Monday, June 08, 2009

It's Just Too Good To Be True

Living in Los Angeles, as we do, and having been theater people, as we were, Senor and I come into contact with celebrities on occasion. We created a phrase to describe our lifestyle: Celebrity Adjacent. That basically means that we are friends with people who associate with celebrities on a daily basis, and thus we sometimes get included in a social or business event that brings us into the celebrity world. Celebrity Adjacent.

But there's another type of public figure association that's beginning to crop up more and more. Having been a theater student at USC, having done local theater in and around Los Angeles, I've met A LOT of actor-types. Senor has likewise. Some of you who read this blog have as well. And while none of us are household faces, some of our friends and acquaintances are beginning to be. So I wanted to do a shout out to those friends and acquaintances of ours who are making good.

Starting with the most recent... Last night I stumbled across the broadcast of the 2009 Tony Awards right at the end, just as the cast of "Hair" was finishing their performance. Since I haven't seen most of the shows, not having been in New York basically ever, I don't really care who wins what award, but I do like to watch for the song and dance numbers. So I left it on. At that point, there was just one performance left, and it was a tribute to "Jersey Boys". The medley featured five different guys who play Frankie Valli in various current major productions. The lights dimmed and a spotlight came up on a former cast mate and friend of mine. Mr. Joe Bwarie has done what, for me, was the impossible. He's gone from playing a supporting role in a local production of "West Side Story" to performing on the Tony Awards. I am so happy for him! He's in the Ontario cast of "Jersey Boys", apparently, and there he was looking all dapper and legit on my television. Nice one, my friend! It might be enough to get me to join Facebook in order to look you up and congratulate you... maybe...


From the same production of "West Side Story", I have the pleasure of knowing and having worked with a man you may know as Mr. Electricity.

I also saw John Hemphill, unexpectedly, in "Zodiac" with Jake Gillenhall. I'm keeping my eye out for you, Riff!

And again, from "West Side Story", my old friend Rachael Lawrence, who was recently seen in the series "I Hate My 30s". Very funny!
Also occasionally appearing on "I Hate my 30s", someone that I went to USC with (though he probably didn't know who I was), and someone with whom Senor has worked, Michael Cornacchia.

I also know the girl who sniffed a shoe in a credit card commercial, played God on "Joan of Arcadia" and might have killed someone on an episode of "Cold Case"... Mageina Tovah.

And I know the girl in the Citibank commercial who goes running next to her husband's car because she doesn't have an mp3 player.

I'm feeling pretty good when I turn on my t.v. these days. Perhaps I'll see YOU next...

4 comments:

amanda said...

Interlochen's going to pay off for me one of these days, when one of my babies makes it big... in the meantime, I can take comfort in "knowing" Jackson Rathbone, former IAA student, former ProActiv actor, and currently making himself FAAAAAMOUS as Jasper Hale in Twilight.

Free Range Chick said...

And I'm Adjacent to you!!! So cool.

My husband was a preppy in Mighty Ducks 3. My BIL is the kid that slammed the Little Caesar's Pizza in Grandma's face in a Super Bowl Commercial in the early 90's. We have a friend that does the special effects lettering for JJ Abram's Fringe and the Star Trek movie.

And my daughters are going to be Ms. America.

senor fuerte said...

Name dropper.

Senora Fuerte said...

I may be a name dropper, but at least I used restraint. I didn't drop any of my ACTUAL celebrity names...