Since my last update, I've gone to see Jersey Boys two more times. First was on my 18th birthday. It was amazing as usual! I didn't get to see Chris Jones as Frankie, and not Jarrod either - I saw the understudy, Rick Faugno. He was great. I sat front row center again... met some cool people in the rush line. Michael Ingersoll noticed me in the audience and kept winking towards my general direction... and at the end of the show he pointed at me. =) I had told a few of the cast members that I would be coming that day and that it was my birthday, so I waited outside the stage door to say hello. I was really surprised that there were only two other people waiting for them to come out... all the other times I've there have been crowds of people. Needless to say, when Deven came out he immediately saw me and said, "Happy Birthday!!" which was followed by a hug and a kiss on the cheek. =) I was so surprised that he remembered! When Michael and Erich came out, Deven told them it was my birthday, so I got many more birthday wishes. They kindly took a group picture with me before heading out for the night. I can't think of a better way to have spent my birthday!

I went again a week later, this time to take a friend who had never seen the show before. We lucked out and got 2 of the last 3 rush seats available. It was funny, when we went to the theater about 20 minutes before the show started, an usher was helping people find their seats, but when she saw my ticket she was like, "Oh, you already know where to go!" Haha. I sat in the last seat in the front row while my friend sat off to the side in row C so she could see the entire stage. I finally got to see the original national tour cast! I was pretty happy. At the end of "Walk Like a Man", someone threw a red bra on stage. It was hilarious. The guys were laughing, and Deven picked it up, winked at the audience, and tucked it away into his jacket pocket. Erich's next line, "Well, that's the hat trick", got much more laughter than usual. It was great. I've reached the point where I can recognize all three Jersey Girls on stage, even in wigs and makeup. And I've almost memorized the entire show. I'm geting there! =) At the finale when everyone in the audience was giving a standing ovation, I was standing right in front of Michael and he winked at me; I told him I'd be coming so he recognized me. Hehe. At the stage door, I finally met Melissa Strom, who is a complete sweetheart. She recognized me from myspace, since I've messaged her in the past thanking her for such wonderful performances. I never caught her at the stagedoor until this time around, though. Erich left pretty quickly, so I only got to say hello to him before he tried to navigate through the crowds. I saw Deven next, so I went over to say hi and introduce him to my friend. He thanked me for sending him the picture we took the week before, and I told him how much I liked the backstage tour he did for Broadway.com. He was so appreciative as usual. Michael came out next - he knows my name now! Hehe, he thanked me for the picture as well. I gave him some goodies for him and the rest of the cast, and he gave me a hug before going backstage to put them away. Annette managed to find me, and it was wonderful seeing her again after almost a year! The last time I saw her was when Anthony Rapp was in SF in May. We waited a little for Chris to come out... he's such a nice guy. He kindly answered everyone's questions, since a whole crowd of people circled him the minute he stepped out of the alleyway. He kindly took a picture with me, afterwhich I slipped away so other people could talk to him. As we were about to leave, we ran into one of the guys we met in the rush line the week before outside the theater, which was pretty awesome. We walked together a few blocks just talking about the show. I hope we run into him again one of these days.

I love the San Francisco cast of Jersey Boys. I think when it really comes down to it, the reason why I keep going to see the show is because of the cast. I've talked to so many of them that I would consider a few of them my friends, and the people I meet in the rush lines are amazing. I'm going to be really sad when the cast moves down to LA.

That is all for now. Another entry later about Legally Blonde.

I saw Jersey Boys for the second time on Saturday... but this time, instead of being in the second row of the loge, I was in the front row, center orchestra. =) I waited in line for two hours to get those tickets... only $25 each! It was really fun talking to the other Broadway fans in line. One guy said it was his third time doing rush tickets for JB... heh heh. I think I was the youngest person in line. There were only about 15 tickets, so a lot of people didn't get seats... since I was the 5th person in line, I had no problem at all.

Being so close to the stage was absolutely amazing. I have no words for how it felt. I was so close to all the actors; I could see their facial expressions and I could feel the vibrations from the music. I was literally 3 feet away from the actors when they stood at the edge of the stage. When the show started I was smiling like crazy, and I was basically smiling the entire time. I almost started crying because I was so happy. I saw Jarrod as Frankie Valli again, as opposed to Christopher. I still can't believe I was up so close... the whole show went by too quickly. At one point, when the Four Seasons are singing in a line at the edge of the stage, Michael (Nick Massi) winked at all of us in the front row. Hehe. At the end of the show when everyone stood up to applaud, I felt even closer to the stage. AHH it was so wonderful. The cast really is amazing.

I stage doored again, and this time I got to talk to all four of them - Jarrod, Michael, Deven, and Erich. Last time I missed Deven. They were all so sweet, and I got pics with them again... Michael got excited when I told him I was in the front row, and he said I should come back a 3rd time and wave at him. Haha.

I really hope I'll be able to go again before it leaves. If you get a chance, you should see it. It will make you cry, laugh, and smile all at the same time. You will love it. I'm sure of it.

Oh, what a night!

I can now proudly say that after four years, I finally gathered the courage to audition for the school musical. I've wanted to ever since freshman year but was always too terrified, but now I can say that I've auditioned.

During my singing audition, Joe and Chacon told me I sounded good, and Joe told me I had good pitch.. he even asked me why I had never auditioned before. Even though my voice cracked a lot out of nervousness, I think I did pretty well for my first audition. I'm positive I did well in the dance audition; for me it was pretty easy, and I think I pretty much nailed it... someone I didn't know came up to me and told me that "I rock." The choreographer had me do pirouettes and fouettes at the end of the audition, but I think my fouettes kind of sucked. Oh well.

I'm proud of myself for auditioning. Every time I saw a musical, I itched to be up on stage with the other performers, singing and dancing my heart out. Even if I don't make the final cut, I learned a lot from auditioning. It was my first time ever singing solo in front of other people, and I thought I'd never do that in my entire life. I also became closer to a few of my friends who also auditioned, and I really enjoyed practicing with them... I even spent like, an hour sitting in my car with one of my friends and we just talked for about half the time, which we haven't done in awhile.

So, thank you, everyone, for your support. Now, this... this is what I did for love.

ROMA is amazing. The moment I fell in love with the city was when I first saw Piazza Navona; it was stunning. The Pantheon was really impressive, and I'm sad that it was closed when we were there. We went to the Vatican Museum, and everything was so beautiful. There was a ceiling that was completely flat, but the way it was painted made it appear 3D. The Sistine Chapel was amazing, and in order for preservation purposes we weren't allowed to take any pictures. St. Peter's Basilica was huge, and there was so much to see. The Colosseum was awesome, but the line was really long to go inside so we didn't get a chance to go. There are ruins everywhere, and I wish we had more time to look at everything more in depth. When we went to the Spanish Steps a whole bunch of tourists were sitting on them so I couldn't get a nice picture. Darn it.

VENICE was gorgeous. The gondola ride was a lot of fun, even though our gondolier didn't serenade us. Haha. The whole city is beautiful, especially at night. They even have canal lights instead of street lights to regulate traffic. Venetian glass is absolutely beautiful, but REALLY expensive... we went to a glass blowing demonstration, and the master made a vase in just about 2 or 3 minutes. The Doge's Palace was really elaborate, and we saw the prison where Cassanova was enslaved apparently.

LAKE GARDA was pretty, but in my opinion we could have skipped the Lake and spent more time in Venice or Florence instead. Our hotel was really close to the lake, so in the morning we walked down to the shore. It reminded me a lot of Lake Tahoe.

FLORENCE was wonderful. Florence specializes in gold and leather, so we went to demonstrations for those too. Pictures of the statue of David do not do it justice. In real life, it is absolutely amazing. The sculpture almost seems to come to life. Most pictures do not show all angles of David, so you can't actually see the movement in the muscles. Next to the original David, the copy doesn't even compare.

Europe in general is a lot more expensive than the States... for example, a gallon of gas costs about $8. Italian men are really friendly and charming, so watch out ladies! =P I had an experience or two with friendly guys.. haha. It was interesting. But I do admit, it was nice seeing guys wearing pants that actually FIT them and weren't falling down to their knees all the time. The gelato was delicious and I ate it just about everyday. I love Italia, and I really miss it. =( Our tour director was amazing, and our bus driver was so adorable... he couldn't pick us up one night because he had a date at the disco. Haha. =) Grazie, Antonio e Antonio! (They were both named Antonio)

I'm back from Italia. Not enough time for an update since it'll be long, but here are some pictures to start...

Roma: Colosseo

Venezia

Lake Garda

Firenze

Group Photo: Dad, Jennifer, Me, Antonio (Tour Director), Mom, Antonio (Bus Driver)

Ok, so I never got around to the update I said I would write.. but for now...

I saw A Chorus Line Wednesday night at the Curran. It was amazing... I loved it. Charlotte d'Amboise was great as Cassie, and I'm sad I didn't get a chance to meet her after the show; she left pretty hastily. I did get a chance to meet six of the other cast members, though. In the beginning of the show, they did a ballet combination which was quite amusing to watch. But yes, I'm very glad I decided to go. Next... Jersey Boys! =)

Going to the Death Cab for Cutie concert tonight at the Greek.. first concert in a looong time, first one since those Backstreet Boys and NSYNC days, haha. Isn't that sad? Well, I did go to Anthony's acoustic gig, but I don't know if that counts as a full concert.

Tomorrow, we leave for Italia! Very excited. =) We're going to Rome, Florence, Venice, and Lake Garda... I'll be gone for 8 days, but 2 of those days are mostly travelling, so I'll be in Italy for about 6 days. I'll miss orientation, so I won't get to see everyone until school starts...

Good luck to everyone on summer assignments! Goodness knows I'll need it. xP

The ABA sleepover was a success. There were a lot of girls, and it definately wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be! It was so sweet though, as soon as I walked in the door a lot of girls came running up to me to give me a hug. =) Maya went with me as well, and we pigged out on fruit and Teddy Grahams, heh heh. After the younger girls went to sleep, we watched Napolean Dynamite, which is the most stupid and pointless movie ever. We had to wake up at 7:30am to move out of the big studio since Jazzercise started at 8. About 3/4 of the girls spilled their cereal, so we were constantly cleaning up after them... watched Cheaper by the Dozen as we waited for the girls to be picked up. Maya and I stayed around for awhile and talked to Abra and Gail, which was nice. Afterwards my dad took us to Fentons and we had a Banana Special... 3 lbs of ice cream... so good but so big!

Maya's gone now. She flew back to Hong Kong on Monday, and now she's in Bahrain. It was so sad when we dropped her off at the airport.. although it is comforting knowing I'll see her in a year. Maybe less if my parents let me go to Bahrain... hehe. =P

Dance camp started this week. Monday through Friday, 10am-5pm. So tiring... but so much fun. Besides ballet, we've also done hiphop/jazz, modern, salsa, voice, and drama. I'm liking camp a lot better this year, even though we're not doing polynesian or bellydancing. I really like the ballet repetoire we're doing. We're singing "Behind These Hazel Eyes" and "Bad Day"... I wish we were singing songs from musicals or something.. oh well.

I saw RENT yesterday at the Golden Gate!! Second row center orchestra!!!! I absolutely loved it. I could see the actors' facial expressions and everything. I was surprised how much Jed sounds like Anthony... Bryce didn't really seem very into his performance until the second act, but he still did a good job. Tracy and Chante were amazing.... they're so powerful! Tracy's rendition of "Over the Moon" was hilarious. The crowd went wild when she said "Moo with me." Ano and Warren were awesome as well; Ano's "Today 4 U" was great! And Warren sang with so much emotion during "I'll Cover You Reprise." "Take Me or Leave Me" was amazing as well. I have to admit I prefer Anthony's spazz dancing over Jed's more mild dancing, but Jed was still amazing anyway. I can see why a lot of people don't like Arianda though... her voice was weak at times, but I loved her anyway. I teared up so much throughout the show, and I'm so glad I got to experience it so close up. As soon as the actors came on stage the audience burst into applause. I stage doored after the show, and I got pictures with Tracy, Chante, and Warren and got them to sign my playbill. Jed, Arianda, Bryce, and Ano came out as well but they all seemed in a hurry to leave so I didn't want to bother them. NO DAY BUT TODAY!

More later. =)

Name 10 of your favorite Broadway shows

1. RENT
2. Wicked
3. Les Miserables
4. Avenue Q
5. Phantom of the Opera
6. Jersey Boys
7. The Lion King
8. A Chorus Line
9. Chicago
10. Drowsey Chaperone

Have you ever seen these shows live? If so, where?

1. not yet, july 29!!
2. yes, SF (twice)
3. yes, SF (twice)
4. yes, broadway
5. yes, SF (twice)
6. no
7. yes, SF
8. not yet, august 8!!
9. no
10. no

What's your favorite song from play 2?
For Good

What's your favorite scene from play 5?
Masquerade

What's your favorite lyric from play 8?
"Everything was beautiful at the ballet"

From play 10, which character are you most like?
Hmm.....

Can you quote every line from play 1?
Yes. =) Well, 99%...

How many times have you seen play 3?
Twice.

If you could be anyone from play 6, who would it be?
Hm, well, I'd probably be in ensemble since the musical is about the Four Seasons...

What's your favorite song from play 7?
"Can You Feel the Love Tonight"

What's your favorite quote from play 9?
"razzle dazzle"

Out of all these plays, which one is your absolute favorite?
Ahh... can't decide... RENT, Wicked, or Avenue Q...

Who's the best Broadway actor?
Uhm uhm uhm... Anthony or Adam!

Who's the best Broadway actress?
Uhm uhm uhm... Kendra Kassebaum!

What's the best musical they turned into a movie?
RENT

Is there a musical you DON'T like?
Cats

If so, which one? Why?
I don't know... it just didn't do it for me.

Do you think the movie versions are better, or the original Broadway plays?
It really depends... although I personally prefer live performances.

This or That:

The Producers or RENT - RENT

Wicked or Chicago - Wicked

Fiddler on the Roof or Oklahoma - Fiddler!

Thoroughly Modern Millie or 42nd Street - haven't seen either of them

Hairspray or Grease - Hairspray

What a week... every day except for Thursday I helped teach at a beginning ballet camp. The girls improved a lot, and I'm really proud of them, although some of them were REALLY annoying. Most of them were pretty cute though. =) During their lunch time one day Alexandra called out to me, "Miss Ariana, who's YOUR boyfriend?!" Haha. She also dubbed me "her Ariana." Haha. Tonight was their showcase of the things they learned this week, and it went pretty well. Afterwards two of the girls gave me flowers... =) Ah I'm going to miss them. Well, most of them. =P

Thursday was senior portraits!! My mom got a tad lost getting there even though she's driven there twice before... heh heh. I did my ballet pics first, and I hope they turn out nicely. The background is really pretty. =) Then did drape and cap and gown... I remember when I was little I used to think that for the drape you get to wear a really pretty gown and everything. Haha. I like how my drape pics came out, and I was really surprised that I got to choose my yearbook picture right then... they didn't have that technology 3 years ago when my sister took hers!

I saw The Devil Wears Prada today. It was ok, wasn't bad but could've been better. I don't know, from what I heard from other people I expected it to be a lot better than it actually was. Oh well. It was still a good movie. I was happy because for the parking lot I got a 3 hours validation from the movie theater, and I clocked out after 2 hours 59 minutes! Haha, and I didn't even plan it that way either.

I'm really tired and I should have gotten more summer homework done this week than I actually did, but hopefully I'll be able to do more once SAT class is over.. last class is Monday! But I have to take a practice one tomorrow, so I should get to sleep since I'm really sleepy... good night!

Friday I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. We got to the theater 45 minutes early and got basically the best seats in the theater. =D To pass the time before the movie started, my friend and I pigged out on PotC M&Ms, which are very good by the way. Everyone started cheering when the movie started, and there was more cheering when Captain Jack made his first appearance. In my opinion some of the scenes in the movie could have been shortened, and some of the stuff was a little pointless. I liked the first movie better, but this one was still really good. The producers set it up so it leads directly to the third movie instead of it being its own little story like the first one. There's a major cliffhanger at the end... and make sure you stay until the end of the credits. =P

On the fourth of July I saw Superman Returns. It was a pretty good movie, and now I want to watch all the older Superman movies... heh heh. You know what's cool? My friend's mom is cousins with Kate Bosworth, the actress who portrays Lois Lane. Pretty awesome, huh?

Yesterday I had to take a practice SAT from 9-1... uggh. And then community service at the library for two hours.... at least it made me do my homework. Heh heh.

Senior portraits next week. My mom says I'm only allowed to do two different poses, and one has to be cap and gown. And then there's the mandatory yearbook one, so I guess it's all laid out for me... although I kind of want to take a boa one... hmm. But for cap and gown I'm thinking of wearing my pointe shoes... like, do the pose where you're on the ground, but instead of the cap being on my feet I'll wear it and have my pointe shoes on instead... thoughts?

I hope everyone's enjoying summer. It's finally starting to get warm again!! =)