The Space I Occupy

Merry Xmas & Happy New Year

2007-12-24T13:15:00.000-05:00

A greeting from little old me. Check back in the new year and I will try to get my blog on again...

Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Lookie What I Made

2007-12-18T08:11:00.000-05:00

trying to resusitate

2007-11-22T13:14:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know it's been long time, so I'm going to ease into it by posting this- my 'journey' to Target. A cute flash animation I just toyed around with on Target's site in lieu of Black Friday.

Happy Thanksgiving, Ya'll!

Best. Simpsons. Quote. Ever.

2007-06-08T10:36:00.000-04:00

At least for this weekend:

Gay Pride Parade marchers: "We're here! We're queer! Get used to it!"

Lisa Simpson: "You're here every year. We ARE used to it."

But, seriously, Joe.My.God has reposted something v. insightful he wrote concerning Gay Pride, and it's good reading.

P.S. I have taken some time off of blogging, simply because I have been v. busy since I got back from Spain. Hopefully, in the near future I can get back in the habit of writing something if not daily, then something frequently. Thanks to you who do keep coming back to check. Keep on checking, peeps. Thanks.

Are You Insured?

2007-06-01T22:25:00.000-04:00

Fly Like The Wind

2007-05-31T21:19:00.000-04:00

My friend Monkey Junior flying in The Theatre for "Witches Of Eastwick":

Is it really me?

2007-05-03T16:07:00.001-04:00

Where You Going? Barcelona. Oh. - Day 9

2007-04-26T03:05:00.001-04:00

On my final full day of the trip, I slept in until 9:30, got ready for the day, had breakfast at the corner café and headed off to the Barcelona Zoo. The parentals wanted to stay in to pack and get ready for the day, so I was on my own. I took the subway down to the Olympic Village and, while crossing over to the entrance, almost got hit by a tram, but that didn’t deter me from seeing some animals. The Zoo here is most famous for it’s albino gorilla, who unfortunately died a few years back, but they’ve got over 400 species to make up for it.

Once in the park, the sounds of animals waking and making noises filled the air. As I approached the giraffes I noticed peacocks wandering around freely. It was a little alarming at first, but it was interesting to see how close I could get to them. They didn’t seem to be scared of anything much and I got some good shots. It was amusing to see them scare little kids, though. And little kids there were- there was at least 12 sets of preschool-aged children making all sorts of racquets. I love children individually, but being in the middle of a sea of them was a little like Tippi Hedren walking out of that house at the end of “The Birds.”

Another attraction the zoo is known for is its dolphins, and they have shows a few times a day. Honestly, that was the primary reason for going, since I have a thing for them. They’ve got a total of five dolphins, three adult females ranging from 3 to 45 years old and two male calves that are less than a year old. The show was your typical dolphin spectacle and, as always the cute factor was high.

After hitting the rest of the animals (not literally, natch), I got back on the subway to meet up with Roz and Al and the train got stuck for 10 minutes. Luckily I wasn’t in too much of a hurry, but still kinda annoying. Once back at the hotel, we met up and walked our way up our side street to a local movie theatre. They went to see “Madrigal,” a Cuban film and I (finally) saw Danny Boyle’s “Sunshine”- in English and subtitled. While predictable, it was still an engaging sci-fi thriller in the vein of “Alien” and I enjoyed it more than his “28 Days Later.”

Afterwards, I went back to my room and started packing my suitcase. It’s amazing how much heavier it is once I put all purchases & gifts in there…

After taking a break and calling some friends in the US, we went out for some dinner and I ended our stay here at the same place we started- in a café with churros for dessert before trekking back to the hotel and finishing up my packing.

It’s been a wonderful stay here. The city is marvelous, the people generous and the climate was super. I’m gonna miss it.

Where You Going? Barcelona. Oh. - Day8

2007-04-25T04:49:00.000-04:00

On the bridge that splits Girona from the old city (right) from the new one (left). (enlarge)

It turns out that Girona isn’t a coastal town like it was described… it’s more of a town on a hill kinda place surrounded by a wall that’s as old as 100 B.C. It’s more of a representation of the Catalonian country than Barcelona is, natch, due to it’s un-metropolitan-ness. That’s not to day it wasn’t full of views and architecture to be taken in. Once we got off our tour bus, we were taken on a walking tour of the old city (much to Roz’s chagrin) that included visiting the Arabian Baths (not in use for 600 years) that’s been in pretty amazing shape due to nuns taking over the property centuries ago. Check out the great fountain in the changing room.

After stopping for lunch, we made it to the museum of Cinema, which had a vast archive of moving picture techniques going back to the 18th century. I sort of forgot that no pictures were allowed and inadvertently recorded some early animation/silent film techniques (see here, here, and here). After that, I had to book it (Roz & Al already had a head start) to our bus for our trip to Figueres and a visit to the Theatre-Museu Dali.

And I thought that he was just a surrealist! His breadth and mastery, IMO, almost rivals the sampling of Picasso’s oeuvre from his museum. Not only that, but he also designed the entire building to his quirky specifications, like the eggs, bread and female Oscars(enlarge). Many installations were here as well as lots of the jewelry he designed and kinetic artwork, too (like a rolls Royce that rains on the inside when you put change in a meter). I put change into a crucifix-mirror thing and a choir of voices began chanting and the whole piece started swaying, much like those dancing cacti of the late 80s. Pretty fun stuff!

After that, we boarded the bus and came back. I don’t know what it is when I’m not driving, but I pretty much pass out on trips like that, so it was almost all a blur. I can’t believe that this is already coming to a close… one more day of activities before our long trip back. ^*le sigh^*.

Where You Going? Barcelona. Oh. - Days 6 & 7

2007-04-23T14:49:00.001-04:00

Thoughts on the bullfight last night: Welp, I have to say my feelings are a little mixed here. On the plus side, it was amazing watching this technique of having the matador get as close to the bull as possible and there is a definite art in doing that (centuries of it, actually), but it was also v. v. gruesome. So much so, that I couldn’t take it after the fourth fight and I left forgoing the final two. I ended up cheering more for the bull than the matador sometimes but I still wasn’t able to applaud like the rest of the audience when the bull was put down. There’s a lot of pageantry beforehand, which was nice to experience and before the actual matador comes out there’s plenty of assistants that play with the bull without hurting him and that’s where the art comes into play here (IMO). With waving the material the closer the bull gets to the person, naturally, the harder it is to get away from his horns but each time the bull gets closer, the crowd erupts into a big “Ole!” (Which was fun) and then the guy runs behind a barricade before he gets hurt. Once the stabbing began, I was pretty much over it. I did make a video of the whole ole thing, which you can see here (no bloodshed at all).

After some comfort food for dinner (chicken), I looked up bullfighting on wikipedia and found that there sure was an alternative to violent bullfighting and I think that I would see that but not the ‘real thing’ ever again.

Welp, before all that, Sunday was a day off from the parentals! They went to church and I wandered anywhere I wanted to go, so I ended up at the Plaza D’Espana convention center to a… comic convention! It was a multigenerational affair here in Spain- there were old folks as well as kids and every age in between, which I guess shows the breadth of graphic novels is much more expansive in other parts of the country than the US. The reason I went was because there was an exhibit in honor of a new Asterix book, and I’ve been Asterix-crazy since I was 8, so it was a no-brainer for me. There were a lot of people there, and after about 2 hours I was pretty much done, so I left and walked all the way back to the Plaza Catalunya (about 3 KM) going through many side streets. It was calming and, once I got back to my hotel room after the bullfight, I crashed.

With no need to wake early today, we all slept in (well until 9) and just went to the center of town (Plaza Catalunya and the Ramblas, which is a long promenade of hotels and shoppes and restaurants). Today was also Sant Jordi’s Day (St. George, who is the patron saint of Catalonia), which meant that you were to give your significant other a rose and they are to give you a book in return (it’s also the day of books). Needless to day there were booksellers galore with tables as well as people selling different colored roses.

I was pretty impressed that we walked down the entire length of the Ramblas and Roz didn’t think too much about it, although we did take a few breaks here and there. Along the way, We went to try and tour the Grand Theatre of Liceau (what the Kennedy Center is to DC), but the tours are only in the morning and then I wanted to see more of Gaudi’s work at the Guell Palace (he’s all over the place), but that was closed for reconstruction, so then I parted ways with the parentals and went to go see Danny Boyle’s (28 Days Later, Trainspotting) new movie, Sunshine. I got to the theatre and asked the ticket-taker if the movie was subtitled in Spanish and she told me that it was dubbed, which defeated the purpose (to me) and she basically told me that I had to get used to it, or just not see any movies here at all. How rude!

Well, then I just wandered the city for a bit before heading back to the hotel, because we’ve got an early day tomorrow. We’re going on another day trip- this time to Girona, a coastal town and to nearby Figueres, which is Salvador Dali’s hometown (the one trip I wanted to take while here). I’m looking forward to it!

Oh, and this guy below was sliding into a grate in the park today, as part of the festivities...

Barcelona Tonight: A Bullfight!

2007-04-22T11:29:00.000-04:00

So, I don’t necessarily condone bullfighting, but there is something about it that fascinates me. Although I don’t follow the sport or know who the matadors are, it’s probably as brutal as one would think it might be, but from reading about it since I was young I’ve always wanted to see one.

And tonight’s the night!

Hopefully, I won’t get too grossed out. Wait, I did have a hamburger for lunch today…

Update tomorrow.

P.S. The bar of like-minded men I went to last night was fine (even if nobody showed up until almost 1 AM). Got to third base with a couple of blokes and even got a number. Now, I’m debating on calling him or not.

Where You Going? Barcelona. Oh- Day 5

2007-04-22T05:19:00.000-04:00

Today was a more laid-back kind of affair (although, it always turns out less so). All we had planned was to go to the Palace of Catalan Music, the Christopher Columbus Monument and Aquarium. After having breakfast, we took the metro (no transfers this time) to the Palace, where the next guided tour was almost 2.5 hours later. So, my parents wanted to sit there the whole time and it was a little chillier than previous days, so I decided to hit the Corte Ingles (CI) for something a little warmer. Turned out that the CI was maybe 10 minutes away, so I had some time to kill there and I just wandered around, after finding a sweater that I sorta like (kinda not my color but I’m sure I’ll get used to it).

The tour of the Music Palace was neat, although I could only take a picture of the exterior due to it being a private building and there are no pictures allowed. Lots of beautiful flower imagery and statues evoking muses and valkyries and some nice stained glass work on the ceilings. On the trip to the metro to get to the Columbus monument, my parents wanted some warmer clothing as well, so we stopped at the CI (again) before heading out again. By this point I needed to grab lunch, so we stopped at (OMG) Burger King- the only place with not much of a wait- for a kid’s meal.

Once we made our way to the subway, we got to the monument and it was almost 6. We went up to the top and looked around (it’s not too dissimilar to the Statue of Liberty, probably not as tall), took pictures and went back down. On the way around I did take this picture of a tourist posing underneath a lion’s nads, though.

Afterwards, we walked down to the harbor and finally made it to the Aquarium. Luckily, since it was early evening, there wasn’t much of a crowd (which worried me, it being a Saturday), so we went in saw the various exhibits and then watched a half hour documentary. This place was nicely designed- v. similar to the Atlanta Aquarium, but on a smaller scale- and had a couple of automated walkways that go underneath the main tank that housed no less than 7 sharks. There was also a display of penguins and reminded me of Happy Feet and I got a little sad (if you’ve seen the movie, you know what I mean).

Then, on the way back to the metro we hit a Chinese place for dinner, back here to the hotel and I’m on my way to a bar (and hopefully have a NSFW^* story).

^*Not Safe For Web (or work, for that matter).

Where You Going? Barcelona. Oh- Day 4

2007-04-22T04:58:00.000-04:00

Luckily I didn’t oversleep yesterday, since it was our (much-anticipated by Roz) day-trip to Montserrat. We had booked a special trip that included transportation to the train station via subway, the train trip to the city of Montserrat, a train to get up the mountain to the monastery, funicular trips to a couple different places on the mountain and return trips back to Barcelona- oh and free lunch, too (well, we didn’t take advantage of that, but it was still nice of them to offer, LOL).

Did I already mention that my mom doesn’t like walking? Well, I think we actually doubled the distance from Park Guell’s trip the day before. First, we had to switch subway lines to get to the train station (lots of stairs), and then it was just the sheer amount of things to get to that required walking at Montserrat. Luckily, the parentals slept on both train trips (I think I even caught some winks there, too).

The monastery was pretty cool- all up on this mountaintop that the Virgin Mary appeared in a cave and was discovered by monks centuries ago. Like any old cathedral, the architecture was made of stone and v. detailed (sadly, no geese like the last one). There is also an art museum up there (that was also included in our package, natch) with some little seen pieces by Degas, Monet, Dali and lots more of Picasso, so that was a cool bonus.

The best part was taking the funicular (is there an English word for this?) up to Sant Joan (97,010 meters above sea-level). Click here for a video clip I took going up. Once up there, there are various places to hike and I, stupidly, took the longest hike that took me up to one of the summits and then (unknowingly) took me back down to the Monastery, leaving my parents waiting for me up on the mountaintop, so I took the funicular all the way back up to get them and then we took the other funicular down to the Holy Cave (where this Mary appeared/was discovered). By that point, my legs were kinda tired so I walked about halfway down to the cave and turned back. Afterwards, we did some shopping (and I got some chocolates made by the nuns and monks there), where my mom basically cleaned out the store, and then we went to get our free food (there was nothing much by the time we got there, so we didn’t get anything) and then trekked back down the mountain to meet up with the train (the final one of the day, I later found out, luckily).

Once back in Barcelona, we found a place for dinner and we took a taxi back to the hotel, where I crashed hard. And my dad’s lost suitcase was finally recovered, so he was v.v. happy (I’ll flash back to that later).

Where You Going? Barcelona. Oh. The Next 2 Days...

2007-04-20T02:41:00.000-04:00

The past two days have been a whirlwind, as I guess the rest of our stay will be, too. Yesterday we went to the Gaudi ‘Sagrada Familia’ Temple, which was a project that was started over 100 years ago and has yet to be completed (Gaudi, the architect, died by the time the first tower was built). I sort of conned my mom into walking the whole mile by saying that the metro was just coming up, but actually, while I did mean that, I also realized that the church was merely a couple more blocks further. Once we finished taking in the work in progress (project completion date: sometime in the 2020’s), we all agreed that the best way to take in more sights was to get a 2-day bus tour ticket that stops at almost every point in the central city.

We hit the Catalan National museum of Art, passed by some big monuments (the Happy Lobster, the Tower of Calatrava & Roy Lichtenstein’s “Face of Barcelona”- guess which one is which) and went to the church of Blessed Mary of the Ocean (Santa Maria del Mar for those of you in the know) and the Picasso Museum, which was amazing for the sheer expansiveness of his early years- it’s obvious the man was a genius but he had his photo-realistic technique down before he was out of his teens.

By the end of the evening, we all were super tired from the walking (especially my mom), so we had dinner and then took a taxi back to the hotel, me missing the 10:30 curfew for using the hotel’s computers and checking emails. I ended up passing out watching a DVD of Angel, Season 2.

Today, I actually overslept (by not updating the time on my Palm Pilot) but we made it back to the tour bus before noon and headed up to Pac Guell, which was another endeavor of Gaudi’s architecture. Turns out, the place is at the top of a steep hill (some would say small mountain and Roz (my mom) was having none of that. Well, actually, she did but we stopped a few times along to way to help her rest. This park was beautiful with the architecture complementing the nature surrounding it as well as the way mosaics were used. After getting a picture with the mosaic dragon, we grabbed a nosh and took a taxi down to the base of the hill back at our bus stop.

After that, we ended up in the Barri Gotico (Gothic Area) and wandered around, going to the Cathedral (Geese in the courtyard- CRAZY) and then walking through shoppes and the Royal Plaza (which was kind of a let-down- a big area with a teeny fountain. At the other side, though, was the center of the Ramblas- the famous area full of restaurants and shops where we stopped and had dinner. By the time we finished, there was no time to hit the other areas we planned, so we got into a cab to find out about transportation to Montserrat in the morning and a little more shopping at the Corte Ingles before getting back to the hotel and getting ready for the next day...

Where you Going? Barcelona. Oh.

2007-04-18T04:07:00.000-04:00

So, the parentals & I made it to Barcelona at last! Our first day was good. Once we got out of the airport, we took a taxi to our hotel, checked in and I promptly passed out for four hours. After showering, we took off on a walk around the center of the city. Spanish architecture never fails to impress me (well, “Old” architecture anyways- those new apartment buildings that you see in Almodovar films are really ugly). All the buildings have wrought-iron balconies and just amazing woodwork on entrances.

We reached the Plaza De Catalunya, which had a huge fountain and I got distracted by the largest department store I had ever seen. El Corte Ingles is a huge chain across Spain, but this building was just jaw dropping more than eight floors of any and every department you could think of. I bought some bottles of water there and wanted to continue exploring but my parents wanted to sit for a bit, so I told them that I’d meet up with them at an outdoor café across the street. One could spend hours in this place. I went looking for a CD that BiWo asked me to find and then realized that I was starving, so since the CD search was sort of fruitless (no pun intended), I met up with my parents and had a ham & brie sandwich with churros for dessert- delish!

This is funny

2007-04-06T22:55:00.000-04:00

glumbert.com - The Apple iRack

Touching Story

2007-04-02T14:00:00.000-04:00

Over at Joe.My.God, I just saw this link to a New York Times article on how gay youth are coming out at earlier ages and, more significantly, how parents are more supportive. Read it and see if it doesn't bring a tear to your eye or at least warm your heart.

I dare you.

"You have to believe we are..."

2007-03-30T15:17:00.000-04:00

It appears very sad to me to find more than three people I know are so young that they don’t even know what "Xanadu" is.

I just re-watched the movie last week on my ‘new’ widescreen TV and found that I’m still touched by this movie, even with all of its faults.

The good thing is I’ve found I’m not alone.

And then, there’s this (which totally rocks my socks)!

Do I/we need help?

It's Raining 300 Men

2007-03-26T07:05:00.001-04:00

This made me laugh. It's also more than wishful thinking that the movie was as good as this. Sure, I was really looking forward to this ("Sin City" was excellent and the "Dawn Of The Dead" remake was v. scary), but for all of it's positives- the men, the cinematography, the men's abs, the FX, the men's leather britches, the men)- it was so lightweight that I pretty much had forgotten the movie by the next day.

Still good eye candy, though.

This kid can move

2007-03-23T10:36:00.001-04:00

to Beyonce's "Irreplaceable."

Words To Describe

2007-03-22T13:41:00.000-04:00

Monday morning was the Theatre’s “Meet & Greet”/First Rehearsal (together) for our next production- a world premiere of a musical by Kathie Lee Gifford called “Saving Aimee,” about evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson.

Since it was in the morning, I snuck out of work for a bit to see some old faces and meet some new ones. After all that, we were allowed to watch the read/sing through of the piece as it stood that day. I was only able to stay for the opening number, but oh what a number it is…

If I were to calculate how much I spent to see this:

An hour of the McJob: $23.50
Gas: $.95
Mileage: 10 ($2.50)
Having
Carolee Carmello belt out 10 feet in front of me: Priceless

Huzzah?

2007-03-16T13:40:00.000-04:00

Last night, I went to the final dress rehearsal of the new musical, Meet John Doe, at Ford’s Theatre. While I’m not at liberty to critique a rehearsal, there’s plenty of talented people on that stage and am looking forward to seeing it again.

But that’s not the topic of this post. At the top of the show, the Producing Director of Ford’s spoke and at the end of his speech, he made the request that all beepers, cellphones, Chinese watches and other noisemakers should be shut off.

As the overture started, I turned to my friend, VaWe, and whispered, “what’s a Chinese watch?” (Thinking I had missed out on a new electronic toy).

She looked at me, cracked up and replied, “he said Chiming watches.”

I need my ears cleaned...

Twice A Year, Just Like Clockwork

2007-03-14T16:18:00.000-04:00

Ever since I got my cell phone in 1998, I’ve had the same issue twice a year, whenever we have to change the time because of daylight savings. It’s not just that the hour time difference kicks my ass because we lose an hour (it does, but that’s just cuz I’m used to waking up early- sorta).

You see, my mobile number is similar to the local automated time by phone, with the switch of two numbers; you can either get me or the time. *beep*

So I expect to get many calls between midnight and noon on the Sunday following, as it has been for the past nine years. Not to mention the sporadic times that a number I don’t recognize calls and then they get flustered that a human answers since they’re expecting a recording.

I’ve lately been getting snarkier and snarkier and now have the same reply to these people. Usually, they start by saying that they got the wrong number (I should probably hang up at this point), I then ask if they called for the time. If they reply in the affirmative, I then let them know it’s now time for them to purchase a watch and then hang up.

Is that too passive-aggressive or just plain aggressive?
Kinda makes me laugh these days.

Going, Going, Going- Part 2

2007-03-11T18:45:00.000-04:00

After the “Vigils” matinee, we stopped at The Theatre so Patrick could see the new space and then a quick dinner before hitting the Kennedy Center for its acclaimed revival of "Carnival!"

Now, this show is based on Lili, an old MGM musical that is one of my mother’s favorite films, ergo, I remember it a lot from my childhood. I was not familiar with the musical at all, save for the fact that it was Jerry Orbach’s Broadway debut in 1961, so I was excited to see it. Not only that, but Natascia Diaz, a favorite of mine (& Patrick’s) from “Jacques Brel,” was in the cast.

The production at the Kennedy Center is exquisite, lavish, and beautifully acted. It’s just that I didn’t find the show itself as touching as the movie did (when I was a kid- it might be too treacly these days). The book is a little creaky, but at least it came to life when Natascia & Sebastian LaCause (her onstage lover) appeared.

Now, after we got ourselves situated in our second row seats, there was this woman right behind me who kept saying how much she loves this show and telling the people around her that they’d better not mind her singing along or they should find other seats. I groaned to Patrick, thinking she was just excited, as no normal adult would behave that way in a theatre. Well, during the “Cirque De Paris” number- sure enough- she started singing. I leaned over my shoulder and whispered (loud enough so she could hear), “Do you mind?”

She shut up after that. But then I felt a little guilt that the person sitting next to me was wondering if I meant that for her (and she was quiet).

But seriously, why on earth would someone think that they’re justified to act like they do in their own living room when there are plenty of people around them that had spent $80+ as well to listen to the show. It’s simple etiquette, people! Oy vey.

Afterwards, we met up with Ms. Diaz and had drinks with her before I took Patrick back to the bus so he could get home. Another full weekend complete.

Going, Going, Going

2007-03-08T07:35:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was a whirlwind of activity. Saturday morning, I gathered my brother, a friend of his and my friend and co-worker, MiMo, to assist in getting a 50" widescreen TV from my friend WEW. A few weeks ago, he purchased a new 60" plasma HDTV and I asked what he was going to do with his other TV. I (jokingly) said I'd take it for free and he said, "If you can get it out of my house, you can have it."

You don't really need to twist my arm with that kind of answer. I took measurements and made sure it would fit and then we figured out the right date and resources to do it and so, at 11:30 we ventured into Mt. Pleasant . It amazingly took 90 minutes total to get the TV out of the row house and into mine. After that, I heard from my ex-girlfriend (and mother to one of my godsons) that she was in town and would like to see me. I was strapped for time, as I still had errands to run and my friend Patrick was coming into town to catch some theatre with me, so the only thing I could do with the ExG was pick them up at a metro stop and then take them to their car at another metro stop. Since it's been years since I'd seen them, it was good to do (and, man, 11 year olds grow like weeds). Thankfully, Patrick's train was delayed, so I was able to finish my errands before picking him up. The poor thing was starving, so we had a bite to eat before going to Arena Stage and seeing "Frankie and Johnnie In The Claire De Lune."

One of Terrence McNally's first popular plays, I've always found it moving - even the Broadway revival with Stanley Tucci & Edie Falco, while both being almost too attractive for the roles, touched me immensely- yet Arena's production was slightly uneven. Vinnie D'ambrosio has all the makings of an excellent Johnnie while Kate Buddeke's Frankie leaves a lot to be desired. I think that, with a few more performances, she'll be up to the task of a fully-formed character.

Sunday, we saw the final performance of "Vigils," a new play at Wooly Mammoth Theatre by 28-year-old Noah Haidle. A fun concept of a grieving widow, while hanging onto her dead husband's soul, trying to move on had a slow start but became engaging after the first half hour. The twist here is that it's the soul that didn't want to linger on earth and the living partner who wants to hang on, which is the opposite of all those other romantic ghost stories. I think with a little judicious trimming of the quickly monotonous memories; it'll be a captivating piece of theatre.

What else did we do? Check back soon...

I Can See Why Hetero Men Get Into Fights Now

2007-03-06T23:52:00.000-05:00

Almost two weeks ago, during the final weeks of "Into The Woods," I was almost assaulted by a rather aggressive patron. What happened was that the volunteer in charge of the listening devices had mixed up and given out the wrong ID, so the person who's ID was given out was, understandably, upset. Welp, her male companion, started getting very angry at me and his voice began to rise, accusing me of grand theft, asking how his friend was going to get home, etc. As his volume increased, he started getting in my face and physically closer to me, climaxing by pushing me and trying to provoke be by calling me all sorts of names.

By the time he grabbed me and started pushing me, I could feel my face flush, my right arm pull back and my fist begin to close up. K. Kitty, a friend who was there that night, said the my face completely transformed at that point. I honestly didn't know what I would have done if this lady hadn't gotten between us and yelled at her companion saying how he wasn't helping the situation and told him to walk away. As I walked towards the bar, trying to figure out the best way to resolve this, the bartender asked if she should call 911. The Stage Manager and all those near the bar asked me if I was okay and, although v. heated, I was.

After finagling with the Box Office, we got a hold of the other lady, who had already gotten home and the one left at the theatre came up to me to apologise for her companion and that wasn't enough to calm me down. She left and those remaining in the lobby were asking if I was allirght. I realised that I wasn't that allright- my blood pressure was still through the roof (I could tell by the heat emanating from my cheeks)- so I stopped at The Office for a beer and a smoke. I eventually got home, drank half a dose of Nyquil and, after about 45 minutes of tossing and breathing deeply, finally fell asleep.

Thoughts About Oscar- Finally

2007-03-06T11:14:00.001-05:00

Okay, so the Oscars were a little over a week ago, these ramblings are probably a little dated, but here’s my take:

Ellen DeGeneres did a great job hosting. She brings a child-like wonderment in her humour and those bits in the audience were hysterical. Who else has the audacity to convince Spielberg to get a picture of Ellen and Clint Eastwood for “her MySpace” page?

Martin Scorsese winning was not a huge surprise, but v. well-deserved. The Departed’s winning Picture was also expected and not overlooked.

Eddie Murphy was robbed- ‘nuf said.

Dreamgirls was robbed in the “Best Song” category, but at least it gave us the most energetic performance of the night:

No editing needed here...

2007-03-06T07:09:00.000-05:00

Jennifer Hudson singing THE SONG live at Clive Davis' Grammy party. Shows she's got the vocal chops with no tweaking needed. Be still my heart.

How Gay Is TOP GUN?

2007-02-27T22:03:00.000-05:00

Apparently, it's really really gay- but we all knew that already. I had heard of this infamous Quentin Tarantino speech and am glad to finally have heard it.

That volleyball scene- OY!

What A Day...

2007-02-25T19:37:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, my friend Lisa, from Happy Funtime Friend Servce, and I woke up early to get to the Best Picture Showcase at AMC Tyson's Corner and, for $30, it was one of hte best bargains I've had in a while. I mean, 5 movies, large drink and popcorn (with free refills all day) and in and out priviledges and what more can you ask for?

Granted, we both had already seen The Departed, and I had alrady caught "Miss SUnshine," but the other three films neither of us caught yet. So, in order of viewing:

Babel: Neither of us liked it that much. I felt that, with forty-five minutes of further editing (howabout that pointless Japanese girl story?), it would've been a good movie. I just felt that Innaritu was really trying so hard to make a big statement that just muddied the plot. Granted the Japanese girl story, taken on its own terms would've made a very powerful short film. There was one performance that I felt should have been recognised but wasn't and that was Brad Pitt's- truly heartbreaking, intense work.

The Queen: blew me away. I had expected an amazing performance from Helen Mirren (it's fresking Helen Mirren, folks!), so that wasn't a surprise, but I wasn't expecting was such a moving piece about the Monarchy and their grief over Princess Diana's unexpected death and overcoming centuries of traidition to grieve with the rest of the world and recognise the other accomplishments that Diana had made in her lifetime. IMO, this should be the movie to win the Best Picture, although I really think it's The Departed's year.

Speaking of The Departed, we skipped out on that one and decided to take a walk throught the mall and have a nice leisurely dinner (granted, we had 2 hours and 45 minutes to kill before the next movie).

Letters From Iwo Jima: I was truly looking forward to being moved by this film, even though my track record with Clint Eastwood's directorial efforts have been spotty, and came away predictably disappointed from what could have been a powerful experience. Ken Watanabe did fine work as a high-ranking officer on the beach at Iwo Jima but Eastwood's passive style of directing just didn't make this movie live. In fact, I fell asleep a couple of times.

After that, we both decided that we'd had enough (and I didn't care to see Miss Sunshine again) and booked it out of there. Lisa to see a band at a local bar and me, to play with the chins. Overall, we had a fantastic day with the other film freaks that had settled into their seats for almost twelve hours (even though we weren't that dedicated).

Twenty-Five Years Ago...

2007-02-23T10:10:00.000-05:00

Madonna's debut in some rinky-dink nightclub in New York. WOW.

George Takei Has His Say...

2007-02-22T00:33:00.000-05:00

On the whole Tim Hardaway making homophobic comments thing. Too choice for words.

Thanks to Joe.My.God.

That's why we have snow at Christmas

2007-02-21T12:59:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday, I had tickets to go see Matthew Bourne's production of "Edward Scissorhands" at the Kennedy Center. I was plenty excited to see this, not only because Tim Burton's film is one of my all-time favorites but also because Mr. Bourne is one of the most talented choreographers of the past few decades.

The first 30 minutes were slightly confusing and the choreography wasn't great, but there was also a lot of story setup and the initial jolt of seeing a story told through movement and no dialogue. Once Edward is adopted by the Boggs family, the story becomes involving and my interest picked up. There are two breathtaking dances (one with moving topiary) and then some nicely done group numbers. I had forgotten how moving Danny Elfman's original score was and Mr. Bourne brings the tale to a somewhat more somber end, but IMO it makes more sense this way.

And I was moved to tears by the end of the performance. I don't think I've seen such a coup de theatre since Mary Poppins flew over the audience in the UK.

Photo by Bill Cooper

Frozen in Carbonite or 20 Things in 6 Weeks

2007-02-20T23:29:00.000-05:00

Allright, I totally and completely suck since it's been so long that I've updated this here blog, but I do hope to make it up over the next few days.

In the time since I last posted, I have:

Gotten food poisoning

Become obsessed with this frakking show

Worked with the Theatre's open house, which welcomed over 10,000 people (!)

Had a nasty cold (thankfully not anything worse)

Went to see this with LeFo

LeFo & I felt like octogenarians at said screening

Hosted my best friend from High School, The Rock (who will be stationed here this summer)

Went looking for houses with him (all day- oy)

Got sleeted on

Averaged working more than 25 hours at the Theatre per week

Opened (and now getting ready to close) "Into The Woods"

Was grossed out and yet fascinated by Pan's Labyrinth

Ate Ethiopian food

Saw Dreamgirls (again)

Was incensed at the Academy Award snub of Dreamgirls

Had a part fall off of my car

Plowed some snow and ice

Saw a pretty horrible production of "Footloose- The Musical"

Went to a black tie affair at the Theatre

Purchased my first Tuxedo (for said affair)

What are you doing this weekend?

2007-01-12T14:05:00.000-05:00

I wanted to let you all know that the new Signature Theatre Building in Shirlington will be having an Open House this weekend.

There will be all sorts of things for kids (Mask-making, face-painting, etc.) and lots of free performances (a few are ticketed- namely Into The Woods on Sunday, The Euan Morton and the Emily Skinner concerts) but all else is free to the public. I’ll also be there all weekend and if I look a little frazzled, come say "hello" and try to calm me down...

Here's what the Theatre has to say about it:

EXPERIENCE THE NEW SIGNATURE THEATRE!

Open House Weekend January 13 & 14, 2007

Enjoy performances, family activities, master classes, and theater tours all weekend long. All events are free and open to the community. Tickets are not required unless otherwise noted. Free ticket distribution for select events begins the day of the event at 11:30am from Signature's new box office.

Visit www.signature-theatre.org for more information and a complete schedule of events.

David Hasselhoff?

2007-01-10T06:46:00.000-05:00

Torchwood

2007-01-05T00:30:00.000-05:00

I haven't watched the new Doctor Who, but based on this clip from new spin-off Torchwood, I need to start...

This is touching, sexy, beautiful, romantic, sad brokeback action. Excellent.

First Of Year

2007-01-01T23:45:00.000-05:00

So, here I am, the first night of 2007. Totally relaxed from a bath in my Jacuzzi tub and watching an episode of “Wonderfalls” (one of my favorite, yet canceled early series on DVD). My dear friend Flounder is dozing on the couch and her husband is watching “Babylon 5” on his laptop.

Here in the OBX we do things a little differently- more mellow and stuff. The other 16 folks are either asleep or downstairs in the home theatre or in the hot tub outside. So far, it’s been a fairly lazy week. Each night, someone makes dinner and we either imbibe some alcoholic drinks and just carry on or we watch some tv before hitting the sack. It’s funny how habits change as we get older. 9 Years ago, we all would’ve been all sorts of drunk and staying up late, now it’s a struggle to stay awake after 1 AM. I’m not complaining, mind you, I’m in a reflective state at the moment. Is this holiday one of the moments where reflection is part of the deal or just where I am psychologically?

No clue, just color me content.

I Love A Beach In The Winter

2006-12-29T22:18:00.000-05:00

Season's greetings from the Outer Banks, NC!

After spending Xmas with the fam (as per every year), I packed up and joined 17 friends for a week of being lazy and taking care of children before ringing in the new year. This trip is something that I've undertaken since New Year's 98/99 and it's always entertaining.

I'll be posting reflections on the past year over the next few days- stuff I've done and haven't posted about and maybe my list of favorite movies/shows I've caught over the past 12 months, so keep checking in!

Merry Christmas

2006-12-25T12:34:00.000-05:00

Hermie the Elf has got nothin' on me!

A Little Warm Up

2006-12-23T11:48:00.000-05:00

before I put finger to keyboard again. Happy Christmas, everybody!

Now, imagine if Star Wars was made in the silent movie era...

Scrubs does "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

2006-12-12T23:51:00.000-05:00

This was made by a staff member during Scrubs' third season in 2003. It's very fun and in the spirit of both Charlie Brown and Scrubs, so if you like either, check it out.

I Am Most Like...

2006-12-10T21:56:00.000-05:00

Which [title of show] Peep Are You?

You are most like HUNTER. You are witty and warm and have a way with your friends. You make people laugh and you are kind. You like to procrasturbate and take in lots of television.
Take this quiz!

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Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Tony Awards + Dreamgirls = Awesome

2006-12-08T08:26:00.000-05:00

This clip is proof enough that Ms. Holliday gave a powerhouse performance as Effie White.

That is, until the movie opens up and the world will see a performance that is just as enthralling in Jennifer Hudson's performance of Effie.

Mary Poppins as Horor Film

2006-12-06T23:13:00.000-05:00

I'm thinking that these mashup trailers are getting to be pretty tiresome, but this one really made me laugh.

Gift giving & How to open them

2006-12-06T12:27:00.000-05:00

Instructions here.

Post-Turkey update

2006-12-06T06:55:00.001-05:00

Welp, a lot has happened since I last updated this here blog. Last week, Munsen got me into a Town Hall Q&A with Jimmy Carter at her place of secondary employment. Jonathan Demme was also there filming the event for a documentary he was making about the former president.

Now, I’ll admit to not remembering much about his term. Mostly, I remember the gas crisis and Iran Hostage situation, neither of which were his fault or doing, but post-term he’s been one of the most influential and humanitarian figures in history (you don’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for doing nuthin’). I found the 82-year man to be well-spoken and very eloquent about his views on Palestine and the current war in Iraq and also quite gracious. I spoke with an acquaintance while getting into the signing line, and asked her why there were no political figures who could phrase a sentence, galvanize a country or speak authoritatively like Carter, Clinton or (I begrudgingly admit) Reagan. We get mister nucular up there addressing the nation and it’s no wonder his approval ratings are so low.

But I digress, the line moved relatively fast and I was able to thank President Carter as he signed my books and he blew a kiss to another friend of mine behind me in line (after she told him that he was her hero- very sweet).

After that, I turned on my cell phone (no mobile phones allowed when meeting the former president) and found out that I had a couple tickets to catch the opening night performance of “She Loves Me” at Arena Stage and I only had an hour to find a date and get there. I was able to get my cohort in crime at the Theatre to meet me there and we saw SGS, his BF and Jenny also in the audience.

To be honest, I wasn’t really looking forward to it at all. In the past, the musical productions I’ve seen at Arena were less-than-pleasing- granted all of the ones I didn’t enjoy were directed by Artistic Director, Molly Smith, and since this was helmed by Kyle Donnelly I had no expectations.

My low expectations were, thankfully, dashed as the night progressed and it’s become the best musical I’ve seen at Arena Stage. This show was such a light-hearted romantic affair, I had a grin on my face halfway through act one. The second act was a bit predictable, but still enjoyable and I heartily recommend it to anyone on the DC area. After the review in the Washington Post, I’d assume that ticket sales are currently brisk through the holidays, when it closes December 31. Grade: A-

Capsule Film Reviews

2006-11-26T12:44:00.001-05:00

So, I was recently made aware of the lack of recent movie reviewing. Yeah, I know I was caught up in stuff and alot of "Dreamgirls" drooling, so to placate youse guys, here's a couple capsule reviews of recent films I saw and am willing to recommend:

Marie Antoinette

In my opinion, this is probably the most beautifully designed film of the last two decades. The costume and set design alone are worthy of a viewing. While Sofia Coppola's previous films have been somewhat hit-or-miss with me (hated "Lost In Translation," liked "Virgin Suicides"), this one hit all the right notes and establishes her as a visionary filmmaker, much like her father. Based on a recent, more sympathetic, biography, this movie fuses history with 80s music, not unlike Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge."

Virtually dialogue-free, Kirsten Dunst embodies the role of the young Austrian queen who was thrust upon Louis XVII as a teenager and her emotional struggle to become the historical figure she was destined to be. Because of its design and superficiality, the movie feels sterile but I think it replicates the lifestyle of separation of class the the French Royals experienced in the last days before the Revolution. This is definitely a big-screen kinda movie. Grade: B⁺

Running With Scissors

As with "Dreamgirls," it's no secret that I loveAugusten Burroughs, so I was naturally anticipating "Nip/Tuck's" Ryan Murphy's adaptation of his first memoir, Running With Scissors. I had been following its development, casting and release with great interest. The interviews with Ryan Murphy and Augusten Burroughs showed great admiration and respect between each man and their work and Augusten's enthusiasm for the movie when he spoke here in DC about the accuracy of bringing his experiences to film only increased the hype to me.

Well, there's something to be said for being too reverent and respectful of a literary work (and what is up with the freaky poster image?). Ryan Murphy does succeed at displaying life in the early/late 70s, down to the print wallpaper and fashions, but in being so attached to the book, he drains some of the life out of Augusten's expereinces in my opinion. That's not to say that the acting the anemic. I thought that each performer, with the exception of a couple, gave their all and were very convincing in their roles. The buzzed-about Annette Benning was at turns hilariously over-the-top and heart-breakingly vulnerable and she truly deserves an Oscar nod for her work here. The actress who really shocked me with her subtlety was Jill Clayburgh's performance as Agnes, the wife of the psychiatrist & Augusten's guardian. In just a few facial expressions and a non-sequiter line, she conveys wisdom and heartbreak and becomes the mother that young Augusten needs.

Joseph Cross is fine as Augusten as is Joeseph Feinnes as Augusten's child molester boyfriend, but the roles of Hope and Natalie (Gwyneth Paltrow and Evan Rachel Wood, respectively) are woefully underwritten, especially with the pivotal nature of Natalie in Augusten's life in his memoir. I think being too respectful, while gaining some authenticity, drains the life out of this movie and, dare I say it, the heart, too. If you're still interested, see it for the performances. Grade: C⁺

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-22T11:29:00.000-05:00

Well, that time of year has landed upon us. The time when we hurry up to tie any loose ends for the year and gear up for the next one. It's amazing how crazy-fast the time's gone, but this time of year, I strive to believe, brings out the best in people so it's welcome.

I'm thankful for:

My friends- those who I've known forever and those who've recently come into my life. You guys really are the best and I appreciate ya'll even when I'm at my grumpiest. It's been saqid that friends are those people you choose to be in your family and I think I made some good choices. Luv Ya. Mean it.

Leela & Fry- One of those impulse things that happened last spring and they are a constant joy and frustration in my life. I think they help me make a better person.

My fam- Another source of joy and frustration in my life- in only the best sense. I'm glad they're there and that they know I'm there for them, too.

There are other things I'm thankful for as well, but they're all superficial: My MacBook, Hugh Jackman, Bruce Willis, Madonna, Pet Shop Boys, iPods, TiVo and the Scissor Sisters. What are you thankful for?

Enjoy your holiday!

"Caligula" Remake Trailer (NSFW)

2006-11-22T11:27:00.001-05:00

This is simply fascinating. This trailer premiered at a couple of film festivals for a fictional remake of Penthouse Films & Gore Vidal's scandelriffic "Caligula." It's a shame that this is just a fantasy thing because it looks like it might be pretty camptastic (even more than the original). Naturally, there's much sexual innuendo, so kids, turn away from this post.

More about the origins of this trailer here.

Creeptastic

2006-11-19T01:16:00.000-05:00

Dreamgirls Advance Review

2006-11-19T00:58:00.000-05:00

A drumbeat begins, a bass line joins in and flashbulbs pop and blaze amid the twirling camera-work and frantic editing. With these images, sharing the frenzied opening with the film version of “Chicago”, Bill Condon’s film of “Dreamgirls” gets off to a kinetic start with the musical performance of the fictional Stepp Sisters at a theatre in Detroit. Amongst all of the chaos we’re introduced to Curtis Taylor (Jamie Foxx), Deena Jones (Beyonce Knowles) and the rest of the principal cast in minutes. The rest of this film maintains the fluid nature of Michael Bennett’s original staging, and Condon has adapted the piece to retain the major points of the story (as well as most of the musical numbers) but he also opens up this world and places it within the context of the major historical events that take place around the rise of the (fictional) girl group, The Dreams.

It’s no secret that I’ve loved this musical since the first time I saw it in 1997. It’s got a fairly brilliant score that blends the Motown sound with personal character songs and major diva moments. While the show was more of a sung-through piece, Mr. Condon sets the bulk of the musical numbers in their realistic settings (stage, recording studio, bar) and replaces all the recitative with actual dialogue that befits each character and suits the plot, unlike the film of “Rent,” which just had people speaking lyrics. Then he subtly takes a scene, once we’re involved with these people, and raises the emotional stakes so high that the only thing they can do next is sing instead of speak. It’s not as awkward as it sounds and there is no need for a framing device (like “Chicago”) to place these songs in context. This movie is a true movie musical that harkens back to the days of other dramatic musicals as “Oliver,” “West Side Story” and “Sweet Charity.” There are shades of “Cabaret” where a song will comment on the action and make it a sort of emotional shorthand and that’s welcome, too.

Eddie Murphy has a star- (re)making turn as soul man James “Thunder” Early, both making him human and outrageous simultaneously. This is one dramatic performance to keep your eyes on come Oscar time.

“American Idol” contestant, Jennifer Hudson lives and breathes as Effie White. She conveys Effie’s sense of entitlement brilliantly and, when she breaks down with the signature song “And I Am Telling You,” she takes command and you can’t tear your eyes off her. At the screening I attended, there was a tremendous amount of applause at the end of that number- in a movie theatre, no less!

As the other two Dreams members, Beyonce Knowles and Anika Noni Rose fill the roles respectably, making each person’s growth over the decades quite persuasively.

The one actor who, while still good, wasn’t up to par was (surprisingly) Jamie Foxx’s “sleazy” Curtis Taylor, Jr. It may have been a directorial choice but it seemed like his portrayal wasn’t as fully formed or commanding as the other characters.

With that in mind, this is still an excellent film. Because of its sprawling nature, at times it reminded me of “Boogie Nights” because it takes the rise of the recording stars and places them in the undertow of history and stirs them up. There are minor departures from the stage version, and are actually welcome. There are also some nice homages to the stage production- if you’re aware of the history of the show and its marketing I’m sure you’ll know what I mean.

In all, after the screening, I just wanted to turn around and watch it again.
Grade: A⁺

A night of movie trailers and bad commetary

2006-11-14T21:43:00.000-05:00

Monday night, the Happy Fun Time Friend Service & I went to the DC Film Society's semi-annual Movie Preview Party over at E St. Cinemas in DC and we enjoyed two hours worth of trailers- some good, some bad, and some just plain wrong.

And this was high-lighted with banter from the DC Movie Guys: two overgrown adolescents who think they may be Don & Mike of radio fame and are most definitely lacking much of the wit and banter and, especially, humour of those two radio hosts. Over the past events I've attended, there has always been a sense of semi-untolerance for their outbursts, but this time there were plenty of vocal people telling them they suck and to keep their comments to themselves during the trailers themselves. Hopefully, the next trailer night won't be hosted by them.

Movies I'm looking forward to

The Fountain: The latest film from Darren Aronofsky, who is (IMO) one of the most visionary directors of the past decade. This trippy time-traveling triptych features Rachel Weisz and Hugh Jackman as lovers in three distinct time periods (present day, 16th century conquistadors, and 26th century whatevers), and each story involves the search for eternal youth (said fountain of the movie title, perhaps?). Sounds trippy and the visuals appear to rival the cinematographic artistry of Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette (IMO, the most beautifully photographed movie of the past two decades).

Spiderman 3: Uh-oh, Venom's coming (squishing?) out! While I didn't think too highly of the first movie, the sequel was an great comic-book movie that delved into the aspects of identity and heroism that kinda gets me off, and this trailer makes it seem like there's still some more depths to be plunged in the Spiderman story.

Notes on a Scandal: Four words: Judi Dench & Cate Blanchett.

Pan's Labyrinth: I always look forward to a new film by Guillermo Del Toro. They each have a sense of whimsy, while still being serious and adult. This one throws in what looks like a fantastical spooky-ish story and it makes me wonder why he hasn't been asked to direct any Harry Potter films.

Dreamgirls: The only movie that I'm willing to drive up to New York in four weeks to catch an advance reserved-seat Road show edition (no trailers, overture, intermission, program, etc.) engagement at the esteemed Zeigfeld Theatre. Or I might even be abel to see it earlier than that...Nuff said.

Movies that I now want to see, thanks to the trailer

Charlotte's Web: When I was younger, I enjoyed the animated film and like the story, but had no real inclination to go see this. Until I saw this trailer. It may be it's similarities to (one of my favorites) "Babe" or just my affinity for talking animal movies (don't ask), but this looks to be a nice adaptation and with such a stellar voice cast- Kathy Bates, Steve Buscemi (as Templeton the rat!), Robert Redford and Oprah Winfrey- it looks like it can't lose. Except for my one concern: Julia ROberts doesn't exactly sound like a warm spider-mamma should.

The History Boys: The play was panned and praised and won a whole lot of Tony Awards, but I never saw it since I knew that a filmed adaptation was already in the can and awaiting release. Not sure if I'm going to like it but it looks great and has a kick-ass soundtrack.

Evan Almighty: The first film ("Bruce Almighty") was enjoyable and I really had no inkling of wanting to see a sequel to it, but when you add genius Steve Carrell to the mix it becomes must-see. The trailer takes the Noah story and turns it on its ear with Carrell assigned to build an ark in the 21st century.

Movies that everyone should avoid at all costs

Unaccompanied Minors: One of two dreck-filled holiday movies this year. It's basically "Home Alone" x5 in an airport.

Deck The Halls: The other slice of holiday dreck. Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito are wasted in this mash-up of "Christmas with the Kranks" and "Christmas Vacation." And, yes, that is Kristin Chenowith as DeVito's wife.

Surf's Up: The second animated penguin movie to come out in a twelve month period ("Happy Feet" opens friday), but, come on, surfing penguins?!? I know it's not a documentary, but it just screams uninspired. To me, anyways.

Reason #1 I wish I still watched Read World/Road Rules Challenge

2006-11-13T07:25:00.001-05:00

Santorum: "Pursuit of happiness harms America"

2006-11-09T22:35:00.000-05:00

One of the many reasons why I'm happy he's out of office. You can't make this stuff up, people!

Schadenfreude

2006-11-09T10:25:00.000-05:00

I'm not one to really gloat over politics, but Rick Santorum and his hateful rhetoric are out the door and this image just kinda made me smile a little and think of this song. (Download | Purchase CD)

While the lyrics are educational, the song is most definitely NSFW.

Actions Speak...

2006-11-07T09:00:00.001-05:00

Get out and Vote today!

I think that Jonathon Larson's song, "Louder Than Words," best explains what I'm thinking about today (Download| Purchase CD)

Louder Than Words, Words & Music by Jonathan Larson
Why do we play with fire?
Why do we run our finger through the flame?
Why do we leave our hand on the stove-
Although we know we're in for some pain?

Oh, why do we refuse to hang a light
When the streets are dangerous?
Why does it take an accident
Before the truth gets through to us?

Cages or wings?
Which do you prefer?
Ask the birds.

Fear or love, baby?
Don't say the answer
Actions speak louder than words.

Why should we try to be our best
When we can just get by and still gain?
Why do we nod our heads
Although we know
The boss is wrong as rain?

Why should we blaze a trail
When the well worn path seems safe and
So inviting?

How-as we travel, can we
See the dismay-
And keep from fighting?

Cages or wings?
Which do you prefer?
Ask the birds
Cages or wings?
Fear or love, baby?
Don't say the answer
Actions speak louder than words

What does it take
To wake up a generation?
How can you make someone
Take off and fly?
If we don't wake up
And shake up the nation
We'll eat the dust of the world
Wondering why

Why do we stay with lovers
Who we know, down deep
Just aren't right?
Why would we rather
Put ourselves through hell
Than sleep alone at night?

Why do we follow leaders who never lead?
Why does it take catastrophe to start a revolution?
If we're so free, tell me why?
Someone tell me why
So many people bleed?

Cages or wings?
Which do you prefer?
Ask the birds.
Fear or love, baby?
Don't say the answer.
Actions speak louder than

They speak louder
Actions speak louder than...

Quote of the Day

2006-11-01T09:53:00.000-05:00

"It's an absolute monster! Maybe I shouldn't have said that. How uncouth of me!"

--Dame Judi Dench, speaking of catching a glimpse at co-star Daniel Craig in the all-together.

Does this make the anticipation for the new Bond movie greater or not?

Thanks to defamer.com for the scoop.

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T09:31:00.000-05:00

I have been away again this past weekend. This time it was up to the mountains of Cumberland, MD to my friend's cabin up there. It was a great time and I'll post about it later. I'm still catching up, but until then...

OOO- scary!

Boho Days...

2006-10-24T21:15:00.000-04:00

Last night I had the opportunity to go to the Library of Congress for a concert featuring the works of the late Jonathan Larson (creator of “Rent”), performed by (original “Mark” from “Rent”) Anthony Rapp, the lovely Natascia Diaz (from my obsession, “Jacques Brel”), Randy Graff, Michael McElroy, Jeremy Kushnier, and (another original “Rent”-er) Gwen Stewart. The first act consisted of non-“Rent” songs that Jonathan had written. A few were from his workshopped musical “Superbia,” which tell of a dystopian future not unlike Orwell’s “1984,” and others were simple pop & political songs. Natascia brought the house down with an excellent version of “Superbia’s” “Come To Your Senses” as did Randy Graff’s song about getting drunk because the world’s in such a depressing state so we might as well get drunk.

The second act focused on songs that were considered and (often wisely) changed or cut from the “Rent” before opening at the New York Theatre Workshop. There was a great duet between Natascia and Anthony called “Over It” that was replaced by “Tango: Maureen” and to close out three people who have received grants from the Jonathan Larson Foundation. The first person, Joe Iconis, didn’t really wow with a song about a 10-year old having a friend move away but the true standout was Cynthia Hopkins, who not only sang but kazooed and danced while singing and charmed the audience, and Steven Lutvak sang a sweet song about father/son relationships. The event closed with the performance of Jonathan’s signature song from “Rent”- “Seasons of Love”- by local Patrick Lundy and The Ministers of Music gospel choir and they capped an already-emotional evening with a wallop and some singing to the rafters.

Afterwards, I was able to join the after-party and talked with Ms. Diaz (who’s been corresponding with my good friend, Patrick) as well as joked with Mr. McElroy and I got to meet Victoria Leacock Hoffman, a lifelong friend of Jonathon Larson’s and producer of (my favorite) “tick, tick…BOOM!”

Man, I have been having some pretty amazing concert experiences recently!

Well, if there were free Wi-Fi at the Airport, I’d be blogging…

2006-10-22T19:57:00.000-04:00

Waiting again at the airport for my return flight, I’m slightly annoyed that wireless access isn’t available at an airport, unless you’re willing to pay a price (but that’s the American way, isn’t it?).

The past four days have been a whirlwind and a respite from the doldrums of work and it’s been a boon to just catch up (in person) with Kiwihunter, who I haven’t seen since winter of 2004, when her, Bubba and myself went to New York for a pre-Christmas extended weekend.

The night I arrived we went to the Tabernacle to see the Scissor Sisters perform and what a show that was. While we were in the unfortunate spot right on front of the speakers, we were no more than 8 feet away from the stage and amongst the crowd of people we jumped and danced our way through the night. The Sisters put on an excellent show that focuses on high energy and up-tempo songs and (at moat) two ballads. Singer Jake Shears leapt around while singing in his signature falsetto and Anna Matronic just had us in the palm of her hand. The decidedly gay-mixed crowd had a great time, except the two drunk lesbians that kept annoying everyone around us (one of them even stormed the stage and dove off- I secretly hoped that no-one caught her, but she didn’t even get kicked out and caused more grief among others at the front later) and we me t a slew of gay kids (younger than us) wherein Kiwihunter had an interesting debate about sexuality with a lesbian restaurateur-to-be named Larissa. They invited us to go with them to a gay bar afterwards but, since I’d only had four hours of sleep beforehand, we decided to just silently go home undetected. Our ears were buzzing, and we were soaked from head to toe, but we felt good!

The next day, we slept in for a touch and then went down to the Olympic village to go visit the new Georgia Aquarium. Since it was a weekday in the middle of fall it was fairly empty and we appreciated it. Billed as the world’s largest aquarium, this was a child-friendly place with open spaces and easy navigation throughout each area. It also houses (on of?) the biggest tanks in the world that hold four young whale sharks amongst other sea-life. They also have four beluga whales, which were very active throughout their tank. This was especially fun for me, since the beluga in Chicago’s aquarium was quarantined because of childbirth. At the spider crab area, we over heard these two young ladies talk about how ugly they were and one went to the other- “Who would make something like that?” And the other girl replied, “only the good lord knows.” We had a silent laugh about that and came up with our own phrase- “What Would Jesus Do?” “He’d make a spider crab.”

The previous night, I had convinced Kiwi that we should try to go see the Pet Shop Boys, who were playing at the Tabernacle the following night, and we got tickets for that event. So, since the Aquarium was in the same area as the Tabernacle, we parked in the same garage and we were both kinda tired from walking that we decided we’d take a little siesta before dinner in her car. Leaving the windows open, I set my phone alarm for 6 P.M. and we actually got some nice shut-eye. After waking up, we headed on up to the nearby Ted’s and Kiwi had some Bison pot roast for the first time. As per usual the food was excellent and service so good that we finished our dinner in less than an hour. We ended up just getting in line at the Tabernacle, where we saw no less than 10 people from the night before at the Scissor Sisters. This time, we got up close in the center area and this concert proved to be a time warp from start to end. The Pet Shop Boys played about six songs from their new album and then fixated on older songs, going s far back as Actually and Please. For a set, there were these three huge cube-like pieces that were moved around by men dressed all in white, like oompa-loompas and quite a bit of dancing (hip-hop an otherwise) from two young men. While this wasn’t as high-energy (a few ballads here and there) this brought more chills and emotional high-points in me, since I grew up listening to the PSB and they’ve been there through all my teen angst and stuff. Again, we ended up going straight home because our day was full and we still had one more day of activities planned.

Presenting the Dreams...

2006-10-22T19:42:00.000-04:00

Finally, the full trailer for "Dreamgirls." Here are a few sceencaps:

Coming out this Christmas. Again, it looks incredible in HD...

Sitting In An Airport In Arlington, VA...

2006-10-22T00:24:00.000-04:00

So, here I am waiting to board my plane bound to Atlanta to visit one of my dearest and oldest friends (and by oldest I mean longest not oldest-as-in-age-old), Kiwihunter. Since the plane’s been delayed by half an hour, I figured I’d throw up a little post…

My Thoughts On The Television Season so far.

New Shows I Love:

Ugly Betty-- Although struggling with the fact that this is running against Survivor (of which I am still addicted) and the block of NBC’s Earl/Office hour, I’ve been able to watch UB online, through abc.go.com (I again thank the gods for a high-speed connection). Based on a Mexican ‘telenovela’ and exec-produced by Salma Hayek, Ugly Betty is a joy to watch for the performances alone. America Ferrara, as Betty, is stunning in her enthusiasm and gusto and you want her to overcome all obstacles in her new position at Mode magazine. Vanessa Williams plays the devilish Wilhelmina with sinister glee. She’s “Prada’s” Amanda Priestly and Cruella Deville rolled into one. She’s also still dang hot to look at. Being set at a fashion magazine, Ugly Betty is going to share many comparisons and parallels with “The Devil Wears Prada,” but Betty is, dare I say, stronger in evoking the entire office atmosphere than the Meryl Streep film and it also doesn’t forget its Mexican roots with some of its outlandish plot elements.

Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip-- I never got into either of Aaron Sorkin’s previous TV shows, but started watching this one to see what all the fuss is about. Granted I liked the plays (play?) he’s written, and his dialogue is similar to Mamet, wherein people don’t really talk the way he writes them but the dialogue is sharp and the acting is v. riveting with a star turn by Steven Weber. Matthew Perry has also proven he’s not a one-note actor, broadening his comedic talents into less ‘sitcom-y’ mannerisms, but the one person who I’m constantly looking at is Sarah Paulson as Harriet (Matt Perry’s sort of love-interest)- she is a Christian comedian in a risky political comedy sketch show (SNL in its prime?) and each scene that she’s gets taken up a notch.

Returning Shows I Love:

Veronica Mars-- entering its third season, Veronica starts college and revisits an unsolved mystery from the previous year. The tone of the first episode this year was very off- was it too much exposition trying to reel new viewers in? - but with its second episode last week, we were back to the old Veronica with the quick one-liners and snarky observations as she worked under-cover in a sorority for a newspaper article on said rapist and was conflicted by her prejudices of Greek life and the actuality that some of these girls were pretty cool. The side-story concerning her father, Keith, is getting curiouser and curiouser. I’m glad that this season is going to resolve more story arcs, so at least we’ll know whodunit by Christmas.
Nip/Tuck-- A strong couple of episodes right at the start got bogged down by its third week, with its just-plain-ludicrous stories of Melissa Gilbert’s patient having relations with a dog and an entire organ-harvesting plot. Strange to say, Rosie O’Donnell saved the next week’s episode by playing a white trash lottery winner who wants to look like she’s got a million bucks. I like the whole “is he or isn’t he’ gay vibe from Christian and Sean’s walking a mighty thin line still deceiving Julia. The other interesting aspect is where the entire Mat storyline is going with his toying with scientology. Still gonna watch it, but it better not go all “Urban Legend” on me again.
Lost-- still rocks!
My Name Is Earl-- One of the funniest shows from last year, this year hasn’t focused too much on Earl’s list, mainly because of one item concerning Joy, who’s now facing jail-time for kidnapping someone (long story). But it’s still well written and acted and the guest spots are always fun (Last week’s Amy Sedaris was a stitch as a cat-lover who’s taken by Earl’s brother Randy).
The Office-- Last year’s smartest show is still going strong with the big shifts in the staff (Jim was rejected and took the promotion in Stamford, Pam called the wedding off, Ryan is now full-time) having ripples. Last week’s episode veered a little too close to absurdity but was reigned in enough to still make it good comedy.
Survivor-- This season’s ethnic-division was lacking any real controversy and only lasted two full episodes. The challenges this year are v. good, combining physical and mental at the same time and the backstabbing has been aplenty. So far, I’m not sick of it (yet).

Show that is on the brink of getting tired

Prison Break--Sure, they broke out and are now on the run. Aside from the FBI agent getting all “Javert” on their asses, there is nothing much to this show anymore. I found that watching 2-3 eps back-to-back keeps it interesting but it’s definitely on my “almost cancel off the TiVo” list.

Starts with S...

2006-10-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

Last week went by with a flourish, and I was eagerly anticipating Friday arriving, simply because it was the weekend, and I was going out with one of my best friends- Woogie.

I was listening to the entire catalog of Eurythmics albums and finally finished listening to them on Thursday. The next thing on my list was what my oldest brother (the Priest) sent me for my birthday from my Amazon wish list- “Original Sin” by Pandora’s Box, written and produced by (one of my idols) Jim Steinman. Pandora’s box was a girl group put together by him and they released this album in the late 80s and contains the original version of “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” (later covered by Celine Dion) and is even more theatrical than any of the stuff he’s written for Meat Loaf. I know Steinman’s sort of an acquired taste, but I totally love his over-the-top Wagnerian themes, Phil Spector-esque soundscapes, big choruses, and his adolescent lyrics (and I don’t mean that pejoratively). This album really is B-I-G big and is a thrill to listen to. It’s been on replay in my car since I started listening to it on Thursday. (Download “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” and “Pray Lewd”- get it? | Purchase CD).

Thursday night, I was dragged out to the Office by my other House Manager and stayed out way too late, talking television with Filmdom Ryan and I didn’t get to sleep until 1 A.M.

Figuring I’d be paying dearly for it, I was surprisingly awake for work on Friday, and stayed so. I met up with Woogie to catch the new John Cameron Mitchell film, Shortbus (AKA, the “sex” movie where actors have actual penetrative intercourse throughout the narrative).

While not as masterful as “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” his first movie, it was well done and the sex wasn’t really too distracting from the story and it was fairly involving. I must admit that, at first, the sexual imagery was in-your-face, but it was never titillating and I’m not sure if that was just me being jaded (thanks to porn, heh heh) or just part of the film’s role. Grade:B.

After the movie, I was trying my damnedest to get Woogie to go see Barbra Streisand, since the Verizon center was right around the corner and it was really a pretty opportune time to see her, with tickets still available and who knew when she was going to tour again. He didn’t bite while we had dinner, but did wait for me while I made my final decision to purchase a ticket at the box office at 8 P.M. As I was waking to my section, knowing that at least the overture would be missed someone behind me was saying how they had missed almost a half an hour of the concert. I then looked at my ticket and noted that the start time was 7:30 (“aha,” I thought to myself, “that explained the huge crowd at the center at 7.”) I found my seat as she started singing “Evergreen,” and the rest of the concert was pure bliss. Unlike the New York concert where she told some hecklers to “Shut the F&%$# Up,” the D.C. crowd was very well-behaved, even during the George W Bush impersonator segment, which felt like an overdone SNL skit after about five minutes. She ended the first act with an excellent medley of 4 songs from “Funny Girl,” including “The Music That Makes Me Dance” and “Don’t Rain On My Parade” (natch)- that’s when I started getting chills.

While she is getting on in her years, her voice and singing are literally “like buttah.” Granted, her lower range isn’t what it used to be, but Barbra more than made up for it with her delivery and just very laid-back attitude. For this show, she concentrated on songs she hasn’t performed in a long time, which meant a lot of show tunes and stuff from the 60s (so no “Woman In Love” tonight) and, when she sang “Happy Days Are Here Again,” I was almost in tears. She was joined by that bland-but-hot popera group “Il Divo” throughout the night but the concert was, rightfully, focused on Miss Streisand and the 50-piece orchestra backing her up. Her first encore was the “Don’t Rain On My Parade” reprise from “Funny Girl” the musical and that was one of the biggest surprises, which led me to my feet and hollering, even though I was in the last row of the center. I left on a high and satisfaction that what I witnessed was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Granted, this experience is probably what will get me my lifetime queer card in the mail.
(P.S. I didn't take a picture during the concert, that was during intermission and I wanted to show how far up I was.)

What Straight Boys Do When All Alone...

2006-10-15T00:32:00.000-04:00

Cute...

Great News Today!

2006-10-10T21:39:00.000-04:00

The new production of Brel has its CD available soon at the Zipper Theatre on October 17, with additional tracks available on iTunes at the same time! There is a God...

Who's Idea Was This?

2006-10-10T21:37:00.000-04:00

I can picture many teenage boys trying to vitually bed Gabby Solis and the gay gamers try to out-OCD Bree Van De Camp...

"We'll Fight In The Shade"

2006-10-10T06:56:00.000-04:00

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While working the shows at the Theatre on Saturday, I watched the HD trailer for the film "300," based on the Frank Miller graphic novel and the story of the Spartan 300. For those who like movies in the "Gladiator" vein, this should prove pretty exciting.

Some screen captures:
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W.O.W.

2006-10-07T15:29:00.000-04:00

This gentleman made the Guiness Book of World Records for wearing the most T-shirts at one time...

'Nuff Said

2006-10-06T14:44:00.000-04:00

The Joys Of Live Theatre

2006-10-06T14:30:00.000-04:00

Last night started off as a not-very-eventful night at the Theatre: My volunteers arrived on time, we started allright, I ordered some Chinese food to pick-up, and I went ahead and seated my latecomers.

And then, at 8:35 P.M., it happened.

One of the Assistant Stage Managers (ASM from this point) hurried out and asked me where Eliza’s understudy was seated. I told him (not in an easily accessible seat) and we needed to get her immediately because our Eliza wasn’t feeling well and the Stage Manager wasn’t sure if we were going to cancel or continue if she didn’t feel well enough to go on. So, the understudy came up to me and asked what was going on and I took her into the green room and I said, “you might be going on” and she was in shock. The SM then went on the mike and called for a hold up and got all actors off the stage while she talked with the director to figure out what we should do next. Then I offered to go and get the understudy’s bag and purse from her chair and, as I walked through the theatre, I felt all 160+ eyes on me as I grabbed her big old bag and just hurried out. At that point, I knew we had to make some sort of announcement, so I grabbed my Box Office manager and we talked to the SM and we figured that we were going to hold for a little while due to the leading lady’s not feeling well and we offered up complimentary drinks to our patrons.

In the midst of patrons exiting into the lobby, I got the call from our SM that we were to cancel the performance and exchange all tickets, so I made my next onstage speech. The audience was v. calm and sympathetic towards our leading lady and wishing that she was feeling better as they left and, for the next twenty minutes, I was keeping people calm in the lobby and answering questions and taking names for the BO manager if they didn’t want to wait in line, while the understudy was getting prepared for possibly performing tomorrow.

The lobby cleared relatively quickly after that, and I closed up shop while the BO manager finished up in the office. As I turned off the concessions area lights, I had a call on my cellphone- it was the Chinese place asking about my order and picking it up. It was 9:25 P.M.

After I picked up my (v. late) dinner, the BO manager & I headed over to Munsen’s other job and she was surprised to see us as we told her what happened. After Munsen got off work, we met up at The Office and had a few beers to restore order to the chaos.

Recent Events

2006-10-05T11:36:00.000-04:00

Okay, firstly, I want to thank those of you who wished me a happy birthday yesterday with cards and email sand gifties. I appreicate it, and your friendships, greatly and with an open heart. My friend, Flounder, asked me this morning if I felt any older and wiser and I replied:

Older- yes

Wiser- not sure yet

More cynical- maybe

With a winky-face... so who knows what will become of this next year in my life?

Onto other things I've been witnessing.

Not to make a joke out of finding out if your husband is gay, simply because it is a major issue that leads to people getting hurt, but this article clearly is sending mixed messages for clues to wives. I mean, really, if "A strong preference for anal sex" is an indicator I know plenty of straight men who could be pigeon-holed (no pun intended) but then the author writes that these men could be displaying "extreme homophobic behavior" and in the next line he has an "Unusually high percentage of male friends who are gay"- mixed message alert!

And then we've got Mark Foley, who's been doing dirty, wrong things with teenage boys online and then blames his actions on being a drunk, gay, and a victim of molestation himself (like that will get him any sympathy). Well, I have to applaud "America's Most Wanted's" John Walsh for pointing out that being gay and a pedophile are two different things altogether.

Thirdly, I just heard about a Texas school teacher being fired because one child complained about the nude depictions in an art museum on a field trip. Now that's just taking it a bit too far. What did one expect to see in an art museum? Depictions of war & violence? Oh no, I forget that we get that on the news every day. What else is going to be fodder for firings or more complaints- a trip to the zoo because the animals may be caught copulating or because they're basically naked year-round?

Sorry, I just had to rant for a moment...

Maybe It's My Old Age

2006-10-04T08:46:00.000-04:00

But it seems that Washington Post Theatre critic, Peter Marks, has many nice things to say about the Theatre's "My Fair Lady," which officially opened last night. When I saw the final dress rehearsal over a week ago, I had a sneaky suspicion that Mr. Marks would find the joy and splendour in our pared-down production and he has!

That, and I completely agree with his points about Another Theatre's production of "Cabaret."

Or maybe I'm just getting grumpy in my old age...

Happy Birthday To Jake Shears

2006-10-03T15:32:00.000-04:00

Scissor Sisters frontman and fellow Libran, Jake Shears, turns 29 today- Hooray!

Which just reminds me that, in two weeks' time, I'll be in Atlanta sharing in the fun that is the Scissor Sisters- I can't wait!

I Want To See Pictures, Dammit!

2006-10-02T11:56:00.000-04:00

In this TV.com story, some of the v. handsome men of the Lost cast have admitted to going skinny-dipping on the beaches in Hawaii but the networks, want them to stop.

Stupid network heads...

I've Never Been To Me

2006-10-02T10:44:00.000-04:00

Based on this article, one of my favorite movies- "The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert"- is going to be a musical Down Under. Now, I'm not necessarily excited about it, but this vehicle doesn't sound as far-fetched as some other movies-turned-stage-musicals, like "The Color Purple" or "Lestat." At least the costumes should prove entertaining...

Also, here's an an interview with Chinchilla namesake, Fry's voice-over artist about the future of "Futurama" and stuff.

Seen and Heard

2006-09-30T21:03:00.000-04:00

"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

2006-09-28T20:59:00.001-04:00

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

2006-09-28T13:44:00.000-04:00

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...

2006-09-28T07:01:00.000-04:00

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?

2006-09-27T16:08:00.000-04:00

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...

2006-09-27T11:57:00.001-04:00

Funny and cute all at the same time...

Ya know...

2006-09-27T11:45:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-22T10:16:00.001-04:00

Still looking good:

The Gayest Thing to Get Arrested For

2006-09-20T13:47:00.001-04:00

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...

2006-09-19T15:44:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-18T14:43:00.000-04:00

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...

2006-09-14T07:35:00.001-04:00

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

2006-09-13T23:15:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-13T07:03:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-12T22:28:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-12T15:21:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-11T21:20:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-02T15:47:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-01T16:26:00.000-04:00

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+

My Kinda Town

2006-08-24T15:57:00.000-04:00

I know, I know- it’s been a heckuva long time since I’ve posted, but recently things have been so hectic at work and outside of it, it seemed like there was hardly time to breathe much less update this here little ol’ blog. But, I’m trying to post a summary of what I’ve been up to over the past couple weeks.
Some highlights from my trip to Chi-town:
(See Bigger)
We left Chicago the morning of that whole terrorist plot in London, so we had to scramble to figure out what was "check-in"-able and what wasn't and we had thought that all electronics weren't, so I placed all of my electro-doodads (Laptop, PDA, cellphone, etc.) in my bag. When we checked in, it turned out that electronics were okay to carry on, so I took out my iPod so I could listen to something on the plane (while I read). Well, when I got to the hotel, I took out my laptop and found one of the hinges broke. Thank you, American Airlines.

Luckily, there is an Apple Store on Chicago's Magnificent Mile & one of my My Gay Dads^TM works for MD Public Schools, so we took a nice walk there and found out that it would've cost me approximately $1,000 to fix the laptop so I used my Gay Dad's education discount to buy me a nice, new, pretty MacBook. It was a cinch to transfer my files from the old laptop (thankfully the HD still worked) and now I can rest easy. Granted I wanted to hang onto the laptop for at least a year, but maybe it was just time. Epilogue: I was able to sell my laptop to a co-worker who's going to use it as a server.

In a word: ELECTRIC. The Ravinia Festival resembles Our own Wolf Trap here in Vienna, with an open-air Pavilion and Lawn Seating. In November of 2005, when this was first announced, I leapt at the chance and V&T were interested as well, so I was a little skeptical where these seats were located.

We needn't have worried, since they were slightly off-center and only about 16 row back.
The production itself was much more than a staged reading. Full Choreography, tons of costumes and the semblance ot a set, construed of four doorways, a couple of steamer trunks and one very large trunk. Beginning with a very "Funny Girl"-esque framing device (during the Overture, having Gypsy appear in a fur, back to audience as Baby June and young Louise appear out of the large trunk), sort of works and gave the performance an explanation for it being so bare-bones. From her entrance, Patti LuPone sparkled. She was at turns, manipulative, forceful, loving, and sexy- very human - not the monster Betty Buckley was at Papermill Playhouse in 1998 nor the miscast vamp that Bernadette Peters was in the Sam Mendes revival. Jessica Boevers, as the grown-up Louise, was much better than I had anticipated and really gave her change from "plain girl" to stripper much humanity.

Jack Willis played Herbie as more than just a doormat who's taken with Rose. His Herbie is a lion in sheep's clothing and he lets it out occasionally but he also lets his heartbreak be very palpable when he realises that Rose changes for no-one.
This leads me to the most cathartic moment in the show- “Rose’s Turn." When Patti lets out her anger and hurt, the entire pavilion was listening. As she sings her final "For Me!" we all jumped to our feet, giving her a justly deserved standing ovation, thereby becoming part of Rose's final fantasy. I don't recall another production of Gypsy that I'd seen that had garnered such a reaction.

The moment between Rose and Gypsy right afterwards was as moving as Rose walks offstage with her daughter yet stares back longingly at what could have been. I was so enraptured by this performance, that I did something bad- I took a picture during the bows with my cellphone.
Waiting for the Train to pick us up afterwards, I took a little self-portrait, just cause of the rare mood I was in, it was almost like being in love. LOL.

One of our other stops was the King Tutankhamun exhibit at the Field Museum. I vaguely remember seeing the exhibit 29 years ago when I was a mere 6, but this was enlightening and thrilling at the same time, seeing all these beautiful treasures that have been around for so many centuries and remembering the Egyptian History course I took in college.
We also hit the Art Institute of Chicago and the Shedd Aquarium as well as the Bailiwick Theatre, which is a regional theatre company that produces many Gay & Lesbian works. I saw "The Tricky Part" and was thought it was a touching one-man play (Grade:B-)and The Dads saw a new dance interpretation of Dorian Gray and then we both saw "Barenaked Lads In The Great Outdoors," which was recommended by Time Out Chicago and we heartily don't recommend it. There were a couple of funny skits and cutesy songs, but all over the place and they needed some sharper direction.(Grade:C-)

I'm back

2006-08-16T12:10:00.000-04:00

Okay, I'm back from the Windy City and getting my thoughts onto cyber-paper so's I can post.
Check back later...

Fun With Photos

2006-08-09T10:40:00.000-04:00

Hey All-

I'm heading to Chicago to see Patti LuPone in "Gypsy" at the Ravinia Festival with the Gay Dads^TM tomorrow. So, to keep you sated, here's some recent pics I took over the past few weeks.

This is Fry wrapped up in a towel, so I can give him his liquid diet and medications from his tooth break. He kinda looks like a super-hero, doesn't he?

Me waiting for my sister to pick me up at the Metro here in Vienna:

Which came first- Munsen or this New York Building?

A few weeks back, Munsen and I and a few other Theatre folks went to see her "twin" perform in Georgetowne. Ladies and Gentlemen, here's Nick Bognar! (Buy his CD)

On the drive back from New York last Sunday, a truck had overturned and closed all the lanes for a little over an hour. Guess who was stuck in it?

Here's what the traffic looked like behind my car:

The following pics were taken using "Photobooth" at the Apple Store in Clarendon with my nephew and niece. We had a faboo time!

Off-Broadway Bliss

2006-08-08T15:17:00.000-04:00

So, since I had stayed awake later than I anticipated Thursday night, I ended up leaving for Manhattan about an hour later than scheduled. Which meant that I missed my opportunity to see “Superman Returns” in IMAX 3D, but that’s okay, no big loss there. I packed up my car and put Fry in the back seat and left. I arrived in Astoria at Sean’s place around 3, which still left me some time to acclimate myself and cool off the apartment for the little guy (since Sean’s been gone for awhile, all electrical items were unplugged, so it was toasty when I walked in) before setting off into the city.

I walked around Times Square and went to Mid-Town Comics (my new ‘can’t-miss’ spot) and then had some Chinese food before going down to Union Square and the Vineyard Theatre.

I went to see [title of show]- and I was in musical theatre heaven for 90 minutes! I had heard about this and wasn’t able to make it to New York during its first run this past winter but, when I had the opportunity to stay at Sean’s, the first thing I did was get tickets to see this. At its core, [tos] is about its creators, Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen, writing a musical about Hunter and Jeff writing a musical in three weeks for submission to the New York Music Theater Festival. In spite of this meta-self-referential springboard, it delves deeper to become a treatise about the creative process- the thoughts one encounters when creating art, how the influences of the people around you help shape it, when do you realise it’s finished, how does one let go of their creation- and they do it all with humour, heart and some really witty songs. Actors/Authors Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen are simply adorable, funny and appealing playing themselves and their friends Susan Blackwell and Heidi Blickenstaff (also playing themselves) are just as appealing. Susan radiates a certain “New York” style, kind of like Laurie Anderson and Heidi sings the sh*t out of her songs. Each actor/character has a standout moment and they all shine, even Music Director Larry Pressgrove. Since seeing the show, I now have a HUGE crush on that Hunter Bell, who’s kinda like Tommy Drake and Danny Bonaduce’s love child, but cuter, charming, a little geeky, and also a big theatre buff.

After leaving the theatre, I called me friend Patrick (hey I’m kinda talking British), and the first thing he asked me was how much I loved it. I actually told him I considered going back the next night for rush seats since I just wanted to feel the same way I did while watching it. I didn’t go back Saturday night, but I still give this show an A+.

Saturday, I met up with Patrick and we saw the matinee of "The Fantasticks" revival/reconstruction at the New Snapple Theatre. While it’s still in previews, I have to honestly say that I didn’t like it in the least. Maybe the show’s just too antiquated, maybe it’s too ‘precious’ for these ironic times, or maybe the direction lacked spark. I can’t quite say, but I was sorely disappointed and surprised that what I saw (or something approximating what I saw) ran for 42 years. Grade: D-

Afterwards, we had dinner and Patrick had convinced me to see “Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris” at the Zipper Theatre. He loves, loves, LOVES that show (it’s his fifth time) and I really didn’t have any interest in seeing what sounded like a cabaret revue.

I’m glad that Patrick dragged me to it. Jacques Brel was a great production of some amazingly written songs, sung to perfection by the four-person cast. Natascia Diaz shines here as do Gay Marshall, Drew Sarich and understudy Kevin Del Aguila. At intermission, I hurried to the Box Office to find out if there was a cast recording and signed up to be notified when it came out. A truly moving night that just capped off a day filled with mediocre theatre. Grade: A.

Bad Daddy, Sad Daddy

2006-08-04T00:37:00.000-04:00

So, here it is almost midnight on Thursday night- I need to pack for my trip to NYC tomorrow and get some more rest, as I’m still dealing with this godforsaken cold (at least it’s not bronchitis again * knocking on wood *) and also since I hardly got any sleep last night.
“Why is this?” you may ask.
Well, kids, last night I did a very bad thing. I let Fry and Leela out for their exercise time and Fry wasn’t really having any of it, being all difficult to catch and then being super grumpy sitting in his corner if the pen, sulking. It was bath day and Leela was totally oblivious to Fry emotional state, going in and out of the bathhouse. Finally, when Fry got in, he stayed in, perched on the entrance and just stayed there for at least 10 minutes.
The time came to grab them and put them back, as I needed to get to sleep. Again, Leela was no problem but Fry, on the other hand, was just difficult. I finally got a hold of him and, wanting to check out a bald spot above his tail to make sure hair was growing back in, I turned his face away from mine and inspected the afore-mentioned area. At that point, he must have gotten really agitated and bit my finger!
I instinctively reacted and let him go, basically having him fall six feet to the floor. That probably wouldn’t have been such a problem if he hadn’t hit the metal edge of the exercise pen. He landed kinda askew and it looked as if he injured one of his front paws. I immediately placed him back in the cage and he hopped into a corner at the bottom level and just started whimpering. It was the most heartbreaking thing I have ever heard. Knowing it was my reaction to his bite just filled me with such guilt I couldn’t handle it. I called Munsen and told her what happened, planning on calling the vet in case I needed to take him in immediately. She empathized and let me go on with my other calls. The animal hospital almost calmed me down and I settled on an appointment for this evening (mind you, I haven’t even gotten a carrier for them yet- I just won an eBay auction for one this past Monday). I took my Nyquil and went to bed.
That didn’t really help matters much- I was so anxious since the whole biting/injury kept going through my mind (kinda like the Brady Bunch when Peter broke Mrs. Brady’s favorite vase- “Mom always said don’t play ball in the house”), which made me go and check on Fry each time. I think I finally got to sleep around 2 AM.
The first thing I did was go and check on the poor little guy. I fed him a piece of shredded oat and he took it and took his time eating it, while Leela snarfed hers down. He took so long that she grabbed his last few bites and ate it herself. Then I went in to work (my first day back since Monday), the whole day preoccupied with my feelings of guilt. My friends at work were all consoling me, telling me that it was the natural thing to do when one gets bitten and his injury wasn’t my fault. It made me feel worse. On my lunch break, I bought a small plastic carrier to take him to the vet and, as soon as I got home, I got him ready. He barely fit in the thing and I also placed an icepack wrapped in a towel underneath him, so he would stay cool in this crazy heat.
When I met the Doctor, I told her what happened and she actually checked him out, showing me new, effective ways to hold a chinchilla down (at least so they don’t bite) and checked him out.
Turns out that he had cracked a tooth, which explains the way he was eating. There were no other injuries, thankfully, and she calmed me down relating a similar story about her ferret losing two teeth in a similar fashion. She told me she’d have to operate on him, basically cutting off the broken bit and filing his tooth down and asked me to come back in a couple of hours.
I spent some time at The Theatre with Munsen and went to pick him up. The vet explained in further detail what she did and how I’m to administer an antibiotic, painkiller, and liquid diet orally (with syringes, natch) for the next seven days and to monitor his pooping.
So, I borrowed a cat carrier from my friend Moses and he’s coming with me to NYC!