Premiere of Monuments Men

On 11 February 2014, I decided to go to Leicester Square to see the red carpet event for the premiere of the movie Monuments Men.

There were large crowds.

It is quite a glamorous affair with lights, billboards, big screens, cameras, etc.

I couldn't get very close to the Odean Theatre because there were barriers and just tons  of people.

So I stood along the side where the cars with the stars drive in. I watched as the cars drove by and even saw John Goodman in the passenger seat in the one car driving by.

George Clooney, one of the actors and the producer, arrived and he walked around signing autographs. He was about 2 metres away. It was dark and the one photo I took had someone blocking his face. It is amazing how people go crazy for celebrities.

I saw Matt Damon and Bill Murray from a distance.

Some people queue the whole day to see these celebrities. It seems London is a city of queuing. We've noticed a lot of queues - for hamburgers, clubs, sports games, etc.  There are many movie premieres in London, probably about two every second week. It was fun to go see what all the hype is about.

The unveiling of the Dennis Bergkamp statue at The Emirates Stadium

Yesterday, we attended the unveiling of the Dennis Bergkamp statue at The Emirates Stadium.

There was a big crowd present to see this legendary Arsenal player.

What an amazing atmosphere. The crowds chanted the song 'There's only one Dennis Bergkamp, walking along, singing a song, walking in a Bergkamp wonderland' and shouted 'sign him up, sign him up, sign him up'. Fans stood listening to the speeches and watching the unveiling of the statue. The statue is the iconic picture of Dennis Bergkamp kicking the ball while he is in the air.

Dennis went around doing interviews, taking pictures and signing autographs. He was about 2 metres away from us. So wonderful to see this great legend!

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/bergkamp-gallery

Chinese New Year - Year of the Horse - Celebrations in London

Apparently, the Chinese New Year celebrations in London is the biggest outside of China, so it was was nice to be in London for this. Today, Trafalgar Square was packed with people. 

At 12pm festivities began. There was a large stage. After some speeches, we watched the Flying Lion Dance. This was the first that I've seen - a lion dance jumping on stilts! Wow, amazing. 

 

Then there was a dragon dance, some Chinese dancers from the Beijing Performance Troupe and singing.