More Ireland quickies!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Re-Visiting Ireland
Tonight I started going through my video footage from our Ireland trip earlier this year. I realized there was a lot I left out of the daily recaps we did, so I decided to post a series of shorter videos, highlighting some of the fun things we had to cut out of the original recaps.
Here are the first three. Enjoy!
Here are the first three. Enjoy!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Interviewing Katy Perry
Well...sort of. At the time she was like 16 years old and going by the name of Katy Hudson as a budding Christian singer. But you can catch a glimpse of her in this clip where she is joined by the Newsboys' Phil Joel and the duo V*Enna. She's almost unrecognizable with her blonde hair and tan beanie and not kissing a girl or waking up in Vegas, but there she is nonetheless. Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
A Doodlin' Fan Letter
If I told you I spent a good portion of my youth reading MAD magazine , would you really be all that surprised? While most teenage boys were probably reading to snicker at the fart jokes, sexual innuendo, and the occasional cartoony glimpse of a breast, I found myself taken in by the artists who brought my favorite movie characters to life. I studied every panel, taking in every detail the artists buried inside.
I began to pride myself in the fact that I could identify the artist without reading the tagline, and if one of them had work that popped up in another magazine, I spotted them there, too. Forget Rodin, Picasso, Monet, Dali, and DaVinci. They didn't draw fun Moonlighting parodies and fill my head with countless random images like Sergio Aragones, Jack Davis, Bill Gaines, Don Martin, Antonio Prohias, and Mort Walker.
My favorite, though, was an illustrator named Sam Viviano.
I first became a fan of his when I was even younger and an avid reader of Dynamite magazine. It's been out of print for some time and for those who don't know, it was kind of like a cross between People and Disney's Magazine for ADD Tweens. Viviano was known for his crowd scenes, and I remember one particular two-page spread that featured Darth Vader, Valerie Bertinelli, E.T., and Indiana Jones.
As a kid I always enjoyed drawing and doodling, most of the time copying the cartoons I found in MAD and Cracked. But when I looked at the detail and attention in Vivano's art, that's what sold me. This guy was good. Take the above picture of Steven Spielberg. He didn't just draw a picture of Spielberg holding a letter but also added references to a bunch of the movies he was associated with: Gremlins, E.T., Hook, Saving Private Ryan, Close Encounters, Raiders, Jaws, Jurassic Park, 1941, Munich....you get the idea. (Of course, he could have been told to include those references but in my mind, it was all Sam's doing.)
Because I was operating under the belief that every dream I had could be attained by writing a letter, I decided to write my artistic hero. I was 14 years old. I don't remember exactly what I wrote in my fan letter, but I remember starting off by telling him I was his GREATEST and MOST DEVOTED fan. And then I continued by asking if he would draw a picture of Indy, Willie, and Short Round from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and send it to me. You know, because apparently I thought this poor guy had nothing better to do than draw pictures for kids - by request - and for free on top of that.
I sent off my letter and life went on. I wondered if he got it. I wondered if I would get an Indiana Jones cartoon. And then life went on some more and as the weeks turned to months, I forgot I had ever written the letter at all.
Until, one sunny day (I still remember it exactly. I was in the back yard trying to get up the nerve to try to teach myself how to do a backflip but I was too afraid of breaking my neck. Weird, huh? But that's what I was doing, I promise you) when my mom brought me an envelope I'd received in the mail. In the upper left hand corner it said "VIVIANO" and the postmark was from New York.
I then proceeded to freak the hell out.
Not only had he written me back ("A whole page! He wrote a whole page!!") but he also included an autographed reproduction of the cartoon I had seen in the pages of the magazine (the one with Indiana Jones). I put the cartoon on my wall and tucked the letter away for safe keeping.
He wrote me back. Sam Viviano actually took the time out of his schedule to write back. That was the coolest thing ever. It wasn't long after that I stopped copying other people's cartoons and started drawing my own. That was 1986.
It's 2009 and I'm still doodling. I'll be the first to admit my doodles are nowhere near the caliber of Sam Viviano (who, by the way, the internet tells me is now the art director at MAD), but doggone if I don't have fun drawing them, and really, that's kind of the point.
I'm sorry to say I don't know what happened to that cartoon he sent me.
Somewhere between middle school and 23 years later I misplaced it.
But this story's got a happy ending. For Christmas Mom made a photo album for each of her three kids, kind of chronicling our lives in pictures and achievement certificates and report cards. And there, nestled about halfway in, was this:
Pretty cool, huh?
**December 3, 2009: UPDATE! There's more to this story! Sam Viviano found my blog and left a comment (see below)!! To find out the rest of the story, CLICK HERE!
I began to pride myself in the fact that I could identify the artist without reading the tagline, and if one of them had work that popped up in another magazine, I spotted them there, too. Forget Rodin, Picasso, Monet, Dali, and DaVinci. They didn't draw fun Moonlighting parodies and fill my head with countless random images like Sergio Aragones, Jack Davis, Bill Gaines, Don Martin, Antonio Prohias, and Mort Walker.
My favorite, though, was an illustrator named Sam Viviano.
I first became a fan of his when I was even younger and an avid reader of Dynamite magazine. It's been out of print for some time and for those who don't know, it was kind of like a cross between People and Disney's Magazine for ADD Tweens. Viviano was known for his crowd scenes, and I remember one particular two-page spread that featured Darth Vader, Valerie Bertinelli, E.T., and Indiana Jones.
As a kid I always enjoyed drawing and doodling, most of the time copying the cartoons I found in MAD and Cracked. But when I looked at the detail and attention in Vivano's art, that's what sold me. This guy was good. Take the above picture of Steven Spielberg. He didn't just draw a picture of Spielberg holding a letter but also added references to a bunch of the movies he was associated with: Gremlins, E.T., Hook, Saving Private Ryan, Close Encounters, Raiders, Jaws, Jurassic Park, 1941, Munich....you get the idea. (Of course, he could have been told to include those references but in my mind, it was all Sam's doing.)
Because I was operating under the belief that every dream I had could be attained by writing a letter, I decided to write my artistic hero. I was 14 years old. I don't remember exactly what I wrote in my fan letter, but I remember starting off by telling him I was his GREATEST and MOST DEVOTED fan. And then I continued by asking if he would draw a picture of Indy, Willie, and Short Round from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and send it to me. You know, because apparently I thought this poor guy had nothing better to do than draw pictures for kids - by request - and for free on top of that.
I sent off my letter and life went on. I wondered if he got it. I wondered if I would get an Indiana Jones cartoon. And then life went on some more and as the weeks turned to months, I forgot I had ever written the letter at all.
Until, one sunny day (I still remember it exactly. I was in the back yard trying to get up the nerve to try to teach myself how to do a backflip but I was too afraid of breaking my neck. Weird, huh? But that's what I was doing, I promise you) when my mom brought me an envelope I'd received in the mail. In the upper left hand corner it said "VIVIANO" and the postmark was from New York.
I then proceeded to freak the hell out.
Not only had he written me back ("A whole page! He wrote a whole page!!") but he also included an autographed reproduction of the cartoon I had seen in the pages of the magazine (the one with Indiana Jones). I put the cartoon on my wall and tucked the letter away for safe keeping.
He wrote me back. Sam Viviano actually took the time out of his schedule to write back. That was the coolest thing ever. It wasn't long after that I stopped copying other people's cartoons and started drawing my own. That was 1986.
It's 2009 and I'm still doodling. I'll be the first to admit my doodles are nowhere near the caliber of Sam Viviano (who, by the way, the internet tells me is now the art director at MAD), but doggone if I don't have fun drawing them, and really, that's kind of the point.
I'm sorry to say I don't know what happened to that cartoon he sent me.
Somewhere between middle school and 23 years later I misplaced it.
But this story's got a happy ending. For Christmas Mom made a photo album for each of her three kids, kind of chronicling our lives in pictures and achievement certificates and report cards. And there, nestled about halfway in, was this:
Pretty cool, huh?
**December 3, 2009: UPDATE! There's more to this story! Sam Viviano found my blog and left a comment (see below)!! To find out the rest of the story, CLICK HERE!
Friday, August 28, 2009
200
I posted my 200th doodle this week. That number sounds a lot bigger than it actually feels.
I had a contest on my fan page to see who could correctly identify the most doodles and the winner got doodled as their prize, so congrats to Janelle!
And, if you're in the Lancaster PA area, you can see my doodles in person all through the month of October at Square One Coffee for their spooky-themed month of art!
Good times indeed.
I had a contest on my fan page to see who could correctly identify the most doodles and the winner got doodled as their prize, so congrats to Janelle!
And, if you're in the Lancaster PA area, you can see my doodles in person all through the month of October at Square One Coffee for their spooky-themed month of art!
Good times indeed.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Glorious "Basterds"
Roger Ebert was right. One viewing isn't enough.
Sarah and I went to see the new Tarantino film Inglourious Basterds today and five hours later I'm still processing what I saw.
There's so much to say, so much to ponder, and I know I'll never word it correctly. I know myself well enough to know I'm not that good of a writer. So I'll just say this: Tarantino did it again. He's the master of making you wait. I know that sounds weird, but it's true. And he doesn't just make you wait; first he spoils the surprise by showing you all the cards, and then he makes you wait as you wonder what's going to happen next.
Pretty vague, I know, so I'll try to explain.
In any other movie, the hero would seem trapped when, all of a sudden, he surprises the audience by revealing the gun taped to his back he had been hiding all along, and he blows the bad guys away. Tarantino prefers a different route. Not only will he reveal the good guy has a hidden gun, he'll reveal the bad guy does, too. And then he'll fill the characters in as well.
Now everyone knows. You, me, and the people on the screen. The only surprise now is how everything is going to play out. And when. You know they're going to start shooting sometime....sometime...but the suspense comes in not knowing when it's going to happen. And you know how it's going to happen....or at least you think you do. And as you wait for it to begin to play out, you feel the suspense building to an incredible height.
Once in a while, what you think is going to happen actually does, and even when it does, it still takes you by surprise.
Take for example the scene in Pulp Fiction when Uma has OD'd and they need to inject her with a shot of adrenaline to get her heart beating again. The only hitch is they have to inject it through her sternum, and directly into her heart. As Eric Stoltz's character holds the needle above his head, waiting to plunge the needle into her chest....well....that's when it gets you.
You know what's coming; they just spent the last 5 minutes explaining it. And yet, when it finally happens...it still manages to take you by surprise.
Tarantino does the same thing with Inglourious Basterds. He lets you know what's going to happen and then makes you squirm while you wait to see it play out.
As we were leaving the theater, Sarah said, "You know how people tell you there are certain rules in movies that you have to follow when you make a movie. It's like Tarantino takes those rules and just breaks them."
Exactly.
Sarah and I went to see the new Tarantino film Inglourious Basterds today and five hours later I'm still processing what I saw.
There's so much to say, so much to ponder, and I know I'll never word it correctly. I know myself well enough to know I'm not that good of a writer. So I'll just say this: Tarantino did it again. He's the master of making you wait. I know that sounds weird, but it's true. And he doesn't just make you wait; first he spoils the surprise by showing you all the cards, and then he makes you wait as you wonder what's going to happen next.
Pretty vague, I know, so I'll try to explain.
In any other movie, the hero would seem trapped when, all of a sudden, he surprises the audience by revealing the gun taped to his back he had been hiding all along, and he blows the bad guys away. Tarantino prefers a different route. Not only will he reveal the good guy has a hidden gun, he'll reveal the bad guy does, too. And then he'll fill the characters in as well.
Now everyone knows. You, me, and the people on the screen. The only surprise now is how everything is going to play out. And when. You know they're going to start shooting sometime....sometime...but the suspense comes in not knowing when it's going to happen. And you know how it's going to happen....or at least you think you do. And as you wait for it to begin to play out, you feel the suspense building to an incredible height.
Once in a while, what you think is going to happen actually does, and even when it does, it still takes you by surprise.
Take for example the scene in Pulp Fiction when Uma has OD'd and they need to inject her with a shot of adrenaline to get her heart beating again. The only hitch is they have to inject it through her sternum, and directly into her heart. As Eric Stoltz's character holds the needle above his head, waiting to plunge the needle into her chest....well....that's when it gets you.
You know what's coming; they just spent the last 5 minutes explaining it. And yet, when it finally happens...it still manages to take you by surprise.
Tarantino does the same thing with Inglourious Basterds. He lets you know what's going to happen and then makes you squirm while you wait to see it play out.
As we were leaving the theater, Sarah said, "You know how people tell you there are certain rules in movies that you have to follow when you make a movie. It's like Tarantino takes those rules and just breaks them."
Exactly.
Monday, July 27, 2009
When A Grown Man Cries
A couple of weeks ago I went with Fred, the station General Manager, to Teen Haven out in The Middle of Nowhere, PA to put together a video package. Teen Haven is a camp for kids who live in the inner city. It offers them a few days of escape and a chance to get away from what is very often a very rough home environment.
While we were there, we met the Camp Director, Vinny. At first I thought Vinny was a New York Italian, but as it turns out he's a Russian from Philadelphia. I wasn't even close. Vinny is one of those guys who has a million stories, each one of them more fun to listen to than the next. He's been working at the camp for 20+ years and it's obvious he has a heart for these kids the size of a Geno's Cheese Steak.
At one point in the interview, Vinny started telling us a story about a rough patch in his life and he became visibly moved as he retold the account. He's a great storyteller and it's hard not to get caught up in his words. This guy is a public speaker for a reason.
Not only did we speak with Vinny, but we also talked to campers and counselors (all of whom were once campers themselves). At the end of our time there, I had just over 50 minutes of footage to edit which is fine, except we try to keep the final run time of our videos to 5-7 minutes. As I uploaded the footage into the computer, I knew a lot of stuff was going to get left out that I really liked. But hey, what're ya gonna do. Thus is the plight of the editor.
When all was said and done, the final product came in at just over six minutes. I was happy with the way it turned out, but also mindful of what got cut. When you pore over footage it can be easy to lose perspective and know if what you kept tells a cohesive story. I thought it did. Or, more accurately, I hoped it did.
This morning Vinny was on the morning show with some other people from Teen Haven. Although the video had been up on YouTube for a couple of weeks, he hadn't yet seen the final segment. After he was on the air he came back to my office and asked if I would play it for him. I happily obliged. It was a little nerve-wracking watching it with him for the first time. I'll be honest, I wanted him to like it. I never want anyone to look bad (or think they do), especially if it's something I had a hand in putting together. I'm not gonna pretend I'm one of those people who says they don't care what the critics say. I care, and I want everyone to like what I put out there for them. I know that's never going to be the case, but I'm creative and that's what you get from us folk. Jerry Seinfeld put it best when he said he can perform comedy in front of ten thousand people and 9,999 people can be laughing hysterically at his comedy. After the show when he's alone in the dressing room, he said he's only going to remember that 1 person who didn't laugh. And I'm the same way. If I was a perfect Christian, I would only be concerned with what God thought of me, and not anyone else on Earth. But I'm not a perfect Christian. I'm just Ed and I gots flaws.
But I'm off-track a bit. Where was I? Oh yea. I wanted Vinny to like the video.
It begins and as he watches himself introducing the video, he chuckles a bit to himself. And then the kids come on and start telling their stories. And as Vinny watches, this tough Russian guy from Philadelphia starts to tear up. And the more the video plays, the more he wipes his eyes. By the end of the six minutes, his eyes are red, and whether it's from the tears or his big hands constantly wiping them away, I don't know.
The video went black and came to an end. Vinny turned to me and said, "We're all just pieces of the puzzle trying to work together for the greater good. You took our pieces and made them into a big picture, and I thank you."
It was so unexpected, I didn't know what to say. I paused and said, "I just tried to show what you're doing, Vinny. You're the one doing the work, not me."
"We're ALL doing the work," he said without hesitating. Vinny shook my hand and turned to leave. He stopped, looked back, and said, "Thanks again. I'll see ya later and if I don't, I'll see ya there. I love ya."
I'm glad I met Vinny.
Here's a glimpse of the guy. I hope you get something out of meeting him, too.
While we were there, we met the Camp Director, Vinny. At first I thought Vinny was a New York Italian, but as it turns out he's a Russian from Philadelphia. I wasn't even close. Vinny is one of those guys who has a million stories, each one of them more fun to listen to than the next. He's been working at the camp for 20+ years and it's obvious he has a heart for these kids the size of a Geno's Cheese Steak.
At one point in the interview, Vinny started telling us a story about a rough patch in his life and he became visibly moved as he retold the account. He's a great storyteller and it's hard not to get caught up in his words. This guy is a public speaker for a reason.
Not only did we speak with Vinny, but we also talked to campers and counselors (all of whom were once campers themselves). At the end of our time there, I had just over 50 minutes of footage to edit which is fine, except we try to keep the final run time of our videos to 5-7 minutes. As I uploaded the footage into the computer, I knew a lot of stuff was going to get left out that I really liked. But hey, what're ya gonna do. Thus is the plight of the editor.
When all was said and done, the final product came in at just over six minutes. I was happy with the way it turned out, but also mindful of what got cut. When you pore over footage it can be easy to lose perspective and know if what you kept tells a cohesive story. I thought it did. Or, more accurately, I hoped it did.
This morning Vinny was on the morning show with some other people from Teen Haven. Although the video had been up on YouTube for a couple of weeks, he hadn't yet seen the final segment. After he was on the air he came back to my office and asked if I would play it for him. I happily obliged. It was a little nerve-wracking watching it with him for the first time. I'll be honest, I wanted him to like it. I never want anyone to look bad (or think they do), especially if it's something I had a hand in putting together. I'm not gonna pretend I'm one of those people who says they don't care what the critics say. I care, and I want everyone to like what I put out there for them. I know that's never going to be the case, but I'm creative and that's what you get from us folk. Jerry Seinfeld put it best when he said he can perform comedy in front of ten thousand people and 9,999 people can be laughing hysterically at his comedy. After the show when he's alone in the dressing room, he said he's only going to remember that 1 person who didn't laugh. And I'm the same way. If I was a perfect Christian, I would only be concerned with what God thought of me, and not anyone else on Earth. But I'm not a perfect Christian. I'm just Ed and I gots flaws.
But I'm off-track a bit. Where was I? Oh yea. I wanted Vinny to like the video.
It begins and as he watches himself introducing the video, he chuckles a bit to himself. And then the kids come on and start telling their stories. And as Vinny watches, this tough Russian guy from Philadelphia starts to tear up. And the more the video plays, the more he wipes his eyes. By the end of the six minutes, his eyes are red, and whether it's from the tears or his big hands constantly wiping them away, I don't know.
The video went black and came to an end. Vinny turned to me and said, "We're all just pieces of the puzzle trying to work together for the greater good. You took our pieces and made them into a big picture, and I thank you."
It was so unexpected, I didn't know what to say. I paused and said, "I just tried to show what you're doing, Vinny. You're the one doing the work, not me."
"We're ALL doing the work," he said without hesitating. Vinny shook my hand and turned to leave. He stopped, looked back, and said, "Thanks again. I'll see ya later and if I don't, I'll see ya there. I love ya."
I'm glad I met Vinny.
Here's a glimpse of the guy. I hope you get something out of meeting him, too.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Can We Get A Volunteer From the Audience....
This is what I love about the internets. Sometimes you come across things you had no idea were there, and sometimes it's actually something that you're pleasantly surprised to stumble across (unlike the horrible midget dressed as Michael Jackson dancing in the subway fiasco).
This weekend I'm heading back up to New York to do some improv comedy at the National Comedy Theatre. I was there performing in May and in one of the games we asked for a volunteer from the audience. A bachelorette party had come to the show and the bride-to-be came up on stage to join in the fun. After we had thoroughly exhausted every hilarious opportunity, we thanked her, took a picture with her, and the show went on.
Today I was surfing NCT's website and came across their show blog, where they have been posting pictures of the volunteers who come on stage during the shows.I started laughing as soon as I saw the picture from that show and memories of me playing her airplane-pilot fiance came flooding back. So enjoy this little blast from the past I didn't even know was out there.
This weekend I'm heading back up to New York to do some improv comedy at the National Comedy Theatre. I was there performing in May and in one of the games we asked for a volunteer from the audience. A bachelorette party had come to the show and the bride-to-be came up on stage to join in the fun. After we had thoroughly exhausted every hilarious opportunity, we thanked her, took a picture with her, and the show went on.
Today I was surfing NCT's website and came across their show blog, where they have been posting pictures of the volunteers who come on stage during the shows.I started laughing as soon as I saw the picture from that show and memories of me playing her airplane-pilot fiance came flooding back. So enjoy this little blast from the past I didn't even know was out there.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Mario Kart Transcript
I was playing Mario Kart against other people online. Sarah was on her computer. When I finished playing, I found this IM from Sarah:
you are awesome and I love your cute head. and I decided that I am going to recite everything you say while playing Mario Kart: What the heck was that??............I haven't gotten one cube this whole game......ahhhh, no fair!.........nice try hickula!......pass me, please pass me.........quit picking mario circuits.....whos the ****** with the mustache choosing goldmine everytime?!?.........better not be mirrored..woohoo..........what the heck?!..oh, come on.......suck a freakin' monkey!........of course! dog gone it!
I have no further comment.
you are awesome and I love your cute head. and I decided that I am going to recite everything you say while playing Mario Kart: What the heck was that??............I haven't gotten one cube this whole game......ahhhh, no fair!.........nice try hickula!......pass me, please pass me.........quit picking mario circuits.....whos the ****** with the mustache choosing goldmine everytime?!?.........better not be mirrored..woohoo..........what the heck?!..oh, come on.......suck a freakin' monkey!........of course! dog gone it!
I have no further comment.
Our Murdering President
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is mad at President Obama because he killed a fly. They're all upset because he killed a fly. Don't believe me? Look it up. True story. They're angry because he killed a fly.
I find this ironic because this story proves that even after all these years, no one in PETA has a life.
I find this ironic because this story proves that even after all these years, no one in PETA has a life.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Tony Deaf
Me: Is that a guy singing or a girl?
Sarah: Guy.
Me: Wow.
This conversation occurred tonight while the Tony Awards were on. I was not facing the TV. This conversation happened like 8 different times.
Sarah: Guy.
Me: Wow.
This conversation occurred tonight while the Tony Awards were on. I was not facing the TV. This conversation happened like 8 different times.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
A Polite Death to Paris
This weekend while watching the MTV Movie Awards with the gang, a commercial for Paris Hilton's show came on (I forget what it's called. My New BFF? More like WTF). As soon as Paris's big ugly head came on the screen, Sarah shouted, "Ugggggggggggghhhh! I just wish she'd DIE!!!"
The rest of us all looked at Sarah and smiled (perhaps because we were all thinking the same thing?). Sarah turned and saw us staring at her and immediately corrected herself.
"I mean...I wish she would accept Jesus..."
(beat)
"...and then die."
The rest of us all looked at Sarah and smiled (perhaps because we were all thinking the same thing?). Sarah turned and saw us staring at her and immediately corrected herself.
"I mean...I wish she would accept Jesus..."
(beat)
"...and then die."
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Eminem Predicts the Future
2000: Eminem releases The Marshall Mathers LP. It contains the song "The Real Slim Shady" which includes the lyrics "My bum is on your lips. My bum is on your lips."
2009: Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno makes it happen.
2009: Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno makes it happen.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Too Good to Recap
Sarah and I had a GREAT weekend this weekend...so good, in fact, that trying to sum up everything in a blog is somewhat intimidating because I know I won't do the weekend justice. So, rather than trying to capture the magic of the details in convenient paragraph form, I'll list off the highlights in even-more-convenient list form.
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
Wow. Good times.
FRIDAY
- 1:00 pm - Our friend Ashlea drops us off at the train station in Lancaster PA
- 1:30 pm - The crowded train leaves for New York City
- 2:00 pm - The guy sitting next to me gets off the train and Sarah and I are able to sit together
- 5:30 pm - Sarah and I arrive in NYC's Penn Station on 34th Street. We make our way to the 1 subway train to go check in at our downtown hotel
- 6:00 pm - We check in to the Marriott in the Wall Street District and drop off our bags in our 19th-floor room
- 6:01 pm - We leave the room to head to the National Comedy Theatre
- 6:02 pm - While swinging my backpack over my shoulder inside the elevator, it swipes the control panel and hits all the buttons. A fancy schmancy old white lady is not amused as we stop on every floor on the way down.
- 6:30 pm - I am dismayed to find that the pizza shop on the corner of 36th and 8th is now a T-Mobile store
- 6:35 pm - Sarah and I arrive at NCT. I am giddy with excitement to see the old gang again, including Adi, JT, Cohen, Kevin, Dan, and Paulie. I also meet Dave and Jen, cast members who joined after I left in 2006. After catching up and introducing everyone to Sarah, we head down to the green room to prepare for the first of two improvisational comedy shows of the night. Sarah and Adi find seats together and wait for the 7:30 show to begin.
- 7:30 pm - The first show begins. I am billed as Ed "One Night Only" Placencia. Although I was initially nervous about not performing on the NCT stage in 2-1/2 years, once I'm up there with the gang, it's like no time has passed.
- 9:45 pm - Second show of the evening and another good night of comedy has been thrown down.
- 11:15 pm - After getting notes, chatting with Eric, who showed up during the 2nd show, and saying our (for now) goodbyes, Sarah and I head back to the hotel. We are bummed to find that all of the Starbucks we pass are closed. Come on, people, this is New York.
- 11:45 pm - As we walk past construction outside our hotel, Sarah and I see New York rats. Instead of being grossed out, we chase them, giggling with glee.
- 12:30 am - Part of an episode of "Ghost Hunters" is all we can watch before falling asleep
SATURDAY
- 8:30 am - I sort of wake up. I watch an episode of "Ghost Hunters" and then go back to bed
- 11:30 am - I wake up again
- 12:00 pm - Sarah wakes up
- 1:30 pm - We finally leave the hotel and take the 1 to 79th Street
- 2:10 pm - We make it to the Museum of Natural History. After watching 5 minutes of a boring video on telescopes, we make our way to the 4th floor (where the dinosaurs are)
- 3:40 pm - After only making it through two floors, so much education makes us tired, and we leave
- 4:30 pm - Sarah and I walk down to Times Square. There's some sort of street fair going on, and we make our way to one of my old haunts, the Film Center Cafe. It's been redecorated and is no longer the cool, dark, pub-like vibe-y place but an upscale trendy place. The prices are still the same, so it's cool
- 5:30 pm - Sarah and I head back to the hotel to take a nap before returning to Rockefeller Center later that night. On the way there, we see a midget dancing like Michael Jackson in the subway
- 6:15 pm - We arrive back at the hotel and order coffee and dessert from room service.
- 6:45 pm - Coffee, cheesecake, and chocolate cake all around!
- 9:00 pm - We head down to Rockefeller Center to get in line for the taping of "Saturday Night Live"
- 9:30 pm - We find our place in line and wait to be let in. The line is already much longer than we thought it might be. My email confirmation is traded for cool tickets with the date and the guests printed on them. I tell Sarah I hope we get to keep them (we don't)
- 10:45pm - They begin seating us. We turn in our tickets and are given nifty wristbands. We head up to the 9th floor.
- 10:50pm - We are seated in the balcony and are transfixed watching the SNL crew prep for the show. The SNL band plays some amazing music as people are seated
- 11:00pm - Don Pardo greets us and introduces Jason Sudeikis, who entertains us with some goofy bits, basic rules of the road, and then introduces Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen (on electric guitar). Kristen sings and, along with backup from the SNL band, we are treated to a great rendition of Blondie's "One Way or Another."
- 11:30pm - The lights go down, Will Ferrell takes the stage, and the show is underway. It's the season finale (and Darrell Hammond's last show), a great show, Green Day sounds great, and surprise guests Tom Hanks, Anne Hathaway, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Paul Rudd, Norm MacDonald, and Artie Lang make for a fun night
- 1:00 am - The show is over and the cast waves goodbye
- 1:20 am - Will Ferrell takes the stage again and announces that if we wait around for 5 minutes, Green Day will play a couple more songs for us. The SNL cast gathers on the stage to listen
- 1:25 am - Green Day plays the first of 2 bonus songs for us. They are accompanied through the duration of the second song by Will Ferrell on cowbell (naturally)
- 1:45 am - On our way out, Amy Poehler sneaks past Sarah on her way down the hall. As she stops to talk to someone Sarah, only inches away from her and somewhat starstruck, can do nothing but stare at her and smile
- 2:10 am - On the train ride back to the hotel, Sarah and I enjoy the "I'm Drunk On The Subway Show" as performed by a couple of wobbly-legged girls
- 3:10 am - Nighty night
SUNDAY
- 10:00 am - Sarah and I get up and around to make it out of the hotel by the 11am checkout time
- 11:01 am - Sarah and I leave the hotel
- 11:05 am - Sarah and I go to Starbucks for coffee and breakfast. It's swamped, so we leave
- 11:06 am - Sarah and I go to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.
- 11:07 am - After seeing that an omelette costs $21, Sarah and I sneak out and leave before they can even bring us water
- 11:15 am - Sarah and I hop on the subway and head back toward midtown
- 12:15 pm - Sarah and I have breakfast at the Westway Diner where an omelette costs what it should
- 12:45 pm - We catch a showing of X-Men Origins: Wolverine at the AMC theater on 42nd Street
- 3:00 pm - We walk around, take in the city, and waste time before our train leaves for back home
- 4:45 pm - We board the train (seats together) and make our way back home
- 9:20 pm - Our friend Alyssa picks us up from the train station and our amazing weekend has come to an end
Wow. Good times.
Saturday, May 09, 2009
An Open Letter to Lorne Michaels*
*or Marci Klein. If I get either one of you to look at this, that's cool. **********
Hi. My name is Ed. I'll make this quick, I know you're busy.
Word on the street is, you should stop by the National Comedy Theatre this Friday, May 15 and check out one of the shows (one at 7:30, one at 9:45). There's a good group of people there you should see.
I'm not just saying that because I'll be up from Pennsylvania and appearing in the shows that night. I'm saying that because I'll be up from Pennsylvania appearing in the shows that night and I want you to hire me.
My wife and I have tickets to SNL on Saturday the 16th, so I'll be in the building to sign the papers. Funny how it all works out, huh?
Thanks! See you in a few days!
Sincerely,
Ed Placencia
Hi. My name is Ed. I'll make this quick, I know you're busy.
Word on the street is, you should stop by the National Comedy Theatre this Friday, May 15 and check out one of the shows (one at 7:30, one at 9:45). There's a good group of people there you should see.
I'm not just saying that because I'll be up from Pennsylvania and appearing in the shows that night. I'm saying that because I'll be up from Pennsylvania appearing in the shows that night and I want you to hire me.
My wife and I have tickets to SNL on Saturday the 16th, so I'll be in the building to sign the papers. Funny how it all works out, huh?
Thanks! See you in a few days!
Sincerely,
Ed Placencia
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Faith in Motion
Tonight at Target a little girl who looked to be about 6 or 7 years old came zipping past me, running at top speed. As she approached an intersection of aisles, she stopped. Her mom tried to keep up, pushing a cart and yelling, "Faith! Faith! Slow down!"
At this Faith turned to her mom and simply said, "I can't."
And she took off running again as fast as she could.
At this Faith turned to her mom and simply said, "I can't."
And she took off running again as fast as she could.
Monday, April 06, 2009
Saget's Revenge
Last week I wrote a post in response to the fact that Bob Saget has a new sitcom coming out.
Apparently Bob's deal with the devil is even sneakier than I imagined.
Yesterday Sarah and I were at Target and we split up into our usual departments; she in the clothing section and I browsed through the media. They were having a sale on TV shows on DVD and I came across the first season of How I Met Your Mother for only 12 bucks. I'd never seen an episode but had heard pretty good things about it, not to mention the fact I'm a fan of co-stars Jason Segal (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Undeclared, Freaks and Geeks), Alyson Hannigan (American Pie), and Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, Harold & Kumer, and the incredible Dr. Horrible).
It's been a while since I was brave enough to buy a DVD without previously seeing it, but I figured at only 12 bucks I couldn't go wrong.
Fast-forward a few hours. Sarah and I pop in Disc 1 and the narration (oh, it's narrated?) begins. Sarah turns to me and says, "That sounds like Bob Saget."
She was right. Wait. Was she? I listened. It did sound like him. But then again...maybe not. I scrambled over to my computer and looked up the show on IMDb.
Yep. It's him. We watched two episodes (I still enjoyed them, despite Saget's presence) but ended the night watching the first six episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
But I still couldn't believe Bob Saget got past me like that. How did I not know that? How could no one tell me? Entertainment Weekly, you let me down. You always conveniently seem to leave out that little detail when you rave about the show.
You've won this round Saget, you fat-headed imp.
Apparently Bob's deal with the devil is even sneakier than I imagined.
Yesterday Sarah and I were at Target and we split up into our usual departments; she in the clothing section and I browsed through the media. They were having a sale on TV shows on DVD and I came across the first season of How I Met Your Mother for only 12 bucks. I'd never seen an episode but had heard pretty good things about it, not to mention the fact I'm a fan of co-stars Jason Segal (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Undeclared, Freaks and Geeks), Alyson Hannigan (American Pie), and Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, Harold & Kumer, and the incredible Dr. Horrible).
It's been a while since I was brave enough to buy a DVD without previously seeing it, but I figured at only 12 bucks I couldn't go wrong.
Fast-forward a few hours. Sarah and I pop in Disc 1 and the narration (oh, it's narrated?) begins. Sarah turns to me and says, "That sounds like Bob Saget."
She was right. Wait. Was she? I listened. It did sound like him. But then again...maybe not. I scrambled over to my computer and looked up the show on IMDb.
Yep. It's him. We watched two episodes (I still enjoyed them, despite Saget's presence) but ended the night watching the first six episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
But I still couldn't believe Bob Saget got past me like that. How did I not know that? How could no one tell me? Entertainment Weekly, you let me down. You always conveniently seem to leave out that little detail when you rave about the show.
You've won this round Saget, you fat-headed imp.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Who Asked for More Saget?
Last night I saw ads for a new sitcom starring Bob Saget
.
Seriously, Earth, whatever it is I did wrong, I apologize. Just tell me what I did to deserve this.
.Seriously, Earth, whatever it is I did wrong, I apologize. Just tell me what I did to deserve this.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Our Tour of Ireland
A very abbreviated look at our time in Ireland. Sites include the Adare Manor, the City of Adare, the Cliffs of Moher, The Burren, the Dingle Penninsula, the city of Dingle, Conor Pass, Bunratty Castle, Bunratty Village, Cobh, Pat Collins Bar and the Sean Collins & Sons Bar. Music by The Chieftains.
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