Tuesday, September 11, 2012

My Celebrity Encounter...Eleven Years Ago!

Recently, I was approached on Flickr by Laura Vanmeer from Me With a Celebrity. She had seen my picture (on my photostream) with Alyson Hannigan and wanted to know about my experience meeting her.
Here is my tale as vividly as I can remember it from that fateful day when I got to meet Willow, Xander and Spike also known as Alyson, Nicholas and James (and tour "Sunnydale High"):


Rain has met Alyson Hannigan (How I met your mother)

Today on the blog, Rain tells us about her encounter with Alyson Hannigan, the "American Pie" and "How I met your Mother" actress

"Hello, 

The fifth season of Buffy was on the air (I believe it was around 2001). They were taping a scene for the episode "Forever" using the exterior of "the Buffy House" (1630 Revello Drive) which is actually in Torrance, CA. My cousin, Jon, actually lived around the corner from the house which is also down the street from Torrance High (Sunnydale High/West Beverly Hills). They posted signs a day before the actual shoot that they would be blocking off the street. Knowing what a HUGE Buffy fan I am, Jon called me up and told me I needed to get down there immediately!

I took Amtrak that night (all night) from Sacramento to LA. Jon picked me up at the station around 3am. Later that day we drove around Torrance. Made a stop at Torrance High where I skipped around exclaiming "this is where so-and-so sat" or "they walk down these steps all the time in scenes..." . Obviously, I was excited to be there!

In the late afternoon we walked down to the Star Trailers where the actors were getting ready. To my welcomed surprise there was James Marsters (Spike) playing his guitar on the street next to his trailer. There was a small group of fans gathering to take a look. Then James walked over to us. I was so nervous, but I was able to ask for an autograph which he generously gave, inscribing "Hello Cutie" - James Marsters. He took a picture with me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I remember he told my cousin to take a second picture because "girls always want a second picture!" I was starstruck and in heaven. It's a blur in my memory (eleven years later)!

Though, I wasn't nearly as starstruck as when I caught a glimpse of Nicholas Brendan (Xander) walking from his trailer to the make-up trailer. Xander was and still is my FAVORITE Buffy character! We spotted the assistant, Wendy, and asked her if Nick was going to sign any autographs, she said she wasn't sure. Then Jon pleaded my case for me, saying what a big fan I am and that I was on Amtrak all night hoping for the chance to meet him. So she said she'd see what she could do. Minutes later Nick comes out of makeup calling out to Wendy. We see them chat & then they're both pointing towards me & waving Jon and I over. I couldn't move! I was absolutely starstruck! Jon pushed me to move forward. I took a few steps to Nick as he walked towards me holding out his hand saying, "Hi, I'm Nick".

Somehow I was able to vocalize "Hi, I'm Lorrain". It was so surreal. Time slowed down and moved way too quickly at the same time. I don't even recall much of our conversation. He wrote "Howdy" -Nicholas Brendan. We took a picture before we got ambushed by the other fans that pushed me out of the way. I whispered to Jon that I wish I could have hugged him (Nick). So he told me to ask for one. After the girls parted I asked him & he said something like "Oh sure" and I really saw stars then. It was brief but friendly. 

Soon after when the actors were being called to set, Alyson Hannigan emerged from her trailer. So we walked over to her and asked for an autograph and picture. 

Alyson Hannigan and my cousin


Which she quickly posed for me and signed -Alyson Hannigan with a smilie face then waved goodbye before jumping on Nick's back for a piggy-back ride. Nick told us to get a picture of her ass because it's cute and I did! LOL! I remember she was so dainty. Her hands and everything. 

Then the small congregation of fans walked over to where they were filming. The helper on set was a nice guy who told us we had to stay across the street for the entire time we wanted to be there. To be quite and turn our phones/watches/pagers/etc. off and turn the flash off on our cameras or we would be asked to leave. 

The scene being shot is when Willow and Xander are walking out of the Summers' house when Spike walks up the path with flowers for Buffy. Then Spike and Xander have an argument before Spike storms off throwing the flowers to the ground. Standing across the street I had to keep my hands clutched over my mouth to keep from laughing and squealing with excitement as I listened to the dialogue. They shot the scene quite a number of times for the actors forgetting their lines, to get different angles or because of planes or traffic causing unwanted noise. Between takes I told Jon that Alyson was the band geek in American Pie. He hadn't even realized it was her. He was so excited that he had to take a picture with her. He had wanted to ask her to say "This one time at band camp..." , but also between takes James had walked back over to chat with fans and I told him what Jon wanted to ask and he told him "No Dude, she gets asked that allll the time!". So luckily Jon refrained and I took a pic with he Alyson.
 Sadly, that's the one photo in my whole bunch that came out the clearest because Jon had a hard time trying to focus my (35mm film) camera! Ah well, I still have fond memories even though the pictures are blurry and through my star-struck haze! :) I took Amtrak home the next day and developed my film at one-hour photo, regaling my co-workers with my stories of each actor!
I'm smiling now remembering the event!"





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