Made in America Festival, Day 2 ~ Santigold, Jill Scott, Eve, Run DMC, Drake, Pearl Jam, and Jay-Z

Day 2 of the Made in America Festival "guest-starred" rain.  I waited out the rain by heading to brunch with friends, but decided to head over the Made in America Festival in time to see some of Santigold.  To be honest, I didn't see enough of her set to draw any conclusions. 

After Santigold, it was Jill Scott's turn.  I'll admit right now that there is only one song by Jill Scott that I "know" (i.e. the song where she wants to go on a long walk).  Regardless my favorite part of Jill Scott's set was when Eve (i.e. E-V-E) came out and they performed one of Eve's songs on stage.

 After Eve and Jill Scott left the stage, I noticed Eliza Dushku and Rick Fox checking out the show from one of the monuments. 

Rick Fox still look great!

Run DMC was out next and they were phenomenal!  I flashed back to my younger days and jammed with them to "It's Tricky".  It was great and the crowd was excited.  Just when you thought the crowd couldn't get any more excited, I spotted Jay-Z and Beyonce coming over with Ron Howard and the camera crews.  For those of you that didn't know, the Made in America Festival was being taped and there will be some sort of footage/movie/documentary produced (i.e. at least that's my understanding).

As soon as I saw Jay-Z, I moved over to take some more pics, and EVERYONE seemed to follow.  At any rate, it was wild to see him and Beyonce get down to Run DMC's performance.  Jaden Smith (i.e. Will Smith's son) was there too.  When someone in the crowd, yelled "Karate Kid", Jay-Z literally laughed out loud.

After Run DMC, Drake came out to do his thing.  I'll admit right now, that I'm not a Drake fan.  I don't understand all the hype around him, but it could be that I'm not as young as his biggest fans.  I don't think he's a great performer, and I don't think he's good looking.  Oh well.  To each, his/her own, because it did look like other people enjoyed his set...

After Drake, it was time for the main event: Pearl Jam.  I'd never seen Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam when I was in college, and I hadn't listened to them in years.  I was amazed at how many of the songs I remembered the words to and how many of their hits they performed.  They were on the stage for two hours and performed through the rain.  I'm THRILLED that I finally saw Pearl Jam perform live and that they were AMAZING on stage.

As an extra treat, Jay-Z came out on stage and performed with Pearl Jam, when he sang "99 Problems".

Day 2 was the perfect finale to a fantastic festival!  I really hope that Jay-Z, his sponsors, and the city of Philadelphia make the Made in America Festival an annual Labor Day event.

THE WIRK

Made in America Festival, Day 1 ~ MMG, D'Angelo, Passion Pit, and Jay-Z

I was in the US for Labor Day and that meant that I could attend Jay-Z's Made in America Festival in Philadelphia.  The MIA Festival was a 2-day festival (i.e. Saturday and Sunday) and with Labor Day off, you know I was planning on making the drive up/over to Philly to check out the festival.  I bought a 2-day VIP pass, which gave me a free T-shirt, a souvenir ticket, a bottle of water, a special VIP tent, and a special VIP viewing area.  For someone like me, this was THE PERFECT way to go.  The VIP viewing area had its own bathrooms, but the tent had better bathroom facilities and it offered a buffet for $20.  There were also bars for your convenience.  ****  The Platinum VIP tent had open bar, but for someone like me who attends these festivals by myself at times, I don't usually drink.

There were two stages and a tent where DJs spun (i.e. I think).  I stayed in the VIP viewing area for 99% of the day, and only listened to the other stage and watched the screen, when I was interested.  Luckily for me, I could see the screen from my makeshift perch.  The way the barricades were set up, there was a line of seats in the VIP area, so about 20 of us were able to sit, without having to do so on the ground. 

Day 1 of the festival was a long one, but it was worth it to see Jay-Z perform, especially with special guest star Kanye West.  I'm a huge Kanye West fan, and having Kanye come out on stage was a dream come true for this fan.

My day started out with Rick Ross and MMG.  For those of you that don't know, MMG, stands for Maybach Music Group. 

After MMG, I saw D'Angelo again.  ****  I'd seen D'Angelo the week prior when he was in concert with Mary J. Blige.  D'Angelo's performance was shorter than the performance the week prior, but it was about the same with regard to tone and style.  The guy to my left said it perfectly, when he said, D'Angelo sounded like a mix of Prince and James Brown.

After D'Angelo, Passion Pit was on the main stage, and they definitely warmed the crowd up for Jay-Z.  Inflatable beach balls bounced around the general admission section (i.e. directly in front of the stage) and the energy of the crowd went up.

Each act, earlier in the day, was on for about an hour, but Jay-Z had 90 minutes.  If you want to see Jay-Z rock a show, by himself, for more than 90 minutes I suggest that you see him in concert.  This was a festival and with guests like Common and Kanye, etc. Jay-Z definitely shared his time on stage.

All in all, I had a great time on day 1 and couldn't wait for Pearl Jam on Day 2.

Oh, and for those of you that are curious, OF COURSE Kanye and Jay-Z ended the show "in Paris".

THE WIRK

Look out Hollywood ~ Extra work on the TV show "Do No Harm"

Keep an eye on the upcoming NBC show, "Do No Harm".  You just might see me in an episode.  I recently worked on the show as an extra, and I may have landed some camera time. 

If you're unfamiliar with the show, here's a link to the show's website. 

That's right ladies and gentleman, the count is now at 2 (i.e. for the number of TV shows I've worked on).

I don't want to go into any details about the scene I participated in, but I will let you know that Heery Casting handles the extra work for the show, which films in Philadelphia.

If you're heading to Philadelphia and looking to do some work as an extra, do a Google search and find out the details.  It never hurts to try!  Who knows.  You might get to work with Steven Pasquale, Alana De La Garza, and/or Phylicia Rashad.


THE WIRK 

Wirk deux Soleil ~ My 2nd trip to TSNY in DC

OK, so I went to my second class at Trapeze School New York (TSNY) in DC, and I continued to work on my knee-hangs.  It was tough to learn another trick, since so much time elapsed between classes, but I continued to work on my timing for a catch.

I'm not "there" yet, but I did attempt being caught twice.  I didn't reach my goal yet, but I'm definitely getting closer!

If you're curious about going and taking a class, maybe this will ease your fears.  In this particular class, there was a family of 4 (i.e. mom, dad, and a young boy and young girl), a father and his daughter (i.e. the father was in town visiting and took his first class), two guys who bought a Groupon or Living Social deal, a girl who used to go more regularly (i.e. but has subsequently been working overseas), and me.  We were a motley crew, but it was a great time! 

Enjoy the pictures.

THE WIRK

D'Angelo is back, let's hope he stays ~ Liberation Tour

In 2009, I saw Maxwell at the O2 Academy in Brixton, while overseas for work.  I sat next to a man named,Sam, and when he and I were talking (i.e. before Maxwell took the stage) the subject of D'Angelo came up.  Sam asked, "Where was D'Angelo?  What has/had he been doing?"  Well, numerous articles have been written on the subject of D'Angelo, and last night it was time to stop reading and listening to stories...  It was time to watch the man perform, so I ventured to Philadelphia.

With his new solo material, since 2000, D'Angelo entered The Mann amphitheater from the seats and walked to the stage to rock it.  At times, his sound was very "James Brown-ish".  D'Angelo looked as though he was enjoying his time in the spotlight during what I believe to be the first stop of the Liberation Tour with Mary J. Blige. 

From what I could tell, from talking to the people around me, I was in the minority.  I was there to see D'Angelo.  They were there to see Mary.  Don't get me wrong.  I like Mary, but I've seen her a bunch of times, so I wasn't as excited about seeing he as I was more curious as to what D'Angelo looked and sounded like.

He was smiling and looked fitter than the previous bloated pictures, I'd seen published years ago.  Ladies, I'll be honest with you.  I didn't see a "How Does it Feel" D'Angelo on stage, but I suspect that if he keeps on track and focused, he'll get there.

As I was watching the man perform, I couldn't help but think that I wanted the old D'Angelo.  I would've been more than happy to hear the "Brown Sugar" album, or at least "Alright" in the set list.  He sang, "Cruisin" and it was smoooooooth.  Yes, I threw in some extra "o's".  It was that good. 

I admit, I think I'm getting old.  I'm not a huge fan of previous material being rearranged or maybe a little over-produced.  At times, his hour on stage reminded me of Prince at 3121.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you better ask somebody (i.e. or at least Google it).  D'Angelo's set was funky, but I wanted smooth. 

During one of his numbers, the woman behind me said, "D'Angelo's one of those guys where you have to have to close your eyes to hear him."  Wow.  That's a statement.  D'Angelo's voice would've been sufficient but let's here it for job creation...  He had his background singers in tow, and at times I think they detracted from his "shine".  

 

As for me, I wish I could've been brave enough to close my eyes and groove ~ but I'll admit that I was too afraid that if I blinked, he'd be gone, and I'd have to wait more than a decade for the chance to see him again.

D'Angelo is back.  As a music lover and a fan of his talent, I hope he stays. 

My original post about the Maxwell show can be found here.  Originally, I thought this piece would be the "brother" (i.e. not sister, since these are men) blog to the piece I wrote in 2009.  The more I think about it, the comparison isn't fair at this time.  With as much time "off' as D'Angelo has taken, I think I'll save the in-depth analysis until I see and hear more.  As for hearing more, I'll do it again next weekend at Jay-Z's "Made in America" festival.

Stay tuned.


THE WIRK

Nats defeat the Braves, 5-4, after 13 innings

I caught the Atlanta Braves v Washington Nationals game on Monday August 20th.  I'd flown back from Singapore, thrown my bags in my apartment, and walked out the door to meet Kathy (aka the world's biggest Chipper Jones' fan) so we could head to the ballpark.

Comfortably seated about 4 rows behind the Braves' dugout, we noticed that they were postponing the start of the game for rain, so off to Ben's Chili Bowl we went.

As we waited by a condiments station for the rain to stop, we witnessed a man reach into the onions to put some on his hotdog.  COME ON, PEOPLE!  If you can't get the onions or any of the condiments to dispense, you DO NOT reach your hand into the ingredient(s).  So gross.

The Nats rookie, Bryce Harper, and the Braves veteran, Chipper Jones

Once the rain stopped and before the start of the game, we settled back into the seats.  Quickly the Nats took a 4-1 lead at the end of the 1st.  Kathy didn't seem worried.  After the amazing comeback from a 0-9 deficit (i.e. at least I think that's what it was) in the last game we attended, I'm sure Braves' fans everywhere weren't scared.

Yes, the Braves rallied and the game was tied at 4 after 5 innings.

In what seemed like a marathon game that ended after midnight (i.e. on a night when I had just flown 24 hours) it seems like everyone was exhausted.  The Nats' bullpen was exhausted, and I was exhausted.  I would've closed my eyes a bit, if I could've, but the thought of getting pegged by a foul ball was enough to keep me up and aware.  ****  Incidentally, the man on my left, picked up a foul ball that was hit our way, after the people in the rows behind us couldn't snag it! 

Nats celebrate Espinosa scoring and the win by a score of 5-4

Chipper Jones heading to the bullpen at the end of the game

It took 13 innings, but Chad Tracy hit a single and Danny Espinosa scored to put the Nats up 5-4.  The Nats earned the victory, and I snagged some great pictures!


THE WIRK

My day on the set of House of Cards ~ Hooray for HollyWirk

What do Gwyneth Paltrow, Annette Bening, and I all have in common?  We all worked with Kevin Spacey!  Yeah, yeah, yeah...  I know what you're thinking, and you're right.  They're big stars!  Well, there's plenty of room in this universe for everyone to shine, and I got my "sparkle on" on Friday in Baltimore.

Last Sunday I came to the conclusion that I wanted to be in a TV show or movie.  In 2009 I was chosen to be an extra for the movie, "Just Wright".  I couldn't work the three days though since work sent me to London.  For some reason, last weekend, I decided I wanted to try again.

On Sunday, I searched for casting agencies that were looking for background actors and submitted three former Facebook profile pictures, along with my age, weight, and sizes to them via E-mail.  I noted that I was non-union, and waited for a reply.

Sure enough on Monday, I got the call from Central Casting that I could work on Friday.  The show, "House of Cards" will star Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright.  It's being shot in DC and Maryland from what I can tell...

When the casting people called, originally I had a call time of 8PM, and I was "background with car".  Then I received another call asking if I could play a pedestrian.  Ultimately, I got a call around 9AM, saying that someone dropped out, and I was asked to report at 2PM and to drive my own car in the scene(s).  By the way, it pays extra if you're asked to use you car.  I'm not sure how the editing will eventually work out, but who knows...  You may see me and/or my car in the episode!


By 2PM, I had parked my car (i.e. per my instructions) in the garage and hopped in a white shuttle van to holding.  When I arrived at holding, I was told to repark my car on the set.  No problem.  I hopped back in the van and moved my car to the set.  Then I walked a couple of blocks back to holding, where I received my paperwork.  I met the other folks who were driving, and then we went to craft services to get some food before heading to the set.  I presume it's because of the long hours, but they call it breakfast.  There were hotdogs, hamburgers, fries, union rings, salad, fruit, etc.  We grabbed our food and we were off to the set.  


Eventually, I saw Kevin Spacey and other background workers on the set.  We, drivers, received walkie talkies so we could hear our cues to drive.  For about 3 hours, I drove a route and made u-turns.  I got to sit in my car, in a cool 66 degrees, while the background actors sweated it out in 90+ degree weather.  The crew passed out water bottles and that was a welcome treat!


I was in a prime position to watch Kevin Spacey get his make up touched up in between takes.  He had a fan to keep him cool while they were touching up his make-up, otherwise he would've melted like the other people who were outside!  


If you're an extra, you're not supposed to take pictures on the set or of the actors, so don't do it.  Trust me, it's not cool and other people were scolded for doing so.  You don't want that embarrassment.


At around 8, we wrapped and they brought out the pizza for us.  Some extras got upset when they tried to eat the sushi that was for the crew, and were told that it wasn't for them.  That's life people.  The crew needs to eat too, and they're probably union.  Some people just need to be happy that they're picked to be a part of the experience!


If you have the show biz bug and want to go "Hollywood" for a day, my best advice is GO FOR IT!!!




THE WIRK