his own mother. It was rather touching to watch this. He personally escorted her out with her hand tucked around his left arm, and very slowly and carefully he walked her all the way out to her limo at the front of entrance of Yamashiro. Rain and many other people stood there to talk a few more minutes with this woman, and meanwhile Jeslyn and I thought that he was going to leave too, so we followed. As I walked down the stairs, I almost tripped and fell because my heels were killing my feet. One of the security guys had to hold my hand! It’d been completely embarrassing if I had fallen in front of Rain! We then decided to head into the limo bus that was waiting to pick up guests who were ready to head back to Mann’s Theater. We honestly thought Rain would leave after sending off the woman, so we got into the bus, sat at the front seat and continued watching Rain. It was endearing to see him as he carefully escorted the woman into the car, making sure that she was alright (she looked slightly sick too). Even after she got into the car, he kept bowing at her while saying goodbye, and stood there even as the car drove away. It seemed all eyes were on this woman, but our eyes were glued on him!! But then, instead of leaving himself, he and his people walked back into the restaurant! And Jeslyn and I were like, “What??” We really thought he was leaving! We decided not to go back in because it’d been too obvious on our part that we were following him, and more importantly we just wanted to end the night with that special one-on-one experience with him. So we remained in the bus and left to go back to our drop-off point at the theater.
I feel totally and completely blessed. I’m bummed that I don’t have any pictures or autographs from this night, but I think it happened that way for a reason. My experience was indeed special and unique, and was only for me to remember in my thoughts. Never in my dreams would I had ever thought about meeting him this way—not at a concert, autograph session, airport, fan meeting etc. I felt special and important because not only did I meet and shake hands with Rain, but I was introduced TO HIM by someone else who was an important figure in the industry and in the job. Rain was probably wondering who the heck I was when Jon introduced me to him, but all I remember was that he gave me full eye contact and attention, and shook my hand firmly. Just as how other fans have said it before, his hand certainly felt soft! I knew I was completely star struck (per Jeslyn), but I was calm enough to utter my words and to look him in the eyes to see that he was tired. This trip has certainly taken a toll on him, but don’t worry guys, he was also very happy and having a good time. He was smiling and laughing a lot, feeling very comfortable on his own whenever his small entourage was not close by. We were very relieved to see him that way.
Sorry this fan account was long. This has been the highlight of my LA trip, and definitely one to remember forever as I count my blessing. I can finally check this off my to-do list. Next time it’ll be for an autograph, or to see him live in concert!!
Source & Credit: dsl99a@Rain-USA // SexyBi // sixtofive1982.com
Of course, I haven’t been proficient myself in blogging consistently, but hopefully I will do much better here in my new space. If you care to check out my old blog, here’s the link: