Life as a rock star?

Ladies and gentleman, look for me on the red carpet. No joke, this Tuesday, I get to go to the world premier of The Other Boleyn Girl, starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson. Our boss at work has great movie connections and so generously gave the interns passes to the premier. What's more is that this is the Royal Premier and thus, Prince Charles and Camilla will be present. How crazy is that?! Check out the movie trailer by going to www.sonypictures.com/movies/theotherboleyngirl. I'm quickly trying to read the book before I go, though I am only a fifth through. Regardless, it looks to be an incredible movie and an incredible night. I am so excited to share it with my co-workers. I honestly can't believe that I am so lucky to have this opportunity--just to be in the same theater as some of the world's greatest movie stars and (I still can't believe this) royalty, is beyond my comprehension. Stay tuned for pictures by Wednesday or Thursday.

Getting that wonderful news was one of the great treats we received at work this week. We were treated to the Century club, an exclusive private club that some of our bosses at work belong to, for lunch and a late-night cocktail party on Thursday night. The way they do clubs in downtown London is different than our country club method in the United States. It's not necessarily about the money, but about your profession. Century is comprised of people in advertising, film, entertainment, music or theater, so it's definitely a very artsy club. It's about creating an atmosphere or vibe with its members. I've enjoyed lunch there a few times--fabulous food. Smoked sea bass and a light mozzarella, tomato and basil salad were on the menu this go around. We stayed late after work on Thursday and then headed straight back to Century for an open cocktail bar and appetizers at the rooftop (which of course was covered, given that it's February in London). It was a great relaxed evening, just enjoying the scene and observing some of the posh London crowd.

Honestly, my job treats me and the other interns like rock stars. It's absolutely incredible. I feel so blessed. Their generosity is beyond belief, and I keep telling them that when I go back to Missouri, I won't know what to do with myself because I'll have been so spoiled. I've been thanking everyone incessantly, but I don't feel like any amount of cards I give or teas I make can really compare to what they’ve given me. In case you are wondering, I do actually do work at my internship. I've been really busy the past few weeks and Lillian has given me a couple of projects that I've really taken under my wing and have become the main contact for. As much as I love the perks and lunches that I've been showered with at work, getting good, hands-on agency experience is by far the best part. I feel like I've grown a lot in a professional sense, and am looking forward to see where I am by the end of this.

Moving away from work, it's been a fairly quiet week. On Wednesday all my flat mates and I went to see Avenue Q, a hilarious musical with a human and puppet cast. I like to think of it as an R-rated Sesame Street. Every taboo subject is touched on and sang about in such a light-hearted cheery tune. The irony is delightful. My stomach hurt from laughing at the end. Here are a few stage shots.







I’d highly recommend the show for anyone with a sense of humor. Although, it’s definitely not for the kids. Read a plot synopsis and you’ll get the point.

I forgot to mention that I saw another musical last Friday night. Pam took me out to Richmond, a western suburb of London, for a musical that her work had given her tickets to. It was an off-West End production called Next Door’s Baby about two Irish mothers and their families competing in a beautiful baby competition. It was a small cast of maybe 10 and it was at London’s only theater in the round, which means that the audience is seated all the way around the stage. It was an amazing musical. I loved the cast and the plot, and although the music wasn’t my favorite out there, they all had such amazing vocal quality. I also just loved that I was seriously 5 feet away from the actors themselves. You felt so engaged in what was going on. And the fact that it was a smaller theater and not some big West End/Broadway production, made me feel really part of the everyday London community, not so much as a tourist.

I also mentioned a bit ago that I’d upload pictures from the Lion King that I went to over a week ago. Check out some of these costumes:




Scar and Simba.


Yes, those are people in giraffe costumes. They were my favorite.

This weekend has been pretty relaxed. I haven’t done a lot besides my laundry and then a solo trip to St. Paul’s, which was absolutely amazing. The church itself is huge. Going in, I knew that the dome was big, but until you get inside and stand under the rotunda and look up, you can’t fully fathom how big it all is. It is an absolutely gorgeous building, and I had a great time exploring and climbing the 400 and something stairs up to almost the highest point of the steeple where I was able to snap some panoramic pictures of London. Thank God it was a clear day. It was an absolutely breathtaking view. I’ll post some pictures soon.

That’s about it for now. Stay tuned for Tuesday’s pictures! If I can, I’ll snap some of the stars or the royalty, but no guarantees.