Brook(s) Brother

I have decided that when I die I want to be reincarnated in the form of Kelly Brook:

That is all.

We Are Not Alone: A Sci-Fi Soundtrack Adventure in Brooklyn

This is one not to miss.

Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra (and hopefully my pops on base trombone or trombone III - thats him in the pic below playing with BSO last year) will be performing the following pieces on Sunday, April 11 at 3pm @ St. Ann's Church, 157 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, NY.

WILLIAMS – Music from "E.T."
WILLIAMS – Music from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"
HOLST – The Planets (Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Uranus movements)

http://brooklynsymphonyorchestra.org/season.html

C'mon - Close Encounters of the Third Kind theme PERFORMED LIVE? oh hell YES, I am in.

And, here you are...As Jon Stewart says, your moment of zen:

Surf's Up

When my ex and I lived in San Clemente, CA - we lived at 316 Encino Lane. It was a beautiful, spacious apartment overlooking a canyon and a stone's throw from Linda Lane Park, literally we lived ON the beach. No, it's not as famous as, say, Trestles Beach (of Richard Nixon, SurfRider Foundation and STOP THE 241 TOLL ROAD fame - yeah, who knew you could throw all of those subjects nto one reference) or San Onofre State Park - but it was our little, beautiful beach. *Yes, that is the sunset from Linda Lane in the photo*.

I would walk down quite often, maybe 3-4x a week, to catch the sunset. There was really nothing quite like it.

I almost always had this song playing in my Ipod while sitting on the rocks watching the waves.

Here's The Pixies "Ana" - a short but sweet tune that captures the feel 80's surf-rock in Southern California.

Shit My Dad Says - Passover Edition

Expect the Shit my Dad Says postings to become a regular occurence.

If you know my father or if you have ever heard me speak about him (please...I often do), then most of the stuff I post won't seem all that out-of-place. The man, literally, has no filter. His mind-to-mouth is so fast he can't really help it. It's gotten him in a heap of trouble over the years - but it also makes for the most ridiculous conversations on earth.

For those who don't know him - oh, consider yourselves in for a treat.

Here are tonight's quotables and considering tomorrow begins Passover and these are about said Holiday I figured they are fitting.

"Oh...how appropos, you're bringing the first-born"

(after my stepbrother let us know his will bringing and introducing us to his newborn daughter)

That's all, folks.

Back to the...Hot Tub

A bunch of months ago, I was bitching (who, me?) about how the guys I were dating were pretty damn lame; complaining about their age, life, kids, etc. I told my pal Greg that I wished I had a time machine so I could date them 10 years earlier in their lives - when it actually seemed like they might be fun. Or when I'd actually want to sleep with them.

A few months later I was bitching (again...who me?) about how I wanted a time machine to go back and pursue an illustrious acting career...cough.

That's when Greg sent me a link to this movie..."Here's your time machine," he said.

Man, how I wish he were right.
This movie looks hilarious and I cannot wait to see it (hoping, maybe, April 2nd).

The premise is rather thin, according to MGM:
"HOT TUB TIME MACHINE follows a group of best friends who've become bored with their adult lives: Adam (John Cusack) has been dumped by his girlfriend; Lou (Rob Corddry) is a party guy who can't find the party; Nick's (Craig Robinson) wife controls his every move; and video game-obsessed Jacob (Clark Duke) won't leave his basement. After a crazy night of drinking in a ski resort hot tub, the men wake up, heads pounding, in the year 1986. This is their chance to kick some past and change their futures - one will find a new love life, one will learn to stand up for himself with the ladies, one will find his mojo, and one will make sure he still exists"

Uh...well...we're not talking Oscar-worthy here but sounds like "Hangover"-style fun.

Besides - I completely adore John Cusack and want to have his babies.
And, if he wants, I'm all for having them in a hot tub.
Le Sigh.

Here's the trailer to "Hot Tub Time Machine"

For Whom the Bell Tolls

I just realized I have 7 weddings that I'm either in or going to attend in the next 4 1/2 months.

FMBankAccount.

I need to find one or two dresses that I can wear to any/either.

Ladies, any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Brooklyn is such a Tiny Universe

May I just exclaim how utterly excited I am that Karl Denson's bringing his Tiny Universe to the Brooklyn Bowl on April 23rd-24th?

Yes, I'll be that girl in front row two-stepping and shimmyin' my shoulders.

**Katharine - you are going to this whether or not you want to!

Here is KDTU "Because of Her Beauty" (however, KD is SO much better Live!)
Tell me there is nothing more funkalicious than KD!

Dangerous...Shins?

Ok the title is ridiculous but this pairing is not. Brian Burton aka DangerMouse (who has collaborated with another one of my favorite's, MF Doom, to produce DangerDoom a few years back) and James Mercer, frontman of The Shins - started Broken Bells + began recording spring of 2008. Finally, after much speculation, their first collaboration - the self titled "Broken Bells" album - was released on March 9 this year.

http://www.brokenbells.com/

I've fallen in love with this album. To describe it as melodic/harmonious and moving is an understatement. See for yourself.

This is the track, "Citizen" from the new album:

So it Shall be Written ... So it Shall be Done

I've spent years, countless years, lamenting to anyone and everyone who would listen (or feign listening) about how I should've pursued my dreams and become an actress. I'm not speaking about the "I'm semi-sorta good looking + people tell me I should be on TV!" or the wet-dream some people have for LA/Hollywood. No, I wanted to be a stage actress, musical theater, in fact. Only I didn't realize how demoralizing and utterly discouraging the audition process would be and so, after having landed most roles I ever auditioned for in regional theatre and um USDAN (oy!), and then realizing I couldn't even get a call-back - I doubted myself and thus...I gave up. At age 18.

It's been over ten years since then and I although I often wax poetic about my days on the stage, I think I would have ultimately burned out from that lifestyle quickly, even if I did "make it".

Writing, however, is something entirely different.

In 2002, when my mom was packing up our childhood home to (finally) move, she started packing up my old bedroom. She noted how many notebooks, legal pads, printer paper and journals I had kept. When I finally came over to pick up my things, it then hit me: I apparently had a lot to say. For those who know me, this is nothing new. I often fill dead space with words...a nervous habit I developed at an young age. I've been faulted far more times than I wish to count for commandeering conversations; especially if it's a topic I am passionate about. But one thing has remained constant: I want to be heard.

Call it vanity, call it insecurity, call it my longing for the stage once more -but I want you to hear me. You don't have to agree, hell, you may be the Helen Keller of conversationalists, I don't care. Just hear me out.

Now, will I always have some valid point or an opinion truly worth expressing filter through on a blog? Who knows. But my incessant ramblings, my musings - they need a home. Because, honestly, Facebook is lame. There, in the world of fake friends, HS assholes, exes who have babies + a home in Maryland on a lake and distant twice-removed cousins - my opinions are but simply "Alanna Bitching" and honestly, no one wants their "feeds" jogged up with my nonsense. But you do, otherwise why else would you be reading this?

I would like to think that my writing displayed here is not like my experience with NYC auditions - I'm not figuratively tap-dancing next to better talent. It's just me. It's safe. The only demoralization I face is in my own hands - whatever I place on the blog here. Fair enough. I'm not waiting on a call-back

So I figured the title of this post was most fitting - especially on the eve of the most HOLY PASSOVER (leave out your empty cup! The prophet is a comin'!) a quote from the character Ramses II, played by Yul Brenner in The Ten Commandments:

"So it shall be written, so it shall be done!" Finally. It shall be done.

Welcome aboard, hope you enjoy it.

ETA: Very special thanks to my father Barry, my brother Adam, Katharine - my rock of without I would not who I am today, Jenna - for all our hours long discussions about everything+ anything and Chez (http://www.deusexmalcontent.com/) who's writing is simply beyond description, for the inspiration to start expressing myself once again.
You guys rock.