Apotamkin: The Cold One of Egypt: December 2012

Finally, I managed to resize the photos and upload the videos for my detailed Breaking Dawn part 2 premier post! I got really busy at work and home, yes everything falls apart when I am gone:) Well, I should start telling you the deets of my plans; last year I arrived the day before the premier and camped out immediately coming straight from the airport and I was really exhausted by the time it was all over and I didn’t get to take a photo with Kristen even when I got to go again for SWATH. So this time I have decided to go a couple of days earlier to get a chance to camp out with the early fans. I arrived in the UK on Saturday November 11 and there was a word that some will camp as early as Sunday Nov 12. I had plans to reunite with my friends some I have met last year and others I was looking forward to meet after chatting so long on facebook. On Sunday, I visited Leicester square to check if fans did camp out but couldn’t see anyone but facebook groups said there were 20 confirmed, so I went again on Monday afternoon and there was about 35 fans – this meant that once the word is out they will keep coming. I didn’t have my sleeping bag or my blanket; they were still at the apartment.

So I went to buy a mat and a plastic coat because it was starting to rain and didn’t look good to have that weather and to camp out with no tents for 3 days… as I got back with my friends there were about 55 fans on the list that Chrissy from last year also kept. My number was 61, they only give those who were camping, a small number tag so I had to line up for 9 hours before I could go home, shower and bring my sleeping out kit. I got back by 11:00pm and we got to chat and doze off behind some high fence that the security installed for our safety.

It was so cold and dark and we attracted a lot of attention from people who kept stopping to ask why were we sleeping in the rain and laugh at our craziness so some fans put on a paper saying "Dangerous Don’t Feed The Animals." :D We watched a live stream of the LA premier on an iPad and it was just so amazing to see Rob and Kristen looking stunning in green and gold.

We were about 200 fans by the morning and they said that we will be getting our wrist bands by 7:30 am because there will be another premier taking place so we get to keep our spots. We hanged out at the square after getting the bands and then thought we can use the time to draw some banners and posters.

I joined my friend Angela and her daughter Mia who were standing next to me at the pen last year to get some paper and glitter, as I told them I had an idea to draw portraits of Rob and Kristen as they appeared the night before in LA. I thought there looks were unique to that day and every one will immediately realize I have done them while camping. So Angela was excited about the idea and downloaded the photo and I started to sketch in pencil my lovely RobSten.

To my surprise it really created a buzz and many came to take photos of them as I worked on them and when I was done. I told Mia who is just one year older than my son to keep them as a gift so she would always remember me and I knew she will be able to hang them in her room and I am too old for that…

After walking out for dinner we returned to our spots and the security informed us we will move to the center of the square in front of the big m&ms shop till premier day. We had shorter barriers formed in the shape of a large rectangle now. They called us in order of our numbers and we put our sleeping bags in our spots!

It was late at night at around 1:00 am when a hip hop band started dancing and hopping to their loud amplifier just a few steps away from us sound asleep inside the sleeping bags!

But the night was far from over as people coming out of clubs and pubs kept throwing stuff and calling us crazy and laughing out loud. At 10 to 15 minutes intervals a drunk guy with scary giggles kept circling and eying us while sleeping and talking out loud to himself as he sipped his drink.

An hour later an amateur performer tried to sell us his comic CDs … It was hilarious apart from wanting to get a good sleep before the big day.

One poor fan got slammed with yoghurt and started crying. So it wasn’t just the elements that we fans were defying for the Twilight franchise; the cold and the cynical backlash of those who have never heard about Twilight or how much it means to us was there to face too:)

It was hard to sleep after getting that type of action so we went out to grab something hot and check out the BD2 banners that got posted in front of the Odeon Cinema.

The morning of premier day was just perfect! Sunny and clear and the pigeons flew as the clock announced it was mid day –the time they will let us into the pens for the rest of the day. We had freshened up and got some coffee and it was time to move to the pens.

We got to stand first raw directly on the red carpet in front of the Empire cinema. It was a central spot. But the stage on the right was a blind area and the screen on the left was a bit far at the end of the red carpet.

We hanged the posters between me Mia and Angela and started to take photos as the work progressed on the red carpet and placing the BD2 posters on the sides of the pens. Finally it was close to 5:00 PM and the spotlights filled the place with lights and the media people started to come out with their cams for interviews and photos.

Many stopped to ask about the portraits and take photos. I was interviewed 3 times and I told them I was coming from Dubai and later read on The Sun that fans came from as far as the US and Dubai (that was me of course!) They asked me how long it took to finish the paintings I said 45 minutes each. One asked who would you lick Rob Tay or Kristen – I said Kristen:D and another asked what is it about the Saga that makes it so special. I said to one it is the universal message and moral lessons it represents and to another the love story is amazing… As A Thousand Years started playing in the back ground I started to tear up and Angela saw me so we started to weep … the thought that my nose will get big and red stopped the weeping a little too soon:) We suddenly noticed some stars on the top balcony of the hotel opposite us including Bill Condon and Wick Godfrey so fans started screaming.

It wasn’t long until the premier host announced the arrival of Rob, Kristen and Taylor and the screams where coming from all directions. The red carpet was getting busy with people walking to the entrance of the Empire as well as stars of the X factor show. We saw Taylor first but he was talking to the media opposite us and never came towards us. Then Rob dashed in front of us to stand in front of the photographers a few meters to our left. Rob then turned around and started to sign for fans at the far end to our left where the red carpet ended at the gates of the Empire. Fans behind us started to get crazy and squash us. All you could hear is the screams and you try to keep your hand from shaking to get good photos.

I started taking pix of Rob coming my way until he was right in front of me. I said “hi Rob, How are you doing?” He said “good thank you” very softly and politely and I told him “I drew this portrait of you” – so he gazed at it and smiled and I could tell he liked it because he signed it elaborately. And then I gave him my camera and he took our photo which has turned really great.

And then he started moving to my right and I started to ask him “when will you come to Dubai?” – he heard me but looked a little baffled and I thought later I should have said “you must visit Dubai,” you just go blank and run out words!

Kristen showed up at the far end on our right side and then fans behind me started to push their books over my head and next to my face I could hardly see her and she was half a meter away from me- I started calling her and saw she was agreeing to take pix with fans at last and this got us all the more excited.

Kristen signed my poster and put 2 xx for kisses and I didn’t see her doing it so I kept saying would you please sign your photo she said “I did” and I said “Thank you very much sweetie” and asked her for a group photo and one with her and she said yes and looked really gorgeous in her lace suit.

I had my iPhone on video the whole time as Kristen passed by and was taking photos with my camera too. It was almost 7:00pm and Mia and Angela had to rush to the premier as they had tickets so I gave Mia the portraits after carefully removing the tape from them, I took some pix of them with the autographs and sadly we said goodbye…

I stayed behind and put my BD2 blanket on the rail instead of the posters and suddenly on top of the Empire Balcony – Bill, Wick, the vampire cast Rob, Kristen and Taylor came out to talk and wave to us. It was great to see them again and to be among those who still waited.

Shortly after that their cars started to move backwards on the red carpet to line up in front of the Empire gates so we knew they will be leaving any moment. Wick and Bill rushed before us and Bill said “hope you enjoy the movie.” Then, Kristen and Rob came out and got in the silver Mercedes right in front of us and Taylor followed in his ride… and the premier was over!

I joined my friends from the Robert Pattinson It Has Always Been Him group for some Chinese and then head home with my giant BD2 poster. I heard many fans were unlucky but I was really happy about every single moment of the experience… I had tickets for the midnight release on Thursday and was flying back to Dubai on Friday. It was such an unforgettable event and the fun continued as I held the poster through the airport onto the plane and trough Dubai International airport and trying to keep a straight face sometimes answering the little smiles with little ones of mine.

Hope I gave you what you were looking for -it is an experience that I will cherish and carry with me forever xx

Please note all posted photos and videos are exclusive property of Apotamkin The Cold One of Egypt - so please credit and link back here if you wish to use on your blog... thank you xx