free stuff weekend

One of the great things about living in LA -- if you have the patience for waiting in lines and then waiting in seats for things that never start on time -- is the opportunity to see television show tapings or attend panels with celebrities hocking their movies and television shows/specials for free. And this weekend, I did both!

Saturday morning, I got up WAY TOO early and headed to Hollywood for the taping of the May 8th episode of Katie Couric's show, Katie. The daytime talk show normally tapes in New York City, but this weekend Katie took over Jimmy Kimmel's studio to tape a week of shows in three days. The taping we attended (their first of two on Saturday) required us to be in line at 7:30am for our priority seating... which then took place around 8:30. The taping then started around 9:15 and taped totally out of order until around 10:45 with guests will.i.am (who taped first due to his performance, but will appear last when it airs) and Zooey Deschanel. 

I love Zooey so it was fun to see her talking about New Girl, her band She & Him, and her awesome website for young girls, HelloGiggles.com. (And as it turns out, I'll see her again tonight when I attend FOX's New Girl finale screening and panel at the TV Academy.) 

As for will.i.am, after the Black Eyed Peas opened for U2 on the U2360 tour, I feel like I've seen enough of him and his bandmates to last a lifetime. (Not a BEP fan. Sorry.) But it was interesting to hear him chat with Katie about his philanthropic work to get kids interested in science and technology. I had no idea he was doing that and have a newfound respect for the guy... even if he is the person responsible for "I Gotta Feeling."

And I am now able to verify that when TV hosts say "And everyone in our studio audience is going home with a copy of _____'s new [cd/book/whatever] ______ " they are actually telling the truth! I left the show with a copy of the new She & Him Volume 3 cd, and will.i.am's new #Willpower cd... one of which I will actually listen to. 

Then on Sunday night, I headed to Westwood's Wadsworth Theatre for an official TV Academy event: An Evening with Michael Buble'. Michael, his manager and the executive producers of his 2012 holiday special are hoping for an Emmy nomination, so they came to schmooze and entertain Academy voters (hi... that's me and some of my TV biz friends :). The panel was interesting, especially hearing how they used technology to allow Michael to sing with Bing Crosby (via a clip of Bing's holiday special from the '70s). But the best part of the night was getting a free three-song concert from the adorable Mr. Buble. He's just so fun in concert. I never cared about him till a friend dragged me to see him in concert four or five years ago. Now I heart him :) 

Oh, and to top it off, we got a free copy of his brand new cd To Be Loved as we exited the theatre... at the same time his bodyguards were trying to get Michael to his car. Yes, a mob scene ensued. But I was not part of it.... which isn't to say a certain friend of mine who really loves Michael Buble was not ;) 

2010 -- the year that was

It's New Year's Eve, my most hated of holidays. People put way too much emphasis on going out, drinking, and cheering when the clock strikes 12. Any time I've tried to "celebrate" this "holiday," I usually regret it... I get in a fight with someone, or the evening doesn't live up to the artificially manufactured expectations that it be awesome, and I feel like I've failed the Party Gods. So this year, I'm sitting on my couch watching movies, with a vodka cranberry in hand. This has been a not-awesome year, and I prefer to just let it slip quietly into the past.

The year 2010 actually started off really well. I was the happiest I'd been in a long time... for about six days. Then things went awry. Sadness, worry and stress took over my personal and professional lives. I'd like to say those feelings lessened as the year went on, but alas, they did not. My mom was diagnosed with MS in June. Work got all re-org-ish over the summer, some people I loved working with are no longer there, and it now seems more in flux than it's ever been. And since July, four colleagues, all under the age of 50, have passed away, three from health issues that took them from this earth way before their time; and the fourth was killed the day after Christmas at the hands of a drunk driver in Vermont. (RIP Johannes, Leslie, Wayne and Kaye.) So sad.

The year was not all bad though. I traveled a lot, (although most of it was for work) and went three places I'd never been before. I also saw a lot of great shows and concerts, participated in three great volunteer events, and made a great home improvement. This year also saw me convert from PC to Mac at home, and I must say I love the freedom of my light, easy to use, virus-free MacBook now, even though converting all my files (or not, as the case may be) was a pain. I got my awesome Droid Incredible phone. And I went to Pilates almost every week of the year. (But went on only one hike due to my knee problems, finally diagnosed in May as runner's knee... although I do not run). Here are some of the highlights of the year:

January:

• My mom and dad celebrated their 40th Anniversary

February:

• Bon Jovi Concert #1 in Anaheim
• Saw Cast and Producers of LOST at PaleyFest

March:

• Bon Jovi Concert #2 in Los Angeles @ Staples Center

April:

• I started blogging (here) again!
• Michael Buble Concert @ Staples Center
• Trip #1: Seattle, WA, for the first time
• The Los Angeles Kings make the playoffs for the first time since 2002!

May:

• Trip #2: San Francisco for Web 2.0 Expo
• The 2010 Summer Movie Blockbuster Club kicks off its season
• Renoir in the 20th Century @ LACMA, with Mom, on Mother's Day
• Trip #3: Boulder, CO
• Upgraded to the Droid Incredible
• Trip #4: New Orleans (my one non-work, just for fun trip, for Jason & Nora's wedding!)

June:

• Sting's "Symphonicity" @ the Hollywood Bowl
• Jonny Lang @ House of Blues, Hollywood
• Grease Sing-Along @ the Hollywood Bowl
• I got my new, gorgeous back patio installed!

July:

• Hosted my first 4th of July BBQ
• Went to the Grammy Museum

August:

• RENT @ the Hollywood Bowl, directed by Neil Patrick Harris
• Trip #5: St. Louis, MO, for the first (and hopefully last) time ever
• John Williams @ the Hollywood Bowl
• Goo Goo Dolls @ the Greek Theatre

September:

• Trip #6: Raleigh, NC, for the first time... at the same time as Hurricane Earl
• Trip #7: Palo Alto, CA
• Southern California Coastal Cleanup Day
• Trip #8: San Francisco, again

October:

• Trip #9: Phoenix
• Trip #10: New York City & Hackensack, NJ
• Apple and pumpkin picking in Yucaipa, CA
• The Kings season begins... awesomely. 

November:

• Volunteering for Operation Gratitude
• Disneyland with The Z's 

December:

• My first year with outdoor Christmas lights!
• Volunteering @ LA Regional Foodbank
• Christmas Cocktails
• 12 days of vacation kicks off

And here's what I did this year, according to some of my favorite Facebook status updates:

As 2011 nears, I'm thinking about what I can do to make it better than 2010 was. I think my overall goals are to take care of myself, and strive for happiness in my life and the lives of those close -- and not so close -- to me.

To that end, I want to:

• Get Healthy: I will eat better and utilize either my Wii Fit or the treadmill -- that I plan to "borrow" from my parents' garage -- at least three times per week, in addition to continuing Pilates. I also want to resume hiking when the time changes.  
• Write More: I will not put my journal in a drawer. I will keep it in eyesight and use it to brain dump feelings and ideas not for public consumption here.
• Read Actual Books: A minimum of four this year. One per quarter. That's doable, right? (Sub-goal: I will not let my magazine pile deter me from this goal, no matter how tall it gets.)
• Volunteer More: Operation Gratitude takes place four minutes from my house. I can give up three hours of my life every few weekends to bring some happiness to the lives of people sacrificing theirs for our freedom. I also plan to participate in the "Walk MS" in April to raise funds for the National MS Society.
• Host More: I love my house, I have a great kitchen and I just spent a lot of money on an awesome patio. I need to invite people over to enjoy it with me more. I also need to practice cooking more, minus eating more (see goal #1 ;) 
• Travel for Me: I will go to Portland this year to spend time with friends -- I've made that promise. I also hope 2011, one way or another, will finally be my Italian vacation year. I'm thinking either April for someone's birthday, or a solo tour in the Fall. 

That's six things, some more complicated than others. But I was quite amazed with everything I got done in December simply by planning my month, day by day, and checking things off a list. Tomorrow is the start of a new calendar and I can start filling it in right away :)

diana's happy buble' day

No that's not a typo. Today (well, I guess at this time of night it was yesterday) was my friend Diana's birthday, but it was also the night that Michael Buble' played Staples Center. So therefore we shall deem April 9, 2010 "Diana's Happy Buble' Day." She even made a sign to hold up so he'd know it was her birthday. AND -- here comes the happy part -- he actually saw the sign and gave her a wave cuz our seats were just that awesome. (So awesome, in fact, that Dick Clark Part Deux, Ryan Seacrest was sitting right in front of us -- like I-could've-kicked-his-date-in-the-head-in-front-of-us -- and caused quite the hub-bub in section 119, but I digress....) Diana looooooves Michael Buble', who (for those of you out of the know) is a 34-year-old Sinatra-esque Canadian crooner with a HI-larious sense of humor. His shows are a blast, and this one was no exception. So Happy Buble' Day to you Diana! And I'll try to remember to download the video of "Bubbly" giving you the wave at some point this weekend :)