An Andrew Ryan Schmidt Original! :)

Andrew has wanted to do a portrait of me of me for a long time. This post is really for his reference. He saw the "Star Is Born" poster where Judy has her hands positioned on the sides of her face like a camera (which has become my signature pose) and he's going to recreate it with me wearing my favorite of all Judy's clothes, the gold and green beaded paisley suite designed by Travia for "Valley Of The Dolls", which Judy took when she was released from the picture and wore on stage at the Palace in 1967 as well as on tour through most of 67 and 68... so here are some pictures of the outfit and the pose as well as some costume test footage. I'm SO excited about this! And incredibly proud <3

"Twenties Girl"

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm a HUGE fan of Sophie Kinsella (author of the Shopaholic series). I've read every one of her books and even though this review is a little late, since I read this one last year when it first came out, I have to say of all her "stand alone" novels, this was by far my favorite. She always writes about the modern, chic, single career girl, but this one has a little twist in that she delves into the supernatural, but the way she does it with her signature wit and charm makes it all so completely believable. I also really appreciated the attention to detail. She clearly did her research on the twenties for this book. From what they wore to brands and types of makeup they used and how they did things back then. Sadie (the ghost) describes things not like a grandmother, but like a hip, young fresh girl...who just happens to live in the 1920's. Even if you have no plans to get sucked into reading the Shopaholic series and just want to give something by Sophie Kinsella a try, this is the one to pick up! It's a great read which you will FLY through! Putting it down is pretty impossible. Below is the plot synopsis from Barnes & Noble.com:

Lara Lington has always had an overactive imagination, but suddenly that imagination seems to be in overdrive. Normal professional twenty-something young women don t get visited by ghosts. Or do they?

When the spirit of Lara s great-aunt Sadie a feisty, demanding girl with firm ideas about fashion, love, and the right way to dance mysteriously appears, she has one last request: Lara must find a missing necklace that had been in Sadie s possession for more than seventy-five years, and Sadie cannot rest without it. Lara, on the other hand, has a number of ongoing distractions. Her best friend and business partner has run off to Goa, her start-up company is floundering, and she s just been dumped by the perfect man.

Sadie, however, could care less.

Lara and Sadie make a hilarious sparring duo, and at first it seems as though they have nothing in common. But as the mission to find Sadie s necklace leads to...

The Chapter House (Coffee Shop)

I'm updating right now from The Chapter House, which is a coffee shop on 9th & Bainbridge. Bobby and I were going to go to my favorite coffee shop, La Colombe, but since they close so early, he suggested this place. I have a feeling I'm going to become a regular here! The staff is very friendly, my two cappuccinos were DELICIOUS and made just right and the atmosphere is great! It's has sort of an old/kitchie feeling. It's one of those great little coffee shops that doesn't try to be anything it's not. The prices are quite reasonable too. Not as cheap as La Colombe, but not expensive at all There's also tons of seating and the seats are very comfortable. We've been here for about two hours. Bobby's friend, Michelle, recently joined us and the three of us are just reading. It's a very nice relaxing atmosphere. I must have passed this place a million times and never noticed it! I'm glad Bobby introduced me to it! I'm always on the hunt for new places to frequent...especially places where I can get a decent cup of coffee, which, believe it or not, is not an easy task in this city. I'm very glad I stumbled upon this place! :)

"There's No Business Like Show Business!"

Recently, I've been involved in a multitude of projects. Movies, shows, cabarets... I have to say, I haven't worked this hard in quite sometime, but I'm also having the time of my life! With each thing I do, I'm meeting more and more incredibly talented and fascinating people! For the first time, I can honestly say, I feel as though I'm in my element and doing what I should be doing. Once a performer, always a performer, I guess. And this recent burst of performance activity is long overdue! So, here's just an update on projects I've done and things that are coming up:

"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"

This was a benefit Cabaret for my little brother, Joey, who was diagnosed with bone cancer last February. After enduring chemo, radiation, and surgery, he's now in remission. Hopefully, he'll be okay. This show was very stressful to put together since there wasn't a lot of rehearsal time and for some other reasons there really aren't any reason to go into. However, Joey enjoyed it and we raised some money for his foundation, so it was definitely worth it! Not to mention, we all had a marvelous time doing it! It touched me deeply that so many people came out to perform for Joey's cause and also that so many people came out to see the show, support it, and donate money to the charity, "Being Brave For Joey". Another important thing I should mention about this is that I met a fellow who is now one of my closest friends, Michael Melton. He's a brilliant composer and wrote a melody which me, him, and Angelina, turned i not a Christmas song for Joey called "Angel For Christmas". It was a spectacular night! A big highlight for me was the fact that Andrew and Matthew surprised me by coming to see it! Poodle also showed up and took some incredible pictures which can be seen on facebook. Everyone who was there enjoyed themselves, and you could actually feel the warmth in the room! :) So, I want to say a big thank you to everyone who was there supporting my little brother! He's the bravest kid I've ever known! <3

"Fat as I Am"

Joey

y

"Baby It's Cold Outside"

Singing with ALL of my brothers for the Finale <3

With Angelina and Michael (aka: Pretty Eyes) singing "A gel For Christmas"

Mr. Michael Melton <3

"The Christmas Spoiled":

This was a short film I completed between Christmas and New Years. It was written, produced, and directed by my cousin, Nick Gregorio, who has been in California for the last few years pursuing his own show business ambitions...and rather successfully too! He has a great vision and a unique talent. He called me and asked if I'd be interested in doing a project with him and even though I was in rehearsals for another film at the time, as soon as I read the script, I immediately said yes! I thought the story was adorable and I'm also pretty proud of the way it turned out. My makeup was SO intense! It took quite some time to apply (and take off) but once again, the results were worth it! Here's the link to the film. Let me know what you think!

http://vimeo.com/18578228

"The Rehearsal"

This is a project I've been attached to for some time. It's being directed by my friend, Lauren, and was written by her now ex-boyfriend, Michael. They're both very talented, and again, have an incredible vision. The basic plot of the story for this film is that a group of performers are putting on a production of "La Boheme" which is in trouble. Two days before opening night, a new director is brought in to help salvage it. It's so bad, however, that the ghost of Puccini comes back from the grave with an army of zombies threatening to take the performers' voices unless they can turn out a decent production. It's actually very interesting and stylized. And we filmed for a week in College Town, PA (during which I became incredibly ill) but we still have more work to do on it. I'm guessing all that depends on when we can get the space again. Now, on this film, I really made some wonderful new friends! The cast were all so supportive of one another and it truly was a family atmosphere! Despite being horribly sick, I had the time of my life! My makeup and wardrobe were incredible and I'm really looking forward to the finished product! "The Rehearsal" will be a shorter film and from it, I believe we're trying to garner enough funds to do a full-length feature film.

Makeup/Wardrobe reference shot

Taking a break in the Actors' Green Room

Lauren, the director, Eve, the Cinematographer, and the A.D. discussing a shot.

On February 26th, I'll be hosting a Burlesque show at Wine-O bar and Grill with Michael as my accompanist/ sidekick. I'll post more information about that later.

But that's about all as far as my showbusiness career goes for right now. I'm extremely proud of the work I've been doing and I really hope it pays off. I want to thank all the wonderful people who've made it possible for me to even be doing all of this. I have that incredible feeling of hope and optimism again that I used to have and I'm grateful for it every day :)

Mini Shopaholic

"Mini Shopaholic" by Sophie Kinsella is the latest installment in the "Shopaholic" series, which started with, "Confessions of a Shopaholic". I've read every one of Sophie's books and I loved this latest one!

I started reading the Shopaholic books when I was in highschool and after the first one, I was immediately hooked! Becky Bloomwood, the heroine, never disappoints! She's a great madcap sort of character who's constantly getting herself into trouble, which is something any shopaholic can identify with. But the great thing about this series is that it's truly entertaining and laugh out loud funny, so even if you aren't an actual "shopaholic" you'll appreciate the books just for their wit, charm,, and really interesting writing style. Sophie Kinsella writes in a sort of signature first person-present style so that you're experiencing events as the characters are. It keeps the story fresh, interesting, and it also keeps you on the edge of your seat a bit wanting to know what happens next!

I don't want to give too much away a bout the book, so I'll just briefly reveal a bit of the plot:

Becky by this point is Becky Brandon, ever since book 3 where she marries Luke Brandon, a big tycoon. They have a daughter, Minni, who it seems, is destined to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a shopaholic herself. At age three, she already knows how to shop online! It's very amusing and entertaining to see Becky as a Mom after reading all the books to see how she's grown and developed but still manages to maintain her basic enchanting qualities. There are always lots of great subplots in Sophie Kinsella's books, some of which include a surprise party Becky is trying to throw for Luke which becomes a complete fiasco, Luke's estrangement from his biological mother Elinor, and the fact that they are living with Becky's parents because each house they try to get falls through for some reason or another.

This one is another triumph for Sophie in that you simply can't put it down. So, fans of the series will really love it, but if you haven't read the other books, I doubt it'd be easy to follow. If you saw the movie, "Confessions of a Shopaholic", do NOT judge the books on that. I found the movie entertaining as a fan of the books, but it was nowhere near as good as the books are! There were so many changes, not the least of which was that the movie takes place in New York where the books take place in England, which in my opinion, makes them even more intriguing for American readers because Sophie Kinsella lives and works there, so that adds a lot of authenticity and gives you a good idea of what life is like in England.

So, if you haven't already, I'd highly recommend starting with "Confessions of a Shopaholic" and working your way up to this one! You won't regret it. Just make sure you hide your credit cards because you WILL want to go shopping! ;)