What a crazy weekend this has been! I had the privilege of being involved in two awards events in my two home cities, that are defining events for both towns - Los Angeles & Minneapolis.
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Last week I got a phone call from a contact in Hollywood, inviting me to the 64th Primetime Emmys on ABC in Los Angeles. So I made my way to MSP International and boarded the flight on Saturday afternoon just after refreshing my tuxedo options at Men's Warehouse in where else... Downtown Minneapolis on Nicollet Mall.
Upon arriving in L.A., Nancy and I headed out to Sunset Blvd. to enjoy the Hollywood hills and connect with some friends. We checked in at the Andez hotel right next to the Comedy Store. The Andez hotel used to be the famous Riot Hyatt where all the crazy stuff went down back in the day. Rockers threw TVs out of the windows of this hotel and onto Sunset Boulevard, amongst other things.. The new hotel has been completely redone and is kinda swanky. Each room has these floor to ceiling- glass windows that look out onto Sunset Boulevard. If you don't pull your black-out blinds closed at night, it will be complete daylight in your room thanks to the huge led billboards on the strip. But despite that, its a really nice place.
Saturday evening there was a party for me at the Comedy Store on Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood. I used to live in a condo just above the Comedy store for about a decade - I've met just about every person you can imagine there. Mitzi Shore, has owned the Comedy Store since about 1973 and runs it with her son Pauly.
The weather in L.A. this weekend was perfect - it was a warm summer night on the deck outside talking to friends and enjoying some entertainment. Two of them are pictured below.. long time friends and national comedians. Also, Bobby Lee from Mad TV performed that night and had a crazy set. Great times at the Comedy Store.
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| Andez Hotel Next Door to The Comedy Store |
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| Comedian Don Romero |
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| Comedian Yoursie Thomas |
After we finished at Comedy Store, we headed to Beso, Eva Langoria's restaurant. The evening was filled with food, drinks and friends and as usual, we received top notch treatment. I really recommend you check out Beso when in the area; its a very cool concept and full of Hollywood regulars. From Beso, we were escorted to the Foundation Room at House of Blues and from there, to the Rainbow Bar & Grill, which holds a lot of history for me. Rainbow has housed every rocker over the years - we all hung out there. You name him and he's been to the Rainbow.
Just when I thought we couldn't possibly pack any more into this day.. the Sunday morning sunrise arrives.
"The 64th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring the best in primetime television programming from June 1, 2011 until May 31, 2012, were held on September 23, 2012 at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, California. ABC televised the ceremony in the United States. Comedian and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Primetime Emmys for the first time" - he did a great job. Nancy and I were sitting off far left of the stage. ~Wikipedia
The red carpet was blistering hot for late September. If you watched the Emmys on television, you know that is was 125 degrees that day. We were pretty wrapped up talking to people and enjoying the chaos but I did manage to get a couple photos. For those of you that know me.. I can't sit in one spot too long, but I did enjoy the Emmys better than the Oscars.
I also got to spend some time with Tom Bergeron from Dancing with the Stars. Click his name if you want to know a little bit more about him. He won the Emmy for Outstanding Reality Host.
We had to skip the after party in Downtown Los Angeles and get to the airport for the 8th Annual Ivey Awards in Minneapolis where I was a red carpet host along side Todd Walker from Fox 9 news. Sun Country Airlines runs a one way red-eye and they even offer cheeseburgers and pizza for dirt cheap!
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| Studio Laguna Photography |
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| VIP Pre-Party & After Party Location Studio Laguna Photography |
This event keeps getting better every year and really is the premiere event in Minneapolis, showcasing the best in live theater from around the Twin Cites. And you know what? The State Theater was louder and full of more energy than the Nokia Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. One thing that can not go un-noticed is that Twin Cities people love their culture - they love their music, their performers, their arts and artists and their recognition for being so integrated in the arts community. Minneapolis can hold its own and has a lot to offer when it comes to stage performance of any kind. I've said it a thousand times.. I live here because its all just so accessible and amazing. If you're reading this blog and you don't come downtown... you're really missing out on what it means to be a Twin Cities resident. Even our city council believes this is the life blood of our community. In the words of the Minneapolis Downtown Council ...
*** "We don't just support the arts. We live them."
****** "Rock on. Here, we know how to put on a show."
********** "Leave the lights on. This is a 24 hour town."
The Ivey Awards are run by Scott Mayer and Co., whom deserves an applause on his own for making this event possible at the level that it is presented. Please do me a favor and go "LIKE" his fan page HERE. Mayer has managed to get tremendous sponsorship for this and other events throughout the year. The Ivey Awards had 29 key sponsors and they always manage to present them through a vivid, live performance utilizing the names of every sponsor creatively. As a sponsor you can't ask for more than that! Every person in that theater probably remembers at least half of them. You can see their list of sponsors HERE.
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| A nice view from the front row at State Theater |
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| It's always a good day when I run into Diana Pierce. |
In the end, I had a crazy weekend but I couldn't be more proud having been invited to the Emmys and then flying back to represent Minneapolis on the red carpet at the Iveys. Life is a whirlwind and you should not spend it on the couch in front of the television. The only thing I would change is to bring more people DOWNTOWN.
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| Runyan Canyon Park |
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| The view from Andez Hotel ~L.A. Nik Minneapolis | Los Angeles http://Twitter.com/RockerLANik http://www.RockinThisTown.com http://www.Youtube.com/RockerLANik |
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