Pat and Jamie’s New York

Friday night I attended Pat and Jamie’s New York. It is the first in a series of live talks at 92Y. Pat Kiernan and Jamie Stelter are New York City celebrities as they are the morning anchors for NY1. If you don’t live here you don’t get to watch NY1 and I am sad for you. So I will introduce them to you my lovely readers before I review their premiere of their very hilarious talk at 92Y, which I still call the 92nd Street Y, since I am a Native New Yorker.

I will begin with Jamie. I met Jamie earlier this year on the street in my neighborhood. I called out to her as if she was an old college friend. She was with her nice husband Brian, CNN’s senior media correspondent. They met on Twitter! Brian took this cute pic of us on Lefferts Blvd.

Jamie is adorable. The New York Post dubbed her the Trans-It Girl and she wrote a novel with that title. At the talk she looked stunning in an orange lacy dress and what appeared to be Stan Smith Adidas sneakers. I love to see what she’s wearing every morning on NY1. Here’s a pic of Jamie and Pat arriving.

Pat has been the morning anchor at NY1 since 1997. Pat is Canadian and is wry and serious and is known mostly for two things: His “In the Papers” segment and being the host of VH1’s “World Series of Pop Culture.” Pat also loves trivia and hosts monthly trivia nights in Brooklyn. Pat was one of the first people I ever followed on Twitter 6 years ago.

Every morning for about 30 seconds, Pat and Jamie banter. They have such an easy chemistry and are so funny it was inevitable that it would expand to some longer format. So Pat and Jamie decided to do a series of talks at 92Y where they banter for about 20 minutes, show funny videos and have a trivia contest, and interview guests. They even had a live theme song played by their music director Leslie Goshko.

Pat and Jamie’s banter included discussions of Pumpkin spiced everything, the New York City Marathon party which Pat hosts, the fact that neither of them drink coffee, the NY Mets-Kansas City World Series game 3 which was happening simultaneously. Pat made sure to give score updates intermittently. NY1 studios are in the Chelsea Market which is a huge tourist attraction that is sadly not huge and they both complained of the crowds as they tried to navigate home from work.

There were some cute video segments about tourists in New York. What they think of New Yorkers and what New Yorkers think of them. Then the first guest came out. It was Alan Kalter, best known for being the announcer on “Late Night with David Letterman.” He really does have that booming voice and he talked about living right near the studio and what his favorite NYC restaurants are now that he lives in Connecticut.

The second guest was the hilarious Jason Gay. He came out in a blue shark Halloween costume and completely pulled it off. Jason is a sports writer for the Wall Street Journal and has written a book called “Little Victories” out Nov. 3. He wrote a funny tweet that has been retweeted over 30,000 times. Look it up!

The final guest was Alex Karpovsky best known at Ray in HBO’s “Girls.” Jamie loves “Girls” but Pat doesn’t. I have seen a few episodes of “Girls” but alas I’m a bit too old for it. For me it’s like reading journals from my twenties and I have no desire to relive that.

The evening concluded with a few audience Q&A’s. Jamie explained why she pronounced Van Wyck the way she does and was very adamant that we’re all pronouncing it wrong, including me. They also discussed when they go to sleep. Pat sleeps 4 hours at night and naps 2 hours during the afternoon. Jamie hits the bed early like at 7 because they get up at 3 a.m.

It was a great event and I laughed a lot. Go to PatandJamie.com to learn more, buy tickets for their next talk on Thursday, Nov. 19 and listen to their podcast.

Back to blogging! Hamlet and Fall TV!

Hi everyone! I took a summer hiatus from blogging and I have missed it terribly, especially interacting with my friends I have made through blogging. I have missed reading your posts and leaving comments and the whole wonderful world of the blogosphere.

The best news I have to share is my cat Hamlet is in remission! He has small cell lymphoma and also had a carcinoma removed from his paw. Boy what he has been through this year! I love him so much and I’m so happy he’s doing so well.

Since this is a pop culture blog, I must chime in on some of the new Fall TV which premiered recently. Of the new shows I’ve seen, my favorite is “The Grinder” starring Rob Lowe. Rob’s character recently ended a series where he played a lawyer and comes home to Idaho to visit his family and decides he wants to be a real lawyer in his family’s firm. It’s really funny and Fred Savage is great as Rob’s brother.

One show with incredible buzz which is sitting in my DVR is “Scream Queens.” I really am meaning to watch it but haven’t yet. Another which I haven’t gotten to yet is “The Muppets.” “Supergirl” hasn’t premiered yet but looks promising. I did watch “Grandfathered” and it’s cute and I hope it does well.

I was suprised how much I enjoyed the pilot of “Blood and Oil” starring Don Johnson and Chace Crawford (Nate from “Gossip Girl”) and it’s kind of a guilty pleasure.

Are there any new shows you are watching that I should check out? Thanks for reading!

Mad Men – The Exhibit and Matthew Weiner Interview

Are you mad about Mad Men? I have watched every episode since the pilot and was hooked from day one. If you are a true fan you will love Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image. The exhibit begins with the story behind Matthew Weiner and the creation of Mad Men. The pilot was a writing sample given to David Chase to get the job writing for HBO’s The Sopranos. AMC wanted to get into original programming and brought Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men to our televisions. Now entering its final 7 episodes, Mad Men premieres Sunday April 5, 2015 at 10 p.m.

I visited the exhibit at the Museum of Moving Image with my Mom on Friday evening, which has free admission from 4 to 8 p.m. While we weren’t allowed to take photos, the images below were posted by the Museum of Moving Image’s Facebook page and taken by Thanassi Karageorgiou, except the cast photo by Marion Curtis and the Matthew Weiner photo taken by me.

I was really impressed with the collages that inspired the character’s costumes. Behind each, these reminded me of inspiration boards pre-Pinterest. I wish I could have taken close-up photos of them. Mad Men’s costume designer Janie Bryant really has always impressed me with her attention to detail and how she dressed everyone perfectly to suit the era and personality.

Two sets were struck and transported for the exhibit. First was the Draper family’s kitchen. The attention to detail, from the cookbook to Betty’s cigarettes, was amazing to see up close.

Second was Don Draper’s office. I loved everything about it. My favorite is the vintage ashtray. Again, so nice to see up close.

Mad Men’s attention to detail as seen in Don’s dog tags. He also had three different business cards, shown in the exhibit.

The Writer’s Room, always a fascinating part of any show as great as Mad Men.

The cast members and Matthew Weiner showed up at the exhibit! John Slattery, January Jones, Christina Hendricks and Jon Hamm.

On Sunday, Matthew Weiner was interviewed at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. He is really very astute, articulate and truly passionate about Mad Men. He’s so smart and funny and every time an audience member sneezed, he blessed them. My Mom and I had 5th row center seats. It was such a great event! The theme was Jews in Advertising but really it was a lot about Jews in Mad Men. How they were portrayed and referred to. Fascinating. I could listen to Weiner for 2 more hours. While he said he wasn’t a great student at his L.A. private school and Wesleyan University, he is so intelligent! He is only a few years older than me. As a writer I can only dream of creating such a world on paper brought to life on the small screen. What a success story!

Thank you for reading. What do you love most about Mad Men? How should it end? What year do you think it will be?

Lauren Graham’s Reddit AMA – Highlights Pt. 2

Highlights Pt. 2:

Q: Was Melissa McCarthy hilarious to work with in Gilmore Girls? I love that many of the cast of that show went on to have such great acting careers!

A: Truly hilarious and kind on set, and then I’d go see her in Groundlings and be blown away by the characters she created.

Q: Who out of the cast on parenthood is the most similar to their character ?

A: Hard to say. Dax is an extremely funny guy who is also a super dedicated family man – like Crosby. And Peter is obviously perfect, just like Adam. 🙂

Q: Did you have a good relationship with Alexis, do you still see her? You guys made such a great mother/daughter combination.

A: Love her, we’ll always have a special bond. Saw her in NY not too long ago. I had a nice lunch with TV mom Kelly and Amy S.P. as well. We went to Joe Allen, one of my faves.

Q: Top 3 things you love to do when you’re in NYC!

A: I love to walk, anywhere really, but especially over the Brooklyn Bridge, shop with my sister, eat at Momofuku.

Q: Who would you say had the biggest influence on you growing up/who influenced your decision to pursue acting?

A: Thank you so much. My dad was always supportive of whatever I showed an interest in – from horseback riding to acting. And I had some great teachers along the way too.

Lauren Graham’s Reddit AMA – Highlights Pt. 1

Lauren Graham is doing a Reddit AMA to promote the release on paperback of her novel “Someday Someday Maybe.”

Here are the highlights:

Q: Did you understand most of the pop culture references in Gilmore Girls?

A: If I didn’t, I’d look them up. Part of being an actor is research!

Q: What inspired you to write your book? It was really good by the way!

A: Thanks! I wanted a new challenge and something I could do on my own.

Q: What do you remember most about your appearance on Seinfeld?

A: I remember Jerry was very appreciative and nice and and laughed at everyone else’s jokes.

Q: What was the hardest part about writing your book?

A: As much as I wished it would, the book wouldn’t write itself! Sitting down every day and trying not to look at shoes on Zappos was the hardest part.

Q: Thanks for doing this! You’re one of my favorite actresses. What was the most exciting or memorable moment from Gilmore Girls?

A: Thank you! Hard to pick one moment, but I remember working long hours and getting really punchy. We’d start making up raps and singing “Loving You” by Minnie Ripperton.

Q: This is more for my mom, who loves Gilmore Girls. She wants to know if Luke, Scott Patterson, is a good kisser. She was maybe a little too invested in your relationship on the show.

A: He’s an excellent kisser, but all movie kisses are weird, since you’re trying to have an intimate moment in front of a hundred people.

Q: Hi Lauren, big fan of Gilmore girls will there ever be a movie?

A: I honestly don’t know. I appreciate how many have asked. That character was so special – I wonder what happens to her too!

Glee’s 100th Episode Vs. Pretty Little Liars’ Season Finale

Last Tuesday at 8 p.m. the Pretty Little Liars season finale aired opposite Glee’s 100th episode. Which did I watch? Pretty Little Liars, of course, my guilty TV pleasure. I had to find out what happened the night Ali was buried alive!

I did go to YouTube to check out the songs from Glee’s 100th episode. I could care less at this point about plotlines or dialogue. When I watch Glee, I just want the music videos. Which FOX probably knows.

I liked three songs from the episode: Gwyneth Paltrow singing “Happy”, Brittany reprising “Toxic”, and the best was Santana’s reprise of “Valerie.” I just love that song, both the Mark Ronson version and Santana’s.