get out your villain umbrella...

over the course of the next 3 months, our disney magic 24 cast will be learning about 5 shows.  the show that we're currently rehearsing is a brand new disney show called "villains".  on the first day of rehearsals, we did a read-through of the show and i fell instantly in love with it!  it's a captivating, contemporary, tongue-in-cheek comedy that includes all of the most famous disney villains.  

the show was brilliantly cast with amazingly talented actors and the creative team is just ridiculously awesome.  i love what i do.

the genius  behind the show itself... the writers:  jeff bowen and hunter bell (of "title of show")

the brains behind the story-telling:  our director  allison narver

our lovely, talented choreographer karma camp

the brilliant, class-act of a musical director: ben cohn (taking a break as associate conductor for wicked in ny and simultaneously finishing orchestrations for clay aiken's new album while he's here working with us in toronto... he's kind of a big deal)

can't wait for you to visit and see the show.  you're gonna love it!

snail mail

there's something charming about getting snail mail, don't you think?

maybe it's the gesture of someone taking the time to write something by hand just for you. maybe it's the fact that it comes straight from their hands into yours... like a direct, personal connection to someone you care about who lives far away.

well, i officially live in toronto, ca now! i have a new mailbox. and a new address.

here it is...

303-11 st. joseph street

toronto, ontario

m4y3g4

if you ever get bored and feel like sending snail mail, i'd love to hear how you are!

moonstruck

as i was finishing up the last few weeks at tuacahn, i got a call asking me to be a soloist in the 2009 governor's gala.

it was a fun night.  and i can't complain about getting paid $500 to wear a ball gown, work with wonderful people and sing two songs with a live 20 piece orchestra.

i sang "memory" from cats (by my lonesome) and "loathing" from wicked with this lady...

carmen rasmusen herbert

it was a fancy affair... black tie, $500 a plate (the governor ended up raising over $1 million that night!)

a group of us backstage at the gala

with jun and alex boye (his wife gave birth to their first baby the day before the gala! congrats alex!)

with josie and nathan herbert

with gev (you might recognize him from sytycd) we spoke russian together :)

codes was at the gala at senator bennett's table!

 

and my gorgeous family came.  hot mommas!

i have to add that i got to rehearse a few times at the governor's mansion (beautiful!) and that jeanette herbert was a class act, dedicating a lot of time to be involved in the entertainment portion of the gala.  it was fun getting to know her, the governor himself and their beautiful family!

my rachy

my favorite friends are the ones that, no matter how much time has passed since we've seen each other, we can pick up right where we left off.  my friend rachael is one of those friends.  we met in high school and she and her twin katie have been two of my favorite people ever since.  the picture above is a picture taken, in high school, of rach and i in musical rehearsal.

we haven't lived anywhere near each other ever since we graduated from high school, but we've managed to see each other and catch up a handful of times here and there.  she and michael have been so great- taking time out of their busy lives to drive miles and miles just to see me perform.  this is a picture of us with my brothers and sisters at newport beach last summer.

earlier this summer i flew to nyc for a call-back.  my friend cy and i hung out in times square after a show one night and whose life-sized face should i see on a billboard?  yes, ladies and gentleman... michael rady.  rachy's michael.

michael's playing the part of jonah miller in the cw series melrose place.  i've been watching the show online and he's brilliant.  follow the show at cwtv.com

michael's character on melrose is engaged.  i think he might get a little inspiration for the role from his real engagement to rach!  aren't they adorable?

lucky guy.  look at how gorgeous rachy is on the red carpet!

my favorite thing about these two is that they are two of the most grounded, kind, salt-of-the-earth people i've ever met. rae rae and michael, i love you guys!  i've always known you were rock stars and i'm so excited that the rest of the world has discovered what i've known all along.

this is it

my family went to see "this is it" this past week.  if you haven't seen it yet, you HAVE to.  especially if you're a performer.  you'll never be the same.  michael jackson is without a doubt one of the greatest inspirations the world has ever known.  he changed the performing world forever.  watching him inspires me to work harder, to be more, to own my talent, to be the best.

go see it, you'll love it!  can't stop thinking about it.  it's a 'must own'.

a change of scenery...

a 6 month contract in st. george, utah has been fun (don't get me wrong) but i'm ready for a change of scene!

i google-imaged a handful of the 28 or so cities i will visit on the cruise... and i got really excited!

bahamas (a.k.a. paradise... where the water is turquoise)

naples, italy (a.k.a. my dream country)

copenhagen, denmark

rome, italy (a.k.a. my dream country... AGAIN)

white cliffs of dover, england (something i used to sing about during assemblies at my all-girls school in england when i was little)

villefranche, france

villefranche, france again (the picture was too beautiful not to post)

stockholm, sweden

st. petersburg, russia (where i'll get to speak russian again!!)

you want to come visit me now, don't you?  i thought so.

hcg

ever heard of it?  it'll change your life.

i'm not a fan of diets, in general.  but after comprehensively reading about hcg and hearing testimonials from people i trust, i felt differently about this one.

my mom's been doing hcg for a while now and she's looking and feeling great!

reader's digest version: hcg is a pregnancy hormone that draws out and flushes from the body abnormal fat cells while altogether re-setting the body's fat-storage mechanism.  

benji and i were so impressed with our mom's success that we decided to do hcg together. it's been quite the bonding experience.  today marks our 17th of 30 days.  we've already seen great results!  

hcg has been an amazing life experience.  it's shown me what a strong person i am.  i have so much will-power.  living on 500 calories a day isn't easy, especially when everyone around you is living on such a drastically different diet. 

hcg has also been one of the biggest mind-battles that i've ever encountered.  hcg helps you to not feel hungry, for the most part, while living on a 500 calorie diet.  but everyday is a battle of mind over matter.  so many days, especially while performing and before i was into the routine of hcg, my mind would tell my body "you've eaten barely anything today.  you must be starving!" but it's been empowering to know that i'm in control of not only my body, but also my mind.  in a way, it's made me feel more whole and at one with myself.  

it's been so worth it.  this is my time.  i deserve to be castable and feel confident in life and when i walk into an audition room.

hcg has become a fun joke among my friends.  i really miss normal food and i've taken to smelling everything that my friends eat.  and i mean everything.  but not only that, sometimes i make them eat things just because i can't. :)  one night allysa, dan and i decided to make a maverick treat run.  i wasn't about to actually buy food.  so, they laughed at me as i made the rounds to smell the krispy kreme, muffin and beef jerkey bins.

some people pay hundreds of dollars to get hcg shots from a clinic.  not a fan.  us schwartzes prefer to order ours online and take drops under our tongues.  much cheaper, much easier... less contact with needles!  hcg comes in a little package that looks like this...

we do the mixing ourselves.  the first time benji and i did it was in a hotel room in california.  we happened to leave the hotel door open and were positive that anyone walking by would think we were running a meth lab straight out of our room.

we administer the drops from a syringe.  it looks something like this...

tuacahn hosted a party one night at a beautiful mansion and i snuck away to take hcg.  a few of my friends were intrigued and followed me to the bathroom to observe...

if the idea of shedding abnormal body fat appeals to you, i definitely recommend hcg.  i'm not gonna lie, it's not for the faint of heart.  it definitely takes dedication.  but it's worth it.  it's an amazing life experience.  and regardless of what shape or size you come in, hcg will work for you.  i can promise you that.

for more information go to: http://hcgdietinfo.com/HCG_Diet_Simeons_Manuscript.htm

feel free to email me (uksource@gmail.com) or message me on facebook if you have any questions.