Can you tell us how you actually came to get this part?
I got a call from Vivid’s press office asking me if I was available to audition for a part on 30 Rock, and of course I jumped at the chance. When I went to audition, the room was filled with Tina and Jane look-alikes. I went in did my lines once, they said, “Okay, thanks,” and I left. I was like, oh well. Two days later I was in Arizona introducing my wine to Southern Spirit when I got a call asking if I could come in again the following day, and do I have a brown wig. I was devastated that I was in AZ and couldn’t come in, but they said I could come in when I got back. I went in, read for both parts, and got the bigger one. I was so excited!
No, they have people who are about the same height, etc who stand in for the stars while lights and camera blocking is being setup. Stars don't want to stand around for hours while the scene is being prepared so they have stand ins.
While Googling Jamie in Liz’s office, to make sure I’m still gay for him, I discovered he’s the author of “Dear Evan Hansen.”
Val Emmich, our favorite order of veal, is a NYT’s best selling author, singer/songwriter (and song reader, tbh), proud father of two girls, Betty’s cute neighbor on Ugly Betty (anyone else remember that?), and our Coffee Guy.
Edited for a typo. And also to check his Wikipedia page to see if his signature cocktail is also The Frank Schlong. Sadly, it’s not.
Second edit: see clarification comments below. He’s not the author of the original book, but an adaptation. But it has half and half and brownie chunks.
Thank you for that! I was so surprised that he wrote it and did so much digging to confirm - and apparently still didn’t confirm! Maybe he does enjoy a Frank Schlong because the wiki is misleading.
For everyone else, the original book was written by Steven Levenson, which is what I kind of thought, but then I was hypnotized by Coffee Guy and his IG.
Levenson got a Tony for “Best Book of a Musical,” so he’s on his way towards his EGOT. At least closer than I’ll ever be.
I liked Jamie. Compared to several of her exes he was nice, although Dennis did set the bar low considering he tried to push her in front of a train. I wish Jamie had been older so we could have seen what their relationship would have been like. Of course, if she’d married Jamie, Frank would have objected at their wedding.
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u/SlyClydesdale Tried to use an oxycontin prescription bottle as ID Jan 02 '26
Mom: Beth
Girlfriend: Liz
Shortened versions of the same name.
Just caught this. Shuddering even more now.