"Hairspray" the Musical at LHS

 "Hairspray" the musical will be presented on stage tomorrow night (Friday, April 25) at Lakewood High School, followed by a Saturday night show and a Sunday matinee at 3 p.m.. Come out and support your local, young artists -- and while you're at it, get to see me play two small roles as The Principal and as Mr. Pinky, the, um, "flamboyant" owner of the Hefty Hideaway, a fashion paradise for plus-size ladies. Never before has -- and never again will -- anyone witnessed such a sweet and hip-swooshing Mr. Pinky on stage at the LHS auditorium!

"Free jelly donuts while they last! East 'em up girls. I've got ten tons of taffeta inside!"

WND: Frogs, pine cones still getting fed dollars

While the U.S. Senate, for the first time in years, has adopted a budget, it includes $1 trillion in new taxes, adding to the record deficit.

The budget also doesn’t align with a House plan that spends hundreds of billions of dollars less. Both, however, project spending more than the government receives far into the future.

But even so, frogs, Uganda and pine cone projects apparently are so important to the Obama administration that it’s worth borrowing money and paying interest to fund them.

For more on my latest update on federal spending, go to WND.com.

WND: FBI Plans to Spend $100 Million on Ammo

My latest article from WND.

Recent WND, Patriot Update Articles from Steve P.

Two recent articles of mine reporting on government waste garnered the attention of thousands of online readers, whose endorsement of the investigative pieces via social media reveal the magnitude of citizen interest in such matters. 

Check out "Strapped feds have money for gopher-tortoise survey" from WND as well as "Obama Spending $500 Million on Foreign Readers" via Patriot Update.

Many thanks to my dear supporters, whom I value greatly. -- Steve Peacock

"Framed" on Blue Bloods

 

Many thanks to the producers of the CBS cop show "Blue Bloods" and to my part-time/intermittent employer Central Casting for the opportunity to be a part of (however brief an appearance) last night's episode "Framed." (see the picture above; that's me to the right, on a near-collision course with actor Will Estes, who plays Officer Jamie Reagan, far left of the screen).

As a background actor (more commonly known as an extra), there's always the risk of merely being a speck or a blur on the screen or, even worse, unseen in a scene. Strangely, I was thrilled to be visible even for a mere three seconds (see the 19:57-20:00 mark in the episode). More importantly, as someone interested in the creative production process, personally I derived great pleasure taking a day-trip some months back to Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where on-set I met some great people (such as the older gent with his hands on his chin in the photo above) while checking out the sprawling Blue Bloods studios and the surrounding neighborhood.

The previous time I had been "on" the show, the camera panned the scene where I was playing a "soccer dad" at the edge of a playing field; ultimately, I may have been the only one on the planet earth to known I was on the show, as I had raised my hands to the sides of my head when "my" team lost, almost completely eradicating me from view (see: Blip on the Screen: My "Extra" Ordinary TV"Debut"). In a separate scene I had been sitting my car, delighted to have stars Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Brigitte Moynahan, and Len Cariou standing next to me as I sat in my Hyundai Elantra -- only to have, in the final cut, the cameras pointing in front of and behind and away from my car!

Likewise, my brief appearance in the final seconds of a Law & Order: SVU episode was anticlimactic, but was worth every second of the sweltering August heat to be a part of it ( see: "You Have Got to Start Somewhere.") Coincidentally, a segment of the Blue Bloods "Framed" episode --the segment where Donny Wahlberg's character meets with his attorney near the steps of the New York State Courthouse in Foley Square -- was filmed in the very spot where I had made my microscopic debut on Law & Order: SVU

Looking forward to returning to Greenpoint on a pleasure trip, exploring this traditionally Polish-American neighborhood and its environs, camera in hand, with my dear wife, Jen. This time, however, I'll get to actually eat some of the goodies at Syrena Bakery, where my scene was filmed, rather than staring at them for hours.

Feds Seeks Help in Spending Billions in Uganda More Effectively (U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor)

My latest from U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor:

The U.S. government plans to spend another $1 billion in Uganda through 2015 -- and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will devote an additional $17.5 million specifically towards helping its Uganda unit to become more "adaptive, modern" and "effective." 

The $1 billion figure is part of the Obama Administration's $3.5 billion 2011-2015 Ugandan strategy, which aims to cut that nation's poverty in half.

Continued...

"Ladies and gentleman..."

Playing the parallel roles of voice-over artist and public announcer entices me. I will continue to teach and to write, but voice overs and announcing, combined with any acting experience I accrue, are no less central to the execution of the Peacock Master Plan.

The key to success, as I understand it, is not simply possessing a powerful or unique voice -- something with which others regularly tell me I've been blessed. Equally critical to that path is gaining knowledge of the various nuances of those businesses -- and somehow simultaneously building up a record of experience.

That's precisely why I'm looking forward to the possibility of becoming the voice of the Lakewood High School basketball team this coming season. I have not yet gotten a formal offer, but I've been contacted about the possibility. 

Sure, instead I'd like to head directly to the studio to record an audio book or to an arena cage to play emcee in an MMA competition. In the meantime, I'll gladly use my God-given talents to heighten audience and player excitement in the gym of my alma mater and current employer.

Among other inspirations, I think of Kevin Garvey, popularly known as "The Garv," who went from telecom industry salesman to New Jersey's most high-profile MMA announcer; indeed, The Garv soon will be inducted into the NJ MMA Hall of Fame for his success as an announcer and promoter. I watched Garvey in action earlier this year at an MMA match for which I had a cage-side photographers perch. I knew that such public announcing was what I wanted to do -- even if only as a side venture.

So, before I step up to the microphone in an Atlantic City casino or on stage at Madison Square Garden, I'll be happy to hear my voice across the Lakewood High School gym, proclaiming, "Ladies and gentleman... the Lakewood Piners basketball team!"

You've got to start somewhere, right? Even at age 48.

You Have Got to Start Somewhere

I know, I know -- this photo of me in a scene of Law & Order: SVU is so incredibly compelling that you are probably calling an agent or a producer right now to alert them to my acting talents. Waddaya mean "Which one are you?" BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE SCREEN --  ARE YOU BLIND?

Just jesting, of course. I mean, that really is me walking along the steps of the state courthouse in Lower Manhattan, and I was actually paid (as well as fed a serious gourmet breakfast) to appear as a background actor/extra in the final seconds of the show's "25 Acts" episode. But, as I alluded to in a previous post, 'tis a long, hard road to real acting. But, you've got to start somewhere. Hey, even John Wayne began as an extra, as have many other famous performers. For me, it sort of started here (well, technically I started on the show Blue Bloods, but I was even less visible in that "appearance"). 

The high point of my brief and limited acting "career" remains my stage role earlier this year as Officer Brophy in "Arsenic and Old Lace" (First Avenue Playhouse; Atlantic Highlands, N.J.). I am looking forward to pursuing additional roles someday -- though, I cannot deny,  the life of a public school teacher makes such an endeavor next to impossible. Nonetheless, the desire stirs within.

Obama's Ugandan Ph.D. Project Pisses off the Populace!

My latest article for WND -- Obama has taxpayers funding graduate programs in Uganda -- quickly sparked some angst amongst the populace: 2,300 Facebook "likes," 383 tweets, and additional social media distribution from readers via LinkedIn, Google + and elsewhere -- all in the first 24 hours following publication. Some readers even have CCd their comments to me after submitting them to USAID in opposition to the project (USAID, by the way, is accepting comments for a couple of more weeks, so speak your mind now!). Thank  you, everyone, for your support!

Law & (Dis)Order: SVU

Just watched "my" episode of Law & Order: SVU and... literally in the final seconds of the show briefly I am seen walking along the edge of the courthouse steps away from the mob of reporters. And the shot was filmed from above, so... another anticlimactic Round Two debut. They don't call them extras for nothing!

On the other hand, I was a little more visible than what I experienced on the set of Blue Bloods. Nonetheless, I am glad to have participated in the filming of both shows. Quite interesting to see that form of the creative process from start to finish.