setting the stage for live music

took this pic of elton john & billy joel stage going up @ wrigley field this morning! i can’t tell you why i was randomly standing in the middle of wrigley field this morning, but put 8/20 in your calendars now – once i let word out here in the upcoming days – tix will go fast and you will want the date free! 

speaking of celeb singers @ wrigley – hung w/ green day at rockit yesterday before the game – super cool guys – billie joe armstrong threw me some sick backstage passes for their show at allstate tonight – figuring out how to bring peeps that follow me on twitter- btw, if you aren’t following me on twitter – it’s crazy entertaining behind the scenes sneak peak stuff that most never see – and i give out extra concert tix & free stuff for fun on it too all the time! just click here to follow me on www.twitter.com/billydec.

and i guess speaking of twitter and celeb singers, i sent tweets about my interview w/ david cook yesterday before his dinner at sunda, asking for cool questions to ask – and omg i got 100+ tweets back! and as promised – i asked him many of your questions as i always read my tweet replies – and they will make it to the final interview when airs on this site in the next couple weeks! so keep checking back and stay in touch!

Tags: billie joe armstrong, billy joel, david cook, elton john, green day, wrigley field

happy wife happy life!

After pounding mad amounts of food at sunda last night, joel madden & I walked it off on way to the underground where he was dj’ing the big absolut party we had… while talking about his trip here… fascinated that he came in town so early just to enjoy the city, shop, eat,… I find more and more these days that celebrity performers don’t just fly in and out for gigs- they come early or stay late just to enjoy the city!  Smart-

When talking about how excited he was that he and Nicole Richie are expecting their second baby soon, I told him that I was psyched to be a father one day too, and asked if had any advice about balancing family with working in the entertainment industry (he’s working on a new album with good charlotte)…. He smiled real big and said ya- it all comes down to… happy wife happy life…. Hmmmmm, thought that was pretty smart too!

Tags: absolut, good charlotte, joel madden, nicole richie

welcome home mr. president!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrtpVc0AhEs

Have you heard? the president is coming back home to chicago!

I’ll be at his “welcome home party” on Thursday July 23rd at 6pm at the Hyatt Regency- and I put details below on how you can join us! But first wanted to share a fun story. this all made me think of when I was asked to host an event for him at union station a couple years ago. will never forget, rode up in special motorcade car w/just Barack, Michelle, and an fresh entourage of super intense secret service agents. I was so nervous. all I could think about was not having a panic attack before delivering the “next president’s” introduction on stage before thousands of guests and millions watching on tv!

Funny thing was, Barack & Michelle were so happy, relaxed and comfortable, while I was freaking out, asking me all these questions about my life, work, family, friends. secretly all I wanted to do was practice my speech so not to mess up! They didn’t allow that. they were too interested in hearing what young people were going through, wanted & needed. I think I stuttered something about how we just want to know what’s going on and know what exactly we can do to make things better. now that I think about it. not a bad answer?

Anyway, the quick video clip above is the moment after I gave that intro (thus the flush post panic look in my face). can’t wait to see him again on the 23rd just as a relaxed happy guest! If interested in coming too, event info at https://www.democrats.org/page/contribute/july23hyatt?custom1=Gen44

Tags: michelle obama, president obama

my big bang 4th in chicago!

This 4^thof july weekend I had my long time buddy Johnny Galecki (on right) in town visiting w/ his cast mates from the cbs hit tv show “the big bang theory” and it was truly a blast!  In this pic we were it kickin off w/ a great night out at the underground after rockit & sunda… just to help do my part in trying to win over his 1^st time to chicago friends… and I think it worked!  They now love chicago too!

Johnny & I have been celebrating this holiday in some capacity together for years (he’s from oak park, does a lot of local theatre, loves visiting family here,…), and I always love how he brings friends who have not yet been here to share how great his city is.  He is such a genuinely lovely and talented one of our own, that speaks higher of us and our city than anyone else working in la la land, that I just thought I would give him a shout out & say thx for coming home again… and lil tip y’all, check him out on stage next time he comes home to perform… he is truly amazing!

Tags: cbs, johnny galecki, the big bang theory

me in the white house

I have always wanted to see the inside the white house- who doesn’t- right?  About 6 yrs ago, I totally thought it was going to happen for sure. after being awarded the asian-american “excellence in business” award from our Illinois state treasurer at that time, judy baar topinka, I actually got an official invite from president bush to come to the white house for a special asian-american pride event!  I was so excited!  Even though I had never been to dc, and didn’t have much money to get there, I jumped on the chance, splurge for a plane ticket, borrowed a suit, found a cheap hotel, and flew right out!  It was a pretty neat event?  I just wish he didn’t keep us confined to the lawn the whole time, it made me wanted to see the inside even more!

2 yrs ago I thought I might have a shot again when the dean of my law school invited me to join him and a special group of attorneys to be sworn in before the united states supreme court!  yes, crazy, by the supreme court justices, and yes, scary, that means I can argue before the united state supreme court now!  Anyway, somehow I thought that meant I would have some sort of all access pass to see the white house too, but ya, that was a pretty silly thought- not the case at all.  They laughed at me.

My third time to dc was my trip to witness obama’s inauguration 6 mos ago.  Now, I knew there was no way in heck that I would see the inside that time, but standing in front of the white house in awe, respect & admiration for 8 freezing hours that great day only made my desire to walk in to the white house (to get warm and just sit on a couch or something) turn into an obsession. 

Well, as you can see from the picture above, that day finally came this week!   And it was everything I ever thought it would be, and much more.  It was magical, historic, beautiful, grand,… all I wanted to do was pick my favorite room, find a couch in it, sit and take it allllll in… and it was amazing!  The part I never expected was that it would have so much life, action and positivity and that it would be lead by so many great Chicagoans working there, and that they would be so real, and so… nice… to me?  I don’t know, it was just great- all I can also say was I thought I would be all about me admiring history while there more than anything, and instead, all I could feel was energy, work & promise for the future- and now I am just obsessed with being a part of all that- and it feels pretty great.