A Boy Like That..Will Kill Your Brother!!!

So happy!! Finally went to see West Side Story with a couple of my best friends today at the Palace Theater in NYC! The first time I saw West Side Story I was a child watching the movie on television starring Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno, with my family. I was deeply moved. If I remember correctly, it was the first movie that made me cry. I loved it all: the singing, the dancing, the music...the whole musical was just magical! Leonard Bernstein, the composer of the musical, was a GENIUS!! I remember the lasting impression made on me in the movie was a song called, "A Boy Like That!" The anger, passion in the song just left me breathless. And if you're a close friend of mine, you know I sing the song all the time, and make believe I am Anita AND Maria at the same time. And as far as musicals go, it is still one of my all time favorite musicals.


As I went to the will-call window to pick up our tickets, the man at the window smiled at me. I smiled back, and as I walked away, I told my friends, "Ooh, he was cute." And he heard me! OMG - I was mortified. But then my friend asked me, "Is he looking at you?" I looked back, and like a dork I blushed, "Oh, my God..he is!!" LOL... As we slowly made our way into the theater each time I looked back, he was still looking, still smiling.

We got to our seats, and I began to badger my friend. "You gotta help me...help me meet him." My friend suggested the obvious: "Why don't you just go up to him and say hello." But I had sort of made this promise to myself that I wouldn't make the first move anymore. The reason? The last 4 boyfriends I've had began because I approached them first. Generally, there is nothing wrong with that, but since these last 4 relationships didn't work out, I figure I should try a different approach - and NOT approach. But for a moment, I behaved like a giddy girl in high school asking a friend to find out if the boy likes me. We went to buy souveniers before the show began, and my friend was gracious enough to get the scoop. He came back smiling, and said, he said you should go over and say hi. Smiling, I approach and introduce myself, and he tells me his name. Then he made a comment like, "I’m always here." Suddenly, something stopped me. After all, he didn't ask me for a number. Nor did he ask where I was from and all the useless trivia questions people ask when interested. So I said good night and walked away. No regrets at all. At all. I did apologize to my friend for putting him in the situation to begin with. LOL

Let's get back to the show. At first I was frustrated that the musical calls for Puerto Ricans, but there weren't any. Or so I thought. As I looked through the Playbill, I saw an Argentinian, a Venezualan, 9 Latinos (who didn't mention their descent) including one who danced for Aventura, and Jennifer Sanchez who quoted in her mini bio, "Para mi Mama. Si se puede!" (For Mom. Yes you can!) and Tanairi Sade Vazquez who calls herself 100% Boricua! Yea! There IS ONE BORICUA!! That makes me happy.

If you have never seen a Broadway musical, you must! Broadway musicals stir up something within my soul that I can't explain. It makes me feel so alive. It gives me the enchantment and wonderment of a child. It makes me laugh, cry and wonder what life is all about. And finally it leaves me with a craving - a craving I have not yet explored enough - to be on Broadway too. What no one knows, well at least those who don't know me personally, is that my BIGGEST wish on this planet, more than doing what I do now, is to be on Broadway. I want to feel the hot spotlight on my skin, I want to see the many nameless faces in the audience and I want to move them, the way I am moved. I want to sing out loud, proudly, and be someone else in someone else's shoes for a few hours...that would be AMAZING!

Well, I'm going to go now...I have to listen to West Side Story Soundtrack while I wear the t-shirt to bed. Go see West Side Story...take your children so we can have more Latinos on stage!!!

2 of 2 - Adventure with Aventura.

 Sorry about that...
Okay so they walk in 8:20pm.  Romeo has a big smile on his face; he's a lot taller than I'd imagined; quite handsome too.  Henry has a presence about him quiet but very masculine; and Lenny is adorable...cute smile.  

I test their mic levels.  My heart is POUNDING! Okay Judy...you can do this.  You prepared, you did your research, you spent three days preparing, you memorized your intruduction.  Breathe. Took a breath and pressed record.  I begin my well-rehearsed and memorized introduction...it's perfect.
"#3 on the Hot Tours List....76,000 fans...Madison Square Garden.  Welcome....Ventu...

OH S**T!  I mean, "Aventuraaaa!"  Romeo expresses, "wow, what an introduction."  I knew right there we were going to be good.  So I relaxed a little and decided to have fun.  You know what I didn't realize? I had my questions, lol, but I forgot they were actually going to ANSWER them!  I didn't anticipate what they might say, or how long of an answer they would give.

They were gracious, endearing, sincere, happy, truthful-to-themselves types of men.  I was proud to be there in that moment, thanking God that they were not difficult or conceited.  We had fun moments:  when we talked about the "f" word being used as an adjective; when I called Max "Maximo" they all laughed at me; when I asked them what it was like to sing for President Obama; and when I asked who had the biggest feet..."   You can hear the interview by clicking here . 

The interview lasted about 30 minutes...I thanked them; I hugged them; I took 2 pics with them (no time for autographs, they had to go do a video thing downstairs)...I saved the interview in the computer.  And realized I had that adrenaline headache that affirms your stress, reminds you of the magnitude of your nervousness, and releases your inner, negative fears.  It says, "You did it. It's over."  

I dimmed the lights...I walked into the hallway, and I was, well, what i always am when it's over...alone.  Alone.  But dammit, I DID IT!!!           



    

(1 of 2) Adventure of Interviewing Aventura - Uh, Are We On Latino Time?

Hardly slept last night, just knowing I had landed the chance to interview Aventura!  I tossed and turned imagining what the interview would be like in my mind. Would I remember their names?  Would I remember the statistics that have risen them to fame?  Would I stutter?  Blah, blah, blah!  Fell asleep around 3am.

"Oh, my God!  The interview!...what time is it?  Oh, lol, it's only 7:30am!"   I HATE that panicked feeling!   I did all my errands, made my cafe con leche & watched the first 20 minutes of The View.  Damn, I wish I was on that show!  Why don't they have a host who's hispanic?  Aren't we almost the majority  minority?  LOL...anyway, let me stop.

I checked my facebook, myspace and found so many good luck comments, and extra interview questions that the fans and friends gave me that it ignited a happier spirit.  I looked over my notes, interview questions and decided that if I could just get the introduction down by heart, the interview would be a snap!   Here's what I came up with:  "Number 3 ont the Hot Tours list preceded only by Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears; Outselling Lady Gaga in ticket sales; 5 studio albums and their most current album entitled The Last remains at #1 on the Billboard Latin Charts for over 22 weeks; 76,000 fans, 4 sold out concert at the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden...Ladies and Gentleman:   Aventuraaaaaa...Yes Sir!!"  Confident that I had the opening, I took a 10 minute cat nap and made some business calls.

A bit later, the "romantic interest" I mentioned last night called me.  I need to give him an alias...I think for now, I'll call him Mr. Mak!  LOL.  Anyway we chatted about our career endeavors and talked once again about meeting tomorrow after I do a quick video shoot...remember how I said yesterday that it seems something k,eeps getting in the way?  Well, we hung up agreeing to meet tomorrow.  I was confident that we sealed an address and a time...and then I put the tv back on, and hear the meteorologist  ruin my day:  "All NY schools closed tomorrow. Noreaster coming sooner than we thought...12-18 inches by tomorrow."  Whaaaat???? Oh, my God...I can't win.

So I begin to get ready; rush to the station's studio.  The interview is set for 6pm - 7pm..  I get to the station at 5pm.  One hour early.  I rehearse that opening statement at least 5 times.  I  got it.  I'm good.  I'm nervous.  God, the butterflies...STOP!!  The music director says, "Ready?  Excited for 6:15?"  Huh?  Oh, okay I guess I was wrong...it's 6:15.  Okay good.  I have 15 extra minutes to prepare.  6:15 comes...no sign of Aventura:  Romeo, Lenny, Henry and Max.  We're told Max won't be coming.  Okay, I can deal with that.  
6:25
6:30
6:45  I begin hearing Jeopardy theme music in my head...
6:50.
Where are they?  Oh, I guess they're on Latino time...you know, "I'm on my way...I'll be right there..I'm looking for parking, etc."  LOL.  
Now it's 7pm...they're here.
But I can't interview them because they are scheduled to do a LIVE webcast at 7pm.  Can't let the fans down because the station has been advertising 7pm.  So I 'm told I have to wait.

I watched the female fans swarm over them like bees protecting the queen in the hive.  Cameras were atop of their. raised arms as an extenstion of themselves in hopes to catch them at the right moment.  

8:00pm...are we ready now? No. Now they have to do "drops", the liners that artists record so the djs can play them before playing their songs on air.  So I walked into the studio to watch and observe them.  I was willing to do anything as long as I could disttract myself from my nerves taking over me.  They were recording, laughing, joking. There were funny moments among them. I realized how down to earth and endearing they were and I finally relaxed. 

8:20pm -they walked in.. (To be continued tomorrow.)  I need sleep.  Goodnight. 
                 

Something new...nothing blue!!

Woke up this morning, wishing desperately to stay in bed...sometimes sleep feels so sweet. But I had things to do. Threw on sweats, put on a hat, gloves, i-pod and went to the park for some speed-walking. At first I thought I was crazy...I dont' know it was like 20 something degrees outside. But I swore to myself last night that no matter what, I was going to incorporate some form of doggone exercise, lol. Yeah, and I had my manager's voice in my head..."you gotta get back to the gym..."

Walking was good for me...it felt great. I was listening to the remix of Christina Aguilera's "Hurt", and any other fast paced music. Then I got to Gloria Estefan's "I Just Wanna Be Happy." That's when the adrenaline finally burst through...I was walking faster, felt the sun smiling on me...then it got to my favorite part of the song: "I just wanna be happy, joyous and free...happy, joyous and free!" That's when I felt that inner joy...and started running up and down the steps like Rocky. LOL (Gonna fly now!) Thirty-five minutes later I had to stop...my legs were numb and my neck was shooting out ice cubes!

Then someone whom I've been romantically interested in reached out to me today. He's handsome...tall, dark...but that's not what entices me. He's also smart, educated and street smart. He knows his slang, but also uses words like "predicated" and "geneology"...whoo, what a turn on!!! Reminds me of a movie I saw years ago, Threesome, starring one of the Baldwin brothers. All I remember was the female protagonist (lead actress, just in case) got extremely excited when her romantic interest used large words. She was on a table in the public library, and he was telling her all these large words, and she was like, "Yes! oh!" LOL...very funny! Okay, so back to the guy...it's one of those things that our schedules keep conflicting. I can't figure out if it's God's way of saying, "STAY AWAY..NO GOOD FOR YOU!" or if we are just being a little challenged. I've admittedly and dysfunctionally been attracted sometimes to men who are unattainable, so I have to watch out. Just as we were enjoying the conversation, I had to hang up...I had work to do. Tomorrow's a big day!!! I'm interviewing Aventura!!! Whooo-hooo!

So there I was at my desk, with my cute multi-colored index cards, trying to be all professional. When you want to write something, you know the hardest part? The hardest part is staring at blank paper. In my case it was the index cards. It took about 10 minutes of staring to get the nerve to begin writing, but I picked up the pen and let it flow. I decided to divide the questions in two parts: formal questions about their career highlights (in blue) and informal and fun questions that I feel the fans would want to know (in pink). Blue card question 1: 76,000 fans, 4 sold out concerts at Madison Square Garden, a #1 album on the Billboard Latino charts for over 22 weeks, and #3 on the Hot Tours just behind Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus..."What does that feel like, did you ever imagine you'd experience this in your lifetime?" Pink card question 1: Of the four of you, which one has the biggest feet?" Hm, maybe I shouldn't ask that, but perhaps it will break the ice and ease my nerves a bit.

So I have 8 blue cards and 12 pink cards filled with what i hope are great thought-provoking questions. I hope I ask the right questions that the fans truly want answered; I hope my boss at the station loves the work I do; I hope this gives me a chance to do more with my radio career; and I hope, especially I don't mess up their names! Please, Lord.

Before signing off, I'm thrilled to have received my first advice question! It was so exciting, and since he/she has asked me to keep it private, I will honor it. I hope I get a good night's sleep...tomorrow is an important day!!!

Professional vs. Personal - Ugh, the guilt!!!

I was going to visit Mom tonight after my radio shift and spend the night, staying with her until Tuesday. I haven't seen her in over a week, and I feel like if I don't physically see her, I don't truly know if she's okay. I worry about her health; I worry if she's lonely. She's been recovering from hip replacement surgery, and she has had a long, difficult, challenging recovery. My mom had the surgery late November of 2009, and my siblings and I have worked hard to help her through this process. In my efforts to take care of her, for which I have NO regrets; and feeling in a bit of slump as well, I admittedly somewhat neglected my own life.

I received a call from my boss at the station stating that he would like me to interview, Aventura, the extremely famous Dominican quartet from the Bronx, who recently sold out Madison Square Garden. Duh - of course I said YES!! It is going to be awesome! The interview is set for this Tuesday. Anyone who understands who Aventura is knows I'd be an idiot not to do this; what a FANTASTIC opportunity this is- to interview the hottest latin group, and to prove that I can conduct a great interview. So I began doing research, and read about them, listened to their songs, read the reviews and articles, etc. And as I began to run my agenda through my brain, I realized that I really need to be close by. I have the interview to do, videos to record this week, more work on my website, and my manager's voice kept echoing in my mind: "Judy, this is your life...no one is going to make this happen but you."

So I called mom. "Mom..." I told her about the interview. "Would you mind if I don't come over tonight? I have so many things to do, and I just don't want to be unprepared, or feel rushed." With total empathy, my mom said, "Sure! Not a problem at all." And although I felt she was sincere, that she didn't mind, it still bothered me after we hung up. When I got to the station, I called her again. "Are you sure, Mom?" Mom said what she always says, "Mami, I love you....go do what you gotta do...go kick butt!"

I believe you can only be truly happy when all the elements of life are in balance: personal, professional, spiritual, physical, social, etc. All these parts of life need attention...but it makes it no easier. I'm home now...had dinner, did some work. But I just wish I could be here and there with Mom. I have always felt an over-developed sense of responsibility to my family, especially Mom. Some of these feelings are healthy and maybe some of them are not. But one thing remains true: I love my mommy! LOL. And when I make it real big, I can help her in ways we could not have imagined! So, back to work. Love you, Mom! Muah!