After an un-amusing failed attempt at the 2008 MTV Awards, we figured it might be best to not prematurely get our viewers’ hopes up. Thanks to seatfiller.com we saw this today:
(Zac Efron and David Beckham aka: HOTNESS SQUARED)
To read more about Ayen, DEE, Ellie, and my experience and for more exclusive photos (and videos!), click the ‘read more’ tab and brace yourselves!
*Update: All photos can now be found HERE and HERE….Enjoy!
Morning:
DEE came and picked the three of us up from Audrey’s place. We arrive at the Nokia theater around 11:30 (ish). Note to readers: we weren’t allowed to wear flip flops so each of us is teetering around in heels all day. We walk around the theater and go through hoops of fire being told to “go right” “then left” “then right around the corner”… to where we actually started. After finding a sign that plainly states “Seat -Filler Sign-In” we claim our spots- nicely positioned front and center.
Afternoon:
As one of the announcers put it- the weather was about 103 degrees with no wind blowing from the North-East. Bye-bye cute hair and make-up. What followed was a good 2 and a half- 3 hour wait with all the other seat fillers (a couple hundred both for red carpet arrivals and patrons filling in seats inside the theater during the actual show). Finally, around 3pm (no longer having strength to properly stand given how sore our feet were) the event organizers lead us to the Promise Land.
Due to our diligent waiting, we were seated right in front of all the major media outlets (ET, Extra, Access Hollywood- look for us on Access Hollywood when Shaun Robinson, an honorary ZA for life whom DEE thanked after the arrivals, has Zac turn around and wave to the fans. We may just have our 15 seconds of fame.)
Showtime:
After a string of athletes such as Warren Moon, Jerry Rice, Brett Favre, and Eli Manning, it’s ironic that Kendra from E!’s “The Girls Next Door” garnered the most applause from the bleacher audience. Go figure.
5:40pm:
DEE and I have been in this exact situation: Sore feet, extreme weather conditions, and literally minutes left to spare before the show starts and no sign of Efron. So we weren’t surprised when we heard a scream come from the audience and the announcers say something along the lines of ‘From the screams of the crowd, this actor doesn’t need an introduction. Ladies and gentlemen, Zac Efron!”
JACKPOT.
He comes out waving but is quickly whisked away to conduct interviews for ESPN channel. Given the crowded red carpet traffic we couldn’t gauge who he had arrived with (if anyone). After hours of waiting (okay, it was only about five minutes but it felt like hours) Zac reappears with as you have seen by now, his younger brother Dylan. Awwwww.
After taking the necessary photos with the press, Zac turns left and begins to make his way toward the entertainment channels- but not before stopping to get on one knee and take some photos with a disabled athlete in a wheelchair.
Words escape us, so we’ll just let this these photos show you what happened next:
The waiting, the heat, and all the back and forth circus hoopla was well worth it- especially for Ellie and Ayen who travelled internationally to visit DEE and I in Los Angeles. Spotting Zac and Vanessa wasn’t a priority, but it was a once in a lifetime chance for the two to see some of their favorite stars (Jet-Li, David and Victoria Beckham, Brendan Fraser, and Samuel L.Jackson) up close and personal.
Video taken by DEE of Zac on the red carpet: