sha in LA

Camp Hollywood

I'll be a bit incommunicado with all my non-swing dancing friends this weekend as I will be at the LAX Marriott for an annual dance event known as Camp Hollywood, or as I like to affectionately call it Camp Ho.

If you watch the 2004 promo clip on the website you can catch a glimpse of me, not dancing but stating my favorite part of the weekend...that would be the "after parties." Yes, I had a drink in my hand...what can I say, they stuck the camera in my face as I was walking away from the bar!!?!!

If you're interested in coming to any of the night dances or just watching the contests on Saturday or Sunday you can do so, for a small price. Check the website for complete details.

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i see dead people and movies

Just about everyone and their brother knows about the Cinespia movie screenings at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollyweird. I'm probably one of the only people who knows about it that has yet been able to attend due to (everyone chime in now) my overly hectic schedule (say schedule with a British accent). One of these days...

What caught my eye, and prompted me to write about it today, was that I just received my weekly reminder e-mail and found out that they are playing my all time favorite horror movie, Carrie. This is the kind of crazy little girl I was: Every year around my birthday from say 8 years old until about 12 years old Carrie would be televised on ABC...or some network TV station. I would schedule my birthday slumber party around the televised movie and force my guests to watch it!! Needless to say there are a few girls out there who have been sufficiently emotionally scarred due to being the unwilling participants in my sick and twisted ways.

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space QUEEN

This morning the Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off into space for the 114th overall mission and the first time since the horrible Columbia disaster 2 1/2 years ago.

114 times in space? Wow. The last time I remember watching a liftoff I was in high school...and this morning. This one was truly amazing as there were cameras mounted onto the rocket boosters and the external fuel tank so when the Shuttle was on it's way into orbit you could see the vast darkenss of space contrasted by the glowing blue earth below.

When I was little I wanted to be an astronaut. Not in the sense that I desired to take lots of science classes and REALLY be an astronaut; more in the fantasy sense that I wanted all the hard work to be done by someone else and just magically know everything there is to know about being an astronaut. Which has lead me to this: How do you become an astronaut?, guidelines put out by NASA.

Interesting stuff. I think I’ll stick with my current situation.

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definitely see

I realized this weekend that I would prefer to just sleep the summer away. Can we just skip the next few months and get straight to October? Please??!!??

Sunday I woke up at 11:30, ate breakfast, read the paper and then promptly took a nap until 2:30 when I FORCED myself to finally get out of bed. The only reason I actually had to get up was that I had plans to go see Hamlet that evening. Remember last week when I spoke of Independent Shakespeare? Well last night Julius and I and Chuckles and Aaron and Ruby (I remembered!) walked down the street to enjoy a little tragedy by that dude, Billy Shakes P.

I watched Julius single-handedly finish off an entire wedge of brie...save for the few scoops that I was able to manage. We didn't heed the warnings that it gets chilly at night, and I seemed to have forgot that Barnsdall is on top of a very large hill, so we made do with a Pillsbury Doughboy blanket and some Transformer sheets. The show was pretty damn good. I defintely recommend checking it out as well as the other 2 shows that are running in rep, Richard III and The Two Gentlemen of Verona, until the end of August. I'm making reservations for R3 on August 28th as that is the only other performance I can see due to my own scheduling conflicts. But that shouldn't stop YOU from checking it out on your own.

GO!

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rocco my world

Sometimes I think I'm psychic, or maybe just hyper-tuned into the world. Last night when I came home I found this postcard that my neighbor left on my doorstep:

almost immediately Nels Cline popped into my head. Low and behold, when I turned it over I saw this, sans the cancellation note for the performance on the 29th. Which is good, not for Rocco or anyone who bought tix but for me because I have a conflict on the 29th. Maybe the reschedule will fit into my schedule. Oh, I hope I hope.

A few years ago I was lucky enough to be introduced to the whole Rocco in LA jazz scene. For about a year he ran his jazz club out of the theatres that I am associated with, Elephant Stageworks. I can't recall how many times, after my shows, I'd be locking up and then out of the blue I'd be drawn into the Lillian Theatre by some fantastical sounds. Rocco was always a sweetheart, often letting me sit in for a bit to unwind. Sometimes I would just sit in the lobby with him and listen from afar. The energy was still there even if I wasn't in the same room as the players.

So now Rocco puts on weekly events in Los Angeles at Cafe Metropol and on a more sporadic basis at Barnsdall Art Park. You can look at his calendar for more detailed info.

Go and check it out sometime. Relax and let the music move you.

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2 in a row

Heavens. Dare I even think of 3 in a row?

I'm talking about the Dodgers again. They've been on my mind a lot recently. Back to the whole 3 in a row question. Weaver is on the mound tomorrow and history shows that the bats are mostly silent when he shows up to pitch so the odds aren't favorable for a mini-winning streak. Sad to think that 3 in a row is considered a winning streak.

In other news, I have discovered an easy way to cool off at 2:30 in the morning when your apartment reaches a stagnant 90 degrees. Put a wet washcloth on your tummy or footsies or both! Presto! Combined with a fan it really works wonders. I think Bananarama summed it up best - "It's a cruel, cruel summer..."

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sports fans...feeling you!!

Inspiration for the good old blog has been lacking in my life recently. I don't know if it's the weather or what. There's definitely lots of stuff on the horizon to look forward to: Tofu Festival, Greek Festival, Grand Avenue Festival. I like festivals apparently. But last night it all changed. I have a reason to type today.

It all started a few weeks ago when I went to Cole's for Ali's Divorce Party. That night I met a lovely young man named Sam. I don't know how we got on the subject but early in the conversation he mentioned that he worked at XTRA Sports Radio. I do believe one of the first things that came out of my mouth was "FEELING YOU" in my best Vic the Brick impersonation. We ended up shooting the shit about sports and my love of sports and my desire to work in sports. It's all about me remember? Sam offered a chance for me to come by the studio and see it all in action...including a meet and greet with none other than Vic the Brick himself. Needless to say I took him up on the offer and last night I had the pleasure of watching the man, the myth, the legend in action. We all shot the shit about, what else, sports. Vic is the absolute coolest man in sports talk radio, every glowing adjective you can think of describes this man to a "T". And the facial hair...sweet. Make sure to take a look at the above link for a camera phone capture of the special moment.

Listening to those sports news updates will never be the same.

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Seven Redneck Cheerleaders

Mark your calendars now. DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!!!!!! More to come in the next few days.

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to see or not to see

Free Shakespeare in the Park. Barnsdall Art Park that is. Spitting distance from my apartment. Good actors, I know. I've worked with and/or seen most of them perform in the greater Los Angeles area. You can't beat the price and any excuse to sit outside on a lovely summer's eve with a little picnic dinner is good enough for me.

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luck o' the irish

What originally intended to be "just one drink" turned out to be an all night affair...

Tom Bergin's. Damn fine drinking establishment. Gotta love Charlie (Bartender) and Rob (Bar Manager) for making the night that much more enjoyable. If you're ever on Fairfax between Olympic and Wilshire definitely stop in for a drink. You won't be disappointed.

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