The CV 5: 5 Questions with Eugene Pack of Celebrity Autobiography

Last week, we had a chance to chat with Eugene Pack, founder of Celebrity Autobiography. Here’s what we learned.

How did Celebrity Autobiography come to be?

We started working with the idea years ago, in Los Angeles. We’d found Vanna White’s autobiography–Vanna Speaks. It’s ridiculous…she goes on about how challenging her job, and there’s this one passage where she describes how her belt broke and it required such strong force of will to keep flipping those panels. Finding that, and thinking “this would be great, read aloud…”–that’s where it started.

What makes for a great performance of an autobiography?

I look for creative minds…the trick with the performances is that it’s not just about parody. It’s not just about being  funny, but what they reveal. A good performer will illuminate the words without imitation. It won’t be a straight sendup of the person they’re reading; it’ll reveal something new in the words on the page, which will often be funny.

What are some of your favorite autobiography performances?

Oooh. Elizabeth Taylor. Oh–one of my very favorites is Tiger Woods. It’s full of  graphic descriptions about how he handles his  putter, and long passages about putting the ball in the hole. There’s a lot to mine in that one. Sherri Shepherd does a great Madonna.

What are some upcoming celebrity autobiographies that you can’t wait to get your hands on?

Well, it’s fun to keep in mind the people who do the show, and what they’re going to match–Justin Beiber’s got one coming out, and I think we’re going to have fun with it. George Takei’s new book is a lot of fun, too.

Has a celebrity ever been in the audience for a reading of their work?

Oh, yeah. Brooke Shields put out this book years ago–On Your Own, about her teenage years, and it’s just angsty and painful to hear now. She was in the audience for a performance of it, and was a real good sport about it.

Celebrity Autobiography plays October 30 at NJPAC–click here for tickets!

The CV 5: Adventures at WheatonArts (the other 51 weekends a year)

Here’s Shen’s 5 favorite things-to-see at WheatonArts EVERY weekend of the year! Check ‘em out.

The Glass Studio – The building – a replica of the T.C. Wheaton Glass Factory – appears to be a many, many, MANY foot-tall brick furnace with a structure around it.  If you have some leisure time on a chilly fall afternoon, you can warm your bones at a glass-blowing demonstration in this very cozy place.  It’s way more interesting than sitting on the couch.

The Museum of American Glass – This lovely building contains one of the finest collections of American glass in the United States, with more than 6,500 pieces, ranging from early bottles and flasks to recent works by contemporary glass artists.  Even if you don’t know much about the history of glass, you’ll find something you like in the museum.

Make Your Own – It’s not exactly a cheap date at $75 plus shipping for a paperweight and $135+ for a vessel.  But a make-your-own session, under the guidance of an experienced glass artist, is definitely a fun and satisfying activity.  Reservations are required.

Retail Therapy – The shopping opportunities at WheatonArts include Brownstone Emporium, the General Store, the AG Paperweight Shop, The Gallery of Fine Craft, and the Christmas Shop.  Customer Appreciation Week, from October 30 thru November 7, will feature discounts, fun activities, door prizes, refreshments and much more.  Shop ‘til you drop!

From A to Z (or B for Blowing to Y for Yoga) – Throughout the fall, WheatonArts offers a wide-ranging selection of multi-session classes, intensives and workshops, and many are open to adults and teenagers.  Can you say multi-generational bonding?

The CV 10 (too big for 5 this time!): Can’t-Miss Shows in the NJ Theater Season.

While some are programming their DVRs this time of year around the new fall TV season, we New Jersey theater fans are marking up our calendars with all the enticing theatrical events about to hit the Garden State. While it can be exciting to learn of all the great shows about to hit the stage, it can also be overwhelming reading through a theater company’s season. You’re in luck–we’ve compiled this list of the 10 can’t-miss theater events to keep you busy from now until sun block time.

Hot Playwright: Fresh off her Pulitzer Prize for Ruined, the Two River Theater Co. is staging Lynn Nottage’s 2003 play Intimate Apparel. Set in New York in the early 1900s, Esther, an African-American woman, creates undergarments for the poor and wealthy and gains independence in her career. Become familiar with Nottage, whose Ruined is being developed as a film for HBO.  (Two River Theater Co.;  runs through October 10)

The CV 5: Interview with Brandi Carlile.

Our singer-songwriter blogger Cat Cosentino sat down with Brandi Carlile last Thursday, shortly before her performance at The Community Theatre at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts in Morristown. Here’s a bit of their conversation. Enjoy!

Where did you and the Twins, Phil and Tim (Hanseroth), first meet? And can you remember the first time you played publicly together?

“We met in Seattle, we bumped into each other at this little recording studio. We were making demos with each of our respective bands and we started to hit it off, became fast friends, started singing together. The first time we gigged out was at a place called The Tracter. And Phil wasn’t in the band yet, it was just Tim. Phil was in the audience, Tim was on stage. I think we did some sort of Third Eye Blind cover.”

Fun fact–Phil and Tim Hanseroth are former members of The Fighting Machinists, and co-produced Brandi Carlile’s self titled album with her. Tim plays guitar, Phil plays bass, and they’re identical twins who are Seattle natives. Tim and Brandi also have matching tattoos!–editor Jon

What affects you more as a singer/songwriter: home or the places you travel to?

“Mmm, that’s a real good question. One of the best actually. Whichever is the most tumultuous. Whichever one is more of the ‘struggle ‘ effects me more at any given time. If I’m struggling the most with home and family and interpersonal relationships, I write about that…but if I’m struggling more with being gone and being confronted with myself I write about that.”    Me: AND THIS COMES IN WAVES?:  “Yeah, absolutely , it comes in cycles.”

Do you listen to music as often as you write it?

“More.  And I get obsessively focused on one thing for a long time. I’ll get turned on to an artist or a band and I will listen to the record hundreds of times over and over and over again before even switching to another record. “

How does it feel to be in the first round of the reincarnation of Lilith Fair, having been a part of it in the past?

“It felt incredible, and I knew it was going to be a big deal but when I got there and was actually sort of seated next to Sara in a press conference and answering questions about how Lilith Fair has affected my generation, it felt like a really big deal. It was a really beautiful idea and I hope they do it again next year.”

Is there a song that you sing that touches you so deeply that it changes the way you breathe, the way you think, and the way your heart feels on stage? One that transports you to a different place?

“Yeah, absolutely. It changes. It’s usually about the same few songs. The song that does that universally, all the time, is a cover tune, and its “Hallelujah,” and I don’t do it very often because it has been done so many times, but in a really beautiful place with a really great crowd sometimes I’ll just do it. And I always do it with a symphony, too. As far as my personal songs go, I think I feel more transcended by a song called “I Will.”

Check out Cat’s concert recap here.