Well its almost 2AM. I've got to be up in four hours to get ready to go to Atlantic City to promote "Together" which is an official selection at The Down Beach Film Festival. I gotta tell you. I did this project two years ago and boy does it have legs! I've been seen as a Joan Crawford cater/waiter from Portland to Barcelona to Florida to Cannes and even here at Tribeca in my own backyard. It will be good to see the old gang again. I've got a long list of new vehicles for me for that Joe Rosario. LuPone's memoir would be a great biopic, maybe Mackenzie Phillips. HA
Why am I up so late when I have to get up early? Two words: Drew Barrymore. That gal is having a banner year! First her riveting performance in the HBO movie Grey Gardens, now her directorial debut, which I saw tonight, Whip It. Which was so much fun. How could I go to bed after that? But truly, kudos to Drew who is clearly manifesting it. Going for it. I'm sure she reads this blog regularly and will get such a kick out of my support.
Speaking of reading this blog. My website is getting tons of hits from JaneFonda.com. I know that seems like a natural progression when web surfing to go to Jane's page then see what Danny Leary is up to. But there is a solid explanation behind this. Jane blogged about finally meeting Patti LuPone. She saw her perform in concert with Mandy Patinkin in Los Angeles and was so knocked out she had to take her to dinner after. Carrie Fisher was with them. Jane said they got along famously and agreed to go to Carrie Fisher's opening night of her one woman show in New York. Well I wrote to Jane and asked her if they were sticking to the plans and getting together. Jane never wrote back. But she did blog about going to Carrie's opening night and did not mention Patti LuPone. I checked Patti's website and she was performing that night in Westchester. I don't know why I am telling you all of this. I just think it is all kind of fascinating. I'd like to hang out with Jane and Carrie and Patti.
Speaking of hanging. I got together with Ann Design and Fiona Walsh last night. I'm pictured with them last night above. Both hilarious comedians. Both Irish comedians. Both real drinkers. Met them at The Galway Hooker in the West Village. Its a classy Irish pub. There was a pack of about 15 of us Irish. Ann's best friend is a real stunning woman named Lorraine. Lorraine is a no-nonsense kind of gal and always knows the score. When she learned of Jeremy and I splitting up last year she was furious. She had some wisdom for me and approached me, in a different Irish pub much like the one last night, and lowered her eyes at me and said "you. me. riverside park. bench. bring a pack of cigarettes. we've got a lot to discuss." I never met her in Riverside Park for that talk. And last night was the first night I had seen her since then. She gave me that look again at first sight from across the bar and made a b-line for me. This time I couldn't get away. I was already backed against the wall. Literally. Her poor husband I thought to myself. She came up to me an inch from my face and said "you look dashing." I said "you look stunning." She said "imagine what our kids would look like." And I actually did. And they would have been some real lookers I think.
As the evening went on it turned into a blur. I stepped outside to take a phone call from Joe Rosario. He told me he needed me in Atlantic City for the film and he told me that I am out of my tree and that Patti LuPone is going to have me killed. I met a really pretty Asian gal outside who had somehow joined up with the wild pack of Irish inside. She had my blackberry at one point and added me as her friend on facebook. I took that as a sign that it was time to go home. I was upset with myself for drinking so much because I had an Evita rehearsal the next day and I need to keep my pipes in good shape since I am tackling not only Evita but Patti LuPone. I hadn't had dinner so I stopped into a diner. I had a cheese omlette. The waiter brought me my check after without bothering to ask me if I wanted anything else. I didn't want anything else. But I was offended that he had assumed. So I ordered a chocolate milkshake just to teach him a lesson. I slurped it slowly, loudly and defiantly and it tasted like sweet, sweet victory. I sure showed him!
This morning I looked at my cell phone and found wonderful surprises. I texted "tacos" to Sue Funke. She responded "best text ever." I then replied (and this is unedited and uncensored): Danny: cruekklq devuykl
Sue: You just texted cruekklq devuykl
Danny: That meabs cruella devill stupid!!
Sue: Oh, of course, how coud I have been so ignorant.
Danny: come to michaels where I am dining alone without company
Sue: Why are you so far away?
Danny: I am eating alone w herpes
Sue: You are never alone when you have herpes
Couple things: I don't have herpes. And why did I think "cruella devill" was a logical response. One can never know. Unfortunately this would not be the only surprise waiting for me. My new Lucy Liu asian friend that I met with my wild pack of Irish friends wrote on my facebook wall "you put your drinks on my tab and left you asshole! Not cool!" Wow. Indeed not cool. But.... doesn't sound like me at all, even in my drunkest of states that does not sound like me. Cruella Devil? Yes. Fake herpes announcements? Yes. Stand-offs with a tired fiftysomething immigrant waiter working the graveyard shift serving drunks? Absolutely. Shmuck that leaves others stuck with his tab? FUCK NO. I called Ann right away just to make sure. Ann told me that she saw me pay my tab with her own eyes and that the girl was a real wack job and was just trying to get a free tab. Told 'ya.
EVITA rehearsal went swell. We found the right keys for the songs. I think Shaynee and Terese have zero confidence in my ability to pull this thing off. I admit this is very ambitious and almost an arrogant undertaking and I understand their fears. But they don't know me. I'll show them. They are marvelous vocal coaches and know what they are doing and I couldn't get in better hands. I'm grateful to them for their free time to work with me. Take my determination and mix it up with their top of the line skill set and we got a baby LuPone.
And besides, you gotta raise the bar and stick your neck out in life. So f*ck it.
I gotta go to bed dolls. I'm going to Atlantic City in the morning. Ciao.
Love
Danny
