More Random Things

I need to come up with a better title for when I have these posts that are conglomerations of several thoughts....

Do you think "Kath & Kim" deserves to be on the air? I'm not sure. It has it's occasionally funny moments but the main characters are really unlikeable. I love Molly Shannon and Selma Blair but not this show. The season finale was on last night and I don't really care if it comes back or not. I only watch it because it's wedged between "My Name is Earl" and "The Office" (which is probably why most people watch it.) I'm going to check out episodes of the original Australian version to see if it's any funnier. But if it's cancelled I won't cry.

I had some strange dreams last night. In one, which took place in that hard-to-identify-because-it's-a-dream time period of 'war' (my clothes screamed 1930's but WWII was later than that, but again, it's hard to criticise a dream for being anachronistic) I was held in Imperialist China as a POW and forced to work as a courtesan for Chinese and foreign dignitaries. I used my position to spy for 'our' side (again, not sure who that is but since I was clearly a good guy then I was spying for the good guys, right?). I had grown jaded and bitter and no longer cared for my own life or safety, which the guards knew and they then used my fellow POW's as leverage to keep me in line. An American official tried to convince me to escape but I knew they would kill my friend Lily who was still innocent and naive. That's where I woke up. But in the dream I could sing and got to wear these incredible gowns while I sang for the men.

In the other dream I was in a wedding (see how this darn wedding is even permeating my sleep?!?) which took place at the airport. But for some reason the wedding party went through security while the guests were on the other side, so that when we finished the ceremony the wedding party had to go all the way around the airport to get back to the guests for the reception. (Because you can't just turn around at security, at least not in my dream.) I agree, it's a strange and demented dream.

I love Ross. We took The Graminator there to look for dresses for the wedding activities. We found two dresses that were just right. One is a bold patterned black and green that she fell in love with that she can wear to the shower and rehearsal dinner. The other is a cream colored with large pink flowers and green leaves in a muted pattern that is so perfect for the wedding I can hardly believe it. If I said to you, "picture a dress for a grandmother of the groom at a spring outdoor wedding", I swear you would picture this exact dress. And the total for both dresses? Forty dollars. My mom got a great little khaki shirtwaist for less than twelve bucks and also got two framed prints that will hopefully go with the new decor in the living room. I didn't find anything so I'll have to go shopping another day.

Jacques Pepin is amazing. Did you know he used to work at Howard Johnson's? I got his book "More Fast Food My Way" at the library and it has some really neat recipes. I made one last night that was a pan fried fish coated with, get this, french fried onions. Yup, those ones in a can that you put on top of green bean casserole. I have always been opposed to the canned fried onion but I had to try Jacques' recipe. You grind the onions in a food processor and use the 'crumbs' to coat the fish fillets. I added a bit of fresh bread crumbs because the onions were a bit, well, greasy. But it turned out delicious. Light and onion-y but not overwhelmingly so and nicely crisp even though you just pan fry them (they could easily be baked too.) I served them with Pepin potatoes, which is a Rachel Ray recipe based on one from Jacques' childhood. You basically steam little baby potatoes in chicken broth then once the broth is absorbed you smush the potatoes just a bit (you aren't mashing them, just flattening them a little) and then let them crisp in the pan. They are so yummy, you can't imagine but you have to cook them longer than her recipe calls for. (You can get her recipe on the Food Network website.) I also made some jalapeno tartar sauce to top the fish and green beans on the side. Even The Graminator cleaned her plate.

Speaking of Food Network, did you know that Guy Fieri (host of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" and star of those annoying TGI Friday's commercials) went to UNLV? He graduated a few years ahead of me, which I didn't know until I got his cookbook at the library. One of the 'dives' in his book is the Four Kegs bar that's about two minutes from my house and we have been going there forever (seriously, I went there with my Girl Scout troop for cryin' out loud.) He reminisces about going there during college to watch sports games and eat stromboli. The stomboli there is good and the Kegs is pretty famous for it, but we go there for what my friend Chan coined as "grease-fest". We order the chicken fingers, fried mushrooms, stuffed jalapenos and Cajun fries. Yes, you need to bring your own defibrillator, especially when you order extra ranch to go with it all. The Cajun fries are awesome, they are actually just fries that they douse with the hot wing sauce and you need to turn your head when they first come to the table or the vinegar and hot sauce smell could knock you out. But once you dig in, you will be addicted. They haven't remodeled the place in, well, ever. They redid the outside about ten years ago and we were excited to go in and see what they did inside. We went and...nothing. Same worn Formica tables and old carpeting. They serve your food in baskets with Styrofoam plates and cheap (but metal) silverware. The waitresses have been there since the Earth's crust cooled. But the draft beer is served in these chilled goblets that make the beer so wonderful in the hot summertime. We haven't done 'grease-fest' in a long time because the place isn't all that wheelchair friendly for The Graminator, so I miss it. And I like Guy Fieri just a tiny bit more now (but he can still work a nerve with his over-the-top style.)

Okay, enough ramblings for now. Have a great weekend Loyal Readers. Hopefully next week you will find more insightful commentary on this blog (but I wouldn't count on it!)

I'm Going to Be a SUPERSTAR!

(I hope when you read the title of this post, you got the mental image of Molly Shannon doing her character of Mary Katherine Gallagher from SNL)

Okay, maybe not a SUPERSTAR. But I did get offered my first major role in a feature film. My frequent collaborator and film mentor Kelly Schwarze has written a very funny comedy and offered me one of the leading roles (actually, he wrote the part with me in mind.) I can't give the story away but for those who love movies like "Office Space", this will be your kind of film. I read the script over the weekend and it made me laugh out loud. I can't wait to get started on this. We should start pre-production in February and filming after we wrap on "Vegas Schmegas" (we will finish re-shoots on that in March.)

Kelly decided that it was time to get back to just having fun, instead of worrying about commercial success (which hasn't really come with any of his previous feature films, although you can get one of his movies on Netflix, which to me is some sort of success even if there isn't any money in it). What's interesting to me is that I was thinking the same thing at the same time when I had a great idea for the movie that I'm currently writing. We both pitched our script ideas to one another the same day but Kelly got his done first. So if we can pull it all together we will make two feature films this year. (Mine will be financed mostly on credit cards, a la "Clerks".) Best of all, these films are really about getting our friends together and making a fun film, which is what I loved so much about "Supermodels", the love and generosity of time that everyone gave and the great time we had doing it.

Which got me to thinking about killing myself. No, not the way you think. See, when I write and direct I do it as Shae Wilhite. But when I do stand up I do it as Shae Denin (you can read why here). But which name would I act under? I guess Wilhite because that's what my IMDB profile is under and it would be simpler. But I loved being Shae Denin and there were a few years where that's really how I thought of myself. But now I think it's time to integrate my personalities and just be Shae Wilhite. I may use Denin occasionally when I do stand up but only with producers who already know me that way, for everything else I'll just be plain old me. I'll miss being Miss Denin though. She was a heck of a lot of fun.

Now I have to finish the script I'm working on so we can put it into production when we get finished with Kelly's film. And I have to start writing my acceptance speech for when I win all of those awards. "I'd like to thank the Academy for this award...and for making me a SUPERSTAR!"