Time for another birthday

Dec 31, 2005: Guess what they say is true – outta sight, outta mind… Unburdened by calls from any of the FNG or other close “friends” on my birthday, I was left to get into other trouble… Like, oh I don’t know, how about a Foam party on Sentosa Beach run by MTV Asia? Ok then.. Unfortunately no photos survived… damn… [though if you are reading this Kiki & Jill & Eva – please email to me (don’t worry – they won’t go on the blog) & kisses :) ]… Fun time had by all… but really – screw the others… fun time had by me... & on your birthday – that’s all that matters… Happy New Year to all!

People people people

PICTURES TO COME

Dec 26-28, 2005: It was fun… a short but cool trip this time… Whether drinking under the bough of the Oak Tree on Christmas Eve, breaky at Balmoral, eating seafood at Watson’s Bay, drinking beer at Manly Beach, drinking pink champagne while composing songs on the piano (lot of drinking seems to have gone on?), hitting Luna Park (my stomach has just about returned to normal), lawn bowling in Clovelly, hanging with the King clan, or just plain chillin’ in The ‘Croft…

Shout out for making it sweet to Marisa, Glen, Danielle, Clare, Dan (oh – actually you – hurry up & get to work back in NY!) & Dan’s sister, Corrina, Ness x2, Mel A, Laura & of course Kendall & the FNG & new FNG-ettes (with special love to soon to be Chicagoan Leanne… Lorraine – if Paul gets hit by a bus – let’s go shopping)… & btw – for all you enquiring souls out there - no – you can’t bowl & iPod at the same time…

Christmas is all about Family

Dec 25, 2005: Nothing better than a Donovan-Lewis family Christmas Day... (for the keen eye - you'll see a Derek Jeter bauble for a New York touch to the tree... and weird fact - he's my mum's favourite player!)

Where’s the snow? Strike? Traffic? Noise?!?!

Dec 24, 2005: Leave freezing (0c) & MTA strike gridlocked New York behind & come to 42c Sydney for Christmas? Um… ok then… go on & twist my rubbery arm...

LAX First Class Lounge… rock on…

Dec 22, 2005: Another trip to the Qantas First Class lounge in LA (say it with me kids “Platinum Frequent Flyer punk perk”)… & yes, another celebrity… This time Eric Bana enroute home to Melbourne methinks… yes girls (& boys)... he was resplendent in tight black t-shirt, looking well ripped… akin to his Troy body…

Have just noticed he's copying my new "bearded look".. cheeky bugger...

Why is this still funny?

Dec 8, 2005: http://channel101.com/shows/view.php?media_id=130

More Thanksgiving

Dec 6, 2005: oh yeah, i forgot... some other cool photos from Phoenix...

Daisy (Donovan) does America?

Dec 6, 2005: Daisy does America? New show from Courtney Cox-Arquette & her hubby David? Starring Daisy DONOVAN?! Debuts tonight… will keep you posted...

Celebs everywhere as the weather turns cold…

Dec 5, 2005: So I was reflecting on seeing Mike Tyson in Phoenix… Helena Christensen walking along towards, & past (Damn!) me on Hudson St, when today I was walking home & passed them wrapping a day’s shooting of Law & Order at a bar near my house… out walked one of the stars of the show Jesse L Martin… I stopped & turned into a fan… I suggested he was the shining light in an ordinary movie (RENT)… I chose not to tell him that in Sydney the receptionist called me "Grissom Goran" after Vincent D’onofrio & William Petersen… partly cause I couldn’t tell if it was my graying hair & middle aged man appearance, or my planning methods & skills (as I was assured) that truly triggered the nickname (explains my older women thing a little though)… & partly cause I didn’t think he’d care…

First Day of Snow

Dec 4, 2005: First day of snow for the new winter… Karina’s birthday (happy b’day Karina)… and my first ever LIVE professional US football game (excluding the Sydney one Geoff… not cause it wasn’t real – but because it was in Australia)… The NY Giants took on the Dallas Cowboys… Francois ( a french planner I work with rolled with)… temp hovered around 32F/0C all day… not a shivering cheerleader in sight… only beer, pizza & crowd violence could keep us warm… Giants ended up winning 17(of course)-10… is an awesome experience watching them shivering out on the field waiting for the TV network to return from the ad break (yep the ad break shows on the big screen so they know when to restart)… but it was superb… I will be back…

Woodbury Common & $2 movies!

Dec 3, 2005: A day that would’ve brought a tear to Jono’s eye… Mariana, Bailey & I jumped in Mariana’s car & headed north to Woodbury Common… huge shopping outlet an hour north of Manhattan… bargains galore… after 8 hours shopping (yes lads – 8 hours), we headed back through New Jersey and went to Cinema 12 next to the Lincoln Tunnel… they charge $2 for a movie (for the English reading that’s 1 pound & 15 pence…).. we saw one of the ultimate chick flicks (In Her Shoes) with Cameron Diaz, aussie Toni Collette & Shirley MacLaine… for the record it is a superb story with many ‘balling’ opportunities – so take Kleenex… now all you wives & girlfriends stop reading now…

[ok fellas – you still with me? So, I know that I am able to watch chick flicks much more than the average bloke… I mean my job is understanding the emotions a woman goes through when she can’t quite get a stain out of a shirt, or get a glass sparkly clean out of the dishwasher first time… but seriously now… even if you usually rank seeing a chick flick up there with having a fingernail removed slowly, or having pubes pulled one by one, SEE THIS MOVIE… while no longer a fan of her work, the scenes of Cameron Diaz are worth going to see this movie for… un-f*****-believable…]

“Thanksgiving”, or “Indians rule!” (sorry “Natives” for our PC friends)

Nov 24-27, 2005: a weird holiday that turns out to be much bigger than Christmas (as every religion in the US celebrates Thanksgiving)… it provides the biggest single air travel day in the US… the biggest shopping day in the US… tons of turkey, cranberry sauce & family love… we had our thanksgiving lunch in Chicago, then flew from 1 degree Celsius Chicago to 26 degree Phoenix, Arizona… where instead of being a part of all that Family stuff, Adam and I looked like gay lovers escaping the shackles of traditional family life (not that there’s anything wrong with that)… When on arrival the Hertz girl upgraded us to a Black Mustang convertible based on my new glasses, our aussie accents, and it being Adam’s birthday, we knew things were going to be ok… we golfed, Adam hugged cacti (its been too long Leanne), we nightclubbed with local resident Mike Tyson, saw the Phoenix Suns beat the New Jersey Devils LIVE, played golf with Harper & the best looking girl we have ever seen ‘live’ on a golf course, hit the gym & the Spa for some healing hands, & basically recharged… another superb break after Austin on Independence Day… onwards!

Underbar

Nov 23, 2005: Bailey & I had some catching up to do… so we hit the Underbar (owned by Cindy Crawford’s hubby) & Megu… and a number of Belvedere cocktails as it turned out… later in the week we checked out RENT the movie (average... the movie, not the night out)

I am, again, lensed & dangerous

Nov 21, 2005: Having turned to glasses & away from contacts after losing too many on the baseball diamond a decade ago, I am again able to see when wearing sunglasses… not good news for the babes on the beach, great news for drivers on all continents… (oh, got a new pair of clear framed specs too... thanks C'indy...)

Happy Birthday Erika!

Nov 20, 2005: So what’s it like to turn…

Advance Australia Fair

Nov 18-19, 2005: There’s this group called Advance, that is about advancing global Australian professionals in the US… Friday night at Cipriani Wall St, my friend Adrienne & I hit the annual Advance Benefit Dinner… over 600 Aussies (and honorary Aussies), sang the national anthem (and laughed during the verse that nobody knows), ate & drank a lot, and rocked out to INXS complete with new front man JD (fresh from their reality show… well not that fresh… pretty smashed it seemed)… even bumped into Shelley (who now works in DDB San Francisco & I last saw when we were on the Youngbloods Committee), and Mel (who I met 10 years ago at a house party in Coogee & is now a big marketing player at Pepsi here in the US)… The next day, nursing a monumental hangover, I participated in the Advance Leadership Summit, complete with the Australian Charge D’Affaires from Washington, a bunch of uber successful Aussies living in the US, and drinks at the Ambassadors NY residence near the UN… we talked about a role for me on their Board… we’ll see…

Bushi

Nov 16, 2005: I have left the $10 barber behind… why? Not really sure… thought I’d try the whole ‘hair stylist’ gig to see if it really is a croc… will report back… until then, Bushi says I have wonderful hair… so nerr… oh yeah, and Oscar Bond (where Bushi & I talk about my wonderful hair) is where the girls from Sex & the City get their locks tended... or they did... I don't know...

L’Instant Taittinger

Nov 10-13, 2005: C’indy hit town… seems we both have the same poster… It used to adorn C’inders flat when she lived in NYC, and now it adorns mine… spooky? We always did have a lot in common…

Pics to follow when c’indy s’ends them (I will tire of the apostrophe thing… e’ventually…)

**************NEWSFLASH************
C'indy sent the pictures - a 'choice' one is included here***************

Not even NYC’s men are ready for this

Nov 10-14, 2005: Treen & Ness hit town… at the same time… in the words of some of the locals who prefer “Holiday” to “Christmas” – oy vey!... in a flurry of frenetic social activity, they arrived, partied hard & often, broke some hearts, & looked fabulous at all times… well maybe not the morning after… but at all other times!... easy chaps… all in a days work for two of Sydney’s favourite daughters… always welcome at the M Hotel…

Brothers Macrae hit town

Nov 9, 2005: One of the twin towers of the Sydney creative department, Simon, returned to NYC for a quick week short visit before hitting LA and shopping around some movie scripts he & his brother have written (also a creative at Euro RSCG owned agency The Moult Agency in Sydney)… We shared a beer, & talked, well, usual stuff… Simon had worked in the NY office of Euro RSCG (MVBMS as it was then) so knows many of the people I now work with… was just like being in Sydney, minus the sun & heat of course…

Vegas baby Vegas

Nov 4-6, 2005: Ness, Adam, Matt… America’s “Adult Playground”… “What happens here, stays here”… Swingers… Casino… Goodfellas… So… We stayed at The Flamingo (the original Bugsy Siegel hotel that started the whole Vegas thang), we tore The Bellagio & Caesar’s a new one (fyi my porn name or porfessional acting name, whichever comes first, will be Matt Bellagio.. cool yes?!), while The Wynn tore us a new one... we were VIP guests of the band at the U2 concert at the MGM Grand, saw the lead singer of The Killers, Mary J Blige… PETE ROSE!... Checked out the Venetian, hung by the pool at The Wynn, Wedding Crashers, The Constant Gardener, managed to look away whenever a poster of Celine Dion came into view… unfortunately didn’t see any Vegas stalwarts like Wayne Newton or Siegfried & Roy… but frankly, yep, not a bad trip indeed… oh – and check out my role in The Wedding Crashers here (yep new glasses especially for the film gig)…

It’s the Great Pumpkin!

Oct 31, 2005: Halloween… weirdly huge… kinda nerdy cool… EVERYONE dresses up… and as I found out, you don’t have to dress ‘scary’ or ‘ghost’ theme – apparently (and thank you Lord) schoolgirl uniforms are allowed… big parade in NYC every year – video avail here http://www.fangoria.com/halloween/

The race that stops a nation

Nov 1, 2005: Makybe Diva; On A Jeune; Xcellent... hope you did ok... was fun explaining to the locals about the race that stops a nation... I can remember as early as 2nd class (approx age 7) when school would stop & we'd tune into a crappy set to try and watch the race LIVE on TV...