(click the picture above for
the high definition
video - but also click
YouTubefor me!)
4:56 AM, Thursday,
October 16th, 2008:
That was a nice
cliffhanger for everyone, huh? Especially my mom. She
has this incredible knack for only reading entries
that will stress her out to no end. Saying I'm
homeless was perfect for that. What, a,
journey.
The day started at
2pm on train 1 of 2 going from Connecticut to
Manhattan to get the keys for the apartment I was
staying at the rest of the time. Incredibly, the
casting director I spoke of (whose name will no
longer be a mystery in a moment), was able to arrange
for me to be able to stay in Mid-Town Manhattan at her
father's apartment. I can still barely believe the
generosity of this woman. Then 2 trains to Hempstead
and a taxi to the debates, taxi back and 2 trains back
to Manhattan. Had some time to kill before the late
night train took off and called her back in LA to
thank her once again for whatever it was that I must
have done to receive this kindness. She then dropped a
bomb on me:
"Are you a
fan of the Sopranos?"
"Yeah I
was on an episode!"
"My dad
played Hesh"
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE"
I really, really
need to watch my language when talking to
professionals in the industry. LOL.
Hesh, not
some dude who gets whacked in an episode - a
guy who made it from pilot to finish and
someone I really loved on that show.
Strangely the show I did was his last
show and the scene when I crossed in front of
Tony (which was later cut) was the scene
where Tony "finds out" Hesh's wife was dead.
Another trip to New York, another series of
meetings with CBS, another Sopranos
connection (2006 was when I actually got to
be on the show).
I had no idea
until this moment that Laura Adler was Jerry Adler's
daughter. Sometimes it pays to not be a
google-stalker. :-) But I'm getting ahead of
myself...
After 2 more
trains and a subway... I finally get to the
aprtment at 3:15. Had every bit of equipment with me
and was ready to crash. I open the door, and it's
chained from the inside. (sigh). I go back to the
front desk somehow hoping it means anything but
someone being there to which he replies "unless the
dude jumped out the window, he's in there." He buzzes
the room, I go back and knock on the door and the
doorbell... nada. Call Laura back in LA, nothing. To
explain better, Jerry actually lives in Connecticut
and shares the apartment with another guy who was
supposed to be gone Wednesday morning. Clearly - he
wasn't. The guy at the front desk finally says: "Not
to add insult to injury, but you can't stay here." Now
3:30 am, all trains back to Connecticut are no longer
running... I gather all my shit and start -
walking...
I wanted nothing
more than to sit on a bench and just sleep for a bit,
but with this much equipment? Stupid. I knew for
safety reasons I had to keep moving. I start
walking, start chafing, and start to actually get a
little concerned. There isn't an all-night diner
anywhere to be found in Midtown, I ask any friendly
face I can find about a 24 hour diner - no one knows
(or can speak english) and no cabs. How the fuck are
there no cabs? Finally after nearly an hour of
walking, I find a diner - for
FUTURE REFERENCE: 55th just east of Lexington.
Sweet, sweet jesus.
So I fill up on
coffee, and start to put together the last entry on
the debate as I literally enter the twilight zone. To
this day, I haven't the slightest idea if the
last entry even makes sense. Around 8am I start
making calls and still nothing. Ugh. At 8:30 I start
walking back hoping whomever is in there is A) Alive
and B) Awake. I get there, he is - and he has no
clue who the hell I am. Thankfully, he lets me
come in, makes some calls for me, and everything gets
worked out.
So
what we're left with when the dust settles
is Adam, drinking coffee from a Sopranos
mug in Hesh's apartment loving every
second of it. I didn't get too nosy but
did spot some pics of Jerry on his message
board with Michael Douglas, Al Gore and
one shot from Jamie-Lynn Siegler's
wedding. So cool. And the space in the
apartment! This would be big in the
worst parts of Manhattan, but in
mid-town? Wow. Easily twice the size of
the hotels I stayed in a block away for
$700 a night when CBS would put me up.
Just, awesome. This was a favor of
unprecedented proportions for me and I
haven't the slightest idea how I will
repay it.
...and
the man has horsehead salt and pepper
shakers. LMAO. Now I don't know if this is
a direct nod to The Godfather - but I'm
going to believe it is. Yup, Hesh, the
jewish gangster has a good sense of humor
for sure. HAHAHA. <still shaking my
head> How bizarre is this turn of
events?
My sincere "awe"
at the turns in my life is still refreshing. The fact
that I can still get excited like little kid (or a
swearing sailor) when things like this happen really
are the key to allowing this to keep going. Is it more
professional not to make a big deal out of it because
he's just a fellow actor? Sure. But it isn't sincere.
And if you can't be sincerely excited about the magic
of this industry, it's time to leave. I am
sitting in a magic place in a magic town and I'm
excited about the meeting with CBS tomorrow. The
parallels to the 2006 NY trip are now overwhelming and
I'm giggly about it. Unprofessionally
giggly.
