Yusef was killed in 1989 in Brooklyn. His cause of death was not only racial profiling and jealousy, but also gun violence. Unfortunately since that time nothing has changed and the conflicts and conversations keep repeating themselves. While his name has faded from memory the issues are still the same. Today Yusef would have been 45. Honor him today by becoming more compassionate, educated on gun violence, and vowing to end racial profiling.
Showing posts with label birthdays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthdays. Show all posts
Monday, March 19, 2018
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
I'll Be There For You (The Rembrandts)
Monday night I went to Astoria to hang out with my friend
Wade. He was insistent that I come over. To give you an idea, back in the day
Wade was a Ford model. You may have seen his washboard abs sporting underwear
on various billboards worldwide. Heck, I saw him on one before I knew him and
developed a crush. Then I found out he was gay, but we are amazing friends.
These days, he is doing less modelling and wants to help the environment.
At first when he insisted I come over, I thought he had his
heart broken. Wade and I always go for the wrong men. As I came in, Wade
informed me he had planned a semi-impromptu get together for my belated
birthday. According to Wade, he had heard me whine about turning 30 and wanted
to do something special. It’s not that I am unhappy with my life. Time just
goes by. One day I was twenty and then poof. Pulling it out of the
refrigerator, I realized Wade had spent the last two hours baking me a gluten
free birthday cake. One by one, our friends arrived and our little surprise get
together got underway. The event and gesture was so wonderful it made me cry.
As a group of gay men, all with perfect voices, Broadway style, sang “Happy
Birthday” to me, it made me realize that no matter what happened, I had my
friends. Whether 30 brought me more things checked off my bucket list or not, I
had the most important thing of all. As I said it, my friends.
This year for my birthday, it seemed many of my friends came
out into full effect. I don’t usually celebrate my birthday extravagantly. It’s
because over the years I have sang “Happy Birthday” to so many people in so
many places. These have included the CFO of the NHL, the husband of the Sultana
of Saudi Arabia and the best friend of Forbes Regular Blake Mallen, the song
has kind of lost it’s luster for me. Plus I like my birthday to be a calm
affair. However, this year my boss Bruce, entrepreneur of the singing telegram
company I worked for, called me and gave me a “Happy Birthday” phone gram. Not
many can call their boss a friend, but I am one of the few who can. He is an
inspiration at every turn.
Heck, my boss and all of my coworkers are. This past summer,
I did my book event in which they all took part in. While my gift was writing
the book and emceeing the evening, my coworkers lent their tremendous voices,
tremendous sense of craft, and tremendous hearts to the event. Their generosity
and giving to make my event the success that it was moved my heart beyond
words.
My boss’s assistant Laila, who has been a singing telegram
person and a cabaret favorite in the city for nearly two decades, helped me
organize the event. On several occasions, it looked as if I was going to lose
my mind. After a small meltdown, she gave me a pep talk where she quoted David
Mamet’s book, True or False, and told me to step away from the event for a
little bit. I am like a buzzard, I keep going until I run into the wall. While
my work ethic has always been good, it in the end is always my undoing. So I
stepped away and felt better. When I returned later, I was able to focus. It was
amazing. That’s what friends are for, right?
Add in Nishu and Hedda, my friends from the neighborhood.
Nishu is the literal ringmaster of various characters. Hedda is his lady love
who keeps him in check. Despite the adventures, and sometimes misadventures we
all find ourselves on, Nishu has been there for me this past year. Same with
Hedda. Yes, they were present for the book signing. My singing telegram cohort
Jeanie and I did a special number for Hedda’s bestie’s surprise party. Was it
fun? You bet. Am I sad to see Hedda go to Spain? Ya. Will she be back? Duh.
Until then, Nishu and I have some mischief to cause.
I can’t forget Spooky Juice, my super who gives me
inappropriate kisses and hugs. At the same time, he reads every blog I write
and has bought several of my DVDs to resell to his various friends all over the
world. He has also bought several of my books to give away. A magician when it
comes to fixing things, he prevented me from getting some dripping disease by
fixing my sink.
Then there are the boys at Vibe West who get all my
packages. They are always on the stoop smoking cigarettes in between clients.
Yes, we all gossip about boys because these are gay men. It’s always nice to
see a friend when I come and go into my apartment running about. Sometimes that
is what you need during a stressful second, and it might be what they need to
as they are smoking their nicotine, the legal choice drug in combination with
caffeine of many a New Yorker.
The corner store is another place where I have friends. Of
course I have a playful yet flirty relationship with the men behind the counter
and the regulars. We gossip about the news and sports, and the dudes always
know the NFL scoop as the cabs are hitting shift change. The jokes are raucous
and dirty, but it’s a great start to the day as we drink our coffee.
Then wherever I go up the block, past the funeral home, I
see a friend. Then to the gym whether it’s the pool I see an acting teacher
friend of mine, Trish. A lifetime member of the Actors Studio, Trish has either
known, taught, or dated practically every acting teacher I ever had. One day, steaming
naked in the sauna, the subject of a player would be leading man I dated
briefly came up. When his name was posed, Trish remarked, “Mike could be a good
actor, but he’s too into himself.” SNAP!
Add in the girls I brunch with. Plus the girls in Astoria.
And my red carpet friends. Damn, I have some serious friends.
Then there are those who have become friends through the
comedy world. The people who have given me rides to places and who were so kind
they wouldn’t accept my gas money knowing I was broke. Or those who bought me
food when I had none. Add in the older headliners who helped me with a
punchline or gave me career advice solely because they liked me. And then there
are the crazies like myself. How could we not bond?
The wonderful thing about friends is when I haven’t seen
them in a while, and they pop up. One friend of mine, Rich, had worked in my
college dorm freshmen year. He saw me perform live my first year of doing
comedy in the city. Afterwards, he graduated and went to law school. After law
school, he joined the Navy and is now a JAG. Last summer, he came up to the
city. Rich had purchased my book and was giving it to a friend of his who
wanted to be an actor. It was a wonderful reunion.
Another wonderful surprise was at my DVD taping this past
spring. After the show my friends and fans were greeting me, and one familiar
face stood out in the crowd. It was Derek Judy. A school mate of mine, he had
been a stand out as a boxer. We went to the same elementary, middle and high
school as well as rode the same bus for our school careers. As a matter of
fact, I believe his dad was my mailman. Anyway, he had gone off to West Point
and I had not seen Derek, that is, until that moment. He apologized for being
an unexpected surprise. While unexpected, he was a pleasant surprise.
At the same show, I had a reunion with Emma Olsen and her
sister Betty. While Betty was younger than us, Emma and I were in the same
English class senior year and survived a psychotic student teacher with the
ultimate eye twitch. The experience not only bonded us, but now we both live in
New York. This woman as unforgettable, but it brought us closer together.
As I think of the various people I cross paths with, I think
of those I haven’t seen in forever. I see the faces of old cast mates of mine
from various projects who I was close with for a time. Then I see the faces of
friends of mine from college who pop up every once in a great while. Or friends
of mine from writing groups who cheered me on as I penned my book. Then there
are puppeteer and filmmaker friends that have shared their genius and knowledge
with me such as Guenevere Dean.
I have friends that have gone to jail. I have friends who
worship Satan. I have friends who have hustled, sold drugs, robbed armored
trucks, you name it. Relax, they aren’t doing it now. It makes for lively
conversation. It makes for some laughs. It also makes for people who don’t judge
me when things are going wrong. People who fly right don’t always have that
skill set.
Then I think of some of my friends who aren’t here. I see
the faces of Chacho Vasquez, and hear him talking about his latest sexual
conquest in one breath, but then he is educating me on how to screw someone
over without getting caught just because he doesn’t want to see me stepped on.
I see Joe Cannava, the friend who told me I would be on television someday, and
to be patient. However, I will always
remember Joe because he was the one who pushed me to write my book. He didn’t stop
until I did mind you, and although he is no longer here in some ways he lives
on through the words he inspired me to write. Add in Michelle Dombrowsky, who
was a friend to me when I had no one in the comedy world. As I remember her
huge laugh and even bigger heart, I just want to tell cancer it sucks. Lest I
not forget Ray Payton, who used to give me spots at doing opening comedy for
the shows at the TSI Playtime Series. Diabetes can suck it, too. Egardo
Rodriguez, how could I forget his quick comebacks and snappy style? Sometimes,
I even feel his spirit in front of the salon he once worked at. Otto Petersen,
Dear Lord, ventriloquism is nothing without you, Sir. You taught me so much.
And lastly but certainly not least, my breakfast buddy Spenser Kimbrough. Yes,
we had breakfast every Saturday as the soy milk curdled in my coffee. You were
one of the first people to tell me I was funny and should pursue comedy. Then
an unknown cause took you in your sleep.
In my 30 years of life, I have met some people who have
sucked, yes. At the same time, I have also met some awesome people. Not only it
is wonderful they are in my life, it is a blessing. So what is the best
birthday present I got this year? Answer: The tremendous people I call friends.
Your generosity makes me cry. Thank you for being a part of my life.
www.aprilbrucker.com
Monday, August 18, 2014
Night of the Living Blow Job
Last night my friend Nishu had a cook out party for his
friend Marcurio. A weird mix of hodge podge, Marcurio is part German and part
Latvian. However, he was raised in both Brazil and Argentina, depending on
where his parents worked. On top of that he lived and worked in Puerto Rico and
NY. It was the big 50, a milestone. A membership to a new club. The night
before, the recently divorced Marcurio had partied until the sun came up, drank
as much as an errant sailor, and was still going.
Nishu, notorious for being the ring master of a crazy cast
of characters, invited some of the usual suspects. Juan came with his Japanese
girlfriend Koko. Nishu’s girlfriend Hedda was there as well, the one who has
normalized him. Over the past six months, she has acted as a sedative of sorts.
Nishu has gone from dating fetish models and answering ads on craigslist to
having Hedda on his arm. Last night they were talking about the tentative wedding
they were having in India where Nishu is from, and the possibility there would
be one dog in the equation. The whole thing is good and odd at the same time.
It is odd to see and hear Nishu using the love term when it comes to a woman,
let alone only sleeping with one woman at a time. It is also good to see him so
focused and so grown up. Despite his playboy past he is actually a good
boyfriend. I think he had it in him though, because he was always a good
friend.
Marcurio brought two guests with him. One was Marco, his
good friend who he met while in high school in Argentina. Now Marco owned a
private security firm and rode Harley’s. And there was a woman in the mix with
those two. Her name was Sandra. A tall, leggy blonde, she worked for the
Catalonian government in Spain. However, she now lived in NYC. While she was
not lively as the rest of the group, she seemed fine, like she was blending in.
Sure, we can be nuts as a whole, but she was adjusting, and Nishu was making
her feel welcome.
I chatted with Sandra briefly. Apparently there is a movement
for Catalonian independence in Spain I was not aware of. I asked her if it was similar
to the Basque movement. She said it was less violent. I likened it to the
Scottish movement for independence. She agreed, and we both discussed that and
the IRA. I found her reserved but intelligent. Things were still smooth, still
good.
We began to talk about various types of relationships,
swinging and such. I mentioned I knew people who were swingers that had a
healthy, honest, open relationship. Juan and Koko knew a couple where the
swinging got out of control, and the woman developed feelings for her male
swing. The subject came up about how feelings come and go, and people can’t
turn them off. Sandra got silent, almost judgmental. She shot a hateful glance
our way. Shortly afterwards, those two departed. Apparently, they needed to
catch an early flight to Japan to visit Koko’s family the next day.
Then I asked Marcurio if he had ever been married. He
mentioned he had, to the daughter of a famous baseball star. His ex wife, a
Dominican, had tried to kill him on several occasions. Once she had stabbed him
with a pair of scissors. Then she threatened him with a kitchen knife. After
that she held a gun to his head. We asked why he stayed. Marcurio said, “It’s
not her fault.” We laughed. Wow. Then we asked if they were still talking.
Marcurio said despite their divorce they were the best of friends. WOW!
After which, I mentioned that as a recently divorced guy we
should take him to a strip club. There were several in the neighborhood. I told
him he needed the diseased booty of a stripper all over his face as well as her
augmented breasts. The party agreed. The question was, which club to take him
too. At some, because of the high stage fee, the girls were tip sharks. At
others, they didn’t go full nude. These were such crisis and we arrived at a
dead end. Still, this man needed lots of action from a dirty, loose, woman with
no morals.
And then the name Matilda came up. Yes, he had met Matilda
at the surprise party we threw for Hedda’s best friend Meg. Matilda was from
Croatia, and up until two days before we met her had been living on a boat with
this random Indian dude. They had no where else to go, and someone lent them
the boat. Matilda baked these crepes laced in Jack Daniels. I mistakenly had
one as a nondrinker not knowing. Within seconds, I offered the rest of mine to
a slightly sloshed drinker friend. Anyway, Matilda was ready to rock ‘n’ roll.
A free spirit, she struck up a conversation with Marcurio
about blow jobs, and then offered him one.
Marcurio apparently declined, but
got her digits. I blurted out, “You were recently divorced, what the frickety
frack were you thinking? It’s a free blow job and you don’t have to pay!”
“Yeah,” his friend
Marco agreed. “Man, that is an offer you can’t refuse.”
Hedda agreed. “When someone offers a blow job for no money
you just say yes.”
“And if you get this offer again she might have no teeth.” I
reminded him.
“That is the best kind of blow job.” Marcurio informed.
“But she might have a crack habit and AIDS.” I said.
“That is depressing…..Never thought of that.” Marcurio
replied.
“I have Matilda’s number, let’s call her and have her come
over.” Nishu suggested.
We all agreed. Perhaps Marcurio could finally collect on his
birthday present. All the while, Sandra sat there, with gleam in her eye that
read homicide. I could tell she didn’t like me especially, but whatever. Mario
agreed an up front offer for a blow job would have been a little odd, but he
would have considered it. When we asked Sandra, she said in a stilted tone, “If
I were a guy, I think I would be turned off by that.”
“But you aren’t a dude.” I countered. Everyone agreed. At
that moment, a scowl set in across her face.
Nishu tried Matilda again, no luck. Finally he got her. She
said she was in Queens somewhere and might come over. Apparently she was piss
faced drunk. Probably laced it in her own food again. The good news was, she
now had a residence and was no longer living on a boat. Meanwhile, the wine had
run out for the drinkers and Nishu ran to the liquor store. The rest of us were
left to debate the evening and the subject of BJs.
We goaded Marcurio into collecting on his much promised
present. All the while, Sandra withdrew and got moodier and moodier. Hedda and
I teased Marcurio about what had happened, and Mario joined the fun. Hedda suggested
she should make the same offer to Nishu. When Nishu returned, Sandra was now
downing liquor and unhappily sucking on a cigarette. She was waaaaayyyyy too
uptight for our group. Meanwhile, we ordered a pizza. When it arrived, Nishu
and Hedda disappeared to find the plates. They were gone for sometime, and we
sat there. Mario, Marcurio, and I continued the blow job gag, and even joked
about collecting money to get the birthday boy a high priced call girl.
I went inside to see if they needed help finding the plates.
The hate from the direction of Sandra was much too much. When I went inside,
Nishu and Hedda were both stepping out of the bathroom. Hedda had made the
offer and well……That is when I said, “You both did not?” They giggled, got the
plates, and out we went. Hey, at least someone was cashing in on the offer,
right?
Pizza was punctuated with more inappropriate jokes. Sandra
glowered now. Marcurio apologized, “We are a little nutty here in case you didn’t
know. Sorry if you feel overwhelmed.”
“I wasn’t even paying attention.” Sandra said, not even
visibly hiding her disgust. Hedda, wanting to change the mood from the wet
blanket, cut off the lid from the recently finished pizza box and made it into
a birthday keep sake for Marcurio. For as nutty as my friends are, they are
equally as thoughtful. Nishu and Hedda were trying to make the party a nice
experience, and now this woman was just making it awkward.
Minutes later, she announced she was heading out. She
claimed she had to work. After she left, Mario, who had been silent for a great
while, told us tales of his adventures as a biker. He spoke of the kindness of
strangers on the road. We all were sucked into his stories, a nice change of
pace from the sex talk that had enveloped the night. A short while later,
Marcurio asked, “What did you think of Sandra?” We all bit our lips.
Finally, Marcurio confessed they had met on Tinder, and had
only known her about three days. I was floored, I thought she was an old friend
like all the others. Apparently she had been his “date”to his birthday party
the night before. We asked if he slept with her. Marcurio replied, “Now I never
will because you cock blocked me.”
Thus began a debate about if Tinder was a
meet up, dating, or hook up app. The jury was out. On the other hand, some of
us felt bad about not knowing she was Marcurio’s date. If we had known, we wouldn’t
have called Matilda and pressured him into collecting on the blow job he was
promised. I felt bad, and so did Mario. Hedda said we had no way of knowing,
and Nishu agreed. Marcurio laughed the whole thing off. But now this strange
woman hated us all. Yeah, she was a stick in the mud. Yeah, she was on a whore
app looking for love. Maybe we should have been a little better behaved.
Then we thought about it. Perhaps Sandra and her uptight
nature made her not the right match for the recently single, ready to rock
Marcurio. On the other hand, perhaps Marcurio was the reason for his brushes of
death with women in the first place. Then we suggested we call Matilda, call
Sandra, and have Sandra see Marcurio collect on his present live and in person.
But we decided against it.
Instead, we decided to keep laughing and having fun. We
decided to keep cracking jokes and to continue frolicking in the Neverland we
somehow inhabited, stilted souls never to develop into full blown adults. The
pirate who had accidentally infiltrated our lair would never return again, by
hook or by crook. And in unison we shouted, “BLOW JOBS FOR ALL!!!”
Gosh my sixth grade self would have thought this was the
best night ever.
The end.
www.aprilbrucker.com
Buy my DVD Broke and Semi-Famous available through EBay
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Rico Mambo (The Breakfast Club)
Today was a big day. It was the screening of my friend Carlos Valentin's film The Lottery. To give you a little bit of background, Carlos and I have been friends for a while. We know each other through my cousin Bill. Anyway, Carlos and I clicked. A while back he mentioned he was making a film called The Lottery. To make a long story short, The Lottery is a Checkov story. However, Carlos redid it with a gay couple winning the ticket fierce as they could be. Needless to say they pretty much almost killed each other before a surprise ending.
When I first auditioned I just did it because he invited me. I had no clue whether or not I was going to get a role. Either way, since college I had followed the ventriloquism and standup thing and really, aside from a murder mystery and a film cameo in 2009 and a film role a year ago I really hadn't done much acting. Sure, I had moved to the city to act and even have a BFA saying I can, but the comedy doors opened much quicker. Plus standup gave me a way to write my own stuff thus creating my own work. COWing it if you will.
Needless to say I did in the office scene as eye candy. It's not huge but it's nice screen time and I am sort of hard to miss, front and center. The filming was fun. Crazy thing is, when you do a piece of any sort for a friend it is either really good or really bad. Both has happened in my experience. I went to the Anthology Film Archive on Second Ave fresh off of a big week. Not only are the wheels in motion for the audio version of my book, but also I put my book in the library of the LGBTQ Center on 13th Street. In addition, I also got to deliver a singing chicken to Martin Scorsese's assistant. While Marty as they refer to him was not present because he was working due to the millions of dollars they pay him-he said he thought it was funny.
A little background on Anthology, the last time I saw a film there, that of my friend Kate Greer, it ended up making the festival circuit in an impressive way. Needless to say, now my film was being shown there. Anthology is the largest avante guarde film archive in NYC, housing works such as Flaming Creatures by the late Jack Smith. In addition, it regularly shows classics from some of the greatest of our time.
Before the film began I helped Carlos and his crew set up. His husband Patrick was there as well, and they make a cute couple as always. Carlos is very high strung and funny, whereas Patrick is more laid back. Nonetheless, he is supportive as hell. I would be lucky to find a guy that good.
The film screening started with Carlos falling from the director chair. He claims he was tense and it warmed him up, but the thing got a HUGE laugh. Carlos claims he didnt have it planned but I think he is lying. From there we saw a preview of his next film, a documentary about OP-Art, a Puerto Rican arts organization which nurtured Carlos and his creative talents. He had started as a visual artist and then used his storytelling and comedic talents for use on the camera to tell a story. As the documentary rolled and the founder was speaking, several visual pieces with Carlos appeared in crazy masks and wigs which made everyone laugh. After that was a beautiful and deep music video with Dimitri Minucci directed by of course my friend.
Finally the film began. Not only was it good, it was excellent. Work of genius was an understatement. The shots and colors were specific. These days you don't see that handiwork in a film. The filmmaker from our era to even attempt that is of course Martin Scorsese, my new found almost friend this week. Everyone was dressed in certain colors for certain reasons. The camera tones were brighter at some points and more gray at others. There were parts of the gritty New York City landscape. My mouth dropped open. My buddy was channeling Scorsese. While Carlos and his concept were original, it was an attention to detail that was nothing short of genius. Working with Carlos was not only a wonderful experience, but an honor and a privilege.
Afterwards, at the dinner, I spoke with some of the casting people about technique and art and such. From Sense Memory to costume usage to other things, I had not had a conversation that deep in some time about acting. It also made me miss acting. Yes, I had made my lil splash with the standup and ventriloquism. I had been a reality television star and an internet television station talked about talking head. I wrote a damn book. But there has been a hole in my heart lately. It is because I am not onstage using my instrument. And it is because there are too many bitter ass actors in my life and not enough people with fresh ideas who care let alone know about art. And tonight was the beginning to finding that part of myself.
At dinner I mentioned to Carlos that his work reminded me of Martin Scorsese, and relayed the story of the singing chicken. Carlos almost jumped out of his chair. He mentioned when he graduated from the New School Martin Scorsese had given the commencement speech. And he said he admired Scorsese and was flattered by the comparison. Chills ran down my spine. Marty and I had almost met earlier this week. He went to my alma mater. Now my friend Carlos makes a film with the same attention to color and detail. On top of that Marty spoke at his alma mater.
Hmmmm....Something leads me to believe that both of us perhaps will meet our friend Marty again. Not to mention Marty shares a birthday with Joe Cannava, my late friend who got me to write my book. Coincidence, I think not. Or maybe it is.
Either way, this is just the beginning of great things for Carlos, who had people from festivals there. I was pleased not only to be able to show up for my friend, but also flattered he thought I even had enough talent let alone creativity to be a part of things.
Happy Birthday my sweet friend. To the start of another great year!
Love
April
I Came, I Saw, I Sang: Memoirs of a Singing Telegram Delivery Girl
877-Buy-Book
www.buybooksontheweb.com
Available as a paperback and ebook on Amazon
Available on BarnesandNoble.com as well as Nook
Portion of proceeds go to RAINN in honor of National Stalking Awareness Month
When I first auditioned I just did it because he invited me. I had no clue whether or not I was going to get a role. Either way, since college I had followed the ventriloquism and standup thing and really, aside from a murder mystery and a film cameo in 2009 and a film role a year ago I really hadn't done much acting. Sure, I had moved to the city to act and even have a BFA saying I can, but the comedy doors opened much quicker. Plus standup gave me a way to write my own stuff thus creating my own work. COWing it if you will.
Needless to say I did in the office scene as eye candy. It's not huge but it's nice screen time and I am sort of hard to miss, front and center. The filming was fun. Crazy thing is, when you do a piece of any sort for a friend it is either really good or really bad. Both has happened in my experience. I went to the Anthology Film Archive on Second Ave fresh off of a big week. Not only are the wheels in motion for the audio version of my book, but also I put my book in the library of the LGBTQ Center on 13th Street. In addition, I also got to deliver a singing chicken to Martin Scorsese's assistant. While Marty as they refer to him was not present because he was working due to the millions of dollars they pay him-he said he thought it was funny.
A little background on Anthology, the last time I saw a film there, that of my friend Kate Greer, it ended up making the festival circuit in an impressive way. Needless to say, now my film was being shown there. Anthology is the largest avante guarde film archive in NYC, housing works such as Flaming Creatures by the late Jack Smith. In addition, it regularly shows classics from some of the greatest of our time.
Before the film began I helped Carlos and his crew set up. His husband Patrick was there as well, and they make a cute couple as always. Carlos is very high strung and funny, whereas Patrick is more laid back. Nonetheless, he is supportive as hell. I would be lucky to find a guy that good.
The film screening started with Carlos falling from the director chair. He claims he was tense and it warmed him up, but the thing got a HUGE laugh. Carlos claims he didnt have it planned but I think he is lying. From there we saw a preview of his next film, a documentary about OP-Art, a Puerto Rican arts organization which nurtured Carlos and his creative talents. He had started as a visual artist and then used his storytelling and comedic talents for use on the camera to tell a story. As the documentary rolled and the founder was speaking, several visual pieces with Carlos appeared in crazy masks and wigs which made everyone laugh. After that was a beautiful and deep music video with Dimitri Minucci directed by of course my friend.
Finally the film began. Not only was it good, it was excellent. Work of genius was an understatement. The shots and colors were specific. These days you don't see that handiwork in a film. The filmmaker from our era to even attempt that is of course Martin Scorsese, my new found almost friend this week. Everyone was dressed in certain colors for certain reasons. The camera tones were brighter at some points and more gray at others. There were parts of the gritty New York City landscape. My mouth dropped open. My buddy was channeling Scorsese. While Carlos and his concept were original, it was an attention to detail that was nothing short of genius. Working with Carlos was not only a wonderful experience, but an honor and a privilege.
Afterwards, at the dinner, I spoke with some of the casting people about technique and art and such. From Sense Memory to costume usage to other things, I had not had a conversation that deep in some time about acting. It also made me miss acting. Yes, I had made my lil splash with the standup and ventriloquism. I had been a reality television star and an internet television station talked about talking head. I wrote a damn book. But there has been a hole in my heart lately. It is because I am not onstage using my instrument. And it is because there are too many bitter ass actors in my life and not enough people with fresh ideas who care let alone know about art. And tonight was the beginning to finding that part of myself.
At dinner I mentioned to Carlos that his work reminded me of Martin Scorsese, and relayed the story of the singing chicken. Carlos almost jumped out of his chair. He mentioned when he graduated from the New School Martin Scorsese had given the commencement speech. And he said he admired Scorsese and was flattered by the comparison. Chills ran down my spine. Marty and I had almost met earlier this week. He went to my alma mater. Now my friend Carlos makes a film with the same attention to color and detail. On top of that Marty spoke at his alma mater.
Hmmmm....Something leads me to believe that both of us perhaps will meet our friend Marty again. Not to mention Marty shares a birthday with Joe Cannava, my late friend who got me to write my book. Coincidence, I think not. Or maybe it is.
Either way, this is just the beginning of great things for Carlos, who had people from festivals there. I was pleased not only to be able to show up for my friend, but also flattered he thought I even had enough talent let alone creativity to be a part of things.
Happy Birthday my sweet friend. To the start of another great year!
Love
April
I Came, I Saw, I Sang: Memoirs of a Singing Telegram Delivery Girl
877-Buy-Book
www.buybooksontheweb.com
Available as a paperback and ebook on Amazon
Available on BarnesandNoble.com as well as Nook
Portion of proceeds go to RAINN in honor of National Stalking Awareness Month
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Princess Dropped Back to Earth: Pre-Thanksgiving Adventures
I am back in Pittsburgh. This means only one puppet and it's all about the business. I am cooking and cleaning too. It's weird being back home. Some things change, some things stay the same. I am about ten years older than I was when I left. There is still a part of me that is soft, loves Pumpkin Pie. There is a part of me the big city had hardened. I guess adulthood changes you. Part of me is like, "I want my mommy!"
Then when she shoves a vacuum in my hand I am like, "Eh, maybe I like this adulthood thing better than I thought."
The day before I left I had to unclog my sink. My apartment looks like a bunker. Then again, I am promoting a book. My book is now available overseas which is exciting!!!!Go here to find out more http://irishcountry.ie/index.php/i-came-i-saw-i-sang-memoirs-of-a-singing-telegram-delivery-girl.html
Anyway I had to go to the hardware store to buy Drano. YUCK! That was an adventure. Which Drano do I buy? Not the kind that makes meth. Wait they all make meth. Bad joke and I couldn't resist.
Today we are doing all the pre-prep work for Thanksgiving. We are getting the pies and getting ready to surprise my dad for his birthday. Don't tell him. I have go get him a present too. I don't know what I am getting him yet. Almost got him a book but didnt know which one to get him.
Some girl who used to date the quarterback and graduated with my brother is getting married. I remember when she was a ditz, now she will be a married ditz. She still has terrible peroxide blonde hair. My gay haidresser friends say that stuff is bad for your roots. Woman, how do you have a scalp.
My mom is already pestering me with morning chores. My nails are chipped like a homeless crackhead begging for your change. My lips are a little chapped. My mom is also telling me that my nails are chipped and my lips are a little chapped. But she did like the new Spiderman. Somethings do stay the same.
Somethings change. My sister was interviewing to match for her residency. These days her hair is one color. I never thought that would happen. In high school she was blonde, eggplant, red, eggplant again, red again, blonde again but for the last few years has managed to be almond colored. Who would have thought the kid would stick with one shade? Then again J. Lo never did.
I am currently rethinking my stance on love after seeing Spiderman. I believe in love again and want it for Christmas. But once I get it I will mess it up. I know I'm a mess. What else is new. Still, my messiness makes for good stories. Within the last year I dated a comedy legend, convicted felon turned fugitive, dead beat father, washed up reality tv star, and wannabe sound engineer. Who's next? After Hurricane Sandy I would say the Con Ed line guy.
Anyway, that's what's new here. I will be cooking turkey Thursday and eating all day. Tomorrow is my dad's birthday.
YIKES! SO MUCH TO DO!
Love
April
I Came, I Saw, I Sang: Memoirs of a Singing Telegram Delivery Girl
877-Buy-Book
www.buybooksontheweb.com
Available on Amazon
Then when she shoves a vacuum in my hand I am like, "Eh, maybe I like this adulthood thing better than I thought."
The day before I left I had to unclog my sink. My apartment looks like a bunker. Then again, I am promoting a book. My book is now available overseas which is exciting!!!!Go here to find out more http://irishcountry.ie/index.php/i-came-i-saw-i-sang-memoirs-of-a-singing-telegram-delivery-girl.html
Anyway I had to go to the hardware store to buy Drano. YUCK! That was an adventure. Which Drano do I buy? Not the kind that makes meth. Wait they all make meth. Bad joke and I couldn't resist.
Today we are doing all the pre-prep work for Thanksgiving. We are getting the pies and getting ready to surprise my dad for his birthday. Don't tell him. I have go get him a present too. I don't know what I am getting him yet. Almost got him a book but didnt know which one to get him.
Some girl who used to date the quarterback and graduated with my brother is getting married. I remember when she was a ditz, now she will be a married ditz. She still has terrible peroxide blonde hair. My gay haidresser friends say that stuff is bad for your roots. Woman, how do you have a scalp.
My mom is already pestering me with morning chores. My nails are chipped like a homeless crackhead begging for your change. My lips are a little chapped. My mom is also telling me that my nails are chipped and my lips are a little chapped. But she did like the new Spiderman. Somethings do stay the same.
Somethings change. My sister was interviewing to match for her residency. These days her hair is one color. I never thought that would happen. In high school she was blonde, eggplant, red, eggplant again, red again, blonde again but for the last few years has managed to be almond colored. Who would have thought the kid would stick with one shade? Then again J. Lo never did.
I am currently rethinking my stance on love after seeing Spiderman. I believe in love again and want it for Christmas. But once I get it I will mess it up. I know I'm a mess. What else is new. Still, my messiness makes for good stories. Within the last year I dated a comedy legend, convicted felon turned fugitive, dead beat father, washed up reality tv star, and wannabe sound engineer. Who's next? After Hurricane Sandy I would say the Con Ed line guy.
Anyway, that's what's new here. I will be cooking turkey Thursday and eating all day. Tomorrow is my dad's birthday.
YIKES! SO MUCH TO DO!
Love
April
I Came, I Saw, I Sang: Memoirs of a Singing Telegram Delivery Girl
877-Buy-Book
www.buybooksontheweb.com
Available on Amazon
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