Il Cielo in Beverly Hills for Dine LA

Thursday night was a special treat, and on top of Aimee and I's first Girl's Night out for Dinner, we had a great meal at another new restaurant and I am keeping true to my New Year's resolutions!

Il Cielo was just as beautiful as I imagined it would be.  The ambiance in the restaurant was just incredible!  We got seated and were greeted by two different people welcoming us to the restaurant, taking my coat for me, and then bringing us water.  We brought a bottle of wine in and they had a $25 corkage fee which was fine considering the price per bottle at minimum was almost double that.  They brought bruschetta while we looked over the menu and I went with the Insalta Toscana, Costolette di Manzo, and Chocolate Souffle.

The salad was butter lettuce with shaved apple, roasted almonds and pecorino cheese in a honey mustard dressing.  Aimee got the Beef Carpacchio which was served with arugula, fresh squeezed lemon, and parmesan.  I'm not a huge honey mustard fan but the dressing was the perfect accompaniment to the salad and I wouldn't have changed a thing.  Il Cielo made me a believer!  The appetizers were probably my favorite part of the meal and it was my first time having Beef Carpacchio and everything worked so well together and was just stupendous.

Our delicious appetizers!

My entree was braised short ribs with a horseradish sweet potato and baby vegetables.  Aimee got the grilled Norwegian Salmon with broccolini and cherry tomatoes in balsamic.  The short ribs were tender and I loved the horseradish potato but the short ribs at The Garage are so great, it was hard to live up to.  Aimee's veggies were very flavorful and she loved her salmon but I'm definitely more of a meat-eater.  The portions were nice and big so that was great but not over-whelming which left plenty of room for dessert.

Dinner is served...

We both ordered the Chocolate Souffle which was more of a bittersweet chocolate but the chocolate center perfectly flowed out nice and hot.  It's so easy to over-cook a souffle and this was timed to perfection and it showed.  It was served with vanilla gelato and I ordered an espresso to cap off the meal and wonderful dining experience.

Yup.

There were other entrees I was also looking at, like the Fettuccine with Sea Scallops and Cherry Tomatoes and that was on the Dine LA menu. They had a few different Risotto's and Lamb (that sounded really good) on their regular menu.  I will most certainly be back because of the impeccable service and beautiful atmosphere.  Plus, they have Happy Hour Monday through Friday which is great and totally unexpected from such an up-scale venue.

 

I will definitely be back to Il Cielo :)

Dine LA and Karaoke on Wednesday

I got another Dine LA experience on Wednesday afternoon when I took myself out to Lunch at 2117 just down the street from me on Sawtelle.  I'd read this menu on Dine LA over the past couple of years and looked forward to a fun little Lunch on my own.

2117 is an Asian Fusion restaurant and the menu looked really interesting and seemed reasonably priced so I thought I would check it out.  I don't dine out alone very often but I wasn't worried about it at all until I felt like the waitress was looking at me a little funny and everyone else was sitting in groups.  Overall, the waitress was on top of re-filling my water but never once asked how anything was so that was a little discouraging.  I ordered the Japanese Tai Snapper Carpacchio, the Crispy Cilantro-Crusted Wild Mexican Shrimp, and then the XO Brandy Creme Brulee.  While the Snapper tasted delicious and was a generous portion, the presentation was a little messy and the green color wasn't necessarily appetizing.  The waitress told me the Shrimp was going to be spicy and I said that was great, but when it came, it wasn't spicy at all, and I felt the description and title of the Shrimp made it seem much more up-scale when it was just shrimp tempura.  The shrimp was ok but the risotto/rice was really good and a nice compliment to it.  The Creme Brulee was my favorite part, it was creamy and had a great sweet flavor.  This meal was $20 and I felt like I got my money's worth but nothing wowed me and it's not someplace I would suggest to anyone and that's a bummer.

Dine LA Lunch at 2117

On Wednesday night I hosted Karaoke at Gabe's and started the night with 'When I'm Gone,' by 3 Doors Down which was my new song last week.  I then did 'Promises In The Dark' by Pat Benatar but switched it up to The Supreme's singing one of my favorites, 'Baby Love.'  I was feeling the rock vibe so I did 'November Rain' by Guns & Roses and also 'Every Breath You Take' by The Police which was my best performance of that.  My new song of the night was Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' which was a lot of fun to sing and a good challenge to myself with the wordiness of the song in addition to low and high parts that need a lot of power behind them.  I closed out the night with 'Run' by Leona Lewis because I couldn't even remember the last time I sang that.  It's a difficult song but I lowered the key which helped.  It was a busy night filled with lots of singers and some strong song choices!

It really was a fun night of Karaoke and a nice little lunch date for myself on a good ol' Wednesday!

Dine LA starts at La Vecchia!

One of my resolutions was to eat at new restaurants or try new Happy Hours at least once a month.  In trying new things, I hit up La Vecchia in Santa Monica last night for one of my favorite times of the year, Dine LA.  Restaurant Week comes twice a year for a week or two and I joke with friends that this is what I save money for; I don't need a new purse, or pair of heels, I want an incredible dining experience.  La Vecchia proved to be just right.

Dine LA is offered at restaurants throughout Los Angeles and it's a three-course prix fixe menu.  At lunch, and depending on the price of food and location, prices are $15, $20, or $25 and at dinner, they're $25, $35, or $45.  La Vecchia was $35 per person without tax and gratuity, and was a steal considering my entree alone was valued at $49!

Let's get to the food!  I started with the Insalta Di Burrata which was heirloom tomatoes, fresh burrata cheese, proscuitto, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and basil.  I've tried proscuitto in the past and I'm not really a big fan and after trying it again last night, I'm still not into it.  But the burrata, tomatoes, and basil were so fresh and delicious, that was all I wanted and it was very satisfying.

Look at that burrata!

For my second course I was debating on getting the Filet with a leek and mushroom port wine sauce but decided on a traditional Italian meal getting the Gnocchi Ai Funghi Porcini E Vitello Con Tartuffo.  Breaking that down, it was the fluffiest, tiny little delicious pillows of gnocchi which was house-made, porcini mushrooms and a cream sauce, with sauteed veal and fresh shaved Italian black winter truffles.  The Chef, Mark Mollica, came over to the table to check on the meal and said he didn't want to waste the truffle and would I mind if he shaved the rest onto my plate.  I know how valuable a truffle is so I certainly didn't want it to go to waste and appreciated every little bit of it.  I'm not totally sure but I believe this was my first time eating veal and while the pieces were pretty small, I thought it tasted similar to chicken.  Overall, the entree was absolutely fabulous.

So many truffles covering the perfect gnocchi...

Next up it was time for dessert.  I knew as soon as I had scoped out the place on-line I was ordering the Molten Chocolate Cake which really needs no description.  It was as incredible as you could dream it to be.  As soon as I spooned out my first piece, the chocolatey goodness melted out and it was the perfect way to end the meal!

Perfection.

My overall thoughts about the meal, ambiance, and staff, are good.  The food was excellent and the server was sweet and attentive.  She was from Wisconsin so I always have an instant connection with my Midwestern peeps.  I thought it was great that the Chef came out to check on the meal and topped off my plate with extra truffles.  Plus, his presentation was impeccable.  Because it was extremely busy as this was the first day for Dine LA, the restaurant was packed, and you were sitting pretty close to the neighboring tables.  When I go again, I'll request the table right next to the front window.  Initially, there was no Host, but I believe it was the Manager who came over, and said he'd be back in five minutes.  I had made a reservation so I wish he would have asked right away versus brushing us off, and I watched the two women who had come in after me, stand waiting at the front door for at least five minutes more before they were seated.  Later on I had another conversation with him after the restaurant had almost emptied out and he was a little abrupt and not very friendly which was slightly disappointing but that wouldn't stop me from coming back.

This sets the bar for the rest of my Dine LA experiences this week and it's going to be tough to match :)

3 Doors Down Acoustic Show!

Since starting my concert list a few years ago I finally found a band that I've been listening to for years that came to LA and had affordable tickets to their show that I was excited to buy!

 

On Tuesday night I had tickets to see the 3 Doors Down Songs from the Basement Tour at the House of Blues on Sunset.  I've always liked their music and 'Here Without You' is still one of my favorite songs and can always bring tears to my eyes.  The lead singer, Brad, sounded absolutely fantastic live; there was literally no difference between the album and his live voice which is always great to hear.  He played all his hits along with some songs that were a little obscure but that I really enjoyed enough to find his older albums and hear some of his first songs.  This was a Christmas present for Neil, and we were just three rows of people from the stage and had a great view of the whole band.  New songs to me that I liked were 'Let Me Be Myself,' 'When You're Young,' and 'Duck and Run.'  They played hits like 'Away From the Sun,' 'Be Like That,' 'Kryptonite,' and 'It's Not My Time.'  There was a short encore where they played my favorite, 'Here Without You' which was just beautiful and then another one of my favs 'When I'm Gone,' to close out the night.

Clearly very happy to be touring again!

Overall, the show was awesome and a great way to start my 2014 concert experience!  They played for over an hour and a half with plenty of music.  Plus, since we were right down the street from Pearl's we stopped by for a cocktail.  I had an awesome tequila drink called the Mickey Cohen, that had a strawberry-jalapeno-lime infused ice sphere, tequila, and passion fruit that was delicious.

Pearl's Cocktail, Winter Concert Wear, and 'Here Without You'

It's already an entertaining start to 2014 :)

One-Hit Wonder Show & Karaoke

Last year I saw my friend, Andy, at The Falcon Theater performing a Troubadour Show called Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReinDoors which was a tribute to The Doors with the story-telling of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  This last Sunday I got to see an awesome theater show, Walking in a One-Hit Wonderland, thanks to my friend, Andy, who was in the show.  It had plenty of one-hit wonders and a story that centered around the Winter Warlock. 

 

I was lucky to get tickets to the Wonderland show considering they were selling out fast.  This year's show had a lot more improv and we got to see Andy more so I was very excited.  It was about a 90 minute show that included singing, acting, dancing, crowd participation and fun.  This was their 10th anniversary so they played clips from the past 10 years which was really neat.  On top of your favorite one-hit wonders, Andy was on stilts, the Winter Warlock was on stilts, there were stunts performed, some "alcohol consumption" and the story of three ghosts visiting Winter who wanted to quit the business but decided that everyone wanted her around and Christmas just wasn't the same without her.  It's always a happy ending when it comes to a Troubadour show!  It was also awesome to recognize some of the same actors from the last show :)

 

This past week at Karaoke had a little late 90's early 2000's vibe.  It was pretty quiet, even for a Wednesday night, so I opened with 'You Know I'm No Good' by Amy Winehouse and then got into a Fiona Apple song with 'Criminal.'   I switched over to the guys, doing 'Mr. Jones' by The Counting Crows and since I had just seen 3 Doors Down the previous night at The House Of Blues, my new song of the night was, 'When I'm Gone' which went really well and is right in my range.  I got one more female song in, doing 'You Were Meant for Me' which I haven't done in a while and then swapped back to the dudes.  We had a little Tom Petty super-set going so I did 'You Got Lucky' and this went much better than the last time I did it quite some time ago.  I closed out the night with 'Everything I Do, I Do It For You,' by Bryan Adams.  If there had been more people there I think the theme would have been a lot of fun so I'll have to bring it back another time.

I think we need a One-Hit Wonder night at Karaoke...coming soon!

Afterbuzz TV & SAG Screeners

This week has been pretty busy with work and because I've been sick I've been spending my down time watching my SAG Screeners so I know who to vote for by the deadline.  I not only Guest Hosted for Vanderpump Rules this week but also got my bio and headshot up on the Afterbuzz website!  Check it out here: http://site.afterbuzztv.com/guests/lyndsey-wegner/

 

This week we started back up at Afterbuzz for Shahs of Sunset with two new hosts.  It adds a better dynamic to have more of us to discuss and debate on the show and it's topics.  I actually got quite heated about GG and her contenders but to see what I say you'll have to check out the show on YouTube. Lyndsey Hosting the Shahs of Sunset Aftershow for Afterbuzz TV.  I also Guest Hosted for Vanderpump Rules which is a show I can really get into and watch on a regular basis.  I had a little Jennifer Aniston/Rachel from Friends moment in the beginning but it was also a lot of fun to have three of us girls chatting about a show full of gossip and ridiculous antics!

Here's our video for Vanderpump Rules...catch my 'Rachel' moment at the 1:45 mark!

I've been laying low the past couple of days in between Bartending and watching a bunch of my SAG Screeners.  Yesterday I watched 12 Years A Slave which was really good and had a phenomenal ensemble cast (loved the cameo by Brad Pitt who produced the film).  People kept saying it was really violent and that it made The Passion of the Christ look tame but I disagree.  The Passion literally had me looking away at points and this wasn't as graphic but allowed you into their world and brought compassion and sympathy to the characters.  I wasn't that into Dallas Buyers Club when I started it but got totally sucked in about a half hour into the movie.  I thought that Jared Leto and Matthew McCoughney had incredible performances and was so happy to see them nail both of their roles.  

It's going to be a difficult decision for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor with Dallas Buyers Club in the mix and it's going to be tough to pick my choices for the SAG Awards as most of the movies and casting has been top notch!  Right now, 2014 is pretty rocking :)

If only I didn't sound like a turtle with lungs full of spiderwebs...

One week into 2014...

Already a week into 2014 and so much has happened.  I've been sick with a cold/sore throat for most of it but stayed true to my new song at Karaoke and finished out a great run of Babes In Toyland with an awesome cast and crew!

Last Saturday was my last week playing Mary Contrary in Babes In Toyland.  It ran for six weeks at The Miles Playhouse and we had our original cast together for the final performance.  I felt it was my strongest week singing (even with the laryngitis I had earlier in the week) and we all had so much fun in our roles and bringing magic to the room!  At the end of the show we take photos and talk to the kids and their parents.  One girl came up to me, and after we took pictures together she said that I was her favorite actress and she wanted to go grow up and be just like me.  Those are the moments I live for and the reason I do what I do.  I want to inspire people and here I was 25 years later, performing in Children's Theater, doing exactly what I watched other actors do, and knowing at that time I wanted to do the same thing.  It's one of my favorite acting moments to date!

Meeting my favorite fan ;)

I'm also so glad I got to see a bunch of my cast mates in Rapunzel which was playing at 1 pm on Saturday as well.  I felt like a little kid watching and booing for the villains and cheering for the prince and princess.  It was so neat to watch the children's faces throughout the room taking the show in.  When we were performing for Babes In Toyland I wasn't able to see how much the kids really enjoyed us as I did watching this other show.  It's literally magic :)

The Babes In Toyland cast after a performance in December!

By Wednesday I had a full-on sore throat so I'm surprised I was even able to sing for my first night back hosting Karaoke in 2014.  I opened the night with 'Here Without You' by Three Doors Down and joined Marty on a couple songs throughout the night including 'Careless Whisper' and 'Lucky' by Jason Mraz and Colbie Callait.  My new song of the night was 'Bathwater' by No Doubt and since I had some friends visiting I also sang Tracy Chapman's 'Give Me One Reason To Stay Here' which was great for my low turtle voice.  It's all about song choice and I think I chose right considering I was under the weather.

 Creating Arts is gearing up for another great season and they're casting a bunch of their upcoming shows in the next week or two and I can't wait to get involved with another show.  This cold better scram pretty soon so I can be all prepped and ready for Princess Time!

2014 Resolutions and Goals!

We are all eight days into January and most of us have thought about our resolutions or even started working on them.  I wanted to take a few days to think about my 2013 resolutions and achievements, build on that and think about what I wanted for this year ahead.

 

Already an incredible New Year so far, here is my toast to 2014: To new beginnings and fresh starts.  To a positive outlook fillled with laughter and exciting adventures.  To friends old and new who support and love selflessly with compassion and honesty.  To a loving family who stands by me believing that anything is possible.  To picking up the pieces and trusting that someone who deserves it is holding that missing piece.  To faith, hope and the greatest of these, love.  This is 2014...go out and get it!

 

Goodbye 2013...Hello 2014!

1. Try new Dinner or Happy Hour spots once a month.

There is so much diversity here in Los Angeles, and before I had moved here I had never tried sushi, Indian food, oysters, craft cocktails and beers, various wines (aside from Boone's Farm), and different cheeses from all over the world to name a few.  Since there are so many places I haven't been but talk about wanting to go to, I have made it my goal to try something new at least once a month.

 

2. Continue to do new things and go out of town more often.

Last year was filled with so much excitement due to new career moves and opportunities, a plethora of concerts at venues throughout Los Angeles, and trips to Carmel, Vegas, Punta Cana, and Santa Barbara.  I want to continue to get out of LA, see and do new things, and continue to take chances on ideas and things that are out of my comfort zone.

 

3. Advance my career in new ways.

This past year I started taking some Casting Director workshops so I could network and hone my skills and get to learn more about the casting process.  This year I want to take some more workshops and classes with teachers and coaches to build my resume.  I also want to book a substantial role that will help me grow, whether it be in a theater production, commercial, TV show, or movie.  This is my dream and I'm working for it!

 

4. Get my ideas up and running!

I've had this idea for a show for a couple years now and I need to get it going.  This would also help to advance my career and creating something on my own is an achievement in itself.  I need to film my ideas and get them posted so my work is out there for Agents and Directors to see.  I've also gotten some more footage over the years so getting my updated Acting Reel posted will also be beneficial to my career.

 

I'm really happy with my resolutions and goals last year and the positive changes I have been making in my life.  This business is a difficult one but I am up for the challenge and I'm ready for what 2014 is going to hand me.  I'm going out and getting it!

Home for Christmas! Part 2.

Christmastime at home in Wisconsin always flies by and with Christmas falling on Wednesday I knew my trip back home was almost half-way over.  It had snowed the day before Christmas so the backyard looked magical and white.  That's exactly what I want when I'm heading home; it just doesn't feel right here in California to see Christmas lights and no snow.  It was a perfect White Christmas!

Wegner Christmas Family Photo!

Gifts had been opened on Christmas morning and I was proud of some good finds, including a cool Beatles shirt for Bobby, a new Nintendo so Mom could play Dr. Mario, as well as a Lady Antebellum Christmas CD, a matching scarf and pants for my Dad, as well as a Duck Flop I found in Santa Barbara were some well-received gifts.  Later that day the rest of our family came over and we had a nice feast and played games late into the evening.  Mom and I did our annual after-Christmas shopping trip on Thursday and since we had been efficient we had enough time to stop by the Casino for an hour so Mom could get her fix and so I could win a little money on the Wizard of Oz game.

It's on...

On my last night back home I got to see some of my close friends while going out in Downtown P-Town as well as spend some time with my cousin and have a couple cocktails.  No trip to Wisconsin is complete without an Old-Fashion or two, a Leinenkugel beer (this time it was the Vanilla Porter) and Beaver shots which are Cherry Liquor dropped into Orange Soda.  Yummy!

I even spent a couple days in Chicago with Neil and his family, including Diego, enjoyed some amazing Football food and an edge of your seat game when the Packers beat the Bears to become division champs.  Unfortunately, my Fantasy Football team saw it's demise again falling into 4th place even though I had a great game from Cordarelle Patterson, Vernon Davis (whom I needed to have a good game the week before), Gostkowski, my Kicker whom got me 15 points and my Cincinnati Defense.  It wasn't enough to beat Travel Belly but he probably had icky tummy when his Bears lost to my Pack and I'll take a Packer win any day over a Fantasy win.  We watched American Hustle on Sunday night and I really enjoyed it.  I wasn't a huge fan of Silver Linings Playbook and enjoyed this movie much more.  I loved Amy Adams performance, and wanted to wear all the ladies outfits and costumes, and thought the movie moved quickly and kept me entertained.  It's one of my favorites so far!

It was back to LA before I knew it and now I wish I could be back in Wisconsin for a couple more days without the responsibilities of the holidays and just time to enjoy family and relax.  I'm already looking forward to Christmas 2014 :)

Home for Christmas!

I love to go home for the holidays to be around my family, celebrate with friends and good food, give gifts, and enjoy the snow and Christmas cheer!  Of course, after being home for over a week I'm ready to come back to LA and escape the two degree weather but while I'm there, I try to take it all in until the next time I come home.

Grandma & I during a Grandparent's Day Lunch
and even though I have a mouthful of muffin
this is still one of my favorite pictures of us :)

Unfortunately, I had to head home a little early because my Grandma passed a week before Christmas.  It was sudden and I was devastated that I couldn't get home to see her before she took my Aunt Nadene (her daughter's) hand into Heaven, as she kept telling my Dad while in the hospital, that the Angels were ready for her.  This was one of those moments where I realized, that's the closest I'll be to Heaven for hopefully, a long time.  She lived a very long and wonderful life and as I stood at her funeral with my family and Grandpa and accepted condolences I was reminded of what an incredible woman she was, how generous and friendly, always polite and inviting, helpful and talkative.  It made me even more proud to be her granddaughter, remembering all the great moments we shared these past 30 years.  There were always cookies waiting for me, games to play, envelopes to seal and mail, crafts to be done, things to be sown, drives to be taken, and recipes to be made.  I will miss her but know she's watching over me and proud of my dedication and hard-work.  To top it all off, one gentleman I met said that my Grandpa was his Hero.  It brought tears to my eyes to hear these people say such special things about my Grandparents.  I'm definitely lucky.

Business Select...thank you Southwest!

In switching over my flight so I could get home early, my Mom upgraded me to Business Select on Southwest for about $30.  As I got to LAX about 90 minutes before my flight was scheduled to leave I was greeted with two insanely long lines that wrapped around five times.  I didn't think I would make my flight but as I asked a Southwest Employee where I should go, she looked at my ticket, opened that velvet rope, and sent me to the front desk where I easily checked in.  Security was next but once again, my ticket did all the talking as the Security Clerk held his hand up to the long line and a group of three and told me to come through first.  Of course, the flight happened to be delayed for 40 minutes so having to wait wouldn't have been a big deal but Business Select made it so convenient especially with the holiday travel.  When it came time to board I was A1 which meant I was the first person on the airplane (aside from Priority Boarding) and to make my flight even more comfortable, got a complimentary cocktail.  I had an hour-long layover in Las Vegas where yet again, I was the first person on the plane and got another free drink.  That cocktail certainly helped since there was some major turbulence right before our descent into Wisconsin but overall, the whole Business Select experience was one of my best flight experience's ever and something I would highly recommend.  Thank you Southwest Airlines for making my flight a very enjoyable and easy to manage trip!

The first couple days in Wisconsin flew by with Christmas preparations like wrapping gifts, cleaning and getting Dinner's ready.  Having the whole family together was really nice and at night we were all able to sit down and relax to watch some of the SAG Screeners like Captain Phillips and Gravity.  We all really liked Captain Phillips; I really enjoyed the story, liked how the pirates made you feel for them, and how different a role this was for Tom Hanks.  Although, I wasn't a huge fan of his accent.  Gravity on the other hand, kind of bored me.  Usually, the Awards Show nominee's are a little lengthy and can be shortened some but I felt like Gravity kept going but wasn't getting anywhere.  I've seen Sandra Bullock do more in other movies but I would give it another chance and see it again.

Christmas Vacation continues in my next blog...

My 2013 Resolutions Redux

Last year I made some positive resolutions for the new year.  You can read all the details here: 2013 Resolutions and Goals.  For the most part I kept true to them and much more!

I wanted to create my own web series and post episodes on social media.  Although, I haven't yet gotten that far, the ball is rolling and it's closer to production than before.  Throughout this year I have posted videos and am working towards creating a brand.  I also created a Fantasy Football section on my blog that I updated on a weekly basis.  While it may not be my own show, I am Hosting for Afterbuzz TV which airs LIVE weekly on their website and has all the episodes on YouTube.  Host Lyndsey Wegner for Afterbuzz TV.  My Co-Hosts and I bring viewers a recap, opinions, gossip and news for Supernatural and Shahs of Sunset.  That's me Hosting a show where I can be myself and that's what I wanted!

Hosting for Afterbuzz TV

I was waiting to share the news until I could tell my family and close friends and am happy to report that I now have Representation for TV/Film and Hosting by Chez Chic Talent.  We are currently putting together a portfolio of headshots and photos as well as a video section with all my projects, commercials, and reels.  I finally feel like I have someone who is as excited as I am to find and book work, that wants me to succeed in a business and career sense.  It's a great feeling and hopefully there will be some big work to come this year.

My favorite resolution of last year was to do more new things and get out of LA on a regular basis.  From a trip to Carmel and Clint Eastwood's restaurant with my Mom and Dad, to hitting up Las Vegas for an impromptu trip with my roommate, going to Santa Barbara with Neil, and having a family vacation in Punta Cana; it was nice to travel and do something different and fun.  There were tons of concerts I saw this past year, Sara Bareilles, Keith Urban, Matchbox 20, and Buckcherry to name a few as well as seeing Jekyll & Hyde at The Pantages Theater and other theater performances that were incredible.  I also got involved in the Creating Arts Company and had my first theater experience here in LA being cast as Mary Contrary in Babes In Toyland.

Goo Goo Dolls at The Gibson

As I'm looking back on this past year and the goals I set for myself, I didn't realize how much I've achieved with my hard work and dedication.  I'm getting to do what I love, I'm working at a few bars here in Los Angeles and having a blast and I even get to enjoy some fun experiences.  This 2013 was pretty good but I truly believe that 2014 will be even better!

December Karaoke

A couple weeks before Christmas everyone is prepping for the holiday's: Shopping for gifts, baking cookies, decorating tree's and houses, and celebrating with friends and family.  LA is an ever-busy city and I always look forward to the holiday season when I'm hosting karaoke at Gabe's.  It means that there's at least one themed-holiday music night for everyone to enjoy.

Since I'm catching up on two weeks, half-way through December started off with a song I haven't sang for a while, Stevie Wonder's, 'I Just Called To Say I Love You,' and then I did 'One And Only' by Adele since I was more prepared this week than the previous and what a beautiful song to sing.  My new song of the night was 'Everytime' by Britney Spears and then I switched over to some Alanis Morissette, 'Head Over Feet,' before singing 'These Boots Are Made For Walking' which was another song I hadn't sang in a while.  McCracken and I sang 'Another Day' and this was our first time singing it together.  I closed out the night with Dolly Parton's 'Jolene.'

The week before I left for Christmas was our holiday-themed karaoke night and a lot of people got into the festivities and sang some Christmas tunes.  I opened with one of my favorites, 'Rocking Around The Christmas Tree' and then did a bunch of new songs throughout the night.  One was 'Winter Wonderland' and another was a duet, 'Baby It's Cold Outside' although it was a different version than the Dean Martin one but was still a great song to sing.  Since Rent revolves around Christmas time in New York there were more duets during the evening including 'Light My Candle' and 'Another Day.'  McCracken, Neil, and I all tried a new song and did a little Alvin & The Chimpmunks singing 'The Chipmunk Song' which was super cute and I gave Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' a whirl.  It went far better than expected thanks to lowering the key!  I closed out with 'Mary Did You Know' because it's one of my Mom's favorite Christmas songs :)

Alvin, Theodore, and Simon...The Chipmunks!

It was a really fun way to get into the holiday spirit and I loved that so many people got involved.  It always proves that themed-nights bring more participation from the audience and patrons of the bar and that's what I try to do when I'm hosting karaoke at Gabe's!