Go Huskers!

With summer coming to an end, it is only fitting that the Husker Football Season officially began today! Woot!

Some friends and I gathered w/ a bar full of other Husker Fans at The Irish Rogue to watch the pay-per-view ($10 to get in, but you also get a raffle ticket) game vs Western Michigan Broncos and Bo Pelini's first game as head coach.

The Rogue has special menus for the Husker Games which include "Red Beer". I went up to the bar and discovered that they should really be called "Lil' Red Beer" as less than an inch of tomato juice is poured into the pint glass before the beer is added. No wonder the fans get rowdier as the game rolls on! ;)

Half time was the raffle drawing and I won a Husker musical alarm clock!

The Huskers got a "W" but it definitely looks like a building year. Win or lose it is nice to see that the team seemed to have the "fire" back that just wasn't there for the past year or so.

A Phlock of Phelps Phans

Today as I approached the block where The Early Show is filmed I saw an even bigger crowd than usual. Hmmm...who could be drawing such a crowd?!

I stopped and stepped in closer for a look see. And guess who I saw?! Michael Phelps!

So then I had to dig out my camera and wait for heads to get out of the way...click! Dang. He coughed. (He was coughing quite a bit actually.) Trying again...got him!

I continued on to work and later saw a segment about him on CNBC. This was his first day back in the States! He told the reporter that it was strange times (the instant celebrity and flocks of fans) but he was having fun & enjoying it.

Phelps must be battling a cold as he even coughed during the interview.

Later they said that he will be hosting SNL in September and I found out that he had appeared on all 3 morning shows in 1 morning! I actually wondered how CBS scored a Phelps appearance over the others but I guess he shared his time equally. ;)

Tennis, Anyone?

My decision to get off the subway early and walk further to work in the mornings has proved to make most mornings more interesting as my route takes me past the CBS Early Show.

A few week ago I picked up a foam shark hat (see the 2nd foam layer on the bill? That had a jagged teeth area that was supposed to pop out but I couldn't figure out how it was supposed to be worn exactly) that they were handing out for people to wear on-camera for Shark Week (umm...I just took the hat and kept walking...I did have to get to work afterall!;)) and this morning I saw they have a tennis court set up w/ a larger than average crowd gathered. Upon further inspection I see that Venus & Serena Williams are standing there waiting for their segment. Since I always have my camera in tow I stepped into the crowd and snapped a pic before continuing on. I later showed it to some friends and they seemed more fascinated by the size of the guy in the black/red shirt - who I didn't even notice being in the picture until they pointed out! Oh well.

When I got to work, I turned on CNBC and Warren Buffet was being interviewed live from the Holland Center in Omaha! They've been in Omaha before for Warren and I actually look forward to seeing them show Omaha (it's a way to virtual visit) more than what Warren has to say! ;)

All day @ Equity

Auditions @ Equity aren't easy to go to when you have a 9-530 desk job and aren't Equity yet. I managed one audition last summer ('07) for "The Farnsworth Invention". I got in, in the first half of the day but it was kind of obvious that the audition was a formality as the person behind the table gave a look of "just hurry up & get it over w/." After that, I decided to get more comfortable w/ more than one monologue and wait for something that I thought I truly had a shot at before taking a day off to sit and wait for the chance to audition, again.

Then I saw a posting for season auditions for The Public Theater in Lewiston, Maine. Now...why would I want to go there? Well, "Last Mass at St. Casimir's" was in their season line up and "Last Mass..." happens to be the third show in the trilogy of the Pazinski Family in which I played Annie in the 2nd show called "King O the Moon". And we had read a version of the 3rd script at our cast party. I had always wanted to continue the role and now here was a possible opportunity to do so...

So, I got up early and signed up on the Non-Equity wait list (I was #8 as I had killed time before going over because I mistakenly thought since no one was lined up outside that I was a bit TOO early...wrong. I should know by now there is no such thing as "too early").

Once auditions started, we were told that it looked good and we should get in. Then, more Equity people showed and pretty soon we were told @ 11am to leave and come back @ 2pm.

Back @ 2pm and by then the #s were less and as time passed we were told that 2 maybe 4 would be seen. Most of the Equity (mostly older) actors that saw us waiting gave us positive words of encoragement but one younger actor came around and was nothing but negative. Someone actually told him to take it elsewhere. Not helpful.

More time passed, more bailed. My number 8 status was hovering around 4 or 5 now. I decided to wait. We were told we could leave our headshot and resume if we didnt' get in. I started to prepare a note and then was told to head back. I was going to get in! I was going to be the very last audition of the day but I was going to get in!!!

The time finally came for me to step in. There were 2 people behind the table. The one person was very friendly and the other person just seemed tired of seeing so many actors audition. I gave my monologue and I saw red ink by my KotM credit and was told callbacks would happen as the shows came up in the season. (Which means spring for Last Mass...)

In the meantime, fingers will be crossed I guess... Couldn't really tell if I did good or bad from their reaction. But if I do get it, it would mean a paid gig that gives me Equity! Which would be mostly good - and a good role to revisit, too. :)

Ugly Talent

I went to another workshop via Network Studio East tonight. This time it was to meet Michael Rodriguez of Ugly Talent.

He has worked in the industry for several years but has only been in charge of Ugly Talent for a little over year in which he's seen huge growth. He talked about how he likes to get to know his actors well and his philosophy really appealed to me. One tip he gave that seems obvious but wasn't something that I had thought of was that we should be doing just as much research on agents/casting directors as he does on us. (In other words, when going to these workshops we should know more than just his name and a little about the company he works for... Much like knowing the whole play you take your monologue from rather than just the monologue.)

Michael said that he did take on non-equity actors but always w/ the idea of making them equity as soon as possible. He also said when he negotiated contracts that he negotiated them as if HE was the one getting the gig, in other words he strives to get the best for his clients.

After the Q&A, each of us got to have a one on one w/ him and perform a monologue. I was one of the last ones to go in so the whole time I was debating on which monologue to do... I still hadn't made up my mind until I was in the room and it was time. I decided to go w/ comedic. I wasn't wholly satisfied w/ how I'd performed but Michael seemed impressed. He asked me what I was working on and I told him I was directing and I gave him the details. He asked if I was working w/ anyone or had worked w/ anyone. I told him "no". He told me to send him details asap about the show I was directing, because even though I wasn't in it, it would be another way for him to get to know me.

I was totally thrilled when I left! What a potential opportunity not only for me but for my actors. The next day I sent off a note to him (he prefers snail mail). Now I wait and see if I hear back. I hope so. A breakthru in that direction would be wonderful! :)

His Expression Never Changes

On my way to work this morning I had to stop and get milk so I turned @ the Barnes & Noble corner on 5th and saw a setup that hinted @ filming being in progress. Hmm...what could it be?

Since my destination was right past the area I continued on and across the street near Build-A-Bear, I see "The King" (as in Burger) looming behind actors posing as commuters at a makeshift bus stop.

Very curious to see it on TV!

There truly is never a dull moment in this city - even going to buy milk can be entertaining! ;)

West sees East & Awards Night

"Jump" has made it to the top 4 one-acts of the Strawberry One-Act Festival and we will be performing at the Awards night tonight as well as finding out if we are indeed an award winning one-act or not...

This coincides w/ a visit from a friend of mine & her hubby that live in Cali! They also have friends that live in Philly so the whole group came down today to visit and got to see "Jump" sans costumes/props in tech.

After tech, I introduced them to what glorious eats can be found near Union Square. We started w/ lunch @ S'mac and then dessert @ Max Brenner's (They kept telling us our wait was because they were cleaning the table but when we got up there it still wasn't cleaned...hmmm...).

Afterward, we wandered Forbidden Planet where I spotted a "Shatner/Hasslehoff '08" shirt and my heart was given a start when I got a call from my dad that my grandpa had been taken to the hospital. The wrong combo of meds messed up his vitals so he was under observation. I can't wait to go back in September and see him - the docs just don't impress me w/ how they've been handling his health.

Then we took a look @ the cheap book racks outside of The Strand. My friend & I thought we were standing out of the way to chat when all of a sudden a guy stuck his head out the door and asked if we were selling books. We told him "no" and he told us we were standing in the book selling line. Oops - sure enough. Of all the places, that's where we found to stand! lol.

All too soon it was time for us to part ways but I will see them again in October on their coast so the next visit won't be too far away... ;)

Back to the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre @ Symphony Space to get ready for the awards show performance. We were the first group to perform so after we were done we got in our "dressy" clothes and then sat out in the cafe and got ourselves a drink. We joined the awards in time to see the last performance (and as luck would have it, the award winning one-act) and the director & best one-act award given out and that was that. They handed out gift bags to all who attended. The items inside were a bottle of Strawberry Bicardi Silver, 1 piece of strawberry candy and a tea candle w/ a holder that had tropical fish on it.

The subway ride home proved to be interesting as when I transferred to the "N" @ 42nd, I had the misfortune of being in the same subway car as 3 rowdy girl teens (?). They seemed drunk as before they even got on, one of them tried to put their foot up on the doorway ledge as the subway kept moving. Initially I thought I was in the clear as I thought they had gotten in another car but then they moved to the one I was on in hopes of finding a place to sit. Of course their behavior caused people to move as one went on about seeing people's "undy arms", another started throwing her M&Ms (from the M&M store, which in my opinion are just a little too expensive to be wasting by throwing them @ people...) and when a guy confronted her about it, she wasn't phased - it just amplified her mouthy-ness. Another guy on the subway had been watching them but not saying anything and one of the girls asked how old he was (he was probably a little younger than me) he said - How old do you think I am? The girl said - I don't know but you look like a child molester because you keep looking @ my friend & she's 13. (I don't really buy that age but who knows..) He said - Well, that's not very nice. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief when they got off @ 39th Ave in Queens. Sheesh.

Behind, but moving forward....

Hello! Are you still checking? Or have you given up?!

Due to my own insistence that I must post blogs in chronological order I've caused myself to come to a standstill as some blogs that may be a tad more wordy than others and thus take more thought and time to write have been holding back those quick quips & experiences I've been having since MAY! And here it is AUGUST! Sigh.

So, the posts will come eventually (Celeb Sitings! Theatre Updates! NYC Randomness! Visitors! Traveling! And More!) but in the meantime I wanted to have something appear that is current as I am still alive and acting and living and basically functioning well enough in NYC. ;)

This Saturday I'm performing @ The Strawberry One Act Festival Awards Show. The one act I'm in made it to the top 4, but we won't know until Saturday where in the top 4 we landed....(see the cut & paste info below.)

The Nominees for the Summer 2008 Strawberry One-Act Festival Are...

Nominees For Best Play

1. Jump by Josh Sohn
2. Meatloaf in the Moonlight by David Gallic
3. Painting Tomatoes by Jais Brohinsky
4. The Seed by David Pumo

Nominees For Best Director

1. Cohen Ambrose for Painting Tomatoes
2. Donna Jean Fogel for The Seed
3. David Gallic for Meatloaf in the Moonlight
4. Dan Rogers for Clap On, Clap Off
5. Gwenevere Sisco for The Threadbare Sex
6. Alec Strum for Say It's Raining

Nominees For Best Actor

1. Moe Bertran (John) in The Seed
2. Kenya Capers (Chad James) in Clash & Learn: Str8 vs. Gay
3. Tom Coppola (Duke) in Darcy & Duke
4. Luke Harlan (Colin) in Blood Thinner
5. Ronald Kuriloff (Sol) in Painting Tomatoes
6. Danny Tenzer (Evan) in This Basement

Nominees For Best Actress

1. Melody Faith Federer (Jodie) in Gate 48B
2. Margie Ferris (Darcy) in Darcy & Duke
3. Zoee Garza (Jasmine) in Meatloaf in the Moonlight
4. Jennifer Lucas (Ellen) in You Stole My Script
5. Sarah Mindlin (Amy Everett) in At The Everett's
6. Emma Tattenbaum-Fine (Ella) in Painting Tomatoes

The interviews with the nominees will be on Thursday, August 7th from 6pm - 8pm at the Riant Studios. To set up an interview call 646-623-3488.

The Awards Ceremony and Performance will be at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th on Saturday, August 9th at 8pm. Tickets are $35.00 Dress Code: Evening Wear. For tickets go to www.therianttheatre.com or call 646-623-3488. Or at the box office at Symphony Space.

On that very same Saturday a friend of mine that I met in NE but lives in Cali now (She just got done working as a stand-in on the new Sam Raimi movie, "Drag Me to Hell" - how freakin' cool is that?!) is going to be in the city (1 day only) so in between Tech and Performance I will be running around w/ her, her hubby and other friends.

But wait! That's not all....

I've decided to use up more valuable blogging time (wink) by agreeing to direct a new, full length comedy play. Yep, that's right. What am I thinking?! No, really....I think I'll feel much better about taking it on once the script is officially edited for time, we've got the cast finalized (auditions tonight!) and I can fully focus on directing rather than splitting my thoughts w/ the Strawberry One Act. At least I hope that's the case...I'm sure the writer does, too! It's up & running the 2nd to last weekend in September.

Which brings me to writing...

Besides being behind in blogging, I've REALLY gotten behind in playwriting. I've been submitting old stuff, since I've only written 1 new thing since I moved here. ONE!!! And it was a one act that I had to write in around 6 hours for a 24 hr play fest! Sigh. People keep asking and I keep thinking...I have ideas but nothing that just leaps out in big productive gobs on the page. Plus I have yet to find the right set up conducive to writing. No desk @ my apartment and I can't write @ my desk @ work. I thought a Back Rest of sorts to put on my bed might be helpful to prop me up properly for long bouts of writing...but of course, I actually have to buy it in order to see if that helps or not. Should probably start budgeting for that...

Since I won't make it home for the NE State Fair this year (Yes, I'm breaking the streak - the fam attended every year for 28 years. Kinda sad but the fair ain't what it used to be, either.) However I still have an itch to get a State Fair fix so I looked up the NY State Fair (NJ State Fair is going on now so I know I won't make that) and would like to go but I looked up Amtrak fare and then wondered if it would actually be a savings if I did drive and then I thought...how necessary is this journey?! Hmmm...I do miss roadtrippin' though. Well, I've got a week or so to ponder...

And that is the general sum of things right now.

Lunch Hour Chat

I'm not sure what brought it on but my tummy has not been very agreeable today. As lunch got closer I thought of what actually sounded good - mashed potatoes? A creamy chocolate concoction? A clear decaf carbonated beverage? Or maybe something w/ grease. (I know, it's weird what sounds good when you aren't feeling well...)

So lunch came and I decided to see what the specials were @ the pubs on 45th. The Perfect Pint listed Chocolate Mouse Cake. And we have a winner....

I stepped inside and placed my order "to go" deciding to add the fish & chips to see if grease would help if the chocolate didn't do the trick.

I tipped the bartender and he immediately returned the slip to me and said in his Irish brogue that I didn't need to tip him.  Adding that he used to tip for everything (even service @ the 7-11) and finally after 5 years of marriage his wife said "enough"!   Then he asked if I wanted a glass of water while I waited. 

One of the patrons made room for me @ the bar while I waited and drank my water.  He also had an Irish brogue and struck up a conversation w/ me.

He informed me that he had been working on the construction site next door but was now on leave as he accidently dropped a saw on his leg and ended up w/ 42 stiches.  He was only in the area today because he had to fill out paperwork.  He said it was the first time in 28 years that he had injured himself on the job and that he was lucky that the cut didn't hit any tendons.  (Apparently, he was told by the docs that worked on him that a few weeks earlier a 22 yr old guy came in w/ a similiar injury only the tendons were cut and he ended up losing his leg.)  

The patron went on to tell how he plans on retiring in 6 years at the age of 58 and enjoy his house w/ his wife on Long Island.  

There was a pause in conversation as we overheard the bartender talking to someone else.  The patron said he enjoyed listening to people w/ an Irish accent because they always sound happy, it's like a song...   He went on to say that he had never been to Ireland but was hoping to go soon as he has relatives that live there and is the only one of his immediate family who hasn't been there.

My food arrived and I told the patron that it was nice talking to him, wondering what else I would have heard had I stayed...