More from LA's Best (cont.)

I went into Sunday's activities with more optimism. Things had been going well and I was getting little "signs" along the way. For example, "Good Time" by the Brazilian Girls popped on while I was The Limited picking out my outfit for this occasion. The news of the out-of-state Marker joining us was great news! And my departing flight only had 30 people on it! Woo hoo! No rain scheduled in the weather report, even though we were supposed to get stormed on. Things were good.

After the plane got de-iced (it was BUTT cold that morning), I took off for my first flight of the day. J was picking me up from the airport so we could meet everyone else for brunch at Masa in Echo Park. Good food and good conversation. A little surreal too. I mean, I've met people off of the internet before. Multiple times. Heck, my bookclub started from an online message board and 2 of my best guy friends were introduced to me via the web. I'm no stranger to this type of stuff. I guess it was just interesting to finally meet the people I had been communicating with, swooning with, and laughing with in the comfort of my computer screen.

The conversation mostly focused on Mark and Dance related topics. With of course, a 10 minute break where we couldn't talk about dancing at all. 3 hours later, it was off to the Hollywood and Highland area. But not without trying to squeeze 4 people into the backseat of an SUV. Fun times. We succeeded somewhat, and have the photo to prove it.

Oh, and apparently in Los Angeles, there is an American Apperal on every corner. Just thought I'd throw that in.

Hollywood was interesting. I haven't been in about 10 years so of course I don't really recognize much except for the major landmarks like the Chinese Theater, the Stars, and the cheesy would-be actors in superhero costumes. Gotta love the street performers...

Parking was a non-issue and we soon found ourselves at the Kodak Theater box office... with Mark's family. Yeah, really. Actually, I think I recognized one of the aunts from the show's audience pans during the summer. But I didn't realize this until much later. Anyway... since we were loudly discussing our favorite dancer and were all decked out with leis and whatnot, Mark's uncle approached us and struck up a conversation. Said he was meeting the family after the show in the exact spot we were standing. Well... okay then. Things were progressing quite nicely. But, we still didn't want to get our hopes up because... well, things happen... or don't happen. The fingers were firmly crossed and we were very hopeful.

One of us happens to spot Lil C walking into the theater via the stage door. He really is Lil. Like really short. Not kidding. Then I caught Elizabeth Banks walk into the theater as well. I only recognize her because M was watching Zach and Miri the night before. Thin as a rail. Also pretty short. Everyone looks so much bigger on TV. I don't understand.

Oh and bummer... we notice the warning posted on the Kodak Theater doors. No video recording or photography of any kind. Drats! So we all take a quick photo of our group before we head in and promptly hide our cameras and recording equipment. Alas... no security or bag checks. Wow... that was easy.

And the place was FLOODED with kids. The median age was maybe ten years old. Lots of chaparones and snaking lines of kids. I am beginning to wonder what kind of concert this is. I think benefit concert and I think sponsors and hoity toity dressed up elders with money to burn for a good cause. This? Was completely different. The sponsors bought groups of seats for the schools to attend and see all these performances. Yeah, the board of trustees and all were there. But they weren't the majority. In fact, the theater was pretty empty considering.

Our seats were a surprise. Front row mezzanine. I know that mezzanines tend to be a risk because you are never sure how far from the stage you'll actually be, but we had a pretty good view.

We grabbed programs to verify appearances. No Thayne... but Mark, Chels, Twitch, Katee, Josh, PASHA (!!!!), and Anya were all there. As well as quite a few notable names. The other thing missing... heavy security. I think we were going to get pics and vids just fine.

Lights dim... then relight... then dim again... more screams from the kiddos. Then out pops Nigel himself. Our Master of Ceremonies for the evening...

LA's BEST Recap (cont.)

So, if you haven't figured out what MK-O stands for, well, shame on you. Plus, that will affect how the remainder of my recap flows. If you can't stand the obvious Kanemura bias, please proceed to the next blog entry for your own sanity. (It's gonna get a little fan-girly up in here... but I'll try to tone it down a bit for YOUR consideration. Maybe.) You have been warned.

Anyway, Thursday before the concert rolls around and we still have very little word on who is performing, especially from the dance side of things. We know that Michael Johns of S7 American Idol is supposed to be there; and we know that Katee and Joshua and Twitch will also represent the Dance S4 roster. Not really thrilled about more Katua dancing, but whatever. It's for the kids, right? And meeting people I've been communicating via the interwebz with for the last 4 months. Good times.

However, our group gets word from multiple sources that, yes, in addition to Katua and Twitch, we're also going to see Mark and Chelsie. (And possibly Beyonce or Rhianna...) Mass hysteria ensues on MK-O and I'm bluggeoned by requests for "hellos," shout outs, videos, photos, etc, etc, etc.

It's a little bit of a surreal experience and I'll explain why: my tour stop for the Dance tour was one of the first ones on the schedule. Needless to say, it didn't go well AT ALL. And then to watch/read/see all of the proceeding recaps of tour stops, I felt... well... a little jealous. Silly, I know... to be so wrapped up in a celebrity. But it's a very strange conundrum as you don't get that celebrity vibe from Mark when you are talking to him. (More on that later.) So now, it was my turn for a redo... in a totally different setting. Granted, I had no idea if we were going to be able to meet ANYONE after the show. But I was cautiously optomistic. (Probably a little spacey too. It happens.) And I felt like it was my turn to bring back all sorts of goodies back to MK-O since I didn't really bring much from my original tour stop.

And of course, after this news of the Mark appearance, I failed to get anything done at work for the next two days. It was rediculous how side-tracked this news got me. I am a fan-girl; a 27-year-old fan girl. *facepalm*

I also had to figure out how I was going to get all of my typical weekend chores and shopping done on a Saturday, since Sunday would pretty much be a wash.

Saturday rolls around and I get a text message from one of the gals in SoCal about a "secret Marker" joining us from out of state. Of course, my mind automatically goes to Nora... Mark's mom. Yeah, I guessed incorrectly, but the answer to the mystery was still just as awesome. One of the Markers from Minnosota has decided to escape the winter cold and join us for a day in LA. Hooray!

I finalize my meet up plans, lay out my new outfit and scarf for the day, pack my day bag with Christmas cards that need to be addressed while on the plane, charge my camera battery, DELETE all the original copies of our Europe trip photos (oops... yay for backups!... what? I needed more space for video!), and try (and I mean... I tried) to sleep before my extremely long Sunday.

LA's BEST Community Jam (Part 1...)

Let me just start by saying that I don't make snap decisions very often. Usually, I have time to plan, prepare, and research taking trips on planes to various parts of California. And usually, they are all work-related.

This wasn't really the case about 2 weeks ago when our resident Google-fu on MK-O found out about a benefit concert being held in Los Angeles... on a Sunday that I happened to have free. Now, I didn't think it was possible to attend. Most galas like this take place in the evening, which would require me to stay overnight, miss work... etc. Luckily, this concert began at 3:00 and ended at a decent hour. After a little bit of prodding from my SoCal cohorts, and permission from my forgiving husband, I redeemed my Rapid Rewards ticket for a round trip flight to Burbank. Arriving and departing on the same day. Yeah... I'm insane, right?

What prompted this snap decision other than being generous and wanting to support the children? Well, the concert was advertised by none other than Nigel Lythgoe. Yes, the producer of SYTYCD and at some point, American Idol. So of course, the roster included stars from both shows. We just didn't know which ones. But I was secretly hoping for my favorite(s) to show up and perform.

Unnecessary fan-girling aside: the BEST program is actually a non-profit that hosts after school programs and activities for kids based in the Los Angeles area.

From their website:

LA's BEST — Better Educated Students for Tomorrow — is a nationally recognized after school education, enrichment and recreation program serving more than 28,000 children with the greatest needs and fewest resources throughout the City of Los Angeles. LA's BEST After School Enrichment Program provides a safe haven for children, ages 5 to 12, at 180 elementary school sites each day during the critical hours after school — at no cost to parents. Established in 1988, LA's BEST is a partnership including the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Unified School District and the private sector.

Good cause, yes? So since I'm in the same time zone, why not fly down and support this organization? Being in the education sector myself, I came to realize that the projects our little non-profit has been working hard for will probably affect their futures. I didn't want to jinx it all and say that every child in the theater will probably have some sort of Basic Skills need when they reach college level, but sadly... they probably will. And I don't really think I understood the impact of the Initiative beyond the drama, politics, and stress... until now. So of course, I'm even more grateful that I went. Even if it was just to get a better understanding for the shear need of these types of programs... and for our work at the Senate.

Anyway, with very little information, plans for a meet up over brunch, and carpool arrangements, I purchased a couple of tickets for the show at the Kodak Theater. December 14th wasn't quite too far off and we still had no idea who was playing or performing. But it's for the kids, right?

Fast forward to Thursday and our little group gets some VERY good news.

Links:
LA's BEST Programs and Activities
The Basic Skills Initiative

Grimace: A Rant

I think Stephanie Meyer needs to find a new word to sprinkle through her Twilight saga other than "grimaced" to describe facial expressions of her characters.

Here. Let's do the work for her:
First, let's define it:

A sharp contortion of the face expressive of pain, contempt, or disgust.

Okay fine. Thesaurus suggests:

Frown, scowl, contort, screw up, twist

Why is this bugging me? Other than "grimace" being the only expression that Bella Swan seems capable of, it is also the name of a freaky, purple McDonald's cartoon character that scares the bajeebus out of me.

Case in point:

Grimace is a large, purple anthropomorphic being of the "wumpus" species with short arms and legs. One alternative theory is that Grimace is a large, walking, talking taste-bud^{[citation needed]}. He is known for his slow-witted demeanor. His most common expression is the word "duh". Originally, Grimace was the "Evil Grimace", with two pairs of arms with which to steal milkshakes. After that first campaign, the character was revised to be one of the "good guys", and his number of arms was reduced by two. Commercials and merchandise generally portrayed him as a well-meaning simpleton, whose clumsy antics provided a comic foil to Ronald McDonald. The character was retained after the streamlining of the characters in the '80s. Voiced by Frank Welker. (Thanks Wiki!)

Dude. Seriously. WTF is that? *shudders*