'Wizard of Oz' Weekends!

We're four shows into our 10 show run of Wizard of Oz at the Promenade Playhouse in Santa Monica and it's been an absolute blast!  I've gotten to play the Wicked Witch for three of the shows and have three more to go.  I can't believe how quickly the time is flying and how much fun I'm having playing such a crazy character!

From Wicked Witch to Oz Debutante!

The cast and crew of our show really enjoy bringing happiness and joy to those attending our mini-musical and it's incredible to hear stories from families that come to all of our shows, and how we impact their children's lives.  This is why we do this, this is why I love what I do!  On top of it all, I'm getting to do my own make-up and play such an iconic character.  It's been a challenge to change my voice and be this mean and horrible person but I've been excited about it every step of the way.  My make-up takes me about 45 minutes to do and I usually wait till the last minute to get into costume since there are so many layers and it gets hot.  The costume is one of the most beautiful costumes I've ever gotten to wear; I feel like it's a couture piece!  In fact, pictures don't even do it justice.  It's amazing how incredible our team really is!  And if Dorothy gets to wear red glittered shoes than the Wicked Witch should get to wear green glittered shoes.  When I'm not playing the Wicked Witch, I play a Munchkin or Citizen of Oz which is also fun just to do something different and be a cheerful and colorful little character.

Scaring Dorothy without my gloves ;)

Our rehearsals went by just as quickly as we had three weeks including our tech rehearsal before we opened two weeks ago.  Since it is Children's Theater, the show was supposed to be around 60 minutes but it's currently running around 70-75.  The kids really seem to be enjoying it and even though I was warned that I'm going to make kids cry and then I'll know I've done my job, I haven't seen any tears just yet.  Although, on Sunday I heard one little boy whimper and repeat a couple times throughout the show, 'I hope that Wicked Witch doesn't come back.  I don't like her.'  I almost have to laugh because if they knew the real me, they'd be begging their parents for me to be their new babysitter.  (I used to bring Kid Kits that I learned about from "The Babysitter's Club" books, and my little ones always loved playing with them and I baby-sat some families for years!)  The Wicked Witch really isn't that bad, I think anyone would get cranky if they had buckets of water thrown on them out of nowhere.

In fact, after the shows, most of the kids want to come up and talk to me.  Some are proud to admit I didn't scare them, while others tell me they're going to throw more water on me, and then I'll get the one adorable little nugget that will ask, 'Why are you so mean to Dorothy?'  I do have to talk and answer any and all questions in character which can be difficult when kids are a little nervous.  So I flash a big smile, get down to their level, and wave them over; hopefully they're not too afraid of me.  That has probably been my favorite part of this whole experience!  Well, that and getting to die on-stage.  'I'm melting, I'm melting, oh what a world!'

To purchase tickets or find out more information about our show or Creating Arts Company check out their website at www.creatingarts.org.  You can get discounted tickets on www.goldstar.com but make sure to hurry because they are selling out fast!  I'm so thankful to all my friends who've gotten to see the show so far: Neil, Sam, and Danny, thanks for coming!  Hope to see y'all in the audience soon :) 

*I play the Wicked Witch on Saturday's at 2 pm and the show runs under 75 minutes at Promenade Playhouse in Santa Monica!*

'Wizard of Oz' Promo Video

The Cast & Crew of Wizard of Oz has been fortunate enough to sell out our past four shows!  We've got three more weeks of shows coming up and it's been such an awesome experience playing the Wicked Witch and getting to perform and talk to the children and parents after the show.

You can see a Promo Video for Wizard of Oz right here!

I can't believe we put this show together in three weeks and we're all having a blast playing and entertaining families and attendees.  You can find out information and details about how to get tickets on our Creating Arts Company website at www.creatingarts.org or find half-off tickets on www.goldstar.com.  Come and see the magic :)

The Getty Villa & Gladstone's :)

Last Friday I had the day off and since it was a beautiful sunny afternoon I thought a day trip to The Getty Villa in Malibu was the perfect thing to do!  Since one of my resolutions was to try new Happy Hour's and Restuarants I looked up places in the area that would have the Yankee's Game on as a surprise for Neil after our visit to the museum.

Perfect day in Malibu :)

We got to The Getty Villa just before 3 pm and made our way through the museum starting at the classical outdoor theater where they have events on a regular basis.  The last time I was here was with my Mom years ago so it was nice to re-visit it.  They have gardens and fountains, and the Villa was modeled after a first-century Roman home.  You can see the Pacific Ocean from different areas and one of my favorite views is from the 2nd floor overlooking the long reflecting pool, statues, and assorted vegetation of flowers, shrubs, and herbs, with the ocean in the background.  

As we made our way into the museum we started with the Greek and Roman collections; there were paintings, busts, ceramics, coins, jewelry, kitchen and tableware, weaponry, armor, and tons of other antiquities (over 44,000 to be exact).  My favorite part is reading and learning about the Gods & Goddesses, and the differences between the Greek & Roman terminology.  I always loved learning about this kind of History in school.  I can't believe how well-kept the pieces of art are and that some of them are from almost 8,000 years ago!

We did have to rush a little to make it through the whole museum and probably could have used another half hour just to take our time through the final exhibits.  Another cool exhibit was Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections.  We got to see all this art with Jesus as the subject and different pieces from The Bible.  This was definitely something my Mom really would have enjoyed; the history and age of it was just amazing.

Neil & I in front of the reflecting pool at The Getty Villa

On our way out we stopped at the Gift Shop and Neil picked me up a book about the Greek and Roman, Gods and Goddesses.  I'm so excited to find out all the details and information about them and their families so I can go back and read The Odyssey and The Illiad for fun without the deadline of a college theatrical history assignment.  Plus, I'll be able to cross-reference; I'm a total nerd for this stuff :)

Blackberry Margarita at Gladstone's!

Neil and I headed over to Gladstone's and they put on the Yankee game for us and we could also watch the Basketball game too.  We had plenty of time for Happy Hour and were able to enjoy an incredible Vegetable Flatbread, some Calimari, and also Tuna Tartar.  All the food we had was awesome, but the pizza was probably my favorite.  Plus, those three appetizers were able to fill us up for the evening.  We had Blackberry Margarita's that were refreshing and delicious and after the game was over (unfortunately the Yankee's lost, and in our basketball news Indiana won so the Bulls won't be playing Miami which would have been a more favorable match-up), we were finally able to catch the sunset in Malibu after trying to for years!  It was a new Happy Hour spot for me and I would definitely go back.

This was the perfect way to spend a Friday afternoon here in LA.  It was nice to take in some culture and learn something new as well as get to enjoy a beach day in Malibu with some great food and a beautiful Los Angeles sunset.  I look forward to more days like this!

Bing's Birthday!

Last week was Ashley's (my first roommate in LA) Birthday!  She was celebrating with friends and starting at Freddy Smalls for Dinner and then hitting up Sports Harbor in Marina Del Rey.  I was Hosting for Afterbuzz so I met up with everyone at Freddy's, had a quick bite to eat, and then we all headed over to the bar.

It was nice to catch up with some of Ashley's friends I haven't seen in a while, and Carolyn and I got to spend a little time together as well.  They were doing Karaoke at the bar so of course, there had to be a 'Baby Got Back' performance from Bing & Gellar (Ash & Me).  We had a lot of fun with it so I decided to sing Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You' for Ash since she's moving back to Hawaii in a few months.  I wasn't trying to make her cry but we both got sentimental and then reminded each other about one of my first Birthday's in LA where her and I drank fancy Champagne and ate cheese at 2 am in our kitchen just sitting on the floor laughing.  Those were some great times!

Carolyn, Ashley - The Birthday Girl - and Me at Sports Harbor

Ashley & Carolyn are two of my closest friends here in LA, and two girls I've known the longest since I moved out here over 8 years ago.  I'm so lucky to have two amazing ladies in my life :)

Since I sang some Karaoke at Ashley's Birthday, here's last week's Karaoke set-list from Gabe's!  I started with Dolly Parton's 'Jolene' and went right into my new song of the night which is from Moulin Rouge 'One Day I'll Fly Away' which Nicole Kidman sang in the movie.  It's such a beautiful song.  Next up I did 'Wonder' by Natalie Merchant and was requested to sing some Pat Benatar, so I rocked out to 'Promises In The Dark.'  To close out the night, Carolyn and I sang 'Shoop' by Salt N' Pepa and had so much fun singing and dancing!  It was a great Karaoke night!

That started off a great week with friends and with my final rehearsals for 'Wizard Of Oz,' it was a full week of fun and creativity.

Miley Montana & Brunch

I was excited to have Friday night off, for the first time in a very long time, because I knew I could see my friend, Acquah's show, that he'd been talking about for months.  He was performing in Miley Montana: The Musical which was playing at Second City in Hollywood.  This was my first time at an Improv show in Los Angeles.  I've seen Stand-Up before at a couple different venues throughout LA so I was excited for a new experience.  Walking through the hallways you saw all the different celebrities and comedians who graduated from Second City throughout the years: Shelley Long, Gilda Radnor, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Chris Farley, and Tina Fey to name a few.  

The room was packed with just a couple seats left.  I loved the musicians playing between and during each scene.  The show opened with a 'Britney Spears' impersonation and also had appearances by Pharell and Liam Hemsworth, both played by Acquah.  His Australian accent was awesome!  The cast definitely had fun during their performance and the show had some really funny parts.  I was surprised their wasn't a whole lot of Miley Cyrus songs performed, but then realized with royalties, it would cost a lot to use the music.  I still I loved a lot of the originals which were really great musically.  I'm so glad I got to see Acquah perform!

Brunch at Cafe Laurent

On Saturday morning I checked out a new brunch spot on Overland Avenue.  I've driven past Cafe Laurent many times and always wanted to try it but it has morning and lunch hours, closing by 3 pm so I usually just stick to Overland Cafe for brunch if I'm not at home having cereal or making pancakes.

 

I was greeted by a really nice girl with an accent who got a table ready right away.  It makes your experience a million times better when the first person you meet is genuinely happy doing their job, and she was incredibly sweet and accommodating. After perusing the menu I found a bunch of stuff that sounded really good from both the breakfast and lunch menu.  I decided on the Eggs Benedict since it was served on a croissant and came with Au Gratin Potatoes, avocado, and bacon.  The potatoes were some of the best I've ever had and I'm already excited to go back for them!  The Eggs Benedict was good too so I was very happy with my meal, there was plenty to eat, and it was reasonably-priced.  The entire staff and manager were excellent!

Cafe Laurent offers a $5 corkage fee so I think it would be fun to stop by on an afternoon with a bottle of Moscato, have some desserts or appetizers, and just enjoy the beautiful patio and live music.  I'll definitely be back :)

Mixing Karaoke and a Cackle...

With the play just around the corner and opening in less than a week we've had more rehearsals and that means more cackling for the Wicked Witch.  It's pretty hard on my voice and throat so I've had to take it easy at Karaoke the past few weeks.

Last week was all about adding new songs to my History so I started off with 'I Want You To Want Me' by Cheap Trick which was a fun starter for the evening.  We had a couple groups in that were singing so it was a supportive room and songs that might normally go unrecognized were appreciated like 'Missing' by Everything But The Girl which came out in the early 90's.  Next up was my new song by Patsy Cline, 'Crazy.'  I try to stay away from her since one of our regulars always sings her songs and I don't want to steal anyone's go-to song.  Lucky for me, she was happy to hear me sing it and I won't be worried the next time I do it.  It had been a while since I sang 'Black Velvet' by Allanah Myles (which I did for a radio contest in college) and since we had a fairly busy night, Marcus and I closed out with Ann Wilson & Mike Reno's duet, 'After All.'  We still need a little work on our harmonies but it improved from the last time we did it as a new song for both of us.

Two weeks ago I opened with 'Heartbreaker' by Pat Benatar as I rarely sing any of my old favorites anymore.  Marty had come by early so of course there were shots involved and lots of crowd-pleaser songs.  Next up it was Madonna's 'Like A Prayer' and Bon Jovi's 'You Give Love A Bad Name.'  The last time I tried Colbie Callait was when I was working at Saint's & Sinner's, so for my new song, and one of my favorite songs of hers, I did 'I Never Told You,' which is such a pretty song.  By the end of the night, it was pretty quiet so it was a 'Gold Dust Woman' by Fleetwood Mac vibe.

As my voice adjusts to my witches' voice, hopefully I'll be able to get back into the swing of things after the play opens and I'm only doing my cackle during the show.  "I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too!  Meh ha hah ah ha."

Last Month's NEW Restaurants!

Part of my New Year's Resolution was to hit up new Happy Hour or Restaurants at least once a month to branch out from the ordinary and my favorites.  I was actually really pleased with each of the restaurants and they were both very different from each other.

I started the month of March with a visit to Stout in Studio City with Neil.  It's a burger and craft beer restaurant and similar to Father's Office, there are no substitutions.  We started with a giant Pretzel that came with four different sauces:  A pesto that was my favorite, a chipotle that was Neil's favorite, a lemon basil aioli, and thick mustard.  After checking their menu it looks like they recently changed it because I couldn't find my burger on it anymore (or the pretzel); it was a Truffle Burger with Mushrooms and a white cheese.  It was good but I actually preferred Neil's Stout Burger that had Blue Cheese, Gruyere, Bacon, Caramelized Onions and Horseradish Cream.  I chose a beer called Chocolate Indulgence which is from the Ommegang Brewery and a Belgian Stout.  It had just the right amount of sweetness to compliment the bitterness, and I enjoyed it so much I had a second one.  We sat at the bar and the bartender was polite but had a big group of her friends that were sitting at the bar who were actually obnoxious.  I was surprised the manager hadn't told them to leave because it was disruptive to other diners.  It was also a little spendy for burgers and beer but I would definitely go back and try something else!  And definitely get that pretzel again :)

At the end of March, my new roommate, Anthony, moved in and took me out to the Blind Barber in Culver City which is actually a Barber Shop during the day and Speakeasy at night.  I was sold as soon as I saw their menu consisted mostly of Grilled Cheese.  The place was packed for a Monday night but there were some tables open so we grabbed a drink at the bar and ordered our food.  They have a Cocktail Menu as well as a Seasonal Drink Menu and since it's April, it has already changed so I can't name the first drink I had but the second was the Batman with Gin, St. Germain, Peychaud's Bitters, Lemon Juice, and Mint.  The drinks were good but I prefer something a little sweeter and there were still a few more I would gladly try.  I picked out an all White Grilled Cheese that was $8 and came with a Kale salad that was actually really good.  I was so happy with my Grilled Cheese; it was delicious!  I'm definitely going back to try out more of their menu and I love that you get a dipping sauce with it so of course I picked out the Truffle aioli.  The DJ was great, the crowd seemed cool but not douchey and the Bartenders were helpful.  I can't wait to go back!

A Dinner of amazing Grilled Cheese is served at Blind Barber in Culver City!

I'm surprised I haven't been to either of these spots before but I really look forward to going back and trying more off of their menu's.  There are three Stout's throughout Los Angeles and Blind Barber is just down the street.  So far, this New Year's Resolution has been very successful!

Extra Hosting Audition!

I had a fun audition last week for a Hosting segment on Extra.  This Hosting position was talking about Hot Deals, which could range from fashion to products.  I was excited and a little bit nervous knowing this was a big audition but that it was an awesome opportunity as well!  Right before I went in, I got a great pep talk from my Agent and was ready to go!

Matching Maria & I at the Afterbuzz TV Studios ;)

There were no sides ahead of time but when I got to the audition they had some information waiting for us.  The first thing I noticed was that every girl that was in the room, there were six of us, had bright royal blue on; either a dress or skirt and top with bright blue in it.  Clearly, it's the in-style color of the moment!  It's one of my favorite colors and I have a couple different dresses like that in my close but I was glad to set myself apart by wearing a navy dress that was fitting for the Extra style that Maria Menounos usually wears.  Foreign Exchange has become one of my new favorite stores and luckily I had just gone shopping that weekend and this dress was perfect for the audition.

After reading through three separate deals including pricing, options, celebrity fans, and other information for about 20 minutes I was memorized and it was my turn.  There were a few people in the room, in addition to another Host that was introducing our segment and playing off the information I was giving.  I really had a lot of fun with it and felt confident about the products.  The room seemed to enjoy my enthusiasm for the deals and it was one take and I was done.  Whew!

I just checked Extra.com today to see if any news had gone up and saw that they just hired someone a couple days ago and their first video went up today.  Even though it didn't work out this time I'd love to work for a show like Extra because of the opportunity to grow and learn from talented Hosts in a field that is interesting and exciting for me!  Hopefully I'll get called in for another project with them sometime soon :)