Mr. Herb and Miss Pennypacker Lambada...sort of.

another spontaneous performance

Co-Worker's Impression of me Stocking Shelves @ TJ's

Ah, BB

Ok, so I should have been asleep hours ago, but I've been playing with my new blackberry. This is the first picture taken on my BB and the second post written from my BB. So now that I can post like this, I may be around more!! xom
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Does this thing work?

puzzle

G to the C

I'm an official Californian now.  Scary. It only took six years, twenty days, and a police officer forcing me to go to court to prove the validity of my residence with a ca driver's license.

I've now lived in LA longer than I have ever lived anywhere in my entire life.  It's a strange feeling I can't fully describe with words. But, somehow this plastic rectangle arriving in the mail is a symbol : I'm here.

Los Angeles is my home.   

Performance

If Only You Were A Boy - Alex Davis

Dawn Wells Potato Peeling Video

A customer sent this to me. Not just any customer, but JIM. Jim is at Trader Joe's EVERYday. and by every day, i mean : every single day of the week, at least once,for forty-five minutes--at least. Jim is not in any way annoying. He's actually quite cool. He's in his 70's, very alert, very pop savvy; a retired magician who now puts up special-glow-in-the-dark chemicals on ceilings to make them look like the galaxy when the lights are off. He sent me this video because he thought it was a great way to peel a potato. The fact that he doesn't see why this video is hilarious makes it all the more funny for me. Enjoy.

LOVE

u
MUST
give
LOVE
to
GET
love

u
must
BE
LOVE
to
SEE
love

Exhibition @ LA LOUVER

My First Karaoke

It may not seem like a big deal to you, but to me, this is huge! Clearly, I'm not a singer. It helped that it was one of my teenage angst songs, as did the vodka cranberries.

Smart Car??

Blogs Coming Soon!

I have five or six blogs that I need to get ready and post. I just don't have the energy right now even though I really want to post them RIGHT NOW.

I know you're all holding your breathe with anticipation, so I just wanted to check in and tell you to check back Tuesday for a barrage of posts!!

xoxo

Gay Day

Wednesdays are my favorite day of the week :

1. it's my saturday
2. it's my GAY DAY!!!

We get together at 8pm. First up is America's Next Top Model. Then there is some down time, filled with American Idol in the background while dinner is being cooked and consumed.

Next up is Make me a Super Model!!!  And, then capping of the night is Rupaul's Drag Race (that we watch from the computer).

Tonight was extra special because it was the season finale of Drag Race. I won't publicly congratulate the winner because if you haven't already I think you should watch the entire season (only 8 episodes!) on logo's website. I promise you won't regret it and once you start, you won't be able to stop!!

 

My Declaration

It's Good to be : Marc Herb

Who Knew?

Apparently, my mother is a huge American Idol fan. She votes for multiple people that she likes and keeps a chart to keep track of who she votes for each week so she can spread her votes out to the people she likes. Quite diplomatic!

Significance

Marc Goes Swedish

When Katie Meets Diana

Written and Performed

by

Marc Herb,

Simultaneously

Have You Ever--

--Sneezed while brushing your teeth?! 

I have JUST discovered it is THE worst thing EVER. I don't recommend it. AT ALL.

It's kind of like when you're drinking something and liquid gets up your nose, except it's a thick, frothy,(in my case,) minty disgustingness, not to mention painful! 

I'm able to be this descriptive because I can still feel it as I type. Ok, I'm over it : moving on with my day.

Loulou

You know you're at a birthday party in your thirties when there are children playing in the other room.

You know you are in LA when you meet a kid like Loulou. She's awesome, and, in my opinion, was one of the coolest guests at L & A's birthday celebration last night!

Ps : She also speaks fluent French

A Poem

I 

 am

   not 

      dead;

                    been

                    busy

           self

               re-

                 flect-

                      ing

                     back

                     NOW!

So L.A.

Today, I woke up, went to yoga, and then to therapy.

My therapist and I are working on incorporating structure in to my life. She also wants me to nurture my inner parent so that I can maintain self-discipline. She said I seem to operate on one of two roads: either the autobahn, going 90 mph or on gravely road with pot holes, barely moving. So, I'm trying to find the road on which I can move at a steady pace toward a specific goal. She used the example of running the L.A. marathon: "If a person wants to run the marathon, they can't just buy a cute outfit and cute shoes and run it; they have to train for it, build up to it." 

Or, as my good friend puts it, "you won't see the results if you don't do the work."

MY OSCAR PICKS :

LEADING ACTOR : Mickey Rourke (/anybody but Brad Pitt)

SUPPORTING ACTOR : Josh Brolin

LEADING ACTRESS : Kate Winslet

SUPPORTING ACTRESS : Penelope Cruz

DIRECTING : SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

ADAPTED WRITING : FROST/NIXON


ORIGINAL WRITING : MILK

BEST PICTURE : SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE


BEST MAKEUP: THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Mystic Coffee

Some people read tea leaves; Susan reads Coffee.

I Hate

First Date

J, Karin and I went to Grove on Sunday to see Confessions of a Shopaholic. Standing in line, we were talking about the fact that the movie wasn't doing that well in the box office; that Friday the 13th was going to trump the weekend, and that He's Just Not That Into You would beat Shopaholic even in it's second weekend. It was about this time that I looked behind us, and I saw Ginnifer Goodwin, also waiting in line. She saw me looking at her and we kept eye contact for about .5 seconds. She whispered to her date, "it's about to happen." I assume she thought I was about to talk to her, but that's not really my style. I just looked away and as soon as I could subtly make eyes at Karin to glance behind us, I did, and having known me so long, she was able to read my mind, and did, letting out a simple, audible, "mhm," with simultaneous head nod. The three of us had been talking earlier in the evening about how much we loved the movie, especially Ginnifer's character. Karin was even inspired to paint her nails purple because she loved the way it looked on Ginnifer when she was holding the pink phone. J heard the conversation, but didn't know who was speaking because there was no subtle way to have him turn around, as he was in the middle of Karin and I, who had easy side views. So, Karin and I stood there, bemused by the irony of it all, purple nails and all. We waited the rest of our time in line, in silence, eavesdropping. Clearly, based on their conversation, they were on a first date. She even asked, "Do mind if I get the movie?" 

Which makes me wonder, if you have to pay for a guy on the first date, is he really that into you?!

My Newest Guilty Pleasure

http://www.logoonline.com/video/misc/336606/part-1-of-ep-1-rupauls-drag-race.jhtml?id=1603692

Undeniably Sick

I'm sick, ya'll.

The great thing about working at Trader Joe's is that we do get paid time off.

The bad thing is that I've used most of that time to party and/or recover from partying; so now that I'm actually sick, I can't really afford to take the time off to be sick and get well.

I may be scarce for the next few days. I'll be back when I feel more human.

A not-So Subtle Message from My Man

Because he knows when Barack speaks, I listen!

3-Minute Cooking Show : Zone Shredded Chicken Burritos!

Sprinkles Cupcakes

If you live in Los Angeles and have not tried Sprinkles Cupcakes, get out from underneath the rock you live, and go RIGHT NOW to get one--or twelve.

Sharon is visiting from Atlanta, so Karin and I felt it was our duty to introduce her to the deliciousness that is Sprinkles. On a thursday afternoon, we waited in the the line that stretched down little Santa Monica in Beverly Hills for about twenty minutes. This is the average wait time; sometimes longer, sometimes less, but ALWAYS worth it. (even if they are $3 each.)

So, yes the Zone Master has cheated and I loved every bite. I had a college professor always say, "Life is all about treats." I live by this mantra and use it as my justification to indulge, probably more than the Greeks would approve!

What sinfully delicious treats can you not live without?

Introducing Mark Curb

He's Just Not That Into You

Like most people going to the movies this weekend, I saw He's Just Not That Into You and I really enjoyed it. It was exactly what I wanted it to be : a fun, light, uplifting movie. The B-List-studded cast were all acceptable in their portrayals of the several characters intersecting** in various story lines, all centered around the theme of LOVE! As each of the stories reached their cheesy and expected endings, I was giddily fidgeting in my seat with a renewed sense of love, optimism, and hope. I even teared up a bit because the joy I felt was palpable. Not that I think there are a lot of straight men reading D R A M A R C, but if you are, I'd like to state on record that I do not think this movie is a(total) chick flick; whether you'll admit it or  not, I believe you will like this movie because it is, at it's core, very truthful, and therefore very relatable.

If you haven't already, treat yourself to this very saccharine movie!  

[**side note : the structure of the movie reminded me of a romantic comedy version of Crash]

I'm So Grateful He's My President!!!

Blogger's Block

For the first time since beginning my blog, I'm blocked. I've got nothing new or exciting or fun to share and I hate it. I want to entertain you; I'm afraid if I don't, you'll stop coming back.

I can't live without you. I'll get over this soon. I have to.

Marc feels guilty for not blogging.

So I told him to relax....I told him that after that nice prosciutto,
yum ah oh me I love the cheese, filet and lobster risotto and the wine I
could do him a favor. That's what I do, write blogs for meals......what
can you get for a hundra dollah. We are all hustling during this
recession, depression era, hey, almost a little hip hop there. So Marc
says hi and goodbye. He thinks you should all go and party this friday.
Live life, live a little, love.....kiss someone and have a cocktail,
oh......and he loves you.......til the end of times.

LAYERS

Here are some pictures that were taken during previous videos!!

The Voices

All my life, I've heard voices. I hear voices when I write, voices speak through me when I perform, voices whisper messages, voices argue, debate, and struggle within me. 

I've made a decision. For the next six months, I'm going to live under the assumption that the voices inside my head are real. For the next six months, I am going to compile material and then in the three months that follow the six months, I will shape them into my first show : WHAT IF THE VOICES INSIDE MY HEAD ARE REAL? by MARC HERB, to be performed at my Thirty-One-Derful Birthday Extravaganza, which is nine months away!!

In the meantime, I'm taking submissions for directors! And, if anyone has any leads on great spaces in LA, let me know!

Hope you all can make it!!

LA Traffic : the Musical

New Look

I have a Confession

Okay, so most of my life, I have had an intense-passionate affair, bordering on obsession, with Daytime Television. I say "Daytime Television" because I think it sounds more sophisticated than "Soap Operas," but it is to indeed to that genre that I refer.

I blame my mother. It all started when I was four and she 
was pregnant with my sister. We were home alone near the end of the pregnancy and for the first part of my sister's life. My mom would let me watch soaps so long as I closed my eyes during the sex scenes. (Might I add that during this time she also got me hooked on peanut butter, marshmallow cream, and banana sandwiches!

When I was seven, my Air-Force family moved to Okinawa, Japan. We only had ONE American tv station : FEN, the Far East Network, on which only two Soap Operas aired : General Hospital and Guiding Light. My mom had watched all ABC soaps since their first episodes, but never Guiding Light. She embraced GL (which would later cause her to have to make an agonizing decision).

However, she was not able to let go of the other two ABC soaps: All My Children and One Life to Live and being ever-resourceful found a solution; the local japanese video store rented American Soap Operas, in volumes. It took her weeks of trial and error to get somewhere in the ballpark of where she had left her stories across the Pacific Ocean. Finally, we were back on track. I loved that she rented them because I could watch them after school and on the weekends, as there weren't too many tv options with the one channel and all. Then came another devastating blow : for legal-copyright-law-kind-of-reasons, the japanese stores were no longer able to rent the soaps. Again, my ever-resourceful mother found a solution. She allied with her sister who taped every show on VHS, every day for months at a time, and then mailed them to my mother, who would watch them, and then return the tapes to be re-recorded. (They had two sets of tapes) My mother and her sister continued this for the entire five-year period we lived in Okinawa.

I would get up 2 hours before the bus left so I could watch AMC and OLTL. I only got to see GH and GL when I was home from school and during the summer. (I still don't know if my mother ever realized that I would always get sick on the Monday after a Friday-night dinner when she would tell me how exciting one of the shows was getting.)

My obsession was not limited to Daytime Soap Operas, I also LOVED Dynasty and Dallas. My father was not as understanding of my love for soaps as my mother and would never let me stay up to watch them. Little did he know, there was no stopping me! My older brother is the soundest sleeper of all time. Being the oldest, he also inherited my parents old-turn-dial-black-and-white tv. After I knew he was asleep, I used to sneak into his room, turn on his tv, with the volume down, and listen to the tv from downstairs. I always had plenty of time to rush back to my room while my parents locked up. It was a flawless system and I was never caught.

When we returned to the US, I was entering the seventh grade. I only had one friend, Ricki Sparrow. He was a soap watcher too, also because of his mother, except he watched NBC shows. I had never had any exposure to that network, so it was fun going to his house after school and learning all about Salem and how Jack raped Jennifer in the 80's but now they were lovers.

It was also at this time that my mother made a difficult choice that greatly impacted both of us. GH and GL both air at 3pm. She had to decide which show was going to be recorded. She chose GL. I still think it was a mistake.

As I entered high school, I was often too busy to dedicate hours to soap viewing, but I would race through them, catching all of the plot points and twists. I worked at a grocery store during college and while it was slow, I read every line of every Soap Opera Magazine. I studied. I learned all of the executive producers, all of the head writers, all of the moves and shake ups.

Near the end of my Sophomore year of college, I began to freak the flip out about what I was going to do with my life. I went to my adviser and began to express my anxiety.

"Kid," she said, "if you could do anything, what would you do?" "Well, if I had enough money--"

"--no," she interrupted me, "There's no money in dreams; if you could do anything, what would it be." 

"I'd move to NYC and write for AMC"

"You write?!"

"No, but I think I could."

"You're taking my playwriting class in the Fall."

And I did. I excelled in the class. The play I wrote was ultimately produced my senior year. With that play and another that I wrote for an independent study, I applied to grad school.

Throughout grad school, I maintained that I'd like to start my career in daytime. When people would scoff, I was ready :

"Daytime is the only genre on television that truly takes risks : the first lesbian, the first interracial couple, the first character with AIDS, etc etc etc."

"Daytime is all about Aristotle's Reasonable Suspension of Disbelief; you have to enter the world to truly understand."

"Change the minds of housewives across America and you change America."

For a class, I had to adapt Oedipus to a Modern story; I worked it into the framework of AMC, with Erica Cane as my Oedipus.

Near the end of my time three-year stint in grad school, it seemed kismet that I stumbled upon an internship program that would place me directly in the offices of NBC daytime. I was sure the fates had swooped down and were hand-delivering my dream on a silver platter.

The delusion quickly lifted. My first day as intern was unbearably boring. I was just answering phones and reading old scripts. I couldn't take it. I went to Fran, the office manager, and begged her for something real to do. She set me up with a meeting with the Senior VP of Daytime Television at NBC. I explained to him my passion, my drive, my talent, and begged him to use me.

Well, use me he did. 

This was the time that NBC had acquired Telemundo, and they were thinking of producing their own Soap Operas, as opposed to importing them from Spanish-speaking countries. Only problem was that the Daytime machine had been so lubricated that no one really knew how it worked anymore. That was my job : to trace and document the journey of daytime, from start to finish. I went above and beyond the call of duty. I set up interviews all of the the lot, to find out, in detail, what exactly each person's role in the process was.

I did not like what I found out. I discovered that there was little to no collaborative creativity. Each show has one head writer, who decides the direction of the story (based on what executives want to see) and then gives story progressions to five (one for each day of the week) outline writers who then give their outlines to the five script writers, who then give their scripts to a continuity writer who edits them to make it seem like one voice. All of this is done over email.

In one summer of realization, my entire dream of daytime fizzled. I accepted what everyone had always told me : that soaps are bad television with bad writing and bad actors. I quit. Cold turkey.

In the last five years, I've maybe seen ten episodes of any give Soap.

But, last week I accidentally discovered that ABC is putting full episodes of GH online. I watched one. I was hooked. They are doing an Arc story line, where they start with a huge drama that clearly affects the entire canvas (that's what you call the clusters of characters in daytime) and then flash, "8 hours before."  So, now I have seen the "eight hours" that led up to the drama and the last episode I watched, we had reached the drama.

So, I'm once again watching a soap. I will actually, seriously, watch today's episode when I'm done with this blog, even though I should go to sleep. A sure sign that addictions truly never go away; they just rest beneath the surface.

Mr Blom Guestblogs about being a personal eyewear shopper for Mr Herb

Ok, Mr Herb is buying glasses. I know which ones I like, GAH, they're
just so I can't live without you. Is he going with the ad executive look
from DKNY, the Harry Potter/Jewish accountant a la Ralph Lauren or the
Hollywood look by the pool at Chateau Marmont with Versace?

What is the Historical Significance of the Internet ?

3-Minute Bloopers

3-Minute Cooking Show : Zone Sloppy Joes

The Wrestler

The Wrestler is a really well-acted, believable movie. It feels so real and genuine and Mickey Rourke's character arc is quite spectacular, yet so simple; the story unfolds naturally through character-driven choices and consequences for those choices. Also of note is Evan Rachel Wood's moving performance as Rourke's estranged-heart-broken-and-hardened daughter. She gives a well-layered, moving performance. I definitely recommend this movie. 

Mickey Rourke certainly deserves the Oscar nomination, though I'm still not sure who has my vote. I've seen all of the movies with the Lead Actor nominees except Frost/Nixon, which I will see soon. It is a really great year for quality Acting Performances, and I'm totally torn, with one exception : I do NOT believe Brad Pitt should have even been nominated. Benjamin Button is a good movie, but his performance is not Oscar Worthy.

What do you think?

After Hours

Tell Me : What do you Want?

I'm starting a little contest of my own!!

Send me embarrassing, funny, quirky, or unique situations in which you'd like me to place myself with my flip.

You can leave your submissions in the comment section of this post, or email them to marc.herb@yahoo.com, or send me a message on Facebook!

Submissions will be accepted for the next week! The selections will then be narrowed down by a trusted panel (NOT me!) and then the nominees will be voted upon by you, my readers!

And, then, I will do WHATEVER it is that you will have me do and post it to my blog!

Exciting!!

One Step Closer to Fame

**Click on the photo to Enlarge**

Happy Inauguration Day!!!!

Working Hard for the Money

movie by Angelina Nyström

Miley Cyrus @ Trader Joe's

Watch the D R A M A  at Trader Joe's when Miley stops by!

I think she is adorable and I like that she stopped for, without hesitation or attitude, every fan that approached her.

Behind Every Great Woman is a Great Man

Yes, it's true : we are dating.

3-Mintue Cooking Show : Zone Lasagna

Happy-Go-Lucky

I understand why Sally Hawkins won the Golden Globe for her portrayal of Poppy in Happy-Go-Lucky; she is amazing! The movie is a wonderful pick-me up, and I highly recommend seeing it. I actually plan to own this movie because I feel like it's one that I'll be able to watch a million times and still find something fresh, new, and exciting. The performances are all so vibrantly layered that I question how much of the movie was scripted and how much was developed through improved character development. The acting is so good, simple, natural. This movie makes me very happy and I think it will make you happy too!

Lust & Caution

HerbWorks Productions

Presents

A new Blog-Opera

"Lust & Caution", Episode one

technical difficulties

just want ya'll to know I am trying to post a new video.  For some reason I can't upload it from youtube and it is driving me crazy.

i'm also going to get fired because i skipped away from work to try again and have been absent for 30 minutes. Hopefully no one has noticed.

argh.

MARC IS ASLEEP, WELL KINDA!

He is quiet now, so I sneak in and update a little, by accident my
computer goes on and it starts playing some loud news cast, I shut it
down superquick. Yet Marc wakes up, I think, he looks like he is going
to cry and screams in his sleep? -Nooooooo, I can't get up, I can't get
up, I will die! He then crashes, goes back to sleep, it was funny,
should I wake him up again, haha.

I've Loved You So Long

I knew nothing about this movie, just that Kristin Scott Thomas was the lead. I didn't even know it was a french movie until it started.

I am so grateful that I didn't know anything about this movie because the experience would have been ruined had I known any part of the story. So, I will not tell you any part of the story because I don't want to ruin your experience. I would encourage you to stop reading anything (save my blog) in regard to this movie, because the movie could easily be summed up in a concise sentence : it is about . . .

But, that one sentence is so beautifully and craftily unfolded with such delicacy and arts-man-ship in to a stunning movie. 

"I've Loved You So Long" inspires me to want to be able to write a screenplay the way "Angels in America" inspired me to want to learn to write plays and "Opening Night" by John Cassavetes inspired me to want to learn how to be a filmmaker. 

Go see it! So we can talk about it!!

3-Minute Cooking Show : Zone Taco Soup

Taco Soup :

It's On!

Today is officially my first smoke-free day. I was actually supposed to keep smoking for a few more days, according to the website, but I wasn't getting any pleasure whatsoever from smoking, so I decided not buy another pack.

This coincides with my decision to jump, full-force, back in to the zone.

Just wanted to give those of you who aren't familiar with the Zone a quick introduction. The Zone diet was created by Dr. Barry Sears. In it's original form, the diet requires one to be a mathematician to create meals :

Of your total calories :

40% from carbohydrates

30% from lean protein

30% from good fats

I was introduced to a book called The Formula : a 40-30-30 Fat-Burning Nutrition Program written by Gene and Joyce Dauost. The Dauosts worked directly with Dr. Sears, using the Zone diet on clients at their fitness center. The book is a simplified version of the Zone, in that they have already done the math, created delicious recipes, and a portion guide (usually more than i can eat!).  There is even a fast food guide in the book for those times when you have to eat on the go.

I can attest, from personal experience, that the diet works. How does it work? For the sake of this explanation, imagine your body has only two hormones : glucagon and insulin. insulin is the fat-storing hormone and glucagon is the fat-burning hormone. When you eat your meals in the 40-30-30 ratio, the chemicals in your body are manipulated to increase glucagon and decrease insulin, meaning your body begins to burn fat for fuel. So, not only will you lose weight, you will also create lean muscle.

Last night, I took a "Before" video, which I will compile with clips taken over the next few months when I post "Results Reveal". In the meanwhile, I will post one recipe a week for the next several weeks on the Three Minute Cooking Show!

Looking forward to sharing my progression with you and knowing you're out there, will help keep me focused and disciplined! Thanks for being here, ya'll.

 

Delayed Resolution

Ok, so I know I'm a week late with this New Year's resolution thing, but, like with everything, I have to do things in my own time. I've decided to once again tackle the demon of cigarettes.

I quite smoking in 2002 and stayed smoke-free (nary even a drag) until may of 2007. I know, I know : five years?! How could I ever start smoking again?! Well, it's true what they say about addicts and addictions; it never goes away and you really do have to take it one day at a time.

I have wanted to quit again, basically since I re-started, but knowing how hard the last time was has made me hesitant to begin the process. I'm not sure I'm really ready even now. But, tonight, my friend gave me some pills that help with the blocking of receptors or something. When she gave them to me, she told me how expensive they were and that when I was ready, I should take it seriously (all smokers know the flippant I'm-gonna-quit-but-not-really routine). Something clicked, and I just felt like if not now, when? There will never be a convenient time to quit. And, really I hate the word quit because I really thought I had quit the last time. One day at a time, I will make a choice, and for now, my choice is to put down the fags.

I also figured going public like this will hold me more accountable to actually stopping. Again.

Wish me luck!

The big ole big ole big BIG ole water

Five years ago, I wrote a book.

Here's a voiced excerpt, and also one of my favorite moments ever :

Don't Judge

Happy New Year!!!!!