COSMOPAULITAN ENTERTAINMENT

The Magicalest Weekend (Part One)

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 07:59:32 -0500

I know when I was a little kid, all I wanted was to have magical weekends all the time at Walt Disney World! It seems to be the happiest place on earth and that is where I ventured to last Thursday evening, which turned out to be very early Friday morning! I left the office and headed to JFK where my 8:30PM flight quickly became a 10:10PM flight because of a mechanical malfunction. True, better to find a mechanical malfunction while on the ground than in the air, so I let it slide. When we finally board, roughly around 10:30PM, having had to wait for a new plane to arrive, I find my seat all the way in the rear of this giant plane. I didn't even know planes were this long! Regardless of my seat, I was ready for bed and quickly utilized the blanket and pillow provided to me for more comfort. That is until the captain came on to welcome us and informed us he had some good news and not so good news. The good news: we would be taxiing to the runway. The bad news, we were number 30 or so for take off and would probably be another hour or so before we were air-born. Well, there really wasn't much we could do than sleep at that point and simply wait until I was in Orlando!

I arrived I believe just shy of 2AM and finally made it to the hotel where my friends would later meet me at around 2:30AM! It didn't take me long to secure a bed and jump in as quickly as possible! My Friday was spent incredibly relaxed. I woke up at a decent time and headed to get some breakfast at the buffet. Then I strolled back up to my hotel room and got ready to lounge by the pool. If only there were drinks poolside, it would have been heaven. Regardless, it was still fine. I heard a voice through my music saying, "Is this the famous Paul Gosselin?" and I look up to see my friend Shari standing over me who had also arrived the night before, but much earlier! We chatted for a bit and caught up while we waited for the rest of the entourage to arrive. We ended up meeting them at all places: Wal-Mart! Of course!

The night didn't go as smoothly as planned, but I think it was the only bump in the road. Laura and I got to hang out on the Boardwalk and catch up, which was fun. We did our photo series, "sad faces at Disney" which caused some confusion to those we asked to take our picture and we enjoyed seeing the space shuttle launch, which we thought was part of a new Disney attraction. All in all, it wasn't horrible, just not what we had anticipated. It was however, the start of the most magical weekend yet!

Our Saturday morning began much later than usual for this type of weekend. I remember having to be up at 3AM to be at the park at 4AM but thankfully those days are WAY behind us. We woke up, had a full breakfast and headed to the park at a normal time of 8AM I believe. We strolled into the park with the COMP passes and headed through Disney's Hollywood Studios. Well, Laura and I managed to veer off and head toward the Rockin' Rollercoaster, which was rode not once, but twice. Shortly there after, we decided to utilize the free park hoppers and galavant around two more parks at Disney: Epcot and The Magic Kingdom! Stories from these parks in addition to the rest of the weekend are appearing in upcoming entries. Stay tuned...

while the cat's away...

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:46:09 -0500

It seems as though, while the cat was away the mice came out to play and all of the tes entries I was sending from my mobile finally came through. Granted I started putting these in back in JUNE! So I'm not sure what took this long for them to get here, but I've edited them to where they need to be and deleted all the nonsense once... bare with me as I get back on schedule and catch you up on all the magical experiences that occurred while in Disney!!

Peaceful Protest!

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 07:30:24 -0500

Last night, Absolut Mandarin and I headed to Lincoln Center to protest outside of the Mormon Temple on West 65th Street. We truly had no idea what to expect, how many people would show up or what exactly we needed to do. We got there relatively early and headed inside the Barnes and Noble prior, so that I could grab a cup of joe. Exactly at 6:30 we walked back out and were shocked and amazed at the number of people that had gathered in the little park area outside the temple. Why exactly were we there, well, as one sign put it: "It's about love, stupid!" Plain and simple! We started chanting and the chanting grew and then we realized we were in fact moving forward. This protest became a march and we kept marching and chanting and I'm pretty sure I heard someone break out into song, "Welcome to the Sixties" from Hairspray. We ended up traveling down Broadway, stopping traffic along the way, rallying support and ending up in Columbus Circle. It was a moment where people of all backgrounds came together to stand up for this civil right that everyone deserves, no matter who they are! I know Absolut Mandarin and I were proud to have been a part of it!

Another video worth watching

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:35:17 -0500

Another Video about the outrageous passing of Prop 8! I hope to see you tomorrow at the rally!

Refuse To Hate

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:12:53 -0500

www.refusetohate.com
Watch this please:

NEW YORK CITY Residents:

Wednesday Night Gathering @ Mormon Temple NYC

6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Wednesday November 12th
The Manhattan Mormon Temple
125 Columbus Circle at 65th St.

Please brings signs.

A large gathering is expected so please come to gather peacefully.

Facebook event:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=57450719688

"It's Time for Sharon"

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:24:22 -0500

As you may have noticed at the end of the last entry, I posted upcoming entries. Well, I'm all about staying up late enough to cover the past two events I attended recently at The Duplex. The first happened on Lecinda's birthday (November 5!) HAPPY BIRTHDAY again!! The event was The 2008 Duplex Gala presented by New Beginnings. It featured 14 performances that gave a sampling of their own shows they do throughout a month at The Duplex. I knew about this because my diva/mess obsession, Cait Doyle, was going to be performing, with an added treat because Miss Sharon Kenney would be tackling the ivories alongside her! What a fierce two-some these two make. It gets me all excited on the inside to know that on December 5th at Don't Tell Mama's I'm going to witness "The MESSeducation of Sharon and Cait!" I've got my reservation, do you have yours?? Here's what I'm going to do, very much like an entry I posted a little while ago, I'm going to provide you with some of my favorite performers, maybe copy their bio from the program and if you're lucky a link to a YouTube of them singing! So away I go...

Karen Mack & Michael Holland, from the Saturday evening show: Gashole, Hole-O-Matic! The All Request Random Pop Show. They opened the show and sang "Modern Love is a Battlefield" which I absolutely loved!
Rachel Alexa Norman, stars in her show titled: I'll Take Manhattan. She is a little ball of energy that is captivating to watch perform. She gave us the gift of the song "Casting Call for a Best Friend," and proves she's a force to be reckoned with.
Booth & Pat who apparently have been hailed as "the Smothers Brothers on crystal meth." I think it is mandatory for anyone looking for a fun night out to go ahead and see their show. The performed a brilliant piece known as "Nonsense Song" and was absolutely that... I wish it was on YouTube, but this only give you more reason to check out their show!
Colleen McHugh is a truly talent improvisational singer! She took a truly unique holiday story, as told by my dear friend Cait Doyle, and made it into a musical sensation... it truly is a "Time for Sharon!"
Brian Nash, a musical genius, closed out the night with the surprise hit of the evening! Sang both parts to "Light My Candle" from Rent and truly... TRULY, made it his own! I only wish it was on YouTube because I don't think you'd be able to hear the song the same way again! This was the song he was going to originally sing though.

Obviously, again, I know Cait Doyle would do a stellar job, so I've left the rest of this entry to discuss how much she rocked her recent Mess in Manhattan show. Last night, Lecinda and I ventured back to Duplex and were seated in our usual seats... this time however, we were VIPs because during the Gala earlier in the week there was a raffle for a free show and Lecinda won for Cait's show. I unfortunately did not, but I did win for another show, sadly though I can not attend. They are letting me pick a new show, so I'll get back to you when I decide and obvs I'll blog about that. Back to the Mess... Cait definitely wows me every time because this show keeps getting better and better. I can go to every show and every time it's different and entertaining and not the same old stuff show after show! Cait can do no wrong by me... For those of you that missed it... Take a sneak peak:

Recapping: Free2Breathe, Philly!

Sat, 8 Nov 2008 10:20:15 -0500

Sadly I have been MIA from my blog for a little while, but that is simply because I have been incredibly busy bouncing around the city and various other cities and will be continuing to do so for the next month... please bare with me. However, I do want to give you some recaps of what has taken place since last we spoke.

Before we entered into this new era in history, I was in Philadelphia for a hot minute to participate alongside 'Team Guiding Light' in the Free2Breathe 5K walk/run. Lecinda and I traveled down via the Bolt Bus arriving roughly around 1PM on Saturday. Our good friend and fellow walker, Stephanie picked us up and whisked us away to enjoy some Philly cuisine! Philly cuisine is quite tasty as we enjoyed Philly cheese-steaks and soft pretzels. These both are items I wish to have imported to me in the Big Apple! Let's see who can supply me with some. Saturday night, following a rigorous ribbon cutting ceremony and the big reveal that Lecinda goes to Mood... yes, that Mood! Stephanie, Lecinda and I decide to party it up in Philly. The only problem, we're all exhausted from our previous Halloween adventures that occurred the night before. So we hang out for a few rounds and venture home where we curl up and fall asleep... ahhhh ZZZzzZzZZZ.

Sunday morning was the walk and what a delightfully crisp autumn day it turned out to be. I was ill prepared for the weather, having left both my hat and scarf back at Stephanie's. I was teased by Saturday's unusually warm weather that I figured Sunday would be just as delightful. Oh no it wasn't! Following the walk, a bunch of us headed over to a nearby Starbucks for some coffee and to warm up a bit. Lecinda, Stephanie and I headed back where we continued to discuss how someone goes to Mood, yes, that Mood! After a trip for a Caesar Salad and discussion on what a success the walk was, Lecinda and I bid adieu to Nancy and Stephanie, our hosts for the weekend. We headed back on the Bolt Bus and were Big Apple Bound. The Free2Breathe walk in Philly this year truly was a success. Last year there were approximately 300 or so registered participants. This year there were more than 1300. Nancy, congratulations on an amazing event! I'm already looking forward to helping out next year!

Recaps on the radar and Upcoming Events:
*New Beginnings presents the 2008 Duplex Gala

*Becky 2.0 wishes Becky 1.0 a Happy Birthday

*Feeding NYC Benefit Concert

*November's Hot Mess in Manhattan

*Holiday Away

*The best focus ~~group~~ study yet

Change

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 00:05:41 -0500

"Rosa sat so that Martin could walk so that Barack could run so that our children can fly."

please comment who said this... I want to give them credit and I love it so!!!

Halloween: Tricks and Treats!

Tue, 4 Nov 2008 22:28:30 -0500

I had started to type out a bunch of fun stories from my night out on the town and then the worst thing happened.. my laptop seemed to over heat and completely shut off, thus I lost everything I was working on. I promise I will attempt to be as funny and even wittier this time around, but I apologize in advance if I'm not.

My night out, as Michael Phelps, started out with blustery winds as I raced down to the crosstown bus. I ran into my neighbors Walter and Karen and their son Monte who was dressed up as a warm looking lion! Oh how I wished it was much warmer or that I was wearing more clothes! All I could hope for was that the bus would arrive sooner rather than later. Sure enough it did and my first public appearance as Mr. Phelps began. I started to get some cat calls from what appeared to be teenage girls. I thought they were initially probably just going into high school, but turns out one of them was celebrating their birthday as well... her TWENTY FIRST Birthday! I totally started to feel old and couldn't wait to reach Columbus Avenue where I would make my way to Prohibition for my first drink of the night! Following my short visit, I headed down to the village to watch a little bit of the parade. I walked around and froze my buns off. I had anticipated the cold and thus was prepared mentally for that, however I was not prepared to have a blister on my foot that probably was two inches long. Another thing I had not thought of was the nipple chafing. Two years ago I ran the NYC Marathon and did not have any sort of 'Jogger's Nipple" situation so I didn't think anything of it. Well, by the end of the night, they hurt like there was no tomorrow!!

Following the parade, I headed midtown to meet up with Annie and Russ. We grabbed a quick drink at Legends on West 33rd Street before heading next door for some karaoke with Annie's sister Karen! It was an enjoyable evening aside from the woman who walked out of the bar being sure to mention to me, "You like nothing like him, just so you know." I really wasn't anticipating that kind of comment so I totally brushed it off and went about my night!

After Annie, Russ and the Gang left, I decided to continue my night by heading up to Therapy and checking out the costumes in Hell's Kitchen. There were a lot of Sarah Palin outfits and lot of other interesting characters! I headed around the corner briefly to Vynl as I heard there was a costume party, but turns out I missed it, so I finished my drink and headed back to the Upper East Side for a quick drink at my favorite local pub before calling it a night. It was full of all the seediness I have grown to love, so I finished my drink and headed to the bathroom before going home. I reached my apartment and began to gather my belongings for my trip to Philly that weekend and noticed something was missing... my wallet! I fre

aked out for a moment and realized it must be at the bar still. I RAN back the bar and asked Andy the bartender if there was a wallet turned in, he said no, so I told him I would check out the bathroom where I was and hopefully it was there. I looked around, thinking I placed it on a ledge, but there was nothing, so I left, leaving my number with Andy, just in case. I got back to my apartment, started to call my bank and then it suddenly hit me. If my wallet was anywhere at that bar, which I knew it was since I paid for a drink there, it has to be in that bathroom!!! So I finally called it quits with the Michael Phelps outfit and headed out in normal clothing. I ran back to the bathroom and sure enough, under the sink, my wallet was the

re, everything in tact. You see, what happened was, my swim trunks did not have a deep back pocket, so when they essentially dropped and hit the floor (don't ask) my wallet bounced out! Mystery solved!! It was definitely a not nice trick to be played on me, especially having had such a wonderful treat earlier in the evening!

Happy Halloween

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:52:45 -0500

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE... The time has finally arrived and today is the day that I will be dressing as the one and only Michael Phelps! I've been training my ass off it seems at the gym, practically everday and I am still in no way my ideal 'Phelps form' but C'est La Vie, right? Anyway... have a spooktacular day!!