Seen and Heard

"Tio, I liked it better when your hair was bald."
-My niece, Teeny, at my parent's anniversary dinner last night.

I Am George Lucas's Whore

A few weeks back, when Fox released the new "Special Editions" of the Original Star Wars Trilogy, I was v. adamant that I wasn't going to purchase them. While boasting that this is the first time that the unedited original versions were included on a bonus disc, they weren't remastered or anamorphic (suitable for widescreen televisions) and were taken from the 1994 Definitive Collection Laserdiscs, which I have and made DVD copies of when I got my DVD burner a few years back. So, I already had what was on it as well as the Special Edition Trilogy that was released in 2003, which is what was on the first disc of this release.

Welp, I heard that Wal-Mart (bane of my existence) was selling them in a bundle with reprints of the original Marvel comics adaptations, I kinda had to cave in. It also helped that I had a gift card someone had given me, otherwise, I would have probably stayed away.

But it's cool to have the comics again...

Phoenix Rising

I just discovered production photos of the next Harry Potter adaptation, "Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix." Since this is the fifth film, I'm hoping it'll bear out that the original cast will remain for the next 2 movies. It's v. cool to watch them grow before our eyes, much like the characters in the novels.

This is the DA:

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The Dursleys (Harry's Aunt, Uncle & Cousin George):

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New Headmistress, Dolores Umbridge (perfect choice Imelda Staunton):

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And Harry himself (looking all grown up and hot and boy do I feel kinda dirty thinking that):

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In Twenty Days...

I will be in Atlanta visiting one of my best friends, Kirakira, and we're going to see the Scissor Sisters!

Has Anyone Seen This?

While getting dressed for work this morning, I caught this Softscrub Bleach commerical and, first of all, enjoyed the fact that it had a little Chinchilla in it, but it was also pretty freaking funny. Enjoy.

Wait for it...

Funny and cute all at the same time...

Ya know...

I just realised that I haven't posted pictures of Leela and Fry in a while. Now that it's already been four months (and change) since their arrival in my life, I feel like we're finally getting used to each other. They're still a little skittish, but after the whole tooth-breaking incident and all the escapes and stuff, they really are not too alarmed whenever I reach in (although they still hate getting picked up but are fine once they're in their exercise pen).

Here are a couple of pictures I took recently.

This one's Fry standing inside the exercise pen:


And this is Leela in an arabesque pose, which freaked me out a little because the first time she did this she looked dead and then I found out if they recline often it's a sign of pregnancy (but she's been spayed, so that's not the cause) and the other sign is she was just a little too excited running around and needed some down-time:

Promo for LOST's New Season

Still looking good:

The Gayest Thing to Get Arrested For

Last night I had a bit of a predicament. I had gone out to Target^® to find a kitty pooper-scooper for Leela & Fry, since I had changed their bedding to a wood-based type that turns to sawdust, and ventured to the media section to take a gander at the new DVD release of “Grease.”

Now, for those who don’t know me, “Grease” is one of my all-time favorite movies mainly because it’s a musical but it’s also because it’s got Olivia Newton-John (believe me, there are plenty of other merits but I won’t get into it in this post). Well, this new edition had deleted scenes, director/choreographer commentary, live performances and it’s encased in a faux-leather “T-Bird” jacket. Target^® has an exclusive edition that’s encased in a “Pink Ladies” jacket. So, I took one of each and looked at them. Hard.

And I had a serious dilemma- the T-Bird jacket looked really butch and the “Grease” logo was nicely embroidered (well, for a promo piece, anyways) compared to the iron-on logo on the Pink Ladies jacket- so I called one of my best friends, Woogie, to help me suss this out. He was on the Pink Ladies’ side of the fence, mainly because it was exclusive to the store so it would have been made in fewer numbers, thereby increasing in rarity over time but I still thought that the T-Bird just looked cool. I considered getting both and selling my unjacketed extra on eBay or something, but that would have just been wasteful of money and effort. Another option was to get both jackets & “Grease 2” (on sale for $5) as well and wrap the Pink Ladies jacket around that (and get rid of extra copy of “Grease”), but I hatehateHATE that movie. Woogie offered that maybe I should unwrap the Pink Ladies jacket and walk out with it and we had a laugh, because I’d totally get caught and probably arrested that really sounded like a lame reason to be in jail for. Granted, I’ve seen every episode of “OZ,” so I can probably figure out how to make a shiv, but based on my rap sheet, I think I’d be someone’s b*tch relatively quickly. To wit:

Inmate (let’s call him Tiny): What ya in for?
Me: Well, I really wanted a Pink Ladies DVD cover, so I lifted it.
Tiny: On your knees, B%tch!

Not very appealing, but we had a great laugh about it. Still truly debating the issue, I ended up at the register and made a decision at the last minute:


P.S. Woogie wanted one of the “Pink Ladies” jackets, too. So, that’s what he's getting for his birthday.

Spoiler!! -- LOST Numbers Revealed...

This is what the reward was for going through the online "LOST" game. I totally didn't do it, but it's good to know what those numbers mean at least...

Remembering Jim Henson

Ages ago, on Labor Day, I went to go see Another Gay Movie up in DC and, afterwards I realised that it was the final weekend for visiting the National Museum of American History before they close for two years to renovate/remodel and they had some new additions donated by Jim Henson's widow. While it wasn't a huge amount of Muppets, it was still fascinating. Here's a sampling:

Some of the notable Muppets that Henson himself voiced (Dr. Teeth, Rowlf The Dog, Kermit (natch), and the Hill-Billy guy that resembled Henson):


A Mystic from the kick-@ss-scary-for-kids movie "The Dark Crystal:"


Oscar The Grouch (although I think that's been there already in the pop culture area):


And the Swedish Chef and Rizzo The Rat:


Walking through these cases really made me misty and got me thinking about Henson's legacy and what he would have created had he not passed away so suddenly. It also brought to mind one of the most beautiful Muppet Show songs that always gets me a little teary-eyed and yet puts a smile on my face at the same time, Bein' Green (Download song | Purchase CD).

Something's Coming...

Okay, so now that my travel plans have been solidified, I'm *so* excited. I'm taking an 8AM train in the monring, so's I can be at Have A Nice Life before 1, then I'm seeing [title of show] at 5 and then (heh heh) Jacques Brel at 8 before getting on the 11 PM train arriving around 2 AM. It's going to be one long day but it'll be filled with old friends (hopefully I'll be seeing Sean and Anthony as well as Jaqui and Charlie) and some great theatre. Oh and the [tos] peeps. Yeah, I know Hunter's got a boyfriend, but a guy can still look, eh?

Speaking of looking, here's a cute little promo clip of Hunter and Jeff talking about [tos]:



Catch ya on the flip side!

Getting Noticed

I was very tickled today when I checked one of the most entertaining blogs I have read in a while (check it out under my "Read these Off-Broadway Show Blogs" links to the right), [title of show] and found that talented and stylish cast member, Susan Blackwell (who RAWKS I might add), posted my comment about the crush I have on still-really-hot-co-creator/performer Hunter Bell (that's them 2 on the right) amongst other comments about this cutie and it really brightened up my morning. Should I start a fan club or is that just getting a little too 13-year-old-schoolgirl?

It turns out that I'm going up to New York for the day to see my friend Charles Hagerty in "Have A Nice Life" this Saturday, so I also snagged me a ticket to see [title of show] one more time before it closes. I might even be able to fit another viewing of Jacques Brel before hitting the road back to good old VA.

And to give credit where credit is due, here's the other half of that image showing very-sexy-co-creator Jeff Bowen and super-cute-ultra-belter Heidi Blickenstaff, who I also can't wait to see this Saturday. Oh, BTW, if you want to spend your money on a great item, purchase the CD!

Past Obsessions

When I was younger, I remember being fascinated by ventriloquists such as Shari Lewis, Edgar Bergen and Senor Wences, simply because they brought such life and humour to their characters. Then one day, in the mid-70s, I saw this guy and his dummy, who was a woman of "a certain age" and dressed to the nines.

And I fell in love with Madame...

Irony Alert: Madame & Bea Arthur fighting over ROCK HUDSON? Now that's comedy...

Veronica & Logan

In anticipation of Season 3 of one of the best shows currently on television- Veronica Mars- someone made a montage of scenes set to "Sway" by the Perishers. Very nice:

Hiatus

Okay, it’s been another long dry spell wherein I haven’t posted anything recently and there are a few good reasons for this:

1. I’ve been in a helluva funk and it’s really messed up with any motivation I may have.
2. As with work, I’ve been super-busy making plans in the evening and doing things on the weekend (it gets me out, which is a good thing).
3. A LOT O’ LAUNDRY.
4. And the best reason/excuse *drumroll, please...* I’ve now got DSL and a wireless setup at home, baby!

So, there’s no more need to rely on the free Wi-Fi capabilities of the Theatre’s, local libraries and my patronage of Panera Breads in the area.

One last reason is I think I’m just trying to figure out what I want this little old blog here to be- is it me writing about the mundane/interesting details of my life, a review of things I’ve seen & experienced, a music blog or just me posting pictures. Coincidentally, this is my 100th post (yay, me!), and this crisis just seemed timed to this monumental post. I mean, in all honesty, I started this blog last year just to get a pass to an early screening of "Serenity" last year and it just grew from there. I am amazed and humbled by the numbers of folks coming across this blog and appreciate your stopping by, now I just need to see where we go from here...

For Charlie

Dedicated to my friend Charles Hagerty, who's starring in "Have A Nice Life" at the New York Music Theatre Festival this week and who recently toured with "Les Mis."

Monster House in Digital 3D

Last weekend, I took my youngest nephew to see Monster House in Digital 3D. I promised I’d take him and the only place that still had it in 3D was in Arundel Mills, way up in Maryland. Well, I had wanted to check out this supposedly super-huge movie complex so this gave me the appropriate excuse. And not only that, the movie turned out to be one of my favorite movies of the year! More than just a haunted house story, Monster House has a refreshingly accurate childlike sensibility that few family movies ever achieve (except Hayao Miyazaki & PIXAR films) plus a sense of suspense a la “The Twilight Zone.” The animation, which utilized the same motion capture style as “The Polar Express,” was much livelier and expressive than the latter movie because the production and character design is more stylized and exaggerated yet vey fluid and life-like. There were a few startling moments, which made my nephew jump in his seat and we both left the theatre with huge grins on our faces. Grade: A

Film Capsule Reviews

Okay, I’ve been promising Ryan for many weeks now that I was going to share my opinion of “Superman Returns”- a film that both of us were awaiting with bated breath. He’s already reviewed it, since he saw it opening night. I, on the other hand, am finally ready to put my finger to the keyboard and talk about it. Granted, I’ve now experienced it in three various incarnations (regular screen, IMAX and IMAX 3D- in Chicago), and I’ve also figured that I’ll share my thoughts on the other recent films I’ve seen, too.
First and foremost, Superman Returns lived up to its hype, and was one of the best movies I saw this summer. I had complete faith the Bryan “X-Men 1&2” Singer would remain true to the pathos and mythology of the character, as well as pay tribute to the first two Richard Donner films of the 70s (cue the John Williams theme music). And he succeeded, with some interesting choices that didn’t live up to their promise. Brandon Routh was excellent as Clark Kent/Superman and in conveying his ‘alien’ quality and the fact that superman really doesn’t fit in. His speech to Lois Lane’s son at the end was heartbreaking as his flight into space was exhilarating. Kevin Spacey was an inspired casting choice as Lex Luthor, far superior to the comedic persona that Gene Hackman portrayed, even going so far as to really be sinister-scary. Granted Luthor’s real estate scheme was tired, even in the 70s, but it did climax with a painful scene in which Superman is ‘sacrificed’ (and, while the Jesus/Messiah similarities are painfully obvious, they don’t feel forced). Now for the things that, I feel, didn’t quite work: Parker Posey’s character didn’t have much presence and was predictable, Kate Bosworth didn’t make for a convincing Lois Lane. It seemed like she was too subtle or in an entirely different than everyone else around her, but each time I saw the movie my arguments against her seemed less and less Now, the IMAX 3D viewing was pretty spectacular even though the total amount of 3D footage was no more than 20 minutes- the final scene, Superman’s return saving the plane Lois was on (another wink to the original film), and the final showdown between Luthor and Superman- but it was plenty worth it. Grade: B+.

The Lady In The Water was a movie that I was looking forward to, if only for the potential of M. Night Shyamalan’s vision and I felt just as disappointed as his last two films have left me. It started off well, but then it got fairly complicated really fast. There’s a song in the show “Urinetown” called “Too Much Exposition” and this movie had an overabundance of it. I thought the general sentiment and moral were relevant to today (It takes a village and the resonance of myths in today’s world) but it quickly became too complicated and messy and it left me without any investment in this world. Grade: C.

The Night Listener, based on the book by Armistead Maupin, was a fairly faithful adaptation of this “is he or isn’t he” thriller. Robin Williams did not disappoint in his role as broadcaster Gabriel Noone, who strikes up a conversation with an HIV-positive child and his caregiver (the always fantastic Toni Collette), but may also be the victim of a con game. Grade: B-

The day after I got back from Chicago, I felt like I wanted to experience the chills that The Descent has promised, via Entertainment Weekly’s and horror-meister’s StephenGregory’s positive review of it and it did not disappoint. Evoking the same bleak outlook that “28 Days Later” did, this underground thriller does for spelunking what “The Blair Witch Project” did for camping. Leaving much to the imagination the suspense just keeps piling on until the end. Now, about that ending, I felt it slightly problematic and too ‘shlocky.’ I know that this was an alternate ending than the original UK version and can’t wait to see the different ending on DVD to see if it holds up as well. Grade: B+

I also caught The Devil Wears Prada a second time and still enjoyed it. If it wasn’t for Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt’s scene-stealing performances as antagonist Amanda Priestly and First Assistant Emily, this would’ve been just another lightweight summer comedy and they steal this movie from lead Anne Hathaway, who is less than dazzling. Since it was my second viewing, I was able to just focus on the performances and enjoy the scenery. There are some great one-liners and just watching Meryl say so much without saying a word was truly worth it. If she doesn’t get an Oscar nomination for this role then there is no God. Grade: B+