Character Approved Awards 2010

jcpe: Last Thursday, in the middle of our second blizzard this year, Hawkes and I went to the Character Approved Awards down around the art galleries in Chelsea.

me: First, I love USA (the station not the country, well I guess they’re both good). We got the invite and I jumped out of my chair with excitement. Second, I love seeing famous people. I don’t care what that tells you about my personality, it’s really fun, and I get really excited about it. When I think back to all the tragic times I was on TRL and Justin Timberlake was awkward and Gwen Stefani was rushed in and out too quick to even realize what was happening my arms ache with the weight of disappointment and crushed dreams. Last night, my friends, EVERYTHING CHANGED.

jcpe: As we walked into the main room Tiffany Amber Thiessen passed us by, and just like everyone else I was smiling, murmuring, and saying, “that’s Kelly Kapowski” while I nudged Hawkes in the side.

me: She is pregnant and amazing! I mean, for any girl who grew up in the 90s seeing Kelly Kapowski is one of the most amazing things possible. Then we see Corbin Bernstein, who I IMDB’d a long time ago… and I knew he was in Clambake, my favorite Elvis movie. So we end up in front of this stage and Corbin’s literally alone in front of us and I’m like ok, it’s now or never. So I told him that I knew about his run in with the King!

Soundbite w. Corbin Bernstein:
Corbin: Hey I didn’t put that on IMDB someone else did, I was dragged there as an infant!

jcpe: For years I’ve attended events that had rumored celebrity sitings, but its’ never lived up to my expectations.

me: I’m not even going to mention the 5 minutes we stood next to Michael Ian Black in the Fall holding cameras but not taking pictures. Anyways, so I’m now super pumped up and I say to Juan, let’s go find Dulé! For whatever reason this alternate celebrity universe worked and we found him right away. Next to a table, totally out in the open! So I stopped him, and I asked for a picture and I told him that The West Wing changed my life! How many times to get to actually do that? Thank you USA, seriously!

Soundbite w. Dulé Hill
me: YES. Oh Hello Dulé Hill, how are you?
d: good
me: The reason I got into politics was because of you and the west wing.
d: Thank you

jcpe: And right after that is when I saw my hero Bruce Campbell. I told him, as a fan, how two of my best friends growing up (Greg Babonis & Randy Richter) introduced me to Evil Dead.

Soundbite w. Bruce Campbell:
jcpe: We loved watching Evil Dead the Musical
bc: Wasn’t the splatter zone clever?
jcpe: We were in the splatter zone on opening night!
bc: So was I!

jcpe: I left that encounter with a shit eating grin, and Hawkes was in the exact same mental space. A few drinks later that guy from Royal Pains introduces all the awards winners, and we applauded accordingly for each one. Finally, they ended on Green Day, and the accomplishment of creating a broadway play about themselves. Just then we turned around, and the entire cast was onstage performing “American Idiot”. My feeling was that while interesting it’s just a little too bizarre to see everyone pretending to be pseudo punk. There is something unengaged about the way they broadway-ized the sound and look of the band. I think it’ll end up being pretty good, but seems a little Disney on first impression.

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me: For many reasons (financial/personal/fashionable) JCPE and I have been going to a lot of parties. Some we have to pay for, some we show up and there’s a Keg, but nothing so far has compared to the glory of the USA Character Approved Awards. Here’s our bottom line: Invite us, we’ll do interesting things and talk to interesting people!

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