“OH DARLING” (My biggest day yet!)

Today we shot my first big moment of drama in the film....

At this point in the movie, Sadie is on her way to fame and is headlining the Filmore East. She's also on her way out the door as far as her band AND guitarist/boyfriend are concerned. Seduced by the powerful record label exec, she's decided to move on. Unbeknownst to JoJo, her lover and guitarist. At least that what she thinks, but JoJo's a perceptive guy and will make it clear to her on stage, that he's Hip to her Hypocrisy. As in, what's really going on between them, juxtaposed, if you will, to the words she's singing in this beautiful Beatles song "Oh Darling".......

Pick up was originally supposed to be 6am, however, due to strict union rules for the crew (they have to have a certain amount of hours to sleep--how dare they??) who had pulled an 18 hour day the day before (wimps!), I received word at midnight that my call time was now 11am. Thank you Jesus, Mary AND Joseph!

I arrived to set fully rested (and caffeinated) for the first time since I started this project. It almost didn't feel right being completely awake. Having full faculty of my senses and motor skills while singing/dancing/acting in front of cameras, crews, cast mates, extras and all under GLARING lights, gives me way too sharp a sense of awareness. This can only lead one to bouts of severe neurosis. Speaking of which....

Got to wardrobe only to find out that my favorite outfit in the film had been replaced by something Julie considered "darker" (figuratively speaking) and more dramatically suited for the scene. Bummer, but hey, choose your battles, right? Well, I chose to battle this one. (But only in my tortured, neurotic mind, I do have SOME control.)

So, I got into the 1920s vintage-store black slip, which had been beautifully butchered by the wardrobe elves in an effort to fit my so-very-NOT-1920's size! In other words, what should have been an awesome and sexy cleavage revealing cut, was, on me, (someone twice the average size of most homo sapiens from that time) something a nun could have pulled off in Mass.

"The right beads will make it simply fabulous, Sadie, Honey." The hillarious Chris Peterson, Albert Wolksy’s wardrobe assistant assured me. "Throw it on with those brown (men's) cowboy boots and that green velvet robe and you'll be rocking the Sexy Sadie vibe!" he cheered.

I had my doubts.

But, time was of essence. We were already starting to shoot 5 hours later than planned, which meant we'd go 5 hours later than usual. (Usual is about 11pm. You can do the math. Oh boy.)

So, I threw on my costume, a smile, TONS of jewelry and got to the set. Which was awesome! Hundreds of extras standing in front of the stage anxiously awaiting my arrival!! --(Okay, Sadie's arrival. Yes, they were acting.) All the same, it definitely got me pumped up and I was able to forget for a moment that I felt as though I looked like a cross between Maud and Mrs. Roper!

It was time to rehearse the big scene. Which I'd done countless times since I auditioned for this film; since I came in again and again and again to help them find my on screen boyfriend for this film; since my first on screen boyfriend got fired from this film (after days and days of killing my vocal chords because he just couldn't get Julie's direction AT ALL for the big Sadie/JoJo moment in this film); and until they finally found the right man for this film, the amazing Martin Luther--who nailed both the song AND the stage fight, first try! Yippie.

God, am I SICK of this song.

The pressure was on today. I had 3 big scenes to shoot and it was already 1:00. Julie was not only nervous about the time, but she was nervous about how the scene was going to work. (the fighting on stage through song, perfectly timed to the track, perfectly lip syncing as I perfectly unplug JoJo in the middle of his OBNOXIOUS solo!) The on stage fight she wanted both believable and musical. And NOT like a "musical." Thank Goodness.

Fortunately I've had some experience with the whole "battle of the egos between Diva and guitarist/boyfriend!"

We began to rehearse the scene and I felt ready (as long as I remembered to force out the images of Mrs. Roper and Maud.)

I had to do a combination of lip sync and live singing. I'd spent the entire day and night before practicing my "lip sync" and live fighting/singing in my apartment, with "Oh Darling" BLASTING on my speakers. If my daily vocal exercises haven't already convinced them, surely now my neighbors believe I'm insane.

It was time to "Roll Camera." Martin stepped on to the stage looking SMASHING! I was immediately jealous that he showed more cleavage than I did! (Mrs. Roper BE GONE!---Please!)

Then I heard: "Camera's up! Rolling! Playback (which refers to the prerecorded song) and ACTION!" I let out the first "Oh Darlin'" and the crowd went wild (Man that's an addictive feeling!) Just as I opened my mouth to fake the next line, I heard "CUT"!

Julie hopped on stage, looked me over and said: "Wait a minute, can't we get this dress ANY lower? This isn't sexy!!" I wanted to say: "I KNEW IT!!" but instead, I just said: "Well, I guess people just weren't this giant in the 1920s".

Based on her very puzzled expression, she clearly had NO CLUE as to what in the hell I was talking about (Julie doesn't know where wardrobe people get the stuff!) She just shook her head and sent me back to wardrobe to put on the original "Filmore East" outfit. Yey---I Won!!

I was RUSHED into my trailer, followed by a host of wardrobe elves, (male and female) and putting all modesty aside, I did the fastest outfit change (which included boob taping as the dress doesn't allow for bra and I didn't want to be flopping around while I'm stomping around") in front of the whole lot of them! In fact, one of the wardrobe gals, taught me a trick Raquel Welch used to "Tape her giant girls up”. This required bending completely forward so your "utters" can dangle as you put the band-aid like tape underneath them. (This is where my dark past as a stripper proved to be somewhat useful. At least for the lack of modesty part! (And no, I never "dangled my girls" upside down while taping them on stage!)

I made it back to set in a flash, and we started the scene. It felt SO REAL! I really imagined being at the Filmore East back in the day, in front of thousands of screaming fans, with Jon playing way too loud and totally pissing me off!

We got a GREAT take on the FIRST take! Everyone was thrilled and relieved! (Especially me, Julie and Martin, who knew we could FINALLY move on from this scene that had been beaten TO DEATH since rehearsals last spring!) I think Martin and I scored some points with the crew as well. Moving through it and nailing it this quickly, we were really able to make up for lost time and maybe some sleep that night was in store for us all after all.

In the end, we got the scene to a place that far exceeded all of our expectations.

The other scenes were a breeze. And lots of fun. I got to be drunk and ornery. Drunk and sad. Sad and angry. The latter for the final scene of they day, where I had to run out into the street in the rain (real rain) at 1am crying as my sleazy new label picked me up in his awesome 1960s ride.

A crowd of people stood and stared (they'd seen his face before, know that he was really showing he was from the house of Lords....) Sorry, I digressed into a Beatles Lyric from "Day In the Life".

A crowd of people did stand and stare. I ran into the cold, wet, late night/early morning street a few more times, crying, then we called it a day.

I call THAT a "Day in (this strange) Life" for sure.