Thenardier's Inn Extension :)

Showtime!

I've been a part of Creating Arts Studio's production 'Thenardier's Inn: A Les Miserables Cabaret' which is an immersive theater experience.  We opened back in November for a weekend, sold-out, so it got extended for two more weeks.  We sold out the show again and found out in December we would be re-opening for a second extension that would run for four weeks in January and end on Valentine's weekend.  Needless to say, all of us were so excited to be doing the show again as it's an absolute blast!  In fact, we had sold out before we even opened!

Although the cast has gotten a little smaller, the sound of our voices has grown, and we've made the show tighter, and also added more comedy and humor throughout.  We had a change of actors for some of the roles, created new cocktails for audience members to sip on during the show, and just really honed in on the story.

I just wanted to share some more photos from this run of the show and thank all of my friends who made it out to Santa Monica to see the magic we're creating!  Thanks to Nick, Sam, Scottie & Nicole, Michael & Jordan, Neil, and Khad & Heike for supporting the show and laughing with all of us during our second run :)

Jean Valjean, a Lovely Lady, and Fantine before the show!

I said it at intermission during our first show and I'll say it again now, I really hope we can do this for forever and right now we are! #notlesmisforever

Lovely Ladies!

To read more about the show check out my original blog from November right here: Thenardier's Inn - A Les Miserables Cabaret

Wine Expo in West LA

I've been wanting to go to Wine Expo for quite some time now.  One of my regulars and friends from Irish Times where I Bartend worked at Wine Expo and would always talk about the Monday and Thursday 20 for $20 events as well as the Champagne & Bacon Tasting.  The 20 for $20 was 20 tastes of wine for $20.  Seriously?  Score!!

All the ladies and I who Bartend at Irish Times talked about a little outing but it's always hard to get everyone together and work with all of our schedules so Alicyn and I decided to go on our own since no one else was available.  We took an Uber to Wine Expo which is on Santa Monica Blvd in West LA and looks like your typical Liquor Store or Wine Warehouse from the outside but once you walk in, there's a Tasting Room right to the left.  We got two seats at the bar and were ready for our adventure!

Before and After our Wine Tasting at Wine Expo!

The Tasting started with Sparkling Wine and Champagne, moved to the lighter whites, then Chardonnay, and into the more fruit-forward reds, Pinot Noir, all the way to a Cab, and finished off with some Dessert Wines.  By the time we got done we figured out we had about six glasses of wine and it was definitely worth the $20 it cost to do the Tasting.  Alicyn took notes on the wines she liked and didn't like.  We definitely had different opinions about the whites but had the same palate for the red wines.  In fact, we both really liked the Steel Chardonnay they had, even though both of us agree normally they have a metallic or tinny after-taste to them.  Our Bartender told us that Joffre also does a really buttery Chardonnay so I can't wait to hunt that wine down :)  I loved our final Dessert Wine which was a Moscato di Asti, so sweet and perfectly carbonated!

Drinks with Jay at Irish Times for Metal Monday :)

Of course, the night wouldn't have been complete without a stop by Irish Times for Metal Monday.  Plus, Charlie and Jay were there and asking me to stop by for weeks, so Alicyn and I Uber'd over there after our Tasting.  No night at Irish Times is complete without Hell Fires...darn you, Ian.  

It was a really fun night and something new and fun to do in LA.  Wine Expo also has Happy Hour which offers half-price on all the wines.  Our Chardonnay during Happy Hour would only be $2.50.  AND they're constantly changing their 20 for $20 menu so you'll get to try at least a few new wines every time!  They also have food:  Appetizers, pizza's, entree's, and desserts too.  It's definitely a pretty awesome deal and I'd love to go back and get a couple bottles next time as well! 

The Princess Friendship Show!

Last weekend was filled with shows!  Creating Arts Studios was doing our closing weekend of Thenardier's Inn which included a Thursday night show in addition to our Friday and Saturday night shows but then Creating Arts Company also put on a Princess Friendship Show on Sunday at 11 am and 1 pm.  I went from being a Lovely Lady to Princess Jasmine in less than 24 hours!

A Heart Full of Love

This Princess Show had all the Princesses getting ready for Belle's Ball as well as some Prince's.  It was almost an hour long show with lots of music including 'Be Our Guest,' 'Let It Go,' and 'We Go Together' from "Grease," but it really moved along quickly and the children loved it.  Our first show was packed and a little crazy but the second show ran a little smoother because the kids were a little older and understood when to sing and play with us and when it was time to listen.  That's always nice!  I got to sing 'A Whole New World' with Aladdin as the kids sat on the "magic carpet" with us; it was sincerely magical!  Aladdin had written an original Princess Song for the previous Princess Show and so we all sang it for this show as well.  It's so catchy and fun and we did a little sing-along so the kids were able to sing with us and they loved it so much.

We always do a meet and greet after the show that includes taking pictures, signing autographs, and giving hugs.  There must have been a ton of love in the air because the kids were extra adorable this past weekend, saying they loved me, and one little girl even made all of the Princesses personalized Valentine's.  I could not even handle how sweet and thoughtful that was!  My heart was over-flowing with love.

Creating Arts Company's Princess Friendship Show Cast!

Creating Arts only does Princess Shows a few times a year and I love to be a part of them!  Plus, it was an extra special treat this time as I got to wear Cinderella's ball gown for Belle's Ball :)  I'm already looking forward to the next one!

Matt Cohen at Afterbuzz TV

A couple weeks ago my Co-Hosts and I from Afterbuzz TV had the pleasure of having Matt Cohen join us at the Afterbuzz TV Studios to watch an episode of 'Supernatural' with us and then discuss his possible return, talk about the episode, and fill us in on his busy life and upcoming new addition!

Mikaela had interviewed Matt at Supernatural Con back in November so we were really happy to have him come to the studio and chat with us again.  He's such a sweetheart; so humble and funny, and very inspirational.  Matt is one of the most charismatic actors I have met in person here in LA!

Matt Cohen joins us at Afterbuzz TV for the 'Supernatural' Aftershow

Not only did he make us laugh but he brought me to tears talking about his wife, Mandy, who is pregnant with their first child.  He is so excited to be bringing this little one into the world it was just wonderful to hear!  Matt also talked about his new movie, "Windsor Drive" which will be released at the end of the month.  He's getting to act alongside his wife and of course, that's always exciting!  He gave us some insight on the show and both Jensen and Jared, and said they were so down to earth, as we've heard from so many of our guests.  There's a reason that 'Supernatural' has been around for 10 seasons and counting, and hard-working people like them, along with the incredible cast and crew really make the show successful.

My Co-Hosts and I, including Matt, would love to see the return of his character, young John Winchester, from 'Supernatural.'  Better yet, the fans would love to see a return of his character along with the older version of John Winchester played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan together in an episode.

You can see our Interview with Matt in the above video and check out other 'Supernatural' episodes from the past two seasons at www.youtube.com/afterbuzztv.

Corner Door for Dine LA

I was able to check out three new spots during the two weeks of Dine LA.  I'm very excited to go back to Bacari in Playa Del Rey and Upstairs 2 in West LA and try more off of their menus.  On Wednesday before Karaoke, Jamie and I decided to check out Corner Door, as she knew the bar manager (even though we weren't drinking) and it's always nice to visit friends at work!

We both ended up order the Mushroom Ricotta Agnolotti as it was a special dish just for Dine LA customers.  I started with the Basil & Beet Salad with almonds, a citrus vinaigrette and Pecorino cheese (also just offered during Dine LA) and Jamie got the Pan Seared Octopus.  Definitely something that scared me!  We shared dessert getting both the Chocolate Pudding and the Bread Pudding.  

Ricotta Agnolotti at Corner Door in West LA

Originally I was going to get the Brussels Sprouts since I'm such a huge fan of them but because they're on their normal menu I wanted to try something that was seasonal and I also love beets.  The salad portion was small, as in there were probably about five or six pieces of basil lettuce and a few chunks of beets.  I was a little bummed about that but the dressing and the way everything worked together was delicious!  It was supposed to come with Ricotta Cheese but I figured since I was having that in my next course I should go for something different; having a scoop of the Ricotta might have filled me up more than the shaved Pecorino.  Jamie and I agreed that the Agnolotti for our Dinner course was amazing!  Once again it was a smaller portion but the creaminess of the Ricotta, the flavorful mushrooms and delicious sauce was so good we both wanted more of it!  Next up was dessert, two bigger than bite-size pieces of Bread Pudding and a small cup of Chocolate Pudding with maple cream.  They were both delicious just small.

I definitely want to go back to Corner Door and check out their Happy Hour and regular menu.  I'm hoping when you get food off the regular menu the portions are a little bigger.  I was actually still hungry after we got done with Dinner that I almost stopped at In & Out for a burger!  I can say though that all the flavors went really well together and it was definitely a balanced meal :)

January Karaoke

The past month of Karaoke has definitely been a little more low-key than the previous months but that's normal for right after the New Year.  I decided to challenge myself more throughout the month with adding songs to my History and trying new music and themes.

Week 1:

Bryan Adams "Summer of '69"

The Divinyls "I Touch Myself"

Eric Clapton "Wonderful Tonight"

3 Doors Down "Here Without You"

Week 2:

Fleetwood Mac "Say You Love Me"

John Waite "Missing You"

Rascall Flatts "Bless The Broken Road"

The Eurythmics "Here Comes The Rain Again"

Cascada "Every Time We Touch" (Remix)

Liza Minnelli "All That Jazz"

Week 3:

Fleetwood Mac "Dreams"

Natalie Imbruglia "Torn"

Madonna "Rain"

Blues Traveler "The Hook"

Jann Arden "Insensitive"

Janet Jackson "Again"

Goo Goo Dolls "Iris"

Week 4:

Fleetwood Mac "Don't Stop"

The Cast of Rent "Another Day"

Linda Ronstadt "Just One Look"

Selena "Como La Flor"

Britney Spears "Crazy"

My first week back at Karaoke we were celebrating Diana's Birthday so it was very busy that night and I was very excited to sing "Wonderful Tonight" as I remember dancing with my friend Sean to that song at our Junior Prom.  For my second week I had an audition and had to sing "All That Jazz" during the audition so I thought it was the perfect new song to sing at Karaoke.  I set my own theme during the third week of songs with one word in the title and sang mostly 90's music with my new song being "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia.  I heard it on the radio that week and realized how much I loved it back in the day.  That last week in January I had a couple friends visiting me and for one round of Karaoke everyone that was singing did a song in a different language, most of us sang Spanish, with me doing Selena's "Como La Flor" but Khad sang in German to really make us world-wide.  I sang Fleetwood Mac almost every week and did add a lot of new songs to my History throughout the month.  

Now that everyone's back from the Holiday's I'll get some Theme Nights going soon!  Gabe's is located at 2965 South Sepulveda Blvd in West LA and does Karaoke every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday!  Stop in for a drink and stay to sing a song :)

Upstairs 2 for Dine LA

I've been doing a pretty great job of keeping up with my New Year's Resolutions for this first month of 2015.  Upstairs 2 was my third restaurant in Los Angeles in the past month that was new for me and I also went by myself for Dinner which is definitely a little scary; another Resolution, to do things every day that scare me.  There's a great "Friends" episode where Rachel tries to eat out alone but gets in her head about the whole thing, luckily, I didn't go through that scenario ;)

Upstairs 2 located in West LA also has The Wine House connected to it downstairs and they have Wine Tastings and is the largest wine store in LA.  I was there on a Wednesday so they had a Wine Tasting at 7 pm.  I'll need to go back and check that out!  I had decided on Upstairs 2 because of their Dine LA menu but when I got there and saw the regular menu I was so overwhelmed by all the amazing-sounding food I decided to order off the regular menu and ended up spending less than I would had I ordered off the Dine LA menu!

Dinner at Upstairs 2 in West LA for Dine LA Week

I started with the Brussels Sprout Salad that had endive, pecans, and brussels sprouts and was quite large for an appetizer salad; I am not complaining, trust me, I was very happy!  I also got a glass of their Riesling which wasn't overly sweet, just right, and priced appropriately.  Next, I had the Lemon Pesto Shrimp to which they gave me some Parmesan Cheese that really knocked the dish out of the ballpark.  It was a really nice portion and I loved the Lemon Pesto!  I was quite excited to find out they had Chocolate Lava Cake (which wasn't on the Dine LA menu) so of course, I had to get that.  It came out perfectly gooey and the Bartender even had the kitchen put the ice cream on the side for me because I don't like the cold ice cream to take away from the chocolatey center.  OCD, just a little.

The Bartender was really friendly as well as one of the waiters I chatted with.  The food and selection was impressive and changes seasonally.  They're very happy to suggest wine pairings and the menu is actually set-up to do just that, and they also let you taste just about anything which is great.  I'll definitely be back to try more food and wine as well :)