I Moved to Omaha

A cash mob event at a local grocery store. News cameras were there, so we made sure to do our best background acting.

IT'S BEEN 27 DAYS SINCE I moved to Omaha, Nebraska, from Hollywood, California, and despite completing all those chores that come with moving -- finding an apartment, setting up internet, utilities, buying groceries, blah blah blah -- Bunny and I have hit the ground running in a bunch of other ways, too.

So far we've been on the news, doing what we do best as professional background actors. We were really great in that scene in the grocery store. And we've been in a couple of parades already, too. One for the Grito de Delores celebration in South Omaha and another in Downtown Omaha for Rivercity Roundup. Tonight I'll be putting makeup on a couple of my girl friends for a zombie beauty contest in Benson.

Oh -- and I smelled William Thompson's dismembered scalp. So, keeping busy!

I may not be updating on this blog very often, but I've started a new one that I think you might enjoy. It's called Dispatch:OMAHA and it's photo heavy and reading light. Don't miss that post about the scalp because it's a good one. Bunny and I are also doing a weekly podcast called Omaha Party and we'd love you to have a listen.

Please follow and enjoy!

Things You Can Do in Hollywood

Visit Bugs and Bugsy.

Things You Can Do in Hollywood

 

See an original pair of ruby slippers and visit Toto's grave.

Hollywood Museum

A trip to the Hollywood Museum! This building used to be the Max Factor makeup shop and factory. The main floor is still devoted to Max Factor, with displays of adorable makeup containers as well as rooms devoted to "Redheads Only" like Lucille Ball, "Blondes Only" like Marylin Monroe, and "Brownettes Only" like Judy Garland.

The second and third floors are a hodge-podge of collections, along with a special Marylin Monroe exhibit. The basement is devoted to horror, adventure, and cult films. Hannibal Lector's cell is down there, too.

My favorite part of the museum was visiting Roddy McDowall's bathroom! That's right, they have it on the second floor decorated just as it was when it was in his house. Everybody who was anybody in Hollywood used that bathroom, as Roddy was just as famous for his parties as he was for being in the movies.

Los Angeles Outings July 1-5

 

Wattles Mansion and Park Mac Arthur Park Lake Botegga Louie Los Angeles Central Library

Hollywood Outing 7.7.12

Walked just over five miles on this gorgeous summer day.
Pomegranate tree at Wattles Farm.
Artichoke spinach dip and pizza at California Pizza Kitchen.
Mashti Malone rose flavored ice cream.
Spices at Brooklyn Street Market.

Your Hollywood Friends and Neighbors

Bunny and I have started a podcast called Your Hollywood Friends and Neighbors. We talk all about our bizarre Hollywood experiences; you better believe we won't be running out of material any time soon!

Like good friends and neighbors do, we invite you into our neighborhood through our podcast and give you the inside scoop on the stuff nobody else talks about, and we even give advice in our Truth Slap segment. And, of course, we introduce you to new friends and neighbors in every episode.

Need some (un)helpful advice from Your Hollywood Friends and Neighbors? Get in touch with us on facebook, ask us a question on Twitter with the tag #hfan. And if you can't fit your question into 140 characters, email us at hfan@bunnyandcoco.com

Remember: we live in Hollywood so you don't have to.

Enjoy!

We Live in Hollywood So You Don't Have To!

Bunny and I have started another project detailing our raucous Hollywood experiences. Have a listen to our brand new podcast, Your Hollywood Friends and Neighbors!  

 

Episode 1 is now on iTunes

 

In this episode we talk about a couple of Hollywood parties (and a weird experience Bunny had), an unwelcome neighbor, and other show biz dirt. We also help out a friend — as good friends and neighbors do — in our advice segment Truth Slap!

 Enjoy, and be sure to share with your friends and neighbors :)

A Week of Parties

Hopefully soon I will be able to title every blog post I write with that title up there.

One of my new Los Angeles friends is a huge movie buff. I guess that's not too surprising -- everyone out here is a movie buff to some degree. But Julia is a rather well-known movie buff. She works at a favorite theater of mine called The New Beverly Cinema, which is always having special events and midnight screenings and the craziest double features. So when someone like Julia has a birthday party and throws an invite your way, it'd be a mistake not to show up for it.

Rainbow cake with sprinkles!

She had her birthday party at the theater and invited about 50 of her closest friends to watch almost 2 hours worth of movie trailers -- both totally off the wall and familiar ones. When the lights dimmed, we all hushed our voices until Julia shouted something like, "You can talk!" from her spot in the front row. The viewing came to an end after an episode of The Monkees on 35mm.

After that? Pizza and cake, of course.


The next day, Bunny headed out to the premiere of American Reunion at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. I was lucky enough that he was able to wrangle an extra ticket to the after party. Across the street, the Roosevelt Hotel's main floor lobbies were decorated like a high school class reunion, complete with balloons, photo booths, and a DJ. If only all class reunions had an open bar like the one that night -- maybe I'd start going to mine.

Strolled by all of the cast members, but I couldn't walk by Jennifer Coolidge without saying hello. We talked about New Orleans (she's a current resident, I'm a past resident) and her role in Port of Call: New Orleans, among other things. She was crazy about how Bunny and I were dressed and asked to get her picture with us before we could ask to get our photo with her! Here's hoping she actually made us the wallpaper on her cracked iPhone screen.

The movie's costume designer, Mona May (she also costumed Clueless, among many other films) stopped me in my tracks to compliment me on my wardrobe as well. It was finally my chance to compliment her monster fur jacket and sequined dress! We talked about sunscreen and protecting our hands from the elements. Mona, if you're reading, how can I get a pair of your adorable fingerless leather gloves?

Bunny and I danced a couple of songs before saying hi to Eugene Levy, then we headed up to the Spare Room, a tiny bar with two bowling lanes on the second floor. Shortly after that we headed back downstairs. All of the guests had left, except for four young adults who were trying to get permission to take home a giant tinsel palm tree.

Wednesday Bunny and I headed to Warner Bros. studios to see a taping of Two and a Half Men. Our friend Abbie made an appearance on the show as Jake's girlfriend, so we were thrilled to be able to see her at work. When the show wrapped, we headed down onto the set, and we quickly sniffed out another open bar. And another delicious buffet.

Welcome to our TV kitchen! Stay a while!

I dressed a baked potato for myself, but didn't have time to eat it before we headed out a back door and stopped face to face with Ashton Kutcher's massive double-decker trailer. My baked potato teetered on the tiniest plastic plate I was carrying, and I had horrible visions of tossing the damn thing right onto the floor of his trailer. I was so preoccupied with making sure I didn't spill the potato, that I barely looked up the couple of times Mr. Kutcher brushed passed me. Way to go. Live and learn, and remember I am much more comfortable holding a glass than a plate.

Oh, did you see me on Criminal Minds last Wednesday? If not, check out the episode entitled Foundation. It's available online. I play Sam's Sick Mom. Believe it or not, it was the funnest day at work ever.

Showgirls 2, Community, and Revenge

There are a million good reasons to move to Los Angeles. The weather (or lack thereof), the scenery, and, if it's your thing, particularly easy access to the entertainment industry. As I've written in previous posts, it's hard to go anywhere in L.A. without spotting a film, tv, or fashion shoot, if not movie premieres or walk-of-fame ceremonies.

Bunny, Coco, and Richard Lawson

One of the most fun activities I've been doing since I've moved here is going to double features of kung-fu and blaxploitation movies at the New Beverly Cinema. At the showing of Black Fist, the star, Richard Lawson, unexpectedly showed up to watch the movie too. He was nice enough to talk about the movie beforehand, and do a Q&A afterward.

Not only are there screenings of older cult classics, but brand new ones as well. Such as Rena Riffel's Showgirls 2: Penny's From Heaven. It's her sequel to the movies Showgirls and Mulholland Dr. (she played secondary characters in both films).  I saw this at Silent Movie Theatre, and it was an absolute riot. Miss Riffel, as far as I can tell, is a comic genius.

Bunny, Rena Riffel, and Coco

Cast members, director, creator, and writers of Community came together at the Saban theater on March 3 as part of something called PaleyFest.

Cast of Community at PalyFest2012

Bunny and I went along with a friend from out of town and it was quite entertaining. We got to watch a brand new episode before the cast came out and spoke about all aspects of being involved with the show. From their rapport onstage, it's easy to see how much fun they must have on set.

Did you watch Revenge on 02/29/2012? The episode is titled Scandal (you can watch online) and I make a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance as a photojournalist.

Secret Lanes, The Perfect Bloody Mary, and Underwear Piñatas

Bloody Mary at Cole's

WELL, I SEE WHERE YOUNG HOLLYWOOD GOES to ring in the wee hours of the weekend, which, like everywhere, now begins on Thursday. They're at the Roosevelt Hotel, which has about as many bars as it does rooms, including one secretive spot called the Spare Room, named for its two bowling lanes. Managed to talk my way in with the warning to make reservations next time. A tall chalkboard listing dozens of cocktails was on the wall and adorable ladies were tending bar. It was too crowded to compromise my cocktail in favor of taking out my camera, so I stood with Bunny and a neighbor friend -- rather, we danced in close quarters to a live band playing Amy Winehouse covers -- before we realized we should start looking for a hot tub. Unfortunately that plan didn't pan out.

SATURDAY I VISITED COLE'S IN DOWNTOWN L.A. I ordered a small pork french dip which, in a word, was scrumptious. Couldn't pass up ordering a bloody mary, on special for $7. I won't hesitate to say it's the best I've ever had. Better than the one I had at New York's St. Regis hotel, which reputedly invented the thing. Cole's is a wall of bloody mary held up with a beam of celery (and one of their signature Atomic Pickles). But what made me want to keep gulping was their combination of peppery spices around the rim and at the bottom of the large glass. There wasn't a hint of the mixture being diluted, either. What came to mind, oddly, was that of drinking a steak. That's how savory the bloody is at Cole's.

JUST AROUND THE CORNER from Cole's is a hugely fun part of downtown, reminiscent of the hodge-podge of shops that can be found, say, in Jackson Heights (forgive yet another NY reference). There is everything from underwear to piñatas (I've suddenly just had a great idea there...), blankets, purses, beauty supplies, clothes, and best of all, street food.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT MADE ME MORE TIPSY, Cole's bloody mary or the fresh sliced pineapple covered with salt, cayenne pepper, and lime juice that I ate out of a plastic bag for only $3 from a lady on the corner.

Delish.

Fresh pineapple with spices.

Three Weeks in Hollywood

Busy week!

But that's what the hell I moved to Hollywood for, am I right? AM I RIGHT? Currently working on my fourth extra gig, rumor has it that this is a three-day shoot, too. It's for a feature film and I get to sit and watch a fake show. In short, extra work is pretty much ideal for me. Every now and then I have to move somewhere else, and to pass the time I read. And then sometimes they tell me to go and eat from a delicious catered selection of food, and then I get to go home and take a nap.

Happy To You

Besides work, Bunny and I have been out and about like nobody's business. Had a delicious smoothy the size of a New York City bathroom at The Lobby in Tai Town. Bought some cozy, if not odd pajamas in Chinatown, followed up by a delicious raspberry slushy at a place called Lollycup. What else... There's Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles, lavender ice cream, and always a movie or television show premier to block my way to the grocery store. Just all a part of getting to know my new town.

Oh, did a little impromptu photo shoot at the W.

New Neighborhood

Champagne on the plane. Going 425mph really brings out the bouquet.

Sorry about the lack of frequency here lately. I moved across the country, but that was a breeze. It was two weeks of internet mayhem with a little phone company (rhymes with Shmay Shtee & Shtee) that was the source of my internet silence.

Today marks two weeks since I've moved into my new neighborhood. In that time I've done extra work on a television show (I played an upscale New Yorker), and three times my trips to the local grocery store have been somewhat disrupted by movie premieres. Oh, and another disruption by a star-on-the-walk-of-fame ceremony. All welcome distractions, of course.

Coco Recuperates: NYC Edition

Deploy a Dandy Digit, Protrude the Proper Pinky at the Plaza

Even when it goes as smoothly as possible, moving is a tiring task. I'm not talking about physically moving my body; I'm no lazy SOB. I mean packing up and living somewhere brand new. After having nothing but cardboard boxes in my sights for months, after having the smell of the stuff seep into my skin with the none-to-slight odor of packing tape, I decided I needed to head East to recuperate. Because if anyone is in the business of helping people lounge around, The Plaza Hotel is the place to go.

I didn't have to move the whole time if I didn't want to, but my mom seemed to want my company while hopping around the city. I don't know why, what with the lingering smell of cardboard still working its way through my system.

We started with tea service in the Plaza's Palm Court. I highly recommend it.

The next day we explored a bit and happened upon La Bottega in the Maritime Hotel. We tried out one of their cocktails, a rum and coffee cocktail called The Buzzed Sailor, before moving on.

View from atop a horse on Jane's Carousel, Brooklyn

Despite our best intentions to loll in luxury, we still managed to explore the city from top to bottom, even heading over to Brooklyn to ride Jane's Carousel. And then, in the name of finding a decent old-school sloppy NY slice, we hopped on the the NY Waterway Ferry over to South Street Seaport. You see, a good giant sloppy, greasy slice of pizza is hard to find these days in NYC. Sure, there are still pizza joints everywhere, but none of them have the "it" factor. Burgers and cupcakes are the food fads of the moment, leaving pizza out altogether. But Anna Maria's at South Street Seaport satiated our pizza lust on this trip.

Had to stop in to Joe Allen's for sidecars -- consistently the best in the city (be sure to request they be made with lime juice instead of lemon), but not before waiting outside the theater where How To Succeed was playing. Mom saw that Beau Bridges was in it, so we waited to meet him at the stage door. Chris so-and-so from Glee was starring in the show, so I was surrounded by teenage girls for much of the night. Beau came out first though, and a sea of playbills were thrust over my head, hoisted forward in the hopes that Mr. Bridges would sign them. I had nothing for him to sign, and was more amused by the whole experience than actually getting something, so I reached for the playbills and got them into Beau's hands. He signed everything I handed in his direction, then I handed them back in the general direction from where I grabbed them and heard a few excited Thank-yous in the process. I would have turned to see who I was helping, but the crowd was just too thick to move.

Spent a night in the room watching North by Northwest. Seemed fitting we watch a movie in which the Plaza had a featured role. Luckily there's a movie theater right next door, so we were even able to have fresh buttery popcorn in the room while we watched Cary Grant stroll through the hotel lobby.

Our last morning in the city was unseasonably warm -- 62 degrees -- so we grabbed a couple of deli breakfast sandwiches and brought them to the park. We sat on a giant rock, ate our food, and soaked up some delicious vitamin D. It was a surreal walking through the park afterward, as people were shedding their coats, others were taking the opportunity to ice skate on Wollman rink. We fed the ducks before checking out of the hotel and getting to the airport for our flight back to Minnesota. (I won't be here for long, but I'll save that news for another post.)


Still, for those moments where all I could do was lie in bed, I was at least still able to control the room lights and even request ice with the touch of a button on the in-room iPad. The Plaza butlers will even draw baths, but I don't want to be completely helpless.