Category: features
Posted by Chika in Anniversary, features, tribute Wednesday, 2 December 2009 15:05
…And here we are.
365 days ago, Team Hudgens was a concept being battered between blackberries with big grins and even bigger dreams. A couple of hours later, it came into being with a total of three members and three threads.
Yet here we are, a year later, looking back at our journey of evolving into what we dreamt of;
a fandom where Vanessa Hudgens will always come first, where she will be the focus and the highest common factor;
a fandom that will increasingly begin to reflect all the qualities we admire in her, that respect her and the boundaries she’s drawn; and
a fandom where she is accepted and loved for who she is, not making her more or less than she is;
And what a journey it’s been.
From mere hopes and dreams, we’ve really evolved into a community of people from all walks of life, countries, cultures, and of all ages; providing an unwavering and meaningful support to Vanessa and her career with a lot of fun and laughter and sighing along the way.
As with all communities made up of humans with different backgrounds we’ve had our ups and downs, our points of agreements and differences, we’ve weathered good and bad news, we’ve had excitements and hair-pulling, lots of opportunities to fangirl/boy together and lots to rant.
We’ve made mistakes and learnt from them, we’ve surged forward and pruned back so we can grow with quality rather than quantity. Yet in all this, the community continues to flourish and provide the core of what is TH.
YOU are this core, this community that refuses to be ripped apart or be distracted or be dissuaded. There will be no TH without you. We’re always amazed at so many of you that support Vanessa unwaveringly, within and without TH.
We’re grateful for those that use their talents not just to support Vanessa but to serve other members whether it’s making artwork, sourcing news, buying and posting magazines, translating articles, making scrapbooks, explaining stuff, being enthusiastic etc.
We’re grateful for those that provide their support by showing up, whether English is their first language or not, whether their needs are being met or not, whether they get attention or not, whether they comment or lurk, whether they understand all the comments or not.
We know that many of you lead busy lives and possibly face difficult and stressful situations in real life, yet you show up, quietly providing support in the way you can, being enthusiastic, being quirky, cracking us up, stimulating conversations, keeping to the rules, cheerfully accepting our boundaries, bearing with us and steadfastly playing your part in keeping TH what it is, what it’s designed to be.
We don’t say it often enough so we want to say a big thank you to all of you. For showing up and being the core of TH.
Here’s to hoping we have many more years of great memories as we support Vanessa together.
So…HAPPY ANNIVERSARY EVERYONE!
And from Vanessa:
Credit: Marilyn for animation
For discussions, please visit the Team Hudgens forum
Posted by Fifi in Movie roles, tribute Saturday, 21 November 2009 16:42
What exactly makes a good actor/actress?
Why do we enjoy watching an actor ? What draws us and gets us attached to a person we see on a movie screen? All these questions stumbled inside my mind as I was trying to find excuses why an actress I liked sucked big time at a new different role she was taking on for the first time. Was she really that bad or was it my mind that had problems differentiating the actress from the role I used to see her play? How could I know that she was a good actress, no matter what the critics said or that my mind was telling me?
When I watch an actor/actress, I immediately thought about “her”. My favorite actress that I like, adore and whose career I actually follow. Vanessa Hudgens. Why do I like her so much? Does she have enough “work” under her belt for me to really say that I like her of her acting or just because of her beautiful face? If she ever plays something different from what she’s been doing so far, will I still like her? Or am I allowed to like her in one role and not the other? Will that make me a bad fan? I had to know.
So, inquisitive me, I went online and read all the professional comments and reviews, bad or good I could find regarding all of her movies with one scheduled for next year and the other, still in production. Let me share my personal experience and findings with you, whether you’re a fan or not, if you are reading this, is because you have a slight interest in her professional (not so much private I hope) life and I think this should be a good find.
First, let me share my opinion. Vanessa Hudgens is now known for many things: her fashion/ style, her scandals, her personal dating life or is even hated for those same exact reasons. As for her movie career, many people seem to believe that it started with the HSM series. Although, these movies have truly contributed of her “coming out”, they were not what brought me into liking her. I had already fallen for her years before. I have not watched Thirteen, just a few clips, so I can’t really give my personal opinion on that. But if I were to judge her acting skills solely on those clips, I’d say that she seemed to have had fun playing the character and that she really took it seriously even though it was a small role and she was so young.
She first caught my eyes for good in Thunderbirds. I had no idea why, but she really got my attention. Was it her bubbly, vivacious little self? Her shiny eyes that expressed so much of the different emotions her character was going through? Her beauty, her smile? Did it really have anything to do with her acting at this point?
I quickly forgot about her, as some time went by without seeing her or even hearing anything about her from the industry. But the second my eyes fell on her again, in one of the many trailers for the HSM1 movie on Disney Channel, I recognized her and was happy to see her again. I watched the movie with a critical eye and found that her acting, although a little weak, was actually the best of all the HSM main stars. I like musicals (blushing) so I kept on watching the next installments… and the rest is history when it comes to my love for Vanessa. I actually think that her acting improved considerably throughout the whole series to really shine in HMS3.
Her character was very badly written and not given any depth at all but Vanessa managed to give it so much likability, charm and credibility that we quickly forget about the frivolity of the character. She made Gabriella the silent, quiet force that changed East High and made the MVP, most-wanted guy fall crazy in love with her, up to following her where she decided to go (I know… I’m a helpless romantic). So, I really liked her in HSM because she brought her character from beyond what it was first written and actually gave it some depth. Ortega (HSM director) appreciates Hudgens’ unique blend of talents. “She continues to amaze me in the way that she grows as an actress. This girl can dance. This girl can sing. This girl can act. She’s funny, she’s everything. She’s a real leading lady.”
Vanessa’s next movie is Bandslam where she played the supporting role, Sa5m. Bandslam was critically acclaimed by many, many good movie critics and although was not a leading role for her, she had the hard task of carrying the movie.
“Hudgens has both the beauty and the brains to generate plenty of interest, a natural stillness that’s star material and a heart melting smile. She becomes the centre of our interest and remains at the emotional core of the film throughout.” – Urban Cinefile.
Many blame the studio for Bandslam’s failure at the box office and others, the movie in its entirety and mostly Vanessa, for it’s been compared to HSM so many countless times. I think that this movie, was just a channel for Vanessa to improve on her acting skills. A way to get a project under her teeth to be able to get some practice and therefore, perfect her craft. But what really got me again, is her professionalism as an actress. Despite her small screening time, I admired they way she nailed the character of Sa5m. She shone in so many different ways by giving her all to the character.
I have not seen Beastly and Sucker Punch yet for they have not yet been released. As a matter of fact, Sucker Punch is still being filmed but with all the hype surrounding these two movies, I am actually scared. Not that Vanessa will do badly, we already have so many clips and reviews stating the fact that she will do brilliantly. Zack Snyder, the director of Sucker Punch already had so many nice comments about her, way before she even started shooting and her co-star Alex Pettyfer in Beastly, had nothing but nice words to describe her acting capabilities.
Alex Pettyfer: ”She is very talented. She knows she still has to prove herself to the people who still see her as the actress in musicals. But I think she will impress everyone with her next projects. She is an actress to count on in the future.”
I am scared because in my personal experience, the highly anticipated movies are always the most challenging and difficult to fulfill. The higher the expectations we have regarding a movie, the more reasons we find it to be disappointing. So, only the future will tell if they will contribute to her engraving her name alongside the best in the business or, contribute to her slowly fading in the shadows.
Now after reading all this, did I find my answer? What makes a good actor/actress? A good actor/actress is someone who:
• Makes a performance seem, perfectly natural and becomes that character.
• Truly understands their role and own it while being able to portray a specific personality type.
• Makes the character memorable but don’t think too hard about acting, but just do it.
• Versatility and the ability to play different roles: Be willing to try new things.
• Work hard and never take their talents for granted.
• Has a clear vision and, most of all, enjoys to act and live to act.
Now, I could go on and on about it, but I’ll just add that I have just proven to myself, and hopefully to you, why Vanessa Hudgens deserves my love and attention. She is a very good actress in the making because she has evolved throughout the years, is not scared to take on new challenges and actually makes her characters very believable with just a few movies under her belt. So I am very optimistic in her craft. If you are interested in knowing more about her whether it’s about her music, her style, her other business ventures or her philanthropic contributions, please visit our forum.
But I couldn’t leave without borrowing words from Vanessa Hudgens herself:
“You can’t win everyone over. Stay true to yourself, live life and love it!”.
For discussions, please visit the Team Hudgens forum
Posted by Maz in Meeting Vanessa Saturday, 7 November 2009 15:26
(edit. this is a first of what we hope would be an ongoing series of accounts from Team Hudgens members of meeting Vanessa Hudgens)
So I was in LA visiting my high school friends, I was lucky enough that my trip coincided with the Bandslam premiere (hiding the fact that the premiere was one of the first reasons that I wanted to go there).
I just told my friends 2 days before the premiere that I wanted to go to the premiere and needed them to go with me. Surprisingly, my friends got excited about it, since we hadn’t been to a premiere before, let alone in the US. So we were set to go.
Finally the day came, it was August the 6th, and I was really excited when I knew that it was the day. I decided to wear my Sponge Bob t-shirt that I bought a long time ago, since I knew that Vanessa loves it.
So there were 3 of us who were going, we arrived at the theater at about 4 PM, about 2 hours before the stars came, it was pretty early, the red carpet was still really really empty. So we ate lunch at CPK (we always ate lunch that late, since we always slept at about 5-6 AM and woke up at 1-2 PM everyday) to fill the time and went to the carpet at about 5. We got a pretty good spot; then we were just taking some pictures in front of the carpet.
At about 6, some actresses who I had no idea who they were started to come, I think they were from Disney, but some of them were hot lol. I think the first person from the cast who came was Charlie, I didn’t recognize him at first because he cut his hair. Then the other cast started to come, such as Scott Porter, Gaelan, Honor Society, Omar (I forgot his real name, but of course not Omar Rodriguez of ‘The Mars Volta’, I would really freak out if he came lol). edit. Omar was played by Tim Jo
Scott and Honor Society were signing some autographs, but I didn’t really care, I just backed up a little bit and let all the girls to get their autographs. We realized that the stars started signing autographs from the other end of the crowd and they usually didn’t go until the area where we stood. So we decided to separate and I went to the spot where the stars started signing.
Then finally Vanessa came with her sexy gams (even hotter live, it’s like unreal lol), she arrived with Brittany. She just hugged and talked with a couple of people on the carpet and came to the fans. I didn’t get a chance to get an autograph because there were too many people in front of me. She signed so many autographs and took a couple of pics, but I still failed to get one. I was feeling kinda hopeless at that time, I was already thinking, “it’s okay, at least I’m able to see her”.
So my last hope was for her to go to the other end of the crowd where my friend was still waiting there. We regrouped again and waited at the other end. I don’t know why, but she was walking closer and closer, she was really nice, actually the only person who signed autographs from end-to-end of the crowd. I think she was really happy that a lot of people came, since it happened they day after the scandal.
Finally she came by, I asked for a pic and she answered “sure”. Then after that I asked if she could sign my Sponge Bob shirt and a couple of photos that I brought, then she answered “of course, I love Sponge Bob”, then of course without hesitation I went closer to her so she could sign my shirt. I totally froze when she signed my shirt, because she was pulling my shirt a little bit hahaha..
We were being greedy, after she passed us, we still tried to follow her to get some more pics, but Brit was always there and didn’t let us, even though Vanessa seemed okay with it.
Then we decided to go home, but suddenly there was a guy who was giving out free tickets to the premiere and I asked for 3 of them. I told my friends that I got 3 tickets and they were really surprised. Then we just walked inside the theater while Vanessa was still on the carpet, it was so crowded there.
Vanessa came before the movie started and everybody was trying to take a picture with her, but some guys guarded her. Then she sat like 5 rows in front of me, I could see the back of her head clearly, she posed for a couple of pics with fans who were sitting close to her.
Then the movie started, everybody when Aly, Gaelan and Vanessa appeared on screen. Everybody also laughed a lot at the funny moment and clapped when the bands finished performing their songs in the movie. My friends liked the movie a lot, since we all love rock music.
Vanessa got out of the theater right after the movie ended, and as usual, she was surrounded by a couple of guys protecting her. She then walked passed me, we were like in a touching distance, but I didn’t ask for anything, and she was looking down too.
Posted by chay in tribute Tuesday, 6 October 2009 16:22
“Hugs all around”
that’s the first thing Vanessa said at the first Team Hudgens meet-up in Vancouver on October 4, 2009.
The meeting was the first time Vanessa would meet any of us in the group. So you can’t blame me for being surprised that she came by herself to meet us – no assistant, no PA from “Sucker Punch”, nor anyone from her management. Just her gorgeous-ness, in a bohemian short dress, white scarf and sandals – hair still wet (she just got home from the gym she said). Just her, joining some “friends” for coffee.
And that was exactly the vibe of the whole one hour meeting – friends chatting over coffee, well except for the 5 minutes or so to go over the Team Hudgens scrapbook. Just like old friends catching up, we talked about what we have been up to: she asked us what we have done in Vancouver; admire each other’s purses and shirts and oogle over chocolates. We even shared “ooohs and aaaws” over our phones’ screensavers (hers is of her at the Vancouver Aquarium kissing a Beluga whale).
If you’ve seen the scrapbook videos you probably said to yourself: “she seems down to earth and sweet”. She is all that and then some; and that’s not being bias because we’re Team Hudgens. Trust me, this blog entry would not exist if I came out of the meeting with a negative perception of her. She was unpretentious, and refreshingly candid. Presents were accepted with child-like enthusiasm and anecdotes were shared with excitement – complete with arms waving in the air.
Most good things must come to an end though, right? After about an hour, Vanessa asked if we want pictures; our signal that time with her was almost over. We took a couple pictures and walked with her a bit and said our goodbyes. I asked her if she enjoyed the meeting and if we could possibly visit her again. She said of course; we are afterall part of her extended family now. She then proceeded to give us all hugs again and said “I guess I’ll see you again”.
Have I mentioned this is the first time she has met any of us?
The meeting was both surreal and overwhelming, so I hope you understand if I don’t remember every single word uttered.
Thanks again to Evan, for making all this happen. Thanks to everyone in Team Hudgens, and of course, thanks to Vanessa for everything.
Until the next meeting.
(for discussion on this entry, please visit the Team Hudgens forum)
Our first official Team Hudgens meet up was actually participated by Vanessa herself when we visited her in Vancouver, BC. She sat down with us and talked for almost an hour – just chatting over coffee, as if we are old friends just catching up.
Thanks for that Vanessa. You’ve made such a big impression and made all of us who were there, into even BIGGER fans (didn’t know that was possible). We hope you stay as humble and down to earth as you are.
Thank you so much; and until next time~~
Below is a video of her going through the scrapbook that several ladies of Team Hudgens put together.
We would also like to thank Evan, ‘TH’ members and of course Vanessa, for making all this happen.
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