Bella Vita

I found this business card on the street last night as I left Val and Clark’s temporary housing after babysitting Jonah. … Bella Vita … The Beautiful Life  (especially as experienced by my Beautiful Belle, here befriending, maybe even comforting, a mannequin at Acre).
Today I spent some time prepping the phone call tomorrow with Andrea, but mostly just figuring out technical stuff, like how I toggle between presentation mode and Q&A mode, and also how to start the recording.
It turns out to be as easy as they say, as revealed by testing with myself and Dan, of which there is now an extraordinary 6 minute recorded conversation about the process of setting up the call.
So glad Susan will be on the call at the beginning –– it’s very fun to have a surprise celebrity author mystery guest –– although what’s funny is that I’m still of course convinced it’s just going to be me, Andrea, Susan, and Dan calling in, aka the four people I talk to every day.
This seems unlikely given that a few dozen people have told me personally and unsolicitedly that they’ll be on the call or downloading it afterwards, but still … that’s just how I view these things.
I’m reminded of taking Stella Adler’s final Master Class in LA (I did her last interview ever for my book ACTING NOW) and how each and every time she walked out on the stage and received a massive standing ovation –– and each time she seemed utterly astonished it was happening.
I used to think it was just part of the whole performance of the brilliant diva, but now I’ve begun to think maybe it was totally for real.
Maybe she was just authentically thrilled and surprised every week that people actually kept showing up.
Although I haven’t done a tele-class before, I have spoken in front of a thousand or more people a few times –– oh yeah, and I keep forgetting that the average audience for REGIS & KELLY is 5.1 million –– so I’m not at all nervous.
Nonetheless, it’s a lot more relaxing to just think I’m talking to my three regular chat buddies tomorrow afternoon.
And maybe when I get the conference call report afterwards, I’ll be pleasantly surprised, Stella-style –– although only Belle will get to see my reaction.
Ah, Bella Vita …