oh george!

here is part 2 of my show review. after watching donny and marie's show, a and i stuck around to watch the one and only, george wallace. i had seen some of his stand-up routine about a year ago when i was working a corporate event, so i was familiar with his style and knew he was funny. here are my thoughts about his show:

-george doesn't target one specific group. he jokes about everyone and everything.

-he involves the audience a lot and uses them for material; thus, his material changes on a daily basis. smart. (wayne brady does the same thing)

-prizes are sweet! what audience doesn't like free stuff? (i scored a $30 gift card to the alexandra noel salon; he was also giving away airline tickets, a smart car, boxes of ethel m chocolates, dvds, t-shirts, etc.)

-although he was entertaining, we felt like the 90-minute show could have been a 60-minute show.

-it's fascinating how all a comedian needs for a good show is a microphone, humorous material, and good timing. talk about low overhead.  

-he's not blue-i.e. he keeps it pretty clean.

we had the opportunity to catch up with george after the show since a needed to interview him. george was very gracious and invited us up to his dressing room. here are a few interesting facts that i learned about george:

-he's been in vegas for 5 years, but doesn't own a home here. he lives in the flamingo hotel. seriously, i think that would be so fun.

-he has homes in l.a. and atlanta.

-jerry seinfeld is his best friend.

-his background is in marketing and he oversees all the advertising for his show.

-he's just as funny offstage as he is on.

have a fun friday!

photo of george wallace swiped from the web

puppy roses and paper love

last night i had the opportunity to see two shows at the flamingo hotel; "donny and marie" was one of them. here is my unsolicited review of the show. 

*before i begin, i want you to know that i went into the show with an absolutely unbiased (as unbiased as possible) opinion of donny and marie. although they've been around for several decades now, i've somehow managed to be completely ignorant to their various projects, i.e. marie's dolls on qvc, her stint on "dancing with the stars," donny's broadway career, and of course, their childhood stardom (way before my time). this is what i observed:

 

-donny stole the show. period.

-he came across as natural, excited, energetic, and at one with the audience. marie lacked all of this. she was a tad stand-offish, and kept messing with her hair, clothes, microphone, you name it.

-marie is a great singer. donny is too.

-they both look really good for their age.

-i was the youngest person in the showroom.

-"puppy love" is a little cheesy, but still in my head for some reason...

-there were several video montages of their career throughout the show. if you're familiar with their work, it will be nostalgic. if not, probably a tad boring. 

-a decent show overall, but definitely geared toward the donny and marie fans.

stay tuned for my review of "george wallace."

photo of donny and marie swiped from the web

blue skies

who: ethan, matthew, and trent

what: portrait session

where: their house, las vegas

we had a blast. 

p.s. i sense a giveaway in the horizon-and it's going to be good...

she's almost here...

who: valerie and dan (but mainly valerie)

what: maternity shoot

where: my house/neighborhood, las vegas

p.s. the frog was val's idea.

p.p.s. is it just my imagination, or is everyone having babies right now?

the alchemist is SO good...

i want to read it again and again. and then over again.

the day the cactus assaulted me: the untold story

about a month ago, i posted a photo from a shoot i shot in nelson, nv. the shoot couldn't have been better; everyone was relaxed and enjoying themselves, cotton clouds swept through the azure sky, and the old west was coming to life. but then the thorn in my side suddenly appeared. except it wasn't in my side.

about halfway through the shoot, right as i was about to press the shutter on my camera, i felt a sharp pain in my ankle. i'm talking really sharp. to say that it hurt like hell would be an understatement (i can use the "h word" since we're talking about the old west, right?). at that moment, i let go of my camera, not caring if i ever took another picture again (survival mode had already kicked in). all i wanted was for the pain to be gone. i looked down and realized that part of a cactus had breezed over toward me, made its way through my pant leg and sock, and went in for the kill. i started thinking reallyreallyfast. the pain was excruciating.

fortunately, luck was on my side and z came to my rescure. he took two rocks about the size of eggs, one in each hand, and pulled out the cactus with the rocks. relief swept over me. the pain persisted for several minutes, but i knew it was downhill from there. and here i am today blogging about it. isn't it great to be alive?

who: alyce, brooks and z

what: portrait 

where: nelson, nevada

p.s. all of these photos were shot with a 16-35 mm lens