star sightings
i went to the taping of Leno yesterday afternoon. the guests were Jimmy Carter (yup, former prez), Mischa Barton (a beauty from the OC) and Sarah McLachlan (one of my musical heroes). Sarah played a song from her newest record “Afterglow.” i have to admit i didn’t know the song because i’m not so much of a fan of this album as the previous ones, but she sounded gorgeous as always. and Leno was actually funny. i mean gut-busting funny. ordinarily i’m not a fan of Leno at all. i’ll watch Letterman if i’m looking for something at 11:30pm but it’s really Conan that i can’t wait to see at 12:30am. i could watch Conan all night. his little dances, his weird bouncy irish-red hair, his self-deprecating antics…they all just crack me up and are the perfect wind-down after a day on tour. despite the fact that i lived in NYC for almost 4 years i never went to the taping of Conan. i guess i didn’t want to jump through all the hoops of standing in line with the tourists. i hate lines and i hate touristy shit so i really hate standing in lines with a bunch of tourists!
luckily i didn’t have to stand in any such lines to get my Leno tix. i actually live about 2 miles from the NBC studios where Leno is taped (and only 1 mile from the country club where Brad Pitt supposedly plays golf). and even closer to my place is a coffeehouse called Priscilla’s that makes the most amazing Viennese latte (mocha latte + vanilla + cinnamon). one day this summer at Priscilla’s when i was picking up my Viennese, a gentleman was leaving just as i was looking for a table. he offered me his table and in the process struck up a conversation. while i was living in NYC i would have found this annoying and probably suspected he was coming on to me but with my heart newly melted by the California sun i was happy to make cheerful small talk with a friendly stranger. turns out he works for a financial firm and one of his clients is someone important at NBC and he gets tix to Leno as well as other coveted events all the time. long story short, my new coffeehouse friend hooked me up with the guest list so i didn’t have to wait in any tourist lines and i was seated in the front row on the far left in front of the stage where the music is taped. i couldn’t see Leno so well but i was 20 feet from Sarah…front row heaven!
today i wasn’t so lucky. who would have thought the holiday travel rush would have already started by December 16th. not i! i almost missed my flight home to NC for my upcoming shows but thankfully they held the flight because so many of us were going to miss it. while waiting in line at security i saw Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity from The Matrix) with her baby on her hip. she looked just as put out by the rest of us by the ridiculous line after line we had to go through and i had to wonder why she was waiting with the rest of us chumps and hadn’t taken the secret hallway to the VIP lounge where all the stars drink champagne and have their hair done while waiting to board their private jets. (there is such a place right?) i can’t wait till i get to take the secret hallway!
until then i’m sitting in the Atlanta airport waiting for my connection and writing to you. the day hasn’t turned out so bad after all. i’m really looking forward to playing to my fave hometown crowd and also celebrating my grammy’s 90th birthday with my crazy-fun family. they always make me laugh till i’m hoarse and since at that point i won’t have any more gigs till the new year i’ll happily laugh myself silly.
i think they just called my flight…
kyler 
ps the best place for star sightings so far has been my local smoothie place, Robeks. i go there most every morning and just the other day “Sonny” from General Hospital held the door for me! (i used to watch GH with my mom when i was still in school, it was her guilty pleasure and mine by association. she would have swooned if she could have seen Sonny!)