My experience meeting Shailene Woodley

Wednesday, October 15, I check my email mid-morning to find a e-mail from AOL (a company in NYC) that said I was welcome to come to New York and watch Shailene and director of her new movie White Bird in a Blizzard Gregg Araki be interviewed. Before I get into the story I want everyone to realize I live in Michigan which is 12 hours away, driving distance. Anyways, of course tears streaming down my face, I thought to myself, I HAVE to go. But the interview was the next day at 4:00 PM. By the time I decided I was for sure going that Thursday afternoon, it was 4:oo PM. Realizing I had 24 hours to drive there (including spending the night at a hotel), my mother, sister, and I left that night by 7:00 PM and drove until we were dead tired.

We finally made it to the city at 3:00 PM, so we quickly grabbed some Starbucks dinner and went to the AOL building on Broadway street. Nervously, I sat in the waiting room being impatient and eager to see Shailene. The woman who I conversed with over e-mail the morning before, came over and brought us to an area filled with chairs and a mini stage where the interviewer, Shailene, and Gregg would be sitting. They said to sit wherever we’d like, so of course we sat in the front row just a few feet from the stage, then told us she was so happy we came from Michigan and said she promises she let us get a picture and say hi. We waited for a few minutes and they came out, I was bursting with excitement. Gregg even joked that we came all the way from Michigan to see him! (We came to see Shai, Gregg was a bonus though!) After a little while they opened the interview up to the crowd and a few people asked Shailene and Gregg questions, including me. You can see the interview through AOL here: http://on.aol.com/video/uncovering-white-bird-in-a-blizzard-518467890
After the interview ended we walked over to Shailene and she said hello and I could tell she was in a hurry so I asked for a quick picture and she of course said yes! I then asked for a hug, and received one, and she walked away. It was amazing!

Some of my friends on Twitter did think it was abrupt for her to leave without having a conversation and here is my personal thoughts on it – I think Shailene is a very down to earth actress who does not like to be known as a celebrity. I think it almost makes her uncomfortable that she has people that love her so much they would drive 12 hours to see her. I am not at all offended by it and I know she loves everyone that loves her movies and her as an actress. But I just think it’s still unusual to her to have such a big so called ‘fan-base’, and she had another interview to get to, AND I reallized later on almost everyone in the crowd was on a laptop typing away (I am not sure why..) which she mentioned during the interview. And I know her thoughts on social media/technology is not super positive. Which I also respect. So I think the whole setting was not her thing and she probably would rather be somewhere else. Which I can’t blame her for. But again this is just my thoughts and I don’t want any controversy going on.

So over-all it was an amazing 48 hour trip and I am beyond grateful. I will always have a special place in my heart for this nature-loving, down to earth girl! Thank you everyone for reading this!

Please do not take the picture below without asking.

 Also, checkout the website shai-woodley.com for updates and news about Shailene Woodley! (I am a co-writer)

Lana Del Rey Concert

First adventure of my wonderful (almost) summer! This would be the Lana Del Rey concert in Detroit, MI! I went with my mother and sister. To start off we go to the hotel in Detroit around 3PM and were devastated to hear that people have been lined up around the Masonic temple (venue where the concert was) all day. It was a general admission concert so the sooner you get there the closer to the stage you will be. Anyways, we had dinner at the hotel we were staying at. (Atheneum Hotel) The room we stayed in was very large and fancy! Everything was clean and was one of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed in. At 5:30 had the hotels shuttle bring us to the venue and wow was the line long! We waited for 2 hours until we got in the venue. We got the third row of the balcony which I was quite happy with. We got up and went to the merchandise table and got some posters and came back and patiently waited. The opening act started at 8:40 PM, he was VERY talented and could sing, play his guitar, and write beautifully. Gave me chills! The saddest part is, I don't know who he is. And neither did anyone around me, when the announcer said his name it fuzzed out and no one heard. Well moving on... It is now 9:40 and finally the lights dramatically go out and the guitarist strums his electric guitar slowly and I hear a beautiful high-pitch hum from backstage. This goes on for a little while, then I see Lana step on stage with her long brown curled hair, a short long-sleeved white dress with lace sleeves as she starts to sing "Cola" off of her latest album "Paradise". I honestly started to shake I was so excited! Have you ever had the tingly feeling where you've just been waiting for something and its finally here and it feels almost not even real that your there in this moment and you just want to say "is this even real?" well that's what it was like for me. She went along to sing all of her songs and each one I swayed and sang along to. In between almost every song she would go down to the barricades in the front row if the floor to sign things and take pictures with people. She is always so sweet to her fans. The songs that touched me most was "Body electric" from the album "Paradise". And "Million Dollar Man" from her third finished album "Born to Die" The notes make me shiver and I just fall in love with her more and more every time she sings a lyric, truly exhilarating. By the end of the concert I was tired and ready for bed by 11:30 but I did not ever want to leave. Right before the last song "National Anthem" in her words "The turn out was way bigger then we thought. I will never forget this night and the spirits we shared. It was a f***ing enjoyment." And I could not agree more.



After taking the shuttle back that night and getting a half nights rest of sleep (took awhile uploading videos and didn't getting to bed until 1:30 AM) I woke up to the news that Lana finally came out at 1 AM to meet the fans standing outside I was devastated she ended up coming out to meet fans after the show and not before when we were all waiting in line. But I had to remind myself I am very fortunate to be going to my favorite artists concert in the first place. After being to lazy to get up that we missed the hotels breakfast so we got room service fruit and watched a movie in bed until 1 o'clock check out. It was then time to head home and be thankful for all we got to do that 24 hours. So happy I went and cannot wait to go again next year when her album "Ultraviolance" (released June 17, 2014) is touring. Love to all! Xx Me, Anna Marie.

(Excuse our looks, waiting two hours in the cold is tiring)

(Drawing someone in the row in front of us gave me)

(Lana being talented as ever..)