Back to Blogging

You’d think that when one is unemployed, they’d have lots of time to spend blogging, right? Instead, time is filled with doing as many odd jobs as possible, performing a play, filling your dwelling with Christmas decorations, spending extra time cooking in order to create as many new recipes as possible, watching horror movie marathons on AMC, binging on Candy Cane Kisses, participating in baby blessings, celebrating at least 17 immediate family birthdays, etc.

Here is a brief (in Jeremy’s world, anyway) list of what’s been going on since I last blogged over a month ago:

• War of the Worlds came and went. It was overall a very fun experience. I loved, loved, LOVED working with my friends Dave and Sara. For the first time ever, my BFFF and I got a moment on stage together! Overall, I beat myself up quite a bit over my performance. I felt I could have done much better, but I got a lot of compliments, so I guess it balances. The hardest part of the experience was dealing with fellow cast members who didn’t know their lines well into the run. Part of my criticism of myself was that I never got any semblance of comfort due to the fact that I never knew what was going to come out of my fellow actors – or if they were even going to bother to come onstage sometimes. Blah. Overall, though: good experience.
• Halloween wasn’t celebrated very well due to WotW and the fact that it was on a Sunday. Lauren and I did, however, dress up in Spartan cheerleader costumes to go and help her family decorate their house for Christmas – on Halloween.
• I’ve been recording for other companies, in addition to doing my own tracks lately. It’s nice when I don’t have to worry about the quality of the overall project, and just have to do specific parts. It’s not nice having to adjust to others’ recording settings, though. And not having a Mac sometimes handicaps me.
• We went to a midnight Harry Potter screening. It was probably my least eventful one to date, but Lauren was there, so that’s a plus. We all wore matching shirts that said “I Fake My Horcruxes.” They weren’t as popular as the “Show Me Your Patronus” ones, but we did get lots of glares from zoobies and lots of people staring at our chests trying to A) read what it said and B) get the joke. Nothing is more fun than watching a confused kid (whose parents were #1) dumb enough to take him to the very adult movie and #2) dumb enough to take him to a midnight showing) staring at your wife’s chest for a good minute.
• We also saw the movie Skyline, which was the absolute worst, most horrible, terrible, no good, very bad movie EVER MADE. The Brothers Strause already killed the alien movie genre with Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem, and now they’ve spit on its remains. Terrible script, terrible acting, unlikeable cast, bad direction, awful effects, etc. My life’s mission is to keep anybody else from wasting money on this movie. PLEASE, DON’T!

That’s all that I can remember right now, other than what was mentioned at the beginning. My Thanksgiving resolution will be to blog more (like you’ve never heard THAT one before). Happy November!

August 5, 2009

Dear Blogary,

I feel like we haven’t talked forever. And forever is WAY too long. I’ve had an amazing month, full of so much cool stuff!

First of all, there’s this super cute girl who I like a whole lot. Like a whole, whole, whole lot. Her name is Lauren. We’ve spent as much time as possible with each other the last month, and I hope we get to spend a lot of time together over the next month. And the next one. And the next one… I like her for lots of reasons. Here are a few:

• She’s hot. Even my 6 year old nephew agrees.
• She’s really smart, even though she says she’s not and pretends she’s not sometimes.
• She’s talented. She can dance real good, and she can sing real good, too.
• She brings me Dr. Pepper some mornings when I’m tired.
• She’s getting over her severe dislike of scary movies in order to watch them with me.
• She’s good at hugging and stuff…
• She’s into religion and stuff.
• She’s getting into Friends with me.
• She comes to church with me sometimes and then she wastes her Sunday afternoon/evening with me, when I’m sure she has better things to do.
• She’s never once tried to control my car stereo.

That’s enough for now. I don’t want to make you jealous, Blogary.

I also have a show running right now. It’s called Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and it’s playing at the SCERA Shell. Here are some reviews/write-ups:

http://www.heraldextra.com/entertainment/article_93ec55c7-7c60-5d51-b792-39bf91ea8f95.html

http://universe.byu.edu/node/1211

http://media.www.uvureview.com/media/storage/paper982/news/2009/08/03/Culture/Welcome.To.Fabulous.Egypt-3753762.shtml

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705320918/Joseph-good-but-he-needs-a-better-technicolor-coat.html

I’m getting ready to start another show called Little Shop of Horrors at the Hale Theater in Orem. Auditions are next week. I’m excited!

I’ve been teaching youth theatre workshops to kids and teenagers this summer, and it’s fun. When else can I find excuses to have kids perform scenes from Night of the Living Dead and Cash on Delivery, and songs from The Happiest Millionaire and Der Glockner von Notre Dame?

My favorite part of summer workshops so far was taking the acting class on a field trip to Macey’s. They had to spend 15-20 minutes shopping in character. It was really fun to see kids trying to stay in character in a public setting. The best part was the girl who was playing a shy character. She looked like she was going to die every time somebody tried to talk to her. When she was making a purchase at the end, the checker looked horrified as Lauren and I were giggling at “Annelle.” She made a valiant effort to pull “Annelle” out of her shell, but it didn’t work. The class did an awesome job!

I’m not really having any luck finding a job, but I’m not too upset. If I have a year off of teaching, I’ll live. I’ll just have to fill it with tons and tons of recording and show work.

I’ve been teaching Gospel Doctrine in Church, and it’s kind of fun. I try to do something different every time I teach, and so far, it seems to be keeping people on their toes and focused. It’s kinda fun.

My friend, Amber, took new headshots of me, and I like some of them a great deal.

Right now, this very second, there is the most insane thunder outside the window! I’m going to go see if it’s raining…

I can’t tell if it’s raining or not. I’ll check again when I’m done talking to you, Blogary.

I went to an AMAZING concert a few weeks ago. It was the Fray, with Meese and Jack’s Mannequin opening.

Holy crap! Lightning just struck RIGHT BY MY HOUSE!!! Also, it’s definitely raining now. I can hear it.

Back to the concert. I still am not a fan of Meese. I hope the Fray can find a new opening act the next time they come. Jack’s Mannequin was pretty good, and of course, the Fray was AMAZING. It was general admission, and we had really good spots. We didn’t really fight with anyone, but a family near us did. Teri and I took their side, and I kind of laid smackdown when a bratty teenage girl almost trampled a poor tween.

I went to the new Harry Potter at midnight with Teri, etc. We wore matching shirts that said “Show me your patronus.” They were AWESOME. We got lots of compliments. The next day, I wanted to die. I didn’t get to bed until almost 5, and then I had to be up by 8. I decided I’m too old for midnight movies. And yet, I’m taking Lauren’s brothers to G.I. Joe this week. Ugh. At least I can sleep in Friday.

I think that’s about it for now, Blogary. Now you’re caught up. I’m going to let you get on with your life now, and I’ll get on with me. We’ll talk again soon, hopefully.

Love,
Jeremy

Blogging for Blogs Sake

(I tried to put an apostrophe in the title, but it wouldn't let me...)

I haven't blogged in a LONG time, and I'm purposely avoiding homework right now but must have SOMETHING to do whilst watching Firefly, so I thought I might as well write something. Especially since I suck at keeping journals, and years from now, this blog is probably the only record I'll have of my life...

When our hero last blogged, he was preparing to open Kiss Me, Kate and going to see Harry Potter. Here's a rundown of what's happened in the last month or so:

Kiss Me, Kate was awesome. It was a great experience, despite having to deal with some of the biggest divas I've ever worked with in theatre. Seriously. Mind you, MOST of the cast was fantastic, and I miss them already. But there were a few bad apples (3, to be exact) who I wanted to strangle every time I looked at them, and they almost ruined the show for me. However, despite divas, horrible tech, and bad reviews, the show was fantastic. I'm VERY proud of the final product.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was also fantastic. It's officially my 2nd favorite Harry Potter book. I was pleased with almost every aspect. I got teary-eyed many more times than I care to admit. Here is my official ranking of Harry Potter books:
1) The Prisoner of Azkaban
2) The Deathly Hallows
3) (Tie) The Sorceror's Stone
3) (Tie) The Order of the Phoenix
5) The Half-Blood Prince
6) The Goblet of Fire
7) The Chamber of Secrets
I can't believe we have to wait three more years for the movie of Deathly Hallows. Guh.

I just started rehearsals for High School Musical, which is quite possibly the cheesiest musical ever written. The movie is seriously terrible. Luckily, the stage musical has been fixed up somewhat. And, Mindy is directing, and so going into it, we KNOW it's cheesy, and we'll embrace it- as opposed to trying to pass it off as serious. I was starting to get excited about the show after auditions and our first production meeting, and even after my first night of rehearsing with the leads. And then we had our first ensemble music rehearsal on Saturday. Good gosh. There are at least 80 kids in the cast (only a handful of 20-somethings, the majority are between 14-19), and I'm pretty sure at least 10 of them won't live to see the show open. They can't shut up. I had to get downright ornery with them, which I haven't had to do at a rehearsal in YEARS. I really am going to go certifiably insane before this is over...

I'm starting to count down the days to school starting, and NOT in a good way. I was looking forward to a relaxing summer, but it seems like I'm every bit as stressed as I was all through the school year. Blargh.

We had our first ever summer vocal classes with CSYP the last two weeks. They were great. The coolest thing in the world is having a room full of teenagers singing "Being Alive" with all the emotion the song deserves. The second coolest thing in the world is having a room full of kids between the ages of 7-12 singing "I Know Things Now" and getting excited about it. Of course, I didn't tell them that the song is a metaphor for losing one's virginity. They just thought it was all about Red Riding Hood being swallowed by the Wolf. Ssh! It's our little secret.

I'm going to The Fray on Tuesday night with Matt and Emily Smith. I'm so stinking excited. It'll be my second time seeing them this year. There is no band on Earth right now that I love more.

Then, first thing Wednesday morning, I'm going to the Oregon coast to visit my Uncle Dean for the first time in 17 years. I'm really excited about that as well. It will be my first real vacation in a year and a half. And that last vacation was miserable and exhausting, so I'm not going to count it. It was more of a trip. Anyhoo, we'll be staying in a suite on the beach- which I could NOT be any more stoked about. Let's just hope that my dad doesn't fight with everyone the whole time and make us all miserable. *fingers crossed*

My new music obsession is Robin Thicke. Usually, with guys like that, I just want to say "Dude! You're white! Sound like it!" But for some reason, his music brings me joy. Maybe it's because his parents are Jason Seaver and the chick who sang the theme to The Facts of Life. Maybe it's because he sampled "A Fifth of Beethoven." Either way- check him out if you haven't already.

The movie Hairspray was incredible. I went with Matt, Emily, Kaylee, Teri, Sami, Brooke, and Bristol last week, and I still can't get over how good it was. I even pestered my brother Glenn to go- and he loved it. We're going to try and force my mom to go when we get back into town. I think she'd love it. And she hasn't been to a movie in at least 20 years, so I think it would be good for her.

I've been trying to catch as many movies as possible this summer, because once school starts, I won't be able to see many. Ocean's 13 was downright incredible (when compared with the joke that was Ocean's 12). 1408 was LAME. Pirates was decent- much better than the second one, but still nowhere near as good as the first. The Simpsons Movie was pretty good. To promote it, they've been hosting a site where you can get "Simpsonized." Matt told me about it a while ago, and I've been trying to do it, but every time I've tried, their server has been so full that it hasn't let me. I finally got it to work today. I don't think it's THAT representative of me, but I didn't want to take the time to tweak it that much other than just changing shirt color and making my ears bigger and a couple other little things.

I think that's all I have to share right now. Enjoy this video that Matt introduced me to. I love it.

Harry Potter Fun

(The following is taken from my Facebook note, but I want a record of it on my regular blog, because I'm THAT nerdy.)

WARNING! This note contains spoilers about the end of Book 6. If you do not want to find out the big secret surprise ending, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER!!!!





Last night, Teri, Quincy, Julie & her niece Ally, and I went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I loved it. Not as good as the third movie, but better than the others.

I was REALLY funny, too, and my genius was so profound that it MUST be shared on Facebook. :)

When we were getting to the theater, the sneak preview was letting out and people were filing down the escalator as we were going up. Some guy was loudly explaining to his significant other "So then Snape betrayed Dumbledore and Dumbledore died..."

I was passing him at that exact moment and screamed "WHAT?!?!?!" Then Teri pulled a sad face, and I had one of absolute horror. The guy made eye contact with me and kind of smiled uncomfortably, as though to say "Very funny. You knew that." Then, he slowly realized that I was in fact NOT joking (even though I was). His look of horror almost matched mine. Then he stepped off the bottom of the escalator, and we all ran to the edge of the top level just in time to see his woman start to lay into him about saying that out loud in public. I almost felt bad, but it was way too funny.

My next funny moment happened when we were in the theater waiting for the movie to start. One of the theater employees came in and said "I want to remind everyone that this theater is reserved seating. Everyone please pull out your tickets and check to make sure that you are in the correct row and seat number."

I thought I was HYSTERICAL when I said "Seat 9 and 3/4? Anybody for seat 9 and 3/4?!" Everybody around me burst out laughing. Then the row of girls in front of me turned around and complimented me several times on how funny that was.

(The next time the employee came in, some other guy who was sitting just down from me TOTALLY stole my joke and yelled it out as loud as he could. The whole theater lost it, and then Teri, Quincy and I gasped and the girls in front of us screamed "HEY! You stole that guy's joke!" and "That joke is old!" and "Joke stealer!")

There were other funny things said (mainly involving a dirty t-shirt that said "Show me your patronus," but those were the ones that I was directly responsible for.

Sometimes I crack myself up, which REALLY comes in handy when nobody else is laughing...