YO GABBA GABBA or "don't bite your friends..."

a quick run with a cool bunch...an outstanding crew...

I ran the meet n' greets, in some of our nations' most beautiful venues, old gilt-edged theaters, also in Canada.



Flew into Minneapolis, was very strange not to being met by The Fabulous Lorraine!
She was very busy doing her week ' gigs, for St, Patrick's Day.
so, I was on my own.

this was my flash card:



the attending children needed no such help...

MUNO!!!!







everyone on the cast/crew worked so hard, but I may say that DJ Lance gave his very heart to these kids...
look at this cape!!




everywhere we went, everyone knew ALL the words!!



there was a balloon drop, this doesn't show the effect, but here is the set-up:






my self-portrait in a hotel:



i heart AL GORE:
(as seen in Milwaukee)



these heartthrobs are responsible for this wonderful madness:



this eggroll I found in Fort Wayne, Indiana-- it reminded of my first job in high school, at New China carry-out, they had these same amazing eggrolls...



the crazy "dill pickle chip" trend continues in Canada, I did Not try them:



Teeter, my old friend from Jonas Brothers tour, is a mean merch queen:



and Sanni & Jonathan! I worked with Sanni on Britney Spears 2002:




i love the midwest and my bus:




Our hotel in St. Louis was in an old train station, I loved it here, so so historic, I could have stayed here for a month...



I took this photo off an ad, because the fountains out front were shut down for the winter, but here is what they can look like...
my Dad visited St. Louis often for his work, and he told me this was called Aloe Plaza,
and that these were the first nude sculptures west of the Mississippi...he has a small sculpture by this same artist...




in my on-going quest for airport art, I added this big score to my collection, from Memphis Airport:



Drew is prepping to go out on the COnan O'Brien tour, and I will report from the road as I visit him.
All in all a terrific mini-tour.
but...i miss MUNO.

Playboy Mansion, ya'all!

For Valentine's Day, my beloved boss let me re-gift his tour of the Playboy Mansion to Drew.
We trundled over to Beverly Hills early Sunday morning, the tour had to be conducted before his HRH mister Hefner awoke from his playboy bed.

We entered a hidden driveway and actually spoke into a rock. Had I had my wits about me, I would have done a better film,
but i couldn't re-create once we cleared the gates. It was very 007! and there was an actual yield sign that said "warning: Bunnies at play" that i also missed documenting, but oh well, this Jimmy Olson was still a bit sleepy.

here is the little early morning video clip i did manage to shoot:



the grounds are beautiful, details everywhere.
here is a recreated walk of fame Hollywood star:



the grounds were lush and magical paths everywhere:



look at how cute Ghosty looks in front of the Mansion:



Drew posing by the GIGANTIC satellite dishes, that at one time were surely state-of-the art:



our guide is one of the butlers there in the Mansion, and he had all kinds of stories, none of which I will detail here.
I have a great love for HH, a childhood fascination, stemming from my Dad's keyring, he had one of the keys to the clubs (as shown here on the side of a pinball machine in the Game Room):






batphones everywhere!





we walked through the wildlife section, which exotic birds, monkeys and more...
it made me a little sad, as always, when I see caged creatures, but I could see that they were well-cared-for.
I especially loved the carrying case that was sitting in wait:



we went out to see everyone's main idea of the PM, the Grotto!
it really was a beautiful spot.





we threaded our way out of the darkened cavey sections and out into the light of the February morning...
to the poolside paradise:



birds on the lawn everywhere:








and one big bird:



i actually got attacked by an irritated possessive African crane, i was too surprised to take the photo, but I got one of him later on, he was as tall as me! and bit me hard on the foot and back of the leg, yes, i bruised up nicely-- our guide said flap your wings at him, but I am a cat! meow! the animal handler came running over, with her gloved hands, grabbed the poor duder and dragged him off me. oy! he went squa-wek-wek-ing away, and she said, meh. The butler was worried i was hurt, i was just surprised more than anything, wish I had gotten a movie of it though.



Our guide told us that Hef is a dedicated film buff, (this is true, he is quite the preservationist as well)
and he holds film screenings at the Mansion, here is the sign for Valentine's night showing...



i could hang out here, it really is a slice of Hollywood history:





this was a detail from the control panel on the grotto wall, i think it sums it up:




look at what Drew got me, a sleek new black Melita filter (see my red one being held together only by gaffe tape & hope)

a San Diego Christmas....

Drew happened to land in town on the Lady Gaga tour as her dates in LA coincided with the Christmas break.
I worked the shows as well. Amazing shows by a new bold talent...



SO he had only a half day off before the holiday, we rushed around, I had a little stress fit, he calmed me down, and we packed up the sleigh with presents...
We opened one present each before we went to San Diego... Drew picked my parent's Slanket:




Of all the years to not be back east, missing the gigantic snow & my family...doh!

However, Drew's family made me feel right at home.
Hi parents belong to a very liberal church and we went to a candle light Christmas Eve service,
complete with a manger re-inactment...We sang carols and Drew's voice in my ear was just beautiful.
It has been a tough year in many ways, losing our loved ones, and I shed a few tears when the choir was singing.
My Dad had warned me about going to church! I think even he would have approved of this service...




My brother Bill captured Drew's heart with his present, the tiny NanoFly RC UFO, here is a cute video, complete with Drew's Mom in the background, wondering about the dinner guest list...



Peggy & George opened their musician kitties sent from my parents in the snowed-in east:





Eli gets Mister Kitty:



Heather & Peg make delicious gingerbread:



Sean played Santa:



here is the moment he realized he got a matching Slanket!



honestly that child got so much loot, but he was So excited about this present, it was one thing he had actually asked for!
great job, M&D!!


meanwhile in the middle of the country,
my nieces open their easybake cupcake oven, something I always wanted, so I am living through them!!



there are more photos to upload, but i am being dragged away, Drew has to catch a plane to New Orleans, to rejoin the tour,
stay tuned!

wait, October...where'd you go...

(yes, yes it's a double print but i have to start somewhere...)




thanks to everyone who sent such beautiful wishes on out to my cousin. I am in Chicago today, so I thought I would try to quick-out a blog seeing as how how I woke up in November, after such a busy and for the most part, amazing October.

I was out with Neil and Quiche in the beginning of October, visiting bees, dogs and all manner of people. Quiche took me to a stellar Halloween store, and she conveniently "forgot" her wallet...haha! (of course she paid me back, silly) She always takes me to the best hidden-away little spots, sort of like my sister does, but in a mid-western style. We went antiquing and we came home and made dinners, and all the while, Boss wrote and wrote. He came up with one of my favorite new stories, when will that be available for public viewing...?

wolfman and his dog.




before our walk...




during our walk...



and after...



it's hard to out-shine this Cabal, but miss Maddy managed just fine.

Quiche before she sang her heart out to the good people of Stillwater:



it snowed on Quiche's orders, just for my birthday present:



but Drew still came to get me in LA with the top down:



on the way to take Neil to his plane to China, we stopped at MPR, Minneapolis Public Radio and he read like a king over the airwaves, he really was royal. Did anyone hear it? Even the man at the controls, who seemed unflappable, was impressed.



Every year, Neil gets a cool ballot from the Spike TV people to vote on their annual SCREAM Awards. (This year the ballot had a lenticular 3D cover, and as many of you know, I have an obsession with all things 3D) They always invite him to come to the show, but China trumped that idea. Nicely, they offered me Neil's tickets and I went with Drew. We met the producer's assistant Xaque in a gas station parking lot down the hill from the Greek Theater, it all was very cloak and dagger...
When we got there, the first people we saw were Sully and Shannon from Godsmack (the first band I ever toured with back in 2001...) they were in town recording their new album...



Megan Fox, the great looking cast from True Blood, Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford, George Romero and Jackie Earle Haley were just some of the faces milling around, and we sat four rows behind Quentin Tarantino, who almost never stopped talking, bless his blabbly heart.







the stage was a take off on Alice in Wonderland, complete with a wacko iron rabbit and flaming staircase. They previewed a clip of Tim Burton's take on Lewis Carroll's classic, and it looks incredible. The Icon Award, which Neil won two years ago, went to Stan the Man Lee, and they floated him out over the crowd in a Spider hovercraft. What a great sport and a big doll that man is.



Spike TV hosted the after party at Hollywood Forever cemetary, and we went and had wine among the grave stones...



Next it was a week of helping out Red on the Sony lot as they feverishly prepared for the big Michael Jackson film release. Drew worked on the summer rehearsals of the tour, doing lighting, so he got to see some of the dancing that now the world is witness to on THIS IS IT.
Then on to the big premiere night. I saw the film two nights in a row and was ready to see it again a third time. I remember when I was on tour this summer and Drew called me and said, we don't know, but something happened to Michael, the news broke all our touring hearts, not just for the unfinished project, but for the loss of a legend. Luckily, there is a whole new generation of Jacksons coming to carry the crown.
outside, it was Jackson mania:



I had worked with Corbin on High School Musical, so fun to see everyone looking so good and dancing to MJ.



aren't i the nicest girlfriend to take these?



Drew with singer Judith:







Jozie was in town so she and Sofie joined us:








on Halloween, we went old fashioned trick or treating down in San Diego:
Drew & his son Sean, Luke Skywalker...i still say Drew shoulda been Chewie!!





so now I am ready for November, and am getting ready to put out the newest Neverwear print, a Jim Lee/Neil team up that is beautiful and heartwrenching, stay tuned! also we have the I BELIEVE in girly tees in stock, sizes L and XL, which are more like a medium and a large, but these are American Apparel styles...so...they run smallish.

also I owe you a Neil Mailbox, i promise to put it up when i get back home.. I'll leave off with a preview--- a most amazing and aerodynamic mobile sent to Neil, from Miss Miriam... a close up of the intricate detail and a further-away view..