On meeting Fazoolz
I feel like I need to write about last week before I forget everything. I finally met Tina Fey, "the funniest smart chick around" (according to the Barnes & Noble event organizer) and personal lady hero of six years. That is my entire bucket list crossed off right there.
My mom and I got to the store at noon and got excellent seats in the second row. There weren't a lot of people when we got there, but at around mid-afternoon more people started coming in. By 5 PM - two hours before the event - the place was packed, with more people in the lower floors waiting for the chance to get in line for the signing. I only know a few Tina fans in real life, so to be surrounded by so many of them made me feel super giddy.
Grizz was there, too! He was kind enough to pose for pictures for a few people in the front row who were shameless enough to pester him (i.e., me and my mom).
A few minutes after Grizz arrived, Tina came out and the crowd went CRAZY. She posed for the paparazzi for about 20 seconds (as per Barnes & Noble's schedule) before sitting down for a Q & A with David Remnick from the New Yorker. (I uploaded the full interview here. A clearer version is also uploaded in 8 parts on YouTube. I took it myself so it's a little shaky, especially the parts where I'm clapping or laughing. There are also a few times when you don't see Tina's eyes anymore because my arm was getting tired.) Except for the adorable new tidbit about Alice near the end, there's not a lot of new stuff in there. But her stories always make me laugh, no matter how many times I've heard them. And of course it was extra special being there, hearing about it straight from her.
After that was the signing. The organizers kept reminding us that the whole affair would be kept at a reasonable pace so we should "keep [our] declarations of love brief." I'd tried to outline what I was going to say the night before but I still forgot to congratulate her and wish her luck on the baby. I almost didn't say anything but "Hi!" when we went up to her. Fortunately, my mom could still function like a normal person so she broke the ice. She told Tina we'd come all the way from the Philippines. Tina didn't quite hear her so I took that as my chance to talk and repeated what my mom said. Her face lit up and she went, "Oh, wow, really?" I tell you, it made the 7-hour wait worth it when she looked at me like that (I hear how creepy that sounds). Being nice when you are sick and 5 months pregnant (possibly also stressed) can't be easy, but there she was. And because I knew I'd hate myself if we did not have some sort of physical contact, I asked her if I could shake her hand. She very graciously said, "Sure!" and held out her hand. I GOT TO SHAKE TINA FEY'S HAND. It sounds silly, but please remember that I've only ever been able to admire her from afar, like from a thousand miles away. Meeting her had never been a real possibility until recently. But it happened. It actually happened.
Since we were supposed to keep our declarations of love brief, I was only able to choke out a "I'm such a huge fan" when what I really wanted to say was something along the lines of "Watching Mean Girls and following your career changed my life. You led me to SNL, which showed me that comedy and TV in general aren't just there for entertainment. Thank you for opening my eyes to the important things being said and great stories being told on TV. Thank you for introducing me to great television and showing me that I can pursue this as a career. Thank you for showing me that I can laugh at myself without selling myself short. Thank you for proving that hard work pays off (even though I have yet to apply that principle in my life). Thank you for teaching me tolerance. Thank you for never staying exactly the same. It's inspiring to watch your work as a writer and performer evolve, and to see you saying 'yes' to whatever new thing comes your way while keeping your feet on the ground. In short, thank you for doing the things you do and being the way you are. You're amazing. Oh, and congratulations on the baby!!!"
Kind of creepy but all true and well-meant.
I thought meeting her would be this God-you-can-take-me-now moment. But it wasn't. It only reaffirmed my desire to be in television, in whatever capacity. Meeting her made me feel like I could do that. She makes being brave and bossy and hardworking seem a little easier. When I think of all the awards and magazine covers, I sometimes forget that her normalcy was what drew me to her. Seeing her in the flesh reminded me of that. She is a real person who gets tired and sick and stressed out, but she pushes through that. There are times when she fails, and she pushes through that too. And if someone as normal as her can do that, then maybe so can I. The fact that she can make people feel like they can be great, too, just by being a good example - I mean, that is a real hero right there. It was an honor meeting you, TFey.
My mom and I got to the store at noon and got excellent seats in the second row. There weren't a lot of people when we got there, but at around mid-afternoon more people started coming in. By 5 PM - two hours before the event - the place was packed, with more people in the lower floors waiting for the chance to get in line for the signing. I only know a few Tina fans in real life, so to be surrounded by so many of them made me feel super giddy.
Grizz was there, too! He was kind enough to pose for pictures for a few people in the front row who were shameless enough to pester him (i.e., me and my mom).
A few minutes after Grizz arrived, Tina came out and the crowd went CRAZY. She posed for the paparazzi for about 20 seconds (as per Barnes & Noble's schedule) before sitting down for a Q & A with David Remnick from the New Yorker. (I uploaded the full interview here. A clearer version is also uploaded in 8 parts on YouTube. I took it myself so it's a little shaky, especially the parts where I'm clapping or laughing. There are also a few times when you don't see Tina's eyes anymore because my arm was getting tired.) Except for the adorable new tidbit about Alice near the end, there's not a lot of new stuff in there. But her stories always make me laugh, no matter how many times I've heard them. And of course it was extra special being there, hearing about it straight from her.
After that was the signing. The organizers kept reminding us that the whole affair would be kept at a reasonable pace so we should "keep [our] declarations of love brief." I'd tried to outline what I was going to say the night before but I still forgot to congratulate her and wish her luck on the baby. I almost didn't say anything but "Hi!" when we went up to her. Fortunately, my mom could still function like a normal person so she broke the ice. She told Tina we'd come all the way from the Philippines. Tina didn't quite hear her so I took that as my chance to talk and repeated what my mom said. Her face lit up and she went, "Oh, wow, really?" I tell you, it made the 7-hour wait worth it when she looked at me like that (I hear how creepy that sounds). Being nice when you are sick and 5 months pregnant (possibly also stressed) can't be easy, but there she was. And because I knew I'd hate myself if we did not have some sort of physical contact, I asked her if I could shake her hand. She very graciously said, "Sure!" and held out her hand. I GOT TO SHAKE TINA FEY'S HAND. It sounds silly, but please remember that I've only ever been able to admire her from afar, like from a thousand miles away. Meeting her had never been a real possibility until recently. But it happened. It actually happened.
Since we were supposed to keep our declarations of love brief, I was only able to choke out a "I'm such a huge fan" when what I really wanted to say was something along the lines of "Watching Mean Girls and following your career changed my life. You led me to SNL, which showed me that comedy and TV in general aren't just there for entertainment. Thank you for opening my eyes to the important things being said and great stories being told on TV. Thank you for introducing me to great television and showing me that I can pursue this as a career. Thank you for showing me that I can laugh at myself without selling myself short. Thank you for proving that hard work pays off (even though I have yet to apply that principle in my life). Thank you for teaching me tolerance. Thank you for never staying exactly the same. It's inspiring to watch your work as a writer and performer evolve, and to see you saying 'yes' to whatever new thing comes your way while keeping your feet on the ground. In short, thank you for doing the things you do and being the way you are. You're amazing. Oh, and congratulations on the baby!!!"
Kind of creepy but all true and well-meant.
I thought meeting her would be this God-you-can-take-me-now moment. But it wasn't. It only reaffirmed my desire to be in television, in whatever capacity. Meeting her made me feel like I could do that. She makes being brave and bossy and hardworking seem a little easier. When I think of all the awards and magazine covers, I sometimes forget that her normalcy was what drew me to her. Seeing her in the flesh reminded me of that. She is a real person who gets tired and sick and stressed out, but she pushes through that. There are times when she fails, and she pushes through that too. And if someone as normal as her can do that, then maybe so can I. The fact that she can make people feel like they can be great, too, just by being a good example - I mean, that is a real hero right there. It was an honor meeting you, TFey.