Telly somethin good

Last night I went to an intimate concert (less than 100 people) at the Blue Moon. Telly Leung, Broadway boi and Dalton Academy Warbler on 'Glee', sang and told stories to the audience as if we were old friends. I met him back in June when he coached the Rehoboth Idol contestants.

To my delight, he explained why he was named Telly. His Chinese parents watched a lot of TV to help them learn conversational English. Kojak starring Telly Savalas was 1 of their favorite shows so they named their son Telly after the show's star. When Telly began working on 1 of several Broadway shows he met a production assistant named Telly. The PA explained that he was named after his grandfather... Telly Savalas!

Telly will be back again next Tues to perform at a pep rally for Extreme Makeover Home Edition, which will be filming in this area shortly.

Rather than just being a concert, Telly's performance was more like a conversation with songs. He talked about getting his start on Broadway, going to college to study music and drama, and his parents' eventual acceptance of his career choice which wasn't their 1st choice for him. He weaved songs into the stories for a very enjoyable night.

After the show Telly was available to talk to audience members and pose for photos. When he saw me his eyes opened wide, he threw his arms open in preparation for a hug, and he said "Mark!!" I was surprised that he remembered me by name. After all, the day he coached us Rehoboth Idol contestants was in early June, and with all the people he likely comes into contact with, I didn't expect him to remember my name.

After the hug and 'how are you', he said "You know I've been so busy I never found out who won the Rehoboth Idol contest. Who won?" I smiled timidly and said "I did". That response garnered me another hug from Telly along with a very generous compliment: "That's fantastic! I was really hoping you would win. Your voice is amazing and you really deserved to win. Congratulations!" Of course he might have said that to me even if he didn't think I deserved to win, but it sounded genuine and he really seems to be a nice guy so I thanked him sincerely for the kind words.

Keep up with Telly via his website and on Twitter.

Celebrity encounter

Today I took my lunch hour to attend the coaching session for Rehoboth Idol contestants. Contestants sing the song they will sing later on that night and judge Pamala Stanley offers advice about the vocals and stage presence. Its great to get that kind of assistance BEFORE the night of the actual competition.

When I arrived I saw Pamala, 2 other contestants, and some of the bar employees. Then I noticed a nice looking Asian man in shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt who seemed familiar to me.
He wasn't an employee and he didn't appear to be a contestant; I really didn't know what he was doing at our coaching session. I decided not to allow myself to be further distracted from my purpose by thinking about him and instead reminded myself not to put my hands in my pockets when I sang.

When the contestant finished singing and Pamala had given her advice, the familiar-looking Asian man began offering the singer advice too. Then it hit me... he was this week's guest judge, Telly Leung from Glee! Telly plays Wes, 1 of the Dalton Academy Warblers.
From left to right above: Blaine (Darren Cris), an unknown Warbler, Kurt (Chris Colfer), Wes (Telly Leung).

When it was my turn to sing and receive coaching, Telly shook my hand and introduced himself to me. He was very warm, nice, and down-to-earth, and his advice to put my weight on the balls of my feet instead of on my heels was a great tip. It forces you to lean forward and really helps a singer connect with the audience. Although I felt confident in my song for that night, Pamala and Telly's coaching made me feel even better.

I left the coaching session feeling really well-prepared for that night's competition, and I'd met a real live Broadway and TV star!