Dear NFL (aka No Fun League),

You can suck it as far as I'm concerned.

The city of New Orleans has been using the phrase "Who Dat" since the early 80's, and the world has been using "Who Dat" since the early 1900's through the 40's within the vaudeville circuit and with jazz musicians.

And you're going to try and trademark the Fleur de lis?
Are you out of your collective mind?
That, my friend, belongs to the French.

Why, oh why, NFL, do you choose to care about this stuff now?
You haven't cared that we've been using it at Saints' games for the past 43 years.

Clearly, you (the NFL) are showing me the biggest display of a "Fair Weather Fan" that I have ever encountered in my life.
Which is saying a great deal, considering, I GREW UP IN NEW ORLEANS!!!!!

I think you will lose this battle, NFL.
Don't you realize that NOLA doesn't really adhere to the same rules as the rest of the country.
We still smoke in bars, we drink on the street, we jaywalk, we talk on cell phones while we drive, people throw plastic trinkets and cups at us from floats during the winter...and we still use the Napoleonic Code.
We're not exactly up to date on "the rules".

I applaud your effort.
I think it is adorable.

But, please...stay away from our stuff.
We already have to worry about crooked politicians and storms taking away the things we love.

Let us be.
You never cared before, and frankly, we liked it that way.

Sincerely,
A Faithful Member of the Who Dat City

WHO DAT!

Where were YOU, when the SAINTS made it to the SUPERBOWL???

GO THE SAINTS!!!!!

I have no words for this feeling that I have had since late Thursday evening.
I imagine this is what pure joy and elation feels like.
Seriously, I can't stop smiling, and anytime the game is mentioned, or I see it on ESPN...I start getting teary-eyed, and almost cry.

What an amazing game.
Watched it with Yeargain, Suzannah, Kristin and Alex.
We made shrimp and grits with biscuits (how very southern of us), and I brought so much frozen adult beverage...Kristin referred to our mixture of strawberry with amaretto and pineapple a "Daiquiri Brees Explosion".
It was.

I have bruises on my legs from where I kept hitting myself every time we'd get a penalty called on us.
And then we had to go into overtime.
I, at one point, did announce to the lord that if they won I would convert to Catholicism.
Dammit.
I never thought in a million years that Garrett Hartley, the itty-bitty 23 year old who MISSED the field goal against Tampa Bay, could ever make this attempt.
The amount of pressure must have been unreal.
I had to go outside while they were lining up for the kick.
I didn't want to watch...but while I was standing there I could hear the neighbors screaming and I went inside just in time to see the ball go through the uprights...
So pretty.

I laughed, I cried, I hugged people and wouldn't let go.
The neighborhood all around us was screaming so much we could hear it from inside.
People driving around in cars, honking their horns.
It was just amazing.
I'm getting choked up now.
I just...I'm just so so so happy.
I think this may be the happiest I've ever been in my whole life.
A little sad, I realize, but the city is just in a state of euphoria.
It cannot be explained.
It is amazing.

At one point my mother called me, from the QUARTER, drunken...and was yelling at me.."Where are you? Why aren't you down here? SUPERBOWL!"
Classy mom. Glad you have dad to keep you in line.
My brother was down there, too...apparently, hugging and high-fiving strangers.
The amount of texting after the game was insane.
So much joy!

I did not brave the crowd.
I just went back to my house and watched ESPN till about 2 in the morning, and just watched the gloriousness replay over and over.
My favorite thing is when they play the WWL commentators on ESPN over the kick, because they just go nuts.
Before the game I kept telling everyone how I really wish there could have been a camera on Bobby Hebert the entire game, and we could somehow split screen, and watch him watching the game on one side, and have the game on the other side.
Because I imagine he was going insane the entire time.
And I would have loved to see his reaction to the field goal.

I have also decided that a Saints' tattoo is probably in order.
I'm thinking of getting "Who Dat" written on my wrists, or my kuckles.
In white ink.
So you can't actually see it, unless you're really looking for it.
I figure I should stick with my words motif I have going so, Who Dat would be appropriate.


There really isn't anything else to say about this weekend.
Nothing compares.
Taste completed it's wonderful run.
It was stellar.
Final performance had a great crowd, who really enjoyed the localness of the whole thing.
Night of the Iguana read-thru happened last night.
Went well. I had so much fun just reading Maxine...I can't wait to put her on her feet.
Going to be some of the most genuine fun I'm ever going to have on stage.
Ava Gardner is basically the ideal Maxine..I do realize I have a lot to live up to.
But, Beau sent me this amazing quote of her's that makes me feel like we're on the same page...so hopefully I can channel her.
(I think I may have been her in a past life...minus the dark, smoldering temptress-ness, of course)


"I wish to live until 150 years, but the day I die, I wish it to be with a cigarette in one hand and a glass of whiskey in the other."


Indeed, Ava. Indeed.

And let's be honest.
With that type of thinking..pretty safe to say, if Ava were alive today...she'd be rooting for our team.

GO THE SAINTS!

King Cake and Wine...Breakfast of Champions

I just don't care for the month of January.
The weather is usually unpleasant, and karmic-ally...things usually just don't go well in my track record.
Massive car accidents, massive colds, traumatic experiences abound.
This January has seemingly kept up with tradition.
I have been sickly for the better part of two weeks now.
It's terrible.
BUT--the good news is...I have quit smoking!
Like officially.
James Yeargain and myself started one day apart...and he's been going strong for 10 days, and I'm on my 9th official nicotine-free day!
(small applause is necessary, people)
We text each other back and forth all day with "SMOKING KILLS!" or "BLACK LUNG!!!"
Ya know...just friendly encouragement.
We are each putting five dollars a day in a jar, so that at the end of a month we can buy ourselves something fancy.
James will be getting video games...I will probably just buy things from Amazon...because I have a massive addiction.
Which, I am deeming as totally acceptable, since I have recently lost one of my favorite ones.

I like to believe that I am sickly, and cannot shake this horrible cough because I am no longer smoking and my body is very angry with me....and at the same time trying to get the black out of my lungs.
So, yeah...I guess it's worth it.

The only good thing about January is that it is the beginning of Carnival!
Hurray!
Kristin and I have successfully eaten king cake everyday since January 11.
She likes to think that if her diet consists of ONLY king cake..it's not entirely terrible for you.
Every night of Taste tech week and first weekend of performances we had a different flavor king cake.
Gabby brought this swanky, chocolate one from Whole Foods, I found the beloved Bavarian Cream, cream cheese filled, regular old cinnamon covered in white icing.
Oh, the thought is mouth watering.
The one we are all on the lookout for is the elusive Lemon King Cake. Yeargain has a special request for it, since he...nor anyone I've ever known, has ever tasted one.
My personal fave is the blueberry cream cheese filled...so decadent and unnecessary...just like me!

Speaking of TASTE!
The show is going so well. We had pretty awesome crowds all opening weekend, and everyone really seems to enjoy it!
I have a lot of fun cooking every night during pre-show, and watching the actual show never really gets old to me.
I find new things that are funny every night. The cast is stellar, and seeing Allegra with his haircut and mustache is totally worth the 20 bucks.
Not to mention, the food is quite tasty.
This is the final weekend to see it!
Tonight, Friday and Saturday at 8:30 and...
We are moving the show on Sunday, to a matinee on Saturday @ 2:30.
To accommodate our beloved Saints! WHO DAT!
If you haven't seen it....please join us!
And if you saw it last year...come see it again...its a pretty revised script, and the actor changes make it quite a different experience.

Speaking of the SAINTS!
Are we all looking forward to putting Brett Favre in the same nursing home we put Kurt Warner in?
I am.


School is going well, too.
I like all my teachers a lot...it's uber fun to have Santos and Marshall as two of my teachers.
And I don't completely hate being there, as of now...SUCCESS!
Everything is a bit busier adding school to the schedule, though.
But...we all know I'm happier when I'm busy...even though I bitch more.
It's a weird thing...I think the more I complain the happier I actually am.
It's when I get quiet--that's the time to start worrying.

We had the Southern Rep Bacchanal New Play Riots last night.
There are five short plays being staged and read.
I'm in one called 200 Feet and Counting, by Marco Ramirez.
Allegra directed it, and Jason Kirkpatrick plays my giant brother.
It's really swell, and everyone has liked it a lot. It's my favorite one out of the bunch.
During rehearsal Jason and I got a little teary-eyed at the end, to which AJ reacted...."Don't you dare cry! For christ sakes! This is a reading! Pull it together!"
Thanks, fearless director.

We have another performance of them all next Wednesday, January 27th at 8.
Tickets are 10...and its a delightful evening. Lot's of talented local people, and interesting scripts.

I think that's it for now.
Sorry this was all over the place...all the meds make me a little loopy!
So yeah.

Have a stellar weekend!
See a play, eat some king cake, cheer for the Saints!

...sigh....

Sometimes...I forget how awesome it is to be from this city.

I know some people were offended that....

I forgot to mention my wonderful friend Keith in the last post.
You may remember him from his "Season of Keith" reign at Le Petit this fall.

It was his birthday on Monday.
He's old now.

And he was nominated for some Ambies.....unlike myself.
Congrats Keith.

I love/envy you and your "mediocre" talents....




Let's see if you ever complain about NOT being in a post ever again.

Happy Twelfth Night, Ya'll!

A New Year.
Time for a new post.

Hey everyone.
Hope we all had a splendid holiday season.
Which continues into my favorite season...Carnival Season.
Which, happily, begins today!

Did all kinds of fun things over the holidays.
Ate lots of good food, drank lots of good wine, saw lots of good movies (Up in the Air, NINE..(yummy Daniel Day-Lewis), and Sherlock Holmes (yummy Robert Downey, JR).)
And, unfortunately, watched a lot of sad, depressing football games.
Ah, well.
13-3....not the worst thing that could happen to us, right?

New Year's Eve was quite lovely, as well.
Sam, Cliff, Kristin, Alex, Casie, AJ and myself started the evening off by heading over to Jamie Wax's lovely lady friend, Jaci's, house in the quarter for some pre-gaming activities.
Fast forward though lots of gumbo, fancy cheese and whiskey, and we all headed over to Le Petit to ring in the New Year.
Some more people joined us in the girl dressing room/balcony to watch the fireworks and drink waaaaaay too much champagne.
At one point though, Casie was just throwing blueberries into everyone's glasses and it made me laugh a lot.

As the fireworks were exploding all Kristin, Alex, AJ and I could do was yell/sing WISHES!!!! at the tops of our lungs....because that was indeed the theme song to the Disney World fireworks that we loved so much.
Jason Kirkpatrick heard us doing this, and immediately chimed in with his own WISHES!!!
It was pretty stellar.

We ended the night somewhat early, but when I woke up the next day...at about 1:30 in the afternoon, it felt as though someone was drilling railroad spikes through my skull.
Holy lord.
I love champagne so much, and before I start drinking it I know what a terrible hangover it will cause, but once it starts flowing, that care slips right out of my head.
Truly.
One of the worst feelings ever.
Poor Shauna had to come over at like 4 in the evening and pick me up so we could go get food to hopefully make me feel a little better.
It kind of worked...but I think, really, the marathon of You've Got Mail and Ghostbusters was probably far more effective.

So, yeah...2010. Started off pretty painful...can only go up from there.

Moving on....
After a lovely, almost two months, of nothing really to do...the craziness is about to ensue.
I start school on Monday (yay!), I'm doing one of the 10 Minute Plays for the Southern Rep. Bacchanal (super yay!), Night of the Iguana will start sometime at the end of the month, then a week after Mardi Gras the KCACTF in Texas where I have to do a scene from Eurydice for the Directing Competition for Beau.
Way too many things for Natalie's little brain to try and memorize.
Because we all know the pathetic memorization skills I seem to have acquired this past year.
Ah well.
I'm uber excited about everything.
I actually can't wait to be busy.

Give it two weeks.
I'll hate everyone, and everything.

And, finally...
Award Season in New Orleans has officially begun.

The Ambie Nominations came out today and so many of my lovely friends were nominated.
I mean...I wasn't....but many of them were! :-)
The Uprising was nominated for Best Unique Theatrical Experience.
Mr. Marmalade was nominated for Best Comedy, and Allegra was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Play. So, huzzah for that!

And the Project's Taste was nominated, too....speaking of...it's also being revived at Le Petit, January 14-24. Get tickets now!
A show AND food!
What could be better!

The best thing about the Ambies...besides the fact that last year I got to befriend a Broadway superstar...is that they love to recognize theatre that normally is overlooked the rest of the season.
Especially, the high school/kid shows in the area.
And I think it is pretty stellar that they do that.
Because I'm sure it absolutely makes those kids' day to have their shows be nominated for stuff.
And the adults who work on them deserve credit too...for dealing with all those children.

The sad thing about this season, is that it looks as though my arch nemesis and I will not have any chances of being nominated against each other...seeing as though she didn't dare step into the world of Comedy this year...smart move.

So, you can sleep well at night, Ms. Beck....
I won't be "stealing" anything from you this go 'round.