Hysterical for Harry Potter

Well, I think I’ve visited heaven. I mean, if you’re a crazy-obsessed Harry Potter fan (like myself), then I’m guessing being at the NYC Premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One may be your idea of heaven as well. Hopefully…or am I the only one? Anyways, I knew I had to pay a visit to the Alice Tully Hall (two blocks away from the Lincoln Center Campus) when some of my Fordham friends mentioned there was going to be a Harry Potter red-carpet premiere in New York this year. Now, there were HP premieres in the city before, but I was always too young to either spend hours waiting for the stars to turn out, or be in Manhattan so very late at night. But not now. Now I’m 18, a college student…things change. And, seriously, I left at like 9 p.m…not that bad at all! So, there I was, waiting and waiting for hours amongst other HP fanatics, who I befriended because we all shared that one HUGE common interest. I met about 13 new people, and caught up with some Fordham classmates. It almost neared 6 p.m. and we were all going crazy at the thought of seeing Harry, Ron, Hermione and company right before our eyes! It was a dream come true! Tom Felton (aka Draco Malfoy) was the first to turn up, and he happened to be the only one who was on time. Everyone was screaming, I mean EVERYONE. We all see the crazy fan girls on T.V., right? But it was NOTHING like live in person. Even I, someone who is normally quiet, screamed and screamed until I thought my voice was going to quit on me…and I still kept screaming! The screams weren’t even annoying as I’d imagine it would be. In fact, when you heard a group screaming in the distance, you knew that meant a star had arrived. I must say, I was a bit disappointed in the trio (Dan Radcliffe -Harry Potter, Emma Watson - Hermione Granger, Rupert Grint - Ron Weasley). Rupert only did a bit of signing for the fans, Emma went straight from her SUV to the press and skipped the fans altogether, and I can’t even remember what Dan did…but I wasn’t keen of it. For goodness sake, Ralph Fiennes, who plays Voldemort, autographed fans’ items more than the trio did. But they all looked lovely. Later on, Emma and Rupert did come back out though, and took pictures with fans who stuck around until the movie premiere was over. I blame the event planners for the Emma, Daniel, and Rupert not standing around signing autographs when they first arrived. Why? The event planners didn’t obtain a permit to shut down the street, meaning the stars would’ve had to dodge cars and NYC traffic to get to where we were standing. And don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret going at all. I absolutely loved every minute of it. I met new people, saw the HP cast, Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina the Teenage Witch), Joey Fatone (NYSNC), Rob Thomas, Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City), Gabourey Sidibe (Precious), etc. I even got Tom Felton’s autograph!!!!! Definitely, DEFINITELY one of the best days of my life. Hope everyone enjoyed the movie!

Tom Felton - soo close!
Draco Malfoy's my favorite Slytherin.
He has lovely handwriting...
NYC traffic trying to get in our way!
For Ronald Weasley and all the red-heads out there!
From left to right: Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort), Dan Radcliffe (Harry), Emma Watson (Hermione), Rupert Grint (Ron), and Tom Felton (Draco).

A Little Boat Ride in Central Park

Just a few weeks ago, when the weather was a bit warmer, my friends and I decided to go to Central Park and go row boating! We had been talking about boating in central park since last year. Finally, we had all gathered and took the Ram Van to Lincoln Center. It was a beautiful day for a walk in the park. We passed people playing ball and tossing frisbees. We enjoyed some musical acts along the way and the typical Central Park scene. When we got to the Boathouse on 72nd street we anxiously lined up for our long-awaited boat ride. Each row boat is only $12 for an entire hour. We split into groups of three and went in two boats. I have to say, as a first time rower, it was quite the experience. After a few minutes of rowing in the wrong directionand hitting other boats (oops!), I finally started to get the hang of it. We had little races withour friends around the lake. It was a really fun experience, that was inexpensive and easily accessible. I would recommend it to everybody!

New York Film Festival

Just a few months ago, my Sunday nights were always a blur of studying and last minute preparations for the week ahead. But this past weekend, I spent my Sunday night at a movie premier seeing some of the most influential people in Hollywood.

A 17 day long event, The New York Film Festival showcases a mix of films--from famous filmmakers to indie artists and foreign films. This year, the event was held at Lincoln Center, just a few blocks down from Fordham's Lincoln Center campus! As a avid movie fan, this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

The conclusion to this year's festival was Clint Eastwood's new movie--Hereafter staring Matt Damon. Since the movie has been getting a lot of buzz and has big names attached, there would be two showings--one at 7pm for the press and those involved with the film and a second showing at 10pm for the public. With a quick trip to the box office my friends and I easily purchased tickets for the 10pm show and decided to go down early and spend the evening in the Manhattan.

We took the Ram Van from Rose Hill and arrived in Manhattan by 6:30 and walked the few short blocks up to the theater. We had arrived early in hopes that there would be a place to watch the stars walk in and our early arrival paid off. We got a perfect view to watch Matt Damon arrive and walk the red carpet!

After watching few more people in the film arrive, we grabbed something to eat nearby from one of the restaurants listed in The Passport--Fordham's student guide to New York City. By the time we were finished, it was time to return to the theater for the movie.

While waiting in the lobby to go to our seats, we met Ron Howard--the director of movies like A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vince Code. He was there to support his daughter because she was in the film. As we stood there with him, I just kept thinking how surreal this night had been. We were standing in a theater used by Juilliard students, surrounded by movie critics, actors, and famous directors waiting to see the premiere of a movie that is already getting Oscar talk. Only in New York can this be part of the college experience.

Finally, we made it to our seats and prepared for the movie to start. The New York Film Society said a few words and had a surprise for us--Clint Eastwood! We had not seen him arrive and figured that he left with the other stars, but he had stayed so that he could introduce the film to us. Seeing a Hollywood legend like Clint Eastwood was definitely the highlight of the night--and that is saying a lot because Hereafter was phenomenal! It is moments like this that make me so excited about my next four years in New York City.

Study Break: Indian Fusion Dinner

I was raised by an Italian mother who stayed true to her roots and cooked a pasta dish or something (chicken, eggplant, etc.) parmigiana practically every night for dinner when I was growing up. But despite being raised on meat sauce (or gravy), pasta, and cheese, I’ve always been adventurous when it comes to trying new food. However, up until yesterday I’d never tried Indian cuisine. Basera Indian Bistro was the perfect first step into my new found obsession. Located on 9th Avenue between 51st and 52nd, Basera offers a comfy environment, college student friendly price tag and delicious Indian American fusion food for its patrons. My favorite part of the meal was the garlic naan which was great for dipping in the chettinad chicken I ordered. Its sauce was very spicy, which I love, and the chicken was really tender (for under $15!). I was totally full by the end of the meal. After my friend and I could not stuff our faces any longer, we casually walked the 10 blocks uptown to our Lincoln Center campus and caught the 9 o’clock Ram Van back to Rose Hill. In 30 short minutes I was back to studying for midterms but at least got to savor a little break from it all with some yummy Indian American cuisine.

For Basera's full menu click here.