Morla!

Morla!
Originally uploaded by AdiaMichelle

Dude. That movie traumatized me. I loved it.

I should be enjoying the morning outside, where it's gorgeous and sunny. The sky is full of white, puffy, marshmallow clouds. There's an occasional breeze strong enough to lift your skirt and the humidity is low. It's a perfect day for cloud-gazing on a rock in Central Park.

But I'm not outside. I'm inside, and in a few minutes I will go take a shower because, in an hour, I need to leave for work. Where I'll sit in a basement for the next five hours, drinking coffee to stay awake, freezing and going a little crazy from the florescent lights. Eight more days. Eight more days. Eight more days.

Antici................pation

Antici................pation
Originally uploaded by AdiaMichelle

My contacts came. And they came with bubble wrap. YES.

Watched Spy Game this morning/afternoon while I twisted my hair. Pretty good movie, actually. Nothing too special, but a pretty good movie. Two handsome gents in the leads will do that.

It's still sunny and warm, although not as humid as yesterday. August is turning out to be less disappointing than I thought it was going to be.

Gotta get ready for work.

ETA: My sister shall henceforth be known as Princess. Princess Poopypants.

Perfection

Perfection
Originally uploaded by AdiaMichelle

I have a gorgeous friend.

She's also kind and generous. She came with me to the premiere last night and, as promised, held my hand as it started so I could calm down.

So, the premiere. I chose not to think about it all day. It was obvious, though, as I rushed around getting ready, snapping at my mother, that I was most definitely thinking about it. I was so nervous and I didn't want to be nervous and I was trying not to let it show but I'm sure my mother could tell and being the patient saint that she is just quietly went about her preparations and let me be messy without yelling back and then we got to the theatre and I had some wine. Whew. I needed that.

A few trailers and short films rolled before FADE, and then it started. Cori reached across my lap and gave my hand a squeeze. My heart was thudding in my chest, shaking my rib cage.

And it was good. It was really good. I relaxed. I watched myself without self-conscious judgment. I was able to enjoy the film and marvel at what Chris had created. I remembered rolling around in the weeds and getting bitten on the butt by horseflies and waiting for the sun and Scott just about dying having to wear the gas mask and how cold the water in the river was and how glorious the whole experience had been.

And then it was over, and Chris got lots of applause, and I could breathe again. I chatted with other cast members and casual viewers. Everyone was so generous and kind with their praise. I was humbled.

So thanks, Chris, for letting me be a part of your film. It's a lovely piece, and I'm proud of you.

Unfinished

Cahier sketch
Originally uploaded by AdiaMichelle

But how much is anything ever truly "finished"? One just decides to stop and move on to the next project. I decided to stop sketching and move on to the next project.

Which happens to be freaking out; the next project, that is. For FADE, the film I did two years ago, is having a premiere, two years later.

What: FADE
When: Friday, June 20th, 7:00pm
Where: Suburban World Theater, Uptown, Minneapolis


I'll admit it: I'm terrified. I haven't seen the film yet, so I have no idea what my performance is like. And that terrifies me.

I'm a control freak. I really am. I'm a Type A Control Freak. I like to have my hands on the reins/dials/levers/steering wheel and I don't want anyone else touching them. I won't throw open the shutters or pull all the stops or leave the cylinders wide open unless I know it's perfectly safe to do so. (This tendency sometimes makes me a bad actor.) This is absurd, of course, because I have absolutely no control over what other people are thinking or doing and my rational mind knows this, but I still prefer to live in the illusion that I AM IN CONTROL.

This premiere? Totally outside my control. I have to sit there, in the dark, with other people watching my performance and judging it, silently or vocally. I will have to sit there and take it and be ok with it and this is terrifying.

But it's a good lesson. It's an opportunity to practice doing something that scares me. I just might need someone to hold my hand while I do it.

"So how was that Eagles concert, Adia?"

"Funny story. For some reason, and even though I was well aware of the date, I had filed that free Eagles concert under 'Sunday' in my brain. Met up with my friend, walked around Hell's Kitchen looking for a good place to eat, had some Thai food, then headed back to Madison Square Garden around 7:15. I wondered why it looked so deserted, but it still didn't register that something was wrong. Talked to my folks on the phone for a bit, then went inside. It was empty. Now I really started to wonder what was going on. I pulled the ticket out of my pocket. There, plain as day, were the words, 'MAY 31ST, 2008, 8PM.'

My stomach dropped. I think I cried a little.

I apologized profusely to my friend. She was incredibly understanding. I still felt like a heel. Had a mini meltdown, she talked me out of any further self-immolation, and we went to see Iron Man instead. We ended up having a really good time."

"Wow...that really sucks."

"Yeah, but it'll be funny to me tomorrow."

It's still not that funny, but it's not the end of the world. I really wanted to see the Eagles, though.

Edited to add: I wasn't going to take a photo today, but I ended up taking one anyway. It's here if you want to see it.

Green Means Go

Green Means Go
Originally uploaded by AdiaMichelle

What's up with Tuesdays? I didn't take a photo yesterday. *gasp* I KNOW. My weeklong quest to take and blog one photo every day was interrupted. By laziness.

I think it might have something to do with starting to read Snow Crash. Wow. Wowowowowowow. Amazing book, and I'm only 153 pages into it (total of 468). If you like The Fifth Element, the Matrix trilogy, or even Second Life, you'll like this book. It's gooooooood. Aisha, read this book.

"You should be in the movies."

Or at least in a music video.

Zach Braff is directing Jay Clifford's music video for "Know When to Walk Away." It's simple: you download the song, learn the lyrics, record yourself performing the song, then upload it to the site.

DO IT. I haven't decided yet if I will, but you should.

And if nothing else, you get a free song. Free is good, no?

http://www.jaycliffordmusicvideo.com

Watch the whole video.

I support the Writers Guild strike. What happens to them could have an impact on my future in the coming year, and I'd like the outcome to be favorable.

Watch this video and see why the writers are striking and what they want as a result.

Haven't been this excited about a trailer since The Matrix.

Um, I need to see this movie NOW.

In this corner...

I always think it's ridiculous when competing studios put out what amounts to almost exactly the same movie. Case in point: The Prestige and The Illusionist. Both have great actors and top knotch budgets. Both movies revolve around somewhat similar characters. In this case: magicians doing crazy tricks no one can figure out.

However, as usually happens when there is one or more of (almost) the same movie on the market, one of those movies will kick some copycat booty and leave the other movie(s) in the dust. Such is the case with The Prestige and The Illusionist.

I rented Illusionist first, having heard from someone else that Prestige was lame. I fell asleep on a good part of Illusionist, woke up at the end, and still didn't miss anything important. I also thought, "Well, you couldn't see that ending coming a mile away." [/sarcasm] Disgusted, I returned the movie.

About two months later, yesterday, in fact, I rented The Prestige on a whim, hoping that this would be the better of the two movies. I was not disappointed. In every way that Illusionist failed, Prestige excelled: pacing, suspense, misdirection, acting, directing, etc ad nauseum. Christopher Nolan is my new hero.

So, go rent The Prestige. Hope you like it as much as I did.