Saturday, July 11, 2009

Cupcakes in Hoboken


"Cupcakes Take the Cake" had another Cupcake meetup and this time it was in Hoboken, NJ! I had never been to Hoboken before and was surprised at how quick the commute was.

The plan was to stop at 3 different bakeries to pick up cupcakes and then have a cupcake picnic of sorts in a park where we could bring homemade cupcakes as well.

I decided to use this as an excuse to experiment w/ another flavor combo for the cupake kebab. Banana Split. The cake part was banana - although the recipe was good it turned out more like a banana bread texture than cake so next time I may look for something a little lighter. Then I made 3 different frostings to top them - Pineapple Buttercream, Chocolate Fudge Buttercream and Strawberry Buttercream. I used Chocolate Covered Cherries and Marshmallows (rolled and cut to look like whipped cream mounds) for spacers and then put a Marachino Cherry on top. :) The Chocolate Covered Cherries proved to be troublesome when skewered as if you didn't line it up just right they would split open and ooze. That in addition to keeping them from getting too melty before we landed @ the park was a bit of a problem but they still got snatched up right away!

For those that don't know, I share a birthday w/ Frank Sinatra and although I knew he had roots in Jersey I forgot his birthplace was in Hoboken! So me thinks that since my b-day is on a Saturday this year part of it will be spent in Hoboken just 'cause. :)

Hoboken is also home to Carlo's Bake Shop - aka the Bakery featured on "Cake Boss". It was our first stop for cupcakes and the line was down the block! We heard from locals that prior to the show the place was popular but they've definitely seen business pick up since the show began to air.

As we got closer to the shop I saw that they had models of the cakes that were made in the first episode in the window. And Buddy was posing w/ people for pics and consulting w/ customers as we approached the inside of the bakery.

I decided to get a beach themed cupcake (see them on the top row of the display to the right.) W/ all those customers there certainly isn't time for dilly-dallying in decisions - you kinda need to know what you want asap. They've got plenty of staff on hand to assist people and keep the line moving!

Next stop, was Sweet. A cute little cupcake shop that was much calmer than Carlo's and had some tasty looking cupcakes! Cupcakes had been preordered @ "Sweet" for our Meetup and they labeled the box lid to coordinate w/ the cupcakes so you knew exactly which flavor was which. Very simple but clever.

The third stop was supposed to be Crumbs but since most of our time had been taken up in line @ Carlo's and there are Crumbs locations in NYC we decided to move on to the park. Since more than one more park was talked about - I can't remember the park we ended up @ but I can tell you that it wasn't that far from the water!

I tried a couple Sweet mini cupcakes but quickly became overdosed on "Sweet" so decided to save my Carlo's Bake Shop cupcake for later.

Now that I know Hoboken isn't as far away as I thought I definitely want to go back and explore more than cupcakes! :)

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

My Sister's Keeper Premiere

Read the fine print.

This is the lesson I learned when it came to passes I printed out for myself and a friend to see "My Sister's Keeper". Although they were from the same place that I had gotten passes from for the "Nights in Rodanthe" Premiere it just never clicked that these passes could be for a premiere too as it didn't blatantly say it on the pass - just to dress in appropriate business attire. It wasn't until I joined my friend in line and listened to her observations that it seemed clear it was in fact the movie premiere! Sheesh! I didn't even know they held premieres at the Lincoln Square Theatre. I guess now I do! :)

Thru intermittent rain we patiently stood in line to hopefully exchange our printouts for an actual pass for the premiere. Then we both recognized one of the security guys. He told us we should have no problem getting in and to let him know if we had any trouble. Cool. A few minutes later he came past again and asked if it was just the two of us. Yes, it was. Then a few minutes after that he came up and told us it was going to be a while still and asked whether we wanted to go to Starbucks and get a coffee with him...having a hunch something was up, we said sure and stepped out of line. As we walked closer to the entrance of the theater our friend slyly produced 2 passes -"Enjoy the Show", he said. How great is that?! :)

So we made our way upstairs and got our complimentary popcorn and bottled beverage and found our assigned seats. It was a bit harder to blatantly spot the celebs this time around. (We think we caught a glimpse of the young actresses and Jason Patric but weren't for sure.) After getting a late start the director, Nick Cassavetes, bounded to the front to introduce the movie giving kudos to everyone in the film with special note to the author of the book in which the movie was based - Jodi Picoult. He said he loved the book like many others and w/ his tongue planted firmly in his cheek he added that he did his best to ruin it. ;)

I haven't read the book, so I don't know how the movie measures up but I can tell you that it would be next to impossible not to shed a few tears or at least feel them coming on while watching this movie. The entire cast did a great job but I thought Jason Patric stood out because he did so much w/ so little. His character had the least to say but it was his face that said it all in so many scenes. Just right.

Afterwards, as we exited w/ the masses we saw Cameron Diaz riding the escalator down in her white dress. Just like at the Rodanthe Premiere, there were buses waiting outside to ship people to the after party but once again we weren't sure if anyone could go or what so we kept walking.

My friend commented that she thought it was funny how whenever she saw movie premiere coverage on TV it looked so glamorous and full of stars. Little did she know that much of the audience was filled with "us commoners". ;)

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Shakespeare in the Park



Thanks to a friend of mine I got to experience "Shakespeare in the Park" for the first time sans standing in line for a ticket! :)

The show was "The Twelfth Night". Rain threatened but since it was the weekend where critics were coming to review it seemed likely that the show would go on...

No umbrellas are allowed to be opened during the performance in the theater so after a failed search for a poncho @ Duane Reade and other places (they only had kid sizes) and not really wanting to buy it from the guy wandering the park yelling "Ponchos!", I decided to shell out $10 to get an official "Shakespeare in the Park" poncho w/ last year's logo on it. (Pics taken outside the Delacorte Theater. The statue is of Romeo & Juliet.)

Since it had been raining off & on all day we arrived at our seats to find them wet. Thank goodness for ponchos! Right before the show started a guy and his friend settled down behind us. He was a loud, opinionated talker and later we found he was a guy that not only chose not to shut off his cell phone but had convos w/ more than one person during the performance. Why come to a performance if you're just going to talk on the phone the whole time? - not only are you missing the performance but you are ruining it for others, too!!! Sigh. Kept hoping an usher would nab him but I think they were all preoccupied w/ how to deal w/ the rain.

Kudos to the actors & actresses that did not let a wet set deter them from carrying out their stage directions. Wet butts be damned! ;)

During intermission we were allowed to raise our umbrellas. Then about 1 scene into the 2nd Act Anne Hathaway slipped. She finished the scene but then the play was paused momentarily while they hoped the rain would slow down a bit. Once again, our umbrellas were raised. Finally the rain did become manageable again and the show went on!

The show was great overall. Audra McDonald owned her role and seemed to have a lot of fun w/ it. Not sure I totally bought the chemistry w/ Anne Hathaway & Raul Esparza though. David Pittu was fantastic - although I've only seen him in one other show (What's that Smell?) plus an appearance on "Rescue Me" I'm beginning to think I can expect nothing less from him.

At the curtain call, Julie White cursed the skies shaking her fists but they all had smiles on their faces. At least no raccoons made an appearance. ;)

Note: This pic was taken a few weeks later from the Belvedre Castle. It is a view from the back of the stage/set/seating area.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Cupcake Kebab Craze!


So, I went to my first "Cupcakes Take the Cake" gathering on Saturday and braved the rainy weather in Central Park to present my Neapolitan Cupcake Kebabs (Kabobs). My goal was simply to come up w/ something new, fun and tasty - I had no idea how well they were going to go over (or if they'd go over @ all)! It's nuts!

Rachel from "Cupcakes Take the Cake" posted a vid on Monday of me talking about my Kebabs and it has over 800 views already! A google search for "Cupcake Kebabs" shows pics of my Kebabs showing up everywhere as well as the video. (It was even blogged about on BettyCrocker.com!) There are definite fans and definite foes - It is all very interesting to observe.... A word search on Twitter found many mentions and LuLus Cupcakes in AZ tweet - "Cupcake Kebabs - deep fried or no?"

Now I have this wonderful idea that everyone is talking about and...I'm lacking the right paperwork to sell it via my "in the works" online bakery. Nertz. It's exciting that so many people like the idea but a bit frustrating that I can't act on it immediately! (Perhaps I'll just be the Cupcake Kebab version of "The ORIGINAL Ray's Pizza", Har.) I saw that someone blogged about it and said they are trying to convince Crumbs to do it! That would be so crazy to see an idea arrive on the market and know I was the one that started it... My brother joked that if he sees it in Hy-Vee he'll know where it came from! ;)

And already I've found a few pics of people making their own versions! One is from Paris! Amazing! It's kind of like a play - you can have the same script but a different result occurs depending on direction, actors, space, etc.

In the meantime, I've got a head full of other flavor combos for kebabs and can't wait to try them! I've also started a flikr album w/ pics of treats I've made and of course there's the Facebook Group for Nibbles by Nora that people can join and be informed of the progress I'm making towards an actual online bakery!

No matter where this idea may or may not take me, one thing is for sure - I've now learned the power of the internet first hand!

Monday, June 8, 2009

@ the Tonys!

Thanks to a friend of mine who "knew somebody", I got to be a seat filler at the Tony Awards!

When I officially got the word my first thought went to - What will I wear?! Our instructions were to wear "appropriate formal attire". I inserted "practical" in there. Not only did I need to choose an outfit that was background worthy but it needed to be easily moved in (in other words, not dragging on the ground or something I need to tug @) and my shoes need to be something I can skitter in quickly! Oh...And then there's accessories and hair...

So as the big day neared I found a dress (VS online), found the shoes (clearance @ Payless!), found a mini purse (we were advised to leave cells @ home and not bring much - the purse was my BOGO @ Payless), an antique necklace (only $10 @ an outdoor sale in Chelsea) and cleaned myself up a bit (hair cut, brows, nails, etc...) . Then day of, my roomie was kind enough to share her makeup artist skills to glam me up and I chose a fairly basic pull back hairdo - making sure it wasn't too bouffant for those that may be sitting behind me! ;)

We were asked to be at Radio City Music Hall by 4:30pm. When I arrived, I had to wk past a large grouping of police to get in the seat fillers line. I heard one policeman say, "Greenal must the color this year..."

My friend joined me in line and soon we were being ushered into the RCMH and given green wristbands - an easily spotted sign that we were seat fillers and not celebs. ;)

After everyone was seated in the back of the auditorium, we waited and watched snippets of the rehearsal that happened earlier in the day. We were given a steady countdown of how many minutes we had left to use the bathroom - once the show started there would be no trips to the bathroom (probably one of the reasons why we weren't provided w/ water while we waited to sit!) Soon we were given instructions as to how the night was going to roll. Err...Is it a problem that I'm not totally clear on who's who and where I'm supposed to go?! My friend assured me that once we were in motion I'd get it. I hope so. They said our movement would happen during the 4 minute commercial breaks - w/ most of the movement happening in the last 30 seconds and if you didn't have a seat by then you needed to get your ass back to the line!

They also told us that 2 very expensive watches were going to be given away during the commercial breaks and told us that only people that PAID for their tickets could win. (Later, the friend of my friend laughed at that saying off-handedly that no one on the main floor actually paid for their tickets. Har. Probably truer than we know. Although we were told the seats we were in were going for $500.) Later the guy that gave away the watches milked his kinda/sorta 15 minutes of fame. First he said he could dance - so he did in a "Go Watchman! Go Watchman!" kinda way and then the next time he was out there he sang "New York, New York" and specifically called out Jane Fonda as the person he was singing it to.

We were in the 2nd row of seat fillers so we headed to the left side of the stage (or stage right). And there we stood and stood, with the occasional musical chair moment and then we'd stand some more. My new shoes needed some gellin' insoles! But as the awards progressed more and more seats needed permanent or long term (i.e. - more than a segment) filling so it really started to pay off!

Here are some "highlights" from the night -

*Standing on the side, we saw Bret Michaels get clobbered only we weren't sure who it was. The audience gasped but quickly got over it as the show went on! (It was kind of a - did I see what I just think I saw?! - moment.)

*Sat by Geoffrey Rush briefly, only to discover the guy who's seat I was filling was standing in front of me the whole time but didn't say anything until he was ready to sit down. Then he said, "Okay, I'll take my seat now. But that's a very nice green dress you're wearing."

*I should also note that while I was sitting by Rush, Angela Lansbury touched his arm and said "Geoffrey" in a way that I can't really type out.

*When I got up to vacate the seat next Rush we were being scurried off and Raul Esparza thankfully tucked in his feet as I cut the corner close - oops.

*Anne Hathaway uses a lot of "sweeties" and "hon/honey" when she talks - wasn't sure if that was an always thing or just when she's in those situations. She introduced her father to Colin Hanks (Colin was w/ what we think was his gf...she took a pic of him w/ the stage behind him on her phone) and then later flew past and handed Raul a Starbucks Coffee - where did she get that from?!

*One of the seat filler wranglers said that Jane Fonda's bf was a "free spirit" so they'd have to keep an eye on him. ?! And he referred to James Gandolfini as "Jimmy".

*After actresses from Mary Stuart were done waiting to see if they'd won their category - they started munching on candy! - one had elbow-length evening gloves on, too! (I think it must have been a bag passed out to all the attendees as another seat I sat in had it lying on the floor. Which brings me to a side note: Not only did you have to get yourself past people in a quick and decent fashion - do I put my ass or front to the celeb?! - but you had to be mindful of items left behind.)

*Speaking of "ass or front" - Chandra Wilson had a lovely green dress on but it was looooong and in order to sneak past it, I did turn my ass to her and drop my mini purse in my friend's lap who just happened to be sitting in front of her. ;)

*More on Chandra - there was a mini "Grey's Anatomy" reunion as she and "Meredith's Mom", Kate Burton, excitedly greeted each other and chatted for a bit.

*While standing on the side during pre-show there was this entourage coming down the stairs for who?...Harvey Weinstein.

*Also while standing on the side we saw several celebs pass us on their way back stage and out again - Will Ferrell, Bebe Neuwirth, Poison, Samantha Mathis, Oliver Platt (wearing what looked like a Converse type black shoe - white soles w/ a tux), Lauren Graham and others...

*After Geoffrey Rush won, my friend and I ended up sitting next to each other in the vacated seats. Our hair and faces were touched by a cast member of "Hair" and the cast of "Norman Conquests" flew past us when they won. We were kinda hoping Rush wasn't going to come back but he finally did, apologizing for making us move. (By then he probably knew our faces as we seemed be cycling around that area a lot.)

*I sat by another seatfiller behind one of the gentleman (director? producer?) involved w/ Billy Elliott. When the 3 boys won the camera sat on him and the seatfiller next me was texted immediately after the segment and told she was on there (btw - obviously some people brought their cells. I did. But I kept mine off in my purse and wasn't texting during the show - Sheesh!). Anyway, I was all excited that I was probably on too and then when I found the clip all I could see was my sleeve! (you can see it about the 3:14 mark) LOL! BTW - The seat I was sitting in was vacated by Stephen Mangan (Norman from "The Norman Conquests") - they did not come back to their seats before the end of the show.

*Neil Patrick Harris entertained the audience w/ magic tricks during a couple commercial segments. First he asked a "random audience member" to pick a number, any number as he wrote on the small dry erase board he brought out. He guessed the number, she said "no" and he flipped his board around...it said "no". ;) Then the second time he came out and asked another "random person" (both times stressing that he'd never met the person before, right?) to guess a number and then forget that number and guess again. This time he actually got the right number (82)! Not sure if the person was a plant or if he truly was magical! ;)

*During another commercial break they aired "Shrek Auditions" which someone in the balcony apparently recorded! They also aired a "teaser trailer" for the upcoming Addams Family musical and the crowd lit up as they listed the cast. And they tossed in a few retro ads for previous versions of "Hair" and "Guys & Dolls" on Broadway.

Although my feet weren't very happy by the end of the night it was still an amazing experience....and something to reflect upon when I'm actually there as a presenter or nominee...someday... ;)

**Note: As we were filtering out of RCMH I turned on my phone, turned around and snapped this pic...

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Eric Bana abbreviated

The Tribeca Film Festival is in full swing and the Apple Store in SoHo has been hosting special events in conjunction w/ the festival...for free. :)

I saw that Eric Bana was going to be there to promote his new doc - Love the Beast and I thought that just might be worth checking out!

So a friend and I met up there after work and discovered that despite some seating it was full and now SRO. I found a spot to the side (later discovered it was in direct view of Mr. Bana and swear he was looking @ me sometimes...although there was a well-cleavaged woman wearing sunglasses that was standing beside me...perhaps he was looking @ her instead?! teehee.)

Fortunately, the wait time for the program to begin wasn't too bad. Bana came out and the girls behind us immediately started commenting on how small he is in real life and how he looks better in the "Love the Beast" movie poster than he does in person. Then there was an overzealous perfume wearer standing next to my friend. I started to feel hot but tried to keep my focus on the interview and watching clips from the movie - which looks really good btw.

Bana talked about how he used to race his car w/out movie producers knowing his passion for cars (as they tend to tweak out when their actors put themselves @ risk). He said that of course this movie will put the end to that secret.

I was starting to feel worse. Do I walk out or pass out in front of Eric Bana? Hmmm... I opted for the "walk out" and my friend followed. I quickly discovered there really is no place to sit @ the Apple Store beyond the steps so that's where I sat as the guard looked on. After a few minutes I did start to feel better but rather than have a repeat, we decided to move on to dinner @ Silver Spurs. Once again, it was a new place (to me) to dine - I ordered the "Ana Madama" and a Milkshake to maybe cure what ailed me. ;)

After a bit of detective work my near pass-out may have been the result of donating blood the day before. (I donated @ The Rock and was asked if I was an NBC employee.) Next time I will know to time it better as I also ended up feeling like crap for an audition the night of when I donated....however, I DID get a callback! Go figure.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Burden Me 3

A one act, "Burden Me", that I was in for the first time over a year ago seems to have legs as the playwright keeps getting it accepted to area theaters/festivals. 2 of the 3 original cast members were in the "revival" at the Winter Strawberry One-Act Festival (the playwright stepped in as an actor) but this time I was the lone original. Although I had the lines, our handful of rehearsals pre-performance proved I couldn't be on autopilot (which was a good thing) as different actors meant different reactions. In that respect it made an "old" show new again, which was kind of fun and gave me a chance to do different things w/ the character I hadn't done before!

This time we performed for Awakening Drama in the West Village. And I think it was the best audience we've had as far as audible reactions - you could tell they were catching all the subtleties.

Afterwards, the playwright's wife (and our director) took our cast pic on Minetta Lane. And that was the day. It always amazes me how much work can go into a production and how just like that, it's over. But I guess that's life - weddings, babies, vacations, etc. Lots of prep and waiting and then - there it is and gone. Don't Blink!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Night @ the NYMF - Best of Fest




Word that I'm trying to get an online bakery established is spreading and a friend of a friend contacted me to see if I would be so kind as to provide treats for a fundraiser for the New York Musical Festival (Best of Fest) in exchange for some advertising. Sure! Why not? (My logo can be seen in the bottom right hand corner of this flyer.)

I committed to offering 4 flavors of mini cupcakes (Angel Food Cupcakes w/ Cotton Candy Buttercream Frosting, Orange Zest Cupcakes w/ White Chocolate Frosting and Orange Slice Stars, Chocolate Cupcakes w/ chunks of Andes Candies and a Dark Chocolate Mint Frosting w/ Junior Mint on top and Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cupcake w/ Chocolate Chip Buttercream Frosting), 98 total. I was totally excited about coming up w/ the flavor combos and creating/baking but I always forget how much time can fly during this process and I didn't get to bed until about 2am - morning of the show. Eesh.

Then there was packing them for transport. Since I've yet to settle on the best way to transport my goods I've been alternating in my forms of transport. This time it was buying white pastry boxes from The Container Store and dividing the rows w/ wax paper. Sadly, although all the minis were tasty some were gooey-er than others (I'm talking to you, dark mint chocolate). I was a bit worried about their appearance for such an important event. That worry was compounded by the fact that I needed to tote them to work then on to the show...in a downpour. Wheeee!

A friend and I managed to get them to the New World Stages w/ hopefully minimal roughing up of the minis. Then we headed to Blockheads (heard about it many times but it was my first time actually going!) for a meal before going to the "Best of Fest" ourselves. (An added bonus to donating my minis to the event, I was able to get a ticket plus 1 to the show - to our surprise our tickets landed us in front row center!)

The show was made up of songs from past NYMF shows and made me highly curious to know more about many of the shows that we only got snippets of. As soon as the show was over, it was time for the reception where my minis would be served. I was pleasantly surprised by how they had been displayed and how great they looked!!! I did that! :)

They seemed to be a hit and while my friend and I sampled other goodies there we had an awkward encounter w/ a 40+ year old that preferred to have a convo w/ our chests rather than us. Ewww. It was clear he was trying to network w/ bigwigs and impress us w/ connections that he *might* have. He repeated several times that he was disappointed that some of the "names" that had performed at the fest didn't stick around. We made it clear we really didn't know anybody, politely said "no" when he offered to get us more drinks and finally dodged him by taking a trip to the Ladies Room. Sheesh.

Although I brought business cards, I'm not sure how many peeps will be in touch. Perhaps a little bit of buzz will start to build...if anything I'm just glad all that work was enjoyed by others!

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Ladies Night!

When my producer and I were discussing publicity ideas for "Call Waiting" she suggested a "Ladies Night" where ladies would get a glass of wine w/ their ticket. Then I offered to provide a treat as well via "Nibbles by Nora" and so "Ladies Night" was set for Tuesday, April 5th, 2009.

In many ways, "Ladies Night" ended up feeling more like Opening Night than the actual opening show did.

My 'rents surprised me by sending flowers to the office, I met friends for dinner prior to the show and was given another bouquet and then another friend gave me flowers at the theater! (I think that's probably the most flowers I've gotten for a any occasion ever!)

The snag was that I was carrying 4 different boxes that held 4 different flavors (chocolate, almond, lemon & vanilla - all w/ buttercream frosting) of frosted cupcakes totally 46. So balancing was a bit of an issue but thankfully I got the cupcakes (and flowers) there in tact. (Did I mention I was up til 3am talking w/ my roommate and frosting said cupcakes and dipping fortune cookies the night before?)

We set out the cupcakes and had the wine ready and once we opened the house it was like "this is your life...in New York". People from work, previous shows, new friends and old arrived and made me realize just how far I've come since moving here. They actually came to see my show - some hadn't even seen me act before but they were making an effort to see something that I wrote and directed. It was pretty cool. Even cooler was the fact that everyone seemed to enjoy the show (and the cupcakes - teehee).

Having this group of people come out to support me really meant a lot and made me realize how lucky I am to have such people in my lives! And having an almost full house nearly made up for only having 4 people in the audience the night before.... ;)

Overall, I'd say Ladies Night was a success and now the cast gets a bit of a break before the final 2 shows next weekend!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Up & Running


After a morning of tech (and our first official run thru of the show w/ all it's parts together in the space we are performing in) "Call Waiting" opened to a decent sized audience at 2pm today.

I was asked by more than one person if I was nervous. And found that I was more nervous as a director than writer...why was that? Well, since I was the director I knew exactly what was happening to my show but as the director, well...I just hoped everything would pull together nicely and the audience would enjoy the show! :)

Thankfully I have a talented and smart cast and a talented and smart person running lights/sound so my stress and worry was more the "it's the first show, I hope it goes well!" variety.

Now if we can only get critics to see it! We are listed in The Village Voice (as sisters who are best friends) and in New York Magazine (as a mother and daughter who are best friends) but at least we're listed, right?! An audience member already posted on the Facebook listing for "Call Waiting" that the show reminded him of "Friends" and he wanted to know what happened w/ all the relationships. May the buzz keep building and fill seats!

After the first show was finished and everything was put away, I decided a movie was in order and ended up at Chelsea Cinema to see Two Lovers. When I bought my ticket the ticket taker told me that tonight "Earth Hour" would occur and that the Empire State Building would not be lit. Interesting - I'll have to keep my eye out....

Back to the movie- It is a creepy movie in some respects but all too real in the characters' manipulations and which "side" they share with who, how those people perceive them and how circumstances force them to settle or maybe they're not really forced they just decide to settle. As an audience member you were able to witness every moment but then you leave thinking how in real life you aren't the audience member and how limited your knowledge really is about the people that surround you regularly. So many filters...even w/social networks, you can project the image you want. Very controlled and then...do people even know what their real personality is?! Yes, it's a ponderous movie...

Time for Karaoke!

A couple friends of mine share birthdays close to each other so a few years ago they started having joint birthday bashes. This year it was at iBop. (You can rent a room and each person is charged $7 per hour they are there.) Since the crowd was full of theater folk there were lots of show tunes and outstanding performances and of course the alcohol bolstered the non-theater folk's confidence so fairly quickly there was quite a wait to get the opportunity to sing! So...alas, I did not. Which was okay - my two "go to" songs weren't listed anyway (David Duchovny by Bree Sharp & Excuse Me, Mister by No Doubt) and well...sometimes it's much more fun to watch and sing along! ;)

Saturday, March 21, 2009

The American Plan

Thanks to a friend w/ a free ticket, I got to see "The American Plan" tonight.

After we got settled in our seats, I was immediately taken by the set. A pier that w/ little imagination looked like it was sitting out on the water (the slick look of the stage made me wonder how easy it was to navigate for the actors - as the transitions happened in the show, you never heard footsteps).

As the show began I was easily sucked into this time and place and not knowing a lot about the play in advance...I also wondered where it was going...the first thing that struck me was Lily Rabe's voice. I wondered how this character would come across w/ a voice that didn't sound older than the person speaking. How much work was that voice doing for the part?

Mercedes Ruehl
embraces her role as a controlling and manipulating mother but although her daughter keeps warning people, it is not until you actually see her doing it that you believe it's possible. Ruehl's character can be grating but she has a charm about her that makes you want to believe she wouldn't actually destroy her daughter's future and possible happiness.

But then...the story twists further when the happiness isn't necessarily in her new found "love" but in the chance to escape her mother.

At the end of the play they flash forward and I wonder how necessary it was to add, as if the audience were given a chance to reflect on the show up until then they probably would have drawn similiar conclusions- however, it does give the characters closure.

Although the production value and acting was well executed, the play itself is certainly not an uplifting one (and has it's lulls). Especially when it is confirmed what happens to these characters. This play shows a character that tries to fight what appears to be her destiny and then eventually succumb to it. Great for drama on stage but makes you reflective on how such things play out in life. What effort is in vain and what effort is not is often not known until you have that "flash forward" distance to reflect.

All this "deep thought" aside, we had some talkative older audience members behind us that became a show of their own as people within earshot of them would laugh in response to them and not the show. Gotta love live theater! Oh - and Julie White was sitting in the row ahead of us, too. :)

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

39 Steps


I've been wanting to see "39 Steps" for a long time, but I kept putting it off because I felt like I needed to see the movie first. So I missed my chance to see the actor who originated the lead role, then I missed my chance to see Sam Robards in the role and finally due to another friend's interest I decided to forget thinking I was going to see the movie first and just go. So we did and I'd only wished I'd gone sooner!

What a great night of entertainment! It's clever, smart, fast paced and full of talent by the small cast that plays multiple roles. (I can't imagine how many calories they must burn each night!)

Man #1 & Man #2 reminded me of Conway & Korman. At one point it looked like they were about to crack as one kept blowing the loose strand of wig hair up to bother the other one's face. It made me wonder if this was a bit that happened every night or just a random moment...

I still need to see the movie (which I see is on Hulu now) and when I do, I may just have to see the stage show again! If you can get a cheaper ticket it's definitely worth seeing - oh, and bonus...you can pose w/ Hitchcock's silhouette in the lobby! :)

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Hooters

I'm a firm believer that everyone should celebrate their birthday rather than let it go by like it's a regular day. It's the one day of the year that you can claim as your own so why not do so? I know age is often an excuse but I figure why not celebrate that you ARE a year older rather than be unhappy about it? It's another year you "survived", learned from and build from as you start to knock down another year....

Anyway... w/ all that in mind, I emailed a friend to see what he was doing for his b-day. He had nothing special planned so I suggested dinner somewhere- his choice. And his choice was....HOOTERS! Yep. I verified that he wasn't joking-he wasn't. And since I suggested dinner it wasn't like I could back out so... Hooters it was.

W/ only a few days notice, we managed to get a decent sized group together and for the first time I experienced Hooters. (Prior to the visit the only knowledge I had mostly came from "Big Daddy" and being aware that they used to have a trivia night at the now defunct location in Lincoln that an old boss and my parents used to go to.)

It was pretty much what I expected. You pay for the "ambiance" - not the food. (A combo platter of wings & dom perignon, anyone?!)

We debated about whether our waitress, "Olga" had a fake name or not as she was rather unresponsive when her name was said in an attempt to get her attention. (I wonder what the average length of time working at Hooters is for a Hooters girl before she's over the short shorts, spanx and cinched Hooters tops?)

Would I go again? For another friend's birthday-yes. Just 'cause-no. But at least now I can say I've been, right?! Right.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Keeping Busy = Lack of Blogs in the New Year

So I was trying really hard to make myself wait until I got caught up with last years blogs before posting in the New Year and by doing that I'm just getting farther behind so.... Here I am posting. And when I post belated posts - I will point them out in present time, because even though they may be delayed there's still some good stuff to be shared....no, really! ;)

Currently my time spent outside of the work day has been occupied with casting and starting rehearsals for a play I wrote and am directing for Phare Play Productions called "Call Waiting". Back in Omaha, (a couple drafts back) it was called "Why Can't This Be Love?" and had a reading @ the P.S. Collective sponsored by the Shelterbelt Theatre. Although I had decided I was moving to NYC at that point 2 years ago (read this article and you'll see what all I was up to about the time I decided to prepare for a leap - crazy), I would not have imagined that said script would be getting produced in NYC 2 years later. In fact, I had shelved it, aside from an excerpt posted on my site. I never felt it was quite ready yet. But Phare Play saw the excerpt and asked me to submit the play to them for consideration. After looking it over and finally tweaking and adding things that I should have done a long time ago I did submit it and now...here I am!

It's a shorter script (no intermission) but one that I hope people will find entertaining and easily identified with. While directing these scenes and watching them being brought to life I've had this sensation of being in a weird time warp of past and present as I reflect on the path the play/script has taken and the real life situations I've experienced and witnessed that inspired it juxtaposed with being in the present and accomplishing something that wasn't even in scope 2 years ago.

I am very fortunate to have a talented and professional cast to work with. Even though we are only in the first week of rehearsals they are adding their own special touches to their characters and we aren't even off book yet! I can't wait to see how the show grows as they become more familiar with the script and their castmates. I know there's a lot of work ahead but I'm truly excited about the potential of the finished product!

So when I'm not directing...I'm baking. I'm in the process of starting an online baking business w/ an emphasis on "bite size treats." Right now I'm figuring out a plan of attack or launch or something like that... In the meantime however, buzz has started and that has motivated me to get a website in the works - www.nibblesbynora.com , start a Facebook Group - Nibbles by Nora and make sure I have a logo (which was created by the very talented Pam Felthauser.) Of course, looking @ the economy it is probably not the best time to start a business but I'm being cautious and it is encouraging that last week, USA Today had an article on their front page about bite size treats thriving in bitter times...so that may be a good sign? We'll see...

In other news- Although I was unable to be there, Amerigo the Brave was shown on the big screen this past week for the Omaha Film Festival and seemed to get fairly positive reviews. The guys from H-Minus have submitted to other festivals as well, so I'm hoping they get one accepted near me soon so I can go see it! :)

On 2/25 I became an "aunt" again. A friend gave birth to her second child/son, Hunter Troy. I've only seen one cell phone pic but he is quite the cutie and has a bit of both Mom & Dad in him. I'm told that his new 4 yr old big brother was the first one to visit Hunter after his birth and they got the meeting on film. I hope to get a visit on the calendar to see him in person later this year. ;)

And this Tuesday I'm headed out to Vegas for a fam vacay (yep - we'll all fly in to meet each other - I don't think we've actually done a fam vacay since a trip to the Mall of America about 10 years ago...) and then Friday we'll depart and I'll head to Cali to visit my West Coast friends and see one of those friends in Opening Night of "Taming of the Shrew". Then it's back to NYC on Sunday!

Needless to say, multiple to-do lists are made daily but everything will get done in due time...yes, even blogging...even when it keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the list, at least it still is on the list! ;)

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Amerigo the Brave @ the Omaha Film Festival

A short film that I flew back to film in NE about a year and a half ago had it's official "premiere" at the Omaha Film Festival last night. There were preview screenings prior to the public screenings (a second one will be held Friday) and this is what Leo Adam Biga of "The Reader" had to say about the film already... (Note: the stars are out of 4)

Amerigo the Brave
****

Of the 20 films I screened, the single best work of art is this short by Omahan Jonathan Trvdik. He’s a serious filmmaker to be watched. Shot in expressive black and white by Bill Sitzmann, it is reminiscent of the best original “Twilight Zone” offerings. There are hints of Arthur Penn’s Mickey One and David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks.” It ultimately stands as something all its own. It plops us into some backstage netherworld on the vaudeville circuit for a few telling moments in the lives of three people on the edge of existential abyss.

A sense of impending doom drives the story. Jon Purcell, Bill Hutson and Nora Vetter distinguish themselves among the small cast. Kudos to Michael Arch for lighting design and Justin Thompson for set design. I can’t wait to see another film by Tvrdik, his producing partner Purcell and his DP, Sitzmann, who reportedly have new projects in the can and on the drawing board. Add Tvrdik’s name to Nik Fackler’s, Dana Altman’s, Alexander Payne’s, Vince Alston’s, John Beasley’s and Omowale Akintunde’s as Omaha’s best hopes for a homegrown feature film industry.

Wheeeeee! This group that I worked w/ are up and coming for sure. I'm happy I was able to be a part of their film and hope the opportunity arises for me to work with them again.

Monday, January 12, 2009

"United States of Tara" Preview

Another free preview only this time it is for a cable television show and not a movie...

Shotime sponsored a premiere @ Sunshine Cinema to show the first 2 episodes of "The United States of Tara". And provided a free medium soda & popcorn to each member of the audience as well (bonus that this theater has half a dozen different popcorn flavorings to choose from. :))

While I was in the theater waiting for my friend to arrive, a guy sat on the other side of me w/ his headshots and Diablo Cody's "Candy Girl" in his lap. He talked under his breath as he was organizing his headshots (apparently he thought this preview would be a chance to network?!) and then he turned to me and asked if I'd read Cody's book. I haven't. He said I really should. Duly noted.

That guy must have been disappointed because it appeared that no "bigwigs" involved w/ the show were there and no intro was given before the lights went down and the first show started.

It was interesting to watch a "tv show" in a movie theater atmosphere and hear a crowded theater audience's reaction.

TUSofT has a unique premise and offers a great acting challenge for Toni Collette but I wasn't totally taken by it. There's a lot of storylines to choose from and I feel like it will take a few more episodes to get a better feel of where the show intends to go w/ the premise. Since I'm cable-less I'll probably form an opinion much later than others will about the show! ;)