Who Ya Gonna Call?

If you've been following the adventures of Kyle and I via our YouTube video and blog posts, you've come to expect that we've been going on some interesting adventures here in New Hampshire. Well, I present to you our next target.

You can read up on the place here. It's the Mount Washington Hotel in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Since we're trying to think of a good ghost storyline for LAN'ded, we figure why not investigate a real live haunted hotel right? Check back later on this week for updates and hopefully a video coming soon.

A big shout-out to our LAN'ders out there who've e-mailed us suggestions and ideas for episodes for the latest draft. Keep 'em coming guys!

"My Life Everyday" - First Draft Lyrics & Other News

I decided to post some lyrics that were written for a possible song in the first episode. These lyrics are a work in progress and subject to change. Right now we're tossing around different musical routes to take with these lyrics if we decide to use them. We're thinking about a rock n' roll vibe, possibly a Jason Mraz-type musicality, or even a David Yazbek like folky feel. We've got plenty of time though, we'll see how things pan out.

"MY LIFE EVERYDAY" (Lyrics by Aaron J. Amendola, first draft finished 6/13/09)

Christian
A SECTION
Any distance can be a journey
if you're not accustomed to the trail,
and I'd waltz right down that hallway
if I was sure I wouldn't fail.

So I'll stay inside and press continue
Just the same as yesterday.
Don't look at me with your pity
This is my life everyday.

I wake up and check my mail here
Look, everyone's my friend
And with all the work I've piled up
I'm afraid there's no room for pretend

And while I'd love to get fired up in a musical soiree
I'm more content with my comics
This is my life everyday.

B SECTION
Don't think that I'm sullen,
don't think that I'm sad.
This way of life isn't just passing through
and I don't see it as a fad.

C SECTION
The outside world is scary if you're socially unaware.
I'd rather sit at home & watch cartoons while enjoying Solitaire.
I'm a stoic member of my own army with a dorky croix de guerre.
I'd reject the physical challenge while playing Double Dare.

A SECTION
50 feet can seem like miles
if inside is all you know.
It doesn't bother me cause
I don't think that I have to grow.

So I'll chill inside with a red bull and all my superfriends.
Even if I have thoughts of breaking away,
this is my life everyday.
This is my life everyday.
This is my life everyday.
--------------

So the entire LAN'ded dev team is now hangin' out in sunny New Hampshire! We'll be here for the whole summer and maybe even longer depending on how things go. We're planning on getting a ton of work done, as long as nobody in our dev team gets swine flu...so we'll see. I'm currently listening to the broadway show "Next To Normal" and I have to hand it to Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey. They've just got a fantastic show on their hands. I've been amazed by Mr. Kitt repeatedly and this show is no fluke, he really writes music that amazing all the time. Do yourself a favor and check him out here.

And because a post here can't exclusively be about Musical Theatre and LAN'ded, I must mention that the Ghostbusters video game was released this week. I received the Ps3 version and Kyle opted to get the Wii version. I'm happy to say that we're enthralled with both copies and I can only imagine what impact our fanboyism will have on future scripts concerning ghost jokes.

Also, a special word has to be said about LAN'ded dev team alum Ashley Laverty, who's children's show "Dotty Dot" is going to be produced in NYC in the future! Ashley is, as I've said up and down before, a phenomenal writer and performer and this is just a testament to her gifts.

Hope all is well in the rest of the 49 states! And I hope you all have your dork clocks set to go off next week when Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen tears up theatres! Sayonara!

Of Mimes and Men

Working and collaborating with people you know and admire is always something I've taken for granted. Being a part of a Conservatory, I often am placed in casts with people whom I've shared classes, callbacks, and other activities with. I love the fact that I'm surrounded by talented people. I'd like to think that makes me better. Or at least they make me look good.

I don't want to say that I cheated, but in putting together the cast for the reading of LAN'ded, I sort of cheated. I have the luxury of having very talented people in my circle of friends that I could count on to deliver, and I'm happy to say that after our first rehearsal last week, I have no regrets. We have our next rehearsal tomorrow and we're slated for another one on Saturday. I couldn't be more excited. 

It may seem like LAN'ded is a project that only exists amongst a small group, but its nearly the exact opposite. Like Kyle said in his last post, the four main members of our creative team all live in different cities and states right now. I'm stuck in Pittsburgh until May, Kyle is constantly moving around the nation on tour (I believe he's in Detroit now...), James is in Ohio, and Dave is in Chicago, IL.

Four people. Four states. One project. Neat huh?

I'm happy to say that the sentiments I share about my cast is the same for the creative team. I never even really knew Dave until last week and I already know he's going to have loads of good ideas and input. The most I had ever talked to James was when I was kidnapped earlier this month (long story), and I can tell he's definitely got some aces up his sleeve. It looks as if I'll be blessed by being surrounded by good talent in this project as well.

---------

Like I said, we had our first rehearsal last week. Just a great success all around really. We're focusing on the 4th and 5th episode for right now. After all, that's 1/3 of the show, and a ton of material to cover quite frankly. Also, getting everyone on the same page style-wise is a BIG step in the whole process. I have something planned for next week...something BIG, something that I think will get everyone in the same frame of mind. Dare I reveal it now? Heavens no!

---------

A project like this, where the setting for our characters is essentially the imagination, allows us to do virtually anything we want with it. Puppets? Of course. Animated sections? Why not? Zombies, Mimes, and Vampires? Not even a second thought. The trick is finding a reason for having these things inhabit the environment. There's never a simple reason for having such extraordinary things exist in a normal realistic place. In shaping the script in the recent weeks, I've tried to focus on giving concrete reasons for the "why" and "how" of what is happening. 

One of the biggest enzymes for Christian's condition is the Red Bull. It's an energy drink. It gives him that much needed caffeine boost. The problem is, he relies on it. So what happens when we take away Red Bull? What happens when the brand changes, or what happens when he finally (for lack of a better word) overdoses? It may sound odd, but an addiction to Red Bull is still an addiction. 

Some of the most fun I've had in rehearsal has been asking the cast what role they think they play in Christian's life. Have they been manifested as a positive or negative form of reinforcement? You've got to think, with a character like Christian...would a vampire be a good thing or a bad thing to him? Vampires are primarily indoor creatures and are hurt when exposed to sunlight. Doesn't that sound similiar to Christian? Just food for thought.

At tomorrow's rehearsal I'm going to be taking some video...let's hope I can edit something good together. It's not the rehearsal I'm worried about...it's my editing skills. Cross your fingers!

~ Aaron J.

P.S. I apologize for the title of this post, we've REALLY gotta stop talking about mimes so often...