Blind Barber Birthday

We all had such a fun time for my Birthday at Bar Lubitsch, I knew that having my actual party on Friday night at Blind Barber would be great!  I've been going into Blind Barber, which is a speakeasy inside a Barber Shop here in Culver City, for over a year now.  On top of their amazing grilled cheese selection, they've got an array of drinks and the service is always top notch!

I spent the afternoon by the pool and then early in the evening Jamie came over with some snacks and a bunch of wines for us so we could do some Wine Tasting.  They ranged from a Rose, to Chardonnay, to a Chianti.  The Rose surprised me the most since I typically hate Rose because it's always too dry but this was light and airy, with a touch of sweetness at the end and a smooth finish.  Jamie told me it wasn't available to buy on its own, only for restaurant sales.  It made drinking it with her while getting ready for my Birthday so special!  I also picked out one of the Chardonnay's and the Chianti that also had a smooth finish to keep.

An array of Wines for our Tasting and a mini Photo-Shoot before heading to Blind Barber!

Some of my friends were already at Blind Barber by the time we arrived, our Uber got lost getting to my apartment so we jumped right into some cocktails.  I started with the Strawberry Fields and the next thing I know, I was taking a shot, and another one a half hour later, and had another drink in my hand after that and the night just kept going from there.  Thankfully, Jamie made sure I ate some of the fabulous Grilled Cheese that I had ordered, and Carolyn was making me drink water, and I happily obliged.

Catching up with friends, Ashley, Carolyn, Jeff, and Bear at Blind Barber!

There was dancing, shots, and fun!  So many of my friends showed up and stopped by, and I apologize if I'm forgetting anyone.  Thanks to Jamie (for starting the festivities off with a bang) Jeff, Bear, Andy, Kayt, Patrick, Ashley, Raph, Mikey, Carolyn, Nick, Charlie, Sam (for also making sure we all got home safely), Adam, Giana, Justin, (for trying) Giere, Simon, Daniel, our wonderful Bartender, Allyson, the manager at Blind Barber, and anyone else who came to celebrate and toast with me!  Can we please have a re-do where I don't have to take shots and let's not celebrate my Birthday but just get everyone together to hang out and have an awesome time!?!

My favorite part of my Birthday is just getting all my friends together in one space to hang out and catch up.  So perhaps I'll try to set something like this up every few months so friends can meet other friends, we can all relax and enjoy some great food and drinks, and celebrate that we're all here in LA and having the time of our lives <3  Thank you to everyone who made my Birthday special!

Bar Lubitsch Birthday

June 19th was my Birthday and since it was my Birthday at midnight on Thursday I decided to have my Power Hour Party at Bar Lubitsch.  We had a performance of 'Thenardier's Inn' at the Hollywood Fringe Festival that night too so since we were performing at 3 Clubs it was just a few minutes from the bar.  Cara, one of our fabulous Bartenders, is also an incredible cook, and makes food every Thursday for the patrons of Lubitsch, and Matt Wise, DJ's on Thursdays and plays a mix of awesome music!

We got to Lubitsch just minutes before midnight and thankfully I had a shot in my hand and friends to cheers with as soon as the clock turned, in addition to a Birthday announcement!  Lauren, another Bartender at Lubitsch, was helping Cara out that night, and they served Chicken Sliders with a home-made BBQ sauce, along with a Feta, Basil, and Watermelon salad, finishing off the meal with a Cara's special Jalapeno's!  Everything was so great!

My Birthday at Bar Lubitsch...my wonderful Bartenders (Lauren & Cara) and Chefs for the evening,
and my Bestie, Mike and I taking celebratory Birthday shots!

I had such a great time with friends, dancing, singing, and just hanging out together outside of our show and out somewhere different!  I'm so glad that everyone could come by if even for a little while, special thanks to Arky, Adam, Austin, Max, Todd, Emily, Kenni (and her Mama), Samantha, Mikey Weiss, my co-workers and managers, Aaron, Brian, Eric, Lauren, Ashley, Cara, and Mike, for stopping by, shots or drinks, hospitality, and celebrations.
 

After a majority of my friends left and with everyone else working, it was Max, Adam, Samantha and I.  We all got out on the dance floor and closed down the bar with dance moves and laughs.  The party continued at my apartment with McDonald's, 'Tommy Boy,' and Powerpuff Girl T-shirts.  Thanks to you guys for making my night so memorable and to Samantha for taking such amazing care of me!

Adam, Max, Samantha and I taking a dance break!

In typical Birthday fashion (at least the last couple years) I've been a little bummed before my Birthday.  Then as soon as my Birthday hits, I'm totally fine and excited to celebrate.  Lucky for me, I have fabulous friends and family who always brighten my week with wishes and love.

It was the perfect way to kick off my Birthday, with an excellent performance and crowd at 'Thenardier's Inn' and then rocking out with my friends at midnight!  My Birthday came and was an absolute blast so I knew I was in for a run of fun the following night and weekend :)

'Graey Area' Web Series

This past Tuesday I worked on the Web Series 'Graey Area' up in North Hollywood.  Kelsey, who has come into Karaoke at Gabe's a few times asked if I wanted to be a part of it, sent me the script, and after reading it, I was in!  Not only is she starring in it, she's also producing it :)

'Graey Area' reminds me of "Friends" and definitely has that sitcom feel.  Even though my scenes were more dramatic, there was a comedic undertone to them, and it was still kept light-hearted.  That is, until the big reveal at the end!  Grace (played by Kelsey) and I (Stacy) are dating the same guy; I get to play the girl that everyone hates but hopefully understands me by the end of the episode.  Definitely a new character for me.

Our Director, Bobby, Kelsey, myself, Alex, Michelle, and Eduardo our DP (Max was our Boom Operator and took the group photo)!  A little behind the scenes action and a still during one of our final scenes.

The Web Series is still filming and once it goes through the editing process should premiere at the end of the Summer!  I can't wait to see it and share it with everyone!

The Summer Freeze Princess Show :)

After a busy week of rehearsals for 'Thenardier's,' 'Project Mayhem' (which I'll be writing a blog about soon), and Improv, I was also rehearsing for our 'Summer Freeze Princess Show & Sing-Along!'  A couple weeks ago we had two shows on a Sunday with a bunch of Princesses joining in on the fun!

We had two very sold-out shows with tons of boys and girls singing along and creating magic with us.  Pocahontas led us on the adventure this time and was joined by plenty of Princesses from Rapunzel, to Anna & Elsa, Belle, Tiana, and more, including Jasmine, whom I was playing that weekend.  We had just gotten a new dress for Jasmine and it was absolutely beautiful and perfect for my character.

Princess Jasmine with Rapunzel, Elsa, and Pocahontas!

As soon as I got on-stage I was mobbed by children who wanted to tell me I was their favorite Princess, they had just watched my movie, or could they sit with me.  I'm sure they say that to all the Princesses but I always feel so special as soon as I start talking to them.  So while we got the kids up and dancing for a bunch of the songs, we also had them sit down so the Princesses could move about and tell our story that day.  When I was sitting, without fail, a little girl would come to sit in my lap, and another would try to fit in as well, and then one would hold my hand.  Best feeling in the world!

Princesses for the Summer Freeze Sing-Along :)

At the end of the show, we taught the kids 'The Princess Song' which is our original Princess Song written by Dan, our Musical Director at CAC.  It's so magical to hear the kids singing along with us on a song that is all our own.  At our second show, a bunch of the guys who normally play our Princes and Pirates came to the see the show and support us Princesses; that was so nice of them to show their enthusiasm for the Summer Freeze!

The Princess Shows are always a blast and revitalize my feelings on how much I love children.  One eight month old baby got her first photo with a Princess, with me!  All those dreams as a little girl of being a Princess one day and they're all coming true <3

Improv Night!

CAC Studios is literally growing by the minute!  On top of extensions, sold-out shows, our Children's division, Princess shows and parties, we've got things planned nearly every weekend!  So I was very excited to hear we were going to start doing an Improv Night.

Nathan (who I've worked with in 'Babes in Toyland,' 'Wizard of Oz,' 'Thenardier's Inn' and more) is involved in a couple different Improv groups so he decided to start one at CAC Studios.  We had a fun night of playing games and doing Improv as an informal audition.  It's really nice to get to work that muscle because most of the auditions you go to will have some form of Improv in your performance.  It's always great to be prepared with your lines and dialogue but when the Casting Director calls an audible, you have to be up for anything!  Improv helps prepare you for that.

Part of our Friday Night Crew...Adam, Giana, Nathan, and I after the Show!

The show was called "52 Pick Up: The Aces of Improv" and we had two shows about a week and a half ago on a Friday and Saturday night with both shows having a full-house.  Everything ran really smoothly and there were times I was laughing so hard that I actually started tearing up!  We all got to be involved in two different games, I was in Opera (where you have to sing every line, and I turned all of us into past Presidents) and also Two Lines (where you have two different lines and you can only say those two lines throughout the scene).  One of my favorite parts was our closing when we made up a song about a Sloth.  No more can be said, other than you'll have to see it for yourself!  

Which you can check out using this link:

https://video-lax1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hvideo-xap1/v/t42.1790-2/11359059_10206876367806404_1981618252_n.mp4?oh=30f3e5fb459f72b7fb7d16423874778d&oe=55766DE1

I'm hoping this becomes a monthly thing for us because we all had so much fun and you're basically getting to play and laugh at yourself.  Laughter is the best medicine and it was so awesome to get to work with such talented people!  Thanks to Nathan (all of our Aces: Michael, Dan, and Nick), all the performers and CAC Studios for creating an amazing space for us to be creative <3

Road Trip to Phoenix! Part 1.

Sometimes you just need to get out of LA...stop and smell the roses and enjoy a little mini-vacation!  My family comes to visit a couple times a year and we usually take a road trip somewhere and I also go home a couple times a year to visit family and friends so that's a nice break from LA and I always come back refreshed and rejuvenated.  So I was stoked when Brad and I decided to drive to Phoenix and spend a couple days with his family and relax in the sun :)

The drive took just over five hours and we rocked out to Incubus' new album, along with some greatest hits, Tom Petty, Smashing Pumpkins, and more.  Our first stop was Todd & Carley's to say hello to them and so that I could meet Maylen for the first time!  She was nearly five months old and absolutely adorable.  In fact, the entire time we were around her for the three days we were there she cried only once.  Maylen is by far one of the best babies I've ever been around and getting to play with her was an absolute joy.

Lunch at a Triple D Restaurant!

Brad, his parents and I went to DeFalco's the next day for Lunch because it was on 'Diner's Drive-In's & Dives.'  We ordered Gnocchi, a Prime Rib Cheese Steak, home-made Sausage, and a Calzone.  It was a lot of food but we ate nearly everything because it was all so good!  My favorite was definitely the Cheese Steak; melted cheese goodness, with steak, onions, and mushrooms.

That afternoon we all decided to go to the Phoenix Zoo which was so much fun!  Although, I was a little scared of the vultures that could fly around in the bird area, thank goodness we got to look at snakes in between; I was far less scared of them.  We must have caught the animals right after Lunch because a bunch of them were napping but the otters gave us a good show so that was neat to see.  The best part of the Zoo was doing the Giraffe Edventure and getting to feed Makope and be up close with her.  It was one of the best Zoo moments I've had in my life!

Since we didn't get to see any Bears or Sharks at the Zoo we ended the night with a Documentary called 'Bears.' It's narrated by John C Reilley and one of my favorite documentaries to date.  I kind of want John C Reilley to narrate my life...it was absolutely hilarious and if you haven't seen it, I certainly recommend it!

Feeding Makope at the Phoenix Zoo!

Part 2 of our Road Trip to Phoenix continues below...

Road Trip to Phoenix! Part 2.

Maylen loved the Go-Pro!

Brad and I spent Tuesday with Maylen and his parents but not before grabbing Lunch at Erbert's & Gerbert's!  It's my favorite sandwich place in Wisconsin and Minnesota (thanks to Jeff for reminding us their was one in Tempe) and great to get a little taste of home out in Arizona.  I got my usual Narmer, Brad got the same, along with some Broccoli Cheddar soup.  After spending the afternoon in and out of the pool it was time to get a little exercise.  Brad and I went on a long hike; I got us lost for a little bit (I'm usually really good with directions) but we made our way up the giant mountain and then back down in about an hour so it wasn't too bad.  And the view was certainly worth it!

She's such a cute lil' nugget!!

That night we had Dinner with Todd, Carly, baby Maylen, Brad and his parents at Pappadeaux which Brad's Dad has been telling him about for months.  It was one of my favorite seafood meals to date, not to mention, the company was wonderful.  We started with a Lump Crab and Spinach Dip (holy cow, this was fantastic, and I'm usually not a fan of Spinach Dip) and the Hot Smoked Salmon which was also really good.  Next up was an awesome Greek Salad and then came the main course.  I got the Chilean Seabass that had a cheesy crab gratin on top along with brussels sprouts.  It was so amazing I just kept eating even though I was full!  We didn't have any room for dessert but we had some after-dinner drinks and headed home.  

Brad's Mom and Dad had told me that when you're out hiking at night you can see scorpions with a blacklight, so after we got home, we went in search of some scorpions.  We found one about five minutes into our hike...woo hoo!  Sure enough, it did glow in the dark under the blacklight and I was happy we didn't have to go too far into the hike to find one!

Wednesday morning we all went to Waffle House (it's tradition at this point when I'm in Arizona) for Breakfast!  Always delicious and kept us full on our drive back to LA!  I was bummed to be heading back to LA after such a nice vacation but knew it was back to work for me so we jammed out all the way back home, saying goodbye to fabulous Arizona!

Overlooking the Canals in Scottsdale, Arizona

I'm seriously in love with Arizona.  I LOVE the weather, even if I haven't been there in the dead of Summer when it's ridiculously hot, I feel like there's so many other positives about it.  There's so much to do, and even living in a suburb you're close to all the cities.  There are so many different stadiums and sporting events to go and see and I always feel safe when I'm there.  It's definitely a place I would move to!

*Special thanks to Harry & Nancy for taking such great care of us while we were there and for always giving me such a warm welcome!  Thank you :)

'Supernatural' Finale at Afterbuzz

I can't believe how good the Finale of 'Supernatural' was this season.  Of course, the Finale of most shows don't usually disappoint; it was exciting and certainly left everyone wanting more.  Now we just have to wait until next Fall to find out what Sam & Dean will do when Darkness takes over!

In my opinion, Season 10 of 'Supernatural' had a lot more happening and developed the story more than last season when we started taping our 'Supernatural' Aftershow at Afterbuzz TV.  Unfortunately, we lost one of our original Hosts, Tom Connolly, to his job, throughout the season, so it was just Katie Campbell, Mikaela Phillips, and myself Hosting for our final episode.  The ladies and myself did a great job throughout this season, bringing in guests, having call-in's, and thanks to Tom and the Afterbuzz Crew we were able to Host and interview a bunch of the actors at Supernatural Con in Burbank which was such a wonderful experience.

Mikaela, Katie, and I after Hosting our Finale 'Supernatural' Aftershow!

This Summer I would really like to start over from the beginning of 'Supernatural' and watch from season one up to season 10.  I really got sucked into the show this past season and having our guests talk about the show and their experiences working on 'Supernatural' really draws you in even more.

You can see our Finale Aftershow for 'Supernatural' right here!

Thanks to our viewers and fans, you all have been amazing throughout this season, tweeting us, commenting on YouTube and iTunes, all of your kind words on Facebook and Instagram, and everything else!  Have a wonderful Summer and we'll see you guys in the Fall :)

See you next Fall!

*To see my reaction to Dean killing Death, head on over to my Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/lyndseywegner *

May Karaoke

With a couple busy nights this month, and lots of friends coming to visit me at Gabe's, it kept Karaoke exciting.  Since my friends were visiting me, it's nice to have a challenge of new music, which I always encourage singers to do something new as well!

Adele "Rumor Has It"

Tina Turner "Proud Mary"

La Roux "Bulletproof"

Bon Jovi "You Want To Make A Memory"

Billy Idol "Rebel Yell"

Jewel "Foolish Games"

Bon Jovi "Shot Through The Heart"

Fleetwood Mac "Gold Dust Woman"

Jumpin' Jumpin' "Destiny's Child"

Britney Spears "Crazy"

Smashing Pumpkins "Disarm"

Journey "Lights"

Pink "There You Go"

Stacy Orrico "Stuck"

Rent "Another Day"

Madonna "The Power Of Goodbye"

Bryan Adams "Summer of '69"

Sara Bareilles "Love Song"
Stone Temple Pilots "Interstate Love Song"

Colbie Callait & Jason Mraz "Lucky"

3 Doors Down "Here Without You"

Lady Gaga "Bad Romance"

Fuel "Falls On Me"

Roxette "It Must Have Been Love"

Def Leppard "Bringing On The Heartbreak"

We had a little Bon Jovi super-set the first week, so I decided on "You Want To Make A Memory" as my new song that night.  I saw Bon Jovi perform that song on 'The Ellen Show' with Ashley eight years ago and have loved it since the first moment I heard it.  I also added a couple new songs to my History that week as well.  Since week two was really busy, I only sang a few times, and my new song was "Jumpin' Jumpin'" by Destiny's Child, because everyone was rapping that week!  After a road trip to Phoenix filled with Rock & Roll, I was feeling the vibe that night, and started off with Smashing Pumpkins and Journey.  When Samantha and Max came in, it turned into 90's music and Musicals, so my new song was "There You Go" by Pink.  That was followed by an awesome duet with Max, singing "Another Day" from 'Rent."  My Mom had suggested some Madonna that week, so I closed with "The Power Of Goodbye" which has some truly amazing lyrics about letting go and saying goodbye.  Sometimes we all just need that little reminder we're making the right decision and on a better path!  This last week at Karaoke it was really quiet so everyone got to sing a bunch.  My new song was Stone Temple Pilots, 'Interstate Love Song,' which went well considering I thought I was going to sing 'Plush.'  Oops!  Since Marty came in, he suggested I sing some Sara Bareilles, and then I had him join me for a duet, so we sang "Lucky."  Not to be left out, he chose "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum and then the night hit some 90's songs with 3 Doors Down, Fuel, and Roxette.

June is my Birthday month, so we'll be doing a themed night that week at Karaoke, so it should be a fun and busy month ahead!