How Do You Solve a Problem Like A Banner?

A woman from Temple Street Productions just called, asking if I would like to keep my "Maria" banner. This is the 8'x12' photo of me that hung in the CBC atrium while How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? was airing. Well, of course I want it. What a ridiculously awesome-slash- hilarious-slash-useless-slash-HUGE keepsake of my reality show days! But what to do with it?

I have considered several options, my favourite being that I use it as a bedspread. Who wouldn't want a gigantic version of their head as bed decor? I also pondered using it to make play clothes for my nieces and nephew, but I figured they'd just fight over who got to wear my face.

Perhaps I will sell it on E-Bay. What do you think of 40K as a starting price?

VIDEO BLOG - Fan Mail.

More like Avenue AWESOME!

Wow, I'm so glad I saw Avenue Q last night. If you haven't gone yet, get tickets now! It's playing at the Elgin until August 31st. Julian and I ran into friends of his who were able to get rush seats, so you could try doing it that way.

It's just great. It's so funny and so dirty and plays brilliantly to that Sesame Street-watching child we all once were. I feel moved to take a course in puppeteering. The way those actors made the puppets an extension of themselves was brilliant. We were sitting in the nosebleeds, yet every subtle moment was totally clear. Just wow.

As IF I'm going to see Avenue Q tonight!

I will FINALLY be seeing Avenue Q tonight. I remember the first time I heard the soundtrack, driving to see a show in Barrie with Michael Rubinoff. He said, "you will love this." He was sooo not wrong. My friend Jeff makes fun of me for being into the "Q" because it's "so four years ago" but I've never been one to be with the times.

If you don't know the show, click here to check out one of my favourite tunes. I also like "I Wish I Could Go Back To College" and "What Do You Do With a BA in English?"...oh, the truth hurts, but it's so darn hilarious.

Industrials and babies.

I had two auditions last week, and one of them was for a staff training video. I walked into Jigsaw, slated for the camera, said one line and they said, "thanks!". I think it took about 24 seconds in total. Turns out I booked it.

Industrials are those things I excitedly tell people I've booked, and then somehow feel I have to apologetically explain: "oh, it's nothing, it's not going to be on t.v. or anything." But really? Inside? I'm thrilled to be getting paid to act. And maybe I'm also a little bit thrilled about having my hair and makeup done for the shoot.

In much more exciting news, my friends Laura and Chris just gave birth to their second daughter, Emily this past Friday. I and my other friend Laura (I have several Lauras) took care of their almost-2 year old, Hannah over the weekend while they were at the hospital. Lots of love to the Farley-Ratcliffe family!

Allie + Kyla + Alison = a show at Free Times

I'm doing a show with Allie and Kyla on September 7th at Free Times Cafe (320 College, Toronto). You can see the Facebook event invitation here

We're all songwriters so we'll be playing a lot of our own songs.

With guitars.

And emotion.

Lots of emotion.

See you there!

The Thong of Tents.

The above phrase was coined by my friend Nicole, upon her seeing this photo:

This is the "2 person" tent I bought for my camping trip to Saltspring Island, British Columbia. That is where my boyfriend and I slept. For real. There was one night at Ruckle park where he decided to sleep outside under the tarp instead. That worked well until several unidentified rodents started thinking his head was a toy.

We went camping after attending a friend's wedding. My University roommate Jessie made me and our other roommates, Nicole and Jennifer, her bridesmaids (along with Jessie's sister Sally who was the maid of honour). The wedding took place at the Maritime Museum in Vancouver, on the famous RCMP St. Roch. What do you mean you don't know what that is? It was the first boat to cross the Northwest Passage from east to west. Or west to east. I can't remember which. Anyway, it's famous. Now you know.

Nicole, Jenn and I sang "Annie's Song" from the boat. Check it out:

After the wedding, we went to Eagle's Nest Retreat on Galiano Island. You have to go there. Seriously. Get a group of 10 people together and rent the whole cottage for a week. There are six bedrooms which are just kitsch enough to be charming, a big kitchen and living space complete with a piano and guitar, a baby deer who will entertain you outside the kitchen window as you play Cranium, and an outdoor hot tub which overlooks the ocean.

It was after our luxurious time at Eagle's Nest that Mike and I went camping for four days. We had a good time, in spite of our living conditions. We quite enjoyed the bags of food from MEC. These are horribly overpriced but tasty, and in most cases all you have to do is add boiling water directly into the bag.

All in all, a great trip to B.C.

Janna is cast as the alternate Maria!

This just in: Janna Polzin, my friend and runner-up Maria, has been cast as the alternate Maria in the Sound of Music. She will do Saturday matinees and Wednesday evenings. Good on Mirvish for letting Janna and Elicia share the role. I think this has made a lot of people very happy.

This afternoon I did a commercial audition for a phone company. I won't say which one and you'll understand why in a moment. The casting house was brand new, so their phones were just being set up, coincidentally by the same company for which they were casting the commercial. As soon as the phone company dude left, the casting guy went off on a tirade:

" Company X is so bad! It took them eight weeks to get these landlines set up. And their public relations is appalling! I can't believe how bad their service is!"

It was just kind of funny. Not in a "ha ha" way but in an ironic kind of way. Like rain on your wedding day.

The Maria Smackdown.

For anyone who missed it, here is the final group number from our last Maria show on July 28th. It was created by our choreographer David Connolly as well as Joe Bostic, our guest fight choreographer.

I had never been thrown into a piano head-first before. So. It's good to have a new skill.