Friday, June 13, 2008

PE Milwaukee Day 3 -How's my hair?

This is going to be a long blog guys....but a fun read!

WHAT A NIGHT! First it started off with tornado warnings, floods, and a very crazy ride to Milwaukee! It was raining so hard on the way down, I almost thought about turning around....but of course I didn't. The lightning was constant, and the thunder was deafning....but I carried on. Once I got down there, I was happy to see that filming was underway, and not cancelled. Once I found a place to park, I headed down to the film site. The rain was just pouring down, and there were just a few people huddled together across the street from the penthouse apartment on Prospect. The rain quickly died down, and it became very humid outside. I was searching for anyone I knew, and this guy walks up to me...."I know you!" I said. It was the same guy I had met the night before. His name is Zack, and he's such a nice guy! Just a few minutes later I saw Betty(Shakenbis) walking up to us, and was happy that she made it down safely! Rumor had it that tonight's scenes involved a love scene between Dillinger and Bille, but no luck spotting Marion at all.

We stood outside waiting to see signs that Johnny would be arriving, but we had already missed him. He was upstairs filming already, and Jerry was walking around the outside of the apartment. Michael Mann made a brief appearance, before going in to the building. A few minutes later, Tiffany came wlaking over to us, and we watched as the crew brought things in and out, and covered equipment with tarps. We stood and waited with Zack, and his friend Jenny, until about 1:30am. Some of the crew came out to warn us about an approaching storm, and told us to seek shelter! Well, we are in the middle of an open area at 1:30am in downtown Milwaukee...where are we gonna go? Zack had a great idea....let's go to the bar! So off we went. We walked a few blocks down to a small Irish Pub (I forget the name), and had an Irish Coffee (instead of beer). I was pretty cold, even though I had dressed much better for the evening as opposed to last night. Betty also had herself an Irish Coffee of some sort, and let me tell you ..... there was NO coffee in the thing! Pure alcohol, good...but man....was it strong. This pub had Cheese and Onion crisps (potato chips for you americans LOL) Man did it feel good to have a taste of home!! We waited out the storm until the bartender said we had to leave. I picked up my umbrella, and POP! It opened......gave me the scare of my life. I thought "OH NO! That's bad luck!"...so i raced to close it up. Bad news for me....it was broken. Now I had to face the rain with 3/4 of an umbrella! Zack, Jenny, Betty, Tiffany, and I headed back to the filming site. The rain had died down, but there was still a bit of lightning going on.

We were the first to return to the site, and found a long line of water where we had just been standing 1/2 an hour ago. There was mud everywhere....but that's not gonna stop us! People started filtering in a few minutes later, and so did the rain! It did not stop raining until 6am!!! We rode out the rain, as it pounded us left and right! Zack was wearing this GORTEX (thats right you Seinfeld fans.....Gortex!) jacket, and I just could not stop thinking about George Castanza from Seinfeld. We had a good laugh about that one. We kept trading off Umbrellas, and shaking off the rain (since it was leaking on our heads!) Poor Zack left the vent pockets open in his jacket, and his shirt was all wet. (Sorry Zack) The crew remained under the protection of the apartment complex awning, while we waited for signs that filming was finished. We were told, after all, on Tuesday that JD would come out for a meet and greet this night. We waited, and waited some more....then at 5am JD appeared and shook hands with some of the crew, then dissapeared into a trailer. A few mintues later, Jerry came out to inspect the barracades, so we knew we were close to a meeting with JD! jerry said "Don't put your Brollies away...he's not coming out just yet!" (A brolly is an umbrella LOL)

Finally, at 6am we saw JD. He came strolling out onto the street, and waved to everyone. Almost as suddenly as he came out.....the rain stopped! I couldn't believe it! JD motioned to everyone "brrr it's chilly out here!" Before starting at the other end of the line. He signed autographs, gave hugs and handshakes, and spoke with people as he moved down the line. Betty had her machette cover out for JD to sign, and when JD got to her.....Jerry knew who she was! "I've seen that before!" he laughed. "I remember saying no to that last time" betty was smiling from ear to ear as Jerry spoke to her, and JD signed her machette cover. Tiffany handed Jerry and JD a magnet from the Make a wish foundation. It was a great magnet with a very heartfelt message on it! She got an autograph (on one of my Columbus pics) for a young boy named Felix....it was VERY sweet! Johnny and Jerry even said "That's a very nice picture!", and of course I said "I took it!" LOL (I'm a dork), then Jerry saw the picture I had brought for JD to sign, and said "Oh...sign that one!" It was a pic of JD shooting his gun, with all the "sparks" flying out of the gun barrel. JD took it from me, asked me my name, and then said "Oh, this is a great picture....look at the flame coming out of that!" He looked at the picture for a bit, then smiled, and signed it "Vicky - thank you so much- Johnny Depp"

I didn't go all numb this time. I kept focused, and thanked JD for coming out to meet his fans, and how nice he was, etc....then of course I went into stupid mode, and said "I hope you like the picture I sent you last night of my dog" ( I had made a card with my pirate doggy picture....just to put a smile on his face. Peg handed it to Jerry on the 2nd day of filming for me) Well JD seemed a little caught off gaurd, and said" Well i haven't seen it yet, but I'll proboaly get it tomorrow." I was smacking myself in the head for even mentioning it. (again...I'm a dork) Next up was Zack, and Jenny. I have never seen so many smiles from so many people. Zack looked as chuffed as could be that he finally met JD after 2 days of waiting, and t-storms! Then JD got in his car, and drove back to base camp.

A little side note: JD was not the only person we were hunting for tonight/this am.....I think Jerry was on our radar alot since Betty was around. LOL! Sorry Rachel.....it all happened so fast. I tried to pass on your message, but he didn't hear me. I did however talk to Corey who smiled and said "oh yes!" at the G-bonz! LOL

THE TOP TEN DUMBEST/FUNNIEST THINGS YOU HEAR WHILE WAITING IN LINE TO SEE A MOVIE STAR!

10.) How's my hair? ( I must have asked that about 10 times tonight)

9.) My mole "source" : "Channing Tatum is in this movie. He plays 'so and so' " Stargazer(not paying attention to the conversation) replies: "Channing Tatum..... he is in this movie" (You had to be there...was pretty funny....will NEVER let you live it down!)

8.) I pay my taxes, and I can stand wherever I want

7.) A good smell blew past me (courtesy of Betty)

6.) Can you tell me the name of Johnny's sister? (Again...stargazer...thanks!)

5.) It's not rain.....it's tree water (my stupid moment)

4.) Son of a Nutcracker! (Again....me after being sprayed with water from a passing car)

3.) I'll pop them with my umbrella, you say "have you been hiding under a rock?", and Betty will pee her pants! (Our response for the next person who drives by and asks.."what's going on here?")

2.) I've bought some booze, and I'm selling it if anyone wants to buy it (OMG)

1.) They wouldn't hang wires over the side of the building if they didn't want you to climb it!

I just want add this - Johnny.....your fans appreciate everything that you do! I am sure it is not easy to film for 12 hours, then come out at 6am (2 days in a row) and say hello to us. Thank you so much for being such a kind hearted person! You've made my day, along with all the other people who's lives you've touched so deeply! THANKS!




Here are some pics from Day 3!



Lightning on the drive down



The rain soaked entrance to the Penthouse on Proscpect



This group posed for me after arriving on Prospect






Zack (left), and his friend


Zack and Jenny





Waiting out in the rain is no fun, but we did our best!







And if all else fails.....bring your patio umbrella!





Our "mad dash" for shelter...the nearest bar! From left to right: Zack, Jenny, me, Tiffany, and Betty





Wardrobe heads out about 5:30am (sorry it's blurry)





Security gets tighter as the sun comes up





Michael Mann (with no bandage on his arm) laughs with producers and crew in the AM





Johnny comes out to the crowd around 6am (still in a bit of makeup)




Betty gets her machette cover signed...as Jerry smiles on


Tiffany gets a hug from Johnny...notice who's still smiling at Betty



Johnny greets fans....polite and wonderful...as always!


Thank you to Tiffany, and Betty for helping me clean up the park! There was trash EVERYWHERE!


38 comments:

~Minxie~ said...

Vicky!!!! OK WOW!!!!! You got some GREAT pics!!!! And I love the way you told the story!!!!

That pic of Jerry smiling at Shakes is perfect!!!!

Glad you made it home safe and sound.... and that the rain went away when JD came out... told you that it wouldnt dare rain on the JD Parade!!!!!

Get some rest.....and the sweetest of dreams!!!!!! Hugs!!!
PS~ I pirated! ;)

Blaznfire911 said...

LOl Minx...go ahead and pirate! I have TONS TONS TONS more pics, but I didn't want to stick them all on the net. I can email them to you if you want, or mail them on a cd or something. They are just JD over and over again, but who doesn't want more pics of JD?

vicky

Working Slob said...

Vicky,

I am so glad you are ok!!! That was the man thing I was worried about. The roads are kind of washing out up here and around the area so I was afraid I would never get back. :) I'm also glad that Betty did get too much face time with my man... lol.
If it wouldn't be too much to ask, I would love a photo disc myself. I can never get too much JD or JerBear! Now, I must go find Betty and not only wish her a Happy Early Birthday but set up a meeting with her and her machette to duel out over Jerry :)

Glad G-Bonz remembered his "special name". I kind of figured he would remember that dorky moment.

Thanks for the report and glad to hear you are all doing well. I'm going to go out and see if the tornado that was a quarter mile behind my apartment last night actually did any damage of not. Stay safe and stay in touch..

Hugs,

Rachel (aka.. Jerry's girl, Betty, that's right Jerry's girl) HAHAHAHAHA

Deb said...

*Love* that pic of Johnny walking on the street!!

Good job!

Cybermom said...

Hey Vicky!
So glad to hear you had such a great time. I woke up at 6 this a.m. and thought about calling you....should have, but I wouldn't have made it down there in time!!!
I'm glad Zach came back! He was so hilarious and fun. Looks like you had a great time minus the rain and mud!

Call me when you get some rest!

Peg

Suz said...

SWEEEEET! That is sooo cool! I'm glad Johnny made it worth the weathering. He's so amazing...

I cannot tell you how happy I am that Betty finally got her autograph. And that Jerry remembers her.

[betty swoons and dreams happy dreams]

I thought about making the trek, but the roads from here to there are pretty washed out at this point. [sad]

I'm glad you all had the opportunity! YAY!!

Osh said...

*jaw drops*

~Minxie~ said...

Of course I would love to have the pics... you can email or snail mail.... which ever is easiest for you.... just let me know...

Youve got mail!!!

Mrs. A. said...

I was there, Vicky -- my friend Susan and I -- what a great blog entry. . .and the pics are super -- but look who the subject is! The rain stopped at 6, right before Johnny came out. . .a coincidence? I think not. . .

Congrats to all of us for surviving the night and seeing the wonderful Johnny. . .your last paragraph says it all. . .

Therese

Vickie said...

*iz jellus*

I was going to come down with Rachel, but with the monsoon that hit Oshkosh last night, there was no way.

I'm glad you were able to get your moment and I can't wait to see the rest of your pictures. I love me some pics of JD (and Jerry too, although not as much as Rachel does!)

And more than anything, I'm glad you are all safe!

G-BONZ!

Working Slob said...

I'm going to go out on a limb and safely say that no one loves Jerry more than me. :)

Anonymous said...

Hey Vicky-it's Stargazer (Sue).
Did you know that Channing Tatum is in the movie? .....

Sounded like you had an great experience meeting Johnny this morning. I was thinking about you all when I awoke. You guys really went through alot to see him tho.
Peg and I are glad that we were able to meet him yesterday, because I didn't think I would have been able to see him today.

Zach and Jenny, you were standing behind me Tuesday night. I was the tall gal next to Vicki on her Lt. Zach, you wanted to learn something in French to speak /to Marion. I recognized your pics from today.

Through this experience, I have truly met some very nice people. Just learning to do this blog thing, and have enjoyed reading all the great comments.

Vicky, I hope to see you again some time. If not I may respond now and again on your site.

JD fan forever,

Stargazer

shakenbsis said...

Vicky! Tiffany! THANK YOU!!! Pics on their way shortly...

Almost went to sleep on the way home, finally pulled over to nap a moment and the semi's were shaking the car so hard as they passed I couldn't sleep! (apparently it was only possible to sleep while DRIVING!)

Rachel! - You're on, chica!!! "That pic of Jerry smiling at Shakes is perfect!!!!"
Take that! compliments of Minxie ;)
Later I'll give the blow by blow from my perspective over on my blog...

Sorry Suz, Rachel, Cranky - I heard about the roads up your way on my way home this am... ;(

Cranky!!! I've missed you ;)

Great blog Vicky!

Working Slob said...

Ok, so Shakes, here is how it is going to roll. You and your machette are going to take on me and my pirate sword that I got from some cocktail drink a long time ago at the Kurth. :) We shall duke it out for the love of the fair Jerry.

Oh goodness... if only Jerry knew :)

I can't wait to read your account and in all seriousness am glad you are all safe.

Hugs,

Rachel Judge (HAHAHA)

Zak Kasza said...

Hey Guys its Zack!!

I had so much fun meeting all of you it truly was a great experience all around. Ill upload the video i have of Johnny signing and hugging with Tiffany, Vicky, and Jenny in a few hours. Meeting Johnny and shaking his hand was worth waiting days for. I'd do it all over again especially with wonderful people like you to kill the time with!

ms_wonderland said...

You people are so awesome going through all that for Johnny. I'm so glad you got your reward.

As for Jerry! Well, I've been watching that silver fox for a looooong time, and he's never been as smiley as he has in Wisconsin. All you nice people have softened him up.

Vicky, you said you came from Wombourne near Wolves? I worked for a branch of Midshires for 20 odd years. Small world innit?

shakenbsis said...

Hi Zak! ;)

Vickie said...

Awww, thanks Shakes!

Glad you got your machete case signed. I remember your exchange with Jerry in C-bus about that...

Lawgirl said...

Hi guys. Thanks for the wonderful night(and morning)!! It was great meeting you all. I will never forget the laughs we had. I am still floating on a JD cloud. What an amazing man. And Shakes, Jerry remembers you! He was great this morning, too. I thin they like us Wisconsinites. Maybe they will decide to move here!

Did you notice our IMDB friend made a comment about us waiting in the rain?

Tiffany

Tiffany

Lawgirl said...

Oops! I meant to say I think they like us Wisconsinites. And I meant to post my name only once!

shakenbsis said...

Tiffany!! You crack me up! ;)
It was such an awesome experience, more so for getting to know you. Hope you have a blast in Vegas...

Hey I didn't see the IMDb thing, which thread is it in? he he..

Lawgirl said...

The thread is herenothere's update. Just a comment about why people would wait all night in the rain to catch a glimpse of Johnny.

I can tell you, it was well worth it!!

Cybermom said...

Any clue as to who HNT is? I wonder if we talked to him on Wed night??? Vicky, what do you think? (Ok, so I'm sure you are sleeping right now, but just thought I'd throw it out there!)

shakenbsis said...

Tiffany - THAT is for sure!!!!

Just got my blog updated finally Vicky, I also pirated! ;)

Working Slob said...

HNT's is in his 30's from the clues we have gathered. One of the great mysteries of the movie.....

Lawgirl said...

Peg we did not figure out who HNT was, but we had a lot of fun speculating. There was one guy we thought seemed the type. Also, I asked some guys if they were him, and two were like "what?" and the other guy said no. So the other guy knew who we were referring to.

Blaznfire911 said...

Ugh just woke up (and could use some more sleep!)

Shakes - you go ahead and pirate away love. You deserve it!

ZACK!!! Hello love! Nice to see you on here! Was great to meet you, and hang out in the bar!!! You're famous now!

Ms W- It is a small world. My mom used to go in there all the time!! I miss England so much, but the people in WI are great!!

Tiffany - You crack me up! I'm so glad we got to meet you last night, and you got to hug JD!!

Mrs A - Awww I wish I would have known you were there. Would have come over to say hi in the rain LOL

Crankyanon - It was a crazy drive in the rain, but would not have missed it for anything!!

Stargazer sue- Actaully yes....I did know Channing Tatum is in the movie LMAO LMAO LMAO!!!! Glad you made it over to the blog!! You are too funny!!!

Suz - betty was pretty pleased about her machete ( I must have spelled the wrong 100 times today LOL), and I was happy that she got her moment!! Sorry you couldn't make it down.

Ok, I have to actually go and do some stuff now (non internet related LOL) So I'll be back in a bit!

vicky

Blaznfire911 said...

HNT Oh yes...LOTS of speculation LOL

We had fun talking about him last night! Tiffany...that was pretty funny when we asekd them "are you HNT?" They knew EXACTLY who we were talking about! LOL

vicky

shakenbsis said...

Heeeee!!!

Cybermom said...

Did we talk to him or see him on Wed?

Blaznfire911 said...

I don't know, but I truly think he must have been there, or he would not have known what was going on. Just wish he would tell the "real" story!

All the fans were very corteous to Jd, and even more so waiting in the rain to meet him. I would have loved to have met some of the other actors as well. Maybe next time.

vicky

Working Slob said...

Hey Vicky,

We were thinking it was G-bonz for awhile but then after we talked to him we realized that would never be possible... far too sweet. :)

Vickie said...

And far too young. :)

HNT has been in the business for 17 years, so at minimum, he's 35. I'm sure we've all seen him at one point, we just didn't know it. :)

Blaznfire911 said...

Yeah Gbonz is way to nice to be HNT!

He was very sweet to us, and when I asked if I could take a pic with him he said, "well it would be a waste of your film." AWWWW...I said "no way!!"

He was very nice

vicky

Anonymous said...

"Support Southern Rock" Nice Tshirt! I own the same :)

Blaznfire911 said...

LOL AMber! Nice to see you!!!

Come back soon! I am going to put up more Johnny pics tomorrow....i hope anyway!

vicky

Osh said...

ok, Zack is a hottie, he will be coming with us to Chicago, yes?

Blaznfire911 said...

LOL Osh!

I can't get a hold of him. He was supposed to send me a video of JD signing my picture, but I can't find him anywhere.

Hopefully he will get back to us soon. I was hoping he would come with us to Chicago.

vicky