(click the picture
above for the high definition
video - but also click
YouTube
for me!)
10:31 PM, Friday,
October 31st, 2008:
Happy freaking
Halloween indeed.
High School
theater was a big deal for those involved. Memories of
those days actually still bring up all sorts of
emotions 15 years later. When a few of us got together
for pizza in Chicago...
Tara's in the
center. Where she belongs.
:-)
...it was funny
how we were instantly back there bitching about so and
so, or revealing our own OCD issues about a part
we didn't get or some perceived injustice. Mike King,
that was mine. Ha.
However
none seemed greater at the time than the
underused Tara DeFrancisco.
I mentioned her a few months ago as a
fellow classmate that has continued to put
off "real life" like me and keeps pushin'
the dream - now with Second City. She is
and was hilarious and magnetic. She was a
student that you spotlight, highlight and
support. Yet, consistently, the directors
casting our shows ignored her. I don't
mean gave her the small parts, I mean
gave her one line. Just ludicrous as she
was arguably the "leader" of theater. It's
like the team captain sitting 12th on the
bench.
Of
course none of it matters now, we all
moved on and in Tara and my case - we
continued to perform and create. Tara is
touring with Second City and as I
mentioned in July, could easily be on
SNL.
...apparently the
producers agreed.
!!!
Last week SNL had
an emergency showcase because of Amy Poehler's
departure and she and 5 other Second City people were
invited. Huge, huge, huge and today... Tara got the
call. They are flying her to NYC Tuesday and she
has a final audition Wednesday with the producers to
show some characters. JUMP JUMP CRY BARF
OMFG.
After years of
struggling she's gotten a gigantic opportunity and she
will absolutely knock them dead. Maybe she should
knock 'em live? Heh. She is in her element and will
absolutely shine. Whether that means a cast member, a
featured player, a writer, another shot in the spring
or just an incredible connection and networking - it's
a WIN. She's in the game. It's akin to what happened
for me with CBS in 2006. It turned into 3 million
people seeing me each week, the magic of The Price is
Right and Young & Restless, and a shitload of
contacts... but not necessarily a home-run. Still
trying to work on that of course... but Tara is in a
farrrrrr greater position to knock that ball out of
the park because it's such an extremely focused
opportunity. As well, she's in a game with extremely
focused people running it. As well, SNL is now
arguably as big as it's been in 15 years and the
timing is the definition of perfect. HELL.
YES.
The inspirational
level for this story is off the charts for me. The
universal high school aspect which resides in all of
us to some degree is just poetic, but obviously it's
so much more than that. It's the same as when my
photographer friend Chad got the cover of Time
Magazine this summer. All 3 of us got to stages of
being burnt out (multiple times) to the point of
giving up and we didn't. It's one thing to go for it
in your early 20s, it's a completely different thing
to keep it going for over 10 years and believe until
you can barely stand up. This is Tara's moment and
I am praying with all my heart for one of the
best Wednesdays of my life. If I can say
President Elect Barack Obama and SNL's Tara
DeFrancisco... just wow.
Let me also say
that although I'm a big fan of "the egg", I don't
want to count someone else's chickens before they
hatch... so know that there's several outcomes next
week and all of them are positive. Getting this call
will change her entire life no matter what... we all
just want it to change in the best possible way. :-)
There's actually a bit more to this story that at the
moment I'm not able to divulge - but Tara really went
above and beyond for me awhile back and
I promised her I'd write about it. Heh, she gave
me "Hey, where's MY entry buddy?" and I'm like
"I KNOW..." but it's just too convuluted at the
moment to bring up. You'll all understand
soon...
