Ok. I give in. I’m not sure if it was the massive public outcry, the paparazzi stalking my every move, the horde of media attention, or just the fact that I haven’t written squat in half a year. Rejoice friends; here is an abridged update. (I say abridged because later today I have every intention of joining the Gold’s Gym near Columbus Circle. That’s right, folks, I’m getting ripped.)

Nevertheless it’s been a while since I let my creative juices flow and plopped out the masterpiece known as a blog. A lot has happened since my last post. In homage to David Letterman (much better than Leno, btw.) here is my Top Ten list of things that have happened since my last post:

10.  This website got redesigned. Mad props to this guy!

9. Bad-ass roommate Mike moved out and took the 40” flatscreen LCD TV and PS3. Bad-ass roommate Jon moved in.

8. My birthday happened. I got some money and replaced the PS3 and TV abducted by Mike. The money hardly covered it. My checking account died a little bit, but once again my apartment is ballin’.

8. Christmas happened. I got a ballin’ mini HD camera thingy.

7. My ipod crashed. I now video all of my rehearsals with said ballin’ mini HD camera thingy. Check out this first pass of Take a Chance on Me with the ridiculous Joshua Kartes (sightreading?!?!?!) on the piano.

8. Nick (my brother), went to Hong Kong for five months. This is him leaving.

6. While in Hong Kong, baby bro hooked me up with custom shirts. Check em’ out!

5. James and Emily, two friends from back home got married. I need to work on my blackberry picture skillz.

4. Landen was in the wedding party. I still need to work on my blackberry picture skillz.

3. The pirate formerly known as Long John Silver aka Jamie Jackson made his New York debut in the 39 Steps. Currently playing Off-Broadway. Get your tickets here!

2. I did a reading where Andrea Burns played my mom and Andy Karl played my dad. That was fun.

1. I booked Family Dinner, the show I have been work shopping for over a year. We’re going to run Off-Broadway this summer at the Beckett Theatre on Theater Row. I’m playing Alex, the oft-ignored seventeen-year old. It’s my New York debut and I’m quite excited. Get your tickets here. Check out some press here!

More to come. Consider yourselves updated.

-R

Life recently has been chaotic – between closing Joseph in Indy, Thanksgiving, coming back to NYC, a quick weekend in DC, back to St. Louis for the holidays,  a possible trip to Vegas, and a Bar Mitzvah in Kalamazoo – I haven’t had much time to refocus and regroup my life. Life is going amazing, a seemingly constant mash of reunions with old friends and great nights with new ones – so here’s my cyber toast to having this amazing run continue!

On a separate note, I’d like to announce that big changes are coming. I’m on the precipice of something awesome professionally, and I’m really thrilled with the hand I have been dealt; my life is an open book and I have no clue what the next chapter will be. (Pardon the horrid cliche .)

With that being said, I’m collaborating with my roommate on a new design for the site. I’ve never felt like this site accurately portrays who I am. Yeah, you get an idea through my wordy ramblings, but something is lacking. Actually I feel this way about most of my friends websites. They seem generic and static, with no human connection to the person on screen. Since I’m all about relating to and knowing the essence of who someone is, my website needs to reflect this. So be on the lookout for something new and fresh, a website that really lets you know who I am. I have no idea what my roommate, Mike, and I will come up with, but it’ll be tight. I asked for one of those tiny HD cameras for Christmas, so maybe I can do some video blogging. That would be fresh, aight! (yeah, I went there)

Okay, that’s enough for now – keep it real folks. Oh, and on a completely different note, I have been on a train charming spree – it seems like every time I walk down to the subway the train is right there. This must continue. I like. A lot. LOVE!

So I just found this awesome thing  – a live streaming video player from the IU Jacobs School of Music! Apparently they have been streaming performances for a while now, and they even have some of them archived!

It reminds me how much I miss my alma mater; I had the time of my life in college and would not be where I am today if it were not for the IU experience. The SoM ballets and operas are stunning, easily rivaling numerous professional companies. Do yourself a favor and check it out here!

Hey Indianapolis people! I have been invited to teach a series of “Musical Theatre Audition Masterclasses” at Performer’ Edge Dance Studio in Carmel. I’d love to see anyone and everyone who wants to learn more about what’s going on inside the room attend!

Too often, I think performers view an audition as solely a judgment of their talent. So I have come up with a class that will work towards understanding and embracing that everyone is talented and unique, and an ideal audition is one where you are able to show whomever is behind the table the essence of who you are and what you bring to a role. This makes it easier for casting to get a show up, and in my experiences, is far more effective as a performer.

We’ll cover a boatload of information in class – insider stuff that performers auditioning for colleges or looking to make the leap to a major market will find essential as well as actors who want to feel great about the work they are doing in the audition room! Please email me for details! rick@rickdesloge.com

On another note, I’m getting some pictures taken over the next week by the fabulous Julie Curry. Hopefully I can update the site with stuff that is a little more “me”.

Let me know if you have any suggestions. I want to incorporate my twitter feed, redesign the graphics, etc.

Julie and I are going to kill this shoot, so hopefully we get some edgy stuff to work with.

BATB on SNL.