"The Wrestler"

Imagine this: you have a mouth full of stitches from gum surgery, a still numb jaw and general oral pain and you have to get in front of an audience of 200 and interview a top director, a comeback star, an Oscar winner and a hot screenwriter.   

This was my tonight.  

And I loved it.   

I was nervous at first and in pain at first, but like the grandma who has her grandchild pinned under an auto, you just lift up that car and deal. 

Wow, I just compared my deal with a life/death grandma/grandson scenario. Wrong.  I think that was a little too grand. 

Let me take it back.  It was a lot of pain and I put it aside and did my deal and dealt and it turned out great. 

I was the moderator for the screening of "The Wrestler" tonight and interviewed stars Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, director Darren Aronofsky and screenwriter Robert Siegel.   It was my first time interviewing more than one person!  Imagine And my first time with a mouth set for mumbling like Mickey did throughout "Diner."   I felt good up there and they were all such great guests.  The idea is to let the star shine and facilitate.  A good moderator keeps the conversation going and doesn't try to stand out.  Thus, I scrapped my speech comparing my bloodied mouth to Mickey's bloodied mouth in the ring.   The whole "I understand what you felt as an actor" etc. all ended on the cutting room floor of my brain.  Thank God. 

I am a professional. 

Actually not. And I never will be if I try that shit.  

But I am a professional out of work person and we need all the accolades and encouragement we can get.  And I left the screening feeling "job well done" as I really do prepare for these things.  I have no idea where this will go, but I so enjoy doing it and am fortunate to be asked. ME interviewing film stars in New York City.  I love this damn town. 

Now to get it to love me. 

I do have to blow my own horn here as this is my blog and this is where I blow it. (That came out wrong...)  The screenwriter came up to me after the screening and said they have done 8 or 9 of these and I did the best interviewer so far.  He said I had a unique style that made everyone feel at ease.  That was so cool of him to bother, I have to say. 

Wow.   That is all I have to say. And gee. And Thanks.  

It was so nice to hear.  

I headed out into the night walking up the wet pavement on Broadway, my back to the camera, my collar turned up ala James Dean and thought "Holy friggin whatever, Batman, THANK YOU!" 

The Boss gave the film this song for FREE because of Mickey. Go see this film. Mickey will get an Oscar nom for certain.