The Week in Review

1) Wicked was *amazing*!! The show has taken up residence indefinitely in the Pantages Theatre in LA with many of the leading actors coming to us from Broadway and the national touring shows, and the entire cast *ROCKS*. Eden Espinosa as Elphaba totally blew me away, she nailed Elphaba's intensity to the wall so tight that it's not ever coming loose. And Megan Hilty was hilarious as Glinda. Espinosa and Hilty complimented each other beautifully, creating a warm, deep and cherished friendship for their two characters. I was totally surprised and ecstatic when I discovered Carol Kane was Madame Morrible, she was perfect for the role, and how fun to see her in a more "evil" role, with a deeper voice than I've seen her use in her movie/TV roles from the 80s. (I really haven't seen anything else she's done, bad Izzie.) And we were lucky enough to have Jenna Leigh Green as Nessarose, she originated the role on Broadway.

It was wonderful to see the actors bring meaning to the lyrics of the songs with their body language and interactions, after only hearing the words on the CD for so long! What I loved about this production was that the cast allowed themselves (or was given the freedom by the director) to go with the emotions of the moment, even if it meant they ended up speaking a line that should have been sung. I don't know if that's something that happens regularly on Broadway, but the musical theater I've seen locally around here, it's more important to sing the song beautifully and theatrically than with honest emotion. I've read some stuff about that sort of thing that makes me wonder which is more professional, but that's a whole new conversation, so moving on...

2) I went to see Blades of Glory last Sunday. As some of you may remember, I worked background on that movie for a month last summer, for the skating competition scenes. So the movie was really funny, I really liked it! Although, after having been there for the filming of the skating scenes, and having watched a couple of short "Making Of" specials, there really wasn't much more to the movie than that. Anyhow, all of the footage they filmed of the Scott Hamilton/Jim Lampley commentary for the Denver competition, the footage in which I assume I would have been highly visible since I was sitting front row center behind Scott Hamilton, all of that footage hit the cutting room floor, except for perhaps 5 seconds. And all you could see was my stomach because I was standing and clapping. *sigh* That's the way the business goes. There was acutally a lot that hit the cutting room floor. There was more filmed with the adoptive dad MacElroy that didn't make it into the movie. There was a locker room scene filmed (I heard about it on set, didn't participate) that didn't make it into the movie. So it seems to me that a lot of stuff hit the cutting room floor.

Anyhow, I did spot myself in another part of that scene: When Jon Heder's character slams into the wall, Will Ferrel's character helps him up. When they're both standing, I'm in the audience behind them, second row. My sister says she saw me a second time shortly after that, but I didn't catch it. My sister is so sweet and supportive, she was all proud of me just for being in the background, because she could see me. I guess she's being so supportive with this small, inconsequential stuff, because it's the very first step to bigger and better things in my acting career. I love you, sis! :-*

3. I really admire Jeff Goldblum. I've been watching Raines since the series started, and Goldblum's reactions are just amazing, layered, honest. It's really awesome to watch. And when I think back on it, that's been Goldblum's strength in all the roles he's played, I think. He's just honestly connected to the other actors, and allows himself to react honestly.

4. My four favorite Pandora stations that I've created (in order of how much I listen to them) are my New Age piano station, my acoustic alternative music station (Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews, Jewel, Sarah MacLaughlin), my swing/dixieland/rock'n'roll station, and my Sarah Brightman Mix (Sarah Brightman, Enigma, Cirque Du Soleil, Goldfrapp, Fischerspooner). I have several other stations, but I don't listen to them nearly as much. It's really interesting, because I'm learning exactly what qualities in music I like. In other words, why I like specific types of music and not others. And I can see how one station relates to another, even if the music doesn't seem to be at all compatible.

5. I was told on Friday by the office manager that she's tentatively planning to keep me for another month. My initial (pessimistic) reaction to that was that the tentative part meant possibly less, but it could go the other way just as easily.

6. Oh I almost forgot! (Can't believe I almost forgot this!) My wonderful, amazingly supportive friend Kim (who I actually met last summer on the set of Blades of Glory) signed up for a headshot photographer promotion, and she signed me up as well!! The photographer needs to fill up his portfolio. So this means that on May 5th, I will get a free headshot session, I will get to keep 2 headshots at no charge, and if I want a CD-Rom of all the pictures we took, it's only $50. YEE-HAW! I'm really excited about this, especially since he'll be taking the pictures outdoors with natural lighting, which in my humble opinion are the best type of headshots to get. None of that indoor, dramatic lighting stuff for me. I won't have that dramatic lighting when I walk in to an audition. I heard someone say once that she wanted the dramatic lighting so she could go into an audition and say, "See, this is how good your lighting crew can make me look." But it's not about looking good, it's about looking like yourself, keeping it real, and making creative, interesting acting choices. Anyway, FREE HEADSHOTS!!! Thank you Kim!!

7. Can't believe I almost forgot this, too! Got my hair cut and permed Sunday evening after the movie. Skipped the bangs, I pulled some of my hair across my forehead to create the illusion of side-swept bangs, and I didn't like it, it just made my face look heavier than it already looks. But I had my stylist cut a lot more layers into my hair this time, and it looks really good, even with the curls too tight. (And they're actually loosening really quickly this time, too.) I'll see if I can get a picture posted before May 5th, but I'm not making any promises.

8. I'm gettting a very nice tax refund this year! Wish I could use it on something fun, or invest it, but 99% of it is going towards my credit card, which is still carrying a high balance from my acting classes last summer. But yay on getting a good chunk of that paid off, finally!