Happy June 29th?

Astoria celebrated the 4th early with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra playing in the park and a nice fireworks display on the river.

The park was FULL of people and the glow necklaces and other flashy glow gadgets were out in full force. The band was great! The singer dedicated "The Way You Look Tonight" to the ladies and later they played "Night Train" a song that most "Back to the Future" fans may recognize if they heard it.

No sooner did the band call it a night than the fireworks started in- I'm sure the display is nothing compared to what I'll see on the 4th but compared to standard displays I've seen in Nebraska it definitely ranked at the top.

Of course the standard songs were played during the pops, bangs, oohs, aahs and screaming (yes, some kids decided their appreciation was best expressed thru horror movie type screams...). Lee Greenwood has long since peaked in his career but his residuals have to still be coming in for "God Bless the USA". "What a Wonderful World" and the "Glory Haellelujah" part of Elvis's "An American Trilogy", in addition to orchestrated standards were also heard. No "Living in America" or "Wildfire" (maybe the latter is just a tradition at Nebraska fireworks) or a song by Alabama - you know the one I'm talking about...I just can't think of the title right now...

As I stood amongst the crowd I reflected on how little this particular tradition has changed over the many years. Yes, there are kids running around with glow wear but the general idea of people gathering to watch fireworks as a celebration of our nation and for maybe a few minutes getting caught up in truly being proud to be an American hasn't changed. There's something weirdly comforting about that - especially as I'm getting used to my new environment and in this time of uncertainty with terrorists.

Can't wait to see the display on the 4th!

Woo-Hoo!

I got a job!!! Will become a part of the working force in Manhattan starting July 11th! What a relief!

Now to find another acting gig - or start crackin' on a new script! :)

Rescue Dawn with Steve Zahn - and some other things

The 'rents left Sunday and just missed the nasty heat/humidity. Blech. I had been warned before I moved here...so far we've only had a few days of this kind of heat and then it cools again but I'm worried about when it becomes WEEKS of this heat...our apartment does not have air-conditioning. I have a couple fans but there comes a point when even those don't seem to aid the temp. much. Been drinking lots of Vitamin Water and White Tea Snapple!

And of course on one of the first hottest days of the year I was called in for a couple job interviews in which it is expected that I wear a suit. Ugh.

Made it thru both okay. Was told to "google" the boss man of one of the companies I interviewed with - Dan Loeb. So now you can google him too! ;) So interesting to even step into these companies and hear about a common day there - lunches being ordered in daily, branches in London, San Fransisco or elsewhere. Even if I don't get a job at these places or don't feel like I'm a good fit - it is still kind of cool to experience it all and take a look around.

After the interviews I needed a meal and to re-hydrate myself. I thought I'd check out Burger Heaven. I ordered the turkey burger and was disappointed. Maybe other meals are better there but I still vote for BRGR! ;)

Then I headed home to change into something more survivable in the weather and got ready to head back into the city for a screening of Rescue Dawn followed by a talkback with Steven Zahn! Woot!

Even though the event was sponsored by the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, the screening was at a theatre in Times Square. While I waited for the movie to start I read the flyer they handed out about the movie & Steven Zahn - I discovered that Rescue Dawn was inspired by a documentary, Little Dieter Needs to Fly, that Werner Herzog had also directed. After seeing the movie, I REALLY want to find the doc to watch.

Once I read the flyer, there was still time to kill so I pulled out my book (I finished Devil in the White City - I HIGHLY recommend it and am now reading The Professor and the Madman - another strange but true non-fiction book.) An empty seat remained next to me right up until showtime and then a man with his book in tow sat next to me. Immediately he said something to me about coming prepared with reading material, attempting to joke that he forgot his bitelite. I told him I'd put my book away once the movie started. He asked what group I was associated with (the event was co-sponsored by Variety). I told him I just had a membership @ the Museum. I asked him the same question and he said he was on the SAG voting committee.

The movie started.

The movie is excellent and shot in more of a "real" sense (no cgi) partly because I think (and as Steven Zahn later said) that's the only way Herzog knows how to shoot - like a documentary. I think it is worth pointing out that that the flyer said that Herzog intentionally made the movie without excessive blood and gore saying, "Neither I as the director nor the audience wants to see defenseless people suffering." Adding - "I don't like that kind of violence. And Dieter himself was always gracious about his captors. In fact, he became fascinated by Asia and Asian culture throughout his life."

Once the movie was over, Steven Zahn came out. You could tell which people DIDN'T pay for their tickets as some actually left during the talkback. Zahn is so much like the comedic characters he's played- the gestures and cadence in which he talks - he did not disappoint! And even when he didn't follow questions from the audience he still tried to be nice, telling one guy that he didn't quite know what he was asking but it was okay because they'd get beers later and talk it out. ;)

Zahn said that he is a BIG history buff, likes movies like Jeremiah Johnson and owned the Dieter doc. Herzog had made, lending it to people when they said they hadn't seen it. When he heard it was going to be made into a movie he told his agent he HAD to get a meeting with Werner, adding - typically if you love something that's the kiss of death because usually you don't get it. But Werner met with him and then called Zahn's agent wanting to know what Zahn liked to eat. Zahn pondered this question not sure if this was a test or what and then found out that Werner simply wanted to invite him over for supper (they had steak). Werner offered him the part of Duane. Zahn added that he didn't even have to give a speech about how even though he's done mostly comedy he can do other things...

Zahn and the rest of the cast lost weight for their roles. Zahn felt pretty good about the 40 lbs he lost but once he got on set he discovered that Jeremy Davies had outdone him and he actually looked like a champ wrestler compared to him. So Davies had his shirt open or off during filming and Zahn left his clothes on - but his gaunt face still proved to be haunting.

The movie was filmed in 2002 over about 2 months. They shot the film backward so that gave Christian Bale time to gain back weight (Zahn said that Bale seemed to gain 10lbs in 3 days). Most of the stunts they did themselves with Werner demostrating to them what they needed to do each time.

There were minimal extras on location in Laos (no trailers/craft service, etc) so that made the filming go quicker, caused the cast to bond since they couldn't retreat to their trailers and also caused a bit of friction at times. Werner didn't do a lot of takes for things and didn't believe in rehearsal time. Scenes that Bale and Zahn thought were important to go over, Herzog would take 2 takes of, but scenes that didn't seem quite as important (like a scene where they are floating on a raft down the river) had several takes because Werner wanted it an exact way - testing the patience of his freezing/wet stars in the river. Zahn said that in the end though - you had to trust him, what else were you going to do?

Zahn said he didn't have a lot of background to work with when portraying Duane - just a pic he had hanging in his truck. Apparently the real Duane was much worse off than the fictional version. Zahn said that when Dieter met him he had disentary so bad that he was holding his intestines in his hands.

***Spoiler Alert***
Zahn said that when Dieter got back home he went to visit Duane's wife and I guess it was horrible because Duane's wife thought Dieter was Duane and he had to explain.
***End Spoiler***

Werner made a point of saying that this was a movie inspired by the doc. but he didn't want Bale to imitate Dieter so because of that philosophy of borderline fictionalized non-fiction, Zahn said that there are great moments in the doc that unfortunately don't make it into the movie. Another reason to watch the doc!

Zahn said that he got along well with Bale and said that Bale is one of the top 3 actors he's worked with that is truly funny. Adding that Bale is really professional during the shoot but once they yelled "cut" Zahn and Bale would immediately be goofing off and cracking each other up.

On stardom - Zahn said he is content where he is at in the movie world. Adding that he doesn't have the liberty to seek out certain roles (I'll do THIS next...) but hopes that as he gets older the more dramatic roles (like Duane) will be offered to him. He said (referring to his role in Out of Sight) that a 20 something escape con stoner is funny, a 40 somthing escape con stoner is sad.

He says he likes the fact that he lives in Kentucky and can shop at the Super Target without getting recognized but he has been mistaken for a Target worker and asked where stuff is. The audience laughed and he said - you laugh, but it has happened!

Somebody asked him if he thought there'd be a sequel to Sahara. Er...he said he didn't know, but probably not because in movie years that was like 20 years ago!

The talkback ended and as we shuffled out the SAG Nom Comm guy got in my ear. He said that he was really honored that he got to be on the committee and got to see lots of great movies - mentioning that he had seen A Might Heart with a talk back that had Angelina Jolie and Dan Futterman. As he kept talking I saw I was getting closer to Steve Zahn and without even having an inkling of what to say I just reached out my hand to shake his. I think I managed to say something like "You had a wonderful performance" or something like that - had the guy not been in my ear I might have been more on my game, or not. Pretty much as soon as I made hand to hand connection all I could think of was I'M SHAKING STEVEN ZAHN'S HAND!!!!

Then as I continued out the theatre the guy asked if I was going to see the preview of Sicko with a talkback with Michael Moore. I told him it was sold out so probably not. Then he contemplated out loud that maybe he could get a free ticket for me. (I should add that at one point before the talkback started this guy asked if I was cold - I said I was fine - and he said he wished he had a sweater to lend me. I should also add that this guy I believe was my father's age or older.) I told him that was okay and he said, well - maybe I'll see you at another one of these events then? Maybe. Then he said his name was Jack, shaking my hand - my Steve Zahn shaking hand. I offered my first name too and then headed the opposite direction of where he was headed.

Now he may have just been trying to be nice, but some moments just seemed less "fatherly" and more - ick.

But the main thing is that I got to shake hands with Steve Zahn! And maybe, just maybe a few years from now I'll mention that moment that I'm sure he will have forgotten when we are working on a show together! ;) Ahhh...one can dream...

Celeb Sitings, Museum and Crumbs - Oh My!

With what I hoped were good directions - I sent my parents out into the subway world and beyond for the first part of the day as I had an audition. (They toured the United Nations and then spent time @ Central Park.)

My first official audition in NYC! No reading of scripts like in Omaha - here you must have monologues and I just don't feel like I've found THE monologue yet (or maybe I just don't have it totally prepared like I should) ...so I didn't walk away feeling the best about it and callbacks came and went so it is safe to assume that I won't be in that particular show...oh well. Better things to come, right?!

Then it was off to meet up with the 'rents @ the American Museum of Natural History - while riding on the subway this gal came on that had her eyes all bejeweled and she was trying to futz with something in her bag while holding a drink from Dunkin' Donuts. She finally looked at the closest stranger to her and asked if they would hold the drink before she spilled it. The stranger really wasn't given a choice as the drink was thrust upon them. Once she was settled a guy came up to her and asked her how long it took to do her eyes - a half hour, she said. Adding that she was headed to The Mermaid Parade @ Coney Island and wanted to be in the spirit. The guy - now in full "hit on" mode asked her how long it took her to take the jewels off and she joked - a half hour. The banter continued - not sure whether the guy was successful with his approach as I had come to my stop.

Apparently while my parents were waiting on me on the stairs in front of the museum, they said that someone near them announced that Ashton Kutcher had just jogged passed. My mom added - if it was the guy I think it was, he ran into me! Rude, Mr. Kutcher, Rude! ;)

Got inside the museum to find that it is not exactly like how it is portrayed in the movie - Night @ the Museum. I overheard one little girl ask her dad if one of the Native Americans in a display was Sacajawea. He had to explain she was just in the movie. But the Easter Island Statue is there - with kids standing around it saying "Dum Dum".

Another movie reference can be found there too - the giant whale and squid that is visited in the movie - The Squid and the Whale.

There is SO MUCH packed into that museum! We got there @ 3ish and it closed @ 5:45 - and some of the exibits we rushed or totally skipped. One ginormous planet display actually is a callback to the "Power of 10" industrial I had just seen in the NYU class! And lots of fossils on display were from NE including a chunk from the Agate fossil beds.

While exploring the Stegosaurus exhibit I turned a corner to see a younger guy and woman and an older man blocking the path. At first I was a little irritated as they clearly weren't looking at the exhibit, just talking and then I got a better look at the younger guy and realized it was David Blaine! I circled around the other direction thinking that I'd take a pic of the Stegosaurus (he would have been to the right of this pic) and then casual aim my camera at him and get a pic too but by then his back was to me...doh! The whole time I couldn't figure out if the older man was a relative or someone that had recognized him and was now bending his ear. Apparently it was the latter, because as soon as they were done talking he took his girlfriend's hand (I'm assuming it was his gf) and they made a beeline out of there. A little insight to the gf - polor opposite of former gf Fiona Apple. She was short, bronze, blingy and wearing a bright pink tanktop. I wasn't able to observe personality. ;)

Everyone was hungry by the time the museum closed so I checked my NFT to see what was nearby. We checked out Big Nick's -where Big Nick himself told us there was more room in the back. They have a 20 page menu with an index on the back! My Dad ordered a Sumo burger which took 4 slices of cheese to cover (they were overlapping in the center though) - his is the plate in the back of the pic. Wasn't hugely impressed with the hamburger I had but would like to go back and try their pizza!

After Big Nick's we walked over to Crumbs. OMG! Their cupcakes are expensive but OH SO worth it! YUM! (The pic shows the Blueberry Cobbler, Cookiedough and Snickersdoodle) I would go to Crumbs over Cupcake Island, Sprinkles and Magnolia Bakery any day!

From Rockefeller to Queens

Rise and Shine! I headed off early to meet the 'rents @ their hotel and then show them the way to Rockefeller Center.

I suggested catching breakfast @ Dean & Deluca. BIG mistake. I knew it would be busy, I didn't know that the service wouldn't be all that great. There were a lot of "squatters" watching the Today show concert (America/Chicago). They had long since eaten their Dean & Deluca treats but didn't want to move from their window seat view of the show. I finally found a little counter/no chairs and the trash bin was there but I figured we at least had something to put our food on. My mom moved the trash bin and then a few minutes later a worker told us to move because the trash bin had to be there. My mom asked why there was a counter there then - he didn't have a response, he just gave an irritated, "Ma'am...."So we crossed the street to the plaza and found some benches there. Sigh. Why must the simpliest tasks be so complicated sometimes?!

After breakfast we went to the "Top of the Rock". I had heard that this view was better than the Empire State Building and now that I've seen both I will whole heartedly agree! Since we went early there wasn't a ton of people there either so pictures were easy to take.

My parents then got tickets to tour NBC studios and Rockefeller. I just chilled in the area and got familiar with the surrounding shops! ;) When I knew their tour end was near I headed back to the NBC Experience Store where I talked with an NBC page who had only been working there for 2 weeks! He asked where I was originally from and said that he'd been to a track meet @ Burke. Small world.

We ate @ Two Boots (good pizza - I recommend The Mel Cooley) and then I took the 'rents past the Late Show/Ed Sullivan Theatre and Hello Deli where they peeked in and saw Rupert behind the counter.

Then it was on to Queens! The subway we stepped onto apparently had been made into a movie set. Two guys were posted to "guard" an area from being sat in but it was busy and the subway was full so this was an impossible task. I found seats for my parents and just stood near them only to be asked to move because I was apparently blocking a shot. Sheesh. Every stop it would be the same thing - asking people to move after they sat down because they were filming (and this wasn't a feature film either). Finally they got done and thanked everyone - when people asked them what it was for they were kind of shady about giving any details...hmmm...

Finally we came to the last stop on the "W". I showed the 'rents my place and then we got on the subway again to go to the Museum of the Moving Image and ate at The Cup Diner across the street.

Another day had come to an end as they headed downtown and I headed up on the subway....

The Screening and The Statue

Thursday morning I got to sit in on part of an NYU film class at Tisch Hall to see the short I was a part of. Kind of fun to sit in on this particular lecture - he talked about what coast had what type of film industry. He started the class by showing an old industrial called - The Power of 10- Note: He told the class this was made in 1950, this site says 1977! Oops. His purpose of showing this was to point out that NY does more industrials than L.A. He also talked about soaps being in NY. Someone asked about the porn industry - the prof said he assumed that to be just about anywhere, thanks to my friend in Cali though I know there's a fairly prominent area for the industry there - of course I chose not to share, that's kind of akward info to know I suppose...

This class (I think) was mostly full of sophomores. One thing that surprised me a bit was that when they called "last shot" on filming - I said, "Isn't that the martini?" And they looked at me blankly saying - "Well, our prof never told us that." Well, the prof doesn't know EVERYTHING! ;)

However, I did find out that the prof (David Irving) was the director of C.H.U.D. II - Bud the Chudd.The class was actually going to be having a "slumber party/screening" to view it later that night...

At any rate, we finally got to the films - Ruth hadn't actually screened it yet so she warned that my voice might be low and it was. I sounded rather masculine. But that aside, it was fun to watch! Had a close call where a couple frames started to bubble and burn (unfortunately she'll have to slice and replace those) but the movie kept running - and my first screen kiss looked pretty good if I do say so myself! ;) Ruth got really positive feedback on the piece so that was good too! :)

Then it was off to meet the 'rents in Battery Park. When I first got there I saw the World Trade Center Globe and eternal flame - a temporary memorial started on 9/11 2002. Although people were taking pics (some actually posing near the globe) somehow it just didn't seem like something to take a pic of. Just something to take a moment's pause for, reflect, take a deep breath and move on...

I knew I was getting closer to the ferries when I saw several people dressed up like the statue along the pathway. Finally caught up with the 'rents and stood in the masses to board a ferry to take us to the Statue and Ellis Island. I may be totally wrong - but there's something about the whole process of visiting the statue that to me, would make even the most native New Yorker feel like a tourist. There's just no getting around it.

The ferry takes you straight to the statue and then to Ellis. We opted to ride on to Ellis first. Unfortunately, there are parts of the island under reconstruction so not all of it can be seen but what they do have open is full of info and insight as to what many immigrants went thru (including some of my great-great grandparents).

Besides info about Ellis itself they also had several displays about ancestry. One being a tree of where different words came from - Like "Pumpkin" and "Gopher" originated in France, "Hunky-dory" and "Poppycock" are Dutch words. Before getting in line for the Ferry to the statue we stopped for some grub. Mom opted for the "immigrant stew" while I took a more modern approach with a Nathan's hotdog.
My mom has wanted to see the Statue of Liberty since she was little - she's always wanted to peer out from the crown, but unfortunately due to security/safety you can only go up to the top of the pedestal now. So no peering, but she did get to see it! :)

It is an amazing piece of work and once again what a wealth of info to absorb. So much work and effort put in and the patience it took! Around 10 years for it to be completed once it got here! A few factoid for you - The face of the statue was inspired by the sculptor's (Frederic Auguste Bartholdi) mother, the body based off his wife...weird. The torch also includes elements thought to represent the U.S. - corn, tobacco leaves and arrowheads. It never was meant to be lit - but some thought it would work just fine as a light tower - it didn't. Bartholdi suggested putting gold leaf on it instead but this suggestion was ignored until the mid 1980s!

Just to give you an idea of how big the statue is I stood by the base - can you see me?! It takes 157 steps to get to the top of the platform. From there you can peer out and peer up (looking up Liberty's skirt to see the inner construction that Eiffel built to keep her standing). They also had replicas of various "parts" of the statue so you could get an idea of the size in that manner too - my size 10s have NOTHING on her.
We finally said goodbye to Liberty (the statue) and headed back to Battery Park and then back to Times Square where we ate @ Planet Hollywood. Then the 'rents went on to the Wax Museum and I went home. Tomorrow would be spent at Rockefeller.

The 'rents hit NYC

My 'rents landed in NYC, Wednesday afternoon and will be here thru Sunday. It's their first visit to the city. Am a little worried about how they'll do on the subway (in this way, I'm glad that I'm not working so I can kind of play tour guide as they get acclimated to the environment). But if tons of tourists each year can survive the subway, I'm sure my parents can too! :)

It took a while for them to get from the airport to their hotel. By the time they did, they were ready to eat - so we went to F.A.T.S. They had the College World Series on television! Always amazed at how nice Omaha looks during the CWS. Not that Omaha looks shabby - but the tv makes it look...better.

The eats were okay - but I'd probably go back to BRGR before Fat Annie's Truck Stop.

Now it was time to walk off the food from FATS and do some site seeing! We headed to Bryant Park and the New York Library. I hadn't been to the library, nor explored Bryant Park. Bryant Park is a GREAT place to read and just relax. In fact, they've got an "open air library" called a Reading Room, where you can read the newspaper or other books/periodicals that are on hand while you are enjoying the outdoors. The New York Library has (among other things) the Gutenberg Bible on display. Had it not been for my mother (the children's librarian) I probably would not have known or thought to go to the library and see what there is to see there...

Our next stop was Grand Central Station. We tripped upon a cool display while looking at the standards of GCS. It was sponsored by Turner Classic Movies – Architecture in Film: Celluloid Skyline: New York & Movies. They had a massive timeline as well as actual set pieces (the 'rents posed in front of one that included the Queensboro Bridge) used in backgrounds to represent parts of NYC in movies. I continue to be amazed by the endless amount of info and places to explore in NYC. One should never claim boredom here.

Then we were off to Times Square. While roaming, we stopped in at the M&M store where Mom & I posed with the Green M&M and then I snapped a pic of the 'rents in the middle of Times Square.

My dad did not like having to battle all the people, saying that he much preferred Philly over NYC (they visited there last year and actually spoke of moving there if they could).

We ate at Bubba Gump's (yes, it is a tourist trap but none of us had eaten there and it is a movie favorite - quotes from the movie are used often by the fam.) The sign the folks are posed with could be switched to a red "Stop Forrest Stop" sign if you wanted the waiter/waitress's attention.
Soon it was time to call it a night. Tomorrow is the big visit to the Statue of Liberty!

The Drive-In (sans car) @ 30 Rock

Headed to the city for another meeting with a business contact - had my resume, references, change of shoes - but realized too late that I had forgotten my camera, a pen and umbrella.

That's okay, I thought - I can always borrow a pen, it isn't supposed to rain until later and I don't have to take a pic of EVERYTHING I encounter...right?!

I went to the meeting and then eventually made my way to 30 Rock for the opening night of the Tribeca Drive-In Film Festival. I looked at the set up and wished I had my camera. I called my roommate to see if she might be coming in to see the movie, maybe she could bring it in - but alas, she had decided to do something else and added that rain wasn't supposed to happen until 11pm. Good to know.

They started letting people into the seating area at 6pm but the movie didn't start until 9pm. Not knowing how the crowds were going to be for this free outdoor event, I was there early. It ended up being a LONG wait until the movie started. And there never was an overwhelming crowd - in fact, they let us sift into VIP seating because not even all the VIPs showed up! Eek! Not good...(maybe it was better for the following nights...)

While waiting I tried to read (couldn't write because I had no pen) and took a few not so great pics on my cell, but eventually ended up overhearing a convo between the women sitting next to me - roommates. One chattered on about how she went to a psychic (sp?) that told her she'd find her man in the next month at the gym but that he worked out at 6am. Of course she lamented that she barely made it to the gym herself, let alone that early. (Later saying that she thinks some Knicks players must work out there though because there are some tall black guys there.) Then they talked about some "self-help" stuff involving getting over the "exes" in their lives. Am finding so many venues in NYC that are good for people watching (and listening!)

FINALLY, it was 9pm and Rachel Dratch (you can see a pic of her and others at the event via this link under "drive-in"- http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org/photo-gallery.html) was introduced as the host for the event. She tried to be funny but the crowd really wasn't responsive. It was sad. Then FINALLY the movie started...er, rather they showed a short (click the link to watch it - it ended up being better than the feature!) and THEN the feature movie started...

"Watching the Detectives" sounded promising - Cillian Murphy and Lucy Liu starred. I kept waiting for it to be something more than it was...and it never happened. It just didn't gel - and when a love scene came it seemed totally out of place even though, I think this was supposed to be a romantic comedy. It was almost like the love scene was from a different movie based on its tone. I'm sure Cillian and Lucy had fun playing their characters but the story needed work. I peaked at my watch as it crept closer to 11pm. People started to leave - but I was determined to stick it out, hoping this movie would prove me wrong - hope flickered as one scene featured a song by "Eagles of Death Metal" but even that moment wasn't enough to redeem this not even worthy of straight to video movie.

The wind started to pick up...I glanced at my watch again as more people left.

Then...the guy in the couple sitting in front of me looked at his woman and said, "Did you feel that?" Two drops of rain and then DOWN POUR! It was insane! A wall of rain - everyone scurried for cover. I missed the last 5 minutes of the movie. Ahhhh! Should have just left when the others did...OR, perhaps I should have just remembered my umbrella!

Fortunately the down pour turned into just plain rain after while - made it to the subway stop without getting too soaked. My umbrella has been in my purse ever since - as well as my camera and my pen. From now on, I won't leave home without them!

Thank You, Duane Reade!

I went to a job interview this morning at the French Building. (Click on the link, my pic of the building doesn't do it as much justice as the pics there do. Also, click on the pic with words on it so it enlarges and you can read it - this was in the lobby of the building, the bronze rectangle is actually a touch screen that worked as a directory for the building.)

There are so many amazing buildings in New York. Had I grown up here I probably wouldn't think too much about it (much like the buildings I didn't feel like taken pics of in downtown O, because well, I saw them regularly enough - why take a pic, right?) but since I didn't, it is yet another "something new" to explore.

When I left the job interview - the time was ticking on a new med dose, so I bopped into Starbucks for a soy green tea latte and then stopped in the Duane Reade for no real reason other than to make a quick phone call to my mom with minimal noise in the background.

And then...as I wandered the aisles I saw them! FLAMIN' HOT CHEETOS! Not the baked variety, not a full sized bag but a 99cent bag of what had alluded me for close to a week was now just a purchase away! My mom played unfortunate witness to my joy (I actually lost track of what I'd been saying to her upon this wonderful discovery!) Sometimes, it truly is the small things in life. Woo-Hoo!

That's a Wrap!

Finished filming "Switch of Heart" today. Of course I was a lot more phlegmy (sp?) than the previous shooting day - which was unfortunate for the guy who had to kiss me. But apparently, it still looked good on film. (The first screen kiss for both us!)

The other challenge was trying to sound more "Carrie B" and less "Nasal Nora" while doing my voiceover. I guess it came off okay.

My first NYC film experience ended up being a good one and I can't wait to see the finished product. (Will be getting info about a screening on campus soon...)

The 48 hr film project I was supposed to be a part of, fell thru. Apparently the genre the group got didn't have a spot for the likes of me, which was probably just as well considering I wasn't feeling all that great.

One of the "heart" guys I chatted with today was totally surprised when he found out I hadn't been in town long and was already a part of filming. I later ran into him on the subway and his parting words were - "Maybe I'll see you on the stage someday!" Maybe...

Where in NY are the Flamin' Hot Cheetos?!

Only two weeks here and I've managed to catch a cold. Yippee! The upside is that if you are sniffling and coughing on the subway - people tend to keep their distance. The downside (aside from the obvious annoyance of just having the cold symptoms) is that it seems NYC lacks in one of my cold comfort foods. FLAMIN' HOT CHEETOS! Not sure what the dilly is, but the local Key Foods doesn't have them and I even stopped at a K-Mart with no luck.

Before I moved, I had trouble finding the "Baked" version of these sinus opening treats - the last I saw them on the shelf was on a visit to Cali in February. I prefer the "baked" - but was willing to take whatever I could find - but I can't find ANYTHING!!!

I did a little research online and it seems that these cheetos concern parents/schools because the kids love them but they have even less nutritional value than the original cheetos. So does that account for them not being on the shelf?! How does that explain the "baked" version being MIA too?!

I knew when I moved there would be some things I couldn't find in NYC but this was definitely not one of them. And when I went to try and find a local store that carried them on the frito lay site....it errored! Blast! Sigh.

I guess Spicy V-8 will have to suffice for now...but I will continue the search.

The truth be told though - if I had to choose between finding my local supply of baked flaming hot cheetos and getting rid of this crud - well I'd choose the crud ridder.

Take your vitamins, kids! And stay healthy!

As for me...it's time for another does of meds...sans a flamin hot cheetos chaser. Sadness. :(

Subway Convos, BRGR & YCTIWY

In a previous blog I wrote about what I saw on the subway - now let me share with you a couple convos I heard...

The first was one I had first hand with a guy who just randomly started talking to me. He asked me how my day had been going - I asked in return (trying to be nice and not really sure what this guy's angle was...) and found out he was a playwright. He told me I had to know what I brought to the table. "What can you bring to the table?" Will let that one just hang there...talk amongst yourselves...

Then another convo I heard between a business man and cop. Right before they were getting off the subway, the biz man said - "Well, I'd like to thank you for representing the line between chaos and normalcy." The cop (clean shaven and oddly reminding me of Vic Mackey on The Shield) said, "The line gets thinner everyday." Neat. I'm sure that's just what me and everyone else on the subway wanted to hear!

From subway talk to food..

I recently ate at ANOTHER burger joint with some friends called - BRGR. Once again, they had faboo fries and I liked their burgers better but they were a tad pricey. Nice atmosphere though. And it is across the street from The Museum @ FIT. Which is free and has some cool threads by Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel and others on display, as well as various artwork by the students.

After eating @ BRGR we headed to another nearby spot - the T. Schrieber Studio (btw - T. Schrieber is very personable!) where "You Can't Take It With You" is currently on stage. It was weird to see it again so soon after I was a part of it. Of course I was biased towards the show I was just in- but this show worked for the cast involved, the stage, etc.

Anne Kaufman (George S. Kaufman's daughter) liked the show enough to meet the cast when she went (apparently she has been known to NOT meet the cast when she didn't approve of the show, one time being at a London Theatre!) She even plugged the show while speaking @ Kitty Carlisle's funeral!

The rather odd timing of it all was that the next day I got a certificate in the mail from the Omaha Playhouse saying that I'd been nominated for the Barbara Ford (Best Supporting) Award for the role of "Essie" in YCTIWY. Of course I won't be there for awards night, but it was cool that I got nominated! :) (Even if Ann Kaufman didn't see me and give her approval... ;))

On a sidenote I want to give my friend Amy a quick plug (she was nice enough to share a free ticket for the show with me). Check out her reviews on offoffonline.com! :)

"switch of heart" - day 1 filming

Today I got my "Carrie Bradshaw" on and headed out to film a short for an NYC student.

The concept - A woman sits in a coffee shop and observes the different hearts guys have - one filled with his love of music with no love for anyone else, one who is an actor and loves guys, one who's heart jumps every time his phone rings because he's a businessman, etc. Then there is a guy who's heart is just switched off - causing the woman to ask why? And what will make it turn on again?

Part of the concept is to show the various guys with hearts painted on their chests. Of course passersby had various reactions to this. I was sitting in the coffee shop guarding various bags and whatnot while that portion was filmed outside but I saw one woman walk past and mouth - I don't want to know - shaking her head, another lady saw one of the crew members drop something and was kind enough to stop and help pick it up, even pointing out one piece she couldn't get to. Later I heard that a passerby hollered - Is this art? repeatedly to the guy with his shirt off.

Unfortunately we didn't get all the filming done today because of rain (it rained so hard that it started to leak in the window and onto the bags I was guarding) and not having all the heart guys show up. So it will continue another day - which means, more pics will be posted later! :)


My view of them filming in the rain (the crew is in yellow, light blue and black - the person they are filming is in white) -















Ruth painting a heart on Sebastian -


Still photos of me being used in the film -

Facial and Food

In an effort to keep my budget under control until I finally get a job I've been doing a lot searches for free/cheap stuff to do in NYC. One site led me to a notice about Beauty Week going on in NYC and LA. Upon further investigation I saw that it was a great opportunity to get any beauty related needs taken care of at half the price in some cases.

My skin had flared again and since I knew I was filming soon (will have separate blog for those experiences!) I thought I'd take advantage of the sale and get an Anise and Cinnamon Facial at the Antoinette Boudoir New-Staligica Spa.

So I made my appt. and arrived on Monday. I was a little early so while I waited I was offered tea, water or gum. Gum? Yes, I was given 3 different flavor packs of 5 gum.

Then a lady introducing herself as Lina arrived to do my facial. And she told me that before I could have a facial I needed to have an extraction (i.e. cleansing of blackheads/pores prior to a facial so you get the full benefit). Back home, this was kind of part of the facial deal but apparently not here - of course it was an extra charge. Garr. But it was still under the original price for the facial so I said go ahead.

Admittedly, I only recently got into the facial thing because I had a friend that did them. The "extraction" part is the worst. Lina kept telling me I had sensitive skin, finally relenting at one point saying - I will let you rest. In between she would offer a list of dos and donts for my skin. Helpful, but some things she told me I had heard not to do - I guess some of that advice you have to take with a grain of salt. Or not - if you are watching your cholesterol or is it high blood pressure?!

As I was being sent out the door I was told to come back in a few weeks for a deep cleansing facial - every few weeks I was told to do this...will see what the budget looks like by then...

But my skin did look better!

I had a job interview at another temp agency in the afternoon and then before I headed home I decided to check out the "Taste of Times Square". Two blocks of booths filled with food samples, spin to win and and a variety of music performers (jazz, blues, swing/pop, belly dancing, percussion group that had people in the audience play bongos too and a lady dressed up in her best french outfit - red beret & shoes, black and white striped shirt- playing "french" music on her accordion).

The event was free but in order to sample the food you had to buy tickets. It was $1 per ticket with a suggestion to buy 5 or more.

A huge variety of restaurants were there with some offering a fancy shrimp - yes ONE shrimp for you to savor for 3 tickets! (Now that probably made sense with the typical cost of the full entree, but still...) So I decided to make a quick survey of all choices before choosing - wanting the most for my tickets! :) Along the way I stopped at some spin to win booths where I got mints and a Jersey Boys Pin. (The big prizes were tickets to shows and restaurant gift certs but alas my spin wasn't quite "on". ) And Yellow M&M was handing out plain M&M samples.

I finally settled on a meal of fresh brewed root beer from Heartland Brewery (2 tickets), 2 sliders (i.e. small burgers) from Social Bar/Grill/Lounge (2 tickets) and a slice of pizza from John's Pizzeria (1 ticket). Not exactly high class cuisine but at least it filled my tummy. :)

While eating my pizza, I observed my surroundings noticing that this event was taking place near a Scientology Center, Joey Lawrence is in "Chicago" on Broadway and I have a hard time recognizing Ashlee Simpson in a giant shoe ad now that she had her nose done.

R2D2

Back on St. Pat's day my mom and I hunted down the R2D2 mailbox in Omaha and got our pics taken by it.

Today, as I was walking thru Times Square I spotted Omaha R2D2's NYC cousin! So I got closer to take a pic only to witness a homeless guy digging thru the trash and apparently finding something worthy of pulling his pants down for and rubbing himself - I'm NOT kidding. (His back was to me, but the movement and exposed skin led me to believe that R2D2 was an unfortunate witness to something that he shouldn't be!) So I decided to postpone the pic until I was headed back that way...