Inspirational Websites & People
August 17, 2010 – 11:21 amSo I was reading this interview with Alexander Skarsgard. The mention of Kirsten Dunst co-starring with him in his new movie made me think of a time 10 years ago when I was always visiting a fansite for her – and guess what it’s still online! This in turn prompted me to write this post about websites I used to visit often a decade ago and which inspired me to start my own.
• Kirsten-Dunst.org Online since 1998. I *think* I visited the site mostly during the time 2000 – 2003. Already then I noticed the staff’s true love for Kirsten – and seeing the site still online and maintained at such a high level is further proof of that. Truly inspirational.
• AboutJulia.com Online since 1999. I’ve been visiting this site on and off throughout the years. From the start I’ve been impressed with the amount of informational content. Again, a site where the owner really admires Julia – and made her keep the site going for all these years.
• Glamour Reese Witherspoon Online since 2001. I used to visit many Reese sites when Legally Blonde was released. I remember this site standing out from the beginning. I’ve been visiting the site ever since. Love that it’s back on track with regular updates!
• Lovely Liv Tyler Online since 2000. The first fansite I ever visited in 1999 was one for Liv Tyler. I can’t remember the address. I was obsessed with Liv for a while and visited all sites out there. I remember the launch of ‘Lovely Liv Tyler’ – though the memory of the site seems somewhat better than what the site looks like now. Either my memory is deceiving or my perception of sites has changed – or the site has changed since LOL
• The Unofficial Anna Paquin Homepage Online since 1996. Probably the second fansite I visited in my life! Loved the simple approach. And it used to be very up to date. Getting really nostalgic now hehe
• NataliePortman.com Don’t want to bet on it, but this is probably the 3rd fansite I ever visited LOL It’s always been the place to go for updates about Natalie. I often rolled my eyes at their comments but somehow – as other Natalie sites (in a more likeable format) came and went – I always kept going back to NP.com, even nowadays.
• Discover Kate Online since 1999. In the Kate Winslet-frenzy following the immediate years after Titanic there was a ton of Kate sites to sift through. I even started one on Geocities – and kept it for about 3 months LOL. Discover Kate was one of my first stops on my search for a source of Kate infos & pics. I stuck with it for many years. From the start I’ve been impressed with Ruth’s genuine interest in Kate and her progress in learning the technical aspects of the Website business. I really looked to her for inspiration on how to build my own sites. She’s been a tremendous source of help at the beginning of my Scarlett & Sophia sites. Somehow we lost touch and I am now also visiting mostly Kate Winslet Fan.
• Riikka This is not a link as it’s mostly her name that I remember from my online infant years LOL I remember her running a site for somebody I had never heard of, but doing it fantastically and with style. I remember the colour as being off-pink. From what she told me it must have been her Rose McGowan tribute. And of course after watching Swept from the Sea I was a very frequent visitor of Rachel Weisz Paradise – which she was maintaining at that point. Seeing her name somewhere online immediately brought to mind the picture of the ultimate cool fansite owner. Running websites for actors she genuinely loved, doing it with style and professionalism as well as being, as I perceived it, part of an elite cool online clique was truly inspirational. I was beyond honoured when she wanted to take over my Scarlett site. First try ended rather disastrously (what did Lisa call the fans? Demanding? So true…) but after a while it worked out.
• Mariana I also remember her from the start. Especially because she chose to help me so much. I was so surprised and felt like the luckiest girl 
A lot of what I’ve just posted about Riikka also applies to her! To this day I’m in awe of how dedicated she is in running her sites. The first site I remember is the one for Asia. While I’ve still never seen a movie of hers I can’t keep from visiting the site just to see what Mariana’s been up to. And I’m a regular visitor at her sites for Eva Green and Gemma Arterton. I’m still so happy to be running Claire Foy Source with her.
There are more great webmasters and great fansites that have been inspirational and helpful to me throughout the years – but these are the ones that have made an impression at the very beginning of my “online life” (1999-2001).