World Premiere

It was a bit surreal, as any normal person might guess. Walking a red carpet with celebrities you've mostly only seen on TV is not something you do every day. I guarantee I never knew I'd be standing next to Malcolm McDowell, John Tr*v*lta and Billy Ray Cyr*s in the same evening.

They block off Hollywood Boulevard for the evening and only limos and special transport are allowed near the theater. The Red Carpet -- is actually more like 3 carpets bordered by a barricade on one side that keeps the press "in line" and then the wall you see here above. The stanchions you see are for guests who are not being interviewed ("keep it moving folks"). I got to stand on the broad side, where all the stars were, as well as all the agents, "handlers" and spouses... we absorbed the flashbulbs and bright lights for a good 40 minutes.

Malcolm (white hair), Billy Ray (mop of healthy hair), and the two directors being interviewed.

The directors being interviewed. :)

Yes. That's Mr. T. (not kidding)

Diedrich Bader (Drew Carrey Show), who steals a few scenes as a savvy Hollywood cat. And we got to talk to him at the party, and he couldn't have been more friendly and energetic and charming. :) He really is a talented and funny man.

I love this shot I captured of La Cyr*s and her agent/handler? :) (M*ley)

JT with B*lt! :) Funny thing is, friends of ours have this same shot from the other side. It's like photos in stereo. lol

Directors talking to Billy Ray. His daughter's voice really was a wonderful addition to the movie... her voice is very textured and expressive, and that's exactly what you want in an animated voice.


Being interviewed by Extra. Actually, there were some 60 TV shows represented down the red carpet, but not all of them were granted interviews because of time and press pecking order.

Here you can see a shot of the flood lights, and you can see the press on the other side of the barricades.
("...do you hear the people sing... singing the song of angry men...." hee hee, couldn't resist).

The movie was screened at The El Capitan Theatre, and then afterwards, we were limo'd to The Hollywood Palladium for the party (above).

The Palladium is an 11,000 square foot venue with a rich and interesting history of concerts, awards shows and parties that date back to 1940. Newly renovated and reopened this year (can hold some 4000 people).

The food was fine, but the company was really fun. We took B's sister and hubby with us as our guests. We got to meet Diedrich, and also David Carridine, Buzz Aldren, Susie Essman and of course, JT.

Malcom McDowell and Susie Essman and directors, and maybe a husband and Producer in there as well.

This is the one photo I didn't take, but I thought Susie looked so pretty, I'd post it. She was one of the warmest and nicest of the celebrities we talked to, and she absolutely makes the part of M*ttens come to life in the movie.

To meet JT, our handler got us past the velvet ropes to his private room. He really was a very kind and warmly gracious man, putting up with all that all night long (and for several press events from the last few days). And still he smiled and engaged and looked you in the eye when he talked to you.

Here we are with JT. :)

It was a surreal evening. I already said that, I know. And it still seems so.

I am so tired lately. It was all I could do today to get this posted.
Soon, a break. Soon.

Hope you enjoyed this post and photos. :)

~Shephard

Food, Fun & Fantasy in New York City!

This NYC Adventure is one for the memory books.
A product of my hubby working so hard that
the company comped it, since it was part work.
How often do you get to stay at The Four Seasons
on the company dime? I took these two shots
the first night coming home after theatre. :)


The Lobby (entrance left)


Our suite. Silk padded walls, English Sycamore Furniture.
Huge windows.

Flat-screen HDTV. Yeah.
It was our little castle during our stay. lol

Very comfy bed. With remote control buttons
on the walls that controlled the sheers, drapes and shades!


Lustrous paneled walls and a hallway full of clothing storage.

Looking out of the bathroom at the hall.

Looking into the floor to ceiling marbled bath...
with coffered ceilings and huge bathmat.

Huge shower with rain nozzle and hand-held spray nozzle
(for those hard to reach areas?).

The deluxe one-person soaking tub with princess hand-held nozzle,
arm-rests and instant hot water
that filled in 60 seconds. I thought very hard and couldn't find
any drawbacks to this room.
Other than the 4 digit price per night
(which we didn't have to pay).

And while we're on the top of "didn't have to pay"...
this next series is from the restaurant Del Posto,
one of the restaurants of famous chef, Mario Batali.
Wow. I couldn't get an interior shot myself, so the above is
a capture from the website. The restaurant,
located in the Chelsea area, is on multiple levels and
very posh, streamlined and elegant without feeling stuffy.

Okay... I can't remember any of the names of the
dishes we had because they took away
the list we chose from. So, I'll name them myself (humor me).
This starter: Succulent Lobster Drizzle Fantasy.

Ravioli de Booter (that's French for butter).

Pasta Surprise with Fancy Bacon Nibblies.

Tuna Gargantuan, seared and decorated with olives,
a tomato drizzle and avocado.

Sorbet and fruit to cleanse the palette.

Many desserts were brought for all to share.
Butterscotch Mousse Heaven.

Lemony Delight Custardy Mousse Thingy.

Suggestive Crepey Crunch with expensive rich ice cream & fruit.

Liliputian Biscotti & cookies, made fresh.
The Crunchy Blobs on the right reminded me
of Haystack Cookies.
I can't imagine the cost of this dinner for 30+ people.
Definitely one for the memory book.

Okay, and a few of you asked about
the theatre we saw on Broadway this trip...
You asked for it.
We went to Lincoln Center to see their current
production of "South Pacific" ~great cast.
I'd have photos of LC, but it's under construction.
So, above is painting of it that was on a
"pardon our dust" barricade. :)

I love the artwork done for the poster.
We both agreed, it's about as good as this show can get.
Great production values: sets that evoke tropical beaches,
airplanes and jeeps on stage, etc.
And Kelli O'Hara is a wonderful Nellie Forbush,
with a sweetness and a southern charm and a
voice that fit these songs.
The thing about this musical is that every song
is familiar AND appealing. Very enjoyable.

We also went to see the brand new musical, "Cry Baby,"
based on the 1990 John Water's film (Johnny Depp).
We really get a kick out of the quirky film,
so the musical had big shoes to fill.
It didn't disappoint at all.
The songs are hilarious and well written with
great melodies, and the cast embodied their bigger-than-life
1950's caricatures with ease.
It's a world where the "greasers" (knows as drapes)
are the good guys, and the Squares
are the unscrupulous ones. Stereotypes are flip-flopped
with some unexpected results. Can't wait for the cast CD.

Now what musical would this t-shirt be from?

"Young Frankenstein!"

I love their marquee, which you can get pretty close to
from some stairs next door.

Oh, where did I find this photo from the curtain call.
Somewhere on the internet. No really.
That's Megan Mullally in the Bride of Frankenstein wig!
The cast and production are a lot of fun.
Critics have been way too harsh on it,
expecting it be something it's not. It's not "The Producers."
(some of us are quite happy about that).
This production is over-the-top... huge fun sets...
and Megan Mullally (in the Madeline Kahn role)
& Andrea Martin (Cloris Leachman/Frau Blucher) are
Laugh out loud funny. The songs are catchy and full of humor.
For those who know Broadway stars:
Tony-Winners Roger Bart (Frederick Frankenstein) and
Sutton Foster (in the Teri Garr role of Inga)
and Shuler Hensley as The Monster.
We knew they'd be great. But Christopher Fitzgerald (Wicked)
as Igor was the big surprise.
How could anyone fill Marty Feldman's shoes?
Well.. there was a lot of shoe-filling going on.
He was so good! All of them were.

Decor photos at the theatre.
It plays at The Hilton Theatre on 42nd Street.
Which used to be The Ford Center,
which used to be The Lyric & The Apollo.
Theatres change a lot on Broadway.


The gorgeous ceiling of the theatre that, with the chandeliers, reminds me of The Enterprise. Of course, I did NOT take this photo.

Looking down into the center foyer at a tile mosaic Comedy & Tragedy.
The young man is accepting donations for
Broadway Cares Equity Fights A.i.d.s. ...
THE leading charity that has raised over
140 million dollars and shared it with all related charities.

In fact, for all of our tickets, we pay double the price,
getting fantastic house seats, and
half of the money goes to this charity.
It's our way of giving back.

I'm only sorry I didn't buy the
backpack that said "What Hump?" on it. THAT made us laugh.


Active in The Big Apple. An understatement!
We walked our feet off! Love it!! My pedometer was very happy.
(that's a poster at Jamba Juice in Times Square...
yes, we had JJ's while in NYC).

We found a great healthy restaurant.
I had Matzo ball soup, B had a tomato bisque,
and we both had the salad below...
which had everything in it but the kitchen sink!


In fact, the bowl was kinda sink-shaped.
It was a Greek salad of sorts.
It even had grape-leaves (Dolmas) in it.
Olives, Feta, eggs, greens, carrots, tomatoes, etc.
The restaurant menu had tons of hardy yummy food.
I can recommend it (on 57th Street, near 6th, I believe).

I always seem to get some decent Times Square photos,
despite the fact that they've been
doing some rehab for months now.

Zoom in to absorb.
This is 7th looking down toward Times Square. :)
7th & Broadway cross like scissors, and that's Times Square.

We've stayed at this Double Tree Inn in Times Square...
it used to be Embassy Suites.
It has a charming little interior restaurant painted
like a theatre in the round with the
audience watching you eat. lol
It has a fantastic if slightly pricey breakfast buffet.

We also had dinner at Trattoria Dell'Arte.
(7th, between 56th & 57th).
Yummy Italian with colorful decor...
and plaster body parts on the walls.
An Ear (above)... an eye, a nose (their logo), lips. Yep.

Here is the menu and napkin ring. See the nose on both? :)
I love the blue ringed plate.

Salmon and a yummy veggie medley. Flavor, flavor, flavor!
B had their fantastic whole wheat spaghetti.

And we shared the Chocolate Mousse
(if you know me, you know this is my Kryptonite)


This would be more of the Dell 'Arte part. Fun.

This is one of my favorite photos from the trip,
taken walking down 7th toward the theatre.
Isn't that a pretty entrance? :)

B captioned this:
What happens when King Kong has a fight with Tweety Bird?


NYC is loaded with finds.
Like MacKenzie-Childs, makers of the charming,
colorful and cottagey. Even their own website does not
do them justice. We've loved this store for years
(back when it was on Madison...
it's now on 57th near The Four Seasons).

Okay, I think they let me take photos cuz I bought my mom something, and because we bought something fun. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure it's frowned on. I wasn't sure. So I snapped things VERY quickly, and a bit blurrily (forgive). Zoom in and absorb. Everything is hand-painted and crafted, from porcelain tiles and sinks to wildly colorful furniture and tableware.

I will never own one of their amazing chairs...
because I'll always have a cat.

It's two stories. The inside of the elevator is tiled.

Zoom in and check out the cabinet in the back left...
it has a working sink in it.

This quirky Raven...
he's currently en route to his new home. :)
And I got my mom a hand-painted wine goblet.

A Shrine to Target Stores everywhere.

This... is the $40 breakfast we had at The Four Seasons.
This was one of the nicest breakfast experiences we've had.
Peaceful, quiet, elegant without being pretentious and stuffy.
Eggs so fluffy they belong in a pillow.
Smoked salmon lox... tastey... rosemary potatoes,
7-grain toast with chi-chi designer preserves,
and a big bowl of fresh berries
(I'm sure each berry was hand selected for its perfection).

This would be the 8oz $8 Diet Coke
(tho, it's included in the $40 breakfast, gratis).
Is that an elegant setting for a Diet Coke, or what?
What a nice breakfast (that we didn't have to pay for).

You never know what you're going to see
in the city of self-expression.
I laughed, and had to take the photo above.
No comment.


On the back of a bathroom stall at the
Skirball Auditorium at NYU.
I wondered if each stall had one.
The mind reels....


We ended our trip after B's very successful presentation by having a Blue Sapphire Martini at The Sapphire Lounge in JFK. Or maybe I had two. Good way to relax before a 6 hour flight.

If you made it to the end of my latest NYC Adventure, gold star!

Hope you enjoyed my eclectic bunch of photos.

~S :)