Hi Everyone,
Happy Thursday. How are you doing? Hope you've all had a great week.
The sunshine was a nice treat eh?
My week has been pretty busy. After blogging last Thursday I stayed indoors all day working on my album launch party and on my TV special material. Everything is coming together nicely. I left my apartment at about 5pm and it hit me just how hot it actually was, so on the train to work I decided that I was not gonna do any work the next day - I have been carrying around some 2-for-1 vouchers for UK theme parks in my wallet for months and suddenly remembered about them, So I asked around at work that night to see who fancied coming with me to enjoy the sunshine in Thorpe Park on Friday and Charlotte and Niall from the cast were up for it so that's what we did. I went home after the show on Thursday to finish up a few work things and then woke early Friday to meet the guys are Waterloo station to travel just 45 minutes to Thorpe Park. The queue was insane to get in. We arrived just after it opened and had to wait in line for a good 50 minutes before entering the park. That was kind of the way it was all day - everyone must have had the same idea "ooh the sun is shining let's go to Thorpe Park" - as our average queuing time was about 60 minutes. But it was just so nice to be in the sun all day and not be working for a change. We had such a laugh, especially on the water rides - we were literally soaked from head to toe as if we'd jumped in a pool fully clothed. It was hilarious. We all had squelchy underwear for the rest of the day. Haha.
We headed to work feeling a little tired from a long day and very little opportunity to sit down (apart from on the rides) but we all had a cracking day, really glad I organised it.
Saturday I woke up and packed my bag for the weekend as I was heading to Cardiff to do some filming. The two shows on Saturday were quite hard work - I often find that when I know I have a day off the next day, that Saturday night's are much easier and the adrenaline gets you through the tiredness, but I was doing on Saturday night what I have had to do many a time this year, which was getting picked up by a driver immediately after the show to travel 3 hours to Wales. I arrived the hotel at 2am, ate the two shortbread biscuits on the tea and coffee tray and went straight to sleep. So Rock & Roll. It doesn't usually take that long to get to Cardiff but the driver's Tom Tom had ran out of battery and he had no way of charging it and not really any clue of how to get there so it was a good hour longer than usual. Never mind.
I peeled my eyes open at 7am Sunday morning and went straight to the breakfast buffet to fuel myself up with as much of the free food as I could possibly fit into my stomach - my colonic hydrotherapist would have been angry at how much and how quickly i was eating. Haha.
I was picked up at 8am and taken to the recording studio to lay down 4 songs so I could sing along to them (mime) during the play back for filming. Oh hang on, I haven't told you what I was actually there to work on, sorry.
The Welsh equivalent of CBeebies (Young Kids TV) which is called 'CYW', every year takes a couple of lead characters from a selection of the most popular kids programmes and they write a special one off film to be aired at Christmas time. So I was there to play Marcaroni - the character I created for the programme of the same name in December/January earlier this year. Although because of my lack of availability due to of all the different work projects I'm juggling at the moment, I was only able to make a little cameo appearance which is why I'm only filming for two days which was last Sunday and I'm going again this weekend!
It was amazing to see Non who I acted opposite in the series and a few other people I'd worked with too.
So at the studio where I recorded the vocals, the composer, a great guy named Steffan, has two young boys. When I walked into the lounge the eldest who must be about 3 got so excited that I was there. I have never experienced it really because I very very rarely have time to meet the kids who are watching this great new Welsh TV programme - he just kept saying with a massive cheeky smile "Marcaroni, Marcaroni, Marcaroni" - I was so excited by it. I'd been told by the production team of the show that it had been received really well and that kids were going crazy for it and that it's one of the two most popular kids programmes on the Welsh channel, but didn't really register it properly, but then to see this little boy get hyper just from me being there (looking like a mess having only had about 4 hours sleep-ha) really made me realise what a great thing I was and still am a part of. Love it! He was singing some of the songs and everything.
After recording the music i was taken to the studio to get into make up and costume. I tell you what, I haven't missed having my hair in a big quiff at the front and a long pony tail attached to me every morning. Ha. The scene I was doing on Sunday was shot in the bathroom, Marcaroni was sitting in a bath full of foam and bubbles singing the song he'd just composed about how much fun it is to wash in the bath. So I had Marcaroni's bath suit on which is basically a red and white horizontally striped 1920's style swimming costume - you Know the type, An all in one piece that buttoned up on both the shoulders and goes down to a little pair of shorts - oh and of course Marcaroni has to wear his big yellow flippers in the bath. I was sat there at one point during the filming (on another set I'd been driven to for the afternoon) thinking "seriously, what the hell am I doing?" HA. We ploughed through all the stuff that needed doing though and wrap'd for the day 90 minutes early. So at 5.30 I was heading back to my hotel to get ready to head out for food and many an alcoholic beverage with Non, Elan and Iwan John who I'm friends with since the programme. A night out in Cardiff Bay was exactly the perfect thing to end a good day's work. We just ate lovely food at a restaurant called Mimosa and it was really nice to have a Welsh speaking waitress. We drank a lot of the fizzy stuff and then headed back to the hotel having well and truly chilled for the night.
I woke on Monday morning and yet again went to devour all I could in the hotel breakfast before getting on a train back to London town.
Whilst on the train I watched the film 'Never Let Me Go' on my laptop. What a film!!! I loved it. I haven't read the book but I thought the story was so interesting and different and the way this film was acted was just beautiful! It's a good one if you fancy something different.
When I got back to town I went to the gym for a couple of hours before heading to chill and walk around Hyde Park in the last day of the amazing sunshine.
The show was good on Monday and afterwards I headed home to get a good sleep after a busy weekend!
I woke on Tuesday morning rather early to get lots of online and computer work done before heading into meet Ben from work at midday to go and watch DRIVE at the cinema. Oh my sweet bajesus what a film! I loved it. I think Ryan Gosling is possibly my favourite actor. He is so good in every film. Very inspired by him. The whole film was just really really cool! Loved it.
After that, Ben and I had some lunch before I had to head to a recording studio for Heart FM to record some voiceover stuff for Wicked and it didn't take very long so i treated myself to a bit of clothes shopping.
I then headed to the theatre and went for a long run around Hyde Park. I downloaded James Morrison's new album early in the week and I have to say he really was good company during my run around the lake. All of his songs have a real positive feel to them which makes such a refreshing change to all the heartache and misery songs that are always in the charts and flooding peoples albums don't you think?
I was pooped after my run and had to head straight to warm up for the show so I then made sure I had a big pile of food before the show to make sure I could get through it!
Yesterday morning I woke to do lots of work on the T.V special planning and some boring office stuff before heading in to work. My sister was watching the matinee with her husband and two friends which was nice. I really struggled through the matinee though as my knees were really hurting me. I had to have physio in between the matinee and evening shows and I tell you, the little pretty Irish gal who greeted me as I walked in the room looked as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth but my god does she have a couple of demon elbows on her. I've never experienced physio pain like that in my life I don't think. It's so horrible because you have to tell yourself that you must relax and just breath through the pain because it's for your own good but my goodness I could've got off the bed picked up the office computer and thrown it at her she was causing me so much pain. Ha. My legs are numb still. It did the trick though.
I stayed at my friends Haley and Charlotte's new flat last night as they just moved in, which was nice to chill out and catch up. I ate too many biscuits though! Ha. That is where I am now, typing this. Sat in their lovely lounge with a cup of tea. Nice.
I am heading into town today to run a few errands and for a swim to hopefully help my dodgy knees. Boo!
So folks it is just 10 days until my album launch party. I have been organising some nice little surprises. I've been putting my list together of invited guests too - I am so thrilled to be able to share such an amazing moment in my career with friends and family, and especially you who have bought tickets. I can't believe how many have sold. It's so over-whelming. Let's have a cracking time eh? Like they do in the bowling alley in the Grease 2 film. Ha.
Check out my Twitter and Facebook page for the DIY pop video I did for The Journey Home - or just click the link below - it's a beginning to end of the whole album process.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BalCkMu3yOQ
I am also pleased to announce my Christmas concert 'The Journey Home -For Christmas' is now on sale. It'll be in North Wales on December 19th….also watch this space for a little London cabaret version of it being announced soon too. Get your tickets for the evening in Wales below. It'll be a very informal night of me just chatting and singing some album stuff mixed in with Christmas songs. I can't wait to be sat on a stool drinking a mulled wine and feeling very festive with my audience! It'll be a great night! Hope to see you there.
Here's the link if you want to book tickets:
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/137318?utm_source=main+list&utm_campaign=78be51d49e-Mark_Evans_launch_28_09_11&utm_medium=email
So I am gonna jump in the shower.
Have an amazing day and a great week.
Keep smiling
Sh-boom!!!
Mark
