October 13, 2011
dailytitan.com
7
DETOUR
A fairy tale dream come true Concerts CLARK PAGADUAN Daily Titan
Once upon a magical afternoon, she walked through Downtown Disney not knowing that she was about to have her Cinderella moment and the world would share that moment with her. The Happiest Place on Earth became a little happier Sept. 25 when Jamin Love, 26, a Cal State Fullerton business management alumnus, proposed to his shocked and teary-eyed girlfriend of more than five years, Valerie Albania, 25, a nurse at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, after dancing in a surprise, choreographed flash mob routine to the tune of Bruno Mars’ “Marry You” at Downtown Disney. Hundreds of spectators, including many close friends and family, were present when the enchanted event took place. A YouTube video of the proposal has gained national media attention and, of course, become an Internet sensation. The video has generated over 1.8 million views and the number continues to grow. It has been featured on news outlets such as Good Morning America and has been talked about on the prominent blogs of Disney, Perez Hilton, Ryan Seacrest and The Insider. The couple were recent guests on NBC’s The Filter with Fred Roggin. Jamin and Valerie, who are both directors at Marvels Dance Co. based in Walnut, Calif., have been humbled by the entire experience. “It’s so surreal. It’s an amazingly humbling feeling,” said Love. “Just to see where it started from and to where it is now, it’s completely mind-blowing.” For the video’s editors and close friends of the couple, Jamie Deriada, 19, a criminal justice major, Jonathan Martin, 19, a CSUF
Courtesy of Michael Hari Jamin Love, 26,a business management alumnus, proposed to his girlfriend, Valerie Albania, 25, in Downtown Disney after he and his friends did a choreographed flash mob routine. The whole event was recorded and became a viral video on YouTube.
radio-TV-film major, and Michael Hari, 17, a computer information systems major at Cal Poly Pomona, the goal of the video was to bring the pure joy of the moment to the masses. On the video’s YouTube description, the editors wrote, “We wanted to capture the pureness of every angle, every smile, every wiped tear, just everything. We hope you enjoy this moment just as much as we do.” The number of views the video has garnered has indeed proven that the editors’ goal was achieved in dramatic droves. The YouTube page and Marvels Dance Co. Facebook page are swarming with compliments and congratulatory wishes for the couple. The paramount success of the video has taken the editors by surprise. “We thought it was just going
to be played at their wedding, but we ended up sharing it on Facebook and it just exploded,” said Deriada, who also danced in the flash mob. Martin and Hari, who were also the video’s cameramen, shared similar sentiments. “We absolutely had no idea it was going to be this big,” said Hari. “It’s a blessing for everyone involved, especially for Jamin and Val. Going into it, we really didn’t have any expectations for any of this,” said Martin. Planning for the proposal began six weeks ago. Love called a meeting at their dance studio in Walnut where he gathered a group of close friends, many of whom both he and Albania have danced with or have directed in the dance company. Thirteen dancers in total took part in the flash mob.
At the meeting, Love explained his proposal plan to the group and the preparation process began. Several secret dance practices were held over the course of the next month in anticipation for the center-stage proposal. When the day arrived, not all aspects of the plan ran as smoothly as everyone had hoped. The proposal team was setting up for the flash mob in front of Downtown Disney’s La Brea Bakery. While Hari was readying the amplifier, a security guard began questioning him. Hari explained the proposal plan to the guard who argued that he wouldn’t allow the crowd to proceed without a permit. However, good fortune was on Love’s side. With help from Disney security and some last-minute text messaging to friends, Love
was granted permission but was forced to relocate the flash mob to the area in front of Downtown Disney’s AMC Theatre. To add to his good luck, the new area was more spacious and better suited for the dancers. The stage was set. With the dancers preparing in the new location, a nervous Love ran back to accompany the unsuspecting Albania. Though the new location was bigger, this presented a new set of challenges for the cameramen. “We were stressing out ‘cause we wanted to have all the right angles. We had the original plan by La Brea Bakery already set up,” Martin said. “When we moved, we didn’t have time to plan the shots.” When the moment arrived, all the lovely pieces fell into place and the now-famous proposal turned out picture perfect. The mental playback of Love darting into the dance to lead the mob resulting in a happily tearful Albania cupping her mouth is a moment etched in stone for many viewers. Disneyland had worked its magic once again. After countless hours of meticulous editing, the video of the proposal was posted the following day and the viewing frenzy began. Many were touched by the proposal, including some who wish to contribute to their wedding. Among them are photographers and wedding planners who have reached out to Love and Albania to offer their services–some for free. The couple are planning to wed May 11, 2012. When Love was asked what Sept. 25, 2011 meant to him, he said, “It will definitely be one of the days that we can share with our kids and grandkids. That’s the moment that changed our lives together. It will never be forgotten.” Like Cinderella’s glass slipper, Albania’s ring was a perfect fit.
BOOTLEGGERS: Brewery puts shame to domestic beer with its custom selections ...Continued from page 1 “We’ve more than doubled every single year,” said Barkenhagen. “We went from a warehouse that was just under 1,800 square feet to (a warehouse with) 7,700 square feet and we grew from just myself to 12 employees now.” The tasting room, as he calls it, did not open until about a year and a half ago. But it has been a great success and has drawn a lot of people in to taste the many beers his company brews.
“The tasting room was always kind of the plan,” Barkenhagen said. “I think the tasting room is really a great opportunity for people to come in and try all the different styles of beer that we make.” The wide variety of beers available at Bootlegger’s are not distributed to sell at local bars and liquor stores. Bootlegger’s brews five yearround beers, one seasonal beer available at all times, and rotates different limited-release beers
throughout the year, Barkenhagen said. Martin Medina, sales manager at Bootlegger’s Brewery, has seen the company double its production and its capacity since he came aboard two years ago. “Right now we’re going to finish the year at 2,500 barrels and last year at this time we were probably somewhere around 1,000 barrels, so we’ve easily doubled,” said Medina. Medina also finds the promotion of the business through the tasting room to be an extremely important aspect to the business’ growth. He describes the beer tasting room as having a “communal vibe to it.” The Beer
As the trains rumbled by, the tasty ales, lagers and stouts poured continuously inside the brewery. As Hunter S. Thompson once said, “Good people drink good beer,” and this place was chockfull of both good beer and good company. For less than $5, customers can sample five of Bootlegger’s many fine craft beers. The Golden Chaos is a smooth Belgian-style golden ale. With its WILLIAM CAMARGO / Daily Titan 8 percent alcohol content, it can A display of the many beers that Bootlegger’s has to offer, including Palomino Pale Ale, be a dangerous ale as its taste is Golden Chaos, Old World Heifweizen, Rustic Rye IPA and Amber, a German ale beer.
deceptive. One would not suspect that it packs as much punch as it does with its subtle notes of citrus and its fruity aroma. Just as the autumn leaves change, so does the seasonal beer at Bootlegger’s. In the spirit of fall, the Pumpkin Ale is currently in season. Just a bit darker than the honey-colored hue of the Golden Chaos, the Pumpkin Ale has an extremely strong taste of cinnamon. With its light crimson hue, the Rocco Red Ale contains a fruity taste, almost comparable to fruit punch. But it is still a beer, not a Mike’s Hard Fruit Punch or any sort of garbage like that. The Black Phoenix Stout is a chipotle coffee stout. As black as night in color, there’s no seeing through this one. Up front it’s like a bitty Guinness, but as it sits you can taste the hint of coffee this flavorful stout is brewed with. For those who like a dry, bitter beer with a strong taste of hops, Dr. Tongue is there. It has a strong bite and a color that looks like iced tea–an iced tea exclusively for adults who enjoy a good, strong beer, that is. No yellow fizzy crap here. Bootlegger’s has far too many different beers to try in one visit. If you tried to accomplish this daring feat, you just might need
to be carried out and off the brewery premises. The Future of Bootlegger’s As for the future of Bootlegger’s Brewery, Barkenhagen said a lot is going on at the moment. Although he was unable to fully reveal his current business affairs, he said he has something big in the works that will greatly increase the company’s distribution coverage. But he desires to keep it a Southern California brewery. With the fine hand-crafted beer that Bootlegger’s Brewery has to offer, it looks to be a successful future for Barkenhagen’s company, wherever he decides to take it. The tasting room at Bootlegger’s Brewery is open Thursdays and Fridays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.
Calendar
Thursday 10/13 Where: The Troubadour Time: 8 p.m. Band: Fountains of Wayne Where: The Glass House Time: 7 p.m. Band: Flamin Groovies
Where: Luckman Arts Center Time: 8 p.m. Artist: India.Arie
Friday
10/14
Where: The Forum Time: 7 p.m. Band: Foo Fighters Where: Fox Theater Time: 8 p.m. Band: Death Cab for Cutie
Where: The Satellite Time: 7:30 p.m. Band: Gardens and Villa
Saturday 10/15 Where: The Wiltern Time: 8 p.m. Band: Foster The People w/ The Cults Where: Club Nokia Time: 8 p.m. Band: Friendly Fires w/ Theophilus London
Sunday 10/16 Where: Detroit Bar Time: 9 p.m. Band: Metronomy Where: Detroit Bar Time: 7 p.m. Band: Battles
Monday 10/17 Where: Largo at The Coronet Time: 8:30 p.m. Artist: Jenny Lewis Where: The Satellite Time: 8:30 p.m. Artist: Youngblood Hawke
Where: The Hotel Cafe Time: 6:30 p.m. Artist: Hayley Sales
dailytitan.com/detour