Carroll Gardens: The Pilot

This is a little blip of what kept me so busy and blog-free for the bulk of 2009. You can get just a little more info here, and keep checking back for updates. I'll have more news soon!

Considering Caving on the TV Issue

Will and I don't have cable. The television we manage to watch comes from ... uh, let's just say Netflix... and we usually watch a full season, commercial-free* and pretty much all at once.

Consuming television like this makes it seem like there's always something good on. We both find ourselves saying 'wow, there is just so much great TV' a lot these days. That is probably because we hand pick our shows** and watch them on our own schedule.

But. It's this time of year-- AWARDS SEASON-- that always brings up the Cable question. It's great that most of my friends keep tabs going on Facebook of who's winning and whatnot, but... I really would love to see clips like this first hand:



Tracy Morgan was not my favorite when he was on SNL, but since 30 Rock, I realize that it must have been my mistake because I think he's got to be one of the smartest and funniest guys on TV. And he's now the face of post-racial America! Yay!

*which Will loves but kinda sorta sucks for me, the commercial actor as I still have not yet seen my Campbell's commercials!

** The current roster includes, in no specific order:

• 30 Rock (on Hulu!)
  
• Friday Night Lights
• Dexter
  
• Lost (if it ever decides it would like to start a new season, a-hem...)
• Dr. Who (that's Will)
• Entourage
• Heroes
• Madmen
• True Blood
• The Daily Show (Hulu)
  
• The Colbert Report (also blessed Hulu)
• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (brought to us by the magic of... Hulu)

Uh, I guess we sort of watch a lot of TV. Sheesh.

Why Couldn't I Have Been There on THIS Day?

There is a reason that Sesame Street has been on the air now going on 40 seasons!! They're Just. Plain. Cool.

via Will

Triangularity

You may remember back at the end of March that I became a member of the Triangle Lover's Club on Sesame Street.

Many of you have asked when it will be on-- did you not trust I was telling the truth, or are you just SO excited to see me immersed in bright primary colors and shapes?

Well either way, wait no longer because the show is about to air! I got this email from my friend Carrie, the casting director:

Airdates!!!!!!!!

Your fabulous Triangular Debut will be Wednesday August 20th. Also September 17th and November 28th. We don't have dates yet for 09.

Just to let you know....some stations air a day off so you might want to watch the day before of and after or just check with your local PBS station for show # 4167.

So figure out what channel that is for you and tune in!

How come nobody told me Bozo died?

Was the 4th of July such a big day for me that I missed this news item from July 3?



LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Larry Harmon, who turned the character Bozo the Clown into a show business staple that delighted children for more than a half-century, died Thursday of congestive heart failure. He was 83.



I don't watch a lot of TV now, but when I was a kid I devoured the stuff. Clowns scared the crap out of me back then, but that treasure chest of toys? That's the stuff dreams were made of.

Not to say that those sad, scary painted faces still don't induce a case of the willies at times, but awwww...

Bozo's dead?

Sad.

Bootcamp: The Early Show

And they mean EARLY.

I woke up around 5:30 this morning to be part of a segment on the CBS Early Show with Alex, Ruben and a gang of six of us from Warrior Fitness Boot Camp.

It was really fun (even at such an early hour), and odd in all the ways live television is fun and odd. Our bit was between an interview with Kate Hudson and a special appearance by some puppies rescued from Baghdad. And at one point, we were surrounded by a children's chorus in orange tie-dyed t-shirts, all clamoring to get behind their GIANT banner.

We did just a quick little workout-- push-ups, squats and sit-ups while tossing a medicine ball to a partner (yes, we all thought we might drop the ball- literally- or get whacked in the face with it under pressure!), and Early Show co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez joined along. I have never seen anyone change out of a skirt and high heels and into workout gear faster than Maggie. It was a feat to behold.

All in all, I basically skipped working out today, since even though we worked up a sweat (as it was at least in the 80s by the time we started), this was nothing compared to a real WFBC workout.

Now that my hand has healed from a gruesome monkey bar incident on Thursday (about which I was too grossed out to blog), I'll be back in action at 730 tomorrow morning.

For any of you who may have caught the segment on CBS this morning, I apologize for my hair. We background folk didn't get invited to hair and make-up.

***UPDATE: In case you didn't catch it, video is here. Remember: we did not, I repeat DID NOT get a trip to Hair & Make-up.

Come and Play, Everything's A-Ok!

As I'm sure you could have imagined, Sesame Street is just about the Funnest Place on Earth. Here are some photos from my day on the Street!




The day begins where the real magic happens-- in hair and makeup!











My scene partners, the Triangle Lover's Club!

(l to r: Isaac, me, Jaelyn, muppet Phyllis McCrackin and Triangle Man himself, Mike Haugh)






No wonder Oscar is a Grouch-- that can is not exactly roomy!











Taking five in-- where else?-- Big Bird's nest!













All in all, a great day at the office!

The episode should air sometime in August or September. I'll keep you posted!

Today's Post is Brought to You by the Letter S

I may have just gotten some of the greatest news ever: I'm going to be on Sesame Street!!

My dear friend from college and beyond, the wacky and wonderful Carrie Haugh, is the casting director for the show. This normally means that she works almost exclusively with children between the ages of <1 and 5. And the occasional muppet.

But, lucky for me, there is a Very Special Episode coming up involving a Very Special character from last year, Triangle Man (played by the inimitable and very tall Mike Haugh of Boston fame-- he also happens to be Carrie's Dad-- nepotism rocks!!). Apparently, they're bringing him back for another round of triangular fun and he needs a few older buddies. And one of them is ME!

My inner 3-year-old is shrieking with glee. God, I have the greatest friends in the world.

New Year's Day = Catch Up on Movies & TV

The Jews celebrate Christmas with movies and Chinese Food. This gentile saves that fun for the First Day of the Year.

Yesterday Will and I watched I Am Legend (I really like Will Smith, and he carries basically the whole film in what may be the longest monologue ever), The Simpsons Movie (oh, they're just so good-- note to self: get more animation work!) and Eastern Promises (Viggo Mortensen is just phenomenal as a Russian Mobster/Spy in London-- gory, gory but great) together. I also finally got down to seeing what all the buzz is about Quarterlife (definitely got the My So Called Life angst vibe, but in bite-sized internet TV chunks) and somehow got sucked into the madness that is Vh1's Celebrity Rehab (I definitely lost IQ points for that one, but I thoroughly enjoy Dr. Drew-- listened to LoveLine, his radio show with Adam Carolla religiously in college).

I also started on my quest to learn how to play the piano. Will is learning to play his guitar. Who knows? Maybe we'll start a little Partridge Family-style thing... Can't you just imagine Will and me in matching outfits?

As I said, BIG PLANS for 2008!

Because Why Not Start the Week Off Goofy?

I don't watch Saturday Night Live much at all anymore, but their Digital Shorts seem to get passed on by a link in an email, and the ones I've seen (ie Dick in a Box) have been pretty funny.

I just started perusing the beta version of a new online TV thingie (I think) called Hulu, and found this one, cleverly titled "People Punched Before Eating".

Happy Monday! I'm off to audition for a gum commercial (and maybe punch a few hungry suckers!)