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Cuarón: ?¡¡[John Williams es] A TODA MADRE!!?


Lord Gibson

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On the eve of the release of HP:PoA in theaters, I wanted to share my brush recently with the Harry Potter World. As you know this past month, in New York City, was the world premier of PoA. It so happens I was in the city that day, and knew about the big brouhaha that was going to take place at Radio City Music Hall in beautiful Rockefeller Center (my favorite place in all NYC). But since I was not there alone (I was there with my boss on business) we went Sunday site seeing, in particular, the top of the Empire State Building. 3pm came and gone, and before I knew it, it was nightfall. I convinced my boss to walk back to RCMH to see if anything was left of the grand event. Sadly all that remained was the guardrails set up to separate the public from where the red carpet had been.

With no place in particular to go I suggested that we stroll towards the Queensboro Bridge (the one that Spiderman has the final confrontation with the Green Goblin in the movie) and take some night pictures of the bridge. As we walked east on 59th St. we past Guastavino's, a real nice restaurant located underneath the bridge, we came upon a very small crowd outside the entrance; and a bunch of limousines and Lincoln Navigators parked in the street. Turns out that the cast and crew were having a quiet after premier dinner/gathering. And we had stumbled on to the event. About 15 people (most of whom were my least favorite human beings: autograph hounds, but I?ll get in to that in a different thread) were awaiting the exit of the stars, so I joined in. Within 5 minutes out came Alfonzo Cuaron (Director). As he made the rounds giving his autograph I decided to make my move; I signaled my boss to take pictures (for proof) and proceeded to exclaim ?Mexican national pride? comments in Spanish, hoping to catch Mr. Cuaron?s attention (a fellow Mexican national). And thankfully he responded enthusiastically. Dressed in a black tuxedo, an unbuttoned white shirt and a pair of black Puma tennis shoes (my mom would call his look an ?Unmade bed?) he came closer and shook my hand. The only thing I could think of to ask was:

??¿y qué tal trabajar con el Maestro John Williams?? (How was it to work with Master JW?)

To which he responded with a ?thumbs up?: ?¡A TODA MADRE!? (it?s hard to translate to an exact phrase, but roughly means: ?It was awesome?)

As he walked away, I shouted ? ¿Y por qué no trabajó con Patric Doyle?? (And why didn?t you work with PD?) A dumb question, I know, but hey, I wasn?t prepared to interview the guy.

He obviously was impressed with a different line of questions from a fan, turned around and answered: ?Pues lo que pasa es que JW era parte del paquete de lo que es el mundo previamente establecido de Harry Potter. Pero fue una experiencia a toda madre?

(Well, the thing is that JW is part of the full, previously packaged, world of HP. But it was an awesome experience [to work with him].)

After that he turned to the crowd and said that he had to go home early because his baby daughter was tired and had to go to bed. And so he left in his limo.

About 15 minutes later one by one the cast began to leave, and drop by to autograph the memorabilia that would soon find its way to E-Bay. The list included Daniel Radcliffe (very friendly), Emma Watson (the only one who didn?t stop to autograph), Robbie Coltrane (limping, and walking on a cane), Alan Rickman (very funny and a good sport), Bonnie Wright (a little tired), and Rupert Grint (nice enough to pose for pictures with the ?fans? [i got one with him!])

I haven?t had time to process the photos, but I hope to have at least on up by next week.

I just wanted to share the comment by Cuaron.

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Awesome experience, you're very fortunate! Good thinking to ask about Williams and Doyle, it pretty much confirms what we'd read.

Ray Barnsbury

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Wow, thanx a lot! I was looking for more stuff of him talking about JW. He really seems like one of the nicest guys you could meet.

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He really seems like one of the nicest guys you could meet.

Yes, he is, and you can tell that he is enjoying every moment of his new found international notoriety .

This in not an actual photo of the event, but it will have to do, until I get the real ones?.

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LG: You know that posting this only makes people hate you. :mrgreen:

-Diskobolus, wishing there was an emoticon that might have come from The Shining

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Hey, it could have been worst: I could have also gone to Boston and met John Williams; I mean it's wasn?t that far. :mrgreen:

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Here in Spain we say "!De puta madre!", meaning that something is really cool, awesome. I should have known that you have a similar expression in Mexico, Lord Gibson. I go to Mexico, now I know what to say .... ¡¡¡¡A TODA MADREEEEEEE!!!

BTW, "De puta madre" means "Fancy my mother being a whore".

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most of whom were my least favorite human beings: autograph hounds

I'm not sure, but I think I've just been insulted.

Neil

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No, Neil is saying he's a hound. But then again it just confims what everyone was suspecting. :)

Justin

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When I saw the thread title, I imagined Cuaron saying something bad, that JW was a "motherf----r." Yikes. I'm glad he didn't say that.

I'm sure Cuaron didn't know what kind of experience to expect from the master. If I were Cuaron, I would have sat back in total awe -- and then asked for his autograph.

Jeff -- autograph hound

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Well in Boston we waited inside and outside for Williams' autograph.

Neil

Autograph hounds are people who seek autographs by every and any celebrity they can seek out. Getting one autograph of someone you truly admire, is not the same as autograph hounding. At least, in my opinion. I can count on one hand the number of people alive today whose autograph I would actually want.

Jeff - who is going to try to get Ho-Sho's signature next month at the LOTR concert

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I agree with Maestro JW. I wouldn't really care for a Tom Cruise or Britney Spears Autograph. Now a JW or a Spielberg autograph, that's something to be proudly displayed and revered.

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I agree with Maestro JW. I wouldn't really care for a Tom Cruise or Britney Spears Autograph.

Me either, except maybe to sell them.

Jeff

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most of whom were my least favorite human beings: autograph hounds

I'm not sure, but I think I've just been insulted.

Neil

Well these ?autograph hounds? were professionals, as my bas told me afterwards, this is there job, to go around to premiers and social events where celebrities gather and go after as many signatures possible. I mean these guys were organized!! They worked in 3?s: one was a ?Look out? who watched the door for anyone to emerge, as soon as someone did, he shouted out a name and number to a second person who had a ?file cabinet like? brief case full of a pictures, this person would pull out a picture and hand it to the third person: the one who was at the front of the crowed with the best chance to get the first autograph, pen in hand.

On this occasion when we firs stumbled on to the crowed, I politely went up to them and ask ?what was going on??. And a total of 6 of them totally ignored me. The seventh person said simply as he organizes his portfolio ?Some people are having dinner?.

I had to figure out who was there by observing the posters & photos in their hand and by the fact that earlier that day was the movie premier. I added 2 and 2 together, and figured it out on my own. And I could spot the real fans that were there (of the 15 or 20 of us there I?d say about 4 were real fans) by their enthusiasm and by their pure enjoyment of the event.

To illustrate how organized these guys are, Steven Van Zandt from Springsteen's E Street Band was also at the premier of PoA, and was invited to the after party, they had a plastic face from an electric guitar for him to sign. And after they got the signature they were salivating about how much they were going to get on E-Bay.

Of course if I would have had a poster of PoA and a pen I would of asked for an autograph from the cast (and boy did I have a chance :cry: ) but I would have cherished it, and it would hang on the wall above my bed till the end of my days.

As I mentioned in the first post, Alan Rickman was very funny and a good sport, because as he made his rounds through the ?hounds? he exclaimed in his calm and perfect British accent: ?Oh, let?s see, this one [his autograph] is dedicated to E-Bay? and this one is for Yahoo, ? who is this one for?? Ah yes, Google?? Of course everyone laughed because they knew it was true.

So if you collect autographs just for your own collection and to show off to your friends don?t take my ?least favorite human beings? to heart, but if your like the guys I just described?. Well it?s your job, and you are ONE of my least favorite human beings. :mrgreen:

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I suddenly remember this odd event, when we were in Portugal one summer several years ago, and in some city near us there happened to be the finish of a bicycle race, so we went and watched. Then as the bikers stopped and gathered to get some water, my father pointed to one of them and said "Hey, I think he is xxx, go get an autograph from him!", so I ran there with a piece of paper and a pen, and held it out to the guy, who took it and... tried to write his name, becuase the pen was nearly empty. After half of the name no more ink came out of it, though he treid several times. Then he gave me back the pen and paper with a shrug.

Ok, now the funny point of the story is, after I went back and later tried to trace as much as possible of the imprinted but not drawn lines to get a clearer signature (;)), my father realized that what was decipherable on the papaer didn't look much like the name it was supposed to be. So in the end I have an only half visible autograph from I don't know whom :mrgreen:

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I saw once a wine woodbarrel (or whatever) signed by Mr Steven, here (well there) in Jerez. I, of course, took a photo of it. I think that will be as close as I will be from Spielberg ;)

:( sad isnt it?

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