Starstruck-I know!

Soooo, on to part two of my 'Night with the Stars'.... Alright, alright- I may be over egging it a bit but as my good friend Aine quite rightly reminded me on Twitter, 'T'was far from a 4 course meal and Van Morrison you were reared. (pronounced 'rared') (This is my excuse for subsequent behaviour!)

After the meal, and before old grumpy Van came on, there was the usual stampede for the loos. As I was en route, I noticed an Indian looking girl at another table, and for a second was SURE that I knew her, but then quickly realised that No, I didn't actually. So, my very next thought was 'Eastenders!', but as I filed through all the characters in my head, I knew that wasn't right either. Then, as I was standing there wracking my brains, in she came to the loos with another girl, (more on that later), and caught my eye and smiled. (Or actually with hindsight it may have been the other way round). But brave with wine I said,
'I'm sorry to bother you, but where do I know you from?', and she said,
' Well I'm actually in a show called 'The Good Wife'.
There followed the briefest of pauses as my penny dropped, and then off I gushed,
'Oh my goodness, I LOVE that show!! You're Kalinda, aren't you?' And then worse...what next popped into my head and proceeded unfiltered straight out my mouth was,
'So is Mr Big as gorgeous in real life as he is on TV?'
Seriously Emma, seriously? What age am I-fourteen? AND it's the wrong show anyway- she probably thought I didn't even know or care what I was watching as long as HE was in it. But to her credit, despite my tragic faux pas she laughed charmingly, and said that, yes, indeed he was. (But then again, what else COULD she say?) So, obviously at this juncture you'd assume that I would have slipped quietly back into my seat and oblivion, right? Wrong- I was only warming up....
Kalinda aka Archie Panjabi then went in for a pee, and I turned to the vaguely familiar girl who came in with her, and cosily confided,
 ' Gosh, I DO hope your friend didn't mind me asking her where I knew her from? I mean she just looked SO familiar you know? '
Now, not only must she have been mildly taken aback by my overly chummy tone- I was a mere breath away from borrowing her lippie- but much more insulting, was that she'd seen me go into freaky fan mode  with her mate, but I clearly had no idea who SHE was... Until I was back in my seat and DIED with embarrassment as I realized it was Bronagh Gallagher, of 'The Commitments', Pulp Fiction', Sherlock Holmes, Star Wars etc etc fame.
Later on, and egged on by  Loverboy, (do it for the blog, go on sure, go on!), I got a picture with the beautiful Archie, who was really lovely and told me that this was her first time in Belfast and she couldn't get over how friendly and welcoming everyone was.

The sun'll come out tomorrow....

The next morning, quite by chance, (honestly!), we got chatting to Bronagh Gallagher after breakfast, and she couldn't have been nicer - she clearly didn't hold Loo- Gate against me -and told us all about her band- with the fitting (if slightly predictable) name of  'The Bronagh Gallagher Band'- and how they've just released their second album and are playing in the Limelight in a few weeks time. Check her out on www.bronaghgallagher.com Oh, and I got a picture with her too....the excitement of it all!
Disclaimer-Unfortunately for me, like most actresses these ladies are teeny TINY but alongside moi, it's like freakin Land of the Giants. Worse, when I looked at the pic of Archie and myself , all I could think was Petite Exotic Beauty and........Supersize Orphan Annie. FTLOG, (For the love of God) what was I thinking wearing a red top AND curling my hair?

Van the Man is in da house!!



The second hotel..



In the last week, I have stayed in not one, but two hotels! This is a VERY unusual scenario and yet, one that I could so easily get used to. The first, was after a family wedding with all the kids, which was great fun but not terribly restful, as I've found that excitement levels and sleep tend to be inversely proportional! The second was a present for Loverboy's recent 40th birthday, and it included dinner, an 'intimate performance' ( is it just me or does that sound a bit rude?) by Van Morrison, and an overnight stay.  As luck would have it, it happened that I was both the giver and secondary recipient of this gift, but as I assured him several times, he could choose anyone he wanted to be his +1. Ahem.)

 Van the Man was playing, (and staying), in the hotel too and our room happened to overlook the suite he was performing in, so I was glued, glued I tell you, to the window all afternoon, but disappointingly, apart from a few hairy looking band types, there wasn't much to see. Later, after a champagne reception (Fabulous dahling!), and a four course meal, the concert began.

 His daughter Shana Morrison performed first, and later sang one with her dad. I honestly believe that it must be a mixed blessing to be the child of a big star like Van. Oh yes, you get all the networking and a good leg up in the industry, but you'd also be constantly compared and even if you were successful, which history shows us is pretty unlikely, you'd still question whether it was really down to you or your famous parent. I know I would anyway. She does have a good voice, (although it's a bit hard for my taste), writes most of her own music AND  looks great despite having Van's genes. (I mean, let's face it, he's no oil painting).  I'd googled her earlier in the day, and several websites described her as 'Van Morrison's middle aged daughter'! I mean, Dear God,  I know it's to distinguish her from his 4 and 5 year old children, but that's HARSH surely? (And very possibly a little close to the bone - I mean, she's only  in her early 40's!)


The man himself


So after she warmed up the crowd, on came the man himself, and I have to say, he put on a hell of a performance. You hear all kinds of stories about him- that he's odd, antisocial and even blatantly rude, so we really weren't sure what to expect from the show at all. Well, he played with his band for two solid hours, and despite being 67, his voice is as strong as ever. He's obviously very musical, effortlessly playing the saxophone and the harmonica as well.  That said, he really DOES seem to have no social graces whatsoever- he kept his back to the audience for much of the time, and despite it being a small venue AND his hometown, he didn't say one word to us the whole time, nada, zip, nothing. I mean he didn't even smile!! But the audience LOVED him regardless and by the end of the night, the whole place was rocking. He really is a legend - a grumpy dour one yes, but a legend nonetheless.
The next morning while we were having breakfast, there was a little frisson of excitement when he arrived and sat down at a table by the window that was strategically placed behind a pillar. The funny thing was- on stage, with his signature suit and fedora on, he was unquestionably Van The Man, but there at breakfast, he just looked like a short, plump, (ginger!), balding man - He even had a wee old man's flat cap! As he passed us later, he actually nodded to Loverboy and mumbled hello (I know!), and I REALLY wanted to get a picture of him to show you...but I just couldn't pluck up the courage. But, as he walked away I noticed he'd a big old chocolate stain on his cream chinos,  and I was all set to run up and tell him to go and steep them in cold water AT ONCE, but then I thought he mightn't take it too well, so I didn't. Here's hoping he wasn't papped later though!
So even though I didn't  meet Van as such, there were a few other slebs there that I DID meet, AND got the money shots to prove it. so stay tuned....