'Jules & Jess' Web Series

It's been nearly two years since I filmed an episode of this wonderful little web series called 'Jules & Jess.'  I started out helping with make-up and anything else they needed, and then I auditioned for a role, but unfortunately didn't get cast.  I got called a couple days later to be an extra which I gladly accepted and looked forward to my day on set.  Lucky for me, one of the actresses didn't confirm for the shoot the following day and I ended up getting her role and being Taft Hartley'd into the Union.  Patience and persistence pays off!  No role is to small to go in and do something you love, and JJ gave me an opportunity to be a part of her web series and I got my SAG card in addition to a super fun experience!  I couldn't be more appreciative and thankful :)

You can see my Episode, which is Episode 6 "Jobless" Part 2 here:
Lyndsey's Episode of 'Jules & Jess'

Coffee Shop Patrons for 'Jules & Jess'

The web series has been airing on their Wagglebutt Production Website in addition to YouTube and they also post updates, episodes, and other info on their Facebook page which you can find here: Jules & Jess on Facebook

Hope you enjoy!!

*I'm going to try to get a direct link so I can post the video in this blog for easier viewing :)*

'Chelsea Lately' & Book Club

I've been posting about keeping up with my 2013 Resolutions and this past Tuesday was no exception.  Emily and I started out the day heading up to Universal City to see a Live taping of 'Chelsea Lately' and then prepped our apartment, for our first ever Book Club night, complete with all sorts of yummy food and wine.

 

Emily got us tickets a couple weeks ago and we were both really excited to go to the taping, get there early, and hopefully get front seats, in addition to getting Emily's, Chelsea Handler, book signed.  We were making great time up the 405 and 101 and as soon as we got to Universal, we spent 45 minutes being told 3 different places to park, and all of them were wrong.  Needless to say, we ended up getting to the line less than 30 minutes early and there were at least 40 people in front of us, not to mention another line was started with priority seating.  *Suggested Note: always try to get priority seating when you're getting tickets for live tapings, and if you're going to a taping, showing up early isn't always the best idea, because if we hadn't been seated at this taping, we would have had VIP entry the next day.*  I'm not sure if all shows work like this, but I've been to 'Ellen' and now 'Chelsea Lately' and both of them are run the same way.

 

Around 3 pm (an hour after they said the line cut-off ended) people were finally getting seated.  In the meantime, Emily and I people-watched, which was one of the most interesting people-watching we've ever done.  They did tape a few outdoor segments, including some with Ross Matthew's since he's starting his new show.  When we finally got into the sound-stage, we waited to be sat, and were placed in the upper right seating area (BUMMER) but there were plenty of TV's and really no bad seats.  The only downfall was the group of drunk teenagers from out of town that were seated right around us and were so loud and distracting, we were surprised they weren't kicked out.

 

The whole taping took just under an hour, and while there were no big celebrities interviewed, they had 3 acts, with the comedians, and it went by quickly, and was really funny.  Chelsea looked absolutely fantastic!  We loved her outfit, she was hilarious, and she signed everyone's books, so that was awesome!  The episode we were at actually aired that night but we forgot to tape it so we have it set to DVR tomorrow night so we can catch the jokes we missed due to just being studio mic'd for taping purposes.  Going to this taping was definitely an LA thing to do, since there were so many tourists at the taping, but it was also something new and fun to do for FREE in LA :)  Thanks Em!

 

That night after the taping we had our first ever Book Club.  Seven of us ladies got together that evening, after we had a couple weeks to read 'Where'd You Go, Bernadette' which started off slow but picked up speed, and in a matter of a day I read over 200 pages.  It was told through letters, e-mails, faxes, and notes, so that was really interesting, and although I wish the loose ends at the end of the book had been tied up, I surprised myself and really liked it.

 

After loading our plates with all sorts of goodies:  Roasted tomatoes, veggies and dip, crackers, prosciutto and cheese, a kale and quinoa salad, and some desserts including my Funfetti Cake Dip, and everyone's glass of Wine was full, we sat in our cozy Living Room and discussed the book.  I was glad that we spent over an hour talking about themes and motives, what we liked and didn't like, what we had in common with the characters, and then even went through the Reading Guide at the end of the book to bring up some more thought-provoking ideas.  It was actually a lot of fun and I think we got so much more out of the book by taking the time to talk about it and we all agreed that we would love this to be a monthly thing. 

'Life is too short to drink bad wine.'

No female get-together would be complete without catching up, and then discussing what our favorite thing about LA was, and when we felt like we had our 'a-ha' moment in living here.  That was a question we actually got from the Reading Guide so it was great to get to know everyone and connect since hopefully this is something we continue to do.  I'm also pretty proud that we polished off 5 bottles of wine, tons of food, had lots of laughs, and hung out and did something really intellectual.  Yet again, another new thing on my Resolutions Check List, and something that was really fun to do!

 

Tuesday was a fantastic day; thought-provoking, engaging, fun and outgoing, and brought lots of laughs, everywhere we went.  It was also really creative and these are certainly the days I love!

'Women Are Crazy Because Men Are A**holes'

I love seeing theater and while it's not as common here in LA as it is in New York, and you have to pick and choose a little more because it's hard to find good theater, I was really excited when Nicole and Courtney (my co-workers from Bar Lubitsch) were cast in a play.  The time came when the show was open and lucky for me, I found a performance on a Sunday, so I would get a chance to see the ladies perform together!

'Women Are Crazy Because Men Are Assholes' was written and directed by Brad Gottfred and being performed at La Macha Theater in West Hollywood.  Neil came to see the play with me, and we met Ashley (another co-worker from Lubitsch) and her boyfriend, Jake, at the Theater and there was a little snack bar set up, along with beer and wine, so we got some drinks and made our way to our seats.

Right away, the play caught your attention, and immediately Courtney was throwing a crazy tantrum and I had to laugh out loud.  I've known Nicole for nearly a year and Courtney for about 8 months and while I have never seen her throw a tantrum, it was so realistic that I could believe she would really feel this angry about a guy doing something horrible, and I'd be pretty scared of her.  Throughout the whole play, she was perfectly on point, living in the moment, so natural, bubbly, honest and interesting.  Both Courtney and Nicole impressed me with their performances including an intense scene that was absolutely hilarious and candid.  You really understood where Nicole was coming from, from beginning to end; you went through all the emotions with her, and it never seemed forced, just organic and real.  They both brought the laughs and empathy, and I'm happy to say all the female actresses were very strong. 

Overall, I preferred the women's performances to the men, although there were a few guys that were stand-outs and had fun roles to play that made these women act crazy.  I loved the story they were telling and the girl that started it all, pointing out apples and oranges, and bringing everything together.  There were two guys that were slightly distracting, one that only had two levels, he pushed the anger but there wasn't a build to get there, and another that was pushing his feelings so hard, he was more of a caricature than someone you wanted to side with.  In any case, the play as a whole was incredible and I would go and see it again in a heartbeat.  They do have two casts but I loved how well each character played their role that I would want to see them do awesome show again!

At Courtney & Nicole's play! (Courtney, me, Nicole, and Ashley)

After the play was over, the whole cast came out and we got to talk to Nicole and Courtney and congratulate them on amazing performances.  I was excited to talk to the Director, Brad, for a little bit as well, and see where the play had come from, and was even happier to hear they're trying to get it an Off-Broadway venue soon.  He's from the Midwest, so he instantly won cool points in my book, and he's got more projects in the works!

To find out more about the show here's a link to their Facebook Page:

'Women Are Crazy Because Men Are Assholes'

The show has been extended through September so I definitely suggest getting tickets and checking out some great theater in LA, and maybe even getting a better understanding of why 'Women Are Crazy Because Men Are Assholes.'

An 80's Cover Band and 90's Karaoke

A couple Thursday's ago was a surprise trip to The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills with Neil.  I had never been there but I know that all sorts of bands play there including Pat Benatar who I will definitely see there the next time she's in town because the venue was perfect.  

We went to Canyon Club to see an 80's Cover Band, that was a mix of Steel Panther and The Spazmatics.  One guy was dressed like Nikki Sixx, while another was Slash, then the guy from Devo, and the lead singer was dressed like some singing actor in a movie.  The show started out really good, everyone was singing along and dancing to the music, and they were playing songs that everyone knew and could have fun dancing to.  The problem was, everyone was drunk, a good 20 years older than us, and dressing pretty scandalous, but this was my first time at Canyon Club and I was warned before arrival.  They switched things around half-way through their set, and started to play a Gun's & Rose's song and all of a sudden, something was off.  We couldn't tell if it was the lead guitarist, or the lead singer who picked up a guitar, but because the guitar was off, the singing went off-key.  They had also switched drummer's and while the new drummer came on was actually pretty awesome, you could tell he loved to play and was having such a good time, in his excitement, tossing his sticks was causing the rhythm to be off.  It was kind of a mess and the problem was, the band never recovered, and the next few songs were totally off.  It was a shame because you could tell the bassist was trying to figure out where it was coming from and knew things weren't right but there was nothing he could do at this point.  I love hearing 80's Music and I think Cover Bands are super fun, and I love the cheese factor of the synchronized dance moves, costumes, and vocals, I just wish they had been able to keep it together for the whole show.  I'd definitely go see them again but hopefully they'll have practiced a little more and be prepared to rock out, in tune.

Then this past week at Karaoke it was a really quiet night and people got to sing a bunch since it was so slow.  I set myself to a 90's Women Musical Theme, and since I'm still building my History with our new computer, it couldn't be anything that was already on my list.  My first song was 'Who Will Save Your Soul' by Jewel which was followed by 'Head Over Feet' by Alanis Morissette; two women who made their biggest hits in the 90's but still continue to create music today!  My new song of the night, which I'm surprised I've never sang before was Ace Of Base's, 'All That She Wants,' and a song that isn't one of my favorites after singing it; I prefer to do 'Don't Turn Around' or 'The Sign' because it's such a crowd favorite.  Next up I did 'Here Comes The Rain Again' by The Eurythmics and I did some new harmonies on it and after letting everyone else sing a few more times I closed out the night with Natalie Merchant's 'Wonder' which is just a fun and happy song.  I'm always happy when people get to sing a bunch and since it was a slow night, I got to go home a little bit early and get some sleep before my crazy work weekend ahead!

I think it's time for an 80's Theme Karaoke night soon :)

Karaoke and The Hussy in LA!

Last week started a very musical week and in just 7 days, I had 2 nights of Karaoke and saw 2 different bands perform!  You can find Karaoke all over the City of LA, and even if LA isn't a big music scene, it sure has plenty to offer!

Em & I at The Hussy's Show

For Karaoke I sang a couple new songs but opened with 'Dreams' by Fleetwood Mac and then got into one of my new songs, 'Bitch' by Meredith Brooks which was something fun and goofy to do.  Next up was challenging myself again to Whitney Houston's 'Saving All My Love For You' which went really well and I'm happy to try something more difficult and see the crowd really liked it.  Another new song for the night was 'Love The Way You Lie' with Neil doing Eminem's part and really killing it.  That's a super hard rap!  I closed out the night with 'Criminal' by Fiona Apple which has scared me since the last time I did it years ago, but it went so much better this time around, and I know I've improved on being able to harmonize and find melodies when they're difficult to hear.  Karaoke has definitely improved my musical skills :) 

Bobby and Heather, of The Hussy, were playing after midnight on Sunday Night at the Pirate-Themed, Redwood Bar, in Downtown Los Angeles.  I was excited to see a bunch of my friends at the show, Emily & Shane, McCracken, and Neil, too!  I haven't seen The Hussy perform since last year at Redwood Bar so I was excited to hear new songs off the album in addition to some old favorite songs.  I helped them sell a little merchandise, but it really sold itself, and I could tell T-shirts and Albums were in high demand so that was awesome to see!  They played mostly songs off their new album, and a couple of them I really liked including one that was currently Untitled and another one that had both Bobby and Heather singing 'oh, oh, ah, oh oh, ohh.'  It was really fun and catchy!  I was happy to see so many people at the show for a Sunday and when they closed with 'One Time' they had all of us dancing around the stage so that was really cool!  Overall, the show was awesome and it was great to see The Hussy performing in LA yet again!

The Hussy performing at Redwood Bar in Downtown LA

It was definitely a musical week, which you'll see in addition to my next blog, and it's nice to hear new music.  I'm always excited when The Hussy is in town and hopefully they'll be back again next year!

Catch up time!

I can't believe 2013 is over half-way gone and we're nearing Fall!  I'm proud because I've got some great jobs that keep me very busy and I'm able to save up money to do all the fun things when I've got some free days.  I've been keeping my Resolutions for the New Year; I'm going out of town and traveling to new places, having spontaneous vacations, seeing tons of live music and bands, and trying new restaurants and recipes.  I'm also working towards getting Representation and had fantastic headshots taken by Hillary and am just choosing my favorites so we can get them sent out to Agents and Managers soon!

At Universal Studios for the Matchbox Twenty
and Goo Goo Dolls Concert!

Just last month in July I went to Punta Cana for a week-long vacation with Family.  I had never been to the Dominican Republic and while we all had a blast, it'll be a while before I go back to the Caribbean anytime soon.  I also saw Matchbox Twenty and The Goo Goo Dolls perform; two fun bands from the 90's!

I had my 30th Birthday in June and got to spend it with friends and family throughout the month (including our week in Punta Cana).  I've been working on new recipes and posting them on here more often and had the last photo shoot of my 20's with my friend, Kristina, the day before my Birthday.  June also started my Lector Duty at Church and I've been doing that for the past 3 months and just got our schedule for the next 3, so that's a fun and exciting way to enjoy Church!

In May, I had my first ever BIG SAG Audition since I had joined the Union which was exciting.  Even though I didn't book the Audition I did film a couple Match.com Parodies and got to put my Princess Leia costume to good use, once again.  I also got to see one of my favorite artists, Sara Bareilles, perform at The El Rey Theater and to make the month even more exciting, Emily and I made a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas for 2 nights and had an absolute blast.

I made my first move towards creating my Web Series this past weekend, pulling out Neil's brand new Canon Camera and just playing around with the video and photo functions.  We took a couple headshots and also filmed me doing an opening sequence for my show in a few different ways so that was a lot of fun and super creative!  I've got some ideas for the show already written down and now it's a matter of filming a couple episodes so I can put together a Trailer and get the show up on YouTube.

Testing the new camera...

I can't wait to get started on a show that's all my own :)  Set those goals and you can reach them!

The Goo Goo Dolls & Matchbox Twenty

A couple weeks ago I was excited to be going to The Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty Concert at The Gibson at University City Walk with Neil.  I'd gotten back from Punta Cana and was ready for some LA fun and great music!

We grabbed a bite to eat at Camacho's, along with a Margarita beforehand and headed over to The Gibson just in time to catch Kate Earl sing a few songs.  Neil and I both loved her song 'Honey' and thought she was a great opener for the 2 main acts.  Our seats were on the far left of the theater but we were 6 rows back and felt super close to the stage.  Neil had told me before the concert that in an interview with Johnny Rzeznik about their tour, he said that they play to the crowd; yes, they're out promoting their new album, but it's about the fans and the songs they love.  I think that's pretty awesome of them!

Johnny Rzeznik of  The Goo Goo Dolls!

I couldn't believe how excited I was when The Goo Goo Dolls took the stage first and Johnny Rzeznik walked out; I was screaming like a little girl at a Justin Bieber concert!  I had been listening to a Goo Goo Dolls CD for the past couple of weeks to re-familiarize myself to their music (along with a Matchbox Twenty CD) so I could sing along at the show.  I remembered most of their big hits in addition to some favorites on their CD's throughout the year, as well as new music that's made it's way to the radio.  I loved singing along with 'Slide' and their new song 'Rebel Beat' but my favorite moment of the Goo Goo Dolls performance was when they did 'Black Balloon.'  They released black balloons from the stage and I had completely forgotten how incredible that song was.  Another song I really enjoyed was 'Let Love In' and 'Come To Me' because they played the lyrics on a screen so the crowd could sing along to one of their new songs off the album.  I actually called my Mom when they did 'Name' because it's her favorite Goo Goo Dolls song and of course, their set wouldn't have been complete without 'Iris' from the movie, "City Of Angels" which takes place in Los Angeles.  Johnny played a bunch of different guitars and I've always known that each one is tuned differently for each song and his voice sounded just like he did on his albums, so that was fantastic!

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty singing 'Long Day'

Neil & I at The Gibson!

Matchbox Twenty played after The Goo Goo Dolls and Rob Thomas was a ball of energy, dancing, jumping around, and really getting into the music, even playing the piano at one point which I thought was awesome!  I knew even more Matchbox Twenty songs than Goo Goo Dolls and that was probably because they were slightly more popular with my friends' musical tastes when I was in High School and listening to them.  They opened with a bunch of my favorites, 'Parade' which is one of their newer songs, as well as 'Bent' and my all-time favorite Matchbox Twenty song, 'Disease,' which was spectacular!  I was singing along with it at the top of my lungs, and I could sing along with a bunch of their songs knowing all the lyrics and loving that Rob Thomas was so fun to watch!  We heard '3 AM,' 'Real World,' as well as 'If You're Gone,' and some more new songs I really liked.  The new ones I liked were more acoustic and focused on Rob which were 'I Will' and then 'English Town' which was edgy and I couldn't wait to get home and listen to them again!  They had a great encore, after closing out with 'Bright Lights' by coming back on and doing 3 more songs including 'Push' but I really wished The Goo Goo Dolls would have joined them on stage for an encore too.

I'm assuming both bands switch off in each city with who opens and closes the show and that's totally fair.  It worked out for the better in this case because Matchbox Twenty had just a little more pizzazz than The Goo Goo Dolls but I would totally go see both play again!  I was super surprised to remember as many songs as I did with both bands.  I loved that both the Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty musicians and singers worked the stage and really got the crowd involved in the music.  They were energetic and fun and it totally got me excited for each song and what they were going to be singing next!  I knew I would enjoy the concert and it would be fun but I didn't expect to love the concert as much as I did, get really into the music and lyrics, and be even more excited to listen to their songs at home as I was.  It was an incredible concert experience!  Thanks Neil :)

My Caprese Salad :)

I don't know how it took me over 20 years to try a Caprese Salad for the first time ever but it did and it has changed my life.  Technically speaking, I'm not sure it's really a salad, more of an Appetizer but either way, it's one of my favorite dishes to start off a meal with.  Aimee had brought me some fresh tomatoes from her Mom's garden so I went out and got some Mozzarella and Basil and decided to make my own Caprese Salad.

Caprese Salad

2 Tomatoes 

Fresh Mozzarella

Basil Leaves

Balsamic Vinegar

Rinse your basil and wash your tomatoes, then thinly slice the tomatoes, and cut some mozzarella.  Next up you're going to assemble the Caprese Salad.  You can do it anyway you want but I like to start with a tomato slice, then piece of mozzarella, topped with a basil leaf and you keep building until all your tomato has been used.  

The most difficult part of the Salad is making a Balsamic Reduction and even that's pretty easy.  The Balsamic is going to reduce by almost half so use as much as you'll need for your dish.  You can use this Reduction for desserts, fruit, or a sauce for skewers and it's got no fat, so that's pretty awesome.  I put about a half cup into a sauce pan that was heating on medium, once it started to boil, I turned the heat down to simmer the Balsamic.  You're going to stir occasionally and just give it time to reduce, but don't raise the heat or you'll end up with a hardened mess.  Once it's reduced and has a syrupy consistency you can let it cool or pour it right over the Caprese Salad.

Just a little bit of Heaven ;)

This Salad is by far one of the prettiest things I've ever made.  Aimee brought me some beautiful tomatoes and this Salad is so light and refreshing with the Basil and Mozzarella.  I LOVED the Balsamic Reduction and it was my first time making one so that was exciting.  I actually did another Caprese Salad a couple days ago because I was so happy with the result.  This is definitely a great starter before a hearty Italian meal or a nice healthy snack :)

Back to Karaoke!

It had been a couple weeks after I got back from Punta Cana to get back into Karaoke because I had missed a week when I was on vacation, and the following week I was at the Matchbox 20 and Goo Goo Dolls concert, which was incredible!  I'll be writing a blog about the show soon.  Since we had the new system at Karaoke we're still getting things up and running smoothly, everyone is working on building up their history again from scratch and I'm starting to write down everything so I can't lose my own history again!

A couple weeks ago we had a pretty quiet night but I got a few people up to sing that had never sang Karaoke before, so that was fun, and I opened the night with 'Don't Stop' by Fleetwood Mac and then did 'Any Man of Mine'.  It ended up being a 90's theme night with a couple friends showing up and singing all those guilty pleasures like 'Glycerine,' 'Black Balloon,' 'Mother,' and even 'I Believe I Can Fly.'  I tried The Police, 'Every Breath You Take' again and still need to find the right key for it, since I can actually raise that one up but I was more excited and nervous for my new song of the night which was Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You.'  I actually kept it in the original key and hit all her high notes, so I'm glad it went well and I'll be excited to sing it again when I'm more confident with it!  I closed out the night with 'Possum Kingdom' by The Toadies which is such a great song to sing and a reminder of fun times at Saint's & Sinner's.  It seems the Theme Nights are fun and challenging for everyone and something people look forward to!

Last week I got a late start due to the Yankee's vs. Dodger's game but it was busy from there on out.  I got started with a different Fleetwood Mac song that night, by doing 'Say You Love Me' while my next song was my new song for the night, 'Invincible' by Pat Benatar.  I can't believe I haven't sang that song before now but it was super fun and a great song for my voice, plus I love that it's powerful and upbeat.  It was a Power Ballad kind of night so my next song was 'Alone' by Heart and then 'Separate Ways' by Journey, but unfortunately, there was no changing the key of songs that night, so I gave it my all, when I normally lower both of those songs, so that was good practice for myself!  My last song of the night was 'I Touch Myself' and then I let the guys close out the night with some more fun sing-a-long songs :)

I was definitely glad to get back to Karaoke after a couple weeks off and I want to get a new planned Theme Night together in the next couple of weeks where people can get dressed up and sing songs from that theme.  Perhaps it'll be a Gender Bender kind of night, or 90's Alternative...either way, it'll be an interesting night!