Chantal's Hollywood Adventures

Hey Guys,  Last Saturday I got onto to the plane at Oakland Airport and flew to Burbank for my final stop in Los Angeles. After landing at Burbank my cousin and I headed off to west Hollywood to stay with a very good family friend, who was kind enough to let us stay with him until I was able to move into my apartment.  Our first few days of exploring the area were fantastic. We started off with a spot of shopping at the Beverly Center, which we walked forty minutes to as we had no car, before heading off on a night out at a stylish nightclub near sunset called Boulevard3. The club consisted of a large outside area with large water display surrounded buy fire burners, an outside cocktail bar and luxury VIP areas. There was also an inside section with another very large bar, podium dancers, a VIP section and a large dance floor. It cost about $20 to get in, which is pretty pricey considering in London nightclubs girls will always get i free. I was ...

Hey Guys, So I’ve now been in California for over two weeks and so far I’ve loved every minute of my time here. My first week was spent in Marin County where I went to Napa for wine tasting and had some lovely quality time with my aunt. This week, however, has been a little different, but just as exciting as the first. For my second week in Cali I went to stay with my cousins in Concord and Pleasant Hill, whilst my aunt was in Orange County. This is about an hour away from Marin and has a little more to do. The first few days I was here I didn’t quite feel comfortable, as everything seemed a little alien to me. Even going to the grocery store to buy dinner seemed to be a bit of a stress. I decided after a week of takeaways it was time for me to do a bit of cooking. I headed on my thirty-minute walk to Safeway to pick up the ingredients. After about twenty minutes of searching I finally found most of what I needed except from a bottle of soy sauce. I couldn’t ...

Hello Amigos,  My first week in California has been pretty amazing. On Saturday I went with my aunt, cousin and her husband to Napa Valley for a day of wine tasting. We hired a driver so that we would all be able to sample the different wines without worrying about how to get home. We started the day off at Chandon winery where we were able to try a variety of different prosecco wines and champagnes, before moving on to three other places in Napa. The second two wineries consisted of a combination of wine, cheese and chocolate tasting which comlimented each other perfectly. Our final winery  (which I did not partake in) was a family favourite and a place in which my cousin and aunty have been going to for years. The scenery was beautiful and had an area where you could purchase meats, cheeses, wines and pastas to eat outside in the picnic area. Every winery was beautiful and showcased its own unique identity. Chandon had a classy and elegant feel whilst Castello was ...

Hey Guys, So after talking about my preparations and my excitement to move to America for the past year, the day is finally here. At the moment I am currently sitting in the garden drinking coffee and enjoying the sun whilst I write my first blog post in the USA. I can't believe that it is finally here and I am thrilled to be able to share my latest adventures with all you lovely readers. Waving goodbye to my mum, dad and sister at Heathrow airport I realised that I was finally on my own and ready to start this new chapter in my life. Even at the age of twenty-four I had never really been away from my family for longer than a few weeks and I now had to learn how to be a grown up in the real world (a very scary thought). This is something I felt was extremely important for myself as I was hoping it would allow me to gain a bit more Independence and force me to not always rely on my parents for everything. After leaving my parents for security I was ready to board the plane. I ...

'Is drama school essential as an actor or is a complete waste of money?' This is a tricky debate and is not a decision to take lightly. As someone such as myself who has attended many acting classes and been to various drama schools I feel that there are both pros and cons to attending drama school. I don't believe there is a right or wrong answer to this question as every actor will have a different opinion depending on their personal experiences. For this reason my response to this debate is that it is all personal preference to that individual.  Some actors swear by drama school and believe that it has shaped and developed them into better and more confident actors, whilst, others believe it has made no difference in bettering their careers and now all they have to show for it is  £30,000+ in student debts.  Firstly I want make clear that I wouldn't go to drama school if you are not 110 percent sure that being an actor is for you. Acting is a craft that is very speci...

Hola Amigos,  I cannot believe how fast this last year has gone. Today is officially my two weeks notice. In exactly fourteen days today I will be heading off on my latest adventure. I will begin with a three week trip to San Francisco to visit family and then onto LA to start my new adventure at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. It feels so surreal. I have dreamt about this move since I was about twelve years old, when I would draw pictures of myself under the Hollywood sign, with my name up in lights and now it's almost here.  Yesterday I rang up EE to cancel my phone contract and when the lady asked me why I was leaving, I  jumped with excitement that I was finally able to say that I was moving to Los Angeles. "Wow I was not expecting that. That's fantastic, so your going to be actor?" the lady says in delight. 'Yes, yes I am" I reply eagerly. "Well that's definitely a good reason to cancel your contract with us". Hearing other peo...

Hey Guys,  So as you all probably know by now I will be officially moving to Los Angeles in August to study acting at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts located in West Hollywood. With only nineteen days left until the big move I have been doing major preparations to to get 'hollywood ready'.  Tan- Check, Bikini body- half check, Hollywood Smile- Double Check!!! For a long time now I have been getting my teeth professionally whitened. The issue I find with this is that my teeth become extremely sensitive after and although they look white for a while, it always seems to fade between treatments. I am a big coffee fanatic and drink two espresso's every morning, as well as, a red wine drinker. Although I love white teeth I can't really afford to be spending large amounts of money on whitening that doesn't last and ends with my teeth feeling sensitive and uncomfortable.  I have probably tried nearly every tooth whitening kit and toothpaste on the market from ...