Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew- Four Days Left

FOUR MORE DAYS
At the group therapy session at the top of the episode, Dr. Drew asked his patients to make predictions about everybody's future sobriety. Jeff Conaway said something nice to start. He predicted that Jamie Foxworth would be the most successful because she seemed the most stable. I have to agree with him, although outside of a few outbursts, we didn't really get to know her. And that's fine by me. I don't need to know anything about her personal life to wish her well. With that said, Jamie predicts that Jeff will not succeed because of Vicki who is his enabler. The group pretty much agrees that in order for Jeff to succeed he's going to have to stay away from Vicki. Jessica pokes at Rico and accuses him of holding back, not opening up to the group. She predicts that unless he starts opening up about his past, that he'll revert back to old behaviors. She's probably right about that. He used to gamble, lose and rely on his muscles to get himself out of trouble. He gambled away a small fortune and lost custody of his kid. This segment ultimately leads to footage of a one on one session between Dr. Drew and Rico where he tries to find out what else exactly is in Rico's past that he's ashamed of. Turns out he's a criminal and doesn't want to discuss anything in detail because he's scared of the repercussions.

Four days left of treatment and our celebrities don't seem ready to leave. Dr. Drew is proud of the progress his patients have been making so he has them visit a "dry" coffee house to put on a talent show. Dr. Drew schedules these outings to give them a taste of a life with drugs and alcohol. My only other experience with rehab is a movie that Sandra Bullock made called 28 days, in which a young woman goes to rehab to sober up or goes to jail. I recall that the patients in that movie also went on an outing or two. So maybe the outing thing is legitimate. To tell you the truth, I hope to never find out whether or not that fact is true. Truly.

SOBER LIVING
Anyway, it's nice that the celebs have the talent show to look forward to because most of them are freaking out about what comes next. Dr. Drew suggested to the patients that they move on to a facility called sober living which sounds like a halfway house for recovering addicts. Apparently, it's a safe environment where they can learn how to make a sober transition back into their lives. Sober Living scares them. And some of the celebs are shown talking themselves out of going and making excuses why they can't afford it. For some of the celebrities this is a real problem. Jessica Sierra from American Idol, doesn't really have money and she doesn't have a job. All she has is one hit single that may or may not be providing her with an income. And on top of that, her whole life is in Florida, while the Sober Living facility is in California. Seth Binzer doesn't sound like he really wants to go to the facility either. And while his isn't a money concern, his interest level just isn't high enough. So what does he do? He agrees to move into an apartment with Rico the Ultimate Fighter/Cage Fighter/Real Man Fighter and together they will get tattoos and remain clean and sober. Hopefully Seth Binzer will see what a bad decision that would be for him. Rico is in no position to help anybody. His life is a bigger mess than Seth's. But I do appreciate that they honestly want to help each other out and believe they could prop each other up during the tougher days ahead. My wish for Seth Binzer is that he moves back in with his lovely wife and potentially chemically imbalanced child. (And I say that because Seth's DNA might have been effected by the crack he was inhaling when he conceived Halo.)

THERAPEUTIC OUTINGS
Long after group, everybody got dressed up and headed out to the sober cafe. Rico did stand up, Jessica sang a song, Seth Binzer spoke rapidly into the mike and everybody else supported them. It was nice to see the celebs relaxing a bit outside of the center. And it seems like everybody had a good time. Since that trip went so well that Dr. Drew thought he would challenge his charges with a trip to Catalina. I think Catalina was a boat because everything we saw from there took place on a boat. Jessica led a couple of the girls in a rousing chorus of 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall and Rico jumped off the boat into the engine churned waters, in spite of warnings from the crew that Harbor Patrol would arrest him for doing so. That trip didn't go as well as the outing to the coffee house. Rico almost did get arrested were it not for the slick talking of Dr. Drew and his crew. But Rico wasn't the only one to act out. The show ended with Seth Binzer and Jessica Sierra participating in a food fight which really messed up the common area outside by the pool. But I guess it's normal for people to act out when they're scared and Seth and Jessica are good examples of that. Both fear leaving and both are acting out. I'm guessing they have to act out because they don't know how to process their emotions without drugs and alcohol. They're like children who haven't yet learn NOT to hit another child when he's angry.

JEFF CONAWAY LEFT
Jeff Conaway left the facility. I assumed it was because he wanted to get back to his drug seeking life style. But I found out after reading an interview with Dr. Drew about the episode that Dr. Drew advised Jeff to see a neurosurgeon for a back operation. He said that after watching a sober Conaway walking around he observed that something was wrong with how his body was moving. Turns out he was right. Jeff Conaway had an operation and Dr. Drew is still hopeful that he'll be able to recover from his varying addictions. If Jeff Conaway hadn't been sober, doctors wouldn't have been able to see that there was a problem.

Winter? What's That?

We've been having been such mild weather lately that I almost forgot it is winter. Today I was sadly reminded how cold it can get in New York in February. It's always a surprise when it snows, isn't it? The last time it snowed like this, Jon and I flew to Iceland - after 6 hours of sitting on the icy runway. Fortunately, we are not travelling today except for in and out of Manhatten.

February is our worst month for cold weather and snow. And February is almost finished. The weather will be warming up soon and outdoor exercise can recommence.

Happy Couple

Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew - Friends and Family

The Jeff Conaway Show
For 10 minutes at the top of the episode, I thought that this was going to be yet another episode where Jeff Conaway dominates. He started complaining again about the imposed limitations and restrictions of rehab and he sucked everyone into a hugely upsetting discussion where he tried to hurt everyone with his words. But eventually he settled down and Dr. Drew convinced him to stay one more night.

Friends and Family
Friends and Family was about the family members of the residents of Dr. Drew's rehab center participating in individual and group therapy. Dr. Drew managed to get everyone to invite at least one member of their family but he was concerned that Joanie "Chyna Doll" Laurer didn't seem to have anyone to call. He wanted her to call her sister and repair their relationship about which we know nothing. But Joanie's adamant refusal to call her was very telling.

The whole idea behind counseling friends and family is to make sure everyone in rehab has a support system in place when they go home. We met everyone's families.

We were privy to a private counselling session between Seth Binzer and his wife. She seemed very stable when she expressed her wished to divorce Seth if he couldn't clean up his act. For all his tattooes and strange hair and general gruff exterior he seemed very fragile in that session. You could see he loved his wife and that her opinion means the world to him. Apparently living with him is very scary especially when he's stoned or looking to buy some drugs. He wants to clean up his act for his son - it was nice to see Seth swimming in the pool with his kid. He looked like a big kid himself. Their son's name is Halo. No comment.

We also met Mary Carrey's mother who survived jumping off a building. Turns out her mother is mentally ill. Mary explained how she made a deal with God to get well if her mother survived her injuries and they shared a warm hug. Her mother expressed great pride and joy in Mary's efforts and Dr. Drew admired Mary for being so patient and caring with her mom. Mary is now my favorite personality on the show.

Outside by the pool, Dr. Drew and a family therapist participated in a huge group meeting with all interested parties.

Brigitte Neilsen's husband and sons came to visit. She had to translate everything they said from Italian to English. Turns out the boys knew all along about their mother's drinking problem and were collectively glad that she was receiving help for her problems. Her husband was lovely and supportive and explained to the group in broken English how much he loves Brigitte and how he hopes she'll be okay in the long run.

With the support of her father, Jessica Sierra's sister told her and the group how scary life was when Jessica lived with her and her son. And with the group's support, Barry Williams told Chyna how embarrassed he was the one time she ran up on stage with him while he was performing. Barry Williams showed up out of nowhere. With no explanation he started speaking to and about Chyna. Very weird. We have no idea at all why he was there.

We also got to see that Jaimee Foxworth has a lot of family ready, willing and able to help her with her problem. But the show still hasn't focused on her too much. Except for when she's told off Jeff Conaway. As I mentioned ealier, at the top of the show, Jeff Conaway was blathering on again about how he wants to leave rehab and he started lashing out at everyone around him. She stood up to him and told him off in the nicest way possible. She's a likeable lady and I hope she gets over her long term pot addiction very soon. I'm guessing, she'll be one of the more successful rehabbers judging by how much family showed up.

At the end of the group meeting, Jeff Conaway's girlfriend Vicki showed up. He mentioned in their session that Vicki brought vodka into rehab and she responded with "You told me too." She then went on to explain that Jeff wanted her to be drunk when she visited so Dr. Drew could invite her to live at the rehab center so he wouldn't be so lonely. He must have because he responded that he was only kidding when he said that.

But Dr. Drew learned that Vicki might really have a drinking problem and may be in need of rehab herself. Apparently, she needs to drink just to get by sometimes and on occassion drinks to help her migraines. She seems to think that keeping alcohol in the house won't be a problem after Jeff comes home. Because for her, his problem is drug related and not alcohol related. Dr. Drew made it clear that all alcohol and drugs must be removed from their house. But I don't think his message got through. As long as Jeff stays with Vicki, he'll never get better. From everything I've seen, she's just absolutely the worst, most enabling person he could have in his life. She a psycho sycophant.

Family Dinner
The episode ended at a restaurant where our rehabbers prepared and served dinner for their friends and family. According to Dr. Drew, there is some therapeutic value in serving others. I'm not exactly clear what it is, although I can see how the rehabbers might find it enabling to know they can care for themselves as well as others. Maybe that's what Dr. Drew meant.

Brigitte Neilsen had a hard time because the restaurant had a full bar and she got deeply depressed but she pulled herself out of it. Jeff Conaway fell asleep cutting tomatoes. Everyone seemed to thrive in the environment and it seemed like everybody had a good time.

La Vie En Rose

Jon and I just watched the French movie about Edith Piaf. I can't believe this movie wasn't nominated for Best Foreign Language film. I'll be rooting for Marion Cotillard to win best actress. The movie was unbelievably good. I cried from beginning to end. Edith Piaf's life was so tragic, it was hard not to cry.

Buy a box of tissues and watch this movie.

Xanadu

I'm working at Xanadu this weekend which is now playing at the Helen Hayes theater. I was happy to see that Cheyenne Jackson is still in the lead. He may have actually gotten better looking in the months since I've worked the show. But not only is he good looking, he's a super great singer as well. It's almost unfair that he is both that good looking and that talented but he's so likeable as a performer it's impossible to hate him. Kerry Butler continues to amaze as the muse Clio. Talk about great singers, she has the prettiest voice. And she's funny and campy and delightful to watch. Cheyenne and Kerry have a great romantic chemistry on stage that seems to have gotten even better. They work well together and they're adorable of course. As a whole, there have been subtle but apparent improvements in the show. The humor seems to flow more naturally and everybody's timing is a lot tighter.

See a Broadway Show
This time of year is slow for Broadway. If you're thinking about seeing Xanadu and in you're in the local area, now is the time to see the show. Today's matinee was only 70% full. The same holds true for many Broadway shows. If the show you want to see was sold out over the holidays, you may be able to get a decent seat in February.

Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew - Baldwin Quits

Episodes 1 - 3
The story lines were pretty much the same. We met the celebrities and learned why they were there. The strongest narrative came from Jeff Conaway, who suffered greatly during his first few days of withdrawal. Everyone at the rehab facility seemed very concerned for him and behaved very supportively. Daniel Baldwin was the most supportive. After Conaway returned from the hospital, Daniel Baldwin called Conaway out for having drugs in his pants pocket. Daniel found this a threat to his sobriety. He upset Conaway so much, that he rose out of his wheelchair long enough to deliver a physical threat against Baldwin before falling down again in pain. Even after that incident, Baldwin's support continued. He helped talk Conaway OUT of quitting the rehab facility which he so obviously needed.

He not only gave support to Jeff Conaway but to other members of the group as well. For Jessica Sierra, fallen American Idol contestant, he served as a surrogate father. And for the group, he always had helpful words because he came into the situation already sober and wanting to help those who had not yet seen the light. He seemed earnest in his belief that his presence among the broken celebrities would not only serve to strengthen his own sobriety but he himself would bring to the group, the wisdom that comes with age and experience.

Episode 4
Daniel Baldwin quit therapy, citing a BBQ as the reason. Earlier in the episode, we learned that Daniel and Mary were sending text messages back and forth. And we saw him telling her before group one morning, to destroy those messages. But back to his excuse for quitting. Dr. Drew allowed his patients a BBQ with friends and family as a reward for their hard work. At the BBQ, Seth Binzer's girlfriend/wife/baby's momma jumped into the pool with Jessica and Mary. When their t-shirts got wet, this proved too tittilating for Baldwin. He retreated to his room and promptly called his wife to tell her the temptation was weakening him. And then he called his sponsor and his agent so they could get him out of a situation that was "no longer condusive to his sobriety."

At 1 am, Drew Pinsky called a group meeting so Daniel Baldwin could explain to the group why he was leaving. He left a trail of disappointed friends in his wake. Jessica Sierra felt abandoned by her surrogate father, and to tell you the truth, I'm not really sure how the others felt. I'm only guessing they were disappointed. It's entirely possible that they were relieved that he left because in the end, it was starting to become ALL ABOUT him instead of all about everybody else.

Episode 5
Dr. Pinsky had to deal with the fallout of Daniel's leaving. He knew something wasn't right about what happened.

Mary Carey
Dr. Drew learned from Mary Carey, in a private session with him and a therapist that deals with former porn stars in recovery, that Daniel was communicating inappropriately with Mary. She felt guilty about Daniel leaving because she felt responsible for his sexual feelings towards her. Dr. Pinksy complimented her for her insight into Daniel's behavior. He also noticed that her outward appearance had changed over night. While Daniel was there, she was dressing in a more suggestive, sexy manner. But starting with the morning after, she was wearing a dowdy sweatshirt that covered up her enormous boobs. In that therapy session, Dr. Pinksy told Mary that he signed her up for a ballet class, because before going into porn, she was going to be a ballerina.

Before group, at breakfast, everybody learned about Daniel's messages and Mary received a lot of support. And everybody reacted differently. Generally, everyone felt that Daniel took advantage of the much younger porn star. Everyone that is except ultimate fighting champion Ricco Rodriguez, who believes that both should share the blame for the irresponsible communications. While everyone else in group therapy demonized Daniel Baldwin, Ricco took a more objective approach, reminding the group that Mary is almost thirty years old and not a child easily taken advantage of. Later in the episode, Mary took a break from all the drama at the facility. This segment made me cry a little bit. Mary expressed to the teacher and ultimately to the cameras, how much dancing meant to her. And I could see it as I watched her. If it hadn't been for that extra bone in her ankle, she probably could have been a very good dancer.

Jeff Conaway
Jeff Conaway's girlfriend brought an alcohol laden drink into rehab. He kicked her out and then called her later to yell at her. How she could do that to him was the jist of the call. He yelled at her for bringing alcohol into his treatment center because he is afterall an alcoholic that is trying to get better. The whole incident seemed a little staged to me. According to the coming attractions for next week's show, we'll learn more about what happened. If it wasn't staged, we should all be proud of him for owning his sobriety like that. And if it wasn't staged, there could be hope for him.

Golf Outing
Episode 5 ended on a golf course somewhere in California, where our broken celebrities spent the afternoon having fun and bonding. Dr. Drew provided exploding golf balls as part of the afternoons festivities, which led to light hearted antics and good natured goofing about their more serious drug problems. At the end of the outing, Jeff Conaway presented everyone with a big golf trophy that the members of the group will pass to each other every time they meet for lunch.

I can't wait to see what happens next.

Nutritionist Update

Goal
I saw the nutritionist today. My results were better than last time. Last month, I'd lost 3 pounds and change, almost 4. I was upset because I'd set a goal of five pounds and didn't quite make it.

But today was different. Not only did I lose 5 pounds, but I lost 5.6 pounds. That means I'm down over 20 pounds in total. I was so excited I didn't even get the specifics with regard to my BMI and body fat percentage.

Checking In
At today's meeting, the nutritionist and I discussed the difference between contemplation and commitment. The nutritionist explained how frustrating her job is sometimes because she meets people contemplating weight loss without being ready to commit.

My friend B asked me later in the day how I felt about my new style of eating and I told her that it's not something I think about. It's just something I'm doing. It's just how things are. I'm completely committed to losing weight. My new habits are ingrained. I don't really have to think about my diet beyond paying attention to my food counts.

Clothes Shopping
I'm excited at the prospect of being able to shop in stores that DON'T have special sections for people who wear larger sizes. I've been contemplating going clothes shopping - a lot actually - but I'm not yet committed to that idea. It still makes me angry that larger runs of clothing that I like are almost impossible to find. And don't get me started about Macy's. If you want to buy plus size clothing at Macy's you have to go all the way to the 8th or 9th floor. At Lord & Taylor it's the same thing. Lane Bryant has great clothes but I always have the same problem with their shirts - too much of a seam allowance in the chest because the assumption is that if you wear a larger size you have a larger chest.

Anyway, I'm not quite ready to deal with all that yet. I know I'm rambling. Issues relating to weight loss and self worth are serious. And almost everyone deals with self esteem issues at some point or the other if not daily.

I worry that a negative experience clothes shopping will undo the small gains I've made toward recapturing the self confidence I had when I was thinner. Not that self confidence comes from weight but you know what I mean, right? What I mean is I'm starting to feel better about myself again.

Me doing laundry

Persepolis

Jon and I saw Persepolis yesterday at the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas. It's a French film based on the graphic novels by Marjane Satrapi about her life as an Iranian. Compelling.

She's a great story teller and the animation is beautiful.

Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew

I'm four episodes into the show and I've decided that it's definitely worthy of a weekly writeup. The premise is pretty basic. Several wrecked celebrities have enrolled in a rehab program run by celebrity doctor, Drew Pinski. I don't want this post to overwhelm so I'll start simply with the basics.

Here's a list of the celebrities participating thus far with a brief history.

1.Jeff Conaway - best remembered for his role as Kenickie in Grease, he is also remembered for playing out of work actor Bobby Wheeler on the TV show Taxi. If you look at his resume, he's worked a lot in both film and on television. But his most recent appearances on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club proved to be the most revealing. It was on Celebrity Fit Club that TV audiences learned how far his health has deteriorated. Not only did he appear bloated and out of shape but it was apparent he was dangerously medicated. While all the other celebrities have serious problems, without a doubt he is the most heavily damaged celebrity on the show in terms of drug years.

2. Brigitte Nielsen - Remember how gorgeous she was? She had a few good years in film. She starred in Red Sonja with Arnold Schwarzenegger; she played a villain like person in Rocky IV and she had a good part alongside then husband Sylvester Stallone in that forgettable movie Cobra (which starred an actor who looked a an awful lot like Schwarzenegger but then ended up dying in the end because he was a bad guy). She disappeared for a while but VH1 found her for Surreal Life and stuck her in a house with some other forgotten celebrities.

Thanks to this show, we were able to see how far her looks and health have declined, thanks to alcohol. While appearing on the Surreal Life, she had a drunken affair with Flavor Flav which was followed by VH1's Strange Love. Now, thanks to VH1, perhaps she'll be able to sober up and stop appearing drunk on VH1. It's hard to believe she's only four years older than me. Drinking has caused her to age badly.

3.Daniel Baldwin - This guy is famous for being a mess. He's probably best remembered for being the Baldwin brother with the most problems but I like to remember him from Homocide:Life on the Street. While doing research on him for this post (two minutes on Wikipedia), I learned that he also participated in VH1's Celebrity Fit Club. He's been in and out of trouble for years because of his drug problems. And he joined Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew to help reinforce 9 months of recent sobriety. Unlike the other participants he was sober when he walked through the front door.

The above three people are perhaps the three you would consider celebrities. The others are famous, if you happen to be fans of the specific genre where they excel; a porn star; a rock star; a would be singing star; a wrestler; a former child star; and an ultimate fighter.

Let's start with the porn star.

4. Mary Carey - doesn't want to do porn anymore. She's learning it's not healthy for her and is a gateway to other bad behavior like drinking and doing drugs. When she arrived at rehab, the staff removed all her porn and sex toys when going through her belongings. I think she's interesting. She's certainly not stupid and she doesn't possess a mean bone in her body. Also, she ran for governor of California during the recall election. You may recall that Schwarzenegger won that election. (Perhaps Schwarzenegger is the gateway).

5. Seth Binzer - He is the lead singer of Crazy Town, whose one big hit I've heard but couldn't sing back to you. He's pretty messed up. In the first episode, we watched a home video of a typical night out for Seth which included an intimate closeup of Seth smoking from a crack pipe. He's a good looking guy with a great singing voice and a serious addiction problem. And yes ladies - he's Jewish - which I found surprising because he is covered with tattooes. But according to his myspace page, he's married. So. You'll just to wait his marriage out before trying to hook up with the hot Jewish rock star. Oh and you'll have to wait until he sobers up because you probably don't want a crack addicted boyfriend, even with the shortage of available and exceedingly hot Jewish men.

6. Jessica Sierra - is the least famous person on the show. She had a brief moment in the spotlight as a contestant on American Idol but only became a headliner when she got arrested for something or the other having to do with drugs. She's very young and very sad. Her mother was a drug addict whose bad behavior left Jessica emotionally scarred and ill prepared for the world. The kid is a mess but like Mary Carey, she's very sweet and seemingly good natured. For me, watching her is like watching Britney Spears in rehab by proxy. And I'm sure it's no accident the producers put a young blond singer on the show. Pretty smart move on their part. I'm hopeful that she succeeds and achieves sobriety in this bizarre environment.

7. Joan Marie Laurer - aka Chyna Doll - formerly a wrestler with the WWF. She also starred on a season of Surreal Life and became good friends with Brigitte Nielsen on Surreal Life Games. (I have not seen any of these shows but somehow I know a lot about them). Chyna does not seem to be addicted to anything. I'm not quite sure why she is in rehab. While she's not exhibiting drug seeking behavior, she is definitely exhibiting attention seeking behavior. Not to say that she doesn't need therapy or counseling but I'm not exactly sure she needs rehabilitation. Maybe VH1 felt like they owed her one for all the ratings she generated by being on their programs.

8. Jaimee Foxworth - she was the little girl on Family Matters. I don't know much about her except that she's seriously addicted to marijuana. And she seems very nice. Even though she says she's got this really bad problem, she seems to have more control over her life than all the other celebrities.

9.Ricco Rodriguez - is either a cage fighter, a mixed martial arts fighter or an ulitmate fighter. This guy definitely needs to be in rehab. He's got real problems. His problems with drugs are so bad that the courts took away his kid away not only him, but from his baby's drug addicted mama as well. I think the producers knew that either Jeff Conaway or Daniel Baldwin was going to leave the show, so they brought in another guy in episode 3 to fill a potential void. Daniel ended up leaving the facility in episode 4.

I think that's everybody. And now that you know who everyone is, I can write about the show freely without having to explain everyone's background each and every time. I'll provide links back to this post in my future recaps.

Notorious New Jersey:100 True Tales of Murders and Mobsters, Scandals and Scoundrels

“Notorious New Jersey” by Jon Blackwell is the defininitive guide to murder, mayhem, the mob, and corruption in the Garden State. With tabloid punch, Jon Blackwell tells riveting accounts of Alexander Hamilton falling mortally wounded on the dueling grounds of Weehawken; Dutch Schultz getting pumped full of lead in the men’s room of the Palace Chop House in Newark; and a gang of Islamic terrorists in Jersey City mixing the witch’s brew of explosives that became the first bomb to the rock the World Trade Center.

Blackwell also sheds light on some historical whodunits - was Bruno Hauptmann really guilty of kidnapping the Lindbergh baby? Who was behind the anthrax attacks of 2001? Not forgotten either are notorious characters who may actually be innocent, including Hurricane Carter.
Through 100 historic true crime tales that span over 300 years of history, Blackwell shows readers a side of New Jersey that would make even the Sopranos shudder.

Online Jeopardy Contestant Test - Part II

THREE THINGS

1. I found an unofficial transcript of the test online and determined that I answered 30 out of 50 questions correctly.
2. Since I posted this I've edited out any answers that would allow people to prepare in advance for the next two tests just in case the test for Mountain and Pacific are the same as the East coast. I did this because a lot of people have been googling around for the test and it's only fair that they have as little advantage as the East coast people did.
3. I'll post a link to the unofficial transcript when the test is finished.

===================================
I guess I did okay on the test. Not as good as some but maybe better than others. I probably finished somwhere right in the middle.

There I things I just didn't know, like the country where a famous politician's alleged cousin speaks out against the government or the name of a particular Shakespeare play or the name of a rap artist who won a bunch of awards. I left all three of those answers blank.

There are things I forgot which make me want to kick myself like who created an important artwork in the MOMA, a state capital and an international capital. I knew all three of those answers but went completely blank.

And then there are the one or two answers that I just got plain wrong. For example it was what's his face and not BLANK who directed a recent film. I guessed an architect instead of a furniture designer as someone who desiged a significant piece of furniture. And I totally blew the Sherlock Holmes question.

Then there are things I DID know.

I knew the answers to the questions relating to American politics; the four letter word that means a certain kind of horse; the author of two ancient literary works; someone who recently won a Tony for best actress; an important Oscar winner; and a few others that really surprised me.

After discussing my answers with the two people whose intelligence I admire most in the world, I think I stand as good a chance as anybody else that took the test tonight of getting a personal audition.

Taking the test was exciting. You should definitely sign up to take it. There are more online tests coming up for the Mountain and Pacific time zones. There is no reason why you can't take them.

As a matter of fact, here is what it says on the Jeopardy website. " We strongly encourage you to take the test in your own time zone. However, you may take the test on another night depending on the demands of your schedule. Remember: you may only log in and take the test once. Subsequent attempts will result in disqualification".

Just be mindful of the time difference when signing in.

Jeopardy Online Contestant Test

In about 13 minutes, I'm taking the Online Contestant test for Jeopardy. It's the first of several steps toward becoming a contesant on the show.

We'll see how I do. I'll let you know.

Neighborhood News?

Last night, when I left for work use, there was an ABC News van in front of my building. This morning, when I woke up, there was a news van in front the building across from us. Now, when I looked outside, there is a small contingency of photographers hanging out in front of the building across the street. And I'm pretty sure, I can hear a van idling.

I can't imagine what is going that would warrant this kind of attention. I thought maybe Heath Ledger's household help might live nearby and people are waiting for some kind of statement from either his masseuse or his housekeeper. That is based purely on my imagination and the inevitable news feeding frenzy that follows a young celebrity's death.

There's all this gossip now based on why the masseuse did or didn't call 9-1-1 right away regarding Heath Ledger's deep sleep. I don't want to contribute to the gossip.

I'm just sad for his family.

Heath Ledger Dead?

I just heard a news report on ABC that 28 year old Heath Ledger was found dead in a Manhattan residence. He was found by a housekeeper, surrounded by sleeping pills.

Amazing Race

Last night, I watched the season finale of the Amazing Race.

Fueled by adrenaline and good vibes, TK & Rachel floated onto the mat where Phil K. and the previously eliminated contestants awaited. In the end, they both said that they were most happy that their relationship grew while they were on the race without ever mentioning their joy at winning $1 million. I guess it's possible that they are more into their relationship they money but it's more likely that the news of their huge winfall hadn't yet sunk in.

It would have been satisfying to see any of the three remaining teams win. They were all inherently likeable.

Ron and Christina Hsu - the father and daughter team - were smart and worked well together. Additionally, I enjoyed watching their relationship grow. It's nice to see fathers and daugthers in healthy-ish adult relationships. Between the two of them, Christine was the stronger player. Throughout the race, she managed to pick up important words from what ever language was spoken in which ever country they were racing. And she was level headed even when her father was saying things to her that could have been construed as mean. Confidence is appealing and I'm glad I got to watch her succeed. It was inspring.

Nicholas Fulks and Donald Jarousek - the grandson and grandfather team - were intelligent and tenacious. I couldn't help but think about my own grandfather, who has long since passed away (may he rest in peace), and how much fun it would have been to have some kind of adventure with him. Unfortunately, that's more of a regretful fantasy, because with our lives the way they were, we never would have had that kind of opportunity. There always seemed to be other people getting in the way of our own one on one relationship - like my grandmother, or my cousins, or any other family member with whom I had to share my grandfather's love. Anyway, that's what I think about when I think about Nicholas and Donald.

Regarding TK and Rachel - the couple that is newly dating - they were exactly the kind of team you want to win the Amazing Race. Very often it's an annoying couple like Jennifer and Nathan who win but not this year!! This year three likeable couples made it to the end and TK and Rachel were the most likeable of the three. They had great attitudes. And they always behaved kindly to each other. They're sweet people.

Congratulations TK and Rachel. I hope you remain together and enjoy life and your great reward!!

Afterthought

I do wish that Kynt and Vyxsin had won because I really liked them. They were interesting and really nice to each other as well. They were just so directionally challenged. I'm sure they were fan favorites and if Amazing Race does another fan favorite show, they will certainly be included.

Design Your Own Band And Album Cover

I discovered at this neat idea at the DSO website. It's a step by step guide to designing your own album cover.

1. Use the random Wikipedia article feature — the title of the article that appears is the name of the band.
2. The name of the album is the last four words of the last quote on the random quotes page at Quotations.com.
3. For the cover art, use the third image that appears when you visit Flickr’s interesting photos for the last 7 days.

Here's what I came up with. Of course, I made the same mistake he did and I forgot give credit to the photographer. I've had no luck finding the image again. But if this is your photo, please contact me so I can give you credit for your amazing work.

This is a fun project, but please remember to give credit to the photographer.

Broadway Update

I'm working at The Lion King this week at the Minskoff. The Minskoff has a great lobby with a 180 degree (give or take a few degress) view of Times Square. So I took several pictures of myself with the northerly view in the background. You might be wondering why I wasn't inside watching the show. Well, aside from the fact that I've seen it at least 10 times, I just don't like the show.

I did noticed something interesting this week. The Lion King is loyal to its dancers and several of the performers have been in the NY production since the beginning. But several of those performers are losing their dancerly forms. In other words, some of the male dancers have gotten a little pudgy. It's pretty distracting.

I don't mind regular bodies but then again, people with regular bodies don't walk around in spandex. Now, interestingly enough, the female dancers all look to be in decent shape. But the guys. Some of the guys have really let themselves go.

There's a scene in Act II where the dancers perform to Can You Feel the Love Tonight. The setting is a wild garden. And several dancers are dressed up to look like wild plants. There's one guy in particular, up stage and center posing like an exotic plant, with arms stretched out to either side and his big belly hanging out. There's also a pas de deux with two dancers who have definitely put on some weight since the last time I saw the show.

I know my critique is harsh. I've been struggling with my weight for years, but then again, I'm not a dancer on Broadway. If I were, I'd be mindful to stay in shape. Of course, this is not ALL the dancers - just a few. I guess it's possible that DISNEY could be making some kind of statement about body image and healthy weights, etcetera. But I think it's more likely that the dancers are locked into really, really good contracts and DISNEY would get rid of them if they could.

Don't go by what I say about the Lion King. I don't like the show which doesn't mean it's bad. I don't have a kid and I'm not or have ever really been a big fan of Disney. This is just my opinion. If you have a kid that can sit still for almost 3 hours, by all means, take that kid to see this show. In terms of family friendliness and production value, you can't beat the Lion King with a stick.

The moral of this anecdote is that if you are a dancer, get a job with the Lion King. You'll have a job for life.

877-393-4-4-4-8!!!!

This is my favorite commercial. It works. Once you hear the song, it stays in your head all day. And it's a good song too, which helps. Who wants a bad song stuck in their head? I certainly don't. The commitment level to the theme is to be admired. Choreography and costumes should not be ignored either. Watch it and let me know what you think.

Spam Spam Spam

Have you seen the spam website?



Make sure you click on everybody.

Wile E. Chayote

Someone told me a while ago that they were asked to buy chayote for someone, and explained that they had never heard of it. It wasn't something with which I was familiar, before moving into this neighborhood. Even though I've seen it for the last 11 years or so, I've never eaten it.

When you start increasing your vegetable intake, the tried and true veggies with which we are all familiar start to get a little boring. So, on our last shopping trip I decided it was time we try it. I bought two chayotes not even knowing whether it was a fruit or a vegetable.

Got home. Looked it up on wikipedia. Found out that chayote is a squash. And I looked up some recipes. And of all the interesting recipes I found, I ended up using the recipe with which I was most familiar. I sauteed onion with tomatoes for 5 minutes and then added some peeled and chopped chayote. It's pretty much how I cook zucchini or string beans or most vegetables if I want to do something other than grill them or steam them or stick them in a soup.

I learned that chayote doesn't have much flavor as it picked up all the other flavors from the pan. Although, I did notice that the seedy part of the plant had a nutty bit of flavor.
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Let's Hear It For Bok Choy
Also picked up some bok choy. I've eaten bok choy before -and I know this is completely unremarkable - but I've never cooked it.

You may be wondering how I prepared it. You may be asking yourself,"Self. How daring could Valerie be with bok choy?" Well. I'll tell you.

I found a recipe that suggested cooking the bok choy with some ginger. Actually, I'll share with you right now, what I saw when I read this recipe.

chop one blah
add some blah
blah blah blah ginger
blah vinegar blah

I fell back on my standard chopped and sauteed onion. But then I chopped up some garlic with some ginger. I let those ingredients sweat in the pan before I added some boneless skinless chicken thighs. I browned the chicken in the pot and then I set it up to braise by adding just enough water and vinegar to cover it. Once that cooked for about 10 minutes, I added the chopped bok choy. With the pot covered, everything cooked together nicely for 30 minutes.

Now I know that you know that bok choy is Chinese cabbage, so I was expecting that the taste would be similar to the kind of cabbage you might use for sauerkraut or coleslaw. WRONG. It had a really interesting licorice type flavor that I wasn't expecting.

I served it with some pasta and the dish turned out way better than I thought it would. I'm not being fair to myself. I had no expectation as to how the dish was going to turn out. But I was pleased in the end.

A Bronx Tale

Last week, I worked at A Bronx Tale which is playing at the Walter Kerr Theater. A Bronx Tale is written and performed by Chazz Palminteri. If I had to describe his show and his performance with two words, those words would be SURPRISINGLY GOOD. I was skeptical going in. How many one person shows have you seen that are actually good?

He tells the story of someone's life - I imagine his own - and it's very entertaining. In 1993 Robert Deniro made his directorial debut with this story. I watched and enjoyed it, never knowing that it was based on the play by Chazz Palminteri. As much as I liked the movie, I never really thought it was GREAT.

That's what was in my head before seeing the play. That's why, no disrespect to Mr. Palminteri, I was so surprised that it was such an amazing work. He doesn't play all the characters as much as he tells stories through their voices. The characters are colorful, scary and interesting. Apparently young Chazz Palminteri lived in a dicey neighborhood with a strong Italian American criminal presence. The strongest of those criminals, Sonny battles with his hardworking busdriving father for the soul of his younger Chazz self. It's an insightful, moving piece.

I recommend you see it before it closes. It's only running into February and it's not selling out, so you should be able to purchase a decent seat.

Nutritionist Update

I promised you an update from the nutritionist and an update is what you'll get. I weighed in. And I was disappointed with the results. Even though the doctor said the results were good. I almost lost 4 pounds since my last visit. Almost. Not quite a full four. Which means I've lost almost 16 pounds since I started with her in October.

My personal goal for the month was 5 pounds. But I didn't quite get there. I know I should be happy that my weight continues to decrease; that by BMI is now less than 30 as opposed to being more than 30; and that my body fat percentage has gone down from 43.9% to 41.5%. The nutritionist has explained to me at every session that this number takes the longest to change, that to lose body fat takes a long time. But I can't help it. My body fat percentage is supposed to between 23 and 33 per cent. At the rate I'm going, it'll take me forever to get into a healthy range.

But she says I am right on schedule and I have to listen to her. I believe when she tells me these things. But the heart wants what the heart wants and I want to be thinner now - well much thinner anyway.

It's good that I'm seeing her because she understands the psychology behind weight issues. I never thought I needed a counselor to help me with my weight but it turns out I do.

For example, I explained to her that I've been enjoying wearing my loose clothing - that I resist buying new, better fitting clothing. She advised me to stop doing this and to just wear clothes that fit, otherwise I'll have a harder time judging my body size and I might get too comfortable at the weight that I'm at.

Every issue I bring up is something that she's heard before. And she knows exactly why I'm thinking and feeling everything that I'm thinking and feeling. She knows exactly what to say to set me straight. It is so satisfying to speak with someone who knows their job that well.

If you are thinking about pursuing a weight loss program, I strongly recommend seeing this woman.

A Beautiful Day

Dear Reader: If you are not interested in the mundane details of my daily life, then you might find this post a little boring. Consider yourself warned.
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The weather is unseasonably warm and wonderful. Yesterday, it was so lovely that I walked from my dermatologist's office on 86th down to Columbus Circle where I visited the Time Warner Center. On the way down, I ran into a friend I hadn't seen a very long time (hi friend!) and learned he's doing very well after getting a well deserved promotion about a year ago. Once I arrived at the Time Warner Center, I went up to Borders Books to say hi to a friend (hi friend!) that works there. Then I went downstairs to Wholefoods to find some golden beets and red beets.

When I got home, I stuck my beets in the oven for some slow roasting and started preparing lunch. Along with the beets I'd also bought a pound of shelled and de-veined shrimp which I sauteed in (I can't believe I'm telling you this) Mazola non-stick butter flavored spray. I also made some pasta as a side dish. It was great lunch.

I kind of phoned it in for dinner. For dinner I steamed broccoli, prepared some brown rice and cooked up a lite Hillshire Farm sausage. Even though it was low-fat it still contained quite a bit of fat. 4 oz. of that sausage used up 4 of my 5 fat counts for the day. Fortunately I hadn't had any fat during the day so that was okay.

With regard to my diet, I'm down 16 pounds and I'm seeing the doctor on Thursday. Depending the results, I may divulge more specific information about my weight loss, including my starting weight and body fat percentage.

That's all for now.

Personality

I saw this on my friend's blog. And instantly wanted to post one on my blog too. At some point I've wanted to be or have been a number of professions on the list.

Career Inventory Test Results Extroversion 50% Emotional Stability 56% Orderliness 66% Altruism 63% Inquisitiveness 73% You are a Guide, possible professions include - career counselor, psychologist, educational consultant, special education teacher, librarian, artist, playwright, novelist/poet, editor/art director, information-graphics, designer, HRM manager, merchandise planner, environmental lawyer, marketer, job analyst, mental health counselor, dietitian/nutritionist, research, educational consultant, architects, interpreter/translator.

Take Free Career Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Tropical Oasis

The day of New Year's Eve, Jon and I went to the Central Park Zoo. Our first stop was the Rain forest building. I was looking over some pictures from that trip earlier and thought how wonderful to have these memories on a freezing cold day like today.




It was a fun day. We also went to the Children's Zoo where we saw this beautiful snow white rabbit.


And Jon got this great shot of an Alpaca at the petting zoo. I later went on to the feel the alpaca.

America's Most Smartest Model - Finale

It's time for the long overdue finale recap that I promised you but unfortunately, I no longer have an episode from which to pull the information to write a thoroughly entertaining synopsis.

Two nights ago, I went through the shows we've been saving on DVR to make sure I had room to save the various episodes I wanted to grab from the Twilight Zone Marathon. I discarded the AMSM finale because I figured I'd be able to watch it on the VH1 website. Boy was I wrong. I just checked the site and it's no longer available. Grumble.

My memory of the episode is spotty at best but I can give you a few highlights.

As you may recall, the two remaining models Andre Birleanu and VJ Logan had to create presentations defending why they should be America's Most Smartest Model.

The strongest point of VJ's presentation happened when he compared Andre to a Rottweiler. The judges seemed impressed at his ability to find a stock photo of a growling dog. He also apparently overcame some kind of problem with the audio on his presentation.

The strongest point of Andre's presentation was when fan favorite Jeff Pickel, previous contestant, spoke on Andre's behalf. Unfortunately, Andre became impatient and interrupted Pickel. He couldn't help himself and ultimately sabotaged himself.

In the end, VJ was chosen the winner. But the life winner is definitely Andre. He was smart enough to hire someone to set up a beautiful website that fully takes advantage of the fact that he received tons of free exposure by being on the show. VJ Logan has yet to set one up. That's just one example.

Another example - Andre isn't that good looking but he works it. That takes some kind of talent or smarts to convince people that they should hire your ugly ass to model their ridiculously fashionable and unwearable clothes. VJ is good looking already. It won't be THAT hard for him to convince people he's handsome.

But being that Andre is 29 and probably at the end of his modeling career it made sense, from a financial perspective, to award the $100,000 prize to the 21 year old at the beginning of his career.

It does make sense if you look at it that way.

But Andre was definitely the best and smartest model of that group.

Happy New Year!!!

Spring Awakening - Bitch of Living

I've seen Spring Awakening enough times now, that I don't LOVE it anymore, although it has one or two numbers that still interest me, particularly this one. The number explains teen sexual angst very nicely. (Two celebrity spottings last night - Tara Lipinsky and Tom Hulce. )

Almost a New Year

The year is almost over and any resolutions that I was going to make coming 2008, I already made in the fall when I turned 40; not that I make resolutions anyway. I believe that if you're planning on making some kind of change in your life, you should do it as soon as possible. If that coincides with the new year then so be it. My changes coincided with my 40th birthday.

I guess what I am saying is that people shouldn't wait until a new year is looming to examine their lives. That should be an ongoing process. You should be asking yourself what you can be doing to be the best-possible-you on some kind of regular basis. And if you're happy with who you are then more power to you.

I realized I needed to lose weight after seeing myself looking hefty in some photos. Of course, I am always aware of my weight and how I look but for some reason, those particular photos told me that I needed to make a change. Forget the new year.

I also decided that this is my 40th year is when I get my driver's license back. Several years ago, I let it lapse. I have a new learner's permit and all that remains is my attendance at one of those five hour courses and of course, the driver's test. That's another promise I made to myself several months back.

For me, these small changes are about regaining control of those parts of my life that I've let slide over the years. I know for a lot of people the new year is a time for reflection. If that's what you need, then so be it. Think about those little changes you can make that will contribute to your general sense of well being.

Okay. Now I can't help it. Now I'm thinking about making new year's resolutions in spite of what I expressed at the top of this post.

What do you think? What are your resolutions going to be? I'd like to know.

Happy Boxing Day!

Is Boxing Day non-denominational?

The week following Jon's signing was interesting. I worked a new show call The Homecoming over at the Cort Theater - a play by Harold Pinter first produced in 1967, the year I was born. It's a 40 year old play. And it's a creepy play, a truly creepy play. It probably is a good play. Ben Brantley of New York Times fame thinks it's held up well over the decades and specifially because it's designed to make audiences feel uneasy. It makes me feel a little too uneasy. Besides, I find some of the performances outright boring. Perhaps with other actors the play would move more quickly - oh no that's right. Pinter is famous for his long uncomfortable pauses. In the wrong hands, they just make actors look crazy.

The last night I was there I saw the actor who played the hunchback in The Name of The Rose (pictured below). He also played Hellboy in the film of the same title, and a small part on one of my favorite shows of the past, Charmed. In fact, when you look at his IMDB page, you'll see he's been working almost constantly since the 80's. But I'll always remember him best as Salvatore, the Hunchback.


Jon's parents came down for the holiday weekend. We had quite a few nice meals. Saturday night we had dinner at Muglhai on Columbus Ave and 75th Street. We went to Opa! here in Astoria for a late lunch on Sunday. And on Monday night we supped at Dae Dong on 32nd Street. I think their lunch service tastes better than their dinner service but the food was good enough I guess. If you haven't had Korean food, definitely get thee to 32nd Street between 6th and 5th Avenues for a treat. Looking back, I should have suggested a different restaurant.

It was a good visit and a good week overall.

I started a new work cycle last night over at the Eugene O'Neil theater for a week of Spring Awakening. John Gallagher Jr., who won the Best Featured Actor Tony for playing Moritz, has been replaced by Blake Bashoff, seen most recently on Lost as Karl. He's doing a decent job, but no one can really replace Gallagher.

Book Signing at Borders in Bridgewater

Jon had his first booksigning last night at the Borders in Bridgewater, NJ. It went very well. It was kind of surreal. As Jon read excerpts from his book the crowd grew from 8 people to 12 people and several bought books to get them signed by Jon. The Borders in Bridgewater, NJ sold out of Jon's book as a result. It was pretty cool.



I was very proud of Jon. He read two excerpts from his book - the Hall-Mills murder and the story about the Radium girls. The Radium girls were crippled or died from exposure to radiation at the factory where they were employed to paint watch dials. It's a culturally significant case because their law suit helped to establish many labor laws we have now to protect workers from the hazards of their jobs. The Hall-Mills murder is a spectacular murder mystery about the death of a priest and a young girl from his choir. But it is also an early example of police losing control of a crime scene with negative long term results.

I would tell you more but then you wouldn't have a reason to buy Jon's book which you should do of course.

America's Most Smartest Model - Final Recap - Part I

The finale of America's Most Smartest Model aired December 16, 2007 at 9pm est. The final contestants, Andre Birleanu and VJ Logan were asked to make a multimedia presentation about why either one deserved to win the title of AMSM. But before I get into that, I wanted to give a brief summary of the episode that preceeded the finale.
====================
Episode 10
Andre, VJ and Angela moved to a beautiful house for the competition that would determine which of the three would advance to the final. The night they arrived, Mary Alice threw them a party whose guestlist included severalprofessional models. Andre, VJ and Angela were told to meet with the models and choose who they wanted to pose with the next day at the final photo shoot. Andre bonded well with two pretty girls, Angela found a couple of guys that she could boss around and VJ - well he was partying and making observations.

The rock and roll shoot the next day, went well for Andre and VJ but not so well for Angela. Andre went first and proved once and for all that he knows how to model. VJ started his shoot copying Andre's moves. I should also note that when Mary Alice asked VJ who he decided to model with, he told her that he wanted the two girls that Andre had chosen. So, he stole Andre's moves and his models. Toward the end of the shoot, VJ managed to pull a few original poses and basically saved himself. Nothing could help Angela though. She tried her best but unfortunately she couldn't vary her poses enough to convince Mary Alice that she ahd the right stuff to be America's Most Smartest Model. As Mary Alice likes to say, she just wasn't model enough.

Angela's failure sent her home packing, leaving VJ and Andre as the final two. Back at the VH1 house, Andre and VJ were told that their final task would be dueling presentations about why either one should be America's Most Smartest Model. To help them with their presentations, they were each given a team of professional presentation providers. In addition, Ben Stein gave each model a cell phone that they were encouraged to use for the purposes of product placement and presumably to help them succeed.

I have to say, I was disappointed that the show didn't end at the episode 10 because I truly didn't believe that the producers had enough material to make a one hour program out of the remaining footage. And for the most I was right. To fill time, the final episode seemed to go out of its way to remind viewers what had been seen previously after every commercial break. Of course, they could have been doing that because they assume their viewers are stupid and need to be spoon fed every piece of information two fold. I prefer the former explanation.

The Puppy Movie

The short home movie about my in-laws puppy makes my blog hard to load. I had to take remove it from the site. My apologies to my in-laws and to anyone who has been watching the really cute puppy get her toy out of a jar.

If you haven't seen it, link to it here. Jon's parents got a cute puppy that is part poodle and part havanese. She's smart and very funny.

Nutritionism

I visited with my nutritionist today and the news was good. In the month since our last appointment, I've lost 5 more pounds.

If anyone is keeping track, I've shed 12 pounds since starting my diet two months ago.

There are several reasons why I'm working with a nutritionist. The obvious reason is that she knows a lot about healthy ways to lose weight. Before seeing her, I never would have been happy with a result like the above because it just doesn't seem like that much, but now I know a weight loss of 1 - 2 pounds per week is healthy.

I am very happy with this result.

The nutritionist I chose is an eating disorder specialist. One of my main concerns is NOT developing an eating disorder and I discuss that with her all the time.

I strongly recommend seeking professional advice if you are planning to lose weight. The support the doctor gives me is soooooo beneficial, beyond what a loved one could give me. It's one thing have someone tell you you look thinner which of course is wonderful. It's another to be able to speak with someone ad nauseum regarding weight loss.

Losing weight is turning out to be more of an em0tional issue than I imagined and she understands that.

A Nice Bike Ride

I took my bike out yesterday. After not riding for a week, I wasn't sure what to expect. But I certainly wasn't expecting exercise to feel that good especially after not feeling well on Sunday.

It felt as good to my body as smoking a cigarette did, three months after quitting. Smokers can related to what I'm saying. It's not just your head that enjoys the cigarette. Every inch of your body soaks that nicatine goodness.

Well, yesterday, that's what the exercise felt like. Every part of me felt good while I was biking. It's been so long since I've had that feeling from exercising, probably since high school.

America's Most Smartest Model - Episode 9 Recap

There was a double elimination in this episode. Both Rachael and Brett were sent home.Andre, Angela and VJ are the remaining contestants. This upcoming episode - episode 10 - should be the finale and then I'll be free from having to write about this show.

At the Edge Challenge, 5 contestants had to pair up and build a go cart. That's right. 5 people can't be broken up into pairs, so Brett paired up with Pickel in absentia. Andre and Rachael, Vj and Angela made up the other two teams. VJ and Angela were the first to finish their go-carts. Andre and Rachael won the go-cart race. Brett didn't race because he did not complete his project.

Andre and Rachael won advance information about a Jaguar car that they had to show off the next day for the Call Back Challenge.

The Call Back Challenge involved modeling a brand new Jaguar and listing the car's bullet points.

Brett, Rachael and Andre failed miserably while Angela and VJ both went on to win the competition.

You know the rest.

Recognized

Explorer Pass Travel Blog picked up one of my photos for a story they did about the end of the Broadway strike and they gave me a photo credit. It's a picture of the Chorus Line marquis.

Coincidentally, I am working there tonight.

The Farnsworth Invention - Opening Night

I was very lucky to be assigned work at the opening night of The Farnsworth Invention. I love working opening nights, for obvious reasons. Openings are great for spotting and speaking with celebrities. Last night, I saw Oliver Platt, Bob Sagett, and Richard Kind. Caroline McCormick, who plays Dr. Olivet on Law & Order, is absolutely stunning in person. There were a lot of celebrities there but the above are the only ones I saw.

Of course, I saw Aaron Sorkin and of course it ended up being awkward and weird for me. He is very, very nice but I ended up in a misunderstanding with him regarding his marital status and an I.D. for his father's headset. He's not married to the assistant that I mistook for his wife. And even though, he was willing to give me his personal license for his father's headset, his assistant who is not his wife provided one instead.

This all happened two minutes before curtain went up. I'm still kicking myself for calling out to Mister Sorkin to get an I.D. from him at all. I'm embarrassed to have bugged him that close to curtain time. But mostly I'm just glad he's a nice guy. With another big shot it could have gone the way that didn't end in smiles.

One patron that I was particularly happy to help was Peter Shaffer, playwright of Amadeus and Equus. I was so excited when he I saw his I.D., I giggled like a little kid. He's unbelievably nice. And I had a nice conversation with him when he returned his headset after the show. We both liked the play and we both appreciated the sound design of the show, which is very good in case you were wondering.

The other reason opening nights are exciting is the general atmostphere. It's always charged with optimism and fear. Everyone involved with the show was looking forward to the opening night party and from the porter to the house manager people were dressed in black tie, ready to impress.

The play was GREAT last night. Everybody's timing was spot on. Jimmi Simpson's portrayal of Farnsworth was so touching last night, that he moved me to tears. He was already good when I first saw the show in previews a month ago, but he's gotten SO MUCH better. Hank Azaria is on fire as Sarnoff. And the supporting cast does a great job playing over 150 different characters.

The staging is great. When the actors are doing anything on downstage in the background, they move in slow motion until it's time to become a part of the action upstage. The sets are great. The costumes are beautiful. There are two costumes in particular that I wish I could make part of my every day wardrobe.

Go see the show. Don't listen to the Times reviewer or anyone else who criticizes Sorkin for historical inaccuracies. The same thing could be said for Amadeus. Salieri and Mozart did not really have the relationship portrayed in that play but who cares? They're good shows. They're plays, not documentaries. If anything, these plays are excellent introductions to some pretty weighty but interesting subjects.

In terms of the show being bogged down with information which is a critique I've also seen of the show, that's wrong. The show does deliver a lot of information but it's delivered in bite size pieces that are easy to absorb. The director did a great job streamlining everything so viewers would not get confused.

The story about who invented television as told by Aaron Sorkin in The Farnsworth Invention is compelling. It's good drama that is well crafted and exciting to watch.

Snow? Already?

What. Are you kidding me with this s#*&?

Dreaming of Food?

I had my first ever (that I can recall) food dream early this morning. I was sitting in front of a plate of waffles covered with syrup trying to decide whether or not I should add powdered sugar or not.

I remembered learning something from reading either or both Dry: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs and/or James Frey's partially true account of drug addiction and recovery, A Million Little Pieces. When people are recovering from drug or alcohol addiction, they sometimes have gluttonous dreams about their drug of choice. But in those dreams, they are consuming the alcohol or drug that they kicked in recovery.

Did I have an addiction dream? I never thought of myself as a food addict and I certainly don't have a sweet tooth. If anything, I should have been dreaming about cornichons and Thai cuisine.

It was strange and oddly realistic but at least I woke up before consuming the fictional food. I couldn't decide whether to eat the food or not. And in life, when I can't choose between two things, I'll usually choose neither which is probably why I woke up.

It's a good thing too. I'm so sensitive to weight gain that even dreaming about eating food could put pounds on me. Most likely, it wasn't really an addiction dream. but more a reflection of my fear of becoming obsessed with weight loss.

The Farnsworth Invention

I worked at The Farnsworth Invention tonight. The crowd was unusually light for the Thursday night after Thanksgiving. And Times Square wasn't as crammed with the usual pre-Christmas tourists. Of course, I like when Times Square is sparse with sidewalk blocking, slow moving, fun loving visitors from out of town. There are actually people who like the city at Christmas time with all the hussle and bustle. I'm just not one of them.

The Farnsworth Invention is a great show. It's written by Aaron Sorkin, who also wrote A Few Good Men. He wrote and produced Sports Night and West Wing so you know going there is great potential for a good show. The play stars Hank Azaria as NBC founder David Sarnoff. Boy is he good. He's really, really good. And he's so likeable, even when he's playing unlikeable character. Jimmi Simpson plays Philo Farnsworth the inventor of television. The sharp and clean script delivers a lot of information without overwhelming the audience.

Definitely go see it if you can.

Broadway Strike Finished

The strike on Broadway is finished. On CBS news, I watched Charlotte St. Martin announce that The League of American Theaters and Producers and IATSE Local One have reached a tentative agreement and that shows will start running again tomorrow night.

Neither side has yet released the newly agreed upon terms and quite frankly, I don't care. I'm just glad that Broadway is back in business. But I'm still considering another part-time job. The union has 10 days to either approve or disapprove of the new deal.

Who knows what will happen?

Broadway Strike Over? Nope. Not Yet.

There's a chance that the strike will end with this morning's meeting between the Union and the League. But unfortunately the information I gleaned from watching NY1 might be completely inaccurate.

I had heard that salary increases for stagehands was the only issue left unresolved. I guess Michael Reidel , theater critic for the NY Post, heard the same thing because he wrote a lengthy article about it.

But on the Local 1 IATSE website they issued a letter to their members indicating that the article is . . ."completely false, inaccurate and incorrect."

That's too bad. Because I think that everyone believed the NY1 story. My boss was so optimistic he thought we all might be going back to work tonight.

America's Most Smartest Model Episode - 8 recap

It's hard to believe I've made it through 8 episodes of America's Most Smartest Model. But I can't stop watching . AMSM is compelling and I'm more than a little bit invested in the outcome. My wish is that either Brett or Rachael win. But more likely it will be the "now villain" of the show, V.J. Logan.
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The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend
It's another sleepy morning at the Surreal Life/Rock of Love/America's Most Smartest Model house and we see sleepy models rising at an unspecified time because the contestants live in a bubble beyond the time space continuum. It could be 6 in the morning; it could be 10 in the morning. The home audience never sees a clock. We only know that models wake up just like the rest of us.

VJ stretches to life mumbling something like "there must something more to life than being really, really, really, really ridiculously good looking" (No VJ. I'm afraid there isn't more to your life than that). Angela is alone expressing regret at Daniel's departure. While telling us about her desire to stay until the end, we see her opening and closing panels that look like circuit boards. What new torture device is this? I don't know and I'll never know because there is no explanation given for what she's doing.

After VJ and Angela are shown in the house alone, we see Andre, Pickel, Brett and Rachael sunning themselves by the pool side. Andre lets out a big celebratory yell and Pickel replies "All you have to do is get rid of his enemies and now he becomes a nice guy." They have developed a new alliance and they are determined to kick out Angela and VJ. Much cockiness ensued as the new alliance of four, with much false confidence, discussed their plans to pick off VJ and Angela. Pickel was particularly cocky. Leaving that clip in is the REALITY SHOW version of foreshadowing.
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Note Du Jour
Angela beckons the other models into the house She's found a table stacked with sneakers and workout clothes and the note du jour. Pickel deduces that "something physical is coming up." Angela reads the note du jour aloud. "Good morning models. Today, you will be put through a grueling test of both your bodies and your minds. Divide yourself (shouldn't that be yourselves? Mary Alice must truly have written this note) into teams of two. Put on this workout gear and meet me in the living room in one hour."

VJ looks to Andre to become his partner. Andre calmly tells everyone to take moment, breath and then choose. VJ camera speaks that this is his opportunity to get to know Andre better. But Andre camera speaks that he doesn't want to join up with him because he's a disgusting and he's a sneaky bastard. In the calm moment that followed, Angela asked VJ to be her partner. Andre joined up with Rachel, Pickel joined up with Brett. And things seem to be going according to the grand plan of the new super alliance.
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The Edge Challenge - Survival of the Fittest
One hour later, the models walk into the next room where podiums and treadmills await. I was pleasantly surprised to see Ben Stein awaiting the contestants, because that means there is going to be quizzing and an opportunity for viewers at home to feel mentally superior to the silly, skinny people on the boob tube.

Ben Stein explains that one person from each team of two will answer as many questions as he or she can in one minute and the other will participate in an endurance challenge. The winner of the quiz wins a low setting on the treadmill for their team mate; second place earns a higher setting; third place even higher. Pickel is the first contestant.

Ben Stein signals to Mary Alice to start her stop watch because that is about all she is qualified to do when it comes to challenging somebody's smarts. Ben reads the first question. Pickel answers 10 out of 15 questions correctly. Angela and Rachael each answered 13 correctly meaning that VJ and Andre set their treadmills to 6 and Brett had to run with his treadmill at level 9. And the running begins. And goes on and on. After about 15 or 20 minutes, Pickel tells Brett to stop because he wants him to save his energy for the next day, leaving Andre and VJ to battle it out.

The challenge goes on for so long that both Ben Stein and Mary Alice lose interest. After an hour, they push the settings up to 7. And then to 8. Ben remarks that he never knew this competition would get so intense. That's probably the dumbest thing I've ever heard him say. Eventually, Andre just got tired and stopped running leaving VJ as the winner. Angela and VJ won an important Edge for the upcoming Callback Challenge. Not only did they earn the right to change their clothes nearby for an inhouse fashion show (which will make sense later), they got to choose one other person to go with them. They chose Rachael.
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You Take the High Road and I'll Take the Low Road
The Call Back challenge was difficult, for both groups of three. The contestants had to put on a runway show for Mary Alice Stephenson and some random guy who I guess is important in booking modeling jobs but not being into modeling myself, his name didn't register with me. For Angela, VJ and Rachael, the challenge was pretty straightforward. They used a dressing room next to the catwalk to change into three different outfits for their catwalk test.

However, Brett, Pickel and Andre had to change outside and get through an obstacle course before walking down the runway. But they had to act like they hadn't just been through a grueling physical challenge. And on top of that, they had to do it all in a finite amount of time; seamlessly transitioning between outfits.

The only one who wouldn't know would be the visiting guest judge but how he didn't know something hinky was going on indicates that people in the modeling industry just aren't very smart or observant.

VJ, Angela and Rachael all did pretty well. Mary Alice drooled while she told VJ how well he did. I wouldn't be surprised to hear about some scandal involving both of them after a winner is announced in a few weeks.Angela won the challenge.

Pickel, Brett and Andre all had problems. Of course, they did a great job considering they had to run through tires, race through monkey bars and spin five times while balancing on a bat. But they didn't even credit for trying. In fact, Mary Alice seemed to go out of her way to make sure that the visiting guest judge model agent talent booking guy noticed every single thing the three of them were doing wrong.

Mary Alice had huge problems with the fact that Brett looked pissed and went out of her way to point it out to he visiting model booking talent agent guy. There were other things Mary Alice didn't like. For example, she chastised Pickel for opening his tuxedo to reveal a vest underneath because it was to Chippendales. It wasn't that bad and besides models are supposed to show off their outfits. She didn't like that Andre winked and blew kisses at the end of the catwalk.

She didn't like that Brett looked pissed off and she really hated when he tried to defend himself by reminding Mary Alice how much she loved his runway performance before. He told her that in previous challenges he had received good feedback from her for doing exactly what he had done in that challenge. And she got upset because she's inconsistent and she's not very nice.

But mostly, Mary Alice didn't like the fact that Pickel, Brett and Andre are NOT VeeJay. She has a thing for him. And I think it's as obvious as when she's drunk. By the way, I'm happy to point out that Mary Alice did not appear drunk in Episode 8.
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Elimination
Andre, Pickel and Brett were called out as the three worst. And in spite of Mary Alice's badgering of Brett throughout the elimination, she decided to send home Pickel because he only answered 10 questions correctly in the EDGE challenge.

What is Ben Stein doing on this show? I mean I understand why Mary Alice is on the show. She's obviously looking for some kind of validation for the years she's had to put up with people thinking she's dumb because she's beautiful. But Ben Stein is pretty established. My respect for him is dwindling even more than after I found it he's become a spokesman for Intelligent Design.

Couldn't he just bring back Win Ben Stein's Money? Now, that was a good show.

My Eating Plan

In case you were wondering, my diet is going very well. Although I am not weighing myself, my face is getting thinner. I've fallen into a comfortable pattern of preparing meals and tracking my foods and I'm starting to enjoy bike riding as much as I did when I was a teenager.

Overall, I am feeling much better. I haven't quite gone down a whole dress size yet, but I suspect that goal will be met by the end of the year.

Broadway Strike Still Not Over

The League of American Theater Owners and Producers and The Theater Stage Employees Local One IATSE are taking a 12 hour break after negotiating throughout the night. They stopped at 6:30 this morning.

And while they are taking their break, we have to wait and wait and wait.

If you're already making 6 figure salaries like eveyone involved in the talks, you should not be allowed to deprive the people who earn much smaller salaries the opportunity to make 1/8th of the money you earn for working half as much. It's not fair.

I'm sure everyone was positive the strike would be over by now.

Hopefully, Broadway will be back in business tomorrow.

More Talks Scheduled

More talks are scheduled today between the two warring parties on Broadway. The meeting will take place at an indisclosed time and location. My boss is optimistic, so much so, that he scheduled for 8 shifts of work next week. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Oh. And in case you hadn't heard, by court order The Grinch is now playing at the St. James Theater.