Monaco

I'm behind on my blogging mainly because of all the traveling I did this past year. One of my recent trips was to Monaco where my screenplay was a finalist in the Angel Film Awards- The Monaco International Film Festival.

Monaco is a principality bordered by France on three sides and by the Mediterranean Sea. 

This was my first trip to Europe, so I was excited to see all that Monaco had to offer. Monaco definitely lived up to the glitz and glam people associate with it.

The Mediterranean Sea

The city of Monaco

Some of Monaco's legendary yachts that dock here.

A street in Old Town Monaco

I stayed at the Hotel Metropole. The place was amazing. The staff was friendly and catered to your every need. 

The front of Hotel Metropole.

One of the first nights there, I went to the Grand Casino. Inaugurated on February 18th, 1863, it is one of the oldest casinos in the world. Stepping through the casino doors, you feel as if you walked on to the set of a James Bond movie. They even have the James Bond Martini for you to drink while you gamble.

The Grand Casino. I was there during Christmas so decorations were on display.

Other points of interest in Monaco include the changing of the guard at the palace, Prince Rainier III's cars museum, and the oceanography museum.

The Changing of the Guard occurs at 11:55 am every day rain or shine.

Created by Prince Albert 1, the Oceanography Museum combines science with art.

The Bushnell Tortoise (1776). Created by David Busnell, it was the first submarine.

Ceiling of the conference room

One of the chandeliers in the conference room.

A seahorse swimming around.

Still love taking pictures of jellyfish. They're just so pretty.

Prince Rainier III had a huge car, race car, and motorcycle collection that was turned into a museum. I loved seeing the different cars. Here a a couple of pictures of the collection.

A 1940 Indian

A 1986 Lamborghini

A BMW Williams FW 22

A 1954 Sunbeam Alpine. This was the car in To Catch a Thief that Grace Kelly rode in. 

I even had the chance to explore a European Christmas Market.

The Christmas Market

Another view with the Christmas Tree

One of the vendors.

Since Monaco borders Southern France, I took a day trip to see some of the medieval towns in France. On my day adventure, I was able to see St. Paul de Vence and Eze.

One of the main streets in St. Paul de Vence

One of the alleys in St. Paul de Vence

St. Paul de Vence

One of the streets in Eze.

Another View of Eze.

Looking up on Eze.

On the way to Eze, I drove through Nice, France.

Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France.

A View of the French Riveria.

I loved seeing these old villages. I felt as if I had stepped back in time to the medieval ages.

As for the festival itself, it was a fun and fascinating experience. Movies premiered from all over the world, including a Chinese Opera. Each night ended with champagne and hors d'oeuvres. One after party was located on the French Riviera.

The Costumes from the Chinese Opera were beautiful.

And of course, the best part of this amazing trip was when my screenplay received two awards at the film festival.

Monaco was an amazing experience.



Great Food I ate during my trip:

Champagne Tea at the Hotel Metropole

And chocolate.

Desserts from a Local Patisserie.

Cheese Pizza from the Tip Top (Monaco is near Italy so they have great pizza)

Warm Foi Gras at the Hotel Metropole in their restaurant Joël Robuchon Monte- Carlo.

Sole

The Dessert Tray at the end of the meal.

Chestnut and Chantilly Cream

Floating Island

Crepes with Chantilly Cream at the Christmas Market

And of course, more chocolates.

Interested in my adventures? Follow the links below to learn more:

Hotel Metropole: http://www.metropole.com/en/home

The Grand Casino: http://www.casinomontecarlo.com/

The Oceanography Museum: http://www.oceano.mc/en

The Prince of Monaco's Vintage Car Collection: http://www.visitmonaco.com/en/Places-to-visit/Museums/Exhibition-of-HSH-The-Prince-of-Monaco’s-Vintage-Car-Collection

Angel Film Awards- Monaco International Film Festival: http://www.monacofilmfest.com/

Halloween 2014

Sorry for the absence in posting. I have been traveling for the past few months. I will be blogging about my adventures soon.

The following is my Halloween feast for this year.

My mom created this year's tablescape. It was a pumpkin theme. 

Tomato soup with grilled cheese bites.

Munchible Mice

Guacamole Cups

Taco Mac Cupcakes

Fire Ants on a Log

Witch's Brew (Lime Gelatin, Vodka, Pineapple Juice, and Sprite)

I did some recipes from last year and even tried a few new ones. It was fun cooking these recipes. To top off the night, I ordered pizza and watched the Halloween classic Hocus Pocus.

I hope that everyone had a great Halloween. 

Happy Halloween from the Halloweenie.

~A.E. Keener

Update of the Past Few Months Part 2

 If you've visited my A.E. Keener Facebook page recently, you may have seen a post about this picture.

This award was the reason for my second visit in April to California. I was invited to the Beverly Hills Film Festival because my screenplay, Patchwork, was selected as a finalist for BHFF's screenplay contest. The Film Festival lasts five days and is filled with features, shorts, animations, and documentaries. The week ends with a black tie gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel where the awards are presented to the winners.

The films were shown at the TCL Chinese Theaters which is the more modern version of the Grauman's Chinese Theater located nearby. 

The Marquis display for the Beverly Hills Film Festival.

Like the old movie theaters, the TCL Chinese theaters have red curtains over their screens. They rise before the movie is shown.

With the curtains up.

It was fun to see different features, documentaries, shorts, and animations from all over the world. Plus, watching these films in the heart of Hollywood made it even more special.

I stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel which is on Hollywood Blvd and right across from the Chinese Theater.

The Ceiling in the Roosevelt Hotel

One of the main areas.

During breaks between movies, I would explore the boulevard which was busy and filled with exciting things to do.

The El Capitan Theatre: Hollywood's First Home of Spoken Drama and Walt Disney Studio's Premiere Theatre.

The Egyptian Theatre: Home of the first movie premiere.

I love the Egyptian design.

A car decorated in tiny cars.

The Dolby Theatre

Disney Ghirardelli

A view of the Hollywood Sign.

And of course, the infamous Chinese Theatre.

I didn't have as much time to explore other areas of the city; but I did have a couple of hours one day for an excursion to the California Science Center.

My main reason for going was to see the Endeavour. I wrote in a previous blog about watching the spaceship's last flight. It now resides at the California Science Museum. Naturally, I had to see the spaceship up close and personal. 

The Endeavour.

A slightly closer shot.

A view of the famous tiles. 

Some Fun Facts about the Endeavour:

       ~During reentry, the nose and leading edge of the wings are hotter than any other part of the    shuttle.

       ~A single tile could cost as much as $2,000 to make. 

      ~ The black coating seen on the tiles under the orbiter helped the tiles shed heat. The white tiles and blankets on the orbiter's topside helped to reflect solar radiation when the shuttle was in orbit, which helped the Endeavour to keep cool. 

I still can't believe that the Endeavour has been in space. Being this close to a piece of history, I was filled with awe.

The California Science Center also has several other exhibits. I was limited on time so I was only able to visit one other exhibit, The Kelp Forest Restoration in the Ecosystems area. 

Kelp Forests are important ecosystems located off California's coast. They are home to a diverse wildlife. 

At the California Science Center, they are growing kelp forests to help educate on their importance.

Swimming through the Underwater Forest

Another Shot of fish swimming

In the Jellyfish tank, the movements were so beautiful that I had to take pictures.

Who knew jellyfish were so graceful?

Another fun excursion provided by the Beverly Hills Film Festival was a party at one of L.A.'s night clubs: the OHM Nightclub. If you know me,  I'm kind of grumpy if it's past 10 and I'm not within a few feet of my bed. However, OHM had several key factors that helped influence me to go:

There were books...

Typewriters...

And steampunk decor... Of course, I had to go.

Along with these excursions, I also was able to enjoy some wonderful food and drinks from several great restaurants. A couple of my favorites were:

Black Cod from The Public Kitchen and Bar

A cosmo inspired specialty drink made with market fresh ingredients from the Library Bar.

Halibut from Il Cielo.

And Il Cielo's Panna Cotta was just so pretty.

And of course, an old fashioned Coke Float from Disney Ghirardelli's. 

On my last night, I attended the Beverly Hill Film Festival's Award Ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel. In true Hollywood fashion, the ceremony was a black tie affair with red carpet and photo opportunities. 

After a full course dinner, the awards were presented; and I received 2nd Runner Up for Best Screenplay.  I still can't believe that it actually happened. 

Naturally, there was only one way to celebrate:

Cupcakes from the original Sprinkle's Cupcakes.

This California Adventure was an exciting and "rewarding" experience. Being able to receive an award  in Tinseltown itself, was a dream come true. 

~A.E. Keener

Interested in my adventure? Click the links below to learn more:

Beverly Hills Film Festival:

http://www.beverlyhillsfilmfestival.com/

Thompson Roosevelt Hotel:

http://www.thompsonhotels.com/hotels/hollywood-roosevelt

El Capitan:

http://elcapitantheatre.disney.com/

Grauman's Egyptian Theatre:

http://egyptiantheatre.com/egyptian/egypt.htm

Dolby Theatre:

http://www.dolbytheatre.com/

California Science Center:

http://www.californiasciencecenter.org/

OHM Nightclub:

http://ohmnightclubla.com/

Public Kitchen and Bar:

http://www.thompsonhotels.com/hotels/hollywood-roosevelt/eat-and-drink/public-kitchen-and-bar

The Library Bar:

http://www.thompsonhotels.com/hotels/hollywood-roosevelt/eat-and-drink/library-bar

Il Cielo Restaurant:

http://www.ilcielo.com/

Disney Ghirardelli:

http://www.ghirardelli.com/locations-events/ghirardelli-locations/hollywood-ca

Sprinkles Cupcakes:

http://www.sprinkles.com/