Things I Want - Winter Edition

1. Cashmere Socks
2. A Salty Caramel Signature Hot Chocolate from Starbucks... every day!
3. A Democratic Win
4. My Honor CD
5. Good Moisturizing Products
6. More Time With Emma
7. New Audition Material
8. More Mornings To Sleep In
9. Inspiration
10. A New Laptop

I've Gone Green

So I got my new equity card in the mail today... It's Green! My favorite color! I'm a professional actor for another 6 months! The card always comes with a lovely theatrical quote. Let me share:

"I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being." -- Thornton Wilder

Rant

So just a little complaint I have to make... I went to see the movie Quarantine today. What is up with all the filmmakers who insist on shooting their movies like it's being filmed from a video camera (ie. Blair Witch, Cloverfield... and now Quarantine!) It makes me nauseous and makes me want to vomit. I sit there closing my eyes, not seeing most of the movie, trying not to hurl, but inevitably need to leave the theatre for a breath of fresh air. JUST STOP IT! We get the point! OK... I'm done.

The Contents Of The Angel Ball Gift Bag

I know I go for months without blogging... shame on me! But as a gentle, easy transition back into blogging, I've decided to make a list... not much thought, yet still interesting.

A few days ago I was Talent Escorting for Denise Rich's Angel Ball... a very upscale gala fundraiser for Cancer. People bid obscene amounts of money for fabulous jewelry, vacations, TV appearances, etc... all for charity. At the end of the event, which you have to pay several thousand dollars to attend, you receive a gift bag of free items, usually sponsor gifts, to take home with you. This is what I got!

Contents:
1. A "My Bag Cares" eco friendly bag - mybagcares.com
2. M.A.C. Cosmetics gift bag- "cool heat" eyeshadow, "grenadine" slimline lipstick, and "dark/natural" mineralize skinfinish
3. Models Prefer powder brush
4. Elizabeth Grant Collagen Miracle
5. illy espresso coffee
6. YogaToes nail file
7. Alaur avocado hand and nail balm
8. Madame Paulette professional stain remover kit
9. Lambertz Printen chocolate cookies
10. Spanx by Sara Blakely in black/midnight
11. Cumming the fragrance- by Alan Cumming
12. Peter Thomas Roth gentle eye and face makeup remover
13. Peter Thomas Roth uber-dry sunscreen SPF30 on a rope
14. Peter Thomas Roth un-wrinkle pressed powder
15. Laura Geller lip perfect duo in Cherry Bing & English Toffee
16. Audi A5 miniature replica
17. EOS ultra moisturizing shave cream
18. Nick Chavez thickening spray gel
19. Altoids- new creme de menthe flavor
20. Gabrielle's Angel Foundation Mix Vol. 1 CD
21. Go Smile on the go smile refresher
22. $200 gift card for Completely Bare hair removal
23. $50 gift certificate for Nikki Haskell's Starcaps dietary supplement
24. Pearl Eyes eye gel by inca
25. 20% off certificate for Pleo, the lifelike baby dinosaur robot that captures your heart
26. Serendipity 3 Frrrozen Hot Cherry Chocolate mix

I've Only Got 4 Minutes...

OK... so life post HONOR has been kinda hectic, kinda crazy busy. But... I CANNOT let another moment go by without updating my blog for my few faithful readers. So here it goes...

1. Madonna's new album, Hard Candy, rocks my world. I've listened to it in it's entirety at least once a day since it came out. Pure pop with a taste of Timbaland/Pharrell/Timberlake magic. Go buy it!

2. I worked the Bravo A List Awards... which I believe will be televised tonight. An awards show for reality shows? REALLY? Still a fun night... I was assigned to the culinary elite... Daniel Boulud, Tom Colicchio, and various winners and competitors of Top Chef! Being a minor Foodie and a huge Top Chef fan, this was a dream come true! Add to the mix Kathy Griffin, Margaret Cho, many Project Runway folk, and the Cash Cab filming down the street and you have a surreal evening!

3. Losing your wallet sucks! That happened to me about a week ago... right before a weekend flight out of town. Worst part... I had just taken out $100 for my trip and it was a fairly new wallet... a gift from a friend- from Ralph Lauren RUGBY! Best part... nothing had been charged on my 4 credit cards in the wallet and everything in it was fairly replaceable. Whew!

4. It was UNBEARABLY hot in NYC this week! If this is any indication of how it's going to be for the rest of the Summer... just shoot me now!

5. Tony Predictions: In The Heights for Best Musical, South Pacific for Best Revival, August for Best Play, Patti LuPone... but possible upset by Kelli O'Hara for Best Actress... I'll be there! More to come!

6. Back to auditioning... can I please be cast in Les Mis?!?!?! That's my goal for the rest of the year. And to have Honor go to B'way!

7. Been finding a lot of past friends on FACEBOOK... wow, I've aged fairly well. ;-)

8. Summer Movies- Ironman... awesome, Indy... disappointing, Sex and the City... long but satisfying, The Happening and Mamma Mia!... hmmm... we'll see.

9. Sweet Tea from McDonald's and Red Mango are my summer addictions!

10. Happy 27th Birthday Henry!

How Soon Our First Fond Greeting Becomes Our Last Goodbye

It's just been over a week since Honor closed and here I am getting my life back to some normalcy... reverting back to my regular work schedule, going to the gym, and gearing up for some upcoming auditions. But Honor is still beating in my head and heart. How quickly the whole magical event came and went. But hopefully this is just the beginning for this incredible show. We had some B'way producers attend the show... might it be possible that a transfer is in Honor's future? Here's to bringing the Asian's back to Great White Way....keep your fingers crossed! Until then, I'm in pursuit of that next big gig! What could it be, I wonder?

Samurais Wear A Lot Of Fabric!

I've been performing in Honor for two weeks now and all I can say is how blessed I am to be a part of this amazing project. It really is one of the most satisfying theatrical endeavors that I've been in. Enjoy some pics and come see the show!

How Sweet This Life

Hey All,

Just wanted to make sure I got at least one more blog entry in before I head into tech week and completing my taxes... ugh! The title of this entry is one of my favorite songs in Honor... there are many. And it's exactly how I feel at the moment. I feel so very blessed to be working with such an incredibly talented company of actors.... I know that sounds so cliche, but it's really the truth! And to be working on a NEW MUSICAL and originating a character! Peter Mills and Cara Reichel are brilliant... their vision, music, and words are so inspiring. It is shows like this that remind me why I became an actor. It has been an exhausting process... much more taxing than working on a known work. But it's ultimately very rewarding and when all the elements come together... hopefully by Saturday of next week... there will be a beautiful show to show for it. Please, Please, Please come see it if you can!

Things That I Want - Spring Edition

So here are a couple of things I want this Spring in no particular order:

1. A huge tax return.
2. Hard Candy
3. Another role.
4. A date.
5. A reunion.
6. The glass slipper.
7. A trip.
8. A lovely brunch.
9. Flowers.
10. Harmony.

Duplicity

So tomorrow I'm doing some extra work for the film Duplicity which is filming in New York. I'm excited as it's been quite some time since I've done a film... I think back in the summer of 2004 right before I left for tour. It's a major motion picture release starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen...the follow up by the writer/director of this past year's Michael Clayton. I need to call into the casting agency tomorrow for more details... and then I'll report to you faithful readers! Here's hoping it's more involved than just walking down the street.

A Little Bit of This... A Little Bit of That...

Happy Spring All!

Just some quick tidbits before I submerge back into rehearsals...

Law and Order was GREAT... it's a "very special" episode. I, once again, play a press reporter for a high profile case... this one involving a series regular who is rumored to be leaving the show. Almost guaranteed to be shown over and over again in syndication.... let's hope I made it into a scene! The episode is called "Burn Card" if you're looking to watch it.

Rehearsals for HONOR have been incredible. We had a first act read thru earlier this week(the second act is still being written!) and it went very well. My favorite part of the whole experience is that I get to live out my childhood fantasy of being a Jedi knight by all the fierce Samurai sword fighting I do in the opening scene. It's pretty cool!

I worked the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony a couple of weeks ago... a wonderful event! I was assigned to The Ventures(the dudes who perform the Hawaii 5-0 theme). They rocked the house and were the kindest most gracious people... like a bunch of cool grandpas! Of course Madonna and John Mellencamp were also being inducted.... two artists that have provided the soundtrack of my life. A night to remember...

Went to see Fuerzabruta last week... De La Guarda's new spectacular at the Union Square theatre. No words to describe... just go see it!

That's all for now...

Authority Always Wins

Just a quick note to say I'll be filming another episode of Law & Order today. Same old same old... court scene extra! I'll let you know if anything riveting happens in this episode!

Honor

OK.... I know... I've been neglecting this site again. It's been kinda crazy in my life. In my defense, it is the audition season for actors here in New York. For those of you who don't know what that means, it involves a lot of early mornings, waiting around, multiple auditions each day, warming up your voice... and very little sleep. But I've come to report that Success has decided to pay another visit and not too soon... I was getting really burned out! I will be a part of The Prospect Theater's new musical Honor playing in April and May. The details can be found at www.prospecttheater.org. I'm playing the roles of Isamu and Yasu. One's a fierce sword carrying Samurai and the other an elderly peasant farmer. The cast is spectacular, filled with friends and lots of Broadway Asians. And it's a new work! It's a retelling of Shakespeare's As You Like It, set in feudal Japan. Who knew? Come see it if you can!

Fat Tuesday!

Yay! A wonderful excuse to have pancakes this morning!

RENT is due.

It was announced yesterday that the broadway musical RENT would close on June 1. It's the end of an era. For so many reasons, this show has a special place in my heart. It was the closest, I feel, that I've gotten to being in a b'way show. It's part of the reason I moved to NYC. It's message and music touched a whole new generation of young adults apathetic to musical theatre. It opened peoples eyes to AIDS and gays and artists on the edge. It changed not only musical theatre, but changed our lifestyles through it's messages of hope, friendship, and love. I will miss it... and look forward to viewing it one last time in the coming months. "There is no future... there is no past... I live this moment as my last."

In Case You Missed It!

My Law & Order debut courtesy of NBC and Fred Kaminski

Cool, huh?

The Power Of The Dunkin' Donuts

A new DD just opened a block from where I work.... trouble!!! I've been there every day that I work, and that's practically every day! Not a good way to start the new year... a donut a day! But I have such the sweet tooth as many of you know. I'm a bit partial to the french cruller and a new favorite... glazed wheat. Do you think it's more healthy 'cause it has wheat in it? And DD, hands down, has the best coffee. Though, I must say, I've been pretty fond of the hot chocolate with coconut flavoring. I really must stop.

Move On

Ok.... so I don't think I got that Miss Saigon I auditioned for.... how is that possible?!?!?! LOL! Actually, it's very possible. Just because you've done a show before doesn't grant you an automatic in. And there are a lot of TALENTED ASIAN performers out there! I have a certain friend, who when I tell them I'm doing Saigon again, they give a rather unimpressed expression and kind of pass if off as an easy feat because of my experience with the show. I still have to sing and sometimes dance and beat out hundreds of unemployed Asian performers for the roles that I've got! The ethnic card doesn't make getting work any easier. And with that said... moving on.

Who Is Jack Purcell Anyway?!?!?

I know who he is.... he's a famous badminton player. Converse also named a shoe after him... and we sell them at the CREW. Is it wrong that I own 8 pairs of them? They're different colors. And different patterns. And they go with different outfits. And they're super comfortable. Darn that J CREW and my employee discount! Thank god I'm not too fond of our new plaid print... last year's was much better. I can lay off for a month or two. Whew!

And They're Off!

So far 2008 is shaping up to be an AMAZING year. First off, one of the episodes of Law and Order that I was on ended up being the Season Premiere. It aired a couple of days ago.... and people actually saw me! Still haven't seen it myself as I have no cable, but I hear my reaction to the dramatic action in the scene is priceless! And secondly, I had a WONDERFUL audition for what will hopefully be my 6th production of Miss Saigon- this one in Virginia Beach. I should hear back pretty soon as rehearsals would begin on Jan. 28th. Keep your fingers crossed!

Law & Order Season Premiere

Hey All,

One of the episodes of Law and Order that I taped is airing tonight. It's the two hour season premiere on NBC- 9 PM EST. Look for me in the court room scenes, especially towards the end. I'll be sitting in a bench in the back in between the defense and prosecution sides. Apparently the camera was on me when they did the close ups of the Prosecutor. Let me know if you see me as I will be working the CREW tonight. Happy Brian Hunting!

Gimme Gimme

Top 10 Things I Want For 2008

1. That Thing Called Love
2. Madonna's and Janet's New Albums...Whitney, where are you?
3. Travel Overseas
4. A Speaking Part
5. A Production Contract
6. A Really Great Chocolate Something Or Another
7. A Great Pair Of Boots
8. A Puppy
9. A New Obsession
10. A Surprise!

Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you all remain healthy, happy, and prosperous!