The invitation which s.Oliver sent out via E-Mail last week suggested a lot and according to their used wording this E Mail seemed to be our admission ticket straight into the glamours world of fashion. After we finished reading their lines written to us by this fashion company we suddenly believed to enter into a 1001 Night’s fairy tale including it’s main actors his Excellency Prince Wayne Newton and Princess Anastacia Lyn Newkirk.
So we took our valuable mental treasure with us and started our journey at Thursday March 29th in our capital city Berlin. We left our pulsate and forward looking labled city Hamburg at 10:30 a.m. and entered the Highway soon. Our direction was the famous eastern bloc, pardon, of course I mean our beautiful capital city Berlin.
We went through a few traffic oasis also known as tailbacks but we where lucky devils that day so we only had a lot of traffic just after we left Hamburg and right before we entered Berlin so our journey went well and without a lot of problems. Our font passengers Yanna and Tatjana fought with the burning sun all the time but Stephie and I considered it as kind of a heavenly lighthouse which would lead us to our destination.
Punctually on time at lunch we arrived at the Highway exit "Berlin Zoo" and just a few seconds later we knew that we entered into a special kind of world including chock-full roads with people, cars, people in cars and crazy inhabitants who went through the streets thinking: "We had and will never have something valuable so we at least celebrate crossing over a street as graceful as we could."
In addition we noticed dead ugly houses build up without any architectural structure. The seemed to be stamped out of the floor like totally uncontrolled like weed seeds.
But in spite of our first negative impressions we where not deterred by them but found the way to the A-Hotel which was situated at the "Kudamm" without any trouble. Apart from that hotel this beautiful boulevard included a Burger King Restaurant, maybe 5 Maredo Steak Restaurants inbetween 500 meters and kind of dusted footpaths.
The concentrated Red Shirt power from Austria who came with a nine seat shuttle bus had already spied out the place so that they could tell us a great parking space just a few meters away from the A-Hotel in an underground car park.
At first the fantastic four from the far north of Germany made their first round and ended with it at the A-Hotel itself where s.Oliver already has been started building up the promotion Banners which were an eye catcher with their cold but intensive white including the well known lettering.
For noon as well as afternoon we stayed at one of these Maredo steak restaurants where we tried to represent kind of an European committee which checked the waitress trainee carefully by changing seats very often. Nevertheless everyone except of Angie got the right orders and we tried to refresh ourselves with these extensive lunch menus. After that some us started an excursion to Berlin downtown and left a bit (yeah, just a bit…) money at next doors s.Oliver stores. Later at the afternoon Wayne arrived at the A-Hotel and Babs passed over some easter baskets together with Dagi under the name of the whole AFC. The cheerful bodyguard was happy about that present but nevertheless made a little joke according to the chocolate which includes just a few calories if you know what I mean? He said with a smile on his face: "I will get fat, no, fatter."
Our control centre was still situated at the restaurant which was just a few 100 meters away from the A Hotel. The afternoon went on and also the rest of the still missing red shirts arrived at the restaurant so that we where completed at round about 6 p.m. Now we where ready to shine with our full red shirt power inbetween the glamours world of a green salad buffet, bad thin cocoa and abnormal hot Chicken Wings.
We spent our time to 8 p.m. when Anastacia was about to arrive in some different small groups and proceed with continuous interplay so that everyone got the chance to talk with every red shirt. Time went on very fast and s.Oliver said that Anastacia will arrive at the red carpet at prime time, actually at 8 p.m.
During the first fashion show ticket winners enjoyed their crossing over the red carpet the after show ticket winners waited at the fan corner on the right hand site. For the moment the event seemed to be well organized. In short periods of time friendly but authorian s.Oliver staff came up and coordinate the unscrupulous press or actually reprimanded these guys a little. The press had cameras which seemed to be as large as a teenager and some of them tried to enter the fan corner unsuccessfully so they tried to steal some valuable space of fans but as I already mentioned s.Oliver worked hard to reprimand them.
The red carpet itself seemed to be a cheap already often used specimen imitation from far east. It was illuminated by a lot of intensive spots at the floor and at the top. During the evening a lot of would-be VIPs acting at eve daily soaps strut over that carpet like walking over "soap" suds. We recognized the first time calculating some of these persons act there only because they wanted to talk of the town again. Right behind the Banners on the left hand side the press photographers tried to take a photograph of everyone who passed their lens even if they didn’t know who of these VIPs they just had photographed. The fashion show ticket winners waited at the foyer of the A-Hotel and the Aftershow Party ticket winners stood at the right hand site of the red carpet to take a look at these higgledy piggledy happenings at the carpet. It was really funny listening to the press who asked everytime when one of these would like VIPs went into the Hotel "What the hell is her / his name?" But even we all had no clue who went over that carpet and Christian and I asked ourselves because of in the absence of primpe time TV series knowledge nearly every minute who passed by and begged to give autograph. I hope you don’t mind but I remind just a few German D VIPs who joint that event on Thursday. My eyes caught Germanys best VIP hairdresser Udo Walz together with the female TV presenter Ulla Kock am Brink, as well as actor Sven Martinek ("The Clown" - Prime Time Action) Rea Harder (German actress) and a few more unimportant soap stars. In addition a model of Germanys casting Show hosted by Heidi Klum and called "Germanys Next Topmodel" also seem to follow an invitation.
At 9:15 p.m. a hectic rush begun which means Anastacia was just a few kilometers away from todays destination. A huge camera truck found its place at the street and the autograph hunters started to tun up their voices volume.
Queen Anastacia arrived in a white splendid elegant Oldtimer which seemed to derive from the English colonial era. She worn a beautiful black suit including a sporty black skirt with a white shiny belt which was a perfect contrast to her skirt and her black glomming top.
Wayne appeared in a checked shirt and was the best looking lumberjack ever if you ask me. He needed to use the lumberjack mentality very soon cause a group of maybe 5 press people tried to get the best picture of Anastacia by coming closer and closer at the red carpet. Wayne just execute a special step and force them back in a few seconds; five persons at one step which was very impressive. Because of his serenity and his profession he doesn’t have any problems during all these hectic moments over there. He always had a great overview of that situation. Some of you maybe think that it is just his job to do that but I was really impressed by his work. He did his work in a highly concentrated way but nevertheless it seemed like easy going mentality. He always radiates his British decency and this is really admirable and fascinating if you ask me. Anastacia had a great time at the red carpet whrote a few autographes and Wayne also observed that to prevent her from these ebay guys who sell their autograph just a few days later.
The event still seemed to be well organized cause everyone knew that Anastacia always arrives with delay. The Afershow party ticket winners went back to the Maredo restaurant and stayed there for another hour. We got a few cell phone calls out of the A-Hotel during the fashion show and now we knew that the organization of that evening seemed to be really bad. The fashion show was kind of an express show and they also shoo the guests from ground floor to first floor and back.
We got the possibility to enter the Aftershowparty at 11 p.m. one hour later than planned. We went back to the red carpet and watched a few new D VIPs passing it. We felt like third class persons and waited for a lot of minutes at the fan corner again cause s.Oliver maintained that our names weren’t included on the guest list.
Numerous minutes elapsed but suddenly Babs appeared at the red carpet and tried to calm down the situation successfully which means that s.Oliver found our names on another guest list so we where guided through the red carpet path soon and hovered to the A-Hotel entrance but actually the hovering feelings suppressed by the hectic a little. But we where still looking forward to party so we ignored the hectic situation at the red carpet.
Please follow me on a small round through the A-Hotel now:
When you passed the red carpet you came, passing by a decorative placed porter to some of these milk glass design doors on which s.Oliver had placed the characteristic black A of the fashion line. Now you passed the beautifully designed reception on the left hand site and walked over to a magnificent foyer which was decorated with dozens of huge "Anastacia by s.Oliver" portraits which shown the conclusion of the current shooting. These portraits where placed into large art frames which made them look like valuable prohibitive work of art.
Next you walked over some kind of catwalk, which was covered with a marble imitation floor. On the left and on the right you could marvel about some small lounges and indirect lights which changed it’s color every single second. These indirect lights where placed in a perfect way so an amazing optical illusion was realized. The "dead corners" of the party place where glossed over perfectly so the whole ambience seemed to be harmonious.
When you reached the end of the catwalk you stood right in front of one first small bar where you could get numerous cocktails for free as well as non alcoholic drinks which just played a subordinate role over there. For example I tried to order a normal Coke and the bar chief executive asked his staff they offer things like the ordinary lazy Coke if you know what I mean but just to be honest - I got my Coke at least cause they found it deep down in the fridge.
Loaded with drinks you turned right carefully and came into the main area of the A-Hotel, including a huge big area with black gum floor, a small stage where a strange DJ as well as his assistant were up to their mischief and a few more bars so we definitely won’t die of thirst.
On the left, kind of at the middle of the main room you found a kitchen from where waiters tried to serve small morsels. They served Berlins characteristic hot curry sausage and pay attention – no joke – put these sausages into small glasses including chopsticks. They also offered little meat balls and small jelly doughnuts filled with delicious marmalade.
Anastacia herself stayed well guarded from the big crowd in the VIP area on the first floor of the building. On the opposite site of the kitchen you found a stairway which leaded the backstage pass guys upstairs. On the first floor S Oliver also put a bar of course and a gallery from which these already mentioned VIP guys had the possibility to observe the crowd.
But we just noticed kind of a bad and restless mood in there cause we just where too much people standing on the ground floor but no one of these chief executives really seem to care about that fact. We missed the straight structure in there as well as Anastacia of course who wasn’t available on the DJ decks as well as in a presentable mood on stage or at least on the ground floor in between all these earthlings.
Our tiredness where kept in check till 12:30 a.m. We still hoped to see one Ana appearance and she sorely tries our patience till kind of an eternity. Well, Anastacia really know how to bid the full value of a excitement curve, doesn’t she? But suddenly she came up on stage out of nothing like a magician and asked, because most visitors still looked up the stairs and stood facing backwards to Anastacia, "Are you already drunken?"
But this appearance seemed to be one of these "sense of duty" appearances without lots of emotions, without heart and soul. She just thanked her Fans for travelling to Berlin and also thanked S Oliver staff for the location and stuff. But we missed her normal character, her humanity, because the mentality just to read of a piece of paper is not normal Ana style and we need to confess that we where a bit shocked about that.
We missed the fanfamily factor there so the Austrian bus left Berlin at round about 2 a.m; direction south. A half an hour later Wayne came down the stairs talked to fans and received gifts for Ana. He really was in a great mood and worked hard to conjure a smile up on our bad mood radiating faces. He presented himself in a very impressive way and showed his real character which lie dormant behind this strict bodyguard wall, cause Anastacia where still safe in her VIP area doing some interviews.
But I was shocked by the behavior of most of the fans in the A-Hotel who clarify very in a very insistent way why Anastacia don’t want to have a bath in the crowd.
Scarcely had they noticed just a breeze of Anastacia, the people seem to transform into vultures so that Anastacia, provided that she would go downstairs, would lose all her privacy.
But not only because of that fact we felt uncomfortable in the A-Hotel. We weren’t guided by real disappointment but actually it was a mixture between sot disappointing facts, the "wrong place wrong time" feeling and a shock about the behavior of some groups of people, staring at the strange and impolite press guys, calculating nearly unscrupulous VIPs who just stood out because of superficiality but not because of their special unique character and stopped by our fanfamily who seemed like they have forgotten their whole decency at home.
So even in the world of glamour it’s not always a gold rush mood, how it sometimes seems from the perspective of the normal society but these glamour guys are just strange guided media machines.
This overall view leads me to a negative result in first place which means: In commercial way obstinately and professional finished event, where the guests missed warmth, heart and natural emotions.
On Friday morning the northern lights where back home after they survived a disorientated journey right through the bronze of Berlin, which came up because of horrifying signs which we I think will remind forever, but who cares?
Nevetheless we thank s.Oliver for putting this event into practice for us. We all learnt a lot out of this experience and it was very valuable for us because, to be honest, we expected some indefinable impressive moments and learnt otherwise.
So we took our valuable mental treasure with us and started our journey at Thursday March 29th in our capital city Berlin. We left our pulsate and forward looking labled city Hamburg at 10:30 a.m. and entered the Highway soon. Our direction was the famous eastern bloc, pardon, of course I mean our beautiful capital city Berlin.
We went through a few traffic oasis also known as tailbacks but we where lucky devils that day so we only had a lot of traffic just after we left Hamburg and right before we entered Berlin so our journey went well and without a lot of problems. Our font passengers Yanna and Tatjana fought with the burning sun all the time but Stephie and I considered it as kind of a heavenly lighthouse which would lead us to our destination.
Punctually on time at lunch we arrived at the Highway exit "Berlin Zoo" and just a few seconds later we knew that we entered into a special kind of world including chock-full roads with people, cars, people in cars and crazy inhabitants who went through the streets thinking: "We had and will never have something valuable so we at least celebrate crossing over a street as graceful as we could."
In addition we noticed dead ugly houses build up without any architectural structure. The seemed to be stamped out of the floor like totally uncontrolled like weed seeds.
But in spite of our first negative impressions we where not deterred by them but found the way to the A-Hotel which was situated at the "Kudamm" without any trouble. Apart from that hotel this beautiful boulevard included a Burger King Restaurant, maybe 5 Maredo Steak Restaurants inbetween 500 meters and kind of dusted footpaths.
The concentrated Red Shirt power from Austria who came with a nine seat shuttle bus had already spied out the place so that they could tell us a great parking space just a few meters away from the A-Hotel in an underground car park.
At first the fantastic four from the far north of Germany made their first round and ended with it at the A-Hotel itself where s.Oliver already has been started building up the promotion Banners which were an eye catcher with their cold but intensive white including the well known lettering.
For noon as well as afternoon we stayed at one of these Maredo steak restaurants where we tried to represent kind of an European committee which checked the waitress trainee carefully by changing seats very often. Nevertheless everyone except of Angie got the right orders and we tried to refresh ourselves with these extensive lunch menus. After that some us started an excursion to Berlin downtown and left a bit (yeah, just a bit…) money at next doors s.Oliver stores. Later at the afternoon Wayne arrived at the A-Hotel and Babs passed over some easter baskets together with Dagi under the name of the whole AFC. The cheerful bodyguard was happy about that present but nevertheless made a little joke according to the chocolate which includes just a few calories if you know what I mean? He said with a smile on his face: "I will get fat, no, fatter."
Our control centre was still situated at the restaurant which was just a few 100 meters away from the A Hotel. The afternoon went on and also the rest of the still missing red shirts arrived at the restaurant so that we where completed at round about 6 p.m. Now we where ready to shine with our full red shirt power inbetween the glamours world of a green salad buffet, bad thin cocoa and abnormal hot Chicken Wings.
We spent our time to 8 p.m. when Anastacia was about to arrive in some different small groups and proceed with continuous interplay so that everyone got the chance to talk with every red shirt. Time went on very fast and s.Oliver said that Anastacia will arrive at the red carpet at prime time, actually at 8 p.m.
During the first fashion show ticket winners enjoyed their crossing over the red carpet the after show ticket winners waited at the fan corner on the right hand site. For the moment the event seemed to be well organized. In short periods of time friendly but authorian s.Oliver staff came up and coordinate the unscrupulous press or actually reprimanded these guys a little. The press had cameras which seemed to be as large as a teenager and some of them tried to enter the fan corner unsuccessfully so they tried to steal some valuable space of fans but as I already mentioned s.Oliver worked hard to reprimand them.
The red carpet itself seemed to be a cheap already often used specimen imitation from far east. It was illuminated by a lot of intensive spots at the floor and at the top. During the evening a lot of would-be VIPs acting at eve daily soaps strut over that carpet like walking over "soap" suds. We recognized the first time calculating some of these persons act there only because they wanted to talk of the town again. Right behind the Banners on the left hand side the press photographers tried to take a photograph of everyone who passed their lens even if they didn’t know who of these VIPs they just had photographed. The fashion show ticket winners waited at the foyer of the A-Hotel and the Aftershow Party ticket winners stood at the right hand site of the red carpet to take a look at these higgledy piggledy happenings at the carpet. It was really funny listening to the press who asked everytime when one of these would like VIPs went into the Hotel "What the hell is her / his name?" But even we all had no clue who went over that carpet and Christian and I asked ourselves because of in the absence of primpe time TV series knowledge nearly every minute who passed by and begged to give autograph. I hope you don’t mind but I remind just a few German D VIPs who joint that event on Thursday. My eyes caught Germanys best VIP hairdresser Udo Walz together with the female TV presenter Ulla Kock am Brink, as well as actor Sven Martinek ("The Clown" - Prime Time Action) Rea Harder (German actress) and a few more unimportant soap stars. In addition a model of Germanys casting Show hosted by Heidi Klum and called "Germanys Next Topmodel" also seem to follow an invitation.
At 9:15 p.m. a hectic rush begun which means Anastacia was just a few kilometers away from todays destination. A huge camera truck found its place at the street and the autograph hunters started to tun up their voices volume.
Queen Anastacia arrived in a white splendid elegant Oldtimer which seemed to derive from the English colonial era. She worn a beautiful black suit including a sporty black skirt with a white shiny belt which was a perfect contrast to her skirt and her black glomming top.
Wayne appeared in a checked shirt and was the best looking lumberjack ever if you ask me. He needed to use the lumberjack mentality very soon cause a group of maybe 5 press people tried to get the best picture of Anastacia by coming closer and closer at the red carpet. Wayne just execute a special step and force them back in a few seconds; five persons at one step which was very impressive. Because of his serenity and his profession he doesn’t have any problems during all these hectic moments over there. He always had a great overview of that situation. Some of you maybe think that it is just his job to do that but I was really impressed by his work. He did his work in a highly concentrated way but nevertheless it seemed like easy going mentality. He always radiates his British decency and this is really admirable and fascinating if you ask me. Anastacia had a great time at the red carpet whrote a few autographes and Wayne also observed that to prevent her from these ebay guys who sell their autograph just a few days later.
The event still seemed to be well organized cause everyone knew that Anastacia always arrives with delay. The Afershow party ticket winners went back to the Maredo restaurant and stayed there for another hour. We got a few cell phone calls out of the A-Hotel during the fashion show and now we knew that the organization of that evening seemed to be really bad. The fashion show was kind of an express show and they also shoo the guests from ground floor to first floor and back.
We got the possibility to enter the Aftershowparty at 11 p.m. one hour later than planned. We went back to the red carpet and watched a few new D VIPs passing it. We felt like third class persons and waited for a lot of minutes at the fan corner again cause s.Oliver maintained that our names weren’t included on the guest list.
Numerous minutes elapsed but suddenly Babs appeared at the red carpet and tried to calm down the situation successfully which means that s.Oliver found our names on another guest list so we where guided through the red carpet path soon and hovered to the A-Hotel entrance but actually the hovering feelings suppressed by the hectic a little. But we where still looking forward to party so we ignored the hectic situation at the red carpet.
Please follow me on a small round through the A-Hotel now:
When you passed the red carpet you came, passing by a decorative placed porter to some of these milk glass design doors on which s.Oliver had placed the characteristic black A of the fashion line. Now you passed the beautifully designed reception on the left hand site and walked over to a magnificent foyer which was decorated with dozens of huge "Anastacia by s.Oliver" portraits which shown the conclusion of the current shooting. These portraits where placed into large art frames which made them look like valuable prohibitive work of art.
Next you walked over some kind of catwalk, which was covered with a marble imitation floor. On the left and on the right you could marvel about some small lounges and indirect lights which changed it’s color every single second. These indirect lights where placed in a perfect way so an amazing optical illusion was realized. The "dead corners" of the party place where glossed over perfectly so the whole ambience seemed to be harmonious.
When you reached the end of the catwalk you stood right in front of one first small bar where you could get numerous cocktails for free as well as non alcoholic drinks which just played a subordinate role over there. For example I tried to order a normal Coke and the bar chief executive asked his staff they offer things like the ordinary lazy Coke if you know what I mean but just to be honest - I got my Coke at least cause they found it deep down in the fridge.
Loaded with drinks you turned right carefully and came into the main area of the A-Hotel, including a huge big area with black gum floor, a small stage where a strange DJ as well as his assistant were up to their mischief and a few more bars so we definitely won’t die of thirst.
On the left, kind of at the middle of the main room you found a kitchen from where waiters tried to serve small morsels. They served Berlins characteristic hot curry sausage and pay attention – no joke – put these sausages into small glasses including chopsticks. They also offered little meat balls and small jelly doughnuts filled with delicious marmalade.
Anastacia herself stayed well guarded from the big crowd in the VIP area on the first floor of the building. On the opposite site of the kitchen you found a stairway which leaded the backstage pass guys upstairs. On the first floor S Oliver also put a bar of course and a gallery from which these already mentioned VIP guys had the possibility to observe the crowd.
But we just noticed kind of a bad and restless mood in there cause we just where too much people standing on the ground floor but no one of these chief executives really seem to care about that fact. We missed the straight structure in there as well as Anastacia of course who wasn’t available on the DJ decks as well as in a presentable mood on stage or at least on the ground floor in between all these earthlings.
Our tiredness where kept in check till 12:30 a.m. We still hoped to see one Ana appearance and she sorely tries our patience till kind of an eternity. Well, Anastacia really know how to bid the full value of a excitement curve, doesn’t she? But suddenly she came up on stage out of nothing like a magician and asked, because most visitors still looked up the stairs and stood facing backwards to Anastacia, "Are you already drunken?"
But this appearance seemed to be one of these "sense of duty" appearances without lots of emotions, without heart and soul. She just thanked her Fans for travelling to Berlin and also thanked S Oliver staff for the location and stuff. But we missed her normal character, her humanity, because the mentality just to read of a piece of paper is not normal Ana style and we need to confess that we where a bit shocked about that.
We missed the fanfamily factor there so the Austrian bus left Berlin at round about 2 a.m; direction south. A half an hour later Wayne came down the stairs talked to fans and received gifts for Ana. He really was in a great mood and worked hard to conjure a smile up on our bad mood radiating faces. He presented himself in a very impressive way and showed his real character which lie dormant behind this strict bodyguard wall, cause Anastacia where still safe in her VIP area doing some interviews.
But I was shocked by the behavior of most of the fans in the A-Hotel who clarify very in a very insistent way why Anastacia don’t want to have a bath in the crowd.
Scarcely had they noticed just a breeze of Anastacia, the people seem to transform into vultures so that Anastacia, provided that she would go downstairs, would lose all her privacy.
But not only because of that fact we felt uncomfortable in the A-Hotel. We weren’t guided by real disappointment but actually it was a mixture between sot disappointing facts, the "wrong place wrong time" feeling and a shock about the behavior of some groups of people, staring at the strange and impolite press guys, calculating nearly unscrupulous VIPs who just stood out because of superficiality but not because of their special unique character and stopped by our fanfamily who seemed like they have forgotten their whole decency at home.
So even in the world of glamour it’s not always a gold rush mood, how it sometimes seems from the perspective of the normal society but these glamour guys are just strange guided media machines.
This overall view leads me to a negative result in first place which means: In commercial way obstinately and professional finished event, where the guests missed warmth, heart and natural emotions.
On Friday morning the northern lights where back home after they survived a disorientated journey right through the bronze of Berlin, which came up because of horrifying signs which we I think will remind forever, but who cares?
Nevetheless we thank s.Oliver for putting this event into practice for us. We all learnt a lot out of this experience and it was very valuable for us because, to be honest, we expected some indefinable impressive moments and learnt otherwise.
A review written of the point of view of the northern lights Stephie, Yanna and Leif, March 29th 2007
