Metaphors for Christmas

I hope you can follow my metaphor for dating.
Apparently, I am a window shopper. There's no problem in looking around to see what's out there. I realized last night as I was out on the town having fun with my friends that I am tired of it. That is as far as I have been able to get to the items for sale. Also, I found that I've kind of been forced into window shopping. I have barely had enough time to window shop as I go from class to class, class to rehearsal, rehearsal to work, and work to my dorm room. School has kept my in this little bubble, ad the bubble has the smallest amount of window shopping. It's kind of ridiculous. So, it's winter break. I'm thinking of winter break as my metaphorical gift card to actually do some legit shopping. Hopefully, I'll find something that I like and works with/for me. [Hopefully, any part of this plan will actually pan out.]

Ok. Now for some Christmas ranting. It just turned Christmas Eve about 15 minutes ago. I did most of my necessary Christmas shopping on 2 days ago. Apparently, I am the only one in my household who has the time to go Christmas shopping because my gifts, the ones that I bought and wrapped myself, are the only ones under the tree. Even though a little part of me is disappointed, I'm not complaining that I won't have Christmas gifts. There are those out there who can't afford gifts for Christmas. Plus, that's not what Christmas is about (I'll come back to this in a bit). But since I'm in the mood, I'm going to bitch a little bit. How have I, the full-time music student who is plagued with classes and a part-time job, able to do my shopping, while my parents, who I KNOW have time in their schedules to think about me or the rest of our immediate family, haven't really done much other than work and be political socialites at Christmas parties? It blows my mind. Really. This is the conversation I had my my dad THIS afternoon TODAY:
Dad- "So what should I get your mom for Christmas?" Blah blah blah "She like Jean Therapy, right?"
Me- "Yeah. I guess."
Dad- "So what time are you getting up tomorrow?"
Me - "Probably noon. Why?"
Dad-"What time does the mall open?"
Me- "I don't know. Are you telling me I have to go back to the mall (also known as Hell) for you?"
The rest of the conversation isn't important.
Oh, and another thing. I have to sing (what I call work) Christmas Eve midnight mass and Christmas morning 11AM mass which throws off any Christmas family plans that were made. Work on Christmas day is going to make me about an hour late for Christmas lunch/dinner, and my family is full of fat and innerly-fat people. They won't wait on little old me. They have never waited on the others who were late. I asked my parents when we were going over to my grandparents house for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner and opening gifts family time. Their response was like this: "Oh. I don't know. Are we doing that? I thought we were spending quality-Jody time." Although, I'm glad they want to spend time with me, I'm not okay with breaking our traditional family time.

All of this shitty stress is bringing me down. Do you get why I have kind of lost my Christmas spirit? I just hope everything comes together, even if it is last minute. I hope that, in general, things get better. Life needs to be better. I'm on freaking winter break for God's sake! At least the one constant in my life right now is that my time spent with friends have been great. [I hope I didn't just jinx that.]

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This is a clip of a bootleg that I found of a scene from [Title of Show] that I had never heard or seen before. My favorite part is the Sutton Foster cameo. Hilarious! Watch and enjoy!


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I'll be home for Christmas...

So, I finished my last final this morning, and I'm officially home for the holidays. Right now, I'm sitting on my couch in my room sipping hot chocolate. So far what I have done today is unpack my stuff (which was a lot of stuff. I need to fix my overpacking problem), get Subway, buy hot chocolate, and sit on my couch and watch TV. It has been a beautiful afternoon and night!

Now, I get to wait for my grades. This semester went much better than the others, btw. Now I just need the grades to prove it.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, I think. I need to go Christmas shopping. There's Saints have a game tomorrow night, and I think my family will be pre-gaming and tailgating all afternoon for it. So, it will be a long day.

Yeah. This was a short one.

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This Sutton Foster and Marc Kudish with the original Broadway cast of Thoroughly Modern Millie performing "The Speed Test." This is probably one of the hardest musical numbers of the show. Tapping always complicates life. Enjoy!


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So it's flooding...

Saturday 6:00PM
My suitemate/roommate and his girlfriend are presently going at it in the next room. His bed is directly next to mine with the only barrier being the wall. I have to say, they are pretty vocal about it. They don't really hold back much, or at least she doesn't.

7:30PM
I just got out the shower. I had to run through the pouring rain to bring something to a friend, so I thought a shower would make me feel better and keep me healthy. Oh geez! I literally just sneezed after typing that. Talk about a coincidence.

Monday 10:45PM
It's raining yet again. As if it didn't rain (and flood) enough this weekend. My Theory 3 cognitive exam went so much easier than I thought it would've been. It was probably those 4-5 hours studying in the library. Tomorrow is my Theory 3 musicianship exam, which I'm a little worried about, but only because my nerves will get in the way of my knowledge and my testing, just like the last 2 finals. What I'm most nervous and anxious about is my voice jury. I'm not at my vocal best in the morning, which is when my jury is scheduled. I practiced for about 2 hours tonight, and I felt very confident afterwards. So, I'm thinking I'll be alright. I just want to show them my best and that I am better than they perceive.

It's times like these that remind me that singing is what I want to do for the rest of my life. The anxiousness, nervousness, the want to inspire, the want to show what you have and can do.

I have grown so much this semester. Dreux better give me an A for my progress grade this semester. I know I've grown so much. I have so much more that I am striving for and to do. So many ways I can picture my future.
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Oh so, I just realized I accidentally posted the same video twice on my last blog post, so I just went back and fixed it. Go watch and enjoy!

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Isn't this the cutest thing you have ever seen?!

Whistling Puppy @ Yahoo! Video

This is another amazingly adorable video that my roommate found.


Now for a video with some music! I can't embed this video, so you have to go the link HERE This is a scene from the movie Love Actually. Watch this girl sing! The black teacher can blow too. Look for it.

Ok. This is the last video for this post. I promise. This is Hadley Fraser singing "Again" at one of Scott Alan's concerts in Los Angeles. This is the same guy that is featured on the CD Keys: the Music of Scott Alan. This is so freaking good. This song probably touches my heart the most. The singing, the music, the message of wanting of someone who you can't have, and most of all the high A!


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A little disjunct

Monday and Tuesday: Class. About half were canceled, thank god. I was in holdiay mode since Sunday, so going to class was pointless.
Wednesday: Got up early, packed, and went home. We, as a family, put up the Christmas tree the day before Thanksgiving... Whatever. It was nice, fun family time.
Thursday (Thanksgiving): I stuffed my face. End of story.
Friday: Got up early to go on the 18+ men only fishing trip. Drank, fished, and slept.
Saturday: Left the fishing trip to do homework. Dinner and party with the gang at Dani's. It was definitely one for the books.
Sunday: Work (singing at the cathedral) in the morning, recovered from Saturday (it was so nice to just sit at home and not do anything), packed, and moved back into my dorm.

Now for a slightly random rant:
PERSON #1: I've told you straight up. I do not like you. I don't know why you haven't before, but take a hint.

PERSON #2: If you don't want people to see you in a state that you think isn't suitable for others to see, don't put yourself in that state or situation. Simple as that. I get that you've had some hard times, but don't be stupid.

I have some random pet-peeves that I want to tell you for no reason at all. I hate:
-hearing about people's life and drama, and then read about it on their facebook or twitter. [Sometimes I love it, though]
-stupid people
-people who are too down on themselves or put themselves up too high
-the fact that i can find reasons to hate good people.

On a lighter note: I gave Hannah a copy of "Disney's On the Record," and she let me copy her Lady Gaga CDs! I'm so excited about it!
Also I've really been getting into Christmas. I have never really been like Mr. Christmas or whatever, but I'm really excited for it this year. Idk what has changed, but I love that I'm in the holiday spirit.

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This popped up on my "Recommended for you" section on youtube. This is pretty fierce. I'm almost positive that every person seen in this video is just the 1 guy.


This is a video to get you in the Christmas mood. This is a few leading ladies (Heather Parcells, Yuka Takara, Mara Davi, and Chryssie Whitehead) from the revival of A Chorus Line that opened in 2006 singing a jazzy version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" that they recorded for the Broadway's "Carols for a Cure" CD.


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Sketchy Motivation

Hey blog!
I know that it's been a little while. Life's been busy. I blame school and all other school related things. I just starting having free time this past weekend where I didn't really do anything. It was pretty amazing.

So I got this kick early last week, and by kick I do mean motivational kick. This semester I have had a variety of things that have motivated me to do better, like opera auditions (that was an experience to learn and grow from), master classes from a few different professional (working) musicians, an inspirational movie ("Every Little Step" - buy it now!), and some great performances (youtube Sarah Jane McMahon and Brad Benoit -both of whom are Loyola grads [represent!]). So all of these motivational moments have kicked in at the right moments after the previous one has worn off. Thankfully none have completely worn off. What am I motivated for? I am motivated to be the lead in a Loyola opera, to be one of my voice teacher's star students, and to be the best fucking Tenor at Loyola University of New Orleans or the best Loyola has ever seen. A combination of any of these would be great, but I'm aiming for it all.

I just recently started sketching again. I have sketched only a couple times in my life, and they weren't bad. I'm finding this helps me chill after a long day. I kind of want to make it a regular hobby because outside of singing, school, and friends, what do I do? Not much. So I'm adding sketching to the list. Here are the 2 that I've done this week so far. I can't sketch from my imagination, so I sketch pictures, objects, or scenes. I'll post the pictures I modeled the sketches from, too. My sketches are mirrored from the original because of the camera on my computer. I'm not backwards, I promise. Feel free to comment. I'm open to hear what you think. Here they are:









That's all for now, blog. More to come later.


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This is Kristin Chenoweth singing "Glitter and Be Gay" from the 2005 "Live on Broadway" production of Candide. This also features a little cameo of Patti LuPone in the beginning. I just want you to know that although she makes this so easy, this is one of the hardest arias a soprano/coloratura can sing. Kristin know how to make it look easy and make it look good. That is real talent. Enjoy!



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Hello stranger. It's been awhile.

So I just got back from seeing the national touring cast of CATS. HERE is a link to a youtube video of a montage of the show of the cast that I saw tonight. Now CATS is one of those shows that either you love it or you hate it. My thought? I loved it. It's a hardcore show. It had some great talent. Most movies and shows with lots of dancing makes me want to be a dance, but CATS, on the other hand, didn't. Well, it did but not as much as the other things like the Fame movie remake or Center Stage. What it did do was make me want to become a part of a touring show. I miss the stage, and the dancing, and the large number of theatre people that I loved being around all the time. Being reminded of what I love is a great feeling. It's helps motivate me to do more, too. I haven't felt like this in a while. It feels so good. It's a nice change from my recently boring life of school and choir. So, my plan: try to incorporate more musical theatre into my life. Maybe this will help make MTO kick it up a notch this year.

OH! Btw, come see MTO's underground Halloween show on Friday at 9pm!

More to come later. Promise.

Even though one of them is only a draft blog that I'll probably never post, Happy 75th Blog, blog!

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It's kind of eery how appropriate this is. This is "How Could I Ever Forget" from Broadway's Next to Normal. This is my favorite song from the show. So love it or die!


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I hate Mondays

Maybe it's just today, but in general, Monday's suck. I know most would agree with me on this one.

My first class today was cancelled, so I was able to sleep an extra hour. I woke up feeling so good this morning. It was wonderful. I don't know why, but 2 people asked me if I was ok. I thought I was energized, feeling good and legitimately happy for once. Did I some how come off sad? upset? tired? Idk. I'm confused about what was up with that.

Then, I head to my first class of the day, Theory 3, which is usually enjoyable. Today, on the other hand, it was long, complicated, and extremely frustrating. [Btw, for those of you who are academically advanced, don't shove it in other people's faces and simultaneous prevent them from learning and understanding what the hell is going on. Think of it as a courtesy to others in the class, and we will give you the courtesy of not beating the hell out of you and making your life a living hell. :D ]

Then, my English class was cancelled because my professor didn't want to have class on his birthday. Love that guy. He also gave us out papers back. A C on the first paper isn't bad, especially when we can rewrite it. So we decided to take that free time to get lunch because rarely do I get the chance to eat lunch at a decent hour during the week. Then, of course, the Orleans Room (our version of a college cafeteria) was packed yet again.

Next was choir. Oh ho ho... Choir... So, my teacher/professor/choir director went out of town to work with some All-District High School Choir, which is cool since she is crazy talented. So because of this, she told the leaders of each section to hold sectional practices to get a certain very complicated piece into workable shape. So, about the Tenor sectional practice.... There are 2 guys, I pretty much have to help get through this piece. We'll call them T2A & T2B. T2A has a hard time because he is not musically inclined except in his natural ability to sing, which will hold him back a bit and will be something he will struggle with for a while (It's not his fault. Blame the high school Theory classes. Wait. What? No high school theory classes? Maybe that's the problem...?). T2B, on the other hand, just has some problems. I don't really know how to describe him. He kind of has an idea of things, but isn't extremely good at executing what he needs to do. I think I'm a generally well-rounded musician for my age, so they somewhat naturally lean on me for help, which I am fine with giving. BUT! T2A & T2B have stuck me in the middle because they don't like each other. T2A thinks T2B is weird, and T2B thinks T2A can't do anything because of his musical shortcomings. So, that made life a little stressful. Then the tenors and basses decided we would also have combination sectional. Bad idea. The basses are singing on words and are moving slow, and the tenors are counting singing (google it or ask a choir teacher) and moving faster. Then add the uncertainty of knowing your part completely and having others rely on you for help, and having all of the bass section expect you to be perfect. That does not make life easy. Then, of course, we have to have a complete rehearsal, with the Sopranos, Altos, Tenors, and Basses.... :/ The girls were somewhat impatiently waiting for us so that we could run through the song and leave. We ran through it twice, and you know what? We sounded fucking awesome! More so the second time, but that's not to worry about. The only thing I have to say about those 50 minutes of hell is that there shouldn't be so many leaders in one room (Thank God it was only for that 1 class!!), people need to calm down, and they respect others. Ok? Ok.

After choir, I went to the Westbank to get my flat tire fixed. Turns out that it can't be fixed, so they'd need to replace it. Fine. Cool. Do it. BUT! They didn't have my brand of tire, so I'd have to come back tomorrow. TOMORROW! That was the last thing that I wanted to hear, but you know what? I heard it, and I'm going back tomorrow. I'm skipping class to do it. Ha ha, so suck it!

Since then I have cooled off: I had dinner-date with Miki, Katie got me a delicious chocolate chip cookie (the key to my heart), watched and thoroughly enjoyed some Spongebob Square Pants with Katie and Miki <3,and I spent a good amount of time singing in the practice room. So I'm feeling better now.

It's been such a long day, and it's only 8:45PM! Gahh!! I'm chilling out for the rest of the night. I hope my venting didn't bother you too much, reader. Thanks for listening!

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This is "Take A Bow" as seen in the new TV hit, Glee, sung by wonderfully talented (gah! such great acting) Lea Michele! The first few seconds are blank screen because that part of the song is not featured in the episode. Also, you should listen to the full version of her singing "Taking Chances" it is hands down my favorite song on the show so far. Find the whole version on Youtube because they only use about 45 seconds in the actual episode. Enjoy!




This is Josh Groban singing bits and pieces of various memorable TV theme songs at the 2009. My favorite is probably South Park. It's too funny!



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Who's crazy?

I honestly think I should have a psychiatrist or psychologist that I can spill my guts, my secrets and my life to. I feel like if I did, they could tell me what is wrong with me: that I'm crazy, that I'm just being stupid, or that I'm fine. Either way, I need someone to tell me something because I have no idea of what's going on inside of me. I wish I knew. Some information would be nice and could be helpful to fixing whatever is wrong with me. [Shit, I thought all this confusion was supposed to happen during puberty or something like that. Damn.] Sometimes, I honestly think I'm depressed. Or maybe it's some kind of funk. I don't know how I got here or how the hell I can get myself out of it. If anybody has any helpful tips on finding out what's up, please let me know. I'm open to ideas.

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This is Hadley Fraser singing "Again," my favorite song on the album Keys: the Music of Scott Alan. This is simply perfect. What I love most is that he sings it just like he does on the CD. That shows talent. When he hits the high note, just sit back and soak it all in, and take notice how he sings it with such ease.



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Let's have a little chat

My morals and conscience are a little out of whack right now. I'm not sure why they are because I was raised right and I know what is right and wrong. It's this damn grey area. I'll spare you the deets (aka details). I'm thinking it's triggered by the stress of school, loneliness, and sexual frustration. Blegh.

When I said little chat, I really meant a little chat.

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This video was brought to my attention by Mr. Josh Smith. It is Jeannette Bayardelle singing the 11 o'clock number (big show-stopping number) in the national tour of "The Color Purple." Listen and enjoy!



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School, Skype and GaGa

My first class of the new school year starts in 10 hours. I think I'm ready for it now.

After 2 weeks, I finally got to talk with Monique face-to-face (kind of). Thank god for Skype/AIM vchat!

This may be an extremely short blog, but I want to leave you with a video. So, I leave you with a live acoustic performance of Lady GaGa's Pokerface. Shout out to Katie is brought this video to my attention because of her new obsession that is Gaga.


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Sick in bed

So as the title says, I am sick in bed. 9:30PM Saturday, and I am in bed. I guess I'm not really complaining since I usually don't have time to rest, so this is a nice change. Except it sucks to be sick. Every time sickness hits me, it hits hard. Actually, I have a couple of stories. Two or three years ago, I was sick practically the whole week of Mardi Gras break. The best story I have is when I was 11, I had a really bad fever and some weird red dots (not any kind of pox) all over my body, so the doctor sent me to the hospital because I had possible meningitis, which she said I could die from. [Ok, let's stop for a second. This was not my normal doctor, so I'll give her the tiniest of bit of slack. At the same time, this was the same doctor who sent my brother to the hospital for something when he really just stared up at the TV screen too much playing video games. But still! You don't tell a sick 11 year old that they could probably die. It scares the shit out of them! Be sensitive, damnit! She must have failed the course about death and bad news. So take note, Dr. Benutszi. Either go back and take the course you obviously failed in medical school or learn how to deliver bad news.] And apparently, 3 or so college students (who I think all went to Tulane) had died from it. So after 3 days in a hospital with no shower, and the only forms of entertainment being TV and N64 Pokemon snapshot game, I was released from the hospital testing negative for meningitis. Suck it, Dr. Benutszi!!

I'm hoping I will be better by the time I wake up early on Monday morning because the leads of Grease are going on the New Orleans WWL TV Channel 4 morning news!! I'm not exactly sure what we are performing, but we think we are performing "We Go Together," "There Are Worse Things I Could Do," and "Freddy, My Love." I'm actually really excited about it. I haven't performed on the morning news in years.

Grease opens this Thursday. Countdown: 5 days. We still have to choreograph 2 numbers and a dance break, and there are some holes in the blocking and scene changes and things like that. Hopefully, we will get that done tomorrow because we need to start running the show in full, plus we are adding the challenge of costumes on Monday. Thank God that mom kind of sort of agreed that I can take a week off of work (I think getting sick helped make that happen). My plans for the week: rest, get better (to get better and be well-rested for the show), and go dorm shopping with Monique. Oh shit. Monique leaves in like 2 weeks for school! Time to really make most of the time left before everyone goes off to school.

Oh yeah! I've started planning my first deconstruction video blog. If you don't understand what I mean, check out Seth Rudetsky's youtube channel, and watch one one of his deconstruction videos. Hopefully, you will watch a good one. I'm avoiding deconstructing any of the songs he has deconstructed, but I'm not making any promises. So my point is, I will hopefully have a video posted by the end of the week.

So I'm going to end the blog with a shout out to The Dani and Hannah Show: Episode 2! Click the link to watch the video.
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Sutton Foster singing a madlibs version of "Gimme Gimme" on a Broadway-centered improv show. For a while, they was a segment of the show where they have a Broadway star sing one of their most famous songs, but with a twist! The lyrics are changed. They lyrics don't make any sense, but it's so funny.


Alli Mauzey singing "Screw Loose" from the short-lived Broadway musical, Cry Baby. I wish this show could have released a CD. It seems like it has a lot of potential that it didn't have a chance to show off. So this is probably my favorite video that I have found from the show. The belting in the middle of the video is fan-freaking-tastic! Also, Alli is hilarious. It's simple but perfect. So good.


This is another Don't Quit Your Night Job skit thing. It's called the Overactors Symphony. My favorite is, of course, Sutton Foster. The video explains it all. Watch and enjoy!


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"Geez. I wanna be that cool person on the inside" - Mo

Long time, no see. Sorry about the neglecting. Life is busy. Blah blah blah. You know what I mean. Ok. I'm just gonna jump right into it. Here we go.

So, I think I'm done working at my family's roofing company. This week coming up I get to work the St. Louis Cathedral Boy Choir week-long summer camp. I went to this camp when I was little and enjoyed being in boy choir, so now I get to be a counselor-type person. The mornings are just choir time. Dreux, the director, teaches the boys the music & gets them ready for a concert that they have on Friday. In the afternoon, the boys go on field trips and do fun things. I believe we are taking them to the Aquarium, Laser Tag, and Cafe du Monde. One of the afternoons is called "movie and game and water day," which Blythe says they give the boys water guns, water balloon, etc, and the kids torture you. It actually sound kind of fun. Whatever. I'm excited to not be in an office for 8 hours. I get to help kids with music (which is what I'm learning to do at school) and go to places around the city. Fun is definitely going to be had.

So Grease is in full rehearsal mode. We have rehearsals everyday except Fridays (with the exception of this Friday because I was not told that some of us [including me] were having a small rehearsal. Oh well, we'll learn that stuff at some point. Right?). So our Grease is going to be so much better than the OBC (Original Broadway Cast, just so you know). Listen to their recording. Seriously, they are pretty awful, except for maybe a couple of the solo songs. Did you know that John Travolta originated the role of Doody on Broadway? Pretty cool stuff, right?

So, I feel like I had a semi-diva moment today (Diva, Divo. Whatever. [The red squiggly line that shows spelling errors just popped up under divo. There it is again. Ha! Suck it, Blythe!]). We were doing the scene before my song [Aahh! So exciting and scary at the same time!], and most of the cast is waiting backstage because they come out in the middle of the song. Like normal people, they make the best of waiting and talk, but, of course, this pisses off the directors, choreographers, the actors on stage, etc. So since the cast couldn't hear Lindsey telling them to be quiet back stage, I decided I would pull a Patti LuPone (ask me later if you don't understand). I stopped the scene, screamed "Shut up!" in a commanding, loud (non-vocally harming) tone. I just have this gut feeling that once I did that half of the cast decided they would whisper about how I told them to shut up "because this is his song. he just wants the spotlight, blah blah blah etc." I was in their place for the last 19 years of my life. I know how it goes. Whatever. I don't regret it. It's disruptive, and a pain to work with. Whatever.

Just one more thing before I get to the videos: My opinions of a few people I hang out with more/less have changed. Some for the good (yay!), some not. For the most part, I like where I am with most people. I've been hanging out with Blythe and Monique, which has been crazy awesome. But I miss some of the other people I hung out with regularly: Dani, Hannah, Bryce, my circle of friends from school, Amanda, Rachel, and Lance. But also, I like the new people I have been hanging out with more and more: Sarah, Courtney, Josh, Chrissy, and Emily. Life has a balance. I just wish I could balance it all with seeing them more and more.

Ok. That's where I'll end it there. Now onto the videos!

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We're gonna start off with the randomness of The Dani and Hannah Show: Episode 1. I'll let them explain for themselves, but let me just say that I love them and am really excited for the future episodes!



So, I'm not a huge Jake Krakowski fan, but this is pretty awesome. This is "A Call from the Vatican" from Nine, the musical, which is being turned into a movie that I think is going to be out this Fall sometime. A few things to note before you watch this video: she is only wearing a towel; there is nothing holding her in the sheet from the ceiling except herself; and when she goes back up in the sheet, she goes upside down, AND, she's hitting a REALLY high note.


The last video is probably my most favorite recent youtube find. This is one of the few things that the Tony Awards do to keep the audience entertained during the commercial breaks. This is a montage of several members of the cast of Shrek in a (fake) auditioning. This is hilarious! See if you can catch all of the references.


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Waiting...

So yeah... Waiting... It's been a huge theme for these past couple of weeks. When my parents were gone, I waited for 8 hours to leave and go to rehearsal. Then during Little Shop of Horrors, guess what? There was more waiting: around 45 minutes of nothing to do, but chill. Then we move on to Grease auditions. Waited to sing, and then after I sang, I waited to go dance. Call-backs. Oh, this is good. Waiting for around an hour total. Now, I'm waiting on a cast list that is supposedly going to be posted tonight at some point. Waiting has become one of my newest and biggest pet peeves. It is starting to kill me. [I don't know how I will be able to do this in the future when I make auditions a daily occurrence.]

Ok. I just wanted to get a quick post out there since I haven't posted in like 3 weeks. Sorry, blog. I've been neglectful. I'm very sorry. I will blog again soon (I promise!) whenever I get enough things to talk about.


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Ok. So I watched Sierra Boggess's whole interview with Seth Rudetsky on his Broadway Chatterbox recently. At the end of their very interesting conversation, Seth has Sierra show off a little bit. She sings, well they sing, "Think of Me" from The Phantom of the Opera. Watch how flipping talented she is. She sings the whole song and hits that REALLY high ending note sitting down. SITTING DOWN!! That takes real talent!!! Love.



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Reading? Really?!

Sorry about not posting for so long. I thought I would have more time after Lil Abner had ended. I kind of did, but that is no excuse for my not blogging in a while.

Yesterday, I went to Barnes & Nobles, and I was just walking around looking at books. Honestly, I had no idea what I was looking at. I wasn't actually looking for anything. Just walking around the store. At one point I found this book about the psychology about Harry Potter that somehow had something to do with Aristotle. Idk, but it really intrigued me. The I came upon the required reading tables set up for those high school students. Something about just looking at the covers reminded me of the (rare) times I enjoyed the required readings at school. I even bought one! I would have bought more, but I was being money-conscious. Once I read the 2 books I bought, Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None and Kristin Chenoweth's A Little Bit Wicked (I have this weird fascination for Kristin. Idk what it is, so don't ask.), I am going back to buy more. I think I might end up finishing these books in about 3 more days, which is crazy for me since it usually took twice as long for me to read 3 chapters of a book (probably because I had this thing about schools shoving reading down my throat, which made them so much more worse than they actually were [with the exception of Lord Jim]).

So, today I started reading Kristin Chenoweth's autobiography "A Little Bit Wicked." I'm so engrossed in this book. Seriously, I haven't enjoyed a book like this since the Harry Potter series. I literally laugh out loud at this girl. I even feel sad when she does, but most of the time I'm laughing because I feel that this book is Kristin. Yes, it's an autobiography, but the way it is written is (I assume) just as if Kristin were telling the story to me personally. Oh, the beauty of a book. After this, I'm moving onto And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I have high hopes for this since I loved Murder On The Orient Express, which I read in high school.

Ok. Here's a little bit of a rant. I started Little Shop of Horrors at BMHS. We sound great, and we will have a great show. We are kind of clique-ish, which sucks, but hey, that's life. Also, I don't like that the show was precast. In my opinion, it's not the greatest precast. It kind of sucks being in the ensemble of a show where you know you could do some justice being the lead, but they don't know that because they didn't audition and in the words of Rachel: "[They] don't appreciate me." But I have to go with the optimistic, yet realistic world view that says: "Hey, that's life, but maybe one day you can show them what they missed out on." :)

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This is Kate Pazakis singing a parody of "Defying Gravity." Youtube, she's a great belter, like crazy! In a video called "Kate Pazakis UNZIPPED," she belts a high B flat (the B flat above the staff [for all you non-musical folk, that's REALLY high])!!

Sutton Foster made an appearance at this year's Broadway Bares. This her little skit. Kind of dirty, but so funny! Just watch.

This is Hunter Foster, Kerry Butler, and the Broadway revival cast of Little Shop of Horrors performing my favorite song from the show, "Downtown (Skid Row)." I just love Kerry Butler and Hunter Foster's belting! <3>

BAM!!

Since I have a few minutes...

I have about 15 minutes before I have to rush out of my house and go to practice, and since I haven't blogged in a while, I thought I would write a short one to hold off until I have time to write one of my normal length.

Life is so busy. My schedule hasn't really changed since the last time I laid it out for you. There's work in the morning (snoozer!) and rehearsal at night with about an hour to chill at home (which is a half hour longer than it was a week ago). We started full dress/tech rehearsals for Li'l Abner last night. It wasn't horrendous, and we've only been on our stage for about 2-3 days. We have 2 more nights of rehearsals before the opening. I have high hopes for us. I think the show is going to turn out to be great! If you are in the New Orleans, Kenner, or anywhere near Destrehan area, you should come check us out. We open Thursday and run through this Sunday (short run, I know). I know I invited all of my friends who follow my blog to the show via fb event invite, but I'm going to invite the public. CLICK HERE!

COME SEE THE SHOW!!

I started looking at my previous blogs recently, and it seems that some of the videos I posted won't load. I don't think it's all of them, but let me know if it happens because I want everyone to watch, enjoy, and love these videos. Plus, I like to go back and watch them sometimes. I'll look into fixing them if there are anymore problems.

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So, I only have time to post one video, so I'm giving you this one! This is Caissie Levy (from HAIR, and LA's Wicked) singing "Please Don't Let Me Go" from Scott Alan's Birdland concert yesterday. It's a new song, and it is featured on the re-release of his album, KEYS. So, here it is!

BAM!!!

Oh, life...

Hey blog! I miss you. I've been busy with work and rehearsals. Luckily, I had most of the day off to chill, so I thought I'd write a little blog. I'm using the word "little" lightly because I have no idea how big this blog will be.

So yeah, like I said earlier, life life is extremely busy with work and rehearsals. I get up early to go to work for 8. I work until 4. I run home to take care of my dog, Josey, and to eat. I then go to rehearsal with Chase, Kaleb, and Holly, and we usually make it there 5-10 minutes late. Sometimes we make it on time. Rarely do we make it there early. After rehearsal I go home, and I go to sleep because I have to repeat this cycle again the next day. I don't stop, but to sleep.

The weekends, on the other hand, are great. I get to chill with friends on the weekend. These are the best times: dinner, movies, belting in the car, tubing and chilling on the boats (so much fun), and sitting on my house. My only regret is that I haven't been able to see my other friends outside of Li'l Abner. They have tried, but the circumstances have prevented me from hanging out with them and even seeing them. I'm going to work on that. I miss them.

I have to say that I need a break from this rehearsal schedule of daily rehearsals with no breaks. I don't think I can handle 3 more weeks of driving out to Norco every day. Also work is starting to take it's toll on me. I know it has only been 2 weeks, but I'm running out of music to listen to. I feel like I've gone through over 2/3 of my iTunes library. I need some shaking up in my life.

Earlier this week our cars were TPed while we were all inside rehearsing for our show. There were post-its (some with "clever" messages [Yet of all the messages on my car, none were about me. Hmmm....])  and taco bell hot sauce packets. That's a new one. Props to Team Power Hungry. We caught them hiding behind our cars. It's not very smart for a big guy to hide behind a little car. We cleaned up the mess and went back to rehearsing. We find out later that they came back with toilet paper, window paint, and more post-its. Team Fuck Them Bitches Up definitely got Team Power Hungry back.

Random story: Just watched the last couple minutes of Click. The scene where Adam Sandler dies in the rain is so sad. I literally started the movie at that scene and cried. That has to mean something about the acting there. My favorite line in that scene is the message written on the napkin saying: "Will you still love me in the morning?" So good. All real love should be like that. It's a huge sign that that love will last forever (Even though the couple in the movie were actually divorced, they still loved each other.). *Sigh*

Ok. I think I'm done, but since it officially feels like summer, I just want to set a few goals for myself for the summer:

1. Get money

2. Make a plan to visit New York (and hopefully follow through)

3. Do as many musicals as possible

4. Spend lots of time with all of my friends

5. Get a little tan

6. Have a summer fling (that does not cause drama and that may/may not continue into the fall)

7. Find some good songs for my repertoire

8. Live life

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Laura Benanti (The Wedding Singer and Into the Woods) guest starred as Beth on a show on ABC called Eli Stone. Her part wasn't huge, but it was big enough for her to come back for a few more episodes. On one of the episodes, she sits down at a piano (I don't know if she actually played for it) and sings. She sounds simply beautiful. This is the whole scene from the show. The song starts at about the minute mark. So enjoy.

Oliver and Company. You remember that old Disney movie? I don't remember much from that movie except a song. That one song the little girl plays the piano and sings to Oliver. It made a huge impression on me in m childhood. It touches my heart. Listen, and enjoy.

This is Disney's official video (recorded live) of "Step In Time" from Broadway's Mary Poppins. I love a good tap number. They tap with such ease. They make it look so easy. I'm jealous.

BAM!!

My night off

It's 5 o'clock, and I am not rushing out the door. It's my night off! It feels beautiful. Wait. Can you feel beauty? You ponder about that when you have some spare time.

So life has gotten better. Yes, I went to work for my mom. I have to get up really early. It's boring, and it's doing exactly what I didn't want to do (work like an accountant).  The upside is that I have freedom to come in a little late and leave early so I can go home, get food, and go to rehearsal, which is technically, what I wanted. Also, I'm getting paid. Oh yeah! I get to listen to my own music all day. No radio, no soft rock, no bad popular music. I've listened to about 3 CDs a day. Monday it was Next to Normal, Patti Lupone Gypsy, and A Chorus Line. Tuesday was Spamalot, Dreamgirls, and In the Heights. Wednesday was Aida, Scott Alan's Dreaming Wide Awake, Scott Alan's Keys, Spring Awakening, and some other random 90s-present music on shuffle. Today's music was The Drowsy Chaperone, Company, and Il Divo (really random, I know). So I'm fairly happy with the way things out.

Rehearsal has been everyday for the past 3 weeks. I like this part of the process of a show: we've learned dances, songs, and scenes, and now we do it over and over again to perfect it. It's tiring and boring sometimes, but oh so fun! Well, I'm too tired to really go into detail about Li'l Abner, but I will tell you that it's going to be really good and that you should come see it!

So, I've been a bit accident prone these past 2 weeks. Tuesday, for example, I was wearing socks at rehearsal, and the floor is very slippery. I slip and fall, of course. I get up and laugh it off because it was extremely funny. Trust me. It was funny. I look down at my feet a couple minutes later, and I see that my foot is bleeding. The rocks on my friendship bracelet that is conveniently placed on my ankle cut my ankle. Two of the rocks broke, but none were lodged in my ankle (Thank God!). It took 2 band aids and 3 people to put those band aids on.

The other accident occurred last week, actually on Tuesday again. Hmm... I wonder if that is supposed to mean anything. So last week, I drove my car into a ditch. Again, I laughed the whole way through it. Either I must take bad news well or laughing is my way of being in shock. I'll let you decide. So yeah. My car was stuck, but thanks to Adam who called his dad, the fire chief of the area, and Ms. Peyton, the fire chief's wife and assistant director to our show, they got my car out with just a single phone call. Funny thing is that that phone call turned into 5 firemen and a very large fire truck. They even used the big, bright white lights! They got my car out, and it was fine with the exception of some scratches on some insignificant thing that I'm not sure of the name of it (I don't even know what it's use is either). Want to know how I drove into the ditch. Blame Legally Blonde the Musical. Holly and I were ready to rock out, and then I drive into a ditch. Good driving, Jody! I have a feeling that these 2 incidents are the start of me becoming slightly accident prone. I just hope I am wrong and was just having a bad couple of days.

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So I had a night that I watched a lot of Audra McDonald videos on youtube, but I can't show you all of them. I can show you one, though! This is Audra McDonald singing at the New York Marriage Equality Rally on May 17. I'm not sure what the name of the song is or where it is from, but she hits this one out of the park!

We've been listening to some "oldies" in the car to and from rehearsal. This song, although not "old," has been played a few times, and we keep mentioning how awesome this song was from the performance on the 2006 VMA's. Here is Beyonce's "Ring the Alarm."

So FOX's GLEE started on Tuesday, and it was amazing. Lea Michele blows me away even more than she did with Spring Awakening! Matthew Morrison is great too, but we haven't seen mych from him yet. Also, let me just say that black girl is going to be fricken awesome!! I can feel it in my bones. I can't wait to see more episodes in the Fall. I know it has a lot in store for it. I know Kristen Chenoweth has a guest role in the 4th episode and sings "Maybe This Time" from Kander and Ebb's Cabaret. Woot! So here is the amazing New Directions from FOX's GLEE performing "Don't Stop Believing"!!!

BAM!!

What a bum

So since I've been home, I have not been legit happy.

Day1 (Friday): I went to dinner with Burt, Katie, Blythe, and Casi at Superior Grill. We had a great time. But it was kind of a late night with an early morning the next day.

Day 2: Rehearsal at 9:30 in Destrahan. I have to get up early just to make it there on time. Rehearsal ends at 4. Very long day. I get home and nap. I'm pretty much broke and have no gas. I stay home by myself and stay up late, which was kind of nice.

Day 3: Woken up by a phone call from my mom saying that my grandparents were here for Mother's Day lunch and family time. It was fine until mom asks about getting a job. She then pretty much told me that my summer last year was wasted and that I should come work for her or find a job where I can work dealing with music education. I then gave her the cold shoulder for the rest of the day. Sometimes I just want to scream in her face and put her in her place. I have avoided working for my family because who in the real world thinks working for the family is a legit work experience? Plus, I hate working for my mom. She's demanding, persistent, a pain in the ass. She's just a big ol' bitch. I totally understand why her last assistant quit. Also, where is there a job dealing with music education in this city? The summer camps who do have some kind of music program are all full (I'm almost positive). I think she forgot (or, at least, put repressed it to the back of her mind) that I want to perform and that Music Ed is mainly a backup. So my mom's plans suck.

Day 4 (Monday): Woken up early by my mom [I really hate her for that]. I go back to sleep, wake up later, and run some errands for myself. Mom is still bugging me about what I'm doing about getting a job.

Day 5: Mom calls 2 minutes after I've woken up to ask about what I'm doing to get a job. A pain in the ass I tell you! Dad comes home later and asks I can introduce him at his fundraiser for his re-election campaign. Now, my parents have told me about this, but the date change like twice. In honesty, I forgot about it until about late last week. I'm not really sure that I can go. I have rehearsal. I could see it in his face that he is disappointed in me. [I could also see that I am not the son that he had hoped I'd be 19 years ago. Good thing he has my brother...] I tell him that I'm not sure I can even go to my cousin's rehearsal dinner for her wedding the day after, which is being held at my house, because of rehearsal. Thankfully (probably more for them), I can go to the wedding because it is after rehearsal. The wedding is also at my house held by the pool in my beautiful backyard. I am singing "The Prayer" with Monique as my wedding present. There is no doubt in my mind that we will sound fantastic.

So to the outside world and to my family, I have done nothing but go to rehearsal, sleep, and skipped out on family functions. I know I have done this, but is it bad to want to have a few days break after a stressful last 2 weeks of school with finals, moving out of the dorms, moving back home, and starting a new show? In the real world with a normal job, you get 2 weeks vacation. Where is my vacation!?

Oh, funny story. I mention on Mother's Day that I was getting a job because I'm spending so much money and because I want to go to New York. The next day she asks me about it. She assumed that I was saving up to move there. It makes me laugh that my family thinks I am going to move away from them and never come back. Funny thing is that I might end up doing that one day, once I make living for myself.

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Just a warning. I was crunched for time, so I just copied and pasted the video information.

This next video is a trailer for a documentary of the A Chorus Line Broadway Revival. I am dying to see this! "Every Little Step -- the feature documentary that explores the magic of A Chorus Line by following the behind the scenes casting process and the dramatic struggles of the 2006 Broadway stage revival. See how this international Broadway phenomenon has reached audiences in numerous countries in a variety of languages over a span of decades. In Every Little Step, life imitating art truly unfolds."

"'Puttin' on the Ritz' from Young Frankenstein - Pre-Broadway, Seattle Preview Run with Roger Bart, Megan Mullally, Sutton Foster, Shuler Hensley, Andrea Martin, Christopher Fitzgerald."

"'Good Mornin' from MUSKET presents SINGIN' IN THE RAIN featuring Alex Puette ('09) as Don,  Jessica Hershberg ('08) as Kathy  & Andrew Keenan-Bolger ('07) as Cosmo. A Jeffrey Yuan ('07) and Kyle Serilla ('08) Production. Directed by Gina Rattan ('08) & Natalie A. Malotke ('06). Choreography by Natalie A. Malotke ('06). Music Direction by Brian E. Buckner ('08). MUSKET is an all student run musical theatre company at the University of Michigan."
http://www.umich.edu/~uac/musket/

BAM!!

"Didn't I See This Movie?"

Sometimes I really hate going to the movies. Katie, Blythe, and I went to see the Wolverine movie. It was a good movie, but there was one point in which I wanted to beat some bitches. Somehow, I kept my composure, and they stopped because other people in the theater were telling them to shut up. I'm big on movie manners ever since that time I cursed out some young high school bitches when I saw "I am Legend." Grrrr. It just gets me to the core. Like, I can't think of any other situation that has ever really got me so angry.

I've had a breakthrough.  Well, kind of. After being downtown for a couple hours, we thought we were going to call it a night. Man, were we wrong. On the balcony across the street from us were people we knew. I love running into people I know while out and about. So we chill with them, and I meet some new people. It's cool. One person I met, D, introduced me to her friend, whom we shall call G (Idk, just go with me). Now, G needed my help to keep some guys away. Being that I was kind of drunk, it was okay with me, so I just went with it.  We talk, and I learn we go to school together and we live on the same floor but on opposite sides of the building. We also have a few friends in common. We ended up holding hands for a while. He bought me a tequila shot. He held my hand the whole time an old creeper hit on him and me (separately). Life, at that moment, was pretty cool, besides the whole creeper-thing. That is what I mean by breakthrough. Never have I gone to a bar, met a guy, and just chilled and flirted. Ok. Here is where things take a turn. Around 5 AM or so, Katie, Matt and I decide we are ready to go. We are starting to say goodbye to our friends, and G sees Matt. His focus shifted gears and was focused on him. He was so interested that he tried to get his number.  Matt wasn't really interested because he had met someone else that night, so he didn't give it to him. But isn't that kind of a dick-ish move? Then we actually do try to leave, and he invites me to stay with him and some other friends who have a place down the street. What the hell?! Guys can be such fickle assholes sometimes. Ok, so to my surprise, I'm still interested in him. I think I am partially over-thinking the situation. Also, I am trying to make myself believe that I made most of it up. I mean, he's my type, and I am really picky. So, why not think I made it up?

There were more interesting happenings that night, but I'm not going to spill all of my personal info. So I shall leave you on that note.

Does anyone know where the blog title, "Didn't I See This Movie?," comes from? 10 points to the first who guesses right.

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If you have followed my blog, you might know that I am loving the New Broadway cast of HAIR. It just so happens that they sang 2 of my most favorite songs from the show. This is the cast of HAIR singing "Aquarius" with Sasha Allen and "Let the Sunshine In" with Cassie Levy.

Ok. So I am so excited for this new show on ABC called GLEE. It is supposed to have like 2 or 3 music performances in each episode. The best part is that it stars a few Broadway stars! Matthew Morrison plays Will Schuester, the glee club directpr/teacher, and Lea Michele plays Rachel Berry, the wannabe "star" of the club. I can't wait to see the pilot. The music is going to be amazing.

This is "Keep it Campy" from the latest episode of The Battery's Down. If you don't know The Battery's Down, check out their youtube page HERE where you can watch all 11 episodes and the outtakes/behind the scene videos.

BAM!!

I probably should be practicing or studying

A - Available: Yes - Age: 19 - Annoyance: nuts in cookies and/or brownies

B - Beer: It's growing on me - Birthday: February 2 - Best Friend: Don't make me pick one. - Body Part on opposite sex: Eyes - Best feeling in the world: Love - Blind or Deaf: Blind - Best weather: cold and slightly windy - Been in Love: not yet - Been on stage: yes, and will be for the rest of my life - Believe in Magic: keeping the possibility open - Believe in Santa: yes. I mus

C - Candy: Skittles - Color: Blue - Chocolate/Vanilla: Chocolate - Chinese/Mexican Food: Chinese - Cake or pie: Cake - Continent to visit: Europe - Cheese: Cheddar?

D - Day or Night: Night. - Dancing in the rain: sounds fun, and romantic at the right moment E - Eyes: help me see - Everyone's got: their own life - Ever failed a class?: not yet! F - First thoughts waking up: Can I go back to sleep, please? - Favorite Food: chocolate G - Greatest Fear: not finding love and/or not finding/achieving success - Goals: finding love, achieving success - Gum: orbit - Get along with your parents?: for the most part H - Hair Color: brown - Height: 5’8'' - Happy: yeah, but i can think of ways it can be improved - Holiday: Christmas - How do you want to die: in my sleep or just really quick and painless I - Ice Cream: chocolate chip cookie dough - Instrument: voice (I say that at Loyola, so I can say that here) J - Jewelry: my best friends forever anklet - Job: student, former waiter, and performer K - Kids: eventualy - Kickboxing or karate: karate - Keep a journal?: I did. Now I blog. L - Love: yes, please - Letter: Um... S? J? L? Idk - Laughed so hard you cried: a few times M - Milk flavor: whole white milk - Movies: I enjoy them - Motion sickness? no - McD’s or BK: McD's, but I enjoy the occasional BK N - Number: 22 O - One wish: love and achieving my dreams P - Perfect Pizza: cheese, pineapple, canadian bacon - Pepsi/Coke: Coke Q - Quail: what? R - Reason to cry: being hurt or extremely happy - Reality T.V.: getting old - Radio Station: B97 - Roll your tongue in a circle: I haven't really tried - Ring size: 8-ish, i think S - Song: Flight by Sutton Foster and Megan McGinnis (right now) - Shoe size: 9.5-10 - Salad Dressing: Ranch - Sushi: Crunchy and Snow Crab rolls - Skinny dipped?: haha yes. - Strawberries/Blueberries: Strawberries T - Tattoos?: maybe. - Time for bed: depends on the day I've had and how early I have to get up the next day - Thunderstorms: nice to sleep through U - Unpredictable: It happens on occasion V - Vacation spot(s): New York City, Paris, Greece, Italy, France, Spain W - Weakness: it happens - Which one of your friends acts the most like you: Blythe and Katie - Who makes you laugh the most: hard to say - Worst feeling: sadness - Wanted to be a model: it crossed my mind once, but no - Worst Weather?: really hot and humid weather X - X-Rays: on my foot. twice. same foot. Y - Year it is now: 2009 - Yellow: my shirt is yellow! Z - Zoo animal: monkeys! LAST PERSON WHO… 1. Slept in a bed beside you? Dani and Kaleb 2. You went to the mall with? Blythe, Amy, and Katie 3. You went to dinner with? My sisters 4. You talked to on the phone? Blythe 5. Made you laugh? Miki 6. Hugged you? Monica 7. Said they loved you? Mom 8. Held your hand? Katie 9. You spoke with? Katie 10.You cried over? uhh.....? YOUR TURN!!! *tags* you're it.

"Wait! Remember this emotion."

Just felt the urge to blog. It was like a lightning bolt had hit me and told me to blog.

I have not done a legit show in over 9 months. It is killing me. I don't know that I will be able to do a show for another couple months. I don't think I'm doing Children of Eden because none of my friends are doing it. Most of them are doing Lil' Abner with River Region. I don't know that I can wait until July (or something like that) to do a show. I think Michael Lynn is doing Little Shop of Horrors, but I heard that he has already cast it. So there is no chance of me auditioning for it. Also, I think he is doing Into the Woods. That I know I can do and I have a good chance of getting a part (I hope I'm not wrong in assuming so), but I am not sure I can wait that long without busting (or bursting for those English grammar nuts), dying, crying myself to sleep for about a month, etc. I know I sound kind of overdramatic, but I am so serious. I am in such of a need for a show that can work with my schedule that I was singing through a song, and I cried. Yes, the song might have called for it but not in a practice room. I didn't attempt it. I just happened. There was no effort put into it. Maybe I just need a chance to just get everything out of my system, and I feel the only way to do that is to sing some really big, belt-y, emotional (happy or sad) song. Or maybe I just need an emotional cleansing and should just cry. Or maybe I'm just over-stressed because of all the papers I have to write, finals coming up, and the preparations for juries.

Another reason for my jolt. I feel like I am settling again. Education is not performing. Education is not musical theater. Education is my backup. Education is not my main goal. Why is it that my friends can go off and do what they love, but I cannot. Don't get me wrong, I love where I am and (for the most part) what I'm doing. I just feel like I am not doing this for myself. I know that in my heart I am doing this for my family. It took so much energy to get my parents to be okay with changing my major to education. I don't know that they will ever be okay with perform as my career choice. [I wonder what's going to happen when I come out to them.] Fucking hypocritical. They say they support me, but they don't really want me to do it. Then I prove to them I am good enough and that I can do it, and then it fades away. Then I prove myself again. It's like an endless cycle. I know I sometimes lack the determination to get what I want or to do what I want. I need a push because I take that push and I run with it. My parents gave me the push to really get into musical theater by making me join Summer Stages, and I fucking ran with it: it's been 10 years and I want to do musical theater for the rest of my life. I guess they kind of regret that push.

I kind of feel like I'm being left behind. I find that people around me are growing and moving on, and I am just staying in one place not doing anything. I was talking to Courtney earlier, and she has finally figured out how to get where she wants to go. She's actually working on getting things together so she can do it. Then there's Monique. Monique blew me away in Fame! I knew she could sing. I knew she could dance. I knew she could act. But damn! This was her best yet. Every time I think about the show, I think about her belting her ass off in "There She Goes/Fame" or the emotion she gives to "In LA" where her belting is even bigger and better (if you can believe it is possible). That girl is going places. I've told her, and she knows this. I just can't believe she is going to Oklahoma next year to grow even more. I don't know what I'm going to do without her. Then there's all of the graduating NOCCA kids with whom I have grown up and performed. They are all moving on, growing up, getting better, and going places. Why do I feel so left behind? Why didn't I feel this way last semester when I graduated?!

Also, being single is getting to me again. There were 2 separate occasions this weekend that I had my being single thrown in my face. #1. We went to the Howling Wolf to see Blythe's brother's band play.  Standing right next to us are, of course, a drunk couple holding each other and making out. A lot. #2. Tucks was way crowded, and we are standing around drinking and right next to us is a couple drunkenly dancing and making out. OK, UNIVERSE! I GET IT! I'M SINGLE! NO NEED TO SHOVE IT IN MY FACE!!

I'm at that point where I am going to jump on the bandwagon and say "FML." But I resist.

"Wait! Remember this emotion." - 5 points for the show this quote is from. (See! I am such a musical theater nerd. I am made for this business!)

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I've noticed I tend to post videos of women, so I'm breaking that habit now. 

This video I got from Andrew Keenan-Bloger's blog. I'm just going to copy and paste what he said. "Three of my favorite boys from POPPINS, Nick Sanchez, Clark Johnsen & Justin Keyes (yes, that Justin Keyes, we're on tour with each other again!) were fooling around over dinner break and came up with this. They are so stupid/brilliant. I smell a series of youtube videos coming." I believe they are singing a song from Children of Eden.

 This is Adam Lambert performing One Republic's "Come Home" at Upright Cabaret's 2nd annual New Year's Eve Blowout on New Years Eve 2008. Now I'm not a follow of American Idol any more, so I'm not really following Adam. Fortunately, BroadwayWorld is following him and is posting videos of him before American Idol. This performance is so emotional and vocally amazing (but a little overdramatic). Great combo, nonetheless, and great performance.

 

This last video I got from AKB. It is Morgan James, Jake Wilson, Jessica Hershberg and Alysha Umphress performing Britney Spear's "If U Seek Amy" at SUNDAY NiGHT LIVE, a Season 2 Fundraiser for THE BATTERY'S DOWN at Joe's Pub. All of these performers are amazing, but I have to point 2 of them out. First is Alysha Umphress, all the way to the right. Her comedic timing and interpretation is wonderful perfection. Also, her riffs are pretty cool. Last is Morgan James, the blonde all the way to the left. She is beasting up a storm with the crazy high notes and riffs!!  I think these too could give me some lessons on how to riff it out in a classy way. The song is pretty chill compared to Britney's original, but it is still soo good!

BAM!!