Filming of 'The Bourne Ultimatum'

On Monday (October 30th), at about noon, I was sitting at my desk at work when one of my colleagues informed me that 'she thought she just saw Matt Damon filming at Waterloo'. Her not being a big film buff like me I asked 'What do you mean you thought you saw him?'. I quickly 'googled' Matt Damon on the internet and found out that he's currently filming 'The Bourne Ultimatum', so figured it must've been him.

I went over there armed with a camera and was scouring Waterloo Train Station looking for him, but I couldn't see him, just a hundred extras who looked bored senseless. I had about 15 minutes of my lunch break left and I hoped I'd get to see him in that time. I took a photo with me (just in case) that I would've like autographed, but he was working and I didn't really want to disturb him. Plus, all the Police officers were a bit of a turn off to approach him.

I did however manage to capture him filming a scene for all of about 7 seconds. I won't post it on this webpage because I was asked to remove it. I still have it. Also, the movie's 'in production' so I don't think it's fair to post photos when they're actually filming. Candid shots on set I think are ok, but had I acutally have taken one while filming, I don't think you'd see it here.

I will however put up the photo I took of him as I was walking past. Sorry it's not straight. I had it on sporting motion and I was walking when I took it so I wouldn't get stopped. Paranoid, I know.

When he was filming the scene he walked right near me - about a metre away. There were a few police officers and a lot of crew, but as they didn't close down Waterloo station, lots of regular people were mixed in with the paid actors. He was laughing and joking with the director at the end of the scene and had a great smile - I didn't get a photo of the famous Matt Damon smile though.

I have added this photo because I'm sure plenty of people took them as they were walking past Matt Damon - and he wasn't filming at the time - so I think it's fair game. I think that's the director - Paul Greengrass - in the background. He also directed 'The Bourne Supremacy'.

View from the Golden Jubilee Bridge, London

On Thursday night (the 19th), I was walking back from The National Film Theatre in London. I was walking along the Golden Jubilee Bridge with a friend when I stopped to take some photos across the River Thames. I have to apologise for the quality, because I used a basic digital camera and had to lean it against a pole to keep it still when the shutter went off. That being said, I don't think they're all that bad.

Talladega Nights Movie Premiere

On Tuesday the 12th of September 2006 at the Empire, Leicester Square in London was the premiere for 'Talladega Nights - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby' which stars the ever funny Will Ferrell.I turned up to the premiere after work and got there just after 4pm. All the front rows of the barrier had been taken, so I had to settle on a 2nd row standing position for the next few hours, which I imagined would become the norm, now that I'm turning up there later after work. Two months ago I wasn't working, and a spot in the front row was very easy to get.

Just before Will arrived there were some dancers that came out and did some cool moves and danced individually on these podiums. They even incorporated car tyres at one point (the movie is about American NASCAR racing). When Will finally arrived he got out of the car and was wearing a white England Football (soccer) jersey, with blue shorts, knee high sock and footy boots. He gets out of the car, spreads his arms as if to say 'Yes, I am here'. He got quite a few laughs when the people saw him, which I'm sure is what he was aiming for. He spent about 40 minutes on the red carpet doing interviews, posing and signing a little bit. His PR was limiting his time, so he didn't sign as many autographs as I thought he would. I thought he would sign all the way around the barriers, but he didn't.

Where I was standing there were a bunch of us calling out to him - 'Will... WILL.. WILL!'. He looked at us a couple of times and then back at the photographers where he was heading. It looked like his PR was ready to take him to do an interview when the screaming got a little louder, he looked over at us and then pulled away from his PR person, jogged over to us, did a little jump and signed some autographs. It was in the second that he turned towards us and jogged that I was thrust from the second row to the first, with all the barrier space I needed. It was actually pretty bad, as the barrier started to move forward and I was waiting for it to topple. I hadn't been in anything that bad before. I did however manage to get his autograph on a photo that I printed out (he's in his Ricky Bobby NASCAR uniform) and it looks pretty good.

After he signed he went and did an interview on the stage at the end of the red carpet, then went to pose for the photographers, where he proceeded to side step up the red carpet, doing a little jog infront of them and the photographers could all be heard scream 'Will... Will.. could you keep still please!'. It was quite funny. I didn't worry about waiting for him to come out (the actors are usually only in there 30 minutes introducing the movie - they don't usually sit through and watch it). I got some good photos of him when he was signing - one he looks like a stunned mullet as my camera flash has gone off.

A Blog, eh?

So, it seems, I have finally taken to catching up with the internet world and decided to embark on creating a Web Log - Blog as it's called. Sadly, I only just found out on the weekend what 'Blog' was short for.

I have two friends - one back home in Australia, another in New York - whose blogs I have made a habit of reading, especially in the past weeks. I think it's a great way to keep up to date with the happenings of life. And I love the fact that I will be able to ramble on about this and that and speak of things I may not normally have the courage to. Certainly cheaper than a shrink if you ask me.

After spending a good hour and a half setting up my blog, changing settings, trying to figure out how to remove the automatic question (no idea!), and silently cursing the computer, I'm all set up. That is until I want to post a picture which I'm sure will take me another good hour all together.

So here it is, my first blog post... about posting on my blog.

It will be interesting to see how long I manage to stick this out, considering I am travelling and don't have a laptop. I will have to take to finding the time to make my posts and upload my pictures either at work, in the library or at the internet cafe.

I'm not sure where this blog will take me (if anywhere), but I look forward to the travel stories I'll be able to write... wondering perhaps when the words will actually be printed in ink in the daily paper. You will also find this blog will contain photos of all the celebrities I see. I attend a lot of movie premieres and as I'm not in Australia (my home country), I am meeting quite a few of them in my travels. Most find the flight far too long to go 'Down Under' and I don't have the opportunity to meet them. Here in London alone I've meet so many already.

And to think, my time here is pretty much just starting....