Sigh. That's a pun, not a typo, you embezzle. ; )
A) So, I guess I jumped on the bandwagon too soon. The people I got my facts from didn't have the facts straight. J.J. Abrams is only producing the new Star Trek movie, although he still has the option to direct. And it will not feature young Kirk and Spock, although it will likely take place before the original series and might include younger versions of some of those characters.
B) Looks like nobody wants to be the bad guy in terms of preventing smoking onstage. Following up last week's shameful backpeddling by Chicago comes today's announcement in Britain that they will exempt smoking onstage if it is "integral to the plot." Grr.
C) As I predicted months ago, "Lestat," the musical version of "Interview with a Vampire," has been savagely panned by critics. Suck on that! (Pun intended.)
D) Last week there was that great story about identity theft in South Korea. Now here's a tale from China about a whole company that had its identity stolen!
By the way, I'm still looking for a roommate..... I've already started looking at places, so your time is running out! : )
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Monday, April 24, 2006
No respect.
So, someone else has finally caught up to the issue of smoking onstage being illegal. For goodness' sake, people, if "it's not something the city says it wants to enforce" then WHY DID THEY PASS THE STUPID LAW?! Buncha morons. Shouldn't I at least get credit for being the one to get people started talking about this? ; )
Oh, and once again I'm sorry, ladies. I know a lot of you were hoping you had a chance to snag me once Uma didn't call, but now Gillian Anderson is single again, too, so I'm afraid there's just no hope...
This story is sad but really cool sounding.
While this one over here sounds cooler than it really is.
I hadn't even heard about the Tiger Woods controversy (apparently he said in an interview that he had placed third in his last tournament because he was being "a spaz" on the links, and now cerebral palsy groups are offended), but this editorial from, of all places, the Japan Times, has a remarkably clear sighted view of the issue. My favorite quote: "Sensitivity is important, but not at the expense of common sense. Words are not intrinsically bad: Context and intent determine that."
And in the "ballsiest move of the day" category, from right here in Illinois comes the story of Illinois state representative Karen Yarbrough, who apparently "stumbled on a little known and never utilized rule of the US House of Representatives." The rule allows impeachment proceedings to be initiated by a joint resolution of any STATE legislature, and Yarbrough has introduced a resolution designed to do just that! If both houses of the (Democratically controlled) Illinois legislature pass the resolution, then the (Republican controlled) federal House of Representatives will be forced by law to drop any other business in front of them and take up impeachment proceedings. Wow. What a kettle of worms that could turn out to be!
Alright. Y'all be of good cheer now, y'hear?
Oh, and once again I'm sorry, ladies. I know a lot of you were hoping you had a chance to snag me once Uma didn't call, but now Gillian Anderson is single again, too, so I'm afraid there's just no hope...
This story is sad but really cool sounding.
While this one over here sounds cooler than it really is.
I hadn't even heard about the Tiger Woods controversy (apparently he said in an interview that he had placed third in his last tournament because he was being "a spaz" on the links, and now cerebral palsy groups are offended), but this editorial from, of all places, the Japan Times, has a remarkably clear sighted view of the issue. My favorite quote: "Sensitivity is important, but not at the expense of common sense. Words are not intrinsically bad: Context and intent determine that."
And in the "ballsiest move of the day" category, from right here in Illinois comes the story of Illinois state representative Karen Yarbrough, who apparently "stumbled on a little known and never utilized rule of the US House of Representatives." The rule allows impeachment proceedings to be initiated by a joint resolution of any STATE legislature, and Yarbrough has introduced a resolution designed to do just that! If both houses of the (Democratically controlled) Illinois legislature pass the resolution, then the (Republican controlled) federal House of Representatives will be forced by law to drop any other business in front of them and take up impeachment proceedings. Wow. What a kettle of worms that could turn out to be!
Alright. Y'all be of good cheer now, y'hear?
Friday, April 21, 2006
Intéressant.
Some short and happy bites for a sunny day:
Mmm, camel cheese. I'd be willing to try it, how about you?
Buddha's birthday, like Chinese New Year, is based on a Lunar calendar, and so varies from year-to-year for us here in America. This year it falls on Cinco de Mayo (see picture #2 after clicking the link). Now that's gonna be a party!
Today is Queen Elizabeth's 80th birthday. Happy B-day, Liz! But I must say that it was mildly disturbing to find among the recaps of her life the information that she had been home schooled...
I'll wait until I've seen M:I3 to decide how happy I want to be about this news, but Paramount announced today that J.J. Abrams will write and direct the next Star Trek movie. Due out in 2008, this prequel will "center on the early days of Star Trek characters James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer-space mission."
And speaking of prequels, check out this post on Newsvine about the insane number of sequels and prequels coming out this year! (Note my little comment toward the bottom.)
I was excited when I heard about Roundabout Theater's revival of "Threepenny Opera" in New York (who doesn't want to see Alan Cumming play Mack the Knife?), but judging from the review in today's NYT, and from the pictures accompanying it, it seems to have been a bad execution of a good idea. My favorite quote: "With [director Scott] Elliott overseeing a cast jam-packed with misused talent, this 'Threepenny' takes Brecht's notion of the theater of alienation to new self-defeating extremes."
Lastly, having just been to Graceland recently, I was heartened by the news that Elvis' estate had been bought by a businessman who was going to try and build up the brand and bring the King into the new century. Robert Sillerman (the aforementioned businessman and owner of "American Idol") has already gotten Graceland declared a national historic site by the feds. He also has announced plans to clean up the area of Memphis around Graceland, adding hotels, restaurants and shopping centers; which is good because that area is fairly sketchy at the moment. However, this week he announced that he wants to have an Elvis exhibit and show on the Vegas strip. That seems harmless, until you read the quote, "If we were going to do a show that was based on Elvis impersonators, then obviously it wouldn’t make sense to have unauthorised Elvis impersonators." This has, as you might imagine, thrown the world of Elvis impersonators into a tizzy. I personally feel that the Elvis impersonator is as much a part of Elvis' legacy as Graceland itself, and that what Sillerman should do is embrace that culture and incorporate it into his new empire, rather than try to stamp it out. They only enhance his brand recognizability, after all.
Oh, hey, if you're not doing anything tomorrow morning at 11am, I'll be at the Field Museum of Natural History running lights, sound and video projections for "What Killed the Dinosaurs? You Decide!" It should be a lot of fun.
Mmm, camel cheese. I'd be willing to try it, how about you?
Buddha's birthday, like Chinese New Year, is based on a Lunar calendar, and so varies from year-to-year for us here in America. This year it falls on Cinco de Mayo (see picture #2 after clicking the link). Now that's gonna be a party!
Today is Queen Elizabeth's 80th birthday. Happy B-day, Liz! But I must say that it was mildly disturbing to find among the recaps of her life the information that she had been home schooled...
I'll wait until I've seen M:I3 to decide how happy I want to be about this news, but Paramount announced today that J.J. Abrams will write and direct the next Star Trek movie. Due out in 2008, this prequel will "center on the early days of Star Trek characters James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer-space mission."
And speaking of prequels, check out this post on Newsvine about the insane number of sequels and prequels coming out this year! (Note my little comment toward the bottom.)
I was excited when I heard about Roundabout Theater's revival of "Threepenny Opera" in New York (who doesn't want to see Alan Cumming play Mack the Knife?), but judging from the review in today's NYT, and from the pictures accompanying it, it seems to have been a bad execution of a good idea. My favorite quote: "With [director Scott] Elliott overseeing a cast jam-packed with misused talent, this 'Threepenny' takes Brecht's notion of the theater of alienation to new self-defeating extremes."
Lastly, having just been to Graceland recently, I was heartened by the news that Elvis' estate had been bought by a businessman who was going to try and build up the brand and bring the King into the new century. Robert Sillerman (the aforementioned businessman and owner of "American Idol") has already gotten Graceland declared a national historic site by the feds. He also has announced plans to clean up the area of Memphis around Graceland, adding hotels, restaurants and shopping centers; which is good because that area is fairly sketchy at the moment. However, this week he announced that he wants to have an Elvis exhibit and show on the Vegas strip. That seems harmless, until you read the quote, "If we were going to do a show that was based on Elvis impersonators, then obviously it wouldn’t make sense to have unauthorised Elvis impersonators." This has, as you might imagine, thrown the world of Elvis impersonators into a tizzy. I personally feel that the Elvis impersonator is as much a part of Elvis' legacy as Graceland itself, and that what Sillerman should do is embrace that culture and incorporate it into his new empire, rather than try to stamp it out. They only enhance his brand recognizability, after all.
Oh, hey, if you're not doing anything tomorrow morning at 11am, I'll be at the Field Museum of Natural History running lights, sound and video projections for "What Killed the Dinosaurs? You Decide!" It should be a lot of fun.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Other stuff.
These things didn't fit anywhere else:
All of our theaters have ugly blue gel taped over the emergency exit signs. At the Apollo, we just used blue bulbs in them, which looked better. I'm not sure what the legalities are because the stupid Chicago Fire Code hasn't been updated since 1999. They've been promising that the 2005 edition would be out "in the first quarter of 2006," but that was over a month ago and I still can't find a copy. Anyway, has anyone ever used these? Do they give off any less light into the space than traditional exit signs do? I'm tempted to just order one and test it, but I'd like to save the $60 if someone out there could just clue me in : )
This is just an interesting article on how things work sometimes in other countries. Imagine if identity theft becomes such a problem here that everyone has to be issued a new identification number because Social Security numbers are so unsafe as to no longer be useful.....
Also, has anyone tried the new Jewel pay-by-touch program? Does anyone really have privacy issues with it, or are you just afraid of change? I plan to sign up soon, and I'll let you know how it goes.
And in another hot-button issue, this woman is nuts. I'm reminded of a part in the This American Life episode "Heretics" when a woman who was a former born-again Christian was talking about how she couldn't hang out with any of her old born-again friends because they were always proselytizing to her about how she had to come back to the faith or be damned to hell. "I used to do that to people all the time when I was with them," she says. "I never realized how annoying it is!"
And lastly, this is just very funny. I worked with Don Knotts on a show years ago, and he was a very private person. Almost a jerk about it, but I guess it's understandable. But the man was a classic comedian, and a great performer.
All of our theaters have ugly blue gel taped over the emergency exit signs. At the Apollo, we just used blue bulbs in them, which looked better. I'm not sure what the legalities are because the stupid Chicago Fire Code hasn't been updated since 1999. They've been promising that the 2005 edition would be out "in the first quarter of 2006," but that was over a month ago and I still can't find a copy. Anyway, has anyone ever used these? Do they give off any less light into the space than traditional exit signs do? I'm tempted to just order one and test it, but I'd like to save the $60 if someone out there could just clue me in : )
This is just an interesting article on how things work sometimes in other countries. Imagine if identity theft becomes such a problem here that everyone has to be issued a new identification number because Social Security numbers are so unsafe as to no longer be useful.....
Also, has anyone tried the new Jewel pay-by-touch program? Does anyone really have privacy issues with it, or are you just afraid of change? I plan to sign up soon, and I'll let you know how it goes.
And in another hot-button issue, this woman is nuts. I'm reminded of a part in the This American Life episode "Heretics" when a woman who was a former born-again Christian was talking about how she couldn't hang out with any of her old born-again friends because they were always proselytizing to her about how she had to come back to the faith or be damned to hell. "I used to do that to people all the time when I was with them," she says. "I never realized how annoying it is!"
And lastly, this is just very funny. I worked with Don Knotts on a show years ago, and he was a very private person. Almost a jerk about it, but I guess it's understandable. But the man was a classic comedian, and a great performer.
Culture clash.
Heather sent me this article on the end of the generation gap. Fascinating reading, especially since except for the fact that I have no money, I am clearly one of these people. Yikes!
Maybe the current culture war is a result of nature filling that vacuum?
I mean look at some of this stuff:
Branded entertainment.
Marketing for babies.
Cell phones everywhere.
It's enough to make you want to drop everything and move to a cabin in the woods.....
Maybe the current culture war is a result of nature filling that vacuum?
I mean look at some of this stuff:
Branded entertainment.
Marketing for babies.
Cell phones everywhere.
It's enough to make you want to drop everything and move to a cabin in the woods.....
Monday, April 17, 2006
It's not a job, it's a way of life.
In England, they know how to appreciate a good stage manager. Where's the American version of this award? Huh? Punks.
On the other hand, at least I'm not a member of a union that has its own political parties!!
And speaking of those wacky Brits, they may have a cool logo, but calling yourself the "Serious Organized Crime Agency" just seems a little vague to me. I mean, who's gonna tackle the funny crimes then?
On the other hand, at least I'm not a member of a union that has its own political parties!!
And speaking of those wacky Brits, they may have a cool logo, but calling yourself the "Serious Organized Crime Agency" just seems a little vague to me. I mean, who's gonna tackle the funny crimes then?
So much to say, so little time.
I'll try and do this in smaller chunks. I haven't posted in awhile because of this, and I have a lot to talk about.
First, thank god that stupid show is finally open. Now all I have hanging over my head is the strike... It's arguably the biggest show we've ever undertaken at the school, and given how much busier the department is now than it ever was before, it's arguably the worst possible time for us to have undertaken it. Try telling that to the powers that be, however. But it is up, and it is good, and I don't have to care anymore.
I don't even really like the script.
It may have been a good thing for me, in that doing this big show created a demand for my specific talents, and allowed me to shine a little bit. However, once again I am using my talents to support the creativity of others, rather than myself, which is the most frustrating thing about this job.
But enough about me.
First, thank god that stupid show is finally open. Now all I have hanging over my head is the strike... It's arguably the biggest show we've ever undertaken at the school, and given how much busier the department is now than it ever was before, it's arguably the worst possible time for us to have undertaken it. Try telling that to the powers that be, however. But it is up, and it is good, and I don't have to care anymore.
I don't even really like the script.
It may have been a good thing for me, in that doing this big show created a demand for my specific talents, and allowed me to shine a little bit. However, once again I am using my talents to support the creativity of others, rather than myself, which is the most frustrating thing about this job.
But enough about me.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Let's take a look at the patient's chart.
The home computer is finally working! All it took was throwing money at it. Sigh.
But now I can play Oblivion!
I can barely play it, anyway. After what I spent on the new processor and motherboard, I could only get the bare minimum in a video card. The game has crashed on me several times already, but I'm holding out hope that as I continue to tweak the system things will get better.
I've gotta go now -- I hurt my wrist over the weekend and typing is somewhat painful at the moment.
But now I can play Oblivion!
I can barely play it, anyway. After what I spent on the new processor and motherboard, I could only get the bare minimum in a video card. The game has crashed on me several times already, but I'm holding out hope that as I continue to tweak the system things will get better.
I've gotta go now -- I hurt my wrist over the weekend and typing is somewhat painful at the moment.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Oh, I dunno.
Hello, my little April fools. It's funny -- I get so frustrated when other people don't post on their blogs for a long time, yet somehow it never motivates me to go post on my own.
Until today! Maybe it's the lack of sleep. Maybe it's the stress. Maybe it's the weather. I dunno. But here I am. With nothing to say, but saying it anyway!
There's been a lot of interesting stuff in the news lately, but I've been a little depressed, and thinking about the news just depresses me even more, so I'm not going to go there for now.
Work is MUCH better than it was, although still awfully frustrating. It's certainly keeping me busy, though! Why do you think I'm posting so GD early in the morning? It's because I'm already at work! Chris met me down here the other day and we had dinner at a new restaurant that's opened up across the street. That was great for several reasons: a) I hadn't seen Chris in a while; b) it's nice to have a new restaurant in the area, and it looks like this one will be pretty good; and c) it helped me see my job through outside eyes for a little bit, and it looked pretty good. He's probably wondering what the hell I'm always complaining about : )
Although, there have been developments on the "job affair" front (I'm in love with another job, and it feels a little like I'm cheating on my current job). There was a positive development in that I received confirmation that I'm not only on the list for the position but high on it; but there was a negative development in that they have pushed back the deadline for filling it from May to August.
My computer at home continues to be in critical condition, and I'm concerned that it may not pull through. I mentioned in the last post that I bought some new organs for it, but so far it has rejected the transplants. I'm continuing to operate, but haven't had nearly enough time to devote to it as it needs, so it's still in intensive care. It's REALLY frustrating me.
Oh, I saw "V for Vendetta." I loved it, although there were some minor story points that bothered me and I'd love to read the graphic novel now to see if they were Alan Moore's story points, or if they were changed/added for the movie. I thought the acting was really phenomenal. Chris said I need to see the SNL digital short with Natalie Portman rapping, but I'm concerned that if I have any more reasons to love her I might start obsessing...
Other quick items of note: Loved the "South Park" season opener. Got a demo of new software that lets me watch videos on my Treo -- am gonna have to buy the full version I think. Saw my brother and his family on their way through town heading down to visit Mom. Am finally reading the last of the books I bought over Christmas. We got trounced in the final week of the euchre tournament by some people that I'm fairly sure were cheating. Dad's house got broken into (he says everything's okay). And I got my tax refund! Which I will be saving for the event mentioned in the next paragraph:
Fair warning, I will be moving by June 1, so if anyone out there knows somebody who's looking for a roommate, I am entertaining offers. Or, if you know of a building with cheap apartments, let me know that as well. I am more concerned about price than location at the moment. Also, keep your schedules open to come help ; )
That's all for now. Don't forget to spring forward tomorrow!
Until today! Maybe it's the lack of sleep. Maybe it's the stress. Maybe it's the weather. I dunno. But here I am. With nothing to say, but saying it anyway!
There's been a lot of interesting stuff in the news lately, but I've been a little depressed, and thinking about the news just depresses me even more, so I'm not going to go there for now.
Work is MUCH better than it was, although still awfully frustrating. It's certainly keeping me busy, though! Why do you think I'm posting so GD early in the morning? It's because I'm already at work! Chris met me down here the other day and we had dinner at a new restaurant that's opened up across the street. That was great for several reasons: a) I hadn't seen Chris in a while; b) it's nice to have a new restaurant in the area, and it looks like this one will be pretty good; and c) it helped me see my job through outside eyes for a little bit, and it looked pretty good. He's probably wondering what the hell I'm always complaining about : )
Although, there have been developments on the "job affair" front (I'm in love with another job, and it feels a little like I'm cheating on my current job). There was a positive development in that I received confirmation that I'm not only on the list for the position but high on it; but there was a negative development in that they have pushed back the deadline for filling it from May to August.
My computer at home continues to be in critical condition, and I'm concerned that it may not pull through. I mentioned in the last post that I bought some new organs for it, but so far it has rejected the transplants. I'm continuing to operate, but haven't had nearly enough time to devote to it as it needs, so it's still in intensive care. It's REALLY frustrating me.
Oh, I saw "V for Vendetta." I loved it, although there were some minor story points that bothered me and I'd love to read the graphic novel now to see if they were Alan Moore's story points, or if they were changed/added for the movie. I thought the acting was really phenomenal. Chris said I need to see the SNL digital short with Natalie Portman rapping, but I'm concerned that if I have any more reasons to love her I might start obsessing...
Other quick items of note: Loved the "South Park" season opener. Got a demo of new software that lets me watch videos on my Treo -- am gonna have to buy the full version I think. Saw my brother and his family on their way through town heading down to visit Mom. Am finally reading the last of the books I bought over Christmas. We got trounced in the final week of the euchre tournament by some people that I'm fairly sure were cheating. Dad's house got broken into (he says everything's okay). And I got my tax refund! Which I will be saving for the event mentioned in the next paragraph:
Fair warning, I will be moving by June 1, so if anyone out there knows somebody who's looking for a roommate, I am entertaining offers. Or, if you know of a building with cheap apartments, let me know that as well. I am more concerned about price than location at the moment. Also, keep your schedules open to come help ; )
That's all for now. Don't forget to spring forward tomorrow!
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