Thursday, June 5, 2008

Producing!...

I've been browsing some of SNL's recent video clips, and I came across the opening monologue from Ashton Kutcher's latest visit to the show. I decided to post the video on here not only because A.K. is adorable, but because he can help me explain what it's like to be a producer for TV (keep in mind that while he produces entertainment TV, I produce news, which is waaay less interesting, and that Ashton makes like oodles more money than I probably ever will.)

That being said, here's Ashton.

Producing!...



I also came across this series of short video spots that they sprinkled throughout the show that A.K. hosted. It's creepy and dark, but oh so deliciously funny, and I can't get enough of it! The little song at the end is what kills me (no pun intended.)



OK, that's all I've got for now. I'm preparing for a "favorite things" post (thanks for the idea, Kels!) and a photo tour of the station where I work.

Until then!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

One Year Later...

I just thought I'd take a little personal inventory and reflect on where I am a year after starting this blog and, essentially, starting my life as a grown-up.

I recently re-signed the lease for my apartment. I've been living here by myself for almost a year (I moved in last July). When I moved, I was holding down two jobs: part-time production assistant at the station, and pretty much full-time waiting tables. Plus working in the nursery on Sundays, so techinically three jobs, although the nursery doesn't really count because that's only like 3.5 hours a week, if that. Now I am a full-time, contracted news producer. I still do the nursery thing.

I have paid off half of my car, which is exciting. So another year from now, I will be done making car payments! I decided that will be the time for me to get a dog. It seems like good timing; I will have freed up some financial obligations and be more capable of taking good care of a pet. I still want a miniature schnauzer.

I have ended two dating relationships since starting this blog, so now I am single. And I am really happy about that. I am at a time in my life when it's OK to be selfish and do my own thing, and that is exactly what I'm doing. A lot of friends my age are getting engaged and married, and some are already on their second kid, and I want all of that eventually, but not right now. A friend of mine at the station who gives me lots of good advice told me he doesn't see me getting married until my late twenties...28 or 29! It freaked me out to hear him say that, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized he's probably right. And to be honest, I don't have that "time is running out" feeling either. Actually, "finding" someone is about the last thing I want to even think about at this point in my life. The only someone I want to find is a cute puppy--in a year!

I've now been out of school for a year, which makes me feel old. But it IS awesome not to have to study or do homework or take quizzes ever again! And I've been working at a "real" job for about a year now, so that makes me feel a little more like a real grown-up. Also, a member of the HSM cast told me yesterday that I'm his first adult friend. Really? Oh yeah, I AM an adult! But I still feel like I'm just a kid a lot of the time.

And I still don't like coffee.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Happy Birthday, Blog!

My blog is one year old today! Happy birthday, Blog!!! :)

Things are going great. I'm having a blast with HSM rehearsals and making lots of friends. People there are so friendly, talented, and fun! I know this summer will go so fast.

I watched the premiere of MTV's "The Search for Elle Woods." That's right, they are casting the lead in a Broadway show using a cable reality TV show. I know. But it is entertaining, and I think it will be a good way to give people a closer look at musical theatre. But so many of the girls on that show are SOOOO full of themselves. Here are some things they actually SAID on camera:

"I would say on a scale of one to ten, my voice is...a ten." (PS, the girl who said this didn't make the top ten cut.)
"I love the sound of my voice. I love hearing it, I love how it feels...It's like heaven."
"I feel like I really zen with Elle Woods." (What???)
"I think Elle Woods and I are like twin sisters but with different hair color."

OK, so that should be a blast to watch, and I'm sure I'll learn a lot about auditioning and what it really takes to get on Broadway. Besides getting cast in a reality TV show.

Also, the Bachelorette had yet ANOTHER 2-hour episode last night...they are really moving these guys through! I only lost one of the guys I liked--Richard, the science teacher. But I think it was a good decision for Deanna to make; they were both talking a lot about feeling chemistry between them, and she obviously wasn't feeling it (by the way, did NOBODY at ABC pick up on that pun, with him being a science teacher??!! Get on the ball, people! I was expecting some cheesy line about "chemistry with the science teacher" but not once did I hear it!). It was so awkward when he was trying to find a way to plant a kiss on her and "brushed her hair out of her face" when her hair was in a ponytail and her bangs were back, which equals no hair actually IN her face...I almost couldn't watch, I felt so bad for him because it was so obviously awkward. Almost as awkward as when Deanna stopped their Cinderella pumpkin carriage in the middle of a street in LA to LITERLLY kick Richard to the curb. A taxi was there to pick him up, and I was like, "How do they do this, do they have like walkie-talkies so they know where they are and can call the cab to pick him up?" Creepy.

Single-dad Jason did much better on his one on one date. He finally told Deanna about his son Ty and she was very receptive to it. What I loved was how much he could be himself now that the most important thing in his life was out in the open. And what was so great was that a fantastic exchange followed--Jason asked Deanna about her mom, and she really opened up about the actual experience of losing her mom and how it's affected her personality. Then she said no one she dated had ever wanted to know about her mom. What? Whatever, as long as that means Jason gets to stay! The next great part was when they were both feeling the mutual attraction in the observatory and he asked her if he could kiss her. I LOVED that. I think there is something so sweet about a guy asking to kiss you because A) it's polite and respectful, B) it eliminates that uncomfortable, awkward, and potentially disastrous effect of trying to just "feel out" the right moment, and C) if a guy asks, it's a lot more likely (in my opinion) that the girl will be like, "Aww sure, what the hell?" because she doesn't feel pressured. Deanna does a really great thing later and gives Jason a certificate that says she's had a star named after Ty. Jason is so visibly touched that I almost cried watching this. And Deanna played it super-smart and sensitive here because this could go one of two ways--he doesn't make it to the end but has this great thing to take back to his son, OR they get married and have this great story to tell Ty about what happened when they started dating. Besides that they met on national television. Ok, anyway...

Fred got a rose when they went to see Ellen, which I was so pumped about! Ellen had some surprisingly mature and insightful advise for Deanna about the boys. I was so glad she kind of pulled Fred out of the background, because he seems like such a sweetie and I feel like he's getting lost in the shuffle, and he has yet to have any true one-on-one time with Deanna...there's always another guy around.

I was glad Brian made it back, because I haven't seen really any one-on-one interaction with him and Deanna yet either, but I like him from what I've seen.

I'm soooo glad that Mister Older and Wiser, Guy's Guy, Motivational Speaker Ron didn't get a rose this week. I love how he gave HIMSELF a motivational speech on his way back to his barber shop down by the river: "Deanna didn't reject me; she chose other guys." Also known as, she rejected you. He and Deanna has this talk before the rose ceremony that was like...

Deanna - We always talk in depth and serious and I want to have fun with you. So tell me something fun about you.
Ron - Where do I even begin? Everything about me is fun. Long pause, looooong, smug stare from Ron.

I would've been like. "Ok, so...go. Like what? What's fun? This isn't fun."

Also, Canada Paul went home. Frankly, I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did. Twilly continued to surprise America by winning another rose and living to tell another long-winded, pointless story. (I shouldn't make fun of him; my stories tend to be of the same quality.)

Jesse is growing on me more and more, and I think he's really playing it smart. He shows up dressed weird, acting wild and crazy, and we're all like "no way." But I guarantee ABC was like, "Deanna, if you keep this guy around for a week or two, we'll give you a helicopter ride." And then we find out that this guy is actually pretty cool and a little bit of a sweetie-pie, and that he looks like when the Beast turns into the Prince in Beauty and the Beast...surprisingly handsome. THEN he shows up this week in a very nice suit and tie. Now that we already love his personality, he's showing us that he can be a gentleman and dress to impress so we don't have to be embarrassed in public with him. (I'm using the royal "We" to include Deanna and all of us watching.) So, go Jesse!

OK, I think that is all I've got. I just thought my blog deserved a nice big blog entry on its birthday! I can't believe it's been a year!

Until later!

Friday, May 30, 2008

ketchup

I think I said almost a year ago when I started this blog that I'd post pictures of this, that, and the other...buuuut I haven't.

So now I'm going to make good on that promise I made to no one in particular.
It's picture time!

My Place

This is my first "grown-up" home. A place where I DON'T plaster the walls with pictures, article cut-outs, and random posters. A place where I have all the space to myself. Where I don't have to eat at my desk or use my bed for guest seating.

The kitchen, which I don't really use for a whole lot of actual cooking...mostly frozen pizzas, Lean Cuisines, and cookie baking.

The "dining room" is used for dining, but never are all four of these chairs filled at once...by people, anyway. This tends to become the catch-all for jackets, purses, and mail.

The living/office area. I spend a lot of time, most of it, in fact, in this part of the apartment.


My little bedroom, which is in pink and black. This poor room must be so confused; I sleep here during the day and get ready for work here every night. It's lit very dimly, which is nice...it's like a little cave. Rarrrr...


Believe it or not, this is my favorite room in the apartment. Why? Because I don't have to share it with anyone else! For the first time in my life I have my own bathroom. Yay!

Well that is the tour. Funny story--I actually started writing this yesterday after work and fell asleep in the middle of it! So I had to finish it this morning.

OK, next time...pictures of work? A tour of the station? We could do that.

Until later!
lis

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

chick picks

Well, the Office, 30 Rock, and Dorm Life have all wrapped up for the season, leaving a little void in my life for something to watch, predict, and be entertained by from week to week. So I've picked up a couple of very girly watching habits in the meantime!

First, there's the Bachelorette. I've never been a faithful watcher of this show before, but last year I got into the Bachelor (the Brad Womack season) for one reason and one reason only---a couple of the girls I work with watch the show and in order to be included in their conversations about it, I had to actually watch it too. It turned out to be quite a memorable season as the finale ended with not one but TWO big rejections and ZERO proposals. The final two girls, Jenny and DeAnna, seemed to be amazing people; Jenny a sweet, warm, fun-loving gal and DeAnna a time-tested hardship survivor who knew what she wanted in life. Brad told them both goodbye.

I was actually interested in watching this season of the Bachelorette because I knew it'd be one of these two girls, and I was intrigued to see how they'd pick one over the other to star in the show. Well, ironically enough, Jenny eliminated herself because she ended up getting engaged! Leaving DeAnna the chance to have 25 guys from all over the U.S. fight over her on national television.

I am not a huge fan of the idea of going on network TV to find the love of your life, but it's fun to watch other people do it. That being said, DeAnna is the perfect person for this task because she really seems to know exactly what she wants in life and in love, so maybe this won't be as daunting a task for her as it would be for others. It's also WAY fun to see the different dynamic of having guys competing versus girls.

So far we are two episodes in, and though there is one guy I liked who didn't make it past the premiere (the oyster farmer), after watching last night's episode I'm glad to report that all my favorites got a rose and are safe for another week! I especially like Richard the science teacher, Brian the high school football coach, Fred from Chicago, who has a Jason Bateman head of hair and sounds like a Blues Brothers Dan Aykroyd (which in my book equals adorable), Jason the single dad, Graham the hot Southern kid, and Jesse the goofy snowboarder. I also think it was fair of DeAnna to give obnoxious Twilley another chance simply because he made a huge effort to show her a quieter, more serious side of him. I'm glad Eric the presumptuous Greek went home, and though I'm sure Ryan the football player is a great guy, I was getting annoyed by him mentioning that he's still a virgin like...every time he spoke. I think it's tough for Christians because we aren't supposed to be ashamed of our beliefs, but if we act like this guy and rub them in people's faces, we look like toolboxes. So I'm glad he went home. All that being said, I'm loving the show!

The best part of the show so far, though was during the premiere when Jenny came back to help DeAnna weed out the initial batch of guys. The two girls are standing there in the backyard, one with 25 guys falling over her and the other with a HUGE rock on her finger, and Jenny says something to the effect of, "I think we're doing a lot better for ourselves." Pretty cool.

OK, the other thing I'm watching...and this is to fill the void left by the hilarious mockumentary web series Dorm Life...is Whatever Hollywood.com, a site made by three girls (two sisters and one sister-friend) who are all aspiring showbiz folks--a host/producer, a singer/songwriter, and an actress (she's the McCleary sis who gets married via nautical-themed vows at the beginning of Wedding Crashers!!! Watch it!) who all live in L.A. and are trying to make it, but meanwhile have launched this adorable site where they make funny little short videos. It reminds me of me and my two best gals from college OR me and my two sisters, so I am totally diggin' it with new videos every Wednesday.

OK, gotta hit the showers and grab a bite to eat before heading off to song-and-dance land!

Until later!

Monday, May 26, 2008

high school drama

I've been thinking about high school a lot lately.

Which is really weird, because I'm not one of those people who look back very often. I treasure memories of high school, college, and everything in between, before, and since. But I don't dwell regretfully on the "good old days" or anything. I'm not an Uncle Rico.

But lately it's all been coming back.

I think it's easy to see why...first, I just started rehearsals for a play called "High School Musical," which is obviously about high school. And so it's making me think back to that high school mentality--how you define yourself by what you do, how you dress, and who you hang out with. Which of course gets me thinking about who I was and what I did in high school.

Plus, a lot of the show's cast actually ARE in high school, or just graduated, so for the first time in a long time I'm hearing and seeing bits and pieces of that high school mentality...the things that are and seem so important, cool, or funny.

AND, this weekend was Graduation Weekend for all the area schools, which got me thinking about my high school graduation and just being a high school senior in general...what we were all thinking and doing and feeling.

THEN, I went home yesterday for a cookout at my mom and dad's, and they had a bunch of my dad's high school classmates over. They are a really neat group of people, and I had so much fun hearing their stories. My favorite story is one we ask my dad to tell us all the time, but I requested it yesterday thinking it would be entertaining with everyone telling it...and I was right. It's the story of how they stole their rival school's mascot, a stuffed wildcat, the day before their big rivalry basketball game. It is a GREAT story.

Well, I never did anything that crazy in high school, but it did get me thinking about some of my favorite times back at NHS. And the fact that the last time I did any theatre was in high school...has been bringing back lots of memories about high school drama. The department, not the actual "drama" drama. Ok, and the actual "drama" drama. In a fun way. It's weird to think back on the fights and rivalries and stuff and just how...SERIOUS everything was. When looking back, the reasons we had for getting upset just make me laugh. I don't know...I don't have anything profound to say about it. Just...that I had some great times in high school. And that even the bad memories are good memories, in a way, if that makes any sense. Aaaaaanyways....that's all I've got.

Until later! :)

Thursday, May 22, 2008

lyrics i love

Ok, so you know how everyone puts lyrics in their AIM buddy profiles to express how they're feeling and stuff? Well, a lot of times I listen to a song and just love the lyrics, but I don't want to put them in my buddy profile or anything because I don't want people thinking, "Geez, what's wrong with her? Is she mad at someone? Is she depressed?" or something like that. Because it may not be how I'm feeling right NOW, it's just something that strikes a chord with me for one reason or another.

So here are some lyrics I love...no strings attached:


jane be jane
you're better that way
not when you're trying
imitating something you think you saw

jane be jane
and if sometimes that might
drive them away
let them stay there
you don't need them anyway

you're worried there might not be
anything at all inside
but that you're worried
should tell you that's not right

don't try to see yourself
the way that others do
it's no use

you're worried there might not be
anything at all inside
but that you're worried
should tell you that's not right

you've had it harder than anyone could know
so hard to let it go

but it's your life
and you can decorate it
as you like
beneath the paint and armour
in your eyes the truth still shines
jane be jane
~"Jane" by Ben Folds (I just love the message to a girl to be herself...I think a lot of us girls get this self-conscious urge to reinvent ourselves or wish we could be like someone else, so this is a good reminder not to do that! Thanks, Ben!)

i never loved nobody fully
always one foot on the ground
and by protecting my heart truly i got lost in the sounds
i hear in my mind all these voices
i hear in my mind all these words
i hear in my mind all this music
and it breaks my heart
and it breaks my heart
~"Fidelity" by Regina Spektor (something about this hits me, and I sometimes feel like Liz Lemon from 30 Rock...I am so in love with my ideas and dreams that I think I have more of a relationship with them than I do with people sometimes. I don't really know that this is what Regina was writing about, but that's how it works for me.)

Second chances they don't ever matter, people never change.
Once a whore you're nothing more, I'm sorry, that'll never change.
And about forgiveness, we're both supposed to have exchanged.
I'm sorry honey, but I'm passing up, now look this way.
Well there's a million other girls who do it just like you.
Looking as innocent as possible to get to who,
They want and what they like it's easy if you do it right.
Well I refuse, I refuse, I refuse!
~"Misery Business" by Paramore (haha...let's just say I can definitely relate to these lyrics! I don't like to hang on to anger, but listening to Paramore is like a fun anger outlet.)

So long honey, babe
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
Goodbye's too good a word, babe
So I'll just say fare thee well
I ain't saying you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right.
~"Don't Think Twice" by Bob Dylan (aaaghhh, Bob!!! I love this song and have since a tender high school age. It holds different significance for me in different situations, but I just love this last verse, and how it expresses that feeling we sometimes have about people when we go our separate ways. What a great song writer.)

Didn't make forever.
We each got to go our seperate way,
And now we're standing here, helpless,
Looking for something to say.
We've been together a long time.
We never thought it would end.
We were always so close to each other;
You were always my friend.

And it's hard to say good-bye, my love.
Hard to see you cry, my love.
Hard to open up that door.
You're not sure what you're going for.
~"So Hard to Say Goodbye" from Dreamgirls (I wish I would've listened to this whole soundtrack before graduating from Purduettes, because I would've asked to sing this with my senior class. This pretty much wraps up the feeling of leaving that group--you know you're supposed to move on to bigger and better things, but it's tough to leave something so familiar. Tear!)

Head under water
And they tell me to breathe easy for a while
Breathing gets harder, even I know that
Made room for me, it's too soon to see
If I'm happy in your hands
I'm unusually hard to hold on to

Blank stares at blank pages
No easy way to say this
You mean well, but you make this hard on me

I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's
Make or break in this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leaving I'm gonna need a better
Reason to write you a love song today

I learned the hard way
That they all say things you want to hear
My heavy heart sinks deep down under
And you and your twisted words,
Your help just hurts
You are not what I thought you were
Hello to high and dry

Convinced me to please you
Made me think that I need this too
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am

I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's
Make or break in this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leaving I'm gonna need a better
Reason to write you a love song today

Promise me that you'll leave the light on
To help me see with daylight, my guide, gone
'Cause I believe there's a way you can love me
Because I say
I won't write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see

I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or break in this

Is that why you wanted a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or break in this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If your heart is nowhere in it
I don't want it for a minute
Babe, I'll walk the seven seas
When I believe that there's a reason to
Write you a love song today
~"Love Song" by Sara Bareilles (Gosh! What girl DOESN'T love this song? It says so many things, and I love it because I hate feeling obligated to do something, especially if it's something that should be spontaneous and heartfelt.)

Ok, so there you have it. The lyrics I love but won't put on my AIM profile so as not to risk having anyone read into them and ask me questions. :)