Happy As a Clam (Dinner)

Fred's Shantyis conveniently located down the road from my dorm. It was brought to my attention when a kind associate offered to show me and a coupla interns around town, just to give us a sense of what else was out there, besides the well traveled path between our dorm building, and The O'Neill Proper. Due to it's close proximity, it was the first attraction mentioned by the guide. Once he said the words "deep fried" "seafood" and "delicious", the rest of the tour became hominahominahomina as I imagined what wonders this potential local treasure held in store...that is, until we stopped at an Amazing Ice Cream Place, and I ate a scoop of banana as big as my head.

Throughout the week, visions of deep fried clams ran through my head. I don't have a lifelong history of loving deep fried clams, but something in my gut told me Fred would do right by me, and fried clams. And Oprah always says "trust your gut". Now, 4 hours after eating, my gut has not betrayed its confidence, and look at all it led me to:



It was perfect. The chowder has the perfect texture and consistency--not too heavy, not too watery--with perfectly sized ingredients (shout out to the potato chopper) and a touch of sweetness. The clam strips themselves are tender, hot, never chewy. So good I didn't mind being handed Kraft Tartar Sauce tubs. (Seriously, they couldn't at least put it in a little paper ramekin so I could believe they make their own?) Th fries were thin, crispy and well seasoned. The generous drop of cole slaw was also delicious, if twice as much as any one person would ever need. Even their fountain soda was fizzy and delicious (and at a place like that, you expect flat, warm, and miserable...so much so that I almost didn't bother to order it).

Well done Fred. You can expect me the next three Mondays. And, as much as I am enjoying myself here, and the people I'm working with and the projects I'm working on, when I board that train/bus/whatever on July 20th, I think I will miss Fred most of all.

Video Tour of the O'Neill (of sorts)

So Layhoon, the Production Manager, apparently took this video of me explaining Bluetooth technology to Bud, one of the shuttle-van drivers. It is a good introduction to Bud (who makes me look quiet), as well as the O'Neill "campus". There's a log cabin-like building that passes on our left. That's the pub where I spend more than I make. It's called "The Blue Gene". At the end you see "The Mansion" which houses writers, administrative offices, and the kitchen/cafeteria. And for those of you confused by Bluetooth, it's probably...well, still confusing.

Watch This Before It Goes Away

When I was looking up YouTube videos of "June Is Busting Out All Over", I came accross of number of response videos/parodies to this, but the actual clip could not be found...because it was taken down. Well, a comrade here at the O'Neill discovered it again, so I suggest you watch Leslie Uggams murder "June is Busting Out All Over" before it goes away again. This video shows the murder once, then again with subtitles, then again with lame sound effects. The 3rd pass is unnecessary. But seriously, watch this while you can.

Worst Product Ever

Post Tony Closings and some HEIGHTS Love

Now that the Tonys are over, and the losers have to pack up now. A Catered Affair has announced it is closing at the end of the month. Cry-Baby (which was bloody awful, truly), has been even more pro-active, closing on Sunday, one week after getting shut out from awards it largely didn't deserve nominations for, especially compared to the bleak but well crafted Catered). I wonder if the Tony telecast did anything to help Xanadu. Methinks showing America Cheyenne Jackson in cut-off shorts couldn't hurt. But it seems that In the Heights out-performed just about everything (though South Pacific sounded ravishing). Could Passing Strange be next on the chopping block? I felt their Tony performance probably did more harm than good, opting to show 2 minutes of running around screaming "yeah it's all right" instead of singing any of the beautiful, innovative music that makes the show great. It's had a hard time finding an audience, and I don't think last Sunday's show is going to help.

Here is a clip of In the Heights from Good Morning America. It will make you HATE Good Morning America, but that's beside the point. They perform "It Won't Be Long Now", which is mainly a showcase for Vanessa (played by the fabulous Karen Olivo). I find this character fascinating. She has the kind of chip on her shoulder usually reserved for men in musicals. She's bitter, angry, confused, confusing, but entirely sympathetic, largely due to this song (which also features leading man and composer/lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda in addition to Robin de Jesus). She's a new kind of assertive musical dame, and felt very "real" to me in a musical world that often didn't.

The song starts about 50 seconds in. WARNING: Ms. Olivo is not in top form, in fact she's borderline busted at points (it's before 9am and they are literally in the middle of Times Square), but her acting (and hair) are fierce, even when she falters on the vocals.

I'm Here

So it seems like this internet thing might be a good forum for sharing some misadventures at The O'Neill (especially since the experience may prove too all-consuming to allow for other wit and wisdom). Of course, I just had to sign a waiver saying I won't comment on any of the shows or the performances on the internets. Also, I'm not allowed to bang an intern. Actors, writers, and staff are, apparently, fair game. Maybe I have to sign that waiver tomorrow. I have a feeling "Dallas 1" (because I met 2 guys named Dallas within 30 minutes of arriving) did not give me all the information about being here I should've. For example, he dropped me off at my building, said i was on the 3rd floor. Neglected a big one: the bathrooms. I found one--and only one--bathroom on my floor. It had showers...with glass doors. Am I to presume it's a co-ed bathroom? There is no marking to indicate otherwise, and the floor is co-ed. In any case, I peed, but put the seat down. I should probably find out about the shower thing, lest some unsuspecting female get a recreation of that Kevin Bacon scene in Wild Things

Here is a picture of my room:


Yes. It is a dorm. I have my laptop hooked up to an internet cable. I have ugly, boxy furniture. I opened up iTunes and saw shared music from 3 people I've never seen before (2 of whom are named Katie).

As I finish this post, I realize making it a "what I did on a summer vacation" could become a one-way-trip to EmilyGouldtown.
Fear not. In all honesty, I probably will spend most of the summer talking about Mad Men. But every now and then I might post a picture of the dorm room I am living in (which is currently twice as big as my Brooklyn bedroom).

Journey On

In commemeration of my going to adult summer camp for five weeks, I thought it would be a good chance to look at two amature performances of "Journey On" from the musical Ragtime. (Because I'm "journeying", get it? Also, I already showed you clips of a song from a bus.) Still have shit to pack, so won't say much. One is Laguardia High School in NYC, ther other is stummer stock somewhere in middle-America. the High School as the bigger budget. Their Tateh is dressed in Che's costume from Evita, whereas the stock's Tateh has to pull the Tevye rags out of storage.