Summer Stock Spectating

Patty Smyth (photo: me)

Patty Smyth performed at a local Long Island park with her band Scandal to a great turn out (as far as Long Island summer turnouts go). From the roadie-side of the gentle plastic fence, she was giving out autographs to about 5 kids -so I went over and just barely got to snap off a digital shot, as she excused herself, waved a quick "I'll be back in 5 minutes..." (aka: lemme-outahere) ... and got ready for the show.
At 51, she was fantastic...constantly jumping all over the stage, wading -make that lounging, with the audience -perfectly confident and at ease with herself. That self having been in the business for 30 years, marrying John McEnroe of tennis-bad-boy fame...and raising as she puts it, "...six friggin kids..". But man, does she ROCK!!!

Suzanne Vega (photo: me)

My wife had a chance to grab a couple of tickets for the Suzanne Vega - Marc Cohn billing at the Wesbury Music Theater (aka: Bank-something-or-other theater) and I managed to get a photo of the demure Mz. Vega while she was signing her CDs.

Maroon 5's Adam Levine (photo: me)

Bryant Park in NYC has been showcasing a fantastic batch of talent. And each Friday, I take an early train to work, just so I can catch the various acts -hence becoming part of the background decoration for ABC's morning show. In the summer I like to grab an ice coffe and an almond crossant a block away from the park so I can be nourished enough to quell properly. I try to take my camera along but occasionally forget -those are the times I kick myself the hardest. Nonetheless, I manage to take a couple of shots -and when I can't... I troll the internet for someone who could! Maroon5's Adam Levine was on the Good Morning America temporary stage. This guy has some kind of built-in charisma and he can't help but continues to satisfy. Watching him perform and interact with the band and the audience, creates a mezmerizing sensation. I could sense the audience of work-force groupies agreeing with me.

Jaclyn Smith in Times Square (photo: me)

Jaclyn Smith is starting a new REALITY TV SHOW (oh boy...yet another way to get people over their inhibitions). It will have something to do with hair cutting and restyling people's hair. The best hair-designer wins?

Well... it could work! Anyway, the former Charlie's Angel was stunning as she sat there posing with models of various sexes -at Times Square's Military Island. I especially liked the way her partially open (let's face it, mostly open) blouse was constantly playing with my libido. The guy next to me was holding a small furry dog. As Jaclyn came closer to our tribe of gawkers, I motioned to her to look at the dog and pose with it. I caught her attention and she took one look at the fuzzy-wuzzy in my chit-chat buddy's clutches and immediately reached out to the man, who gratefully sacrificed his "best friend" for the impromptu photo-op. Jaclyn posed, pursed her lips, cuddled the creature and promplty returned it to my fellow oogler. I hope the show works...otherwise it's back to the dogs.

Cyndi Lauper was wearing a biker-type leather jacket and she appeared to be very young with her Camron Diaz haircut (or maybe the facelift). Either way -she still sizzles...and when she comes down into the audience...WOW! She's a treat...and then some!!!
Countng Crows' frontman, Adam 'Duritz, is an energetic talented dude...but the hairstyle is getting tiresome. This guy needs a new image -BIG TIME. Maybe I should send him towards Jacqueline's way?
Miley Cyrus (photo: me)

I've never seen Bryant Park soooooo filled up with teenie boppers and their parents. It was mayhem by the time I got there, so I put my camera on digital zoom and got a shot of Miley's backside. That was about as close as I could get from the sidelines I used to call trees and shrubbery. The poor park was trampled by the pre-pubescent hordes... albeit they were all well behaved. The cops, after all, had their crowd-control gear on! I have to be honest about her performance...I liked the dancers and her moves but I never got into the tunes... perhaps it was strictly on the level of the kiddies around me. Oh well, I was spared -at least Barney the Dinosaur didn't show up. In the words of Simon Cowel, "I expected more."

Other showcased groups that I saw were: Boyz II Men, One Republic, the Broadway company of RENT

Boyz II Men (photo: me)

One Republic (photo: me)

Company of RENT with Diane Sawyer and Sam Champion (photo: me)

There were times when my lack of "hipness" was becoming evident... I hadn't heard of One Republic until I recognized their signature hit -then all of a sudden---BAM!---I was hip again. The company of RENT blew me away though. I'd only been able to catch the movie but the songs, being performed live were connectingly meaningfull. I stayed an extra 10 minutes and got to work late just so I could hear another song. I'll be catching the rest of the Bryant Park fare as the summer's Friday's roll around... Now let's see what's on the agenda...Gloria Gaynor... Jonas Brothers...Donnie and Marie... Kidd Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd finished the Good Morning America summer series. So I had to do my papparazo stuff in the theater district.

Gloria Gaynor - Jonas Brothers - Marie and Donnie (photo: me)

Kid Rock (photo: me)

Broadway was just letting out on Sunday afternoon when we got lucky and spotted a few celebs at the stage doors -signing autographs. The Boeing Boeing cast was great.

Christine Baranski (photo: me)

Mary McCormack (photo: me)

Mark Rylance (photo: me)

Bradley Whitford (photo: wife)

Kathryn Hahn (photo: wife)

I got a few pix of some of the Xanadu cast. They were very accomodating except for Tony Roberts. He wanted nothing of the crowd and totally ignored everyone, refusing to sign autographs. Nonetheless, I got a shot of him scooting away in the background. Whoopi Goldberg had a real sour puss on -for a comedienne, she had no sense of humor about her real self (bad day ath the hairdresser?), but she went through the scribling motions and gave everyone an autograph. She was very generous with her time and stayed until they were all signed. Cheyenne Jackson was the best -he poses with everyone (just ask him)!

Tony, Whoopi, Cheyenne and the gang (photos: me)

Well, I may not have worked much this summer as an extra, but I sure saw a lot of celebs and was lucky enough to get up close and impresonal. I keep checking my email for offers, and even dredge the internet for weekend extras work... but that's just not the way showbiz operates. As best as I can tell, there is very little work this summer for extras in NYC -forces are at work that have migrated the movie industry to Chicago -where the tax breaks are huge. So I consider myself lucky to be where I am: working the foreground in RL (real life) and spectating as an extra in the background.

Will Smith does a HANCOCK

What do you suppose happens when you do a movie shoot with an extremely popular actor on a warm Spring Saturday night at the center of Times Square on Military Island with a kajillion tourists on a best value dollar exchange rate mulling about the grand canyon of billboards... hmmm?

...don't get me started!

Holding was at the Jaqueline Kenedy Onasis International H.S. on 46th Street -the very same street that I frequent for restaurants with my regular weekday work buddies. My "regular workplace" is just around the corner in the newly merged ThomsonReuters building -so I knew the neighborhood pretty well. This came in handy when I had to cut through some of the hotel buildings to escape the maddening crowds during our returns to our holding area from the set.

Inside the holding room, which was a freshly painted auditorium, it was very hot, so that people would wander outside to the crafty food stands and chow down a ton of food in their boredom of the usual waiting around. But friends started to show up. One buddy, whom I call "Supercabbie", from an anecdote he once expounded upon (he's a major "expounder") was saying "Hello girls!" to all the cute female passers-by. Then there was Canada Ann, whose loud hellos could be heard a mile away! Pete, the usually white-bearded guy was now a stylish brunette sans beard. He told me he had a Barbizon gig where he was selected for a shave and a hair-cut-dye job a few weeks ago. And of course a host of other terrific characters with whom I could chat hours on end exchanging stories from our showbiz adventures.
And then it was show time! They needed a bunch of people to go to Military Island and suround Will in adulation... We had to rush him... pay attention to him... ask for autographs...take pictures of him... (Can you believe this irony?).

Usually we are not even permitted to talk to the principals, but tonight, in the middle of the universe, we could break all those star-approach-taboos.

The reason for all this was because the character Will played, a fault-laden superhero named Hancock whose public image had been tarnished in the first half of the movie, was now being reaccepted by the general public... or something like that. Be that as it may, the scene was short but exciting. But as soon as Will showed his face -Time Square erupted... and everyone behind the police barricade wanted to rush our island -some made it!!!



And as Will approached us, the extras -our direction was that we were to look up, acknowledge him with glee and surround him... we were called the "core". Whoopy! I was now part of the core - but the only decent picture I could get of him was rushed, out of foucus and facing away from me. Dang!!! The tourists got better photos of Will than I could get. And now we were told to return to holding. I decided to go back on a different street, 45th Street, and thereby avoid the immovable crowd that was now coating every bit of surface on Broadway's Time Square. And as I reached the middle of the block, who should be running past me in the street but Will Smith himself -dressed in his leather hero suit, followed by his bodyguard handlers. WHOA! Where's my camera...fumble, fumble...and WHooooosh...Will should have been playing the FLASH because he was now a block away and probably safely ensconced in one of the 3 Haddad trailers that were parked at the end of the block. Dang again!!!

The lengths we extras will go to find ourselves on screen is amazingly conceited. That's me (greatly enlarged from the plasma screen) watching the "perp at the end of the movie" run by.

Later, the second scene of the night put us on a cordoned-off street in front of Toys-R-Us. About 15 of us were spread out as background for a scenario where a guy is running at top speed down Broadway while a bunch of police cars are chasing him and we react with a "What's going on?" attitude. Two takes and it was a wrap! Relatively quick work for a stunt scene.So now it was back to holding yet again, and standing behind 240 extras to get your voucher signed. Needless to say it was 3:30 in the morning when I got home... But the feeling that "I was back in action again" after 7 months of showbiz hiatus while still juggling my regular "bill-paying" job, was worth it all. I was missing that sensational involvement in something greater than the mundane... and the contact with the new friends I had made here. And somehow I realized that I will always return to it.

Made it to HOLLYWOOD

But only to visit!

My new family, thanks to my new son-in-law, invited us to stay with them near LA and I was all too happy to oblige. Their wonderful hospitality was the highlight of our stay... in addition to meeting their friends (hundreds)... and of course the whirlwind tour of the nearby environs that so manny would-be actors would covet a glimpse of. I confess, I number among them.

Our wind blew through Ventura, Rodeo Drive, Huntington Gardens (complete with tea), and 2 very distinctly different Hollywood parties. One at the local Chabad House for the newly weds -where we got to meet some 200-plus guests and chow on some very excellent buffet food while watching a slide show of the nuptuals... and then there was the other party, a birthday party in the Hollywood Hills for a TV producer-cousin of my new family, where the entertainment was a beautiful transvestite Marilyn Monroe (I keep crossing paths with her imago every now and then). But the real attraction for me was the view from the hilltop house: SPECTACULAR! All the twinkly lights of the city seen from above. A lasting impression -fer shure!

There is a very seductive allure to California. Everyone is beautifull, usually tanned, wealthy, friendly, easy-going... and the weather is usually nice... the sights of the hills and the beaches constantly becon. And even the precipice-driving along Route 1 has a quality of grandeur. It's easy to want to live there. But although I really got to like my new family and would love to visit them often, I'm still a New Yorker -I need the gritty city, the in-your-face attitude, the quick pace... the wake-me-up-every-minute life.

Although... if a big movie-offer came along...well....

Made it to the Rainbow Room

I work in the theater distric of Times Square and my daily walks to work have taken me past the strikers who have been out here for a couple of weeks protesting the fact that they're not getting paid for their share of contributions to the theatrical arts. I stopped to chat with one of them as a gesture of support -and perhaps to satisfy my longings for what I've now left behind.

2 months into my real-life full-time job, there's a holiday party which puts me on the 65th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, also known as The Rainbow Room. The very same place that I had missed out on just a couple of months ago when I was doing my paparazzo gig for JLo at Radio City Music Hall.

Funny how life turned out! Here I am at this coveted area, eating sumptuous food and hobnobbing with my office buddies -drink in hand and gazing out through the hazy glass windows at the New York City skyline... my reverie takes off into the distance and I think back to the fantastic time I had just 2 weeks ago at my daughter's wedding. I danced, I drank, I rejoyced, I ate, I hugged and kissed my relatives and friends. A vast difference compared to this place where most people are just standing still listening to the blaring DJ'd music.

I spent an hour and decided to boogie out of the increasing crowd. Down the windy elevators of the RCA building, picking up my coat and scooting out into the tumultuous crowd awaiting the lighting of the Christmas tree. There would be some celebrities there to sing songs -but there was no allure. That part of my parallel life was now in denouement.

Tonight, on the news, they announced that the strike was over and everyone was going back to work. The stock market was going back up -and life is good again!

New Amsterdam in Brooklyn

Williamsburg, Brooklyn - the new Greenwich Village... but only on the west-side of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. A late season release for FOX-network TV, this sci-fi detective series was shooting this particular episode in the Brooklyn Beer micro-brewery. This will, I think, be the last gig for me... I've landed a major full-time job in NYC... in fact, in the very middle of NYC: Times Square! And the realization hits me that I have to leave all this fun and friends... yet again.

Oh well... let me get "into character" one more time.


(Episode 6 aired on 3/31/2008-with me in the background and the patriarch hood descendant, Theo Spoor (Larry Keith) in the front left.)

We were all mafiosi, attending a wake for a "dearly departed". And most of the extras picked for this role, really looked the part. Everyone was dressed in dark clothes and a somber attitude -with lots of laughs and chattings between the somber re-takes. I was paired up with Chris, who has been in this business (showbiz, not mafia), for the past 20 years. He was SAG and knew how to make between 20 and 30 thousand dollars per year, being an extra. He also explained something new to me: how to collect unemployment when not working in gigs... hmm! I never did that since I always thought these were only temporary jobs, and not really enough to garner unemployment checks. But Chris knew that they always deduct NY TAXES... and so... you can apply for UI. You learn something new in this business every day.

The star of the show was a foreign film star, Nikolay Coster Waldau -who resembled Dennis Leary... a lot! The director was Lasse Hallstrom (Chocolat, Cider House Rules... and husband of Lina Olin). Lasse was tall and bald. Which was strange, because in all of his internet photos, he has hair. Oh well, maybe I'll shave my head too one day when my hair gets too thin to do combovers!!
One of the guest stars that Nikolay played a scene with was Adam Storke (Mystic Pizza-1988). Apparently the two characters have a disagreement in the back of the wake-area and Niklay storms out (of the brewery). This is the scene where I was tapped to do a "walk-by".
One of the DP's came over to me and put me next to his camera. He then instructed me to start to do a "banana walk around" of the oncoming star. But the "oncoming star", Nikolay, came over to me also and pointed to the ground where there was a large white spot, saying "When I pass by that, YOU start to move...". WOW! A principal actually spoke to me -directly... with "direction" for the first time in my showbiz career.

I nodded in acknowledgement (he didn't look like he wanted to discuss the matter too much further...). And then the film rolled, ACTION! was called... we did the scene... and it was a wrap!!! Neat. It was a perfect take. The look on the star's face was bewildering. He had a disbelieving grin on his face as he rushed by me... without the slightest of a nod for a "job well done"! Sheeesh...
In the final cut I was literally a blur going past Nikolay as he pauses and looks up in recognition of a painting that he did a hundered or so years ago!

"LUNCH!" was called at around 8:PM and we did the caste-system-lineup: crew, SAG, us extras...
But there was plenty of good food so people could go back for seconds if they wanted to. Few of us did... we just piled it up into 3 plates on our first go-around! There was lot's of political chatter around our table which eventually melded into the aether. Evening had arrived and it was dark outside, so the bright flood-lights were brought into service. A few more scenes and we were wrapped for the day.

On the walk back to our holding area, a Russian orthodox church some 6 blocks away, people struck up conversations with each other. As I was ambling along, suddenly a hand with a cell-phone jutted in front of my face. A young blond girl was attached to it. She began a conversation with me saying: "That's my dog... look how cute she is in that position - my "Moms" just sent me this." It was a bright blob of light on her cell phone... I really couldn't make out the details of the picture shining in my eyes on her cell phone, but I went along with the impromptu conversation: "That's great! Tell me about your dog..." No problem there -she went into a monologue of sorts :
"She is just the best ever dog... got her from a shelter... hated to leave the shelter because you know what will happen to the others, but... my Moms wanted a smaller dog, but... and she is a 'waterdog' with webs between her toes... and she does these cute things like immitate the way I sit... I just love her...". Reminded me of this telephone commercial I once saw on tv -where a young prepubescent cheerleader-type teen goes on and on with run-on sentences while digressing about "...I love chewing gum..."!!! But this girl's demeanor of striking up a sudden friendship just like "that", caught me by surprise and I was feeling great about it... I began to filter out her talk and notice how pretty her face looked... and wondered what made her befriend me. Unexpected flirting like that hasn't happened to me since I was 16.

And then it was "wake-up time" -we arrived back at the holding area scattering to our respective seats as the check-out line for the voucher-signing began to form. I asked the PA doing the administration if I could have a "waiver" (after all, I did a 'banana-walkaround') -but all I got was a guffaw. So I packed up my stuff and shook hands with the guys around the table and Sara, my impromptu doggie-story-teller... and said good bye. I walked over to my car and blasted out of Williamsburg a millon miles above the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.

Jogging in Central Park for a LINCOLN Mercury commercial

Yet another cushy gig... commercials generally are!

A car promo for Lincoln Mercury that had to have some elements of jogging and spectating hired about 60 of us to be extras in NYC's sunny Central Park. The director was Roger Michell, famous for his direction of the movie Notting Hill and the fallout from his sudden departure of not wanting to direct the 22nd James Bond film due to that old directorial demon: "creative differences". (Apparently there was no shooting date set nor was there a script!?!)

Our first assignment was to cheer the SAG runners from the sidelines. And then we had to change into our jogging outfits to run alongside a very iteresting young lady by the name of Sara. She had lost one of her limbs, a leg, but became an avid jogger utilizing a prosthetic attachment that looked like a curved metal band near the bottom and acted like a spring of sorts to give her an extra bounce as she jogged. She led the pack as we formed a wall of runners behind her while the camera-cart zoomed down the middle of our crowd. But in all the time that we were there, we never saw the Lincoln. Still wondering what the concept of the commercial is!?

A few more takes, and it was -"check the gates"...and "gates are good"... and "it's a wrap"!

Three hours worth of work for $175... and lots of laughs and gigles in between with the other extras. If only I could do this four times a week -like one of my fellow extras does. Alas, for me this was the first gig in 2 weeks. I still haven't mastered the skill of keeping the job-to-job connection work-flow going. It seems the trick is to register with multiple agencies that are getting most of the jobs... but which ones are they? Showbiz is a moving target... and although I got to run today, I still feel like I'm standing still.

I'm JLo's paparazzo at Radio City Music Hall

(Source: Newsday 9/8/2007 - CLICK to enlarge)

Me... and about 49 others -dressed in "tough-to-see-you black"!

This is it... this has to be it. I've reached the epitome of my extra's career. I made it to Radio City Music Hall's stage in front of a live audience at a Rock Concert given for the glammy Fashion Industry! Whooo Hooooo!!!

We rehearsed on Tuesday, taped it on Thursday -and it's airing on CBS tonight! Now that's what I'm talkin' about -or will be talking about for eons to come.

It all started on Tuesday, when I got a last-minute email from my agent to go to a Jennifer Lopez gig at RCMH and to be a paparazzo. I immediately called my agent and we commiserated on how difficult it would be for me to get there for a 7:PM call time, and we hung up. But I just didn't want to let this one go... so I checked the LIRR schedule and figured that if I could catch a taxi as soon as I got into the city, I just might make it! So I called her back and she was encouragingly enthusiastic -giving me the "GO AHEAD! I'll submit your number to them so they'll expect you..."

CLICK! Whoooooooosh!!!

I was out the door and made the train in 5 minutes; 40 minutes later I rushed out of Penn Station and into a NYC cab (complete with a turbaned driver). It was the eve of a pending taxi strike but the driver was efficient and got me to 51st and 6th Ave in 10 minutes (that earned him $1/minute) -it was well worth it. I got to the check-in desk where they gave me an official "paparazzi" sticker and I was now part of this gig!


Entering the great hall with a different "air" than the usual concert-goer was exhilarating. After all, I was now someone on the "inside"... a participant, rather than an observer. We were seated on the left side of the audience seats and told to fill out a bunch of release and tax forms by our handler, Brooke. Later we were corralled up by our stage manager, Seth, who explained that he would be taking us up to the stage and handing us over to AJ, our choreographer... in about an hour or so. We didn't care how long it would take because Martina McBride was doing her number on stage and she was terrific. Wearing beige pants and a black top (slight hint of shiny leather on the shoulder area), she's about 5 foot tall but a great looking lady (having a Jane Russell-type of edge to her) with a powerful voice. We clapped spontaneously every time she sang. And then it was our turn to mount the stage.

Seth took us up on stage-right and we were promptly organized into size places by AJ. He divided us up into two groups and took us over to a metal podium of steps with a red carpet down it's middle. We were given cameras with flashes and lined up along the sides of the steps with orders to "shoot-on-sight". Needless to say, we shot each other up until we could see nothing but bright balls of light in our fields of vision. So that when JLo appeared at the top of the steps, we could only squint at her figure until our eyes returned to normal in the dark theater.

JLo was very friendly... said "Hello everyone....!" with a big smile, and then it was down to business. The dance steps had to be worked out by her entourage of dancers and we had to coordinate our movements with hers as she descended and ascended the steps -all the while snapping away with veracious zeal. AJ quickly corrected our enthusiasm: we would need to "freeze" ourselves whenever JLo and her dancers "froze"... and resume our activity when they renewed theirs as the number progressed along. So there we had it... clear instructions that would meld into chaos when the actual taping occurred... but it was o.k. -the number got rave reviews from the critics as a "high-concept". Some of the other performers didn't fare well with the critics -but I thought all the performers were really good, giving their best for the show.

Steven Tyler was the first to rehearse on Thursday -taping day! Unfortunately he wanted a "closed set" and that meant everyone had to leave the auditorium... even Seth and other Radio City Music Hall employees. Dang... here we were hoping to see everyone rehearse and we were all being kicked out... there goes the whole perk of this deal -or so we thought.

We were taken to the third floor dressing rooms. There were rows and rows of dressing room mirrors with the appropriate peripheral bulbs; we were seated next to each other, partitioning curtains flowing on either side of the narrow aisle. We dutifully took our respective seats and chatted... for about 5 minutes. There was no way that we were going to be sitting here for the next 9 hours!!! Most of us "snuck" out into the stairwell and into the black-background of backstage and whatever was going on there. It was just like in the movies where you have pretty dancing girls shimmying past you, costumed performers warming up, Tyra Banks decked out with a cell-phone constantly in her ears (we almost shared a ride up the elevator with her, but she just couldn't make up her mind weather to risk the disconnection from her cell phone -so she turned down the ride). After trying all the doors, me and another guy found ourselves on the side street... with "the red carpet" in front of us.

It was being set up for the decked-out glitterati who would be arriving as we chatted on. Hunger pangs overtook my friend and I accompanied him to a pizza shop down the block. Later, when we got back to the dressing room area to see if anything was happening and we saw 5 pizza boxes stuffed into the garbage. This was our "dinner", as promised by our stage manager. Not exactly sumptuous -glad I missed out on it. I preferred noshing on the veggie platter and the potato chips. We were told to stay put because the show was going to start in an hour... so this time, a bunch of us decided to go exploring the audience area. Two of the guys went up front and checked out the placards with the famous guests' pictures on it, depicting where they would be sitting. A young guy, dressed in a suit with a folder under his arms began chatting with them. I wasn't going to miss out on this and decided to brave going up front with the thought in mind that this guy was someone famous!?

As it turned out, he began to befriend us with small talk and then dropped an interesting offer:

"I'll give you guys $100 for your passes... how about it. You won't need them anymore...you're all inside. I just want to get a few of my friends in here... come on....how about it?"

Silence.

"How about $200... I'll give you $200 right now!!! But the offer is only good now... the closer we get to show time, the less they're worth..."

One of the guys took the deal immediately. He waited for the higher number -and got it. The other one was deep in thought... teeter-tottering in his decision... what should he do?

The pimpy-guy now offered to give his pass back after the show... and that seemed to have sweetened the pot enough to make him caved in.

He gave up on me... primarily because I had mentioned that I worked on a movie with DeCaprio and Winslet in our pre-offer conversations. When he offered me the money I told him I wanted the badge as a "trophy". But his impression of me became something like: "Ahhh! He's rich...he doesn't need the money... he works with big stars!!!"

How easy it is to become corrupted in this industry... it doesn't take much... a little dangle of money...some empty promises...and before you know it... you can lose yourself in the fantasy.

The show started, and we paparazzi decided to stay in the audience seats until it was getting close to our set. And it was the right choice... we saw all the glammy people begin to filter in...beautifully dressed sexy women, fancy duds on the dudes, and plenty of famous designers populated the halls at this spectacular mix of fashion and rock stars.

Steven Tyler and Arrowsmith started the show! YEssssss. We may have missed the rehearsals but now here we were in the audience, watching the "real performance"... the one that would be taped and shown on CBS-TV the following night. Everyone of the stars were fantastic... Fergie, Alicia Keyes, Usher, Mary J. Blige, Maroon 5, Jennifer Hudson, Joe Perry, Carry Underwood and Lindsay Buckingham, Miri Bar-Lev, Martina McBride, Avril Lavigne... AVRIL LAVIGNE!!!

Oh...oh...we had to scatter back into our area to get prepared for our paparazzi number with Jennifer Lopez!!! And suddenly, about 50 shadows popped up from the darkened audience to skittle through the music hall's backstage catacombs of stairs and elevators in preparation for our "centerpiece number". We made it just in time...Seth was taking attendance and was ready to dock people's pay if they weren't in place on time!

We were taken backstage. Given our flashy digital SLR cameras and as soon as the previous act completed, we were lined up along the stage in darkness, put into our places next to JLo's steps and braced for the curtain to raise... JLo genuflected!

The curtain went up... and as I turned my head I saw a sky-full of people sitting OUT THERE... wow...WOW -what a feeling! The thought zapped through my head that I was on stage in front of thousands (soon to be millions when it airs tomorrow on TV) and me and the others had to do this RIGHT or...

Oh piffle... I can't be bothered with thoughts like that -I've got a job to do...and do it we did! In fact the number's title was "DO IT WELL"... and the first words were "DO IT...DO IT". So the adrenalin kicked in and we all performed as a group... an amorphous black blob of men and women with twinkly flashes beckoning JLo's attention as she controlled the stage with her song, dancers... and her provocative presence. It was a terrific success -an explosive centerpiece for the Fashion Rocks festival... and the newspaper reviews validated it. WoW... again! I loved it.

After our number, we were told that we could do what ever we wanted to...watch the rest of the show or go home: DUH! Of course we all scrambled back into the audience seats. People were constantly moving back and forth -in and out of their seat, so that it was easy to "trade up" on the vantage point toward the stage. We watched a few more live acts and then it was time for the last number: SANTANA. The man is unbelievable. I remember him from the Woodstock days... a tremendous virtuoso of sound on the electric guitar -he didn't disappoint. Alicia Keyes joined him for the greatest music of the night: Black Magic Woman... This was the only number that people got up for in a standing ovation. Unfortunately that part was edited out from the TV version. In fact, the TV version of this show was not very good "sound-wise". Somehow, TV is unable to transmit the unbelievably good performance that each of these super-artists created on the stage here tonight. The full dimension of SOUND and SIGHT at the live performance was totally missing from the taped televised version. (Although it was still good.)

The evening performance had ended and I got together with my buddies to see if our "shady friend" would follow through with his promise to give us passes to the coveted "AFTERSHOW" that was being held at the Rainbow Room around the corner. Needless to say... he never showed...and of course my friend's pass was never returned either. I bailed early and was glad to have done so. The others waited in hopes of him showing up... Live and learn.

[Epilogue: That's me in the circles... snapping at JLo... and then retreating as she ended the number. I bask in the glory of anonymity!]

Exhibiting my art at MICROCOSM gallery

["There is a paradox between the concept of "not doing" and of something being demanded of us, something that must be done. Normally we feel a need to do and we express this need in art, in accomplishments, or in other important things. These acts of "doing" are the unconscious responses to something being demanded of us -a certain creativity. We need to find out what this demand is about. What is really demanded of us is to take that concept, which is there for a reason, and come closer to its essence." -Michael Conge 1912-1984]

The assignment was to create some form of art on a 12 inch square canvas, in response to the zen queery:

...WHAT IS YOUR ORIGINAL FACE?

It was to be my first ever attempt to be exhibited in a gallery -before I left this earth. You may ask why did I want to do this?

Well... it goes back, way back, to my early days as a child -when I liked to draw a lot. Progressed to my teenage years... when I thought I had "something" and wanted to pursue it... and then

SKREEEEEECH!!!

My parents and my only artist friend at the time, discouraged me (and perhaps rightly so), diverting my life-path toward a more mundane vocation -but my dream never died. I confess, I am the stereotypical case of the wrong-road-taken-syndrome knows as:

"I always wanted to be an artist..."

But in my case it's true -I REALLY DID WANT TO BE AN ARTIST. And so, here I had my chance at an "open call" to "EXHIBIT YOUR ART in MicroCoSM Gallery"! Of course it cost me $25, plus the canvas, plus the travel expense to get to the NYC gallery... but who cared. My dream has been achieved.

DAMAGED lawyers at CIPRIANI's

Both Tedd and Glenn were there in full regalia last night -along with the rest of us penguins. It was a black-tie affair wherein Glenn Close is presenting a prestigious award to a fellow lawyer...

[That's me sitting in the back... and never to be "discovered" -at least not from this show! It was a day's work for 2:43 minutes of this episode. So, approximately 3 minutes of showtime per day means about 2 weeks of work for a 50 minute show. Hmmm....]

Later as she dances with him, Tedd's evil-mogul character cuts in and the two antagonists are now arm in arm to the tune of Harry James' sentimental music. But the cozy scenario quickly deteriorates as Glenn's character provides an effective digg -accusing the high-powered businessman of letting a girl die as she cries after him, "Arthur...Arthur...ARTHUR!!!" But after a number of repeated takes it all sounded like a Broadway book-show.

It was great to see the two actors up close... way up close this time. Ted Danson was standing right in front of me and my "chanteuse partner", asking one of the PA's for his lines... sat down at one of the dinner table chairs and repeated it to himself a few times. After being satisfied with his lines and the blocking, he was in full swing as his confidence kicked in and his acting improved.

Glenn Close kidded around with the dinner-crowd as she stood by a podium ready to deliver a mildly roasted intro for the award-winning lawyer associate. In the beginning she blew her lines (they were kind of tough and jumbled) but eventually she got them out and kidded with us to break the tension... "So a lawyer walked into a bar..." we had to laugh at that one! Then she sang an etherial tune (not a bad voice)... and the scene was eventually completed to the director's satisfaction. Our part was to pay attention - laugh - clap!

This was a completely different Glenn Close than the one I had experieced back in episode #3! There she seemed more focused, stern and disassociated from the crowd. Here she was acting almost like a kid. At one point after the "Arthur...Arthur scene", it was supposed to be "silent" as the two arguing attorneys (are there any other kind?) separate -but Glenn just had to get that Cruella De Vil's "wicked witch laugh" out as Danson is storming off the dance floor -and of course that put the entire crowd into giggle-land. At this point a woman asked me "What was that 'Fatal...something' movie she was in? And I responded by saying, "Fatal Repulsion'.

Couldn't resist that one.

At break time we got 10 minutes to eat... this meant finding the catering truck (which was parked way the heck down the block) and then finding a reasonably ballanced place to eat. I found a fire-pump on which I ballanced one leg and a can of pepsi while juggling a small hero slice and a veggie-wrap. (Oh, the things that hunger and decent-looking food can motivate you to overcome!) While doing my ballancing act... Glenn Close and the award-winning lawyer actor saunter by on the street, walk up to the crafty truck near-by and have a snack with the rest of the SAG people. A few minutes later they are on their way back and I watch them pass in front of me with "blank forward-looking" expressions on both their faces... It was very tempting to wave my hand in front of them to see if they weren't sleep walking. But I'm digressing into fantasy-land here -and it's really neither here nor there how they walk and how they look... they are who they are; for whatever reason that they are. I can only observe without judgement.

The shoot soon ended, an orderly exit was made by all voucher-signed participants as our seven hours of celebrity exposure began to fade in our dressing rooms. Cipriani's fancy coach was back to being a pumpkin again... and we were all left looking for that missing shoe.

VERIZON with Paul Marcarelli and a cast of dozzens

I don't know if he could hear us now... but we were all jibber-jabbing about his fame and monetary success! We, the extras, standing on the green-screened floor hung in there for the $150 session just to be in a Verizon commercial. Wearing the hats, shirts, jackets, tools, etc. that the wardrobe department supplied us with -and we just shwitzed away the time in Silvercup's Studio #5 -while Paul, "the Verizon-guy" held up the latest version of the brand's cell-communicator... (not a word from Paul -just face time to the camera as we stood behind him en mass). As a matter of fact -someone had mentioned that we were supposed to be on Mars!? Oh yeah... even the aliens will be using Verizon soon -just to call Earth.

During breaks I sat across from a young guy who was well prepared to while away the hours in a crowded room (where there were, according to our attractive raven-haired PA, exactly 160 chairs). We played WAR with cards -but then he suggested a rousing game of DOMINOES! I haven't played that since I was a kid, -remembered something about having to match the dots... but that's it. I would have to learn it over again. Luckily the process was quick and we were having some high-felutin' competition over our lunches. Now I'm hooked. (Later, I bought a set in the nearest 99 cent store.)

Michael Imperioli FOR ONE MORE DAY

Dressed as number 11, he swung the bat at his hometown field during the nostalgic 1970's -where he returned to commit suicide. But his mom (Ellyn Burstyn) comes back from the dead to talk him out of it. (And whether he lives or dies makes no difference to us extras...we just wanted to get out of the blazing sun bearing down on us before we had a meltdown in the open bleachers.)

That's the quick and dirty version of this film's plot. The long version dealt with our 6:30 AM to 7:PM stint, spent getting fitted for post-hippy chic. I was given bell-bottomed pants that didn't fit and I had to keep pulling them up until I finally got my hands on a large safety pin and reduced the 44 inch wasteline to a more managable one that could remain escalated around my girth. Afterwards, I was sent to make-up to have "porkchop sideburns" pasted on my cheeks in order to better fit into that period -a period which I lived through in polkadot shirts, tight pants and western boots. Certainly not the pukey mustard-colored tight-fitting terrycloth shirt I was given!

Quite frankly, some of my fellow extras fared a lot better... even with the wigs! I think the wardrobe department had a "Mod Squad" fetish... My friend, Karli Bonne, came out looking like a brunette version of Peggy Lipton.

The made-for-TV movie is an adaptation of Mitch Albom's book -and presented to the boob tube by Oprah Winfrey through the directorial exhuberance of Lloyd Kramer. Once Oprah recommends a book, it becomes a sure-to-make-it-big on the best sellers list. Thereby assuring an audience for this production... most likely to be aired on ABC... TBD!

Michael Imperioli took more guff from some of the more "experienced" cheering section than the non-specific direction given to our cadre of fans had called for (e.g. "What a lousy slice -you bat like a pussy!"). So that when the cheering got a bit ugly, the over-enthusiastic yellers were approached and told to cease the all-too-accurate jeers. After all, we were instructed to make believe that his first hit was a homerun (even if it was a foul). But Michael bore up well and was a real trooper. Such is movie-reality.

We were relocated several times in the bleachers to make the crowd look thick (I had tons of exprinence with this in the CMA Forex commercial a couple of weeks ago). The bleachers, however, had some obstacles in store for us: At one large area they were covered by squashed berries that had fallen from the overhanging tree; at another there was a wasp nest and they were zooming about our heads rather antagonisticly -enough so that a couple of us went running up and down the steps to try to escape their attacks and eventually we had to yell at the assistant director to stop reseating us in this section! Lloyd's bullhorn kept on with "...aaaaand.... ACTION!" They didn't care. The scene had to be completed while there was daylight...

Most of the people were called back to the bleachers after our meager roast-chicken lunch break... I was not among them -and didn't really mind. I had somehow been spared a second grilling from the August summer's hazing sun. I just cozied up to my seat in holding and let the hours pass until wrap time. Outside, a scene with Michael and his "father" would take forever. Something wasn't going right and the extras were kept in perplexity as to the reasons for the delays in the shoot. When the participating extras returned a few hours later, I got different stories from different people. But the gist was that it was a mess... the scene wasn't working. They had us for the past 12 hours -additional time would incur OT... so now it was WRAP time!!! Ah, the rush of stamping feet as they returned their wardrobe and hair-pieces for the exchange of the "ticket to leave", our VOUCHERs... which we now had to get signed. And now the lineup -an occasion to banter among each other while we wait for the PAs to process our IDs and at the same time trying to focus on the availability of the nearest exit door.

I made friends with a couple of people, and one of them quickly economized on it. Angelo asked if I could give him a ride into the city. I told him I could drop him off in Queens and off we went. While enroute to Queens, I learned that Angelo was a dancer persuing acting. He was post-college-age whose favorite dancer was pre-kiddie-Michael Jackson... and now Angelo wanted a career. I knew exactly what he meant -it was time for me to start getting back to mine also. The one in the real world. My phone rang -I got an interview scheduled in the middle of the week with a large firm in midtown NYC. More calls follow with opportunities of large salaries and full benefits and bonuses... etc. Reality beckons and acting strange now presents new challenges in both worlds.