'The King Of Halloween' Music Video

Halloween is here and it's the perfect time to bring out the Halloween Music Video 'The King Of Halloween' that Neil and I had worked on the past few weeks!

Neil had told me he was going to record a Halloween Rap and make a video for it and then asked me to sing on it, in the style of Eminem and Dido.  He recorded his rap part and then we recorded my vocals in his studio and I was able to play around with my final part which was fun!  Then a couple weeks ago we recorded my scenes in a set that Neil created.  He put so much time and effort into making this video really special and totally Halloween.  His rap is smart and very quick; super impressive for a singer/songwriter :)  There's even a cameo by Diego who plays the piano solo for the song!  You can see the video right here!

The video was a blast to shoot and it came out awesome!  I can't imagine editing all those images and scenes into the video, matching up the vocals with the singing shots, and the video is seamless from beginning to end.

90's Hip Hop Artists ready for the shoot!

Hope you enjoyed and Happy Halloween!

Fantasy Football Week 8 Recap and Projections for Week 9

Woo Hoo...I won my Match-Up this week and had the highest points in our league!  I'm still in 3rd place but my point total is the 2nd highest and I'm playing against the 2nd ranked team in our League, Travel Belly.  I did a lot of swapping out on Sunday, taking out Greg Jennings to play Michael Floyd who got 8+ points more than Jennings and playing my Bengal Defense over the Packers who out-scored them by 21 points.  Darren McFadden had a great game and the highest point total this week for RB's and I was worried that Ridley would have an average game but even he scored a TD.  My original Projection was actually lower than listed in my Match-Up because I took out Jennings and the Packers D so I actually scored 40 points over my projections which was necessary after a low-scoring game last week.  In my first Match-Up with Trojan Man I beat him by less than a point so this was a well-deserved victory this week!  

My Week 8 Match-Up

For pick-ups this week at RB you might think of picking up Andre Ellington from the Cardinals as he had an 80 yard TD last week and 162 yards total; not a bad day for Arizona.  Montee Ball may not have started off strong but after a good game last week and the fact that Moreno hasn't been out on the field as much and Hillman's missing scoring opportunities, Manning may look to Ball to take the pigskin into the end zone.  After an injury in Week 3, Lance Moore is back and ready to score, getting a TD last week, and since Jimmy Graham is still not 100%, Moore will be seeing the ball more ;)  Kenny Stills, another Saint's WR has had a great couple of weeks with 3 TD's and seeing far more snaps even with Moore back in action.  He might be a good Flex spot this week.  The Bengals had a phenomenal Week 8 showing against the Jets with Marvin Jones scoring 4 TD's and catching every pass thrown to him.  That's huge and he might be taking a place on my team!

All my starting Wide Recievers are on a Bye this week and since Bowe and Jennings have been pretty much a bust weekly I had to pick up another WR since my recent pick-up Floyd is also on his Bye.  I'm hoping Ted Ginn Jr can exceed his projections and my other WR's can hit theirs.  I might pick up one more WR and swap out one of my current guys but we'll see how Player Stats are looking this weekend.  Since Vernon Davis is also on Bye I'm counting on Kyle Rudolph from the Vikings to score some points at TE.  Demarco Murray will be back this weekend and although Foster is questionable I may keep McFadden in and hope for another great week out of him.  I'm glad I can count on my Kicker to bring me some points each week!

Currently, my points are higher than Travel Belly's so as long as my team hits their projections and Belly's hit par I'll be up for a win and in 2nd place!  All that Drafting and making sure I didn't have players on the same Bye was fine and dandy at the beginning of the season when I thought I could count on my guys at the WR position but now it's up to fate and the Fantasy Football God to bring me a W this week.  Let's Go Dudes!

Ladies Night!

I love spending time with my gals and last weekend brought a lot of fun with some of my favorites!  On Saturday night I met up with my friend, Thi, at a party in Echo Park and on Monday, I brought my friend Katy to the Kings Game where we sat in the Luxury Box Suites thanks to Marty!

Thi and I don't get together very often because she travels for work and has been spending a lot of time in New York working on Project Runway the past couple seasons.  So I was happy when I got a random Saturday night off and she was heading out to a party with friends and I was able to meet up with them.  It was a chill party in a big studio space with all sorts of props from sets and stuff and then an open area where some people were dancing.  You know you're getting old when you go to a party with unlimited booze and you have one drink and decide on drinking some more OJ and then a water before leaving because that one and only drink felt a little strong.  All the ladies caught up and before we knew it the sound of music was drawing us into the open area where we created our own little dance circle and got our groove on for the rest of the night with each of us playing DJ.  I'm so glad I got the night off to spend some time with my Lover :)

The Calm before the Dance Party Storm!

On Monday night, Katy and I headed over to the Staples Center to hit up a Kings Game where we sat in the Luxury Box.  My friend Marty usually takes clients to the games but had this game available for friends so he gave me 2 tickets and I'm so glad he did because seeing the game was so much fun!  I'm not a huge hockey fan but being at any live sporting event is such a cool experience.  We had a great view of the rink from our seats plus 2 flat screen TV's (one of which I tuned to the Giants game because I had to keep an eye on my Fantasy Football score) and unlimited nachos and chicken tenders.  There was also a fridge stocked with soda, beer and wine.  Once we got some food and drinks we settled into our leather recliner seats and enjoyed the game in style.  I loved when the little mini-Hockey players got to go on the rink and got to try to score a goal against the goalie during a break in the game.  They were so little and cute.  It was great to spend some time with Katy before she leaves for Sacramento at the end of the month!

Katy & I at the LA Kings Game

These girls are incredible and I'm so happy I got to hang out with each of them and catch up after such a long time!  My work schedule has been so crazy but I'm lucky that it worked out on both days to have the night off for some fun and craziness with my ladies!

Hosting for Afterbuzz TV

I'm so happy to be Hosting for Afterbuzz TV on a weekly basis doing the After Show for 'Supernatural' which airs on the CW at 9 pm.  Afterbuzz was created by Maria Menounos as a way to catch a daily post-game wrap up for your favorite TV Shows.  Maria was recently announced as the 2014 CES Entertainment Ambassador.  It's Week 3 of Hosting for me and 'Supernatural' is in its 9th Season.

This is our Aftershow for last week's episode of 'Supernatural!'

My Co-Host, Tom Connolly, and I watch the newest episode at the Afterbuzz Studios and tape our show immediately following, which airs Live on the Afterbuzz Website and is available on YouTube as well as a Podcast on iTunes!  There's no editing, there's no practice, it's just a fun and exciting environment in the studio, and a learning experience each time.  I'm so glad that I take notes during the episode because 'Supernatural' has a lot going on each week!

Tom & I Hosting for Afterbuzz TV on my first show!

You can catch us at 10 pm weekly at: Supernatural Aftershow on Afterbuzz TV

I've had so much fun working with the people at the Afterbuzz Studios and can't wait to get involved in more shows :)

Find Afterbuzz TV here: Afterbuzz TV on Facebook

Find me on Facebook & Twitter at: Lyndsey on Facebook & Lyndsey on Twitter

Fantasy Football Week 7 Recap and Projections for Week 8

My streak is over and it's back to normal for my Fantasy Football Team as yet again, Eli Manning, messed with my Winning Streak, breaking his losing streak, but causing me to be in 3rd place with a 5-2 record.  Last week's score blew me out of the water by over 60 points and this week, I had some low-scoring players including Arian Foster who got me just over 1 point and went out in the first quarter and was seen wearing sweats on the sideline.  It was almost as bad as seeing Jay Cutler riding the exercise bike after he got taken out of the Packers/Bears Play-Off game a couple years ago.  Once again I had another terrible week with Kenbrill Thompkins not even getting 2 points, but thankfully Stevan Ridley had a decent week and out-scored his projections.  I counted on Aaron Rodgers and the Packers Defense who both out-scored their projections and my other QB & Defense options.  But Victor Cruz and Vernon Davis were huge disappointments this week with their low Fantasy points.  It's pretty bad when your kicker out scores over half your team!

My Week 7 Match-Up

Unfortunately there were quite a few injuries this week, with yet another one of my Packers going out, and another player will have to step up to fill the shoes of Jermichael Finley.  Let's talk pick-ups for Week 8 starting with my Pack; Andrew Quarless will be taking Finley's place and since Aaron Rodgers loves to move the ball around, he may be a good pick-up even if he's only had 28 catches in his career with the Packers.  I'm not sure what St. Louis is going to do without a QB and their only option right now is Kellen Clemens who has 7 TD's and 13 Interceptions.  It's been rumored Tim Tebow may be brought into the mix but we'll just have to see what happens.  You can't be sure if either are worth a pick-up.  On the other hand, Roy Helu the RB for the Redskins got 3 TD's this past weekend so he'd be a good option since the byes and injuries are heavy this week.  With Reggie Wayne out, Darrius Heyward-Bey will be taking over and could prove to be a smart choice as long he holds onto the ball.

Thankfully, McFadden is back after his Injury in Week 5 and Bye last week so I'm playing him in Arian Foster's place since both he and DeMarco Murray are out for at least another week or two.  I'm trusting Ridley to have another good week and hopefully he can just hit his projections.  I'm looking forward to a huge game for the Packers against Minnesota and putting my faith in my boys for a great game.  It's still up in the air for my Flex player as The Gronk is back and Thompkins will barely see any touches and with Minnesota not really having a QB in Freeman just yet, Jennings may not see the ball as much as he should, even though I know he'd love to score against his former Packer Team.  I'm playing Jennings since he may be looking for revenge!  

I've got an over 100 Point Projection again this week so let's hope last week was just a fluke and I gain some points back and get back up in the Top 2 positions in my Fantasy League!  I'm coming for you Dawgs again in Week 14!  We're at the half-way point in games this season so you can still get to the top of your league with smart decision-making and avoiding anyone that can be affected by Eli Manning.  Let me know how your team is doing and good luck winning your Week 8 Match-Up :)

30 Seconds to Mars!

This past Saturday Neil and I had tickets to see 30 Seconds to Mars at The Hollywood Bowl, the last of my Birthday concerts...thank you Daly!  We didn't want to miss the show (or be late) but thankfully an insider tip from my lovely friend, Thi, said the band wasn't starting until 9 pm, after the two openers including Panic At The Disco!

'Night Of The Hunter'

With a bottle of wine packed and some candy after being at The Hollywood Bowl a couple weeks prior for the Keith Urban concert, this time we came prepared.  Our seats were incredible, the boxes to the right of the stage with a great view of both the stage and a giant TV screen.  We sat for a few minutes but as soon as the band started there was no more sitting down!  There was a short instrumental but then they opened with 'Night of the Hunter,' went into 'Search & Destroy,' and then 'This Is War.'  During the first song they had giant beach balls in different colors that were lit up and glowing so that was super cool and people kept them going for a long time so that was really neat to see.  The video for 'This Is War' was really graphic and interesting and had the words going across the screen so people could sing along.  I was actually really surprised because maybe it was where we were sitting but I felt like we were the only ones in our section that knew the lyrics to all of their songs.  Why go to a concert if you're not going to enjoy it?!  They had acrobats between songs and perhaps they had a bad night but I thought the two guys on the teeter-totter were going to fall off the stage and the guy dancing with the hoop was going to fall flat on his face.  It was more nerve-wracking than exciting.

'How awesome is this photo!'

Jared talked before 'City Of Angels' as he said that he remembered when they had a studio on Melrose & Highland and were just happy to have Air-Conditioning finally, and here they were, playing the Hollywood Bowl in their city.  He seemed super appreciative and then moved from the main-stage to the lawn area, and where he said the fans were way better, louder, and more fun.  He also told us that he was sick, and for some reason, that always happens when he comes to play in LA, but to be honest, you couldn't really tell, especially when he started his next set.  Before he started an acoustic set a guy jumped on-stage with him and got a picture (how flippin' cool) and said he had driven 30 hours just to get to the concert!  Jared sang 'Hurricane' acapella and it was absolutely beautiful, and probably my favorite song, and followed that with 'The Kill' which was also awesome and probably their most well-known hit!  Then he did 'Stay' originally sang by Rihanna and just blew her away, it was so beautiful that I actually cried.  After that he made his way back to the stage and closed out with 'Closer To The Edge' and 'Kings & Queens.'

Neil & I at The Hollywood Bowl for 30 Seconds to Mars while they sing 'This Is War'
"It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie."

He announced when he came back on for the Encore that he would be showing us something that no one else had seen, and played a short film, called 'City Of Angels' to accompany the song they had played earlier.  There were famous actors and musicians giving commentary and beautiful scenery of Los Angeles, it was such an inspiring video and made you believe in the good faith of LA, which is definitely hard at times.  They closed out with 'Up In The Air.'  On the way out, I noticed Derek Hough next to me and at this time 2 years ago I was sitting with my Aunt watching 'Dancing With The Stars' while she said she really enjoyed Derek's dancing.  It was a nice little reminder that she's still looking out for me, even if she's not here :)

30 Seconds to Mars at The Hollywood Bowl

Overall, I was really happy with the concert but do wish they would have played some more of the new songs off their album because I think they'll be hits.  The problem was they required Jared's strong voice and since he was sick, he probably wasn't up to doing them.  My only frustration was that I went to the concert to see him sing, and not have him point the mic to the crowd and have them sing throughout the show.  His voice is so amazing, I just wanted to hear all him; perhaps I'm just being selfish!  They were the first band and big concert I saw in LA almost 3 years ago so it was really neat to see them again, playing at such a huge venue!

Audition & Karaoke

It's been a while since I had a Print Audition so I was very excited when I got a call from my Management Team that I had an Audition I could go to, but only if I wanted to attend.  Of course, I wanted to go to it; I remembered submitting for it a couple days earlier.

The confident cheerful gal!

The Audition was in Hollywood and for Reebok.  It wasn't your typical sporting Audition and I thought it would be more personable since the description had been so in-depth.  They wanted confidence, a life of the party, feminine but sporty girl, who was the center of attention.  In fact, we were told to wear a skirt or form-fitting clothes so they could see our bodies, and suggested heels, not tennis shoes.  When I got to the Audition Room we had a beautiful view of the Hollywood Hills and The Hollywood Sign.  You know you're in LA when...  The Casting went pretty quickly, aside from engaging a male model/actor who could barely get out a complete sentence.  I shouldn't have engaged but when he mentioned the Midwest, I couldn't help myself.  Lesson for next time:  Don't talk to anyone with a 'Homiez' hat in a floral print.  During the Audition, I expected a quick interview and then a few photos to see our body and legs but as soon as I got to the room, they had me take 4 photos from different angles and then said thank you.  It was in and out in about 30 seconds. 

As I had waited my turn, most of the girls were blonde and close to 5"10 so I knew it was going to be a long-shot for me booking it since they were probably looking for height.  I was still grateful to be called in and getting the Audition in hopes when something else comes up, I get called in again or they remember me.  It was another experience under my belt and a chance to be seen and that's all I can ask for!

This weeks Karaoke selection was a wide variety of songs since it was pretty slow so I sang some requests throughout the night.  My opener was 'Sweet Dreams' by The Eurythmics and I might have to retire it because it's such a long song and so repetitive.  I definitely prefer 'Here Comes The Rain Again' over that song.  Next I sang 'Time After Time' by Cyndi Lauper for Marcus and we later sang 'Stop Dragging My Heart Around' which is one of my favorite duets to sing and has such great lyrics, thanks to Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks!  I changed it up with a little Nirvana doing 'Heart-Shaped Box' which I haven't sang in a while.  Art has been asking me to sing Michael Jackson again for weeks so I did 'The Way You Make Me Feel' for him and once again had a blast with it.  That's definitely a new favorite of mine.  Next up were my new songs of the night, starting with 'Like A Boy' by Ciara which I definitely need to do some more practice on, especially if I'm going to be dancing to it at a future Karaoke evening.  I'm still proud of my effort but needed a redeeming new song so McCracken and I sang 'Whiskey Lullaby' which was new for both of us and went awesome!  He had a couple friends come in and his girl friend sang some Jewel so I followed suit with 'Don't' and then she sang a song from Pocahontas and they requested I do 'I Dreamed A Dream' from "Les Mis" and both of my final songs of the night were ones I really enjoy singing and everyone at the bar liked as well!

It was a Karaoke night full of songs since it was slow but I know in two weeks when we have our Annual Halloween & Costume Contest Karaoke Night at Gabe's it's going to be busy, so next week will be another rehearsal before the big night!

Fantasy Football Week 6 Recap and Projections for Week 7

We're going streaking...well, my Fantasy Football Team is anyway, as this is my 4th win in a row as we come into Week 7 and probably my toughest match-up yet against Ditka's Dawgs, who are in first place, as I trail them by less than 17 points with the same 5-1 record.  I had a Monster Match-Up this week in scoring, getting over 30 points from my TE Vernon Davis and almost 21 from Arian Foster, whom I now feel comfortable starting without question!  I played Stevan Ridley the first couple games only to be disappointed by him and had benched him the past couple games.  This week he scored 23 points while hanging out on my bench with the Green Bay Defense who scored just a few more points than my playing Bengals.  It didn't matter this week as I beat the Westside Dukes by over 80 points.  Sorry Andy & Aimee!

My Week 6 Match-Up

As for pick-ups this week, Joseph Randle, the RB for the Cowboys replaced DeMarco Murray on Sunday and scored over 9 Fantasy Points, with a TD and 17 Rushing yards.  Since Murray is more than likely going to be out, he'll be a good choice this week.  Brandon Jacobs had a huge game this weekend against the Bears and even though the Giants lost, he brought in over 100 Rushing yards and 2 TD's, so pick him up if you're short a RB.  Since Fantasy Owners lost Randall Cobb this weekend to an injury, which is now being reported as a broken fibula, Jarrett Boykin may be a good choice, since Aaron Rodgers loves to find multiple players in a game!  Lastly, if you're looking for a TE, Joseph Fauria from the Lions would be an awesome pick-up after an incredible game this weekend, scoring 3 TD's and dancing like it was 1999.  He's a Free Agent in my league so I may pick him up for Davis' Week 9 Bye.

Since Murray might be out this weekend I need to decide whether to gamble on another potentially good week by Ridley or pick up a RB since McFadden and the Raiders are on their Bye this week.  Ridley is projected to get over 8 points and was the main RB of the game last week, even though he didn't get into the game until right before the 1st quarter was over so I'll have to see if there are any risky high scoring RB's available.  I'll also keep Thompkins in this week as he had a last minute TD this past week and Dwayne Bowe has clearly been a bust.  I'm switching it up and playing my Packers Defense since they're against the Browns and hopefully it'll be another great Match-Up and win this week!

Did anyone out there have Jacobs but left him on their bench like the Owner in my league did?  Are you planning on starting him this week?  What about Ridley; he's unpredictable but can I trust him to help me win this week against the Dawgs?  Once again, feel free to comment or let me know how your team is doing; who's a scoring a machine or who's a slow baby with a full diaper, barely making any progress crawling on the field ;)  See ya next week!

Casting Workshop at ACT Now!

This weekend I finished up my two week Casting Workshop with Melanie Crescenz from CFB Casting and they work on a bunch of shows while her main focus is "New Girl", a couple shows on Adult Swim, and she's finishing up a movie with Cameron Diaz that's filming in Boston.

Fun & Quirky Lyndsey

The first week we brought in our own scenes and after a Q&A we each got a few minutes with her while we performed our scene with a Reader.  I performed a scene from "Sex & The City" as Carrie called 'The Good Fight' which Carrie and Aidan argue about his stuff being all over the apartment after Pete (Aidan's Dog) chews up one of Carrie's fancy shoes.  It's a fun scene that has comedic undertones but is honest and real.  Melanie laughed throughout the scene and said it was a very real fight that most couples have at some point and if I hadn't talked about Carrie and Aidan she wouldn't have known it was from "Sex & The City" which I think is good because I don't want it to be recognizable or be compared to Sarah Jessica Parker, because she is the perfect Carrie.

This past week was Cold Reading so after chatting about the shows and answering a couple questions from people in the room we were given our scenes with 15 minutes to prepare and then read in front of the other actors.  My scene was from "Newsreaders," in fact, the entire episode, so I picked a few different scenes that I felt flowed together well and although the script was a little daunting, I felt like I was making good and honest choices.  Joseph Pearlman gave me some great advice when I had taken an Intensive with him; make choices that excite and motivate you, find the danger, and then let the words come off the page, but really listen to your Reader.  I made sure to put all those techniques into my Read and was pleasantly surprised when Melanie said that I was more prepared in my Cold Reading than some of the actors who had 2-3 days to prepare this when they auditioned with it.  She said I chose the meatiest parts of the script and that brought out my best side.  YAY!

Each Workshop I take is a learning experience and an opportunity for me to perfect and hone my craft.  It's another time to perform a Cold Read in front of a Casting Director as well as a room full of actors (whom are all talented, Act Now does a great job with that) and also see what you would be cast as.  My character was carrying the show, a beautiful but annoyingly quirky girl, a Host type, that was fun and just a tad bit strange.  I like that Melanie challenged me with something interesting!  Now if "New Girl" would give me a chance to meet with them, you'd see an even happier girl ;)

Keith Urban at The Hollywood Bowl!

Two weekends ago Neil and I were gearing up for the Keith Urban Concert at The Hollywood Bowl.  I don't know why I was dreaming about Keith Urban last night (it was a phenomenal dream) but perhaps it was just the push I needed to write about seeing his awesome Concert in my blog today!

We found parking about a mile away and were happy to enjoy the walk and then find our seats.  We had terrace seats and Little Big Town which was the 2nd Opener before Keith Urban was still playing, and songs I actually knew!  I really miss having good country stations here in LA like I did back in Wisconsin.  We thought it might be fun to have some wine while we enjoyed the show knowing it was going to be around 2 hours long as he had lots of songs to play so through the line we went and $45 later, one bottle of wine and one bag of sour patch kids, we were ready to enjoy the show.

Neil & I at The Hollywood Bowl for Keith Urban

Keith Urban is not a 'Stupid Boy'

The show started with some singles off past albums and a more recent song 'Long Hot Summer' as it was The Light The Fuse Tour all Summer long!  He slowed it down with 'Cop Car' off his new album and then 'Stupid Boy' a song he originally wrote for a female singer but ended up recording himself giving me a little idea to do a recording or cover of it!  One thing I really loved about this concert was the lighting and production of it because each song really evoked emotions from you through the colors and shadows they created on-stage.  Using blues, reds, purples, and yellows to fit the mood of the song, I thought that was awesome!  Next up was 'Even The Stars Fall 4 You' with lyrics up behind Keith on the stage so everyone could sing along.  One of my favorite songs 'Without You' was played next and it was neat to see Keith working the whole stage, singing to the seats all the way in the back, and also changing up guitars for each song.  I never knew what a talented guitar player he was not to mention how fantastic he sounded live; just like he does on his albums!  The crowd went wild when he did 'Kiss A Girl' and in between his first few songs he actually brought a girl from the crowd up on-stage and she asked for advice on her upcoming wedding with her fiance who was also in the crowd and he said he had more advice to give to him than her.  Funny, talented and handsome...Keith Urban has it all!

Keith went into a cover of The Who as he moved towards the sound and lighting board where he played a bunch of songs on the lawn area!  How cool that he moved to the middle of the Hollywood Bowl to play a set to the people in the back.  Once again he got the whole crowd involved by singing 'Days Go By' and this was the Cover set with 'Rumor Has It' sang by his Bass player, Jerry Flowers and then 'Hollywood Nights' a Bob Seger cover.

Keith Urban singing 'Who Wouldn't Want To Be Me'

Awesome concert!

After a couple more songs he made his way back to the stage through the crowd of people and then went into one of the first Keith Urban songs I ever heard, 'You'll Think Of Me' then picking it back up with 'Who Wouldn't Want To Be Me.'  'Somebody Like You' had the whole crowd standing up and singing again as that was the song he closed out the show with.  We knew he wasn't finished and had an encore coming so when he came back to the stage and told everyone to pull out their lighters or flashlights on their phone and light it up, as 'fireflies' were now everywhere at The Bowl.  He took a seat at the piano and started singing 'Tonight I Wanna Cry' which was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes...clearly I wanted to cry!  Of course, he couldn't end on a sad note, so there was a snippet of 'Locked Out Of Heaven' a Bruno Mars cover which was sang by his guitarist, Brian Nutter, and then his final song of the night was 'You Look Good In My Shirt' and as he sang the song, he walked down into the pit and actually took his guitar, signed it, and gave it away to someone.  WHAT?!  Yes he did!

This was definitely one of the best concerts I've ever been to, not only because I knew a lot of his music and this tour was about playing his Hits in addition to promoting his new album 'Fuse' but because he was such a performer.  His singing and guitar skills were so impressive and he made it such a fun concert!  It was his first time playing The Hollywood Bowl and I'm certain he'll definitely be back :)  

Karaoke & New Headshots :)

As Halloween gets closer the Theme for our Halloween Eve Karaoke at Gabe's is being finalized.  There are songs, artists, costumes, and ideas running through my head and even though last year going as Axl Rose is going to be difficult to top, I've got something really fun up my sleeve!

My Approachable Country Gal
Commercial Shot

Karaoke last week had a Country Theme and I wanted to sing songs I hadn't sang in a while so I started with Carrie Underwood's 'Cowboy Casanova' and then 'Bless The Broken Road' by Rascall Flatts which I haven't sang since I first moved to LA years ago!  Everyone got into the Country Theme and we had lots of Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash.  It was certainly a good theme for the night and it encouraged people to try some new songs which I love!  My new song of the night was 'Man!  I Feel Like A Woman' by Shania Twain and next up was Martina McBride's 'Valentine' which I sang in High School at my Sophomore Cabaret performance.  I've sang it since then but it always brings back great memories of my High School Choir.  Tim McGraw and Faith Hill made an appearance as Neil and I sang 'Like We Never Loved At All' and it was one of our best performances!  I closed out the night with 'Redneck Woman' and it was certainly a full-on Country night!

My Tempting & Wicked Theatrical Headshot

This week at Karaoke we were celebrating Mike 'Doodle's' & Rian's Birthday at Gabe's so Rian and I did mini super-sets of songs starting with Amy Winehouse so I sang 'You Know I'm No Good.'  No Doubt was up next so I sang 'Sunday Morning' which I haven't done in a while.  Rian decided on Carrie Underwood next and I thought I might try 'Last Name' since it would be a new song for me and I kind of knew it.  I quickly listened to the first verse on Rian's phone and then lowered the song a full note since I thought it might be too high for me but that made it more confusing so after a verse and chorus I raised it back to the normal key and was able to finish up well.  That song can use some work so I'll have to learn that one before I sing it again.  Since that one wasn't my best I tried another new song with Marty in the background, doing 'Wicked Game' by Chris Isaak.  I love my low songs but this was really low so I sang it an octave higher but then when it came to the chorus I had to stay in the same key because there was no way I was hitting another octave.  The song was good but I'll need to find a better and more comfortable key to make the song awesome!  I closed out with Adele's version of 'To Make You Feel My Love' as I sang to Bulos and Marty, some of my S&S Favorites :)

I'm really excited to be sending out my new headshots that I took with Hillary from Irish Times!  She was awesome to work with and we had a blast shooting a bunch of different looks on a beautiful and sunny day in LA at her studio in Silverlake!  Check out Hillary's Headshot Photography and Photo's on her Website here: Campbell Darkroom LA Photographer

Fantasy Football Week 5 Recap and Projections for Week 6

I won my Fantasy Football Match-Up for the 3rd week in a row this past week and I'm looking for another win this week against the Westside Dukes.  I brought back Aaron Rodgers into my QB starting position after a Week 4 bye and benching my big Week 4 pick-up, Phillip Rivers.  Even though Rivers out-scored in Fantasy points my heart lies with Rodgers.  I also benched my Packers Defense for the Cincinnati Bengal Defense getting 20 points from them vs 17 points from The Pack.  Even with the low-scoring players on my team, Cruz and Thompkins, I still won my Match-Up by almost 40 points!

My Week 5 Match-Up

You may want to pick up Nick Foles this week since Philadelphia is dealing with an injured Michael Vick, and Foles usually puts up some TD's.  Greg Jennings had a huge game two weeks ago and coming off his bye may have another big week since Ponder is still out and Matt Cassel and Jennings seem to have good chemistry.  The Bronco's Ronnie Hillman had a great game with 70 yards and a TD last week and he may be seeing more touches than Knowshon Moreno.  Charles Clay, the TE for the Dolphins has had a couple good weeks and if he keeps it up would be a great pick-up since he's averaging higher point totals than Owen Daniels, Jermichael Finley, and Greg Olsen.

This week I'm looking at playing Dwayne Bowe over Thompkins and it's honestly a toss-up between my Defenses since the Falcons are 1-4 and the Bills are 2-3.  It seems as though my #1 Draft Pick, Arian Foster, has gotten his mojo back and after coming off a huge week 2 weeks ago and a solid week this week; I'm hoping he'll continue to shine!

Feel free to comment or let me know about your Fantasy Football team; who you picked up that had a monster game or who you played that was a bust (like Thompkins for me this week).  Good luck and keep an eye out for the Bye Week Players on your starting line-up and find some good replacement players on your bench or the Waiver Wire :)

Fantasy Football Teaser

I decided to add a new concept to my blog about Fantasy Football!  A lot of my friends play, or should I say, their boyfriend's play Fantasy Football, and this year I was asked to be in a couple different leagues.  Honestly, concentrating on one is plenty enough for me, because I do look into to my team and watch most if not all the games each week.  Thankfully, I work at a couple different sports bars so that makes it a little bit easier!

I've been playing Fantasy Football for the past couple years and each year it becomes a little bit easier to understand and I learn more and more about Football as well.  I started watching Football as a little girl with my Mom, and got involved in Cheerleading Camps until I became a Cheerleader for Football and Basketball in High School and then College at Winona State University.  After moving to LA I've become an even bigger fan of watching my Packers play (even though I'm still waiting for Season Tickets as I've been on the Waiting List for over 20 years) and then got involved in Fantasy Football.

Each week I'm going to talk about how my Fantasy Football Team is doing, who I've picked up or dropped, who I'm playing, who I'm benching, perhaps a tip or fun fact of information but the point is to make Fantasy Football easy and fun to understand for everyone.  You may find a piece of information here and impress your friends and might actually enjoy getting involved in a league next year or help out someone this year!  It's not all stats and facts, it's opinions, an educated guess, or just liking someone based on the fact that they're smiling in their picture ;)

My first blog about Fantasy Football will be posted this week so get ready!

Santa Barbara :)

I've been living in LA for 8 years (wow) and had never been to Santa Barbara until just a couple weeks ago.  Neil and I were heading to SB to see Sara Bareilles play at The Bowl and decided to make a day of it and do some Wine Tasting, walk around the city, and just enjoy a fun day!

Kalyra Winery

As we made the 70 minute drive from North Hollywood, bagels in hand, we passed through Carpinteria (both curious, we found out that the Chumash Tribe had a carpentry shop, which is where the name came from...I knew it) and when we got to Santa Barbara it was a perfect 72 degrees.  We could see the ocean from our hotel room at the Santa Barbara Inn and decided to hit up the pool before exploring downtown.

I had made a list of a few Wineries to check out using the Urban Wine Trail I found on-line (some were right on the water, others had games to play while you were tasting wines, and others were listed as generous pours) and after researching some of the Wineries settled on Kalyra since they had a dessert wine that was supposed to be amazing.  Some of the wines had a tin/metal flavor but it was because they were fermented in steel (just not our favorites) but we ended up loving the Semillon which had hints of jalepeno and vanilla.  We each bought a bottle and Neil also picked up a bottle of the Orange Muscat because it was perfectly sweet and light.  I'm sure we'll be checking out some of the wineries on our next visit!  Then we walked to downtown since we were in the more industrial area known as 'The Funk Zone' and looked at some of the shops before stopping for a late lunch at Verde.

During our afternoon walk, Neil had scouted an Italian restaurant, Palazzio, where we had a wonderful Dinner.  We sat on the patio and Neil ordered a trio of items that were all delicious, especially his ravioli!  When we finished up, our friendly server packed up some Tiramisu to go since we had to get to the Sara Bareilles concert; she made our visit so special :)

Dinner at Palazzio in Santa Barbara

Unfortunately, we got to the concert at 8:15 pm (our tickets said Sara Bareilles Concert 7 pm) and she was playing with One Republic but since it was listed as her show, and we figured there would be an opener, we thought we would have plenty of time and probably catch the middle of One Republic's set.  Instead, the doors opened at 5:30 pm, she had an opener at 6 pm and she started promptly at 7 pm.  It was so disappointing because after seeing concerts for years, I've never missed a show, or been too late, because the time listed is when the doors open.  We decided not to stay for One Republic out of pure disappointment and walked the whole way back from the Bowl to downtown and tried to make the best of the rest of our evening.  It had really been a beautiful day so it was so frustrating to miss one of our favorite artists perform considering she was playing in LA the next day, but we wanted to force ourselves to get out of town and do something different, and both Neil and I were scheduled to work the next night so we couldn't have even gone to the show, even if we had tickets.

The next day we grabbed breakfast overlooking the ocean in our hotel and then walked around the Pier area and some of the shops.  It was clearly a town for walking as we probably clocked in over 6 miles in 24 hours but even with the clouds it was a gorgeous day and we had a really fun time in Santa Barbara.  

I can't wait to go back and I love that we went during the week so it wasn't as busy or touristy as it could have been.  School was in session so there were still people around but we got to do things at our own pace without feeling rushed or crowded.  Knowing we're only just a little over an hour away makes it so convenient and belonging to a wine club may not be such a bad idea after all :)

Abbot Kinney Festival

I've been enjoying the last few weeks of Summer here in LA, from the Labor Day party with co-workers and friends, to concerts and travel; Summer is almost over, but it's been one busy and fun season!

 

This past weekend was the annual Abbot Kinney Festival in Venice, complete with street food and drinks, beer gardens, shopping, musical acts and DJ's.  It reminded me slightly of the Sheboygan County Fair back in Wisconsin, but only for the Funnel Cakes, large crowds of people walking slowly, music playing in the background, and everyone having a good time.  The Sheboygan County Fair is the best Summer Festival I can ever remember going to, with Steamboat Days being up there, but still not even close.  There was always such good food (and I had to eat one of everything: Teenie Weenie Donuts, Grilled Cheese, Deep Fried Cheese, Corn-on-the-cob, Milkshakes, Hawaiian Ice, Apple Pops, Cotton Candy, Popcorn, Pizza, Funnel Cakes, and Grilled Chicken Sandwiches), plenty of beer tents, inlcuding my favorite, Leinenkugel's, lots of street vendors, games and rides, performances throughout the fairgrounds, and the 4H Building that would house all the art projects that students submitted throughout Sheboygan County.  It's been over 15 years since I had anything in the 4H Building but I can't help walking through it and checking out the artwork, Lego Houses, photo displays, and clothing people took the time to work on and perfect before their submission.

 

It was a hot September day and I remembered how difficult it had been to park last year, as I had driven around for a half hour and finally parked a mile away, to which I waited another 45 minutes in line for a wristband just to get into the beer garden.  Luck was on my side this year, as I found a friendly driver, wave me over that he was leaving, and he was only a half block from the festivities, and I somehow finagled my way into the line (only having to wait 10 minutes for the wristband) while chatting with Dan, whom had a kelly green wallet, that matched my kelly green purse.  Dan, I looked for you inside the beer garden to buy you a beer, but alas, I never saw you.  You've got some good karma coming your way!  We had friends pouring the beers so we never waited long for a drink, but a group of 12 was bound to get bored so we moved onto greener pastures, a different beer tent, which we never made it to, because everyone was too hungry.  We stopped at a pizza place, picked up a slice, saw our good friend, Spencer, who was selling his clothing line, and had a booth set up (his t-shirts looked so comfy and I loved the style).  You can find out more information on his line right here: Herald Hill on Facebook

The Crew at Cabo!

Everyone parted ways after that and we all headed over to the Whaler (haven't been there in years, wrote my first ever Yelp review about that bar) and we didn't stay long, then made our way to Cabo to celebrate Jack's Birthday with some tequila shots, and lastly, dropped all the guys off at The Brig on Abbot Kinney.  That was about all the fun I could handle in one day with a busy work week ahead, but it ended up being a pretty awesome day :)

 

In Wisconsin, during the Summer, every week is a different town festival, with cover bands, cheap beer, yummy food, and lots of people, dancing and having a good time.  I definitely miss that about being at home during that time of year and wish LA had something like that, but for now, I'll just have to settle for the Abbot Kinney Festival and Brunette Bungalow fiesta's!