Tuesday, February 28, 2006

I Think I Just Peed A Bit

So I'm watching the amazingly funny (and inexplicably underrated) Scrubs tonight and they said a line that made me laugh so hard I had to stop the VCR and blog about it.

For those of you who don't know, it's basically a younger, hipper, funnier ER in a sitcom format. (And, for those of you who don't know, Grey's Anatomy, a really good new show, is also a younger and hipper version of ER). I now take you to a scene from tonight's episode of Scrubs:

JD (played by the brilliant Zach Braff) and Eliot (played by the brilliant-and-lovely Sarah Chalke) are strolling down the halls of the hosipital.

ELIOT

JD, I really don't wanna do this. Can't we just go home, put on our PJs, and watch "Grey's Anatomy?"

JD

Oh, I do love that show. It's like they've been watching our lives and then...just put it on TV.



Brilliant.

Have Carpet, Will Travel

I don't think I mentioned it earlier, but JT and I had quite an adventure the other day. The gang at the National Comedy Theatre has been steadily working to improve the basement/green room at the theater. We were able to snag another piece of carpet from someone off of Craig's List and last Friday we went to pick it up.

And when I say pick it up, I mean it in every literal meaning. It was a fairly large piece of carpet (I believe 10' x 12') and after lugging it down 4 flights of stairs, we then proceeded to carry it from the corner of 3rd & 11th to the theater at 36th and 9th.

I don't know how I don't have a huge red rug-burn on my shoulder, but I escaped without any physical marks of our journey through midtown Manhattan (but it's still a little bit sore). Surprisingly enough we were able to make it the whole way without bumping into anyone or causing a huge ruckus.

Why? Because we freakin rock.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Belushi

I just finished reading the John Belushi biography, appropriately titled Belushi. Wow. Amazing.

I'll be the first to admit that although I am a huge fan of Saturday Night Live, I wasn't always necessarily a huge Belushi fan. Not that I didn't like his work, but there were always other cast members I was more into. His only films I've seen are Animal House (how can you not have fun with this one) and 1941 (a film I always loved, despite the fact no one else did).

I was just a few years too young to be aware of him during his heyday (I was only 5 when SNL came on TV and was much more preoccupied with Sesame Street) so my only real knowledge of him was more of how he died than how he lived. You might ask me who John Belushi was and the first thing that would come to mind is Died of overdose and then oh and he was on SNL and in Animal House.

Belushi does a great job of capturing how he lived. Because I am an SNL geek, I've read a few books on the history of SNL and they always cover the Belushi saga, but Belushi captures every facet. In the forward, Dan Aykroyd comments there are stories and anecdotes in the book that even he had never heard before.

This book is many things at once: informative, inspiring, and illuminating. I have really come to admire the man and his drive for comedic perfection. I stopped for a few minutes before reading the final chapter to mentally prepare myself because I knew what was coming. This is the part where he dies and I don't know if I want to read about it just yet.

I come away a little surprised at how emotionally attached I felt to the goings-on. It would have been nice if he'd been with us a little longer, if only so I could have enjoyed more of his work.

Saturday, February 25, 2006

I'm Proud Of You

Just because the majority of my blogs are about my adventures and what I have been up to, don't think I don't have my eye on you (and the rest of my buddies). Right now when I think of my buds, I feel a deep sense of pride. I'm proud of all of my friends. Allow me to brag on a couple of them.

I'm proud of

Kevin. He had a show tonight with his group The Steagles.

Timmy. The comedy troupe he is in has been kicking butt and they're getting reay to leave for the Aspen Comedy Festival.

JT & Chris: They've been doing an amazing job at keeping things at the theater running smoothly while the cat's away.

Jerusha: She moved to the big city to chase her dream, and it's well within her grasp.

Of course, there are a lot more friends I am proud of right now, but if I start going into a huge big list, then people accidentally get left out and it gets ugly.

I love all my children equally.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

The Truman Show

I actually made it out to the movies yesterday afternoon. I went with Cohen to see Capote starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman (hey, look at that, the two people I'd like to see get the Oscar this year have very similar names: Hoffman & Huffman).

I really enjoyed it. I thought Hoffman did a great job and, although I wasn't 100% sure what the film would be about going into it (I didn't know if the film focused on Truman Capote's entire life story or just a segment of it) I really enjoyed how the story unfolded.

Even though it was fairly serious material, the only real knowledge I had of Truman Capote beforehand was the fact that he was in the slapstick movie classic Murder By Death with Peter Sellers, Alec Guiness, Peter Falk, and James Coco. True, seeing that older movie helped me appreciate just what a dead-on job Hoffman did, but it also kept me giggling as I remembered Capote cavorting around as the character Lionel Twain in what was basically the movie Clue ten years before Clue actually came out.

Capote: Check it out if you can.
Murder By Death: Netflix it. Punny and cheesy, but it was supposed to be. In my opinion, a classic. Why this isn't mentioned in the same breath as Blazing Saddles is beyond me.

Monday, February 20, 2006

Sleep Schedule of the Dead

I don't know what's up with me, but lately I can't seem to get myself on a regular human sleep schedule. As much as I love to sleep I just haven't wanted to go bed (or been tired).

Saturday night I actually got to bed around 2:00am (early for me). Last night I managed to nod off about 1:30 or so. I woke up and felt well-rested and glad for having gone to bed so early. I looked at the clock and couldn't believe I had slept for thirteen hours. And then I realized I hadn't slept for thirteen hours. I slept for about 45 minutes. That's right. I woke up at 2:15am and felt completely rested. Completely. To quote Justin McRoberts, not even tired.

So I got up and re-watched the first 7 episodes of this season's Arrested Development and around 6am I was tried again and went to sleep.

Maybe I need drugs. I guess it's a good thing I live in NYC. Be right back. I gotta run to visit the shady man in Times Square.

Oh yea, I just finished reading a book called Unexpected Development. I think this is the first time I'd read something I would qualify as "chick-lit" and it was horrible. Absolutely horrible. I only finished reading it because it was just 160 pages and I knew I could finish it in one sitting. I'm not sure who this book was intended for. Teenage girls? Any age girls? It's the story of a high school senior girl who hates her life because she has developed early and oh sweet Heaven she whines about it for the next 159 pages.

I hated, hated, hated this book. So much that it made me angry. I can't even go into any more detail about the plot because I get mad just thinking about it.

The good news? Will Smith's "Switch" just came on the MP3 player and all is well again on Waltons Mountain.

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Read All About It

Another Friday and Saturday night and another weekend of throwing down some fun shows at the National Comedy Theatre. Last night we had two packed houses and they were a ton of fun.

We didn't find out until after the first show on Friday night, but there was a reporter in the crowd from The Daily News for the 7:30 show and word on the street was he loved it. He had come to the shows because he heard about the NCT taking a few members overseas to Iraq to do USO shows for the troops (they're leaving on Tuesday and of course best wishes go out to them!). It seems the reporter enjoyed the show so much, he sent a photographer to the theater last night to take some pictures and do a full-blown feature story.

The photographer showed up last night before the first show and got some shots of us in the green room and then was going to stay around for the first ten minutes of the show to get some "in action" shots (he couldn't stay for the whole show because he had another appointment). But as it turns out (and as he later conveyed to Kim, producer/house manager) he was enjoying the show so much he ended up staying the entire hour and a half to watch the whole show.

We also had a film crew there last night to capture the show as part of a documentary they are filming on the USO tour they are about to embark upon. One of the cameramen ended up apologizing to Kim and Gary for not being able to hold the camera still the whole time because he was laughing so hard. So that was encouraging to hear as well!

If you're in the New York area and haven't seen the show yet, come on by! And if you're in the area on Tuesday pick up a copy of The Daily News and read all about it.

Friday, February 17, 2006

Hidden Treasure

I'm not bragging when I say I have a lot of stand-up comedy albums, I'm just stating it to let you know I have a pretty good knowledge of what's out there. Today while my MP3 player (God bless MusicMatch!) was on random, a track came up from an album that hardly anyone ever mentions when they talk about great classic comedy albums. That's right: It's Dennis Miller's The Off White Album.

I first heard this recording (on cassette) back in high school in the 80s and it's just as biting and relevant today as it was then (and maybe for me even more so, since I understnd a lot more of Miller's endless references than I did back then).

On a side note, I have a particularly soft spot for this album as it brings back a great memory of me and my Dad. Comedian Steven Wright was performing in Fort Wayne (I forget the name of the theater but I remember Wright commenting that the theater was so intricate and ornate he felt that if someone were to rub the outside of the theater we would all go shooting up out of the top in a wisp of smoke and start granting wishes). It was my first time seeing stand-up live (especially someone whose tape I owned!) and Dad and I listened to the Dennis Miller album the whole way there (and back).

Dennis Miller. The Off White Album. I think his brief disastrous stint doing NFL commentary made people forget that this guy's good.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Blizzard Shmizzard

So that was the dreaded blizzard everyone was going on and on about?

I mean yeah, we got some snow, and I am sure the news channels did their best to find the craziest pictures of snow they could to broadcast to the rest of the world but I mean come on. It's New York. We're supposed to get snow.

Seeing as how we haven't really gotten any snow this entire winter, I'd hardly say we were in a state of emergency. Getting heavy snowfall for about 12 hours and then having it turn 50 degrees for the following 4 days does not a blizzard make.

But I did get to see a lady fall down, so it was kind of worth it.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

DOGGONIT

On my way home from work today I had to stop by TKTS (for those of who you don't know, that's a ticketing place in the middle of Times Square). I have to swing by there about once every other shift I work but today was the first time there was soemone there from The Late Show with David Letterman.

"Free tickets to tomorrow's show," she was calling out and I was was surprised that no one was crowding around her. I mean come on, it's freakin' Letterman!!

I missed my first chance to go see a taping last year, so I was determined not to miss chance #2. I approached her and asked her what time the taping is (I work tomorrow until 3).

She said the taping is at 5:30 (YES!), they start seating at 4:30 (YES!) but you have to check in by 3 at the latest (NO!).

So I missed it. Again. And here's the kicker. I know, I just KNOW, tomorrow is going to be a slow day at work and they're going to say "Hey Ed, you can go home early" and I'm going to be bitter.

So, no one tell me who's on Letterman tomorrow. I don't want to know what I missed. Unless it's like Burt Reynolds. Then it's all good.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Because I Am A Dork

Today on my way home from work I was crossing the street at 40th and 6th. As I neared the other side of the street I was approached by a beautiful woman.

Before I go any further, let me point something out. If you know me then you know that I've never been one to ogle girls or whoop and catcall; I like to think I'm a little more respectful than that. So when I say this woman was beautiful, I'm saying she was beautiful.

Across the street in Bryant Park is some kind of fashion show deal and there were a lot of models walking around so I wondered if perhaps she was a model.

So anyhow, this stunning woman approaches me. And when she spoke, she had an accent, Dutch or Swedish, which made her exponentially hotter.And she asked me which way was Broadway.

So I told her I was going that way, I'd show her. She laughed and threw her head back and said "Thanks!" and we ended up stopping for coffee and conversation and it was a wonderful time.

Oh no, wait. That's what would have happened if this blog was titled "Because I Am A Stud." And I'm not a stud, I'm a dork, so I must admit that's not what happened. What really happened, because I am a dork, is this:

I said, "It's that way" (as I point in the very direction I am walking!) and then keep walking and leave her standing there and the entire rest of the way home my self-hatred abounds.

Nothing important

I saw Saturday Night Live for the first time in like 8 months this past weekend. Steve Martin was the host and it wasn't a bad show. I laughed out loud on a few occasions and was glad to catch the groove again.

Today when I leave work I'm heading to the library to pick up a copy of "The Aristocrats" I reserved. Let the swearing begin!!

Friday, February 03, 2006

Wow...

I'm still a little buzzed from tonight. No, I haven't been drinking but with all humility I can honestly say that tonight at the National Comedy Theatre, we threw down a helluva couple of shows.

Also playing tonight was Kramer, Chris, Kevin, JT, and Dan (Dan is another newbie to the group and tonight was his first show! He did a great job!).

Both shows were clicking and everything fell into place. We had a couple of really good crowds and they were into it as well. We went up there with a great cockiness (the good kind of cockiness; we went up there knowing we could do no wrong and were guaranteed to have fun and bring the audience with us for a good ride) and we brought it home. Both shows, bam, bam, one right after another.

Once in a while you have a night where you can do no wrong and tonight was definitely one of them for us. It was such a good time and an amazing experience. I'm looking forward to another great show tomorrow night, too. Bring it on!

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

"Mirror Mirror"

A few posts ago I mentioned the book by Gregory Maguire, Wicked, and how much trouble I was having getting into it. Quite the opposite with his earlier book Mirror Mirror.

Just like Wicked is a re-telling of the story of The Wizard of Oz from the point of view of the Wicked Witch of the West, Mirror Mirror re-tells the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. To say that he re-tells the story so adults can enjoy it may be over-simplifying it, but truth be known that is exactly what Maguire does.

Where did the magical mirror come from? Why was Snow White a target of numerous attempts on her life? What if someone other than Disney got to name the Seven Dwarves? And what if there were eight of them?

I've never been a huge fan of "period" works but this one, much like The Princess Bride, was easy to get into. If you're looking for something new (and at the same time familiar) to read, put this one near the top of your list.

And The Award Goes To...

Last night was the Annual NCT Awards Banquet and it was a really good time. We met at El Quijote, a Spanish restaurant in The Village. The food was amazing (I had the red snappah...very tasty) and after we enjoyed our food Kramer gave out some mock awards to the gang. I walked away the proud recipient of the "Most Likely To Be Available For 208 Shows A Year" award (meaning every show, every weekend, because since I've joined up with the National Comedy Theatre I've been at every show). We all shared some good laughs and it was a pleasant evening to get dressed up, go out, and hang out with friends.