April 5-17 and Feelin' Fine!

buenos dias mi amigos!

Well, on April 2, 2009 I officially turned the ripe old age of 17. Somehow the shift from 16 to  17 feels more major than I thought it would... It feels like when you're 16 you can still be Little Ms. Princess, but by 17 you're Little Miss  College Applications. My mom seemed to have a harder time than usual, but that's expected. I went through a lot of changes while 16. I traveled alone for the first time, making the epic cross-country plane flight to visit my cousin in Los Angeles. I found that I actually enjoy flying alone a lot. I've had to deal with some important issues, mainly in the lives of my friends. I have one friend who is very dear to me who is experiencing just about the roughest adolescence possible. I'm there for her whenever she needs me. Mostly, I simply feel like I'm comfortable in my skin. I feel wise and I feel confident that I can take on almost any situation. I guess I feel kind of invincible, but I wouldn't say that's a bad thing. I would say that I am pragmatic but I still allow myself to have an overgrown imagination. I have never allowed myself to narrow my hopes of the future, and I hope I never will.

But to lighten up on the gravity, let me just say that I had the best birthday of all time! 

First of all, my marvelous friends threw me a surprise party at school. They ambushed me in my high school's parking lot and took me for breakfast, which that in itself I found incredibly sweet. Then they took me down to the locker hall and the lights were off and a bunch of my buddies yelled "SURPRISE!" It made me feel so warm and fuzzy. That evening I took two of my friends out for $15 sushi and to see The Ting Tings at Workplay in Downtown Birmingham (AL). 

I gotta admit. As far as birthdays go, in my book, it doesn't get much better than that!

November 15-Ode to the Muses

muse: a person or persona which inspires, whether in style, manner, spirit, etc.

a list of my most prominent muses, followed by why they inspire me. all have affected me as an actress, as an artist, and as a person

Johnny Depp (everything)

Audrey Hepburn (too hard to choose one thing)

Marlon Brando (A Streetcar Named Desire)

Clemence Poesy (her captivating beauty)

Julian Casablancas (so unflinchingly cool)

Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge)

Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild)

Keira Knightley (Pride & Prejudice)

Kat Dennings (Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist)

Leonardo DiCaprio (Romeo + Juliet)

Lauren Bacall (The Maltese Falcon)

Kirsten Dunst (The Virgin Suicides)

Natalie Portman (V for Vendetta)

Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose)

October 1-I WON

I WON THE SIDEWALK FILM FESTIVAL TEEN FILMMAKING CHALLENGE!
i won Final Cut Pro. yaaaaay!!!

September 27- SEE FILM RUN

Come on down!!
It's the 10th annual Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, AL! 10 years of independents! This is a truly unique and special event and it's very close to my heart. I'm an aspiring filmmaker living in Birmingham, and I'm so lucky to have such a fantastically fun festival just minutes away.

Plus, this is my third year to have a film shown in the festival! (If you're in the area, it'll play on Sunday at 3pm at the McWane Center as part of the Teen Filmmaking Competition)

Last night was opening night, and the gloriously fun "Adventures of Power" played at the breathtaking Alabama Theater. Seriously, if you're ever in Birmingham, check out the Alabama Theater downtown. It was built by Paramount in 1927 and is literally a movie "palace". Plus, awesome bands play there all the time.
Anyways! As I was saying- "Adventures of Power" is a heartwarming indie directed by and starring Ari Gold (who came for a Q&A after!) along with Adrian Grenier and Jane Lynch. Totally cute!

42 feature indies are playing this weekend, many accompanied by their stars and filmmakers. Birmingham is such a cool scene and this is such a cool weekend. It is an amazing thing, so join us if you're in the area, or come by next year if you're not!

P.S. I'll fill you guys in if I win my competition!

August 12-Emile n' Jack, Genetic Mystery

Don't Jack Black and Emile Hirsch (my lover) look a heck of a lot alike???

August 8-Marry Me, Emile! <3

I watched Into the Wild last night (HIGHLY recommended, by the way), and have fallen deeply, head-over-heels in love with this man, Emile Hirsch ^

!!!

Who cares if he's 7 years older than me?! Who cares if he is shorter than me?! Who cares if I've just shared a moment with a man sculpted by the gods (Robert Pattinson, see below entry)?! Emile Hirsch is the ONLY man for me. What a dreamboat...

Take note: this is sixteen year-old-Hollywood-heartthrob-crushdom right here people!

August 6-OMG OMG Premiere Time

I went to the film premiere of Vicky Cristina Barcelona in L.A.! I also got free tickets randomly, haha. The woman in the center is everyone's sex symbol, Miss Scarlett Johansson. She is the next Marilyn Monroe if you ask me! (without the sleeping pills)

I also saw Woody Allen and Javier Bardem. It was a dream come true!!!

But possibly the most exciting part was at the end, when I accidentally shared eye contact with Robert Pattinson, who played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and plays Edward in the upcoming Twilight film. He was polite enough to share a picture with me!: