Shift experience - courtesy of Kat from QWP

Posted by Wolfie

Our Third-in-Command here at QWP, Anita, will be writing an article on her red carpet coverage of United Global Shift’s Be the Shift Launch Party on June 14, 2010. In the meantime, I shall post a different article on the same event. This write-up is from a different perspective, and I will try to take you into the Launch Party of Be the Shift where the movement to shift the perspective to help others launches in the Hollywood arena. As you all may be very aware by now, the beginning of this particular movement started with the snowstorm disaster on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, where many were left with limited or no clean water supply, electrical supply, or even a home to supply basic needs to. Spear-headed by Chaske Spencer, many of the Twilight actors followed suit to offer their support to encourage others to “be the shift” and help by the simple act of voicing their opinions to those in the government who have the power to make actual changes. So how did a simple, Wolf Pack website admin get into this private, invite-only party? Serendipity? Sheer, dumb luck? Probably both. Whatever the case, Jennifer of LovinChaske and I were fortunate enough to have been invited to this event, and it is my pleasure to share with you the experience. For a week leading up to the event, the nerves seemed to ever-so-slowly have gone from “totally calm” to “I am about to throw up from nervousness”.  Actually, the nausea didn’t hit until I saw the Industry Nightclub where the launch party was held. As we entered the venue through huge, black doors, we saw another set of heavy doors which led into the nightclub. Upon entering, there were a few men dressed in black suits which were largely reminiscent of the “Men in Black”, sans the sunglasses. Beyond the “secret service guys” was a sea of beautiful and wonderfully dressed people of all shapes and sizes, and one of the first who caught my eye was Q’Orianka Kilcher (The New World) who was dressed in an elegant, off-white gown. She was more petite than I had imagined, but then again, every actress I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting has been more petite than I thought (so, it is true that the camera adds 10 pounds!) Directly across the entrance were some seating areas and a dance floor. Off to the right were two bars and a pseudo-private seating area, while to the left was the entrance to the kitchen, a raised seating area that was roped off (no doubt for the Twilight actors), and a raised platform next to the dance floor where the DJ spun his tunes. Finally, through the kitchen was a passageway to a private party room reserved for VIP guests. The next celebrity who I spotted was Jay Tavare (Into the West, Path Finder), who sported a white t-shirt under a leather vest and looking as handsome as ever. For those who are not familiar with Jay, Google him. Once you’ve seen him, it truly is difficult to forget him. As he was constantly surrounded by people, I was not able to get close enough to say hello (sniff). It was still early on in the evening, and many of the actors who were at the taping of Jimmy Kimmel had not arrived, but we did find Tinsel Korey who was chatting with guests and taking photos with them. Jenni and I stood close by to make sure we could get a photo opp with her as well, and in the meantime, we chatted with Yazzie of Eyebehold Photography. Those of you who have had the good fortune of meeting Yazzie know just how easy-going and friendly he is. Tinsel wore a white, Be the Shift T-shirt over a camouflage mini and black knee-high boots. Needless to say, she looked spectacular in her casual outfit. Tinsel spent a bit of time talking to us before we headed off to explore the venue. We had heard that Edi Gathegi was in the house, so to speak, but we didn’t find him. Then again, with a huge crowd like that, it was no easy task finding anyone. The first of the Wolf Pack we came across was Tyson Houseman, who was dressed up in a light suit and matching pants, which contrasted well with his dark-rimmed glasses. He was standing close to the doorway, so Jenni and I approached him to introduce ourselves. He was very soft-spoken but extremely friendly! His publicist soon appeared, so we introduced ourselves to her as well, telling her a little bit about ourselves.

Tyson and Wolfie, photo courtesy of LovinChaske.com

The next Twilight actor we met was Julia Jones, who was standing in the roped off seating area. She wore an elegant, cream-coloured mini dress. Although part of me wanted to just leave her to the semi-privacy which that area offered, I also wanted to tell her how ecstatic I was when I found out she had won the role of Leah Clearwater. Several years ago, I bought a DVD movie called “Black Cloud” in which she played the love interest of the leading male character. When we approached Julia, she at first seemed exhausted, but she was kind enough to talk to us despite the evident fatigue. When I mentioned her work in Black Cloud, she seemed relieved to know that her pre-Twilight work did not go unnoticed. Just as we were about to take a photo, however, she was quickly whisked away as she had to leave.

Alex, photo courtesy of LovinChaske.com

Alex Meraz was the next Twilight actor we came across and there were several people getting photo opps with him, as expected. I had half-expected to see his beautiful wife, Kim, with him, but we did not see her at the party. Alex seemed a little more tired than usual as well (and one had to wonder if Jimmy Kimmel had them running laps or something). He had to take off as well to get ready to get on stage (the rasied platform area next to the DJ). Tinsel and Chaske, who also wore a Be the Shift T-shirt, stood tall and handsome next to the beautiful Tinsel. They looked great in matching shirts! Alex, in his dark, sporty suit, stood next to Chaske. There was a golden dance pole in the way, so the photographers who wanted photos of Alex shouted out to him to move away from the pole. Unfortunately, there was not a lot of space on the platform, so the pole remained a sore to the photographers. Tyson stood off to the side behind Alex. Chaske and Tinsel spoke about United Global Shift and its mission before a large crowd. Tinsel mentioned how UGS helped with the distribution of blankets on the Navajo reservation, and encouraged the guests to support the efforts in helping those on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. After the crowd dispersed, a young man approached me and asked me who he needed to speak to about making a donation. I was confused at first, but then realized he must have thought that I was one of the members of the Cheyenne River Sioux community who were also present at the party. I chuckled and pointed him to the first person I saw whom I knew could help him, which happened to be Chaske’s manager, who, by the way, is one of the friendliest, most sincere people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. It was evident that she was the kind of person who naturally attracted people with good hearts. Chaske was extremely busy at the event, which was expected since he was the celebrity host, and when it seemed that there was no way to chat with him, Jeni from UGS kindly reminded Chaske that Jenni and I were just outside the VIP room. I imagine that to Chaske, Jenni and I represented the Twilight fan community at this party, and he made his way out of the VIP room to speak to us. It was evident that he was being pulled in all directions, and just as he appeared from the VIP area, he was quickly surrounded by others who wanted a few minutes of his time. Still, he made his way to Jenni and myself and took the time to thank us for our support and posed for photos with us. Words do not do justice to how gracious Chaske is. He truly loves the Twilight fans and is grateful for everything and every opportunity that the fans have given him through the Twilight franchise. His success has enabled him to help others, and Chaske has always been about giving back to the community, and when he speaks to you, you cannot help but want to stand by him in helping those who are in need because he is truly genuine, and he surrounds himself with genuinely good people like Josselyne (his manager), Tinsel, and everyone at United Global Shift.

Wolfie and Chaske, photo courtesy of LovinChaske.com

Chaske had to leave relatively early, and I later supposed it was because he had to catch a fight abroad the next day. Being insanely busy seems to be part of having a big role in the Twilight saga. Jenni, my awesome “date”, spent the rest of the night chatting with folks in the VIP room, including Chief Joseph Brings Plenty of the Cheyenne River Sioux Nation, Kalani Queypo (The New World, Into the West), Yazzie, and our now-dear-friends in One Voice World. All in all, we had a fabulous night networking, socializing, and meeting the Wolf Pack.Thank you Jenni (LovinChaske.com) for being a great date! And this night would not have been possible without Jeni (UGS). Thank you so much, Jeni! More photos will be posted in the Gallery soon.

Jenni, Jeni, and Wolfie, photo courtesy of LovinChaske.com

Last but certainly not least… Please help in aiding those on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation and be the shift by textingBETHESHIFT to 66937 to sign the petition! It doesn’t take much, but it helps a GREAT DEAL!

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