Through work, I got an invitation to go see a Q&A Panel for the show “Nurse Jackie”.

I JUMPED on the chance and RSVP’D back immediately for me and Kristyn, terrified that spots would close up.

As it turns out, we had nothing to be afraid of. There were a ton of seats to be had. *shrug*

We started watching “Nurse Jackie” last year and LOVED it. Apart from the serious moral ambiguity, Edie Falco IS basically playing my mother in this role. (Like how she is as a nurse/mother.)

And apart from that, obviously we are big Edie Falco fans from wayback Oz-times.

And “The Sopranos” was filmed in/around Kearny. But I doubt Edie ever came to Kearny bc I don’t remember her ever being in a Satriale’s scene.

The Q&A was really interesting. We got to find out a little but about the actors and their thought-process for bringing the characters to life.

They have a couple of nurses they’ve hired as consultants and they’ve done full shifts with them to observe a day-in-the-life.

This show deals with Jackie’s addiction to painkillers which, although the Nurse’s board came out against, is actually a prevalent problem in the nursing community (especially in the ER) bc:

A) Nursing is hard on a person’s body. Standing, lifting, bending, stretching, adrenaline. It all takes a toll.

B) Easy access to doctors/drugs/prescriptions.

C) A nonchalance bred from administering drugs all damn day.

The writers, some staff and even some of the actors (including Edie) have all battled substance abuse at one point or another so their own experiences make their way into the stories told.

But on that note, hearing the writers talk was what was really the most inspirational thing to me and Kristyn.

Those two writers I showed above are writing partners. Incredibly, it had never occurred to me and Kristyn to do such a thing.

They’d met while both working on separate projects, were introduced and liked each other’s style.

They said it brought their writing to another level. Also, they’re both sober now but the one with the long blonde hair just turned sober for 18 years last weekend!

This theater is the one that had all the heads in front of it (from a blog I posted like two weeks ago). It’s the building across from where Kristyn interned. So weird we’d be back so soon.

That being said, we were given applications to join the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences! You need a certain amount of credits to your name to qualify (which we do not yet have) but we’re prob eligible for a student membership. If we apply and get accepted, it would mean great networking possibilities in TV and we might get to vote for the Emmys! How exciting…

Also they have a great Internship program that I WANT to do. It’s really really competitive though. We’ll see. *fingers crossed*