Holy Hollywood Stargazing

At the annual BTA (Better than Awesome) beta readers bash this year we did some star spotting.

Not five foot across the disco ball lit venue were Mel Gibson, Vince Vaughan and Andrew Garfield.

No entourage, no security that we could see.  Just there for the show like we were.

They were all in the country for pre-production for a movie, Gibson is directing.

The show – Velvet – was super fun.  Part burlesque, part circus, part 70s disco with mad hula hooping.  The hula hooping (Craig Reid – so cute) was a show stealer, as was the voice of Marcia Hines.

Another highlight was the slow rendition of the Bee Gees staying alive, with ukulele accompaniment.  During which the unmistakable voice of Vince Vaughan rang out – “ride ’em cowboy”.   It was oddly appropriate.

Chief beta reader M, (it’s probably her fault I’m still writing) snapped a few discrete pics.  Later over coffee, they were sent to family and friends on social media and I wrote an excited tweet or two.  In a parallel universe twist, a Sydney metro paper used the photos in a story.   We’re not sure how they got hold of them, but obviously off either Facebook or twitter feeds, and it was a huge surprise to see the story and M’s pic in newsprint.

But the meta flip in all this, is that my very first novel is called Hiding Hollywood (please don’t read it – I got better at this writing gig since then, though I know people do like it because it’s sweet and I’m so confused!). It’s about what happens when three Hollywood leading men hide out in Australia. Back then the A in BTA stood for Awful.  Holy headspin.

Meanwhile M has a new career as a celebrity pap.  Not.  And I’ve got 12 months to worry about how to top that for the annual beta reader event.  I think I’m in trouble.  Thanks very much Hollywood.

The original snap:

And the newspaper story: