I don't think I've ever spoken about my mixed feelings for photographs, but I kind of hate the typical "omg I met a celebrity and he/she/alien let me pose with them" pictures. I mean, I totally have one with Neil Gaiman, so it's not like I can judge. But there's something really icky about the moment it's taken to me. It's one human being smiling vaculously out of a photo, their arms around someone they don't know, don't care about, and is easily replaced. It's another human being smiling with awe, their arms around someone they don't know at all, but care way too much about; they'll probably never lose the picture. It feels like everything's that wrong with celebrity culture to me. It's caring about someone- and believing you have a right to them- even though you've never met them. And it sort of reinforces the idea that celebrities are better than everyone else and it creates this weird moment where one person must be made less so that another person can be more.
And this is all on top of the weird feelings I have for photographs of myself. Part of me craves them on Facebook, for example, because it means other people care about me enough to want to commemorate a moment with me, especially considering I don't have any pictures of myself before the age of 18 that weren't taken by myself or the rare and occasional friend. Part of me thinks it's creepy that someone I met once in an English class can now see and download hundreds of pictures of myself. Part of me still thinks my mother is right about photographs stealing small slivers of your soul.
Does that make any sense? No. Well fuck it, I'm continuing on anyway (I should reinforce here that I have no right to judge anyone, my opinion doesn't matter, and I am a pretty fucked up person anyway). Also, whenever I travel alone, I do end up getting pictures of myself at certain places. I can't help it. But having said that, I try to keep that number low. Again, the moment of the picture creeps me out. I prefer to take pictures with Bilbo. Clearly, I have problems.
Anyway the point is, when I went to Cardiff to see Laurence Made Me Cry perform, and then they got burgled and the gig was cancelled, I was let with a dilema: Stephen Moffat, Mark Gatiss, & Benedict Cumberbatch were at a movie theatre 5 minutes away, premiering "The Hound of the Baskervilles" for Bafta Cardiff. Do I wander over? My friends were too busy figuring out what got stolen, but encouraged me to go. I felt more than a little creeped out by the idea of going (let alone by myself!), but I didn't want to kick myself later; especially since I had been joking about getting a picture of Bilbo with "Smaug" since I realized I'd be going to the uk that month. I never actually thought for a second I'd actually see Benedict Cumberbatch anywhere, but now he was 5 minutes away from me. Plus I assumed there'd be a huge crowd waiting for them, and I could just blend in and watch from afar, keeping my dignity safely intact.
Instead I got there and a creepy, creepy (but clearly super intelligent) little girl came over to ask me if I was there for them too, and then debated which train they'd be getting on, and whether her parents would let her follow. Then Mark Gatiss stepped out of an elevator. I mean, there was like no one around. There was me, the creepy little girl, and 3 Russian chicks who I assumed were waiting out the rain. Little Creeper McSuperGenius was't event interested in him. So I went over and politely asked him for a picture with Bilbo and he did it!!! YAY!
~Maybe I'm more into celebrity culture than I realized. *sigh* Oh well.
Then, while the Russian women were posing with Mark Gatiss, Benedict Cumberbatch came out. He very sweetly hugged the little girl and took a couple pictures with her. I asked them if he'd take a picture with Bilbo too and he said no, and I was puzzled, so I reflexively asked why not- he was, after all, in The Hobbit movie. He said no, and then- then!- said what sounded like, "It would be a crime against the country of New Zealand to do it" in a really snotty voice.
LOLOLOLOLOOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL What the hell does that mean??
So then I just got fed up and left. Lame, I know. I sort of assumed he must just be a dick in real life, but having heard from people who actually managed to get tickets to the premiere, he was super nice to everyone else. Proving once again, that I don't understand human beings, and must have just super weirded him out.
Oh well. Super surreal experience, but at least Bilbo got to meet the British Government. Am I right? Anyway, hanging out with my "moms" tomorrow, so that should be fun!
Night Night Cardiff!
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