my friend is a superstar, or "Matt McConkey" is from "Waverly" (to help you googlers search better)

My dear friend Matt McConkey, whom I met when we were wee little freshmen at NYU, has been living in Los Angeles since 2001. He's one of those guys who's so amazingly hilarious and talented that I can't believe he's not been discovered by some sort of reputable talent scout yet. Who knows? Maybe he has and he's going to be on some fantastically successful HBO show come next fall.

For now, I will praise him for a couple different things.

1. A few years ago when I was living in Pittsburgh (Shadyside, to be exact), he landed a commercial. This was really exciting to me, but as I didn't have any TV service during the time the commercial was airing, my actually seeing the commercial proved to be impossible. Matty explained the thirty-second plot to me so that I could, in turn, explain it to my Pittsburgh relatives. That way they could call me in from the other room if I happened to be at their houses and I could catch him "live" on TV. While they never got the chance to call me in excitedly, they did get to see the commercial themselves--my cousin Margie's husband Larry tells me he saw the commercial many times, and even during really popular sporting events! Very exciting.

I'm proud to announce that I've finally come across the youtube.com link. (Thanks, Matt.)
Watch it. My friend's a star. Tee hee.




2. Matt and his friends also wrote a piece that recently premiered at L.A.'s Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. It was so popular that the folks at the venue asked them to come back again...and again...and again...and now again! Very well-respected and well-known guest stars are gracing the stage with their presence during the performances, lending their stories and voices to the troupe's said-to-be hilarious piece, which is called Worst Laid Plans. Janeane Garofalo and Mary Lynn Rajskub are going be in an upcoming performance, if I understand correctly. And Sarah Thyre, the coach from Strangers with Candy, will be performing on November 30th!!

I really, really want to go. But since I can't, you should, you L.A. folks. You hear me?!