Celebratory Karaoke

What a fun Wednesday Night Karaoke at Gabe's last night!  I walked into a busy bar thanks to the Clipper's game but I knew everyone wasn't there for Karaoke but I also knew it was Lee's Birthday so that meant more people and lots of fun!

We got started around 9:30 pm because I wanted to make sure Lee got to sing a bunch because it was his Birthday and he had to leave around Midnight so Lee opened the night with Billy Joel's 'Just the Way You Are' while we got some ladies singing 'Goodbye Earl' and 'Proud Mary' bringing out their slick dance moves.  Art tried a new song singing 'Brown Eyed Girl' while Marty showed up and his new song for the night was Bon Jovi's 'Blaze of Glory.'  Lee's next song was 'That's Life' by Frank Sinatra and then he sang 'Something Like That' by Tim McGraw because it's one of my favorite songs to hear him sing!  Judy not only brought her lovely voice but also cupcakes and cake for Lee's Birthday which was so sweet!  Her first song of the night was Nancy Sinatra's 'These Boots are Made for Walking.'  Marcus vamped it up doing Meatloaf's 'Two out of Three Ain't Bad' while Bob sang the Rolling Stones 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' and CC rocked out to Jefferson Airplane's hit 'Somebody to Love.'  As the bar filled up for Lee's Birthday we got another round of songs going and I sang 'You Know I'm No Good' by Amy Winehouse which I haven't sang in a while.  Marty sang another new song for the night doing 'I'll Be' by Edwin McCain to which Jamie came in after a long work-shift and sang 'On My Own' like she should have been playing Eponine in "Les Miserables."  Jamie also brought me wonderful drops of happiness called Bacon Cheddar Biscuits from Post in Manhattan Beach and I about dropped down in the corner with my excitement of the delicious treat!

Next up it was Birthday Cake and singing for Lee's Birthday from everyone in the bar which started a round of Duets.  He and Judy sang 'Bye Bye Love' by the Everly Brothers and that reminded me how much I really enjoy that song!  One guy who had never sang Karaoke before sang a Jon Secada song and did really well, impressive for a first-timer!  My new song of the night was Bryan Adam's 'Everything I Do, I Do it For You' since I just watched the "Robin Hood" with Kevin Costner.  It's one of my favorite movies!  I'll definitely sing the song again but raise the key for me, it's rare when a song is too low for me, but considering it's a guys song, that would make sense.  Next up was Marty singing 'More Than Words' and Jamie singing Alicia Keys while Judy did a great version of 'Walkin' After Midnight' originally sang by Patsy Cline.  Bob and Marcus did a duet before the night was over and as I said, the Duet's had begun because Marcus and I did 'Cruisin' which was awesome!  We hit all the harmonies and I love singing that song though it's never the same without my bestie, Mike Weiss.  Since it was a night of celebrations and dancing I sang 'Love You Like a Love Song' by Selena Gomez which was my new song last week; it's a little guilty pleasure!  Jamie and Marty closed out the night with plenty of applause after singing 'A Whole New World' from "Aladdin."

With so much great food, Birthday cake and Biscuits...lots to celebrate, Birthday's and Friends, it was an awesome night of Karaoke!  Bring it on next week :)

Acting Thoughts...

It came in the mail last week and I was so excited to see it...I finally got my SAG Card!  I feel like an Official Member of the Screen Actors Guild now and am so excited for the opportunities it will bring.  Next up is the SAG Awards at the end of January and as a Member of SAG I'll be getting all the screeners of the Nominee's so I can see all the performances and movies that are up for awards!  Even though I may just be one person, my opinion along with the other SAG-AFTRA members will make the decision for who wins Best Picture, Best Actor & Actress, Best Director, etc.

I was reading through a bunch of e-mails regarding Casting tips and information and I actually took some notes on Commercial Audition Techniques.  The one thing I have noticed since I joined the Union is that there's so much more Non-Union acting work on the Breakdowns and I can no longer submit for those jobs since I'm a SAG Member.  This only pushes me to get out and find an Agent so that I can be submitted for the Union jobs that aren't listed on the Breakdowns, but finding an Agent was always more difficult than it seemed.  Perhaps now that I'm a part of the Union I'll have a better chance of finding someone to represent me Theatrically and Commercially and I'll be working towards that full-force when I'm back from Christmas vacation as most of Hollywood shuts down in the month of December.

A lot of the tips in the article I have used in my own Auditions and they certainly bring confidence and have helped but there were other tips that I'm so excited to use at my next audition like 'Coloring the picture with adjectives to hi-light the product' or 'Demonstrating what life was like before and after the product'.  It's amazing how simple it seems but you get in that Audition room with the Casting Directors and on top of memorizing the script or scene, as nervous as you may be, you have to do all these things and more just to stand out from the crowd and bring yourself to the Audition.  One of my favorite things to do at Auditions is figure out the clearest way to get the product or scene across and then challenge myself to figure out other ways to do it, making it different from what everyone else is probably doing.  This way I'm setting myself a part from everyone else and giving the Director something different they may not have seen yet.  Sometimes you'll take that chance and it'll work and other times it won't be what they're looking for but at least you tried!

Another article I was reading talked about staying positive through it all and not letting negative thoughts affect you.  It's hard to be optimistic all the time when you're constantly bombarded with commercials that you think you might be perfect for or even commercials that you auditioned for you and you don't know why they hired the actress they did but you can't think like that.  I've learned I need to take what I gained from that experience and use that at my next audition, anything that can better help me in the future or parts I should work on and improve but be proud that I went in and did my best at that time!  Positive energy manifests itself and brings better things along and I can work my hardest but know that it'll happen because I am determined, creative, and well-prepared.

My New Year's Resolution was to write in my journal every day, write blogs that contain fun and important moments in my life along with creative happenings.  Since I recently created a portfolio that I bring with me to Auditions, I have started taking notes about the Auditions and also writing blog entries that will help me at future Auditions because I can look back on what I did that worked and what didn't.  It's important to keep these details along with Casting Information so that when I'm working with someone, I know who has brought me in for a Commercial or to read for a certain role.  I'm a huge believer in Thank You notes/e-mails, so after I Audition I usually send out a Thank You e-mail within a day because at the end of all of this, it's about networking, and creating lasting relationships with people you'll work with in the future!

So I'm soaking up all this new information, meeting people, talking about work, and am excited for the future and Acting work.  If I'm not Auditioning, that just means I need to create something myself, and I'll work hard to continue doing what I love :)

Thankful Karaoke

I've been dealing with an annoying cold this week but that wasn't going to stop me from Hosting Karaoke on Wednesday at Gabe's, the day before Thanksgiving.  We all have so much to be thankful for and I was thankful that I still had a voice, a job where I can be creative, and awesome people to make the night special!

As I waited for the Laker Game to finish up, I got Karaoke ready, and saw that we were going to have a pretty good night because we had lots of people waiting to get started!  I opened with 'Because the Night' by the 10,000 Maniacs since I needed a song that was a little bit lower for my voice, and Marcus got the night going with 'Hey Jude' and vamped the last 4 minutes of the song, doing the nearly 8 minute version.  Lee kept it country throughout the night, singing Brad Paisley, and then doing a couple Bobby Darin hits.  Marty stopped by and of course, even with me having a cold, wasn't going to stop him from getting Amy, him and I, shots.  Thankfully, we got Orange Kamikaze's and I was able to get a little Vitamin C from the Orange juice!  We had a couple singers that don't come in very often in for the night, a newly engaged couple that were singing Joan Jett and The Kinks.  

The night went on with new singers and new songs, a little Bell Biv Devoe, by one of the girls from the Birthday Party and 'Alone' by another lovely lady.  Marty's new song for the night was 'Wanted Dead or Alive' by Bon Jovi, while I did a little back-up, and he also sang 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls, which was another new song.  My new song of the night was 'Love You Like A Love Song' by Selena Gomez which was actually a lot of fun and I'll be excited to sing it again when I have some friends visiting me at work.  Marcus kept up with another 8 minute song doing 'Dead Man's Party' by Oingo Boingo while one of my old Friday Night Karaoke regulars sang 'Do You Remember The Time' by Michael Jackson and also sang 'Creep' by Radiohead.  Marty had the whole room singing along to 'More Than Words' while I had the ladies dancing during 'These Boots Are Made For Walking.'  Marty and I closed out the night with a little duet of 'Need You Now' by Lady Antebellum and I was happy to have had a great Karaoke night before the Thanksgiving Holiday!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, had plenty to be thankful for, and enjoyed lots of great food.  I'm thankful for Family, Friends, Football, and Food...the 4 F's of Thanksgiving :)  And now it's on to the Christmas Season with Holiday Music and Carol's, gift-giving and shopping, baking, and Christmas Cards.  Happy Holiday's Everyone!

What's for Dinner? Part 10.

It's Tater Tot Hot Dish!  My best friend, Sarah, from College, used to make this on occasion for our Girl's Night's where we'd have a yummy meal, watch movies, and have wine coolers...we were pretty darn classy in College ;)  Anyway, it's been a while since I had it, and I thought it the perfect comfort food since I have a cold and its been chilly outside!

Tater Tot Hot Dish

1 Package Tater Tots

1 lb Lean Ground Sirloin (or Ground Beef)

1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup

1 Can Corn

1 Can Green Beans

Salt & Pepper

Seasonings

Shredded Cheese (of your choice)

Look at those Tots!

At the grocery store I picked up Ground Sirloin because it was leaner than the ground beef and was also on sale!  So first, I browned the Sirloin, adding in salt and pepper, garlic salt, and some steak seasoning to taste.  I didn't have any Worcestershire or Steak Sauce, otherwise, I would have added that in when I was cooking the Sirloin because it makes it more juicy and flavorful.  Then, I drained the meat and put that in the bottom of a 9x13 pan that I had sprayed with cooking spray.  Next, I drained both cans of vegetables and spread my corn and green beans over the meat.  You could use 2 cups of fresh or frozen vegetables but being sick, I went the easiest route possible.  Then, I spread each can of soup over my Sirloin and vegetables and topped that with rows of Tater Tots.  Normally, I'd cook this in a baking dish, so you'd probably only use half a bag of Tater Tots but because I didn't have one available I used a 9x13 pan and had lots of Tots!  Lastly, I baked it (uncovered) at 350 for 45 minutes making sure the Tots were golden brown and crispy.  Let it sit for a minute or two before serving because it's going to be very hot.

Tater Tot Hot Dish

This was my version of Tater Tot Hot Dish as I know there are many out there and it's pretty hard to mess up a casserole, but I liked all the vegetables and it wasn't soupy at all, just creamy.  You can add your favorite Cheese as soon as you're ready to serve it and it gives it another element of creaminess.  For mine (not pictured with cheese), I used a Cheddar, Jack, and Mozzarella blend.  The Tots cooked perfectly and were actually crispy when biting into them and you had a Tot for every bite and I love my Tots.  If using this large a pan I would add in more meat because I felt like I was missing out on that, and you could make it even healthier by using Ground Turkey.  If there's one thing I learned from making Green Bean Casserole for Thanksgiving last year, you don't use Fat Free Cream of Anything soup, there's a major flavor difference, so you have to go for the flavor and not worry about the fat.  It's meant to be a comfort food, and I had 2 servings and was perfectly full.  It was easy to prep, you let it cook for 45 minutes and it's done.  Plus, it's great as leftovers!

Now...Eat your Tots!

Karaoke Wednesday

I love Hosting Karaoke when I have a bunch of friends in because it makes the shift that much more fun and when I haven't seen people in a while and didn't know if they sang or not, it makes for an interesting and exciting night!

Jamie and Spark were the first to arrive, ready to sing, and started the night going with me.  There was Pool League so we had a couple additional people that I hadn't seen before but gave us some time between singing.  After opening the night and testing the sound and microphones, Jamie was up to sing; she sang 'Creep' by Radiohead with Spark following her singing 'Otherside' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  I always forget about that song and I was glad that Spark sang it, not only because he did a great job, but because I knew it was going to be a crazy and fun night with plenty of sing-alongs.  The next round of songs we all slowed it down, while I sang 'Foolish Games' and really felt the lyrics, Jamie did Adele's version of 'To Make You Feel My Love' and Spark did 'House of the Rising Sun.'  Marty showed up and decided to do a little rock & roll singing 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' and trying something new for his first time singing that night.  Next up it was a round of new songs for everyone, since Marty had kicked off the night with his new song, I decided on Phil Collin's version of 'Against All Odds' adding a few Mariah Carey notes and just having fun with the song.  Jamie's new song was 'Black Velvet' by Allanah Myles and she brought some soul to her performance while Spark had everyone singing along with him while he sang 'Everything I Do, I Do It For You' made famous by Bryan Adams.  Oh, how we all love that song!  And Marty sang another new song doing 'Wicked Game' which I loved!

Of course, with friends in for Karaoke, that only means shots, so there were Raspberry Kamikaze's, Gummy Bears, and Whiskey.  There were a couple more arrivals about half-way through the night, bringing in Sean whose first song was Edwin McCain's 'I'll Be.'  Still celebrating his Birthday, Sean McCracken was also a late-arrival but an awesome surprise when he sang 'Breakeven' by The Script and impressed us all with his fantastic voice!  There were a few Duets to be done, so Jamie and I did our song, 'Take Me Or Leave Me' from Rent, while she joined Sean for 'Lucky' and I closed out the night doing a duet with McCracken.  We did Lady Antebellum's 'Need You Now.'  Back to the solo singers, Jamie did 'Gravity' just beautifully while Spark sang 'Walking In Memphis' and showed us his range and variety in songs, which always makes me a happy Karaoke Host!  Marty made us all believe 'The Reason' was you, singing Hoobastank's hit, while McCracken sang some James Taylor, changing up his style as well.  Sean brought a little country to the bar doing Tim McGraw's version of 'When The Stars Go Blue' while I brought the alternative angry vibe back with Nirvana's 'Heart-Shaped Box.'

It's always great when you can get your friends together to do something fun and creative like singing Karaoke.  It's awesome to surprise everyone with your choice and variety in songs and being able to try something new, whether you kill it or mess up, can laugh at yourself because we all appreciate the effort and courage to get up there and sing your heart out!  Till next week...

Brunch in Manhattan Beach!

Manhattan Beach Post Brunch

Last Saturday Jamie and I hit up Manhattan Beach Post in Manhattan Beach for a new and exciting Brunch!  It was a beautiful day outside, a little breezy, with the sun shining brightly, and as we got seated at our table we had an incredible view of the ocean and the waves crashing in!

Both of us were so hungry so after ordering 5 different dishes, we hoped that would be enough.  First off, we got started with cocktails, Jamie ordered the Pushing Daisies which had Champagne, Grapefruit and Rose in it, and I got their version of a Mojito.  Jamie's was served in a beautiful glass, and my Mojito had crushed ice in it and was delicious!  Our first bit of heaven were the Cheddar Bacon Biscuits that reminded me of Red Lobster's (don't tell them I said that) but were a billion times better!  It was honestly the best biscuit I've ever had!  I actually saved half of it so it would be the last thing I ate before we left!  The biscuits are served with a maple butter and have their own Facebook page.  You can check it out here: Little Drops of Heaven called Bacon Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits! 

Biscuits & Our Fruit Salad

Next up was a Citrus Salad with Mint and Honey.  It was not what I expected but still good and perfectly chilled.  There were a few different fruits served in a grapefruit bowl with some mint and honey drizzled on top.  I was expecting a salad so aside from that it was good.  Perhaps a little expensive for a bowl of fruit, but anytime you order a fruit bowl at a restaurant it's normally going to be around $10.  Our Chile and Maple Bacon came at the same time as the Citrus Salad and wow was that awesome.  It was the perfect amount of sweetness with a nice kick of spice.  My only complaint there was that I like my bacon crispy, but sopping up the juicy goodness in the skillet was pretty darn awesome.

Before our entrees came, Jamie ordered another cocktail called The Hessian made with was rum, allspice, nutmeg, and pumpkin which was the perfect holiday drink!  All of their food and cocktails change depending on the season and what's fresh, so it's kind of exciting to try entrees and cocktails that may not be there on our next visit.  Our Ricotta French Toast and Roasted Peppers with Burrata Cheese Sandwich came next and looked beautiful.  The sandwich bun was soft but firm enough to keep everything inside, and the greens had a citrus dressing on them which blended perfectly with the cheese and peppers and was served with home-made chips that were huge and hard Parmesan on them.  There was the perfect amount of Ricotta Cheese between the 2 slices of French Toast, that was sweet but savory, and a perfect dessert to end our meal.

Roasted Pepper & Burrata Sandwich with my amazing Biscuit!

I wish I would have had room for another biscuit but I was so full at the end of our meal I could barely finish the other half of my first one!  I'm going to go back strictly for biscuits one day!  Before we could go home, we were gifted with yet another cocktail, this one was The Man in the Yellow Hat.  I'm not a big Tequila drinker, and I don't particularly like Mezcal Tequila because it's got a smokey flavor and reminds me of bonfire, which I hate, but because of the banana, coconut and cardamom in the drink, it was really well blended and actually suited the drink.  Knowing me, I'd probably order it with Silver Tequila but seeing that I could drink it with the Mezcal made it a great drink and something I could sip on and enjoy and that was a pleasant surprise!

Our whole experience was amazing.  From sitting down at our table with our ocean view, to the impeccable service, thanks to Janet, the fun-flavored cocktails, and the elegant yet perfect comfort food, we were very satisfied customers and are excited to return!

What's for Dinner? Part 9.

It's been a while since I've added a recipe or tried something new, and I got inspired last week after watching a couple episodes of 'Giada' (and The Food Network) which I like to have on in the background when I'm working from home.  I made my Gnocchi Mac & Cheese the other day for Jamie so I'm still cooking and working on perfecting my recipes but I've got a new one and am excited to start coming up with some new stuff in the kitchen!

Thick Pesto!

Arugula Pesto

1 Cup Packed Arugula

1 Clove Garlic

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

1/3 Cup Parmesan & Mozzarella Cheese

Salt & Pepper

I pulled out Jessica's Food Processor which made this recipe a breeze!  I put the arugula into the Processor using the normal blade, and added in my clove of garlic after cutting it in half.  I did a quick chop, turning the Processor on for a few seconds and then off again.  Next, I added in the olive oil slowly (I actually eye-balled the pour) until the mixture was moist, and put in the cheese as well, making sure it was well-mixed and added salt and pepper last.  I tasted it to make sure the flavoring was right, then scraped the sides of the Processor and did one more quick spin with a little more salt.

Arugula Pesto with Tortellini and Pasta

Once the Pesto was made I put it into a sauce pan and heated it up to put over my Tortellini and Pasta.  It will separate a little because of the oil, but if you stir it up, it all blends back together.  I used about a 3/4 cup of dry pasta and 12 Tortellini's and the pasta was completely covered by the Arugula but I like a lot of sauce so it was perfect! 

My only disappointment about the Pesto was that it wasn't as flavorful as a Cilantro Pesto and perhaps I should have added more cheese and a little less oil.  I have an amazing Pesto Recipe I got from a friend, and it's got Rice Wine Vinegar and Honey in it, and is by far the best Pesto I've ever had, so this recipe had big Competition.  The great thing about this Arugula Pesto Recipe is that it only requires a few ingredients that most people would have in their fridge or pantry and having a Food Processor to mix it, makes it easy breezy :)