#amwriting

CelebriTuesdays: Just in time for the Roseanne reboot, me and Sandra Bernhard had a meet-cute!

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make it stop meme

 

The crazy storms and power outages have knocked me out of my routine and I feel that I’ve neglected you, but just when those celebrities thought it was safe to walk the NYC streets again, Immodium Abuser is back in action!

 

 

I must confess that although it’s extremely hard to fathom, I actually am old enough to have watched the initial run of Roseanne. Its one of the current revivals of dead classic series coming back for another go around and it starts Tuesday March 27th on ABC. Even though I’m not a big fan of reboots, I guess they’re better than 67% of the new shows they try out each year. I’m not counting the hundreds of reality shows taking over the world – I mean scripted, original television fare.

 

Dynasty — Image Number: DYNL01_KEY1.MH.0005.jpg — Pictured: Elizabeth Gillies as Fallon Carrington, Nathalie Kelley as Cristal Flores, Grant Show as Blake Carrington, Sam Adegoke as Jeff Colby, James Mackay as Steven Carrington, and Rafael de la Fuente as Sammy Jo — Photo: Marc Hom /The CW — © 2017 The CW Network. All Rights Reserved

 

Duplicating the success of an original classic show for a revival is so hard because you can’t always replicate the essence which made it so special the first time around. A recognizable title is never a guarantee of success; for every Will & Grace or Hawaii Five-O that works, there’s a Dynasty size mess on the rug when it doesn’t and another Murphy Brown or Magnum PI waiting in the wings to pop up next year.

 

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It’s actually unbelievably hard for me to admit that the new CW version of Dynasty is awful because it’s my absolute favorite show of all time! I wanted to fall right back into my old obsession, but it’s bad. As a silent protest against remakes like this that besmirch the glory of the originals, I have started re-watching the 80’s series all over gain during my morning commute. Despite Metro North’s daily shenanigans, I have a newfound pep in my step which I attribute to Fallon Carrington!

 

pamela sue

 

Back to Roseanne. I remember watching that show and being so caught off guard by it. Maybe it had to do with there only being a handful of networks to watch back then so newer shows got more attention than they do nowadays, when there are, literally, hundreds of new shows a year. Roseanne was so different from anything else on television – the Conners were the anti “TV family”. The show struck a nerve like lightning in a bottle and made Roseanne a huge star. As opposed to learning lessons and hugging – this family struggled, fought, laughed and spoke to each other the way you’d hear real mothers talking to their husbands and kids.  I loved the ending credits where they’d have playful scenes with their silly backstage antics – it was original and fun and like no other show on television at the time.

 

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I don’t know that this new incantation will be a great success or not, but I bet it’ll be fun if for no other reason than to see this cast back together. Roseanne is a hysterical lunatic, John is a Goodman and massively funny, and Lady Bird Oscar Nominee Laurie Metcalf is the crazy Aunt Jackie everyone wants in their life. The best part of Roseanne was always the talented side players they enlisted – George Clooney, Estelle Parsons and my new friend on the street Sandra Bernhard! She’s original, sassy, crazy, and she puts the F.U. in fun! She’s got a daily Sirius radio show called Sandyland, but she’s still gonna be back for the reboot (along with Parsons) even if it is just for the ninth episode only.

 

sandyland logo

 

When I saw her, she was rushing to grab a taxi on the street and I couldn’t have been more excited. She was about to get in the cab, but when I called out to her she stepped back out to take a picture with me – which was awesome. She was incredibly sweet and after I took the first picture, she moved in closer to take the second one so it would come out better. Score one for the fans!

 

 

So here’s to much success for Sandra and the Roseanne revival – hopefully you watch and they get another season so Sandra can get back onto Prime Time where she belongs.

 

 

SAndra 1

Don’t even ask what’s wrong with my face in this picture!!!

 

 

Here is the church and here is the steeple – why is the mailman stealing my People?

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inside mailbox

Is this why our mail isn’t delivered until 5 PM…

Heavy things weighing on my mind have me troubled folks. I’m not referring to the week-long power outage from last week’s storm and I fully realize this might make me sound like a lunatic, but I’m pretty that sure that our mailman is taking my magazines.

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I know what you’re thinking – I sound like I’m being paranoid. Yes, but I’m also fed up and I can’t take it anymore. Every Friday for more than a decade, my magazines have been delivered without fail. I always understood if there was a storm or Holiday that it might be off by a day, but never like the delays that I see now. Severe weather has been cause for concern in the past, but that’s understandable. As you know, I’m a very understanding person and have never thrown the postal credo in their face: Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. UNTIL NOW. Seriously, they’re supposed to be delivered on Friday and some weeks, I don’t get them until well into the next week and in some cases, it’s been delivered over a full week later. A full week later! Today, I got last week’s issue and guess what? It’s ripped up and looks like someone has been chewing on it. How did it get ripped? Why the hell are there folded pages – who’s saving their spot? How does that even happen in routine mail deliveries?

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I know that this might seem insignificant to some of you, but this is a big deal people – I’m OCD and a compulsive creature of habit! Do you have any idea what it does to a person like me to mess with my rituals? It’s like when my housekeeper cleans our bedroom and puts away my eye mask that I literally cannot sleep without. If it’s in the nightstand – here’s a thought: maybe let’s just leave them there and we’ll be OK. You don’t need to mess with them, why would you move them? You don’t ever need to do that? Why aren’t they where I left them? I’ll never know because my wife thinks it’s rude to ask her about that. Similar to when she wouldn’t let me ask her why she cut my shower curtain in half!!! It’s like the world is out to get me and everyone’s in on it!

entertainment oscar issue

Anyway, back to the magazines. It’d odd, because for the longest time it always arrived like clockwork and then it went off the rails. I checked to see if we had a new mailman and maybe that would explain the delay, but then I realized that it was People’s Most Beautiful Issue – of course it’s missing. It was always on time until it’s a special double issue and then it comes a week late AND you can tell that the magazine has been handled and read. Same thing when it’s a special issue of Entertainment Weekly – all of a sudden, I can’t dig into the Oscar deep-dive or the Shondaland crossover episode because it’s not gonna be here for another week. This is literally the reason why print media is dying and it’s all the postal service’s fault! And there are some issues that have just never been delivered at all. How does that happen – did it accidentally get sent to the hatch with the Others on Lost? One week it was a special Lord of the Rings Issue that I never received, so I had to go buy it at the supermarket. Where the hell did it go? Its not crazy to infer that the mailman put it into his Bilbo MailBag-gins and took it home! As if I needed more ammunition to hate him – he’s a Lord of the Rings fan too!

sorry we missed you

In the grand scheme of things, if this is the worst thing happening in my life I’m pretty lucky, but let’s not minimize the importance of this. Looking at the bigger picture, I’m trying to keep print media alive and I know that makes me sound like a relic. I don’t want you to tell me to go online to read the stories and get additional content – I’m not doing it! I want my printed copy delivered to me – so stop with the digital things that you can get up-to-the-minute updates on your phone with. I don’t want up-to-the-minute. I don’t need up-to-the-minute, I’m not an up-to-the-minute person and I’m don’t want change so don’t mess with my weekly routines.

people princess training

My wife thinks I’m overreacting and getting worked up for nothing, but in actuality it’s kinda stealing in a way. If not actually stealing, it’s definitely larcenous in some way to hold my property hostage or just take it altogether. Here I am pacing every Friday anxious for the Princess in Training issue about Meghan Markle and and he’s pulling the mail truck over to take a break while he reads all about Tim McGraw’s health scare in Ireland! It’s mean and it’s actually borderline harassment.

mailcar

I don’t want this to seem like a condemnation of the Postal Service, because I have the utmost respect and admiration for them. Truly, I do. It’s a hard job that I am way too lazy to ever do myself and I can appreciate their dedication to service. I just can’t appreciate them tormenting me with their crazy antics. I know that not every mailman is crazy and not every mailman is screwed up like the one that I have now or especially – the one we grew up with. When I tell you that our mailman Tony was a character, I mean it. He was rocking an iconic 80’s perm similar to Bradley Cooper’s in American Hustle, and he was the absolute worst driver on record. I’ve seen some crazy things in my time, but never before or since, have I seen a mail truck shoot down a block as fast and free as with Tony behind the wheel. It’s legit, the only time I’ve ever seen a mail truck taking a turn at what seemed like 65 miles per hour on two wheels.

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This is what it sounded like Mailman Tony was driving when you’d hear him taking the corners.

Mailman Tony used to hang out with my brother Shawn (which for some reason at the time, didn’t seem as odd as it should have) but not until after Shawn was old enough to recklessly drive his own car. He liked my brother Shawn, but Tony LOVED my other brother Joey! He’d show up at the front door with a box in hand and ask for my brother – proudly stating “I have a package for Joey.” We all wondered what he was really trying to deliver because when Joey looked at the box that Tony had proudly thrust forward, the strange part is that it would always be addressed to my mother.

mailman package

We could never pinpoint if it was my brother having a matching perm to his or if it was his personality that our mailman liked, but we always just assume it was Joey’s skin-tight white jeans and the purple pick hanging out of his back pocket. Either way, no one was getting in the way of Tony trying to give my brother his package so my brother would run and hide once he heard those mail truck tires squealing while Tony was rounding the corner!

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Giving the Best Man speech at Joey’s wedding showing people what his hair used to look like…

On the flip side and to the Postal Service’s credit, we had the best mailman I’ve ever had when I was in college. He’d walk up our porch, lean in the open window where we were stationed on the living room couch and process the handover; he’d always have our mail to deliver and we’d always have a beer or a joint to deliver back – it was the perfect partnership. He’d puff, puff, give and then the mail was passed left and he was off up the hill. It was the height of postal efficiency not seen since Newman’s tenure on Seinfeld and the best part: I never a missed any of my magazines! Not once did I ever wait for a God damn issue! If I had to pick the one thing that I miss most about college – it wouldn’t be my full head of hair or my friends and crazy adventures; I miss the regularity of my magazine deliveries.

Newman

Is consistency too much to ask? My wife thinks I should let it go or just buy a subscription for the mailman too, but I think I might just start opening the window and passing a beer or some fine kush out during his deliveries! Unless the Russians are now hacking the snail mail systems too, there is no reason for this to be happening.

fingerprint kit
I’ve considered getting a fingerprint kit and mailing myself a magazine, but my wife won’t let me pursue it…Don’t you worry though, I’m gonna get to the bottom of this even if I have to get Ask Asa or get Dateline involved…

CBS-_-Ask-Asa

CelebriTuesdays: Wanna hear a story? I met NeNe & N.O.R.E.!

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Sometimes you meet someone and they have a wild spirit while sometimes you meet someone and they’re just crazy – NeNe Leakes is a great mix of both of those!

 

NeNe 1

 

I must confess that I’m not a Real Housewives fan. I can only identify some of the women from the show because my wife has scarred me by showing some of their over-the-top moments. I’ve seen NeNe Leakes on other TV shows like Glee and The New Normal thought she was funny, but in real life, she was hysterical! You can see why they follow her around with cameras – she’s damn crazy in the best way possible.

 

director

 

 

Her black car pulled up the street to pass by the crowd of young girls waiting for the guys from Five Seconds of Summer, but I saw her walking towards her car and went right over: “NeNe, my wife loves you!” It was as if I told something so obvious – like the sky was blue – and she just gave me a knowing look and said “I know she does.” “Would you take a picture with me?” I asked and she promptly took control. I don’t know if directing is in her future, but she was certainly directing our photo shoot.

 

post what i post

 

I lifted the phone to prepare the selfie, when she let me know how to do it. “That’s on video – slide it over to take a picture.” I slid it over and held the phone up thinking we were ready to snap, but boy was I wrong. “You gotta hold that camera higher.” I lifted it a little higher thinking I was ready… “Higher” she said so I lifted it again. “Higher” she said again and I lifted yet again. “Higher…OK, now you can take it” and she laughed then started making kissing faces so we could snap a few pictures and she was making me laugh.

NeNe Kiss 2

 

After we finished snapping, I thanked her and stepped aside so I wasn’t in the way of my friend’s picture as he was next. She took one look at him and said “Whoa, you’re tall!” so I looked back at her and said “NeNe, how come you didn’t say that to me?” She paused for all of one second and then gave me that famous side-eye look like I was crazy, then proceeded to laugh hysterically. We were all laughing and the look on her face was priceless – similar to this look:

 

shade look

 

It was literally like a scene out of a sitcom with her one-liners; she really is naturally funny and just had us cracking up. We were also cracking up because there were a couple of men who weren’t getting pictures, just shouting out “QUEEN…QUEEN…” which for some reason in this situation, didn’t seem as crazy as it normally should have. I actually thought they might be with her at first (which didn’t explain them screaming out Queen, but you never know); I didn’t realize until her car pulled away they were just fans shouting out to her as if that was normal. I also didn’t realize we were getting photo bombed either:

 

 

neNe kiss 1

Watch out for that photo bomb!

She was awesome, she looked great, and she also made me consider extensions for a hot minute, which I don’t think I could pull off as well as her.

 

 

Nore necklaces

Finally a look I can pull off!

 

 

A look I basically pull off every day is the bald head and gold chains N.O.R.E. the rapper wears. I don’t think the jeweled Newport box he normally wears is necessarily the right accent piece for me, but what do I know about fashion?

 

 

newport necklaces

Now that’s jewelry!

 

N.O.R.E finished his interview at Sirius and was heading out to his car when he stopped to chat with us. There was a crowd of about 12 – 15 people and I had my phone in my hand when I walked up and he stopped and said “that’s not a warrant, is it” and busted out laughing. I guess I was a little overdressed in my suit and tie compared with his Royal Tannenbaums sweatsuit, but he was so cool anyway.

 

 

 

 

I gave my friend the camera to take the picture of us and everything was fine as he sidled up to take the picture when I shook his hand. Don’t ask me how it happened, or even why it happened, but instead of selfie training, I need to get some immediate handshake training. For some reason I ended up not shaking his hand but I started shaking his thumb!

 

 

Nore close

 

How weird it that? How did that even happen? Next thing I know, I’m closing in on that thumb and he’s pointing at me like “This dude is wacked out!” I tried to pretend I hadn’t just fondled little Thumbkin and thanked him, then he went in his car.

 

handshake

 

Ever the one to build my self-esteem, my sister took one look at the photo and ever the poet she told me that it looks like I’m jerking his thumb off. She did follow it up by saying that she is glad the look of constipation is off of my face in the current crop of pictures though. Only me…

 

Nore 3

 

Just when I finally start smiling for the pictures, I go and manhandle the thumb. I should have said “Thumb-body loves you” while we were taking the picture, but that would have just been creepy. From now on, I’m just going to stand still and put my hands at my side like a Stormtrooper. I don’t know about you, but thumb-thing like this makes me laugh and think it’s no wonder people think I’m crazy.

 

CelebriTuesdays: Big News – I Met Terry Crews!

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terry GPS.png

 

Terry Crews was visiting Sirius and he could not have been cooler if he was Frozen like Elsa. He’s a class act and hysterically funny to boot. The Brooklyn 99 star is 6’3” and jacked up so he’s pretty hard to miss anyway, but he walked through the lobby with that huge smile, He walked over and said “You wanna take a picture with me?” as if he were the one excited to take it with me. I didn’t even have to ask for a snapshot – he asked me first. The look on his face was priceless and I like this picture better than the one of us together. He was clowning around and it felt like a scene from his TV show:

 

You wanna take a picture

 

I went over for our selfie and he (obviously being WAY taller than me and sensing that he’d have to crouch down to the floor to be at eye level with me) said “No Man, let’s have her take it – it’ll come out much better” and he was right. We gave the camera to someone else to take the photo and it came out great. When I say the picture came out great – I mean that he looks great, but I look like that dwarf from Game of Thrones standing next to him.

 

 

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Anyone else feel like this is how you look in pictures?

 

 

I look short and scrawny standing next to Terry Crews, but thankfully I don’t look Smurf-like as I did here with NBA star Jason Collins:

 

 

Jason Collins

This is ridiculous – I look like a Smurf standing next to him!

 

 

He’s Mr. Charisma and everyone loves him; he was joking around and chatting everyone up – just such a cool guy.

 

Terry and me

 

Of course, in between taking the photo of him and then passing off my phone to take our picture together, I snapped another one and it’s all screwed up as per the norm with my photos:

 

 

Herb Ritts i'm not

Don’t attempt to adjust your screen, it’s just one of my typical blurry selfies…

 

 

I just got a new phone so hopefully the pictures will be better from now on but, I’m tempering my expectations accordingly because Herb Ritts I am not.

 

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CelebriTuesdays: Beauty and the Beard! Taylor Dayne & Zakk Wylde!

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beauty dn the beard two

 

Two musicians that could not be more different were both visiting Sirius and who knew it was their lucky day: they got up close and personal with the Immodium Abuser! None other than 80’s big voice, big hair, and big ballad legend Taylor Dayne and former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist and Black Label Society founder Zakk Wylde.

 

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Taylor Dayne is a legend of big 80’s ballads and bigger hair, and she was all bundled up to brave the winter chill, still took time to meet and take pictures when she was on her way out from visiting Sirius. “Taylor, my wife and I saw you in Aida on Broadway a few years ago” I said as we met. She laughed and looked at me with a big smile and there was that famous big voice: “That was way more than a few years ago.” We both chuckled, then I actually had to go back and look it up and that was way back in 2001. She’s right that was way more than a few years ago which begs the obvious question – how does she still look so good and I look like Charlie Brown’s father?

 

 

Where the hell did the time go? I feel like it was just yesterday that she was signing Tell it to My Heart and I’ll Always Love You, but apparently that’s now called musac. Most of her songs are older than kids currently graduating college and that my friends is exactly why getting old sucks! But she was really cool and I was stoked to meet her!

 

 

Zakk Wylde on the other hand truly lives up to his name and certainly is a Wylde man. He’s the former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and founder of the band Black Label Society. I asked for a picture and as we were taking it, he looked at the way I was standing and said “No way Dude – you gotta pose like this with your fist!” Who was I to say no to a request like that? My wife thinks this picture makes me look tough and since they just announced a casting call for the West Side Story that Steven Spielberg is remaking, maybe I’ll use this as my headshot to illustrate my street cred…

 

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Full disclosure, if I wasn’t terrified that Zakk would have kicked the shit out of me I would have asked him to drape that flowing beard over my head so I can see what I’d look like with hair – now that would have been a great picture! Also, the man was wearing a chain. I don’t mean he was wearing a chain like MR. T – I mean he was wearing a chain like the kind that Mr. T would lock his gates with!

 

 

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Giving new meaning to the expression “Yanking my chain!”

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know a lot about fashion, but a chain like that definitely makes a statement. What statement that is exactly, I’m not sure, but I certainly couldn’t pull that off. For one thing, how strong must your belt loops be to hold that baby up? Seriously, what kind of special pants are they – the chain weighs more than a toddler and yet he’s rolling though like its business casual. I’m tired walking to my car just holding my head up so I’d be exhausted hauling that thing around all day.

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How does one even sit down with that chain on? It’s almost like there should be a gigantic pocket watch attached to the end of it just to show how absurd it is – but on him it works! The real challenge I see is if you’re walking by and your jam comes on: You Can’t Stop the Feeling when those hips start shaking. One wrong hip shake and you’ll see exactly what LL Cool J meant in Mama Said Knock You Out!

 

Mama said knock you out music video

 

Either way, it was my very own version of Beauty and the Beard without the teapot! Wylde man was awesome as was the Dayne with the Mane and at the end of the day, couldn’t we all use just a little more Taylor Dayne in our day?

 

beauty dn the beard two

 

CelebriTuesdays: Mirren, Mirren on the wall – Helen’s the fairest Dame of all! (and Donald Sutherland too)

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It’s very tacky to brag about accolades and recognition, but if you lined up mine and Dame Helen Mirren’s career accomplishments side by side – you’d see awards with names like Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and many more. There would also be a lot of empty Imodium AD boxes, but it’s not a competition – can’t we just support each other and share her trophies?

 

Helen and Donald on Sirius

 

The Queen, Prime Suspect, Gosford Park, National Treasure, Elizabeth I, The Last Station, Trumbo, Hitchcock – there’s just nothing she does that’s not great. Even the Arthur remake was almost watchable because of her being in it.

 

 

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See what I mean? When I’m not in the picture – it comes out clear as day. Once I’m in the picture, it’s almost as if it gets one look at me and trembles in fear as if my face broke the camera…

 

 

It was a dreary day raining on and off and I don’t know how to tell you this, but I think Helen Mirren might have magical powers and be able to control the weather just like the Chinese government. If this were Salem (and I mean the real Salem, not Days of Our Lives Stefano Dimera’s Salem) they might have burned her at the stake for witchcraft. She looked up and gave a perfect scowl of disdain to the NYC drizzle and poof – just like that – it stopped. That rain literally stopped. Maybe it was a coincidence and it wasn’t a torrential downpour anyway, but I’m not taking any chances if the New York rain won’t even mess with her.

 

 

She was just as awesome as she seems: greeting everyone, signing autographs and taking pictures, just working the crowd. In all her regal glory, everyone wanted to meet her when all of a sudden, I looked back at the car and realized that Donald Sutherland, was still in the car. Everyone was transfixed on her, so I rushed right over to tell him what a fan I was and he gladly snapped a few pics.

 

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For anything Donald Sutherland has ever done or will ever do, nothing can top Ordinary People for me. He was amazing and heartbreaking and just the best Dad and for me, that’s the pinnacle. I do love He’s been in a ton of things and around forever, but that’s my favorite of his performances and it still holds up after all these years.

 

 

Not everyone got a picture with Donald Sutherland, but he did sign a few autographs and made his way inside with Helen. They were together promoting their new movie, The Leisure Seeker, on Sirius and had to get inside for their interview so it was a good thing I got to him first.

 

Click here for the trailer for The Leisure Seeker:

 

I as happy as a clam at my two-for-one sighting, and I headed off on my way. I thought it was already a fantastic day, not knowing I’d see this superstar so of course I ran over and had to ask for a selfie as he was getting ready for his close-up on FOX News:

 

 

Not sure why my phone has decided that it will take better pictures of me, the girl with the feed bag, and a random alpaca as opposed to the jacked up shake-n-bake pictures it took of me with Helen & Donald, but the struggle is real peeps! I read The Secret and its usually not this loud and clear, but it sounds like the universe is telling me to head right to the Apple Store and get rid of this busted ass phone…

 

Helen 3

 

 

Just when you think Helen Mirren couldn’t be any more awesome – CLICK HERE so you can see her crushing Drop the Mic with James Corden and she’ll remind you why she’s the Queen!

 

Helen Mirren DROP THE MIC

 

 

 

 

CelebriTuesdays: Guys, Coco better set another place for dinner cause I think Ice-T is my new Best Friend!

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ICE T alone

 

I’m not one to humble brag, mostly since I’m not really that good at humility, but I cannot believe that I haven’t mentioned Ice-T yet! Lucky for you that current events have now forced me into giving you a special Hump Day treat – another post! It’s sort of like getting a bonus Jonas without the preteen angst or acne.

 

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I have been star gazing (or stalking if you will) for a bit now, but one of the very first times I realized that my daily path to work was paved with Hollywood stars was because of Ice-T! As I was walking to work, there was a bunch of people crowding a car that had just pulled up when all of a sudden, Ice-T got out. It all happened so fast: people were trying to get him to autograph things and asking him to snap photos with them so security got in close to block him and shouted “we have to get him inside right now!” and steered him towards the doorway. Thanks to my ninja stealth reflexes, quick-thinking, and terrifying fear of not getting to meet him – I sprang into action like Black Panther. I got right in between the female security guard that yelled about getting him inside and Ice-T and said loudly “Come on guys, we gotta get him inside!” and then put my arm around him and said “but real quick Ice…” and proceeded to snap a few pictures.

Here’s the one guy in NYC that I’m more tech savvy then. – he’s signing a polaroid picture!
What the hell is he asking him to sign? A frisbee or a paper plate?

 

He laughed and thought I was funny and said “you’re crazy” and laughed again while we took a few pictures and then he went off into the building for his interview on The Today Show. I merrily shuffled along to work thinking that would be the best part of my day – because seriously, what else could top that? Little did I know…

 

 

As is the required by NY State law upon such an occurrence, I posted the pictures to Facebook and I thinking only of my beloved Immodium Abusers in a case like this, I also sent out a tweet or two. I got a bunch of likes which was nice, but then I hit the mother load: Ice-Mother-Effin-T went and liked two of my tweets!!!! He liked two of my tweets!

 

 

Of course I saw that notification and then called my wife to share this most joyous of news thinking how over the moon she’d be as well. I immediately went into a ranting diatribe about how excited I was and proceeded to give her a play-by-play and she couldn’t say one word because I was rambling on so much. I started screaming how it was the best day ever (Literally the best day ever!) and tried to explain the latest updates as I had already called her from the corner earlier to tell her about meeting Ice-T. Thinking she’d be a supportive and understanding wife and as excited as I was, you can imagine my surprise by how non-plussed she was.

 

best day ever

 

I was out breath and carrying on like a psycho for the second time that day and I thought we must have gotten disconnected because she wasn’t saying anything at all until she finally asked “How can this be the best day ever? What about the day we met or got engaged or the day we got married or maybe the birth of our three children???” “Honey those were great too, no one is comparing, but he liked two of my tweets – TWO!!! That means he was reading my stuff. That’s so crazy!!!  How am I the only one freaking out here?” Now, I’m not saying that the birth of my children wasn’t a notable occasion or that my Wedding wasn’t memorable, but come on – it’s Ice-T. “Honey, did you even read the tweets? They’re really funny and Ice thinks I’m funny too! Did you hear me? Ice thinks I’m funny! He was reading my shit! “Honey, you need to get back to work and leave Ice the hell alone!” And then she was gone. I’m not saying he was overreacting, but have I mentioned that he liked two of the tweets? It wasn’t just a passing chuckle or glance – he went and liked two of them! That night she told me I guess I was lucky that he didn’t retweet them too or I might have actually shit my pants and she might be right on that one!

 

Ice first tweet he liked

 

Now here’s the second tweet he liked:

 

Ice 2nd tweet he liked

 

As f that wasn’t awesome enough, fast forward to November when I was running the NYC Marathon. They set up an app where friends and family could submit pictures or messages to be shown on the jumbotron in Central Park to motivate you in the homestretch of the race. Knowing how busy Ice-T was, I took the liberty of creating and submitting a photo for him because that’s the kind of nice guy I am. During the race, I was really struggling with the pain, more chafing than any man should ever have to endure and the excessive sweating even through the constant rain most of the day. I was partially dead inside from the race, but once I got to Central Park, my mind was blown when low and behold, I looked up at the jumbo tron and there was me and Ice! I had th only reaction one man could have at a time like that and I started screaming and carrying on lie a little girl. There was a random lady running next to me that looked up when I started screaming and then she looked back at me and said “Holy Shit – Are you friends with Ice-T?” Obviously, I was carried away in the heat of the moment, but what else do you call someone who is supporting you through a really hard time in your life but a friend! “Yes he is lady, yes he is!” I think I was actually flying through the rest of Central Park after that because I was definitely on cloud 9.

 

 

Marathon

The shot from the jumbo tron in Central Park.

 

 

I don’t even need to go into how cool of a Dad he is, so I’ll just leave it right here that my son LOVES Paw Patrol too – I smell a playdate coming up! Watch him going through cartoon theme songs on The Tonight Show here: Ice-T on Jimmy Fallon singing Paw Patrol Theme song.

 

paw patrol

 

Now that we’re up to speed, let me tell you about today. There I was, just minding my business and checking Twitter to see what Ice-T was up to (as friends normally do) and happened to see his Tweet about the Grammy loss for BodyCount:

 

ice today tweet

 

Now what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t say something? A bad one, you’re right. So I sent him a tweet – WHICH HE LIKED AGAIN!!!

 

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That makes three likes! BOOM! Now – we’ve passed the Friend Zone and are entering Bestie territory. Time to grab drinks and catch up! And tell Ice Cube not to front – there’s enough room for everyone!

 

ice tea and cube

CelebriTuesdays: I felt The Big Sick after Kumail’s egregious Oscar snub!

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big sick poster

I know what you’re thinking: the Oscars always omit deserving nominees and even though the field was expanded to include more films, this year is no different. How can the Academy legitimately present the best films and egregiously omit Kumail Nanjiani’s best work on the movie screen: Poop Talk? That’s obviously much more fun to talk about than me following after him down half a block to get a photo with him…

poop talk poster

If you thought I was referring to The Big Sick, you might be sorry you clicked here. That’s also a really amazing film, but if I’m honest – it kind of pales in comparison to the depths of emotion and honesty that Nanjiani shows in Poop Talk. Forget about Holly Hunter and Ray Romano, this is the real deal – the meat and potatoes if you will. No, I am not making this shit up and you won’t see anything more real on your screen this year. There are no avian females or billboards here, but there are plenty of comedians and experts dropping their truth while celebrating the very last taboo: poop talk.

I will admit that when I first heard about Poop Talk, I was a tad bit offended that I was excluded from participating in the making of this masterpiece. Could there really be a better “expert” on the complex intricacies of number two than moi? I don’t think so and it’s shocking anyone else could either. That being said, since I am a part-time mature adult, I took a cue from Elsa and Let it Go. Also, I thought I’d channel these feelings of exclusion and abandonment into focusing on getting myself a role in the inevitable sequel which they should make just for the title alone: Poop Talk: Number 2 – Dance til I Puma Pants! It’s toilet porn with a lot more corn and you bet your sweet bippy I want in on that!

bippy

Poop Talk is in movie theatres and Video on Demand on ITunes on February 18th so get that Valentine’s Day Shopping done right now – who needs flowers or jewelry, when this is the gift that will show the depts. Of your affection. It’s guaranteed to bring out the smiles and laughter and I heard that Meryl Streep actually said it moved her like nothing has in the past few years. She also could have been talking about Nanjiani’s chili moving through her which would make more sense, but who am I to argue with her Streep-ness? Full disclosure, no one has ever heard her say anything like that, but it does sound like something she might say or it’s more likely that if the Dingo that ate her baby could talk, this is exactly what it would say…

In all seriousness, we should feel extremely fortunate because it’s not very often that you see an Oscar nominee chatting it up about dookies. In a perfect world, The Big Sick would win the Best Original Screenplay Oscar next month if only so that he could rush the stage extolling the virtues of poop and Imodium…I’m rooting for you Kumail – now let’s hang out and swap shitting stories Buddy! Friends talk about the jobs and family, but Best Friends talk about poop and boy have I got a shitload of stories for you!

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This has nothing to do with this post, but I would never be able to use this bathroom!

Poop Talk trailer here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IrzZ0ceFyRY

CelebriTuesdays: Oh Mo She Didn’t! Beat me with a hairbrush and call me Precious – I met Mo’Nique!!!

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oscar

 

Dreams come true people, dreams come true. Last week, I sent a message out to the universe to meet Mo’Nique the Oscar winner from Precious, and just like in The Secret, they sent her to me. OK, full disclosure, I did ask the universe to also have her hit me and call me Precious while she was pummeling me, but sometimes you can’t be greedy and just getting a picture is enough. More importantly, I want you to take every single thing you have heard about Mo’Nique and toss it aside because I’m here to tell you that this woman is really awesome!

 

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I’m a nightmare because technology is no friend of mine and by technology I really mean the complicated things to manage such as the camera on your phone. When I say this, I’m not exaggerating and as my friend Forrest said “I’m not a smart man.” I literally have no right to ever make fun of my mother-in-law for not being able to cut and paste when I can’t even work the damn camera on my phone. I have taken thousands of photos and still, I get myself into a state of confusion and even the simplest of pictures goes off the rails and looks like shit or doesn’t take. You may be reading this and wondering how it relates to Mo’Nique, but it does.

 

technlogy

 

When you meet a famous person and they agree to take a photo with you, it’s not like you have an endless amount of time – they’re not going to stand around and wait all day. Your friends wouldn’t stand around and wait, so you can’t expect that a stranger will either. You have to be ready for the picture and most importantly, you need to be respectful of their time as this is an awesome thing they’re doing which they really don’t have to! That being said, I had a technological breakdown of sorts and of course it happened when it was my turn with Mo’nique. OK, that last bit just sounded a little dirtier than I meant it to, but you know what I’m getting at and thankfully there’s No’Nique to worry about mechanical issues with that equipment if you know what I’m saying 😉

 

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If only I was this cool…

 

 

Anyway, as I walked over with the crowd of people asking for pictures, Mo’Nique could not have been nicer. She was hanging out, chatting everyone up, hugging everyone, just not in a rush and making sure that everyone got a picture with her. She was smiling and kind and seriously, just a sweetie. I have been doing this long enough to know when someone doesn’t want to be bothered and she was awesome. So there she is, taking nice pictures with everyone and there was a bunch of people around; TMZ was waiting to interview her and her bodyguard was trying to get her to their car – when it was finally my turn…

 

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I’m almost embarrassed to share this video as I usually like you to think I’m a pretty cool dude, but it’s worth a good chuckle to see how flustered I got and what a fool I actually look and sound like. Pay attention to the facial expressions on the girl in the background waiting her turn and just looking at me like I’m such a moron. When it was finally my turn, I suddenly got flustered and all worked up because the camera on my phone was on video – not photo – and I couldn’t get it to switch back or take the picture. I thought for sure I’d miss my chance and that my Precious moment was over before it had even started. I could see the annoyed looks on the faces of the people waiting around me and actually having been in their shoes before, I know how it is to not get a photo because someone was taking too long with camera issues. Mo’Nique could have just blown me off and walked away and she probably should have, but she didn’t. She was really nice and truthfully, she probably thought I was slow or something was definitely wrong with me since little children can use camera phones without issue and here was an adult that couldn’t even snap a simple God Damn photo. It was as if it was the first time I’d ever seen a camera phone…

 

 

I’m not saying it was like when I was mistaken for a retarded person twice, but the looks on crowd’s faces were similar.  She was like “OK Baby” and then she was like “Are you sure? Come on” and then she came back over to me after taking someone else’s picture and took one with me. Success! Seriously thought, it was very cool of her to do that and people don’t normally care if you got a picture or not. They’re usually rushing to get to their next appearance and basically, it’s really awkward to stand around with strangers gawking and snapping pictures.

 

Mo'Nique 2

 

This was a semi-disaster, but luckily it worked out. It was my own hubris biting me in the ass as I was starting to feel confident that my photography skills had been improving, and then another stumble. You may look at some of my photos and think they’re not half bad, but here’s a few you haven’t seen:

 

 

I’m lucky I can work the remote for our television, so I’m not expecting anything artistic or even trying filters, but a person should be able to at least get a decent shot of two people standing next to each other. I mean come on – it’s actually getting worse now. Look at these – just how does someone try for a selfie with Seal and end up with a picture of their shoe? Or sidle up to Taron Egerton for a shot and end up with a picture of Grey Man the good ghost? It’s like I don’t have control of my faculties or my fingers…just pathetic photo skills.

 

 

I appreciate her being nice and spending a little time with me, especially since Mo’Nique has been getting a bad rap lately with Netflix trying to pay her less than other comedians for a Stand-up special. I say, who cares what you were thinking Netflix – this is a PR nightmare and, more importantly, she’s an Oscar Winner! Mo’Nique needs to have her Golden Globe made into a giant ring like something Elizabeth Taylor would have worn and turn that Oscar into a headpiece like they wear to Ascot so she can rock them and remind Netflix that if a woman of color can beat the odds and make it all the way to the podium at the Academy Awards, skimping out on paying her fairly is not gonna fly!

 

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I’ve only had this one interaction with her, but she left a great impression with me and the crowd – she was sweet and so patient with everyone (ahem, me). Some of the other people getting pictures have met her before and said that she’s been a sweetheart every single time they’ve seen her. Of course, there are always two sides to every story, but cut her some slack and give her the benefit of the doubt. Also, Netflix pay the woman what she’s worth! If for no other reason than it’s the right thing to do, please do it because she will whup your ass like Precious if you don’t!

 

Get Out: I, Tonya is more like I, Oscar as the nominations announcement takes Shape!

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oscars-2018-header-round-2-predictions

 

Forget about the Government shutdown or any of those nimrods running this country like a second-rate car wash and prioritize what’s important: Tuesday morning’s Oscar nominations announcement! This year’s race has been all over the place and exciting because there’s not one movie running away with everything – the critic’s prizes have been all over the place so Best Picture isn’t necessarily sewn up just yet.

 

get out

 

Forget Christmas or New Year’s – Oscar Season is the most wonderful time of the year! If you don’t agree then you can just Get Out? If you had told me a year ago that this little horror movie would be an Oscar nominee – I’d have told you to get out, but in just a few hours it most certainly will be! I don’t know if I’ll get a Best Picture nomination, but it’s a really great film that’s sure to be recognized tomorrow.

 

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I’m not one to launch into a checklist of all the categories with who I think will be nominated because that’s boring and that’s typical and I am neither of those things. We’ll jump around, but let’s talk Best Director. Do I think Lady Bird will get a Best Picture nomination – definitely. Do I think Greta Gerwig will get a Best Director nomination for it? I’m really hoping that I’m wrong, but unfortunately, I’m leaning towards no. Not because she doesn’t deserve it or she shouldn’t be nominated; I want to be wrong on this but I’m leaning towards no based on Oscar history. At this point, I don’t know that there’s anything to stop Guillermo del Toro from winning for The Shape of Water, but the Director’s Branch doesn’t go with the popular vote for their nominations and that’s especially true recently.

 

lady bird

 

It may seem odd to overlook the front runner to one of the most talked about films this year, but there are only five spots and this is an old boys club that might just stick with the veterans like Spielberg and Ridley Scott over newer directors like Greta Gerwig or Jordan Peele. Also, there have only been four women nominated for Best Director and only one female winner. In 90 Years – how is that even possible? That fact in itself is hard to ignore and pushes me towards a Gerwig snub Tuesday morning…

 

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If snubbing Greta Gerwig seems absolutely crazy, remember that this is the same Director’s branch that didn’t give Martin Scorcese a Best Director Oscar until The Departed in 2006! Take that in folks – Eminem was an Oscar winner for 8 Mile years before Martin-effin-Scorcese! Shameful as that is, Christopher Nolan has never even been nominated for Best Director – this nomination for Dunkirk will be his first! This is one branch of the Academy that doesn’t seem to go with emotions or what the public does like the acting branch. In fact, in recent years the Best Director hasn’t even lined up with the Best Picture winner which, historically, was never the case.

 

scorcese

 

Remember how great it was when Kathryn Bigelow stormed the stage for The Hurt Locker to win Best Director? That was an anomaly. She was snubbed for Zero Dark Thirty shortly after in the same year that be Affleck was snubbed for Argo – which actually won Best Picture! How the hell does the film winning Best Picture not get a nomination for Best Director? Affleck’s snub was the best thing that happened to Argo; it made them the underdog and they ran on a “shame on you for not nominating Ben Affleck” campaign which gained momentum and won the trophy. That could certainly happen with Lady Bird if Gerwig isn’t nominated tomorrow – it would up the chances in a race that’s not over by a long shot and march Lady Bird right up to the podium!

 

michael shannon

 

Along with the snubs are the surprise nominations that come along every now and then; there are always a few head scratchers that seem to just come out of nowhere and I love them. Last year, Amy Adams was snubbed for Arrival which I didn’t love and then her costar Michael Shannon came out of nowhere and got nominated for Nocturnal Animals which he could do again with The Shape of Water. It’s a film that everyone has seen so he could possibly hear his name called if the film builds momentum. It’s extremely doubtful for so many reasons but just know that if he hears his name, Woody Harrelson or Armie Hammer definitely won’t.

 

threebillboards

 

Both The Shape of Water and Three Billboards will have three acting nominations but Sam Rockwell – it’s about damn time! Three Billboards will be the first film since Bugsy in 1992 with two supporting actors nominated for the same film. Those nominations are givens, but although quite unlikely, it’s entirely possible for Jessica Chastain in Molly’s Game to sneak into Meryl Streep’s The Post spot and Daniel Day Lewis might not get the love people are expecting for Phantom Thread leaving an open spot for Daniel Kaluuya for Get Out.

 

phantom thread

 

My big wish for the nominations is to see some love for Mudbound and The Big Sick and not just because I met Kumail Nanjiani and he’s awesome. I don’t think Mary J Blige is gonna make the cut for a Supporting Actress for Mudbound, so I’m rooting for her in the Best Original Song category! Mudbound is a great film, with a great story and a great cast that just happens to be written and directed by Dee Rees and I hope it gets the recognition it deserves. It should land a screenplay nod tomorrow, but getting a Best Picture nomination would be amazing, but it’s a very long shot.

 

 

 

If you think the race is over, consider that final Oscar voting closes on February 27th and the ceremony isn’t until March 4th – that is a lifetime away from now in Oscar campaigning and although Three Billboards has momentum right now, it’ll be hard to maintain that for the next month; I, Tonya could club the competition and surge up to a prime spot between now and then.

 

ITonya2017

 

Well isn’t she Sweet, Sheryl Lee Ralph liked my tweet!

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picture of gary's hat

I posted my CelebriTuesdays: Dreamgirls Edition about meeting Sheryl Lee Ralph and Anika Noni Rose and wouldn’t you know it – not even a full day later Sheryl Lee Ralph liked one my Tweets!

 

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She posted a picture of her trying on her friend Gary’s crazy pink furry hat and it would have been extremely rude of me not to tell her how good it looked – so I did. And then she would have been extremely rude not to like said tweet – which she did. It’s basic math: 1 + 1 = 2 or Sheryl + Immodium Abuser = now we’re best friends.

 

full tweet

 

Separately from what an awesome picture it is, exactly where was Gary and his hat when I saw her? Seems like he’s been holding back on the goods and that just ain’t right – friends don’t hold back. Obviously, Gary isn’t a very good friend and the whole thing just seems a little selfish if you ask me; might be time to trade out Gary for Immodium. Most importantly what we’ve learned is that Sheryl Lee Ralph has a bag man named Gary just like Selena Meyer does and that is totally awesome!

 

 

gary bag man

Sheryl, I want to be your next Gary the Bag Man!

 

 

My wife thinks the best part of this whole scenario is that anyone, nonetheless a classy wonderful woman like this, would like anything I tweet when my profile picture is so absolutely ridiculous. I take it for granted because it’s been the profile picture for so long and I don’t judge people based on their looks, but I can see how some people might be put off by the self portrait I use for my profile:

 

 

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My actual Twitter profile picture from way back in my modeling days.

 

 

Keep coming back each and every week to hear about my celebrity stalkings, I mean sightings. I’m super excited about tomorrow because Mo’Nique is supposed to be in town. One part of me wants to get a picture with her, but a bigger part of me is dying to whip out a wooden hairbrush and see if she’ll wallop me like Precious in the movie.

 

wooden brush

 

Forget throwing a shoe at Jennifer Hudson, if I can get Mo’Nique to whup me something fierce with that brush – consider the mic dropped. Nothing can top that. obviously, my wife is in disagreement with me about the merits of this plan, but the really scary part of this is that she’s really crazy so she actually might do it!  Guess you’ll have to just come back next week and see if I got the brush off or not. Either way, Sheryl Lee Ralph – let’s keep working on our new friendship and don’t be stingy with that like button! No pressure Anika Noni Rose, don’t feel forced to like me and my tweets because Sheryl did…

 

monique