{Photo courtesy of USA Today}

This morning, it was announced that Tony was cast as Dewey Finn in the School of Rock TV series (playing the part Jack Black made so iconic in the movie)!!!!!! It’s picked up to 13 episodes, airing on Nickelodeon in early 2015 – Paramount Studios, Richard Linklater and Scott Rudin are behind it. It’s an understatement to say that today has been (next to the day we got engaged, and also the day I secretly adopted a puppy while Tony was in Vegas at a bachelor party) the best day ever. My fiancé – the funniest, sweetest, most talented, loving, selfless and hardest working person I know (more details on why I love him here) – watched all his dreams come true.

For people in “the industry” (or, at least for our friends in “the industry”), you haven’t really made it until you’re on Deadline. So, I cried when I saw this:

And this:

And this and this and this and this. But, the best part of the day was all of the calls, texts, emails, Facebook messages, tweets and Instagrams from everyone we love/have ever met. We found out that he’d booked the part a little while ago, and had to keep the news under wraps until Nickelodeon and Paramount made their official announcement; so, while we have been so secretly and quietly thrilled, I think it really sunk in for Tony today that the job was real, and actually his. The most joyful part of this whole thing has been all of the people celebrating with us.

I love when good things happen to good people in this town, where nothing is fair and there are no guarantees – you can move to Hollywood and land a huge role in a huge movie the day you arrive, or you can work your entire life and never make it. It’s frustrating and awful and hopeful and exhilarating all at once, because you never know if today is going to be the day your life changes. So, it’s so rewarding and helps me keep the faith when good people get the good jobs (or any job. Any job at all. Getting a job here is really hard.) And I may be biased, but there is no one more “good” than Tony. He earned that part.

{He even grew his hair to look like this, and is willing to keep it that way for work. That’s dedication.}

Tony was a janitor the first few years he lived in L.A., after graduating from the Virginia Military Institute. A JANITOR. He’s worked a million odd jobs to support his dream, and remained optimistic the entire time – ironically, he booked School of Rock on his eighth anniversary of living in Los Angeles. EIGHT YEARS. I’ve known him for nearly four of those years, and I have never once seen him lose motivation, or become jaded and pessimistic. He just kept his head down and worked, and believed it would eventually happen. He worked his way into The Groundlings Main Company. I’ve seen him do countless free shows and bit parts because he just loves what he does so much, and every single one of them was happy and fulfilling because he got to make people laugh. I’m so excited he’s been given this beautiful opportunity to do that on a bigger scale, stepping into the shoes of his hero in a role that stems from one of his favorite movies of all time.

But, a lot of people in this town earn and deserve things, and still don’t get them; it makes no sense to me why all of my best friends aren’t starring on TV shows. If they were, I bet far fewer would be canceled and far more would be fun to watch. We know how lucky we are, that Tony’s hard work actually led to his dream job. (I mean, he wanted to name his corporation Gratitude Inc. at first – but, after worrying that would seem condescending, he settled on Shredator Inc.) I am so proud of him, and so thankful and excited to be celebrating with all of you!