So late last month there were the first news articles about the currently ongoing "63th. Berlinale" (a large film festival in Berlin, Germany, 7th-17th February 2013) and a certain British actor whose roles he played over the years are too plentiful to list also showed up on the guest list.
As the Berlinale started, more and more news surfaced, such as the info that "Night Train To Lisbon" (in which said actor plays a small role) would premiere on 13th. February, which it did.
So all day long, this crazy, never-sleeping fan kept searching the web for news, infos, pictures and videos, but wasn't too successful at first.
The first clue that I found - which was shared by several news websites - was that above mentioned actor said that it would be nice to have a black pope. (Now, that coming from a man who has outlived 7 popes [Pius XI (1922-1939), Pius XII (1939-1958), John XXIII (1958-1963), Paul VI (1963-1978), John Paul I (1978), John Paul II (1978-2005), Benedict XVI (2005-2013)]
Now, this actor is certainly not the only one who would want (or could imagine) a black pope, some family members and friends have suggested that as well when Benedikt XVI decided to quit. (I just wonder why suddenly everyone wants a black pope, are those people - and most of all someone who played the Death and the Devil on several occasions - expecting a black pope to automatically hold black masses?) [My brother means a black pope would be cool, because he'd probably make a good Hip Hop and Rap personality, given the robes, jewels and golden chains they wear by default. Sounds legit, but my question here would be, how would the new pope's acceptance speech sound? Would he start out with the words "Yo BrothaZ & SistaZ" or would he just say "Yo Homies"?]
But popes aside, there was work to be done, the Internet to be searched.
Late in the evening, it was almost (Mr.) Midnight, the first photo appeared in the Berliner Zeitung. ("geschlossene Gesellschaft" means "private"). Why the picture was released when it was already dark outside can only be speculated about - not mentioning a certain movie role here, as the Bild Zeitung and other places have done all day long already, and at some point even I don't find it funny anymore. >.<)
Later the night, more stuff started to appear, as if it was magic. (Oooor maybe the people who had been to the Berlinale finally managed to get home and/or find a quiet space with their portable computers to upload new images and videos). Or maybe it WAS magic, since after all, we have the wizard 'Saruman The White' here.
A Fan-made video which I found on YouTube shows this wonderful actor's arrival at the red carpet of the Berlinale. (Bear in mind that he will be 91 years old in May, and that he had an accident on the set of the movie "The Resident" in which he injured a vertebra).
There are plenty of images now from various news websites, and surely more will surface once the other people who were at the Berlinale wake up.
For me the question is now "To Be or Not To Be" or rather , To Sleep or Not To Sleep, because as I am finishing this article about a day in the life of a fan, the digital clock on my computer shows 5:48 am.
(Note: He probably played the role the news media always attaches to him less often than he played Germans).
The one and only, Sir Christopher Lee @ the 63th. Berlinale @ 13.02.2013
