#ThrowbackThursday: Once Upon A Catching Fire Premiere!

Throwback Thursday is the theme of the day! We share with you our adventures throughout book signings, world premieres, mall tours and many others.

A book began the bond of a lifetime...

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Today on Throwback Thursday, we are sharing with you Bri's Catching Fire Red Carpet experience!

Hello All! Before I tell my story I want to preface it with some of my background. I am a major cinephile. I love movies to no end, I went to the Hunger Games red carpet and that was when I realized that it might be easier to make it onto more red carpets. Thus my red carpet adventures started up.

When I went to the Catching Fire premiere I only had one goal in mind - MEET FINNICK ODAIR. Of course that happened, but I'll get to that later. I also knew to not get my hopes up when it came to my spot on the red carpet. At the Hunger Games premiere I was at the top of their three row bleachers. I still got a ton of peoples autographs but it's just not the same. But ever since then I keep telling myself when I go to premieres to not get my hopes up, I end up being sad when it doesn't work out but I'm just happy to be at the premiere.

So Catching Fire was a camp out. If I remember correctly (I barely do) I think it was a 3 day 2 night thing....at least I only remember the main 2 days when things went crazy for me.

When we first got there we were luckily in one of the first registered groups who got to enter "Tent City" so we had good feelings about that, me and my group. And then we got there - I had 2 friends who had done premiere's before and 2 friends who hadn't.  The ones who hadn't got a little bit crazy with pictures and needed to remember EVERYTHING.

That first night we were told that a few actors were coming to start off our weekend right. If you notice in the above picture I have a  heart on my shirt. That is for Sam to sign because, well...Finnick is my favorite and therefore Sam is my favorite by extension. So that heart was for him and I had hoped that we would be meeting him that first night. We did not...we met Willow and Stephanie aka Prim and Cashmere.

They were so sweet, and they loved my shirt! Stephanie also personalized my book, which was my first personalized autograph!

We went to bed and I started to have my doubts that Sam would come to the fancamp. So I had to believe that he would sign my shirt at the carpet. My mind was going insane.

Then the next day came for waiting in lines for autographs. I was excited. I love meeting people who make the movies because I want to one day be one of them! So when a line started there were little rumors that Sam was going to be there. I still wasn't believing me. Then I met a girl with sugarcubes who said "Sam's at the table already!"  and I died. As I started freaking out she asked me if I wanted a sugar cube!

So with Sam was also Jena Malone and Jeffrey Wright. Jena is in my favorite movie ever, Donnie Darko, and yet I did not talk to her because she came after Sam.

My story with Sam. He was amazingly sweet, and he loved my shirt, and I died. He gave me a hug and it was the most glorious thing in the planet!

This was one of the best experiences of my life. Jena and Jeffrey loved my shirt. I have a sugar cube on the back of my shirt and Jeffrey wanted to see it, so I showed him it. He said it was really cool - I don't remember replying because all I remember is thinking about Sam.
After this table of cast Francis Lawrence came later - Technically Josh came with these guys but he came after I had met Sam, Jena and Jeffrey so I missed him!

But Francis is one of my idols, I love his filmmaking.

Needless to say, Day 2 was a success for me. And then I had to gear up for the red carpet the day after!

The next morning I had to wake up at a god awful hour to get my number for on the carpet. My best friend decided to text me to wake me up by saying "Where's Finnick.......Odair he is...on your shirt!" and I died! And when I got my number I had gotten 7. My lucky number. I was starting to feel good.
I left to get ready and when I came back I got my spot on the carpet.

I think I had pretty good seats...wouldn't you say?

This was when I started freaking out, I was going to get so many autographs and so many good pictures! And I did! Prepare for picture overload - but before I post pictures let me just say that to this day my favorite picture from this is a press pic of Sam and I from the Red Carpet - and the look on my face says it all!
   

I had seen Lenny Kravitz in person! He didn't stop to sign my book...or get a pic with me. But just seeing him was AMAZING!

Bruno Gunn was the sweetest too. I had a notebook covering my face when I asked for a picture. Someone behind me figured it'd be good to get his autograph while his attention was on me. He saw this and moved the notebook and winked to me and posed. I was so happy because if he hadn't done that he probably would've forgotten to get a pic with me!

Josh and Liam and a few others did not pose with me. Josh never poses with people (until this Mockingjay Premiere) and Liam just skipped right over me...in the press pictures I keep looking at him longingly...

I also got to meet Philip Seymour Hoffman. As a cinephile he is one of the many who have touched my life. And I told him this at the red carpet. I was so happy, and he looked at me after signing my book and hearing me tell him I loved his work and he thanked me. And I felt like he truly meant it. It was so sad for me to learn that he harmed himself a month later.

I absolutely love going to premieres, they make me feel like I'm living on a high. It's so amazing and I can't wait for my next adventure....Star Wars Episode VIII!