There are dreams that we dare not admit, for fear of being judged or denigrated, but above all because we know that they will probably not come true, so you might as well keep them silent forever. Saying “I love you” to Jennifer Aniston was one of those. And yet, on that mild March evening, on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, the impossible happened: I said “I love you” to Jennifer Aniston, and she smiled at me. Illustrated story of an improbable date that turned out well. I admire the actress as much as the woman, strong and powerful, elegant and radiant. Unpopular opinion: I prefer her in The Morning Show rather than Friends — I’ve never seen Friends. Suddenly, when I received an invitation for the preview of his new Netflix film, Murder Mystery 2 with Adam Sandler, Mélanie Laurent and Dany Boon, I did not hesitate for a second. did not directly receive the invitation. In truth, it’s a crush met via a dating application who won a contest, and who kindly offered me to accompany him. On the program: red carpet, boat trip with champagne and screening of the film in preview. There is worse, like a date. See also on Konbini The meeting is at 5 p.m. on the banks of the Seine, opposite the Eiffel Tower. As usual, I’m late. We kiss each other, I apologize for being late (I have principles) and, in a hurry, we head for the first entrance we see, we give our names, we are handed a “Gold” bracelet. ” and we are handed out numbered tokens for a draw that will take place later in the evening. I come across number 86 — crucial information for what follows. “Oh, there’s Louis from Star Ac’!” ) stands behind barriers all around the red carpet, while the Parisian gratin struts to the front for a photocall in front of the Eiffel Tower – like the TikTok couple Pierre Boo & Nicky Champa, Miss France 2023 and even Louis de la Star Ac’, our darling, to name a few. In the midst of this social segregation as outdated as it is sociologically fascinating, we find an in-between: micro-influencers. A place of choice is reserved for them, right in the center of the event, alongside the photographers and as close as possible to the podium which will welcome the cast in the hours that follow. For some reason that still eludes us, it is in this precise place that we are installed. In the midst of influencers and looks both envious and disdainful. We laugh with discomfort. “Do you have a lot of followers?” The “influencer manager” (adorable, I kiss her if she reads us) obviously knows her job well and quickly notices that we don’t have much to do here. “Hi guys ! Can I have your tags, just to check something?” We take ten seconds to understand that a “tag” is the name given to our Instagram nickname, before sharing our modest accounts with 300 and 1,500 followers each. Not phew enough, obviously: she burns us, but she’s nice and allows us to camp in the famous central golden circle. Cool, girl. The event begins, some cheesy Mission Impossible music plays and a friendly guy kicks off the festivities by heating up the crowd—always a very awkward moment. A very entertaining traditional Indian dance show adds a generous layer of kitsch to this early evening. six are winning numbers to join the private VIP screening in the Eiffel Tower, with the cast of the film. Because, despite the advantageous position of the micro-influencers for the red carpet, the rest of their evening was the same as that of the others: a boat trip, a screening at Pathé Beaugrenelle, then ciao bye-bye.Two first numbers are drawn, the winners timidly express their joy, when, suddenly, the number 86 is announced. I don’t even dare to move, but the manager who had burned us down a few minutes earlier (and who had meanwhile become our best friend) exclaims at the sight of my token. Too late, I was spotted. They handed me the microphone, with an accuser: “In addition, sir is already a VIP!” I’m dying of shame, tempted to rectify the truth and admit that I’m just a usurper and that my place is among the people, but I just say: “I loved the first movie” . It’s wrong. I have not seen it. In short, we are given VIP bracelets and the evening takes another turn. What the fuck. “Sorry, the team is stuck in the demonstrations. But we have a mentalist to make you wait”The other micro-influencers around us then start to congratulate us, we chat and we smile — whereas ten minutes before they weren’t calculating us (since we weren’t really of theirs). Fraudsters suddenly became the cool kids. Nice moral lesson. I chat and laugh with a very nice American tiktoker, Queen Fatima who, on the networks, plays it like Emily in Paris. We are handed out goodies, including baguettes for Adam Sandler to sign, but also American flags. My new friend Fatima takes the opportunity to tell us that in America, if you see someone with an American flag, you have to run. It must be fachos. Thank you, Fatima. The impatience is starting to be felt. I’m hungry, thirsty, and have to pee. This is where the evening gets a little more political. We are told that the program is disrupted: Paris is blocked by wild demonstrations all over the city following the announcement of the outbreak of 49.3 earlier in the day. “Sorry, the team is stuck in the demonstrations. But we have a mentalist to make you wait”, announces the presenter, a little more stressed than earlier, but still just as nice. That’s already it. As crazy as it may seem, Netflix has enough money to canvass a mentalist in five minutes to come and fill an hour of waiting. And not the least: Nicolas Clément who, according to his Internet page, has already performed magic tricks for the King of England. Effective. After ten well done numbers, the mentalist effect fades and we get impatient again. Finally, the famous boat disembarks: here they are, the stars of the evening! A grand arrival, American style, with the same musical loop repeated ad infinitum. It’s kitsch, it’s generous, it’s Jennifer Aniston, it’s Adam Sandler, it’s Mélanie Laurent, it’s Dany Boon: we’re delighted. A micro-influencer breaks down in tears when she sees Jennifer Aniston. We want to do the same, but we stay in our characters of fake influencers who are a little jaded. On our side, everything is linked very quickly: a security manager comes to escort us to our minibus which will drive the few winners of the draw to the Eiffel tower. It’s literally on the other side of the Seine, which would take us three times less time on foot than by car. But whatever, it’s Netflix that rinses. The minibus is classy, it feels like boarding for the Star Ac’ castle. after our departure, 10 meters further. We will finish the road on foot. Miskine. On the way, we make two new friends who are super excited for what awaits them. “Maybe we’re going to have a gourmet meal with the actors?” Shares one of them. We go up in the elevator, we stop on the second floor, and we are welcomed by a welcome committee visibly well paid in view of the ineffable drawn smiles. A hallway stamped Netflix guides us towards a projection room, in which we finds the crowd of VIP guests from the early evening, who have been waiting miserably in this place with the murderous temperature for three hours. A gift bag awaits us at our place, with a cardboard water brick, two Ladurée macaroons on which the film’s logo is engraved, and above all a cold and wet vegetarian burger. So that’s castle life? The long-awaited cast goes on stage for a short speech and a few jokes, announces the film and immediately slips out of the room. We are far from the gourmet meal alone with our idols fantasized earlier in the evening, but we are already happy to be there. Before they leave the room, I have an epiphany: what if now is the time to make my dream come true? Isn’t this the perfect opportunity to tell Jennifer Aniston, my idol, that I love her? “Jennifer, I love you.” So, courage takes my heart and head, I grab my smartphone , and I’m waiting for the perfect moment to declare my love to him. Obviously, an inner conflict takes place: “I may be doing a little too much.” “My crush will judge me.” “People are classy here, calm down”. Except that Jennifer, I really like her. I like his strength of play, his honorable career, his teasing and human look, his playful and warm smile, his innate class and his natural sympathy. So, I no longer hesitate, and it comes out naturally, one of those declarations burn only with affection, which surprise only with love: “Jennifer, I love you.” She jumps slightly, looks me straight in the eye, smiles and waves at me. In another context, if someone waves hello to you after you tell them you love them, that’s hot. Except this is Jennifer Aniston, so time stands still. Life goal completed. The rest of the evening could not be more banal: we watch a preview film on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower and we take the most popular elevator in Paris with Guillaume Pley, Miss France and Louis of the Star Ac’ — we love it. I quietly return home, Jen’s gaze looping in my head and the cold veggie burger starting to digest in my stomach. To the question that you are certainly all asking yourselves at this stage, I answer you that no, I did not catch my crush. But I said, ‘I love you’ to Jennifer Aniston. It’s already that.
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