Los Angeles - Day 2
Long post ahead. :)
Early in August, I saw on the Internet that Darren Criss would be performing at the Festival of New American Musicals closing party, held in LA on September 10th, right during my stay there. It would be a private party at Eric Vetro's place (Eric Vetro being the vocal coach for nearly every Hollywood star.) So I decided to go. (I won't tell you how much I had to pay for this, but if Darren's name hadn't been attached to it I wouldn't have gone.)
After weeks of considerations such as "what will I wear?" and "how will it be?/what should I expect?", it was the big day.
I took the bus from Hollywood and Highland to North Hollywood, then went down on foot to Camarillo Street (don't ask me the exact address, I won't tell you. :p ) It was supposed to start at 4pm and I arrived 20 minutes early. People at the door who were checking the names told me people had already started to arrive so I went in. And then it was awkward.
I had expected a pretty large attendence, and a lot of fangirls. And I was totally wrong. It was a very private party. *One person in the library, 3 in the piano room, a few in the garden, what am I doing here?!* *Oh, here's Eric Vetro! And there's Brad Ellis!* (You know Brad Ellis, he's the pianist in Glee.) After looking at all the autographed pictures on the walls of the piano room for what seemed like a pretty long time (you can see part of that room in this video: )
I decided to go outside in the garden, which had been set for the performances that would happen later. A little tent in the middle with a piano and a microphone underneath facing a few rows of chairs.
After picking up a glass of water I spotted a girl with pink sunglasses and the Warbler tie. My savior! lol. I went to her and her friend and we started to talk. (Fangirls unite! lol) Good thing they were there because I ended up staying with them for the rest of the day.
(I read an article where it said there were 200 people attending. Now, I'm not an expert at estimating a number of people but I was sure it was less than that. I would've said half of that.)
After hanging by the pool for a while (and seeing Dax Shepard pass by, while Brad was talking with people nearby), it was time to go sit for the performances. We were on the first row. :) (We had left our bags on the chairs early on.) Well it was actually 2nd row but there was only one person on the first: the cameraman. Which leads me to explain that I couldn't take pictures because we weren't allowed, given that it was done by official photographers.
(All the performances were voice + piano, with and occasional guitar.)
The first artist to sing was... Kristen Bell. Very pretty, wearing a nude dress.
I can't remember the order afterwards, but here are the people who were there:
Graham Phillips, from The Good Wife. (He's only 18 but he's hot. Shut up.) I particularly liked "the geek song" which was a song cut from the musical 13 he did a few years ago. It was good to see him perform, with a big smile on his face, clearly enjoying the moment.
Marissa Jaret Winokur, aka Broadway Hairspray girl, who's very funny.
James Carpinello. He was the cop in The Good Wife, Kalinda's friend. Remember? I didn't know he was a singer too.
Frances Fisher. She didn't sing but she introduced:
Desmond Child. Aka songwriter extraordinaire (for Bon Jovi among others.) He presented a new musical he wrote called "Cuba Libre", inspired by his family's history. It's the story of the Cuban revolution, because apparently his family was really close to power and witnessed everything that happened.
John Stamos. At first he didn't perform but introduced his friend:
Rita Wilson. Yes, she sings. Beautifully. It was a very pleasant surprise to discover this side of her. Her cd will be released around Valentine's Day next year.
Amanda McBroom, writer of the song The Rose. With her partner in crime Michelle Brourman on the piano, she sang the song. It was the emotional moment for me. Hearing such a classic sung by its writer, in this context, I fully realised how lucky I was to be there. Like I said, it was very emotional.
Diane Warren. She was there but didn't sing or even talked. I wouldn't have known it was her if she hadn't been singled out before one of her song was done. She was sitting on the side, by the pool, and stood up and waved when she was mentionned.
Chip Esten and Drew Carey. (I don't watch Whose Line Is It Anyway so I didn't know them. Chip's face was familiar though, and when I googled him later I realized it was from The Office, back when I was still watching.) They first asked someone with a " normal job" to come so that they would improvise a song based on what would come out of their conversation. The woman who voluntered was a teacher, apparently there on a first (blind) date with "Todd". She didn't know where Todd was or what he was doing in life. As the conversation went on, it was assumed that she had made him up, and it resulted in the hilarious line "I'm an atheist, I don't believe in Todd" sung by Chip. After that, they were joined by John Stamos to improvise a song 1 word at a time. The idea it was based on was "a guy who breaks up with his girlfriend because he likes to dress as a woman." It was pretty funny.
Nolan Gerard Funk. I had seen him in NY when he was doing Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway (with Stamos) so it was funny to see him again. Twice in the US, twice seeing him.
Sophie B. Hawkins. I didn't know her but she seems like a total hippie, lol.
Eamonn McCrystal. I had never heard of him before but he's an Irish singer who sung for the Pope and at other important events. One of the best singers of the night.
There were other people but I don't remember their names. I also wasn't a big fan of the way they were singing. You don't have to shout in your mic, it's not what makes you a good singer.
2 people stole the show: Garrison Hall and Alexa Russo, 16, from the LA County High School for the Arts. They performed their original song which was so funny they got a standing ovation.
Brad Ellis. He's super funny and friendly. He explained how he ended up on Glee: he was the pianist during the auditions and was able to make actors feel comfortable enough to sing. Ryan Murphy saw this ability and asked him to meet him later. Murphy added that Brad "should get used to wearing black." A few days later, for the meeting, Brad was wearing head-to-toe black, and when Murphy saw him he laughed and said he didn't have to wear this color in real life, just on the show. And that's how Brad ended up on tv. He said his life has changed (obviously) and now he's recognized everywhere. He told a funny anecdote about a cop coming up to him: he started feeling nervous, wondering what he had done, but then the serious cop started smiling and expressed how he looooved Glee and never missed an episode, lol.
Then Brad did a medley of a few Glee songs, including Don't Stop Believing (asking people to sing along), Billionaire, and a couple others. If you've never heard him sing Single Ladies, you're really missing something. So funny.
Remember how I went because of Darren Criss? Well, he was shooting "Imogene" in NY at the time and the producers didn't let him go. >:( Totally disappointed. The organisers said it was ok, that he had agreed to do a private concert for the people who had attended. Good for them, but I'm IN FRANCE! The movie better be good. :(
The show ended at about 8pm. I wanted to take a picture with a few of the performers, but most of them left quickly. I did take a pic with 3 of them though, because we were some of the very last people there:
Nolan Gerard Funk (who speaks French)
Rita Wilson
Brad Ellis. I'm repeating myself but this guy is AWESOME!
Both pictures with Brad and Nolan were taken in the kitchen, the one with Rita was in the piano room.
Then I left. Nolan was outside with his girlfriend waiting for Brad and his wife to go eat in a restaurant somewhere. I personally walked to the bus stop (Vineland & Camarillo). Camarillo street doesn't have sidewalks on some parts of it so it's not very practical in the night. Then it took me a few minutes to figure out where the bus stop was to go in the right direction (back to Hollywood and Highland). I ended the night eating a salad at the Kodak Theater (well, Hollywood and Highland Center.)
Remember the Southland scene on these steps?
Now I'm hopping I'll be able to have some of the pictures that were taken that day. I sent an email to the organizers who said they were "in the process of deciding" how to do it. Let's wait and see.
Here's an article from the LA Times: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/09/the-stars-come-out-for-festival-of-new-american-musicals-closing-night.html
(The pic is taken on other side of the piano room. The door we barely see on the left leads to the kitchen. Later they put some food on the counter behind them.)
Early in August, I saw on the Internet that Darren Criss would be performing at the Festival of New American Musicals closing party, held in LA on September 10th, right during my stay there. It would be a private party at Eric Vetro's place (Eric Vetro being the vocal coach for nearly every Hollywood star.) So I decided to go. (I won't tell you how much I had to pay for this, but if Darren's name hadn't been attached to it I wouldn't have gone.)
After weeks of considerations such as "what will I wear?" and "how will it be?/what should I expect?", it was the big day.
I took the bus from Hollywood and Highland to North Hollywood, then went down on foot to Camarillo Street (don't ask me the exact address, I won't tell you. :p ) It was supposed to start at 4pm and I arrived 20 minutes early. People at the door who were checking the names told me people had already started to arrive so I went in. And then it was awkward.
I had expected a pretty large attendence, and a lot of fangirls. And I was totally wrong. It was a very private party. *One person in the library, 3 in the piano room, a few in the garden, what am I doing here?!* *Oh, here's Eric Vetro! And there's Brad Ellis!* (You know Brad Ellis, he's the pianist in Glee.) After looking at all the autographed pictures on the walls of the piano room for what seemed like a pretty long time (you can see part of that room in this video: )
Click to viewI decided to go outside in the garden, which had been set for the performances that would happen later. A little tent in the middle with a piano and a microphone underneath facing a few rows of chairs.
After picking up a glass of water I spotted a girl with pink sunglasses and the Warbler tie. My savior! lol. I went to her and her friend and we started to talk. (Fangirls unite! lol) Good thing they were there because I ended up staying with them for the rest of the day.
(I read an article where it said there were 200 people attending. Now, I'm not an expert at estimating a number of people but I was sure it was less than that. I would've said half of that.)
After hanging by the pool for a while (and seeing Dax Shepard pass by, while Brad was talking with people nearby), it was time to go sit for the performances. We were on the first row. :) (We had left our bags on the chairs early on.) Well it was actually 2nd row but there was only one person on the first: the cameraman. Which leads me to explain that I couldn't take pictures because we weren't allowed, given that it was done by official photographers.
(All the performances were voice + piano, with and occasional guitar.)
The first artist to sing was... Kristen Bell. Very pretty, wearing a nude dress.
I can't remember the order afterwards, but here are the people who were there:
Graham Phillips, from The Good Wife. (He's only 18 but he's hot. Shut up.) I particularly liked "the geek song" which was a song cut from the musical 13 he did a few years ago. It was good to see him perform, with a big smile on his face, clearly enjoying the moment.
Marissa Jaret Winokur, aka Broadway Hairspray girl, who's very funny.
James Carpinello. He was the cop in The Good Wife, Kalinda's friend. Remember? I didn't know he was a singer too.
Frances Fisher. She didn't sing but she introduced:
Desmond Child. Aka songwriter extraordinaire (for Bon Jovi among others.) He presented a new musical he wrote called "Cuba Libre", inspired by his family's history. It's the story of the Cuban revolution, because apparently his family was really close to power and witnessed everything that happened.
John Stamos. At first he didn't perform but introduced his friend:
Rita Wilson. Yes, she sings. Beautifully. It was a very pleasant surprise to discover this side of her. Her cd will be released around Valentine's Day next year.
Amanda McBroom, writer of the song The Rose. With her partner in crime Michelle Brourman on the piano, she sang the song. It was the emotional moment for me. Hearing such a classic sung by its writer, in this context, I fully realised how lucky I was to be there. Like I said, it was very emotional.
Diane Warren. She was there but didn't sing or even talked. I wouldn't have known it was her if she hadn't been singled out before one of her song was done. She was sitting on the side, by the pool, and stood up and waved when she was mentionned.
Chip Esten and Drew Carey. (I don't watch Whose Line Is It Anyway so I didn't know them. Chip's face was familiar though, and when I googled him later I realized it was from The Office, back when I was still watching.) They first asked someone with a " normal job" to come so that they would improvise a song based on what would come out of their conversation. The woman who voluntered was a teacher, apparently there on a first (blind) date with "Todd". She didn't know where Todd was or what he was doing in life. As the conversation went on, it was assumed that she had made him up, and it resulted in the hilarious line "I'm an atheist, I don't believe in Todd" sung by Chip. After that, they were joined by John Stamos to improvise a song 1 word at a time. The idea it was based on was "a guy who breaks up with his girlfriend because he likes to dress as a woman." It was pretty funny.
Nolan Gerard Funk. I had seen him in NY when he was doing Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway (with Stamos) so it was funny to see him again. Twice in the US, twice seeing him.
Sophie B. Hawkins. I didn't know her but she seems like a total hippie, lol.
Eamonn McCrystal. I had never heard of him before but he's an Irish singer who sung for the Pope and at other important events. One of the best singers of the night.
There were other people but I don't remember their names. I also wasn't a big fan of the way they were singing. You don't have to shout in your mic, it's not what makes you a good singer.
2 people stole the show: Garrison Hall and Alexa Russo, 16, from the LA County High School for the Arts. They performed their original song which was so funny they got a standing ovation.
Brad Ellis. He's super funny and friendly. He explained how he ended up on Glee: he was the pianist during the auditions and was able to make actors feel comfortable enough to sing. Ryan Murphy saw this ability and asked him to meet him later. Murphy added that Brad "should get used to wearing black." A few days later, for the meeting, Brad was wearing head-to-toe black, and when Murphy saw him he laughed and said he didn't have to wear this color in real life, just on the show. And that's how Brad ended up on tv. He said his life has changed (obviously) and now he's recognized everywhere. He told a funny anecdote about a cop coming up to him: he started feeling nervous, wondering what he had done, but then the serious cop started smiling and expressed how he looooved Glee and never missed an episode, lol.
Then Brad did a medley of a few Glee songs, including Don't Stop Believing (asking people to sing along), Billionaire, and a couple others. If you've never heard him sing Single Ladies, you're really missing something. So funny.
Remember how I went because of Darren Criss? Well, he was shooting "Imogene" in NY at the time and the producers didn't let him go. >:( Totally disappointed. The organisers said it was ok, that he had agreed to do a private concert for the people who had attended. Good for them, but I'm IN FRANCE! The movie better be good. :(
The show ended at about 8pm. I wanted to take a picture with a few of the performers, but most of them left quickly. I did take a pic with 3 of them though, because we were some of the very last people there:
Nolan Gerard Funk (who speaks French)
Rita Wilson
Brad Ellis. I'm repeating myself but this guy is AWESOME!
Both pictures with Brad and Nolan were taken in the kitchen, the one with Rita was in the piano room.
Then I left. Nolan was outside with his girlfriend waiting for Brad and his wife to go eat in a restaurant somewhere. I personally walked to the bus stop (Vineland & Camarillo). Camarillo street doesn't have sidewalks on some parts of it so it's not very practical in the night. Then it took me a few minutes to figure out where the bus stop was to go in the right direction (back to Hollywood and Highland). I ended the night eating a salad at the Kodak Theater (well, Hollywood and Highland Center.)
Remember the Southland scene on these steps?
Now I'm hopping I'll be able to have some of the pictures that were taken that day. I sent an email to the organizers who said they were "in the process of deciding" how to do it. Let's wait and see.
Here's an article from the LA Times: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/09/the-stars-come-out-for-festival-of-new-american-musicals-closing-night.html
(The pic is taken on other side of the piano room. The door we barely see on the left leads to the kitchen. Later they put some food on the counter behind them.)