That Sunday, That Summer

Steve Dorian House Concert

PellaPosse Palladium

Monrovia, CA

Sunday, July 19, 2015

The Preparations
Several months ago, Steve Dorian (of Rockapella) requested donations on pledgemusic.com to help fund his next solo EP.  The PellaPosse decided to pool their resources to hold a house concert.  They decided on my house.  I did not object.  I just knew I had a whole heckuva lot of cleaning to do.  Since the shindig was at my house, I took the lead on the project because that's the control freak in me: I just can't have other people being in charge of stuff at my own residence.  That made sense to everyone at our planning meeting, and all plans went underway.   Many messages went back and forth between the posse and me, me and Steve, and me and pledgemusic when I screwed up the donation.  We had a few planning meetings.  Steve was kind enough to answer our many, many questions. A Save the Date evite was sent 60 days before the show, with the promise of someone performing in my house (hints were given, but no names).  Then the Admit One invitations were sent, and excitement abounded beyond the posse circle.  I somehow got the house clean, with the help of my parents.  The posse came over the day before to move furniture and set up decorations and such.  I wanted to sweep the room before they set up the chairs, but I couldn't find my broom anywhere, and was convinced that my mom took it home.  I don't know why she would do that, but whatevs.  I talked about what would go on the table in the kitchen, including cake.  Wendy got excited and said, "Oh, we're going to have cake?!  I love cake!"  I looked at her, puzzled and clearly thinking "You've got to be kidding me right now".  SHE was assigned to the cheesecake because it was her idea.  I told her, "You're bringing the cheesecake."  "Oh, yeah."  My posse is the best posse in the universe.  Seriously, I love them.  Then the day came.  Wendy pointed out to me that it was my half-birthday.  Well, Happy Half-Birthday to me!

Here you are, the happenings of that day.  

The Welcome
I had invited the posse to either ride with me to the airport to pick up Steve, or meet me there.  Wendy realized that my departure time was a wee bit early for her, so Glenndy met me at my house, and we were on our way to LAX.  After I got on the freeway going the wrong way, and had to turn around.  OMG, she's already in trouble, and he's not even here yet!  I had made a sign that read "FFE".

Fancy, right?  I added another star later, for Steve's lucky number.

 In case you're not familiar with my nickname for Steve, read this.  (2nd paragraph of the Meet and Greet section).  Or just ask him yourself.  Anyway, we arrived at the airport, and I needed to make note of where we parked.  1D.  1 Dorian!  Got it!  Yeah, I need help.  During our drive to LAX, I announced to Glenndy that I was hungry.  I announced it more than 3 times.  This is known as "We need to feed Sherry now or things will go badly" time.  Luckily for Glenndy and Steve, there was a Starbucks at the Terminal 4 baggage claim area, so yay!  Well, yay after we got into the beginning portion of the line instead of looking like idiots at the pick up side.  Glenn took pictures of me with my sign, and Cindy suggested that he take pictures of Steve's arrival.

Hurry up and get here!

 Steve had texted me when his plane landed, and they were taxiing around the tarmac because the flight had arrived ahead of the scheduled time.  Even US Airways wanted Steve to get the heck on over to California already!  I asked Cindy to distract me while we waited, because it seemed to be taking a long time, and I tried to keep an eye on both entrances to baggage claim.  This did not work (the eye on the entrances).  Steve snuck up behind me and gave me a big hug.  Surprise!  HI!!!!!  I told him that I made a sign for him and he took a look at it, and didn't understand.  I underlined the first "F" with my finger, and said, "Flirty..."  Steve:  "OH!"  and then he gave me this look like "Oh, Sherry."   (Not the Steve Perry song).  I told him that it would become the sign to his dressing room.  Really, he had no choice but to embrace the nickname.  I mean, he already does, so he might as well run with it, right?

Checking out the sign on the Award-Winning Clipboard

We took a couple more pictures while we were waiting for his luggage.  He hadn't planned on checking his bag, but he was running late this morning due to the heightened security in Nashville, and the airline made him check the bag because there was no more space in the overhead bin.  Then he asked me not to be mad at him.  Ummm...what happened?  APPARENTLY, he had forgotten his microphone and cord, and he felt bad about us renting sound equipment for the gig.  We told him that we had borrowed the equipment, so no need to feel bad.  Besides, he probably wouldn't need the sound system due to my hardwood floor and the size of the room.  Also, we had an extra mic.  He was relieved.

Happily waiting for luggage

 Steve's luggage arrived, and we headed over to the car.  Cindy asked if he had ever seen my car.  No.  They showed him my license plate.  He said, "Oh, I've got to take a picture of this!  Come here, Sherry."  So of course I obliged because you know how afraid I am of having my picture taken.  (On a scale of 1 to 10, about a 2).  

The chauffeur, the precious cargo, and the vehicle

We drove back to the San Gabriel Valley commune, and went to brunch at my favorite brunching place these days: Nano Cafe.  When he had texted me the day before, Steve said that he wanted to rest a bit before the show.  I told him that I was planning on taking him to brunch first, but would do whatever.  I guess he realized that he'd be hungry when he landed, and agreed wholeheartedly.  YES!  We told him that we've enjoyed everything that we've tried there so far, so really, we weren't very helpful.  He ordered the Huevos Rancheros.  The server asked him a lot of questions about sides and such, which seemed to overwhelm him.  I think maybe she liked him a little more than she liked the rest of us.  I mean, who wouldn't, right?  Even with his baseball cap on, which he cutely removes to tousle his hair every now and then.  When our food arrived, somehow we got an extra fruit plate that we hadn't ordered.  See?  I was right.  Heck, if I was our server, I'd bring out another order of Huevos Rancheros.  But I'm crazy, and that's why I don't work in a restaurant, because I'd get fired for giving away free food to handsome men.  Our food was yummy, as usual.  I couldn't finish my food because of the earlier Starbucks visit, but that's OK.  It was still good the next day.  We had a great time exchanging stories with Steve about how we met and how long we've lived in California, that Glenn doesn't like jalapeno, keeping secrets, and the Asian gangs and...yeah, I think I may have shocked his smallville-ness with my not-really-that-much-but-more-than-his street cred.  Sorry.  Then the server brought the check, and we all fought to take it.  Glenn finally got it, and I said, "Steve, remember when I said that I would TAKE you to brunch?"  Cindy added, "She didn't say 'I'll give you a ride to brunch.'"  Steve did not give up, though, and somehow reached over with his long arms to grab the check when Glenn set it down to get his wallet.  Oops.  

Before All of the Check Wrestling.  Thank you, Steve!

We arrived at my house and before I opened the front door, I asked him, "Are you ready?"  Yes, he was, and when I opened the door, he exclaimed, "YEAH!!! This is perfect!"  He loved the set up of the PellaPosse Palladium.  We told him to look left, and he saw the background for the photo ops, and got more excited.  We told him that Glenn was his stand-in when we were figuring out the height of everything.  He sat on the stool so that we could determine if the chairs in the front row were an OK distance away from him.  "Yeah, that's a little close."  So I scooted the chair back until it was comfortable for him, and we adjusted accordingly.  I mean, intimate is one thing, but that was a little too much.  He agreed that we wouldn't need the sound system.  I showed him around the house and told him to help himself to whatever in the kitchen, and Glenndy left to get ready.  

Photo Op practice

Steve brought all of the stuff from Nashville to use for the raffle:  magnets, a Steve Dorian crew shirt, a mug (he showed me that the General Jackson Showboat was on it), and a couple of his CDs.  He then settled down for a nap.  I freaked out a bit over not making any sound so that he could sleep, and of course, needed to make noise during that time.  Also, I wanted an adult beverage, but had forgotten to take out the Angry Orchard bottles from the closet in Steve's room, and wasn't about to go in there to satisfy my need to calm the heck down.  Someone rang the doorbell.  My doorbell is very loud.  Sorry, Steve!  I was, like, "What the heck is anyone doing here this early?!?"  Turns out that it was a delivery from Edible Arrangements.  Jenn was on a wonderful trip to Thailand, but wanted to contribute, so she sent a bouquet of fruit.  Thank you, Jenn!  I checked my phone.  The restaurant had left me messages last week that my food was ready (I don't listen to messages unless I know who they're from, but checked today in case of snafus)...so I called to see if they still had my order for today.  No.  I tried not to go ballistic, and told the guy the name of the person I talked to, and what I had ordered.  He must have realized that HE was the one that wrote down the wrong date (I told him about 3 times back then), and said that they could have the food ready by the original requested time of 3:00.  (It was 5 minutes to noon).  I breathed a little bit and decided to finish making the iced tea because the water was boiling and the kettle was whistling, and OHMIGOSH, is he still able to sleep with all of this racket?!?  Do you know that the process of making iced tea is loud?  I do now.  Oh, Good Lord, Sher!  So are steps on the hardwood floor.  At least I didn't put tennis shoes in the dryer, as Glenn had suggested.  Steve's response to him was an emphatic "NO."  So I skipped the laundry part of the getting ready time, and took a shower instead.  It was a really humid day, and I could have taken a shower every hour if not for my house guests and our drought.  Luckily for Steve, he had the room with the window unit air conditioner.  I have to treat my star right!

The posse arrived to finish setting up.  I let them do so while I finished getting myself ready.  Steve exited his room and looked at me as I was sitting on my bed and struggling with the buckle on my new shoes, and said, "Hi."  He was a little groggy.  I told him that Weff had arrived, and he said, "OK, I'm going to go scare them."  When I finally got my shoes on and went to the kitchen, I gave proper hellos to the posse and the crew. Posse, BTW:  Karla (KP), Wendy and Jeff (Weff), and Glenn and Cindy (Glenndy).  Nicole set up the video equipment, and Michelle arrived later to be our photographer.  KP nicely set this up because she knew that we'd want to concentrate on the show.  Awesome thinking, KP!  Steve had agreed to video of everything.  He's so brave to deal with us and our craziness.  Then Steve looked at me with those eyes, and I could tell that something was wrong.  I asked him what was going on.  "I didn't know that people would be arriving already."  Sher: "Remember when I told you that the posse would be here at 3:00 to finish setting up?"  FFE:  "Oh, yeah, you did say that.  I need to take a shower."  So I told him about my old shower pipes, and let him get ready for the real guests, and we'd handle everything.  Looking back, I wonder if he wanted to help with set up.  He's so sweet, that guy.  Maybe he was still trying to figure out why I was sitting in such an awkward position on my bed...or he wondered why there was noise from the kitchen if I was in the bedroom and we were supposed to be alone in the house.

Bro arrived with the food from Pinoy Pinay.  Well, he arrived and then left it in the car so that he could say hello and make sure that I had everything ready for the food.  We were standing there, talking, and I said, "Um, Bro?  The food?" and he took it out of the car.  Bro told me that when he arrived at the restaurant, they DIDN'T HAVE MY NAME for an order.  He reminded them that I called today to confirm and that they had the food ready on the wrong day, just so it would jog someone's memory.  They said that they didn't have my name, but they said his name.  He said, "That's me."  While I did tell them my name, I also gave them the name of the person picking up the food.  Clearly, they're confused, and we might be ordering from the other storefront next time because SHEESH!  

The Personal Touch
Steve was ready to meet the public...in the Star Wars shirt that I had placed in his Thank You bag.  The shirt is a picture of Darth Vader in a phone booth, with the Stormtroopers waiting in line to talk on the phone.  He said that he really liked the shirt.  Yay!  I introduced him to Bro and told him that it was Bro's fault that I started following Rockapella in the first place, and therefore anything that went wrong that night would be Bro's fault.  Bro said that he gets me into things, lets me run with them, and steps back and watches.  Except for drum corps, he is correct.  Another obsession that is his fault:  Disneyland.  Bro then had people smell his arm because he's trying a new coconut oil skincare program.  Yes, he asked more than just me.  He asked Steve, whom he'd just met 15 minutes prior.  Steve thought that Bro was going to punch him, and flinched.  I was mortified and apologized for the craziness that is the Santos Family.  Later on, Bro was talking to Steve about V and the kids, and Steve couldn't understand how someone like Bro already had a 9-year-old.  Dude is 40.  Steve was incredulous.  

Wendy had made tattoos and sold them for $1 each, also for the Breast Cancer Research charity to which the raffle money would go (it was Steve's request for any $ he collected after he reached his goal).  These are some of the tattoos:

• FFE (Steve's)
• PellaPusher (Sherry's)
• I Wear Guacamole On My Jeans (Wendy's)
• The Good Life
• Steve Dorian

  

  Tattoos

  
  

  

  Tattoo Artist Applying Her Work

As folks arrived, Cindy greeted them at the door and had them put their name on a place card and put the card on the chair where they'd like to sit.  

My seat.  Mine.

Then Karla hit them up for raffle tickets, and Steve would meet folks.  This was his plan, to talk to people, eat some dinner, then sing, then we would do our raffle while having dessert.  The man is OK with singing after he eats.  I'm the other way around.  I get too nervous to eat.  So he talked to people.  At one point, we talked about Fred, and Steve did his impression of Rockapella's sound man.  It was completely and hysterically accurate.  I walked into the dining room where a few people were standing, and said, "I want some Doritos."  Steve:  "Everyone needs a little Doritos in their life" and smiled at me.  I'm pretty sure I blushed at this point.  He has no idea why I would blush, but I have witnesses that he said it.  BTW, the Cool Ranch Doritos were served as an homage to the lyric "She's California Cool" from "Wildfire".  Kyoko came all the way from Japan just for this concert, and Steve was very appreciative.  It started to pour rain as guests arrived, so some people were wet, including Ken, whom was absolutely drenched, but I love that he came anyway.  Ferdie wasn't able to talk to Steve when he first got there, because Ferdie is like me and becomes speechless in that kind of company.  

I grabbed his hand after a little while and stole him from whomever he was talking to (sorry!), leading him back to the kitchen for his first try at Filipino food.  He didn't want to go first.  I told him that he is the guest of honor, whom else would go first?  OK.  He asked me to tell him what to do.  Maybe he shouldn't say that to me.  :)  I directed him to put rice on the plate, put the pork adobo on top of the rice, put lumpia on the plate, put sauce on the lumpia, then put pancit (3-noodle combination of miki, bihon, and sotanghon) on the plate, then eat.  Then he asked Michelle to take a picture of him with the food, and of him feeding me lumpia.  I was told later that I should have fed him lumpia in return.  I was just too flummoxed to think at that moment. I owe you one, Steve!  

Lumpia Time!

Steve really liked the food, which made me very happy.  We joked and told him that he needs to have a rider, and it needs to list Filipino food as a requirement.  He talked about Rockapella's rider.  His request is the hummus.  Now, though, that might change, as I've been told that he'd like to be an honorary Filipino so he can have the food all of the time.  Linda said to him, "I'm an Honorary Santos, and now, you are too!"  She told him that she spends Thanksgivings with my family, and when he asked if we have Filipino food on Thanksgiving, told him no.  But um, we can arrange for that to happen.  Well, OK, then!  Welcome to the family, Steve!  (You may ignore Bro's arm at future family events).

D'Saints

After the deliciousness, Steve got ready for the show and changed clothes.  I brought him the one thing he requested: his Monster energy drink, brought my now-chilled bottle of Angry Orchard (I was able to take bottles while he was out mingling, but did tell him what I was doing), and we toasted to a great show.  He asked what I was drinking, and I told him I'd get him some later.  

He's in my hallway!

The Show
I wished Steve a good show one more time and got a nice thank you hug.  He's so huggable!  Then I told him that I would announce him.  I closed the hallway door, and thanked everyone for coming, thanked the posse for the event and thanked everyone for contributing to Steve's transportation costs (their admission ticket), and was just about to introduce him when I looked over and the door was open, and there he was.  I looked at him and said, "You're nice and full now" and patted his stomach.  One sip of a drink is all it takes, I guess.  He said yes, and I announced him formally.

Steve asked Wendy to give a blessing for tonight.  He had been talking to Jeff about it because they were talking about how blessed they both felt about life stuff, but Jeff suggested that Wendy do the prayer because she's used to doing that out loud.  Wendy did a beautiful job.  Thank you, Wendy.  This house is already full of so many blessings, and now with Wendy's prayer, it is all the more happy.  What a great idea, Steve!

Wendy asks us to raise our hands in prayer toward Steve

Steve talked about the pledgemusic campaign and thanked us for our contributions.  Steve talked about writing each song, but I'm sorry, I didn't take notes that night, so I don't have all the info that I would usually share.  


Runnin' Red Lights
This started out as a song about wanting to take his time taking a girl home, and turned into trying to get home as fast as possible so that they can spend quality time together.  He sang this song at CMA Fest when he won the Country Deep Rising Star contest.  We're so proud of you, Steve!  I wish I had AT&T Uverse so I could watch the performance.

Wish I Woulda Let Ya
I think that this is when I told KP, "He's RIGHT THERE."  
KP: I know
Steve:  I can hear you.
Oh.  Hi.  

Yeah, he IS right there!

If I Knew Her Name

Weightless
Ah, love.  Feeling like you're just so light and on air.  I was feeling Weightless for at least a week after this event.  This song is beautiful, and I hope it gets released as a single, because it has airplay potential, and we want to hear Steve on the radio, goshdarnit!

Do It For The Love

Girls Know Better
Cindy and I agree with this sentiment.  So does Glenn.  This is a fun song.

Well, we do.  Even right there, we do.

Low Tide

Somewhere in here, Steve was talking, and was distracted by the tattoo on his arm.  He showed it to all of us and asked if everyone knew what "FFE" meant.  Not everyone knew, so he told our story, including the fact that whenever Rockapella sings the song, he looks at me during that lyric and <demonstrates the flirty eyes at me>.  It was hilarious.  I couldn't contain myself and yelled out, "Well, LOOK AT HIM!!!"  More laughter.  He's such a good sport about that nickname.  Someday he'll write a song about it.  Oh, wait.

Somethin So Beautiful
And then one of the lyrics is "she wakes up and I get lost in her angel eyes"....Awwww...  
Eyes.

He's still right. There.

My Cup of Tea


Pull You Closer
This is from the current EP, and I find myself humming it a lot.

The Good Life
Steve told us about Sundays when he was growing up.  His family always ended up at his grandfather's house, and his grandfather always said that this was "The Good Life".  Aw, how touching!

Full Moon Feelin
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, that full moon feelin..."  "This is one where you can sing along.  Wendy?"
Wendy:  "Me?"
Linda, after the song was over:  "So you're going to bring us all on tour now, right?"

The PellaPosse Palladium

Encore
One of the raffle prizes was for Steve to sing whatever song the winner chose, as long as he knew it.  Cindy had been prepping for this since March.  If I won, I was going to choose her song.  But because God is good and Cindy had put about $40.00 worth of raffle tickets in the jar, she won!  She requested "Venus" by Frankie Avalon, but Steve didn't know it.  She had a backup plan, though, and chose "Cupid", a Sam Cooke medley that Steve sang when he auditioned for Rockapella.

Cupid
Yay!!!!!!  At the correct point, he said, "This is where I go out into the audience and talk to people."   I was so happy for Cindy that I smiled widely through the entire song, and it made my cheeks hurt.   You know what's weird?  Venus was Cupid's mom.  How weird is it that these are the 2 songs we associate with Steve?

We're All Alone
I can't remember when in the show Steve sang this song.  It was requested by Kyoko as part of the pledgemusic campaign.  Steve didn't know the song before she requested it, and learned it, but hadn't recorded it yet to send to her.  When he found out that she would be in attendance at the PPP, he decided to prepare it for her.  This was the first song that Kyoko learned in English.  Steve referred to Boz Skaggs, but my contemporaries and I are more familiar with the Rita Coolidge rendition.  Very nice job, Steve.

Taco Night in Tulsa
Wendy's tattoo is from this song.  It's so much fun.  It is about an actual waitress that was having a hard day in front of Steve and his songwriter friends, so naturally, they wrote a song about it.  I believe that this is the song that "Tulsa" was chosen because of the syllables, and smiled at me.  On our way home from LAX, Steve saw the sign for San Bernardino, and sang it a la California Sad-Eyed Girl.  Yay!  Double N told him what it was really like out there, and not as romantic as the song makes it.  Steve wondered why CSL4 chose that city.  I told him that Scott said it was because the syllables fit the music.  Steve was so on point that he remembered Glenn toward the end of the song and sang the lyric "No me gusta jalapeno" to him.  Now I want horchata.

A Change In My Life
Steve had told me ahead of time that he was going to sing this song for the Rockapella fans, and asked me to keep it a secret.  He likes to surprise people.  He had us sing along, and it was awesome.  He loved the participation.  You know, ask a room that's half-filled with choir people to sing, and harmony happens, especially when some of us have sung it a capella together before.

Rudy arrived with Carmen just as the show was about to start, I think.  Liz made it about halfway through (she was volunteering for the Special Olympics.  I'm a horrible person and tried to convince her to ditch that, but she's much more responsible than I am). During the show, a sound rang out from some cell phones.  The crazy weather resulted in a Flash Flood Warning.  I'm sorry that I didn't know where my phone was, or I would have turned it off so that it didn't sound again when the 2nd alert came on.  Not that I was anywhere near it.  Oh, and the windows were open due to the heat, so when the wild parrots came near, we heard their accompaniment to Steve's song.  Ah, nature.  He's like Cinderella or Snow White or something: he starts to sing, and the animals arrive.

Well, that was amazing.  I love that he talked about the process of writing each song, because now when we listen to the EP, we can think about whatever he said he was thinking.  I'm pretty sure that I will also be saying, "He sang that in MY HOUSE!!!"  Sigh.

Everyone pose like Steve!

Dessert / Raffle
Dessert was served, which included Nicole's awesome brownies, which Liz hadn't had in a few years, so she was happy.  We also had cheesecake (another nod to "Wildfire", lyric "with a New York Style"), and the fruit from Jenn.  Kyoko brought some red bean pancakes for us, too.  Steve had another helping of Filipino food.  :)

Raffle Prizes (photo books and picture of nephew not included)

I think that everyone contributed to the raffle, including Jackie, whom thought she could be there, but wasn't, so I put her admission money in for tickets.  She won a CD.  Steve read out the names of the winners, and at one point, he said "Bro".  Yup, that's my Bro, whom got all excited about the CD he won, and now Steve calls him Bro.  Well, he IS part of the family now.  Later, he read the name "Dick", and his face was priceless, as we all fell silent, wondering who the hell was named "Dick" or "Richard" or was just some kind of self-aware jerk.  Dodie realized that it was her, and we laughed and laughed.  Leave it to Dodie to do something inappropriate and not realize it.  (BTW, it was D/C, her initials).  Some people won more than one thing, which made Mona jealous, so Bro gave her the guitar pick that he won.  Awww, what a sweetheart my Bro is when he's not making people smell his arm.  

Kyoko must have said something to Steve about not getting picked yet to go on stage and sing with Rockapella, so he had her sing "Stand By Me".  She was sooo happy!  Steve took pictures with everyone in front of the photo op backdrop, and then some folks started leaving.  He also gave Kyoko and Wendy their prizes for their individual donations.  Kyoko asked me if it was safe to walk home, and while I advised that it was safe, I was afraid it would rain on her on the way, and I didn't want her to have to walk home in the dark.  So I drove her to her hotel...after I took her to other hotels that were not hers.  I only pass that hotel twice a day, every day.  You would think I'd know what she was talking about.  

Stand By Me .. or sit.  Whatever.

When I returned home, I announced that it was time for Sherry to have a drink.  So I got more Angry Orchard and put a shot of Fireball whiskey in it.  The posse, the crew, and a few other people were talking to Steve and chillaxing.  Steve motioned to me that his bottle of AO was empty, so I got him another one, had him drink a little, then put in a shot of Fireball, which he enjoyed.  Steve offered to play the songs from the upcoming EP, so we ended up using the sound system after all!  That was cool.  

Steve tried to check into his flight, but couldn't do so on his phone, so I got my Chromebook and tried it from there.  The website was kind of confusing.  Steve called out to me and patted the chair next to him for me to sit there.  My posse giggled.  Michelle didn't understand why.  KP explained whatever to her.  I was just trying to get him checked in.  Not that I wanted him to leave.  So we were finally successful when we got our heads together, and then we all talked some more.  Somebody brought up "Venus", not sure if it was Cindy or me.  Steve felt badly that he didn't know the song already, so he got up to find his iPad and guitar, so that he could learn it real quick.  Cindy couldn't believe what was happening.  We all listened to Frankie Avalon, and then he tried it on his own, with us helping.  Cindy's dream came true!  It was incredible.

Then Steve offered to sing whatever.  My head started spinning.  No, it wasn't the Fireball.  It was the amazing events occurring before my eyes.  He needed another beer.  I got up and announced to the room, "Getting Steve drunk!" and he smiled.  He took a big swig of the beer this time, so I saw that there was enough room for a double shot.  Yes, I warned him.  "Whoo!" Sher: "Well, you drank enough for a double."  Steve:  "I was thirsty!"

More singing.  Here's what I remember.  If any of y'all that were there can remember more, please let me know.

• Steve asked Michelle to sing a couple of things while he played, including Jewel's "I Was Meant For You".
• Linda requested "Blackbird".  He loves to play that riff.  I love the way it sounds when he glides his fingers along the frets.
• "Time After Time" 
• He played something that he knew Glenn (or "Double N", the new nickname) knew, so Glenn pretty much sang the whole song.  That was cool.  I can't remember what song it was. Edited:  Steve says that the song was "More Than A Feeling".
• "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" -- I guess I'm familiar with this song because of Jerry Lee Lewis.  I don't really know it, just sang the title part.  Double N knew a lot of it, too.
• "Let It Go" from Frozen.  Yes, he sang it.  I kept mouthing to Liz, "What is happening?!"  He said that he sang it for a little girl at Margaritaville, and soon everyone was singing along.  So we sang along, too.  I confess that I don't know the lyrics that well due to my being very tired of it and avoiding it, even though I think it's a great song.
• "Whenever You Come Around" by Vince Gill.  A beautiful song.  I wondered aloud if Vince wrote it for Amy (Grant).  Steve wasn't sure.
• I asked for some Garth.  He played "The Dance".  Many sighs happened when he started the song, and not just from me.
• Linda was about to leave, but Steve wanted to play just one more song to end the evening:  "If Tomorrow Never Comes" by Garth Brooks.  Awwwww, sweet.  I love that song, too.

As people left and the chairs were being packed away, the posse decided that they wanted to move the furniture back into the house so they wouldn't have to come back another day.  The light in my garage wasn't working, so they had me turn on the headlights of my car while they did all of the heavy work.  It was a little bit drizzly.  Then Steve came outside, barefoot, to help.  I was yelling in my car, "There are rocks there!"  I did not want Rockapella to blame me and my house for disabling Steve from dancing.  But he helped, and I was grateful.  People left, with Glenndy being the last to leave, as usual.  Cindy said they should leave us alone so we could sleep.  As I was clearing up all of the food, Steve helped with the cheesecake by trying to put the round cardboard tray into my rectangular plastic ware.  I showed him that I just wanted to push it into the container.  "I don't know what you're doing."  It was so cute and non-domestic.  Then he put the Fireball into the freezer.  I guess it's better that way, I don't know.  He pointed to a photo of Joseph Fiennes on my refrigerator, but I never got to ask him what he was going to say because we talked about something else.  We figured out what time to wake up, and he took a shower so that he wouldn't have to do so in the morning.  I just listened to more singing, although I don't know what it was, as I finished up with the cleaning.  He checked on me before he went to sleep, and showed me that his FFE tattoo had already rubbed off and he wasn't even trying.  I took a shower so that I could get some sleep, and I was sad when my tattoo rubbed off, too.  

The Farewell

Steve did not wake up when he was supposed to do so.  I was ready to go a little early, and didn't want him to miss his flight because he had a gig that night, so I knocked gently on the door.  Gently turned into loudly, with a gentle "Steve?"  Then I got louder and louder, even yelling "STEVEN!" until I was finally loud enough to wake him up.  Boy got thisclose to me barging in on him while he was sleeping.  He said, "Yeah?" I yelled, "Are you awake?"  
FFE:  "NOOOOOOOO!"  
I couldn't stop giggling.  He told me that he liked my shirt.  
Sher:  "Well, I hope so.  You made it!"  Steve had given me a shirt from his CMA Fest gig as a thank you.

Blue.  I like blue.

We got in the car and I actually drove in the correct direction right away.  We encountered traffic, but we were fine.  I was listening to the Natalie Cole "Unforgettable With Love" CD and singing along, which he found soothing (Natalie, not me.  Well, maybe me).  He was really tired, but still talked to me to keep me company even though I gave him an out and told him he could sleep more.  We got to LAX and the Departures line was crazy, so we went down to Arrivals, and I got out of the car to hug him goodbye.  Gave him a kiss on the cheek, too, and got one in return.  He asked when he'd see me again..."In a couple of weeks?"  I told him it would be 6 weeks, but I hadn't decided if I was going to all 3 shows that weekend.  I've since decided, though.  As I pulled away, he waved at me until I had to merge into regular traffic.  Swooon!

When I got home, I thanked my posse on FB, and finally, the tears fell.  The feelings of the weekend were quite overwhelming, and there was just so much happiness all around that I couldn't hold it back any longer.

I love my posse...and our tattoos

Thank you for one of the best days of my life, Steve.  I will never ever forget this feeling.  Let's do it again!

Enunciate!

I had some extra free time the other day, so I celebrated by walking to the movie theater and watching "The King's Speech".

• Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth reciting Shakespeare...in a Weinstein film! Those of you that know my favorite movie must know why I grinned widely at those moments.  (Sigh.  I miss Joseph).
• I like seeing HBC as a non-scary person, although I was scared of her when I first saw her, because it's kind of a reflex for me.
• I enjoyed all of the jabs at Australia being a colony of Britain.
• So I'm staring at Guy Pearce, wondering if he's "that Guy guy" that I loved in "L.A. Confidential" and other stuff.  Why did I doubt myself when his cheekbones and jawline are so....HIM?
• Yay, Michael Gambon!  There really should have been some magic in this movie, seeing as he and HBC were in it.  Oh, but then she would have been scary.  Never mind.
• I think it's great that Lionel's last name is "Logue".  What a perfect name for a speech therapist.  To borrow from "Seinfeld"'s Kramer, "That's like an ice cream man named 'Cone'!"
• Through much of the movie, I thought to myself, "I miss London.  I want to live there."  and then Logue was dismissed into the pouring rain, and I stopped thinking that.
• "And up goes Her Royal Highness...and down goes Her Royal Highness."
• "Kinging":  I like that word.  I wish I could say I've been busy "Sherrying".  Wait.  That might sound like I've been drinking.  Oh, OK, I'll take it.
• I love the scene in which Logue encourages Bertie to curse.  This should surprise absolutely nobody.  "F...f...fornication?"
• I also loved the scene wherein Myrtle finds out exactly who her husband's client has been all this time.

Inspiring story, great acting, loved this movie.

Swooning for Free

PaleyFest 2010

Thursday, March 11

FlashForward

When my friend Glenn had offered to buy tickets to PaleyFest for me and my other friends, I couldn't afford the seats I wanted, so I passed.  But a few weeks later, Aura saw that Goldstar was offering free tickets to the event, and I jumped at them.  Seeing Joseph?  For FREE?  Are you frickin' kidding me?  So off we went.

I arrived really early, because I went there straight from work.  My tickets wouldn't be ready for awhile, so I sat in my car and caught up with a couple of friends on the phone.  Aura called to tell me that she was running late and traffic was being evil.  So I picked up our tickets (after leaving the confirmation in the car -- duh), and walked into the Saban Theatre.  I found Mox sitting in the same section, so I sat there, and eventually waved to Glenn and Cindy, whom were sitting in the front orchestra section.  

I actually wasn't sure that Joseph would be there, seeing as his wife had just given birth to their child the day before, but, like my friends said, "She's done, though, right?  Why wouldn't he be there?"  I just figured he'd want to bond with his child, but OK, whatever.

We were given a rough cut of the first 20 minutes of the first show of the return from hiatus.  Whoa.  They stopped the film at quite the cliffhanger moment, and the whole audience let out a collective "AUGHHHH!"  

Then the actors, the writers, and producer from the show were introduced, and I tried to remain calm.  I think I did a good job of it, considering the fact that I was so busy staring at Joseph and smiling, thinking of unzipping those zippers on his jacket...Oh, hi, there.  Well, it didn't help when Joseph himself said that the cast has porn names for each other's characters, especially when our group had just been discussing porn names the previous weekend.  For the record, Joseph's character's porn name if "Mark Bangford".


I kind of lost my mind at that point, but I do remember Dominic Monaghan wondering about the kangaroo.  I also laughed at the fact that Sonya Walger was teasing Brian Byrne about not knowing the show was based on a book.  Dude, you're ON the show!  The exchanges between Courtney Vance, Jack Davenport, and Dominic were hilarious.  John Cho was funny, as well, and I loved his reaction to the question of movies vs. television.  Kinda snarky, but I still liked it.  

Here is TVGuide.com's clip of the event:

They had a Q&A afterward with the audience, and I was happy that someone acknowledged Joseph's new daughter (Congratulations, Joseph!).  I like the question on the PaleyFest site that asked if he would do any theater in L.A., but nobody asked that there.  I was way too shy (yeah, me!) to ask anything, and didn't even go up to the stage for an autograph.  I figured that Joseph and I needed to meet in more memorable circumstances....plus, seriously, I was too shy!  There was the star of my favorite movie of all time, speaking in that awesome accent, and...oh, I'll probably just faint if I ever met him for real.  


I had a fun time, though, and I get to say that I had been in the same room as Joseph Fiennes.  Thanks for the Goldstar tip, Aura!  


This is, unfortunately, the best picture that I took of Joseph that night.  We were kind of far away, and I think I might have been shaking a little bit.  ;)  Still....swoooon!

For a More Seductive Coffee Break, indeed!

OMG,

It's Joseph, reading.

As if I wasn't excited enough about Flash Forward returning tonight, I have this to watch online, too!

The Carte Noire Readers - Homepage

Oh, that's right. I have another blog post to do. Oh, well, that one will have to wait. I'm too excited about this NOT to share it with y'all.

Read to me, baby!

I've Got All My Brothers With Me

Rockapella at Lewis Family Playhouse

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Rrrrrrancho Cucamonga, CA

4:00 p.m.

One of the fun things about seeing Rockapella multiple times in a week is that they tend to remember stuff that their fans have said at the prior Meet and Greet. The fans also remember most of what was said the entire show as well as the MnG, and much of it is usually blogged somewhere. :) After Friday night's show in Mission Viejo, Karla decided that we should actually write the set list that Scott kiddingly told us to write for him. A couple of us collaborated, and she printed it out for placement on the stage at the start of the show. It was mostly Christmas songs, with a couple of oldies (like "Bodyboard") thrown in for good measure.

I met up with my seat partner, Kathie, in the restroom. I didn't mean to, but it happened anyway. Kathie has seen Pella shows before, but was quite surprised when I pointed to our seats. Yes, Kath. Those are ours. Front. Row. Center. (THANKS, Wendy!!!!). I had a bunch of friends in the audience that night: Cindy, Glenn, Liz, Jordan, Karla, Wanda, Gordon, Wendy, and Jeff. It was nice to see everyone there. I think they were glad they went to this show, too...so they could mock me for the rest of my life. :)

As Rockapella entered the stage, Karla made a note of placing the set list in front of them. We were so close to them that I wanted to just reach out and touch Scott's shoes. Because I could. We giggled as each of the guys noticed the piece of paper on the stage, all wondering what the heck it was, and even asking each other if they'd seen it.

They were dressed the same as Friday night, but sounded even better. Most likely because the sound system was better, but probably also because they had been treated to a full day of rest between shows.

Tonight: Scott smiled at me! So I said "Hi!" and Kath giggled.

Scott said, "The Lakers are gonna do ... something ... tonight. (Sherry & others cheer loudly) A lot of us are from Florida, so we have mixed feelings." He kept looking at the set list, trying to figure it out. Unfortunately, the font was too small to read without actually picking it up. He did, though, ask how many people had been at the show on Friday. Perhaps that was a hint to us that he might actually know why that paper was on the stage.

4U4Now4Life: I love this song. I can't help but bop to it, even when I listen to it in the car. I turn up the volume really loud & haven't a care in the world who sees me. Apparently you can see my joy from the stage, too, because Kevin and George were both smiling at me during the song. HI!!!

Scott said that Rrrrancho Cucamonga is the most beautifully named town in all of America. He didn't roll his r's as much as he usually does, but it still makes me giggle. He said that he couldn't remember why they couldn't make it to the December shows, thinks it may have something to do with a hangnail, and they just CAN'T sing that way. :) He asked who was seeing Pella for the 1st time, and someone was there in the 2nd row. He said, "You're up a little close for the first time. We'll try to be gentle."

Scott then briefly introduced the guys and noted their voice parts. He said that they found Jeff in L.A. on Venice Beach. JT shook his head "no." George is made up of nothing but testosterone, which is completely evident when he rolls up the bass line. Then, of course, the Girls Sing.

ZIP: Go, John! I love his solos during this song.

Got To Get You Into My Life: I like the background vocals of "Gotta Getcha Getcha." They kinda look like they're driving cars during some of that choreography.

Stand By Me: It's amazing how John changes that up every time. A true performer, wanting the returning fans to hear something a little different, and making sure his creative juices keep flowing, even while singing the same songs for every show.

Use Me: Scott's high note was awesome. YEAH! Kevin and John started with the stomping, and Scott tried to do the same (this is the same as in previous shows, but I could actually hear what they were saying since we were up close and they were not holding their mics). John said to him, "Now, you're doing something different....Don't hurt yourself now." Funny.

Kevin said that since they missed the shows in December, it's been "quite a wait. We're singing different songs tonight. There are probably people out there saying, 'We thought that we'd hear Christmas songs!' (Kevin clearly has no idea what that paper is doing on the stage). I heard about the June Gloom. I'm gonna bring that to Florida and call it 'June Doom'." He talked about the weather in Florida during the summer, saying that it rains every day at 3:00 p.m.

Then Kevin said, like he did on Friday night, that when they come to California, they see their CA fans, and they're like family. And he looked STRAIGHT AT ME. I giggled and waved a hello. He said to me (Yes, in front of everyone in the theater), "You know I'm going to pick on you ALL night long, right?" Then he proceeded to tell the story. "The other night, I said that we get to see our family, and I pointed over here and over there and she said afterwards 'You pointed to her and her and you IGNORED me!' So here we are. WE are FAMILY." Thanks, Kev. I'll go crawl into the orchestra pit now. Oh, man, I love him, though.

Kevin said, "I don't know how Scott doesn't remember what happened last time. We had a 7-hour wait at the airport, because the plane wouldn't start." They had 2 shows the day before, then hurried over to the airport in a blizzard. "We were actually kind of hoping that it wouldn't start because we didn't want to fly in that weather. But we did make it the next day's show."

He said that he wasn't going to tell the octopus story, because some people were there the other night and said, "Um, I'm taking my grandma to the show on Sunday..." What? Grandmothers don't know about testicles? ;) He talked about the fishing trip with his daughters, still, though. One of his daughters is 10 years old (to which daughter usually replies "I am not, Dad, I'm 10 and three-quarters!"). "When you're almost 11, every day counts." He talked about the flounder "floundering all over the boat." Oh, it was his daughter that said that "God didn't finish that fish!", not his wife. He said that he could picture her having nightmares that night, saying, "No face! No face! No mouth! No eyes!" Poor little thing.

Under the Boardwalk: "You can almost taste the flounder and french fries they sell" Again, boys. The carousel is not the same as the ferris wheel. Good Golly.

Here Comes the Sun: Geo sang his low note to Karla, and made all of the front row completely swoon.

Scott said that they'd been doing that song with symphonies, like the Boston Pops. When they sing with backup, it's fine. But a cappella is much more difficult because it's just them. "When it's bad, it's like...it's like... bad flounder." Kevin then described the flounder a little bit more, with the two eyes on one side, and the other side with no eyes or face. "It's very odd, it's probably like a little mistake. It's probably saying from underneath, though, 'I'll bite you!'." I love the voices that Kevin assigns to different things/people.

California Sad-Eyed Girl

Scott said that when he wrote the song, he just needed 5 syllables for a place, and chose "San Bernardino," which elicits giggles whenever we sing it in California. So I thought, "Wow. It must be some, it's like a dump or sometihng. But it's nice! We drove in and there are beautiful mountains, a nice drive. You've got a few strip malls, but come on! I'm gonna sing it with pride now."

Scott gave more insight into the guys' joining the group. "Kevin came to L.A. with Joseph and Jesus." "George was the sexiest, funkiest Frankenstein in Universal Studios/Osaka." Kevin talked about Scott's beautiful hair and tiny waist, to which Scott responded by modeling his suit and waving like a beauty queen.

Scott then talked about how much he loved the Mills Brothers, and much of the audience acknowledged the MB greatness and clapped. Scott said, "You know the Mills Brothers. I'll talk about the Mills Brothers in Korea, and they're like (silence). That's how it is there."

Paper Doll: I like the response to the lead's line of "I must have had a million dolls or more" with "I'm guessin' he's roundin' up." I also love all of George's glissando/scoops. Heck, I love the rhythm section throughout the entire song. I'm sure that the high voice have always been singing the above-mentioned line, but I've been too busy listening to Geo & JT to notice. It just happens that I was seated on House Left and the melodic voices are right in front of my face.

Rock the Boat

Jingle Medley: Scott said, "I remember coming to L.A. to film that commercial (Taco Bell) and how shamelessly we took that money. It was a DARK day." During Preparation H, JT pointed to Geo's butt for the last note. After they sang the Dr. Pepper jingle that deprived them of their royalty checks, Scott said, "That's the best song we ever sang."

My Girl: Diana got up to leave the stage as soon as "My Girl" was done. Kevin said, "We are not done with you yet! (taps the stool) Please, Diana." He introduced Diana to the guys. "This is Jeff. He does speak." Diana said she was nervous, right before Geo tapped Kevin's shoulder and said, "Back." Kevin: "Huh?" Geo: "BACK." Then he did his sexy greeting. Kevin said in his high voice, "It's all right, G-man. She likes the high voices." Then he turned to the audience and asked us, "Why you laughing? Is that funny to you?" Kevin asked Diana if husband Pete would hit him. She said, "Maybe." Kevin asked if Diana is from RC, but she said no, she is from Riverside, and Kevin said, "That's a lot easier to sing." He asked if she was scheduled to come one of the Christmas shows. She said that it was supposed to be their Christmas outing, and looked somewhat perturbed. Diana is an Accountant, and her husband is an Equipment Operator. Kevin said, "Oh, a smooth operator." He then sang a song called "Diana and Pete the Smooth Operator." "Oh, Diana, you've got Pete, he's a smooth operator." "That's it." I remember Kevin's songs being a little bit longer than that before. :)

Beg: When she was allowed to get up, Diana tried to leave the stage again, but Scott was blocking her way and dancing at her. Afterward, he said to the guys, "I think she really enjoyed dancing with me." Kevin said, "She's statuesque. Next to her, we look like we're midgets." This prompted Scott to start singing "The Lollipop Guild" from The Wizard of Oz.

People Change

George said, "I imagine myself singing like a woman. Not just any old woman: Whitney Houston. I've got that bright white light shining at me, it reminds me of that note in The Bodyguard." After he did his rendition of "I Will Always Love You," he told us about his teacher advising him to squeeze his butt cheeks together to reach the high notes. "Luckily, I have my jacket on. I need a few seconds to release. So if you just keep laughing, I need a little time." "My job is to walk cool, look cool, sound cool, and make the ladies scream." YOW! "That actually worked!"

Papa Was A Rolling Stone: Geo looked at me after "Mama just hung her head and she said", so I just had to join in with "What?"

Where in the World is Carmen SanDiego?

Encore:

Shambala

Scott said that on Friday night, he received some requests that they sing a Christmas song at this show since they had missed them. Karla picked up the set list and gestured to him. Then they realized what the heck it was, and read some of them aloud, saying "This is an entire other show!" Yeah, well, so? We want to hear an extra show! :)

Angels We Have Heard on High: This must have made Wendy very happy, because it's her favorite song that they sing at Christmas. Of course, since they hadn't sung the song in 6 months, they couldn't remember what key it was in. Scott said, "If it's in G I'm in trouble, if it's in E George is in trouble." As he played with the pitch pipe, Scott realized. "F. It's in F." They sounded wonderful. Love "Angels come and they won't go home" and the whole "thunder in my heart" thing. Thanks, guys, for indulging us!

Up On The Roof/Wonderful World: It's nice to be able to hear JT's singing voice up close. It kept me from crying. I had been listening to the soundtrack of Bro & V's wedding day, and this song (Pella's rendition) was the music for their 1st dance. I always picture my brother's face on the happiest day of his life, dancing with the girl of his dreams whenever I hear Rockapella sing this song. And I'm crying again as I write this. Sheesh.

Great show, even with my mortified moment. Yes, Kevin did smile at me several times after that moment, and it was so many times that I forgot to write them all down. Thank you, Kevin, for being absolutely, perfectly, YOU.

There was no Meet and Greet afterward, due to the short time span between shows. A bunch of us went to the food court for a bite to eat, and then, to continue a new tradition, I needed to take a picture with Will before the next show. APPARENTLY, I was subconsciously fondling his leg. Must have been dreaming that it was Joseph. (Not the Dreamcoat one that Kevin came with, along with Jesus).

Sher and Will

Lolly Lolly Lolly Get Your Hunks Right Here

It is National Ice Cream week in the UK, and DelMonte Superfruit Smoothies has come up with this promotion.

This article has a picture of the entire item.  Phallic much?

(DelMonte Foods is not affiliated with this company, BTW).

I'm not gaga over Mr. Craig like APPARENTLY all of the United Kingdom is, but I'm thinking of whom I'd prefer as my lollipop.  Really, I can't decide.

Of course, if it were required to be an actor from the UK, then definitely Joseph Fiennes.

But if it could be anybody?  Wow.  The possibilities astound me.  Since Stephen Colbert already has an ice cream, I will disqualify him from this one.  Plus, he's more in my heart in a genius comedian kind of way.  All of the other guys I heart, though...mmmmm.....

There could be packs of different flavors, like for each NKOTB member.  One of them would have to be lime green, because they're fans of that anti-Laker team.  I'll give that one to Donnie.  I'm so whacked out right now that I can't decide on the other ones.  Maybe they should all have a swirl of lime with other flavors.  Yeah.

But, of course, if we're going there, then you know what I would want, right?

That's right!  PELLA POPS!!!

I'm grinning just thinking about it.

What do you think, PellaPosse?  Which flavors should each guy be?  I'll go the easy way and just say here and now that George would be Chocolate, and Scott would be Diet Mountain Dew flavor.

Or we could just make Lychee Soho Ice Lollies and forget all about being creative.  Whatever.