...or not.
That was the theme this weekend. I went to Monterey, CA for a gig. It was a rough trip. Lost luggage (some of it lost on Sunday and still not recovered!), delayed flights, cancelled flights, dealing with assholes, dealing with children, dealing with morons, things not being ready when they're supposed to be, broken equipment, difficult directions, streets with no street signs, driving a huge SUV (a Yukon) down narrow winding streets in the dark, and crazy security issues. I don't want to talk about it.
The show went incredibly well, considering. The guys outdid themselves on this one -- it was really well written. And all of the actors were prepared and professional. So the audience never knew anything was wrong and fully enjoyed themselves. Then we drank a lot.
Today I am tired. This cold is still clinging on (happens to me a lot), and all the travel never helps. But I finished my book today, and it was great. And I ordered in Chinese food for dinner. And the new Barenaked Ladies album was released today as well, and I'm listening to it right now, which is nice. So, all in all I am content for the moment. Hope you all are as well!
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Strange bedfellows continued.
Over the holiday last weekend, I was home in Michigan visiting family. My dad pointed out this article in the local paper about a theater that I used to work at. We had a long talk about what might happen to the building and whether it was feasible to save it as a performance space. His opinion was fairly negative, saying that he felt there wasn't enough audience close to the theater and that it wouldn't pull in crowds from surrounding towns because it has become the tradition in the area to simply stay home (that was his exact word, "tradition").
I was still wondering at this mindset and where it might come from, when I ran across this article in Entertainment Weekly about a small town in Texas that has only recently started getting contact with the world of pop culture through satellite TV and internet access. This is the quote that moved me:
Tacy Redden, 49, in jean capri pants and a denim blouse, was married and had her first of three children by the time she was 18. ''I didn't have a big dream to go off,'' she said. ''Now when kids get to high school, all they want to do is get the hell out of here.... Things were different when I was younger. When we were little—this was in the '60s—well, at night you ate supper and then we got in the old pickup and we drove over to Aunt Erma's house or Aunt Annie's and you went and visited for an hour and then you went home and went to bed. We didn't watch TV, because you couldn't hardly get it. Now you can get any channel you want, and it's changed that type of gathering for the worse. Fellowship is probably the main thing a small community has over a big city.''
So it's all television's fault? Probably not entirely, but that's where it started. The modern world does seem to be geared toward disconnection from people. Even when I go see a movie, I want to forget all of the people around me and get sucked in to the story. And many people feel that way about the theater. There was an article in The Stage this week about the British Actor's Equity union petitioning Parliament for permission to jam cell phones in theaters so that they won't disrupt shows.
Personally, I'm still convinced that theater has something special to offer. Something unique from movies and television, and I'm convinced that it has to do with being there live and the possibilities of communication BETWEEN the actors and the audience. But to actually be "communication," it has to go both ways. Somewhere there's a solution to all of this. I'm still looking for it. Let me know if you see any clues to its location.
Also, that line about fellowship has been ringing a lot of bells for me with the whole "small town vs. city" / "marriage and kids vs. culture" arguments that I've been having with myself. I need some time to put it into words, but I'm not sure that either side of the divide really sees the other side clearly enough. I'll work on it while I'm looking for that solution I mentioned.
And in the meantime, here it is - your Moment of Zen:
This month is the 25th anniversary of the television debut of one of my all-time favorite shows, "Danger Mouse!"
I was still wondering at this mindset and where it might come from, when I ran across this article in Entertainment Weekly about a small town in Texas that has only recently started getting contact with the world of pop culture through satellite TV and internet access. This is the quote that moved me:
Tacy Redden, 49, in jean capri pants and a denim blouse, was married and had her first of three children by the time she was 18. ''I didn't have a big dream to go off,'' she said. ''Now when kids get to high school, all they want to do is get the hell out of here.... Things were different when I was younger. When we were little—this was in the '60s—well, at night you ate supper and then we got in the old pickup and we drove over to Aunt Erma's house or Aunt Annie's and you went and visited for an hour and then you went home and went to bed. We didn't watch TV, because you couldn't hardly get it. Now you can get any channel you want, and it's changed that type of gathering for the worse. Fellowship is probably the main thing a small community has over a big city.''
So it's all television's fault? Probably not entirely, but that's where it started. The modern world does seem to be geared toward disconnection from people. Even when I go see a movie, I want to forget all of the people around me and get sucked in to the story. And many people feel that way about the theater. There was an article in The Stage this week about the British Actor's Equity union petitioning Parliament for permission to jam cell phones in theaters so that they won't disrupt shows.
Personally, I'm still convinced that theater has something special to offer. Something unique from movies and television, and I'm convinced that it has to do with being there live and the possibilities of communication BETWEEN the actors and the audience. But to actually be "communication," it has to go both ways. Somewhere there's a solution to all of this. I'm still looking for it. Let me know if you see any clues to its location.
Also, that line about fellowship has been ringing a lot of bells for me with the whole "small town vs. city" / "marriage and kids vs. culture" arguments that I've been having with myself. I need some time to put it into words, but I'm not sure that either side of the divide really sees the other side clearly enough. I'll work on it while I'm looking for that solution I mentioned.
And in the meantime, here it is - your Moment of Zen:
This month is the 25th anniversary of the television debut of one of my all-time favorite shows, "Danger Mouse!"
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
As Marvin Gaye once asked,
"What's going on? "
Here are some quick things on my minds:
- It seems that most everyone on the internet is hip to this one already, but Banksy, the crazy guerilla graffiti artist whom I've posted about before, has landed one of his greatest stunts yet, slipping 500 doctored copies of Paris Hilton's CD into stores. He remixed the songs into one long track called "That's Hot" (which I've downloaded but not listened to yet), and changed the track listings to say things like "Why Am I Famous?" and "What Have I Done?" Go here to see images of the new liner notes.
- Why is it that when the British arrest some terrorists, it results in tons of publicity and crazy new airport security rules, but when the Danish do it, nobody seems to care?
- On IMDB's news page, they talk about how crazy Liza Minelli's divorce case is. She claims her husband was trying to poison her, and he claims she didn't tell him she had herpes until 6 months after they were married. Personally, I can't read any news on this story (it's been going on since they separated in 2003) without thinking of the part in "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" when Satan wonders aloud to his gay lover Saddam Hussein if Saddam only makes love to him from behind because he wants to pretend he's making love to someone else, and Saddam replies, "Satan, your ass is gigantic and red. Who am I going to pretend you are, Liza Minelli?"
- One of my favorite bands is essentially breaking up. Say it ain't so! But maybe I'll have three times as much music to look forward to from them, as they each begin solo projects. That's looking at the bright side, right?!
- Here's a very cool article on patriotism and dissent.
- "Fearmongering" is a word that shouldn't have needed to be invented. But here we are.
- Fiction has power! Especially if you're an exorcist, apparently. But as much as I would love to judge these gentlemen, there's always two sides to every story. See this article, where the Pope makes the all-too-reasonable plea for people to stop over-working themselves. "Watch out for the dangers of an excessive activity . . . whatever the job that you hold, because many jobs often lead to the hardening of the heart, as well as suffering of the spirit, loss of intelligence." I feel like every time he nails something like that, I have to cut him slack for the crazy stuff.
Meanwhile, marriage and feminism are still on my mind, despite my father's admonition last week in the comments section,
"Marriage is not something one can understand any more than the wind or the tides, it is ever changing, in flux and evolving. You experience but don't understand it."
Truer words were never spoken, mon pere. But when has truth ever deterred me from an obsession? Here are:
- a rebuttal of the Forbes.com article I talked about last week.
- an interview with an author who says that educated women who stay home hurt themselves and all of society. Great quote: "What about those who say raising children is the most important job a person can do? I have no idea what they mean by that. If, in fact, it were the most important thing a human being could do, then why are no men doing it?" Except for my brother, of course : )
- news about sexist outfits in tennis and in comic books.
- an interesting section of the Huffington Post devoted to women, called Becoming Fearless. And an interesting article there about the rumors of the death of feminism being greatly exaggerated.
- a semi-disturbing article about the risks of waiting until you're older to become a father, especially worrisome given that I'm already more than halfway convinced that I'm autistic myself.
- which couples well with the movie I saw on Friday, "Idiocracy." I haven't been able to find any reviews for it by people I trust, but here's the break-down: Dumb people reproduce more than smart people. Due to a cryogenics mishap, average guy and gal Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph end up sleeping for 500 years longer than they're supposed to. They wake up in a world where mankind has devolved itself so much that they are the smartest people in the world. Hijinks ensue. It's more clever in concept than in execution, and frankly it depressed me because it's so completely plausible. Between the arguments of the movie that smart people should reproduce and the above article that men especially should reproduce while young, I'm starting to feel awfully dumb. Or maybe the movie was just saying that we should prevent stupid people from reproducing. Who can forget Keanu Reeves' famous quote from "Parenthood," "You know, you need a license to buy a dog, to drive a car - hell, you even need a license to catch a fish. But they'll let any butt-reaming asshole be a father."
I guess all I can say is, at least I'm not a praying mantis.
And now, here it is - your moment of Zen:
Here are some quick things on my minds:
- It seems that most everyone on the internet is hip to this one already, but Banksy, the crazy guerilla graffiti artist whom I've posted about before, has landed one of his greatest stunts yet, slipping 500 doctored copies of Paris Hilton's CD into stores. He remixed the songs into one long track called "That's Hot" (which I've downloaded but not listened to yet), and changed the track listings to say things like "Why Am I Famous?" and "What Have I Done?" Go here to see images of the new liner notes.
- Why is it that when the British arrest some terrorists, it results in tons of publicity and crazy new airport security rules, but when the Danish do it, nobody seems to care?
- On IMDB's news page, they talk about how crazy Liza Minelli's divorce case is. She claims her husband was trying to poison her, and he claims she didn't tell him she had herpes until 6 months after they were married. Personally, I can't read any news on this story (it's been going on since they separated in 2003) without thinking of the part in "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" when Satan wonders aloud to his gay lover Saddam Hussein if Saddam only makes love to him from behind because he wants to pretend he's making love to someone else, and Saddam replies, "Satan, your ass is gigantic and red. Who am I going to pretend you are, Liza Minelli?"
- One of my favorite bands is essentially breaking up. Say it ain't so! But maybe I'll have three times as much music to look forward to from them, as they each begin solo projects. That's looking at the bright side, right?!
- Here's a very cool article on patriotism and dissent.
- "Fearmongering" is a word that shouldn't have needed to be invented. But here we are.
- Fiction has power! Especially if you're an exorcist, apparently. But as much as I would love to judge these gentlemen, there's always two sides to every story. See this article, where the Pope makes the all-too-reasonable plea for people to stop over-working themselves. "Watch out for the dangers of an excessive activity . . . whatever the job that you hold, because many jobs often lead to the hardening of the heart, as well as suffering of the spirit, loss of intelligence." I feel like every time he nails something like that, I have to cut him slack for the crazy stuff.
Meanwhile, marriage and feminism are still on my mind, despite my father's admonition last week in the comments section,
"Marriage is not something one can understand any more than the wind or the tides, it is ever changing, in flux and evolving. You experience but don't understand it."
Truer words were never spoken, mon pere. But when has truth ever deterred me from an obsession? Here are:
- a rebuttal of the Forbes.com article I talked about last week.
- an interview with an author who says that educated women who stay home hurt themselves and all of society. Great quote: "What about those who say raising children is the most important job a person can do? I have no idea what they mean by that. If, in fact, it were the most important thing a human being could do, then why are no men doing it?" Except for my brother, of course : )
- news about sexist outfits in tennis and in comic books.
- an interesting section of the Huffington Post devoted to women, called Becoming Fearless. And an interesting article there about the rumors of the death of feminism being greatly exaggerated.
- a semi-disturbing article about the risks of waiting until you're older to become a father, especially worrisome given that I'm already more than halfway convinced that I'm autistic myself.
- which couples well with the movie I saw on Friday, "Idiocracy." I haven't been able to find any reviews for it by people I trust, but here's the break-down: Dumb people reproduce more than smart people. Due to a cryogenics mishap, average guy and gal Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph end up sleeping for 500 years longer than they're supposed to. They wake up in a world where mankind has devolved itself so much that they are the smartest people in the world. Hijinks ensue. It's more clever in concept than in execution, and frankly it depressed me because it's so completely plausible. Between the arguments of the movie that smart people should reproduce and the above article that men especially should reproduce while young, I'm starting to feel awfully dumb. Or maybe the movie was just saying that we should prevent stupid people from reproducing. Who can forget Keanu Reeves' famous quote from "Parenthood," "You know, you need a license to buy a dog, to drive a car - hell, you even need a license to catch a fish. But they'll let any butt-reaming asshole be a father."
I guess all I can say is, at least I'm not a praying mantis.
And now, here it is - your moment of Zen:
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Crazy world.
Ain't it just? Here's some funny shit from today's news:
1) Warren Jeffs has been captured! The renegade Mormon prophet (whom I've mentioned here several times) was stopped by a traffic cop in Vegas and brought to justice. They'll be extraditing him to Utah where he'll be tried as an accomplice to rape for forcing underage girls to enter into plural marriages with men in his sect, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
2) How stupid do you have to be to fall for this? British author A.N. Wilson was writing a biography of former British Poet Laureate John Betjeman, when he received in the mail a never-before-published letter of Betjeman's which implied that the poet had had an affair with a coworker. Wow! What a break! The biography came out this month! You can read all about it! Except that it's a fake. And not only is it a fake, the first letter of each sentence spells out, "A.N. Wilson is a shit." Bwah-ha-ha! Now THAT'S a good prank.
3) Here's my big groundbreaking scoop of the day: Theater people are overly dramatic! Wait, everyone already knew that? Oh, well. Read about their latest snit fit here. In case you can't follow the link, it's a story in the NEW YORK TIMES about how Hedy Weiss, the theater critic from the Chicago Sun-Times, has pissed off the Dramatist's Guild of America by writing reviews of shows that are still being workshopped. Horrors! I can understand the point, but it's a minor glitch that certainly shouldn't have generated enough interest to merit a story in the NYT!
And what's up in my life, you ask? Well, the weather is gorgeous, I won $40 at a poker game last night, and am looking forward to doing laundry and reading comics tonight. Life is good!
1) Warren Jeffs has been captured! The renegade Mormon prophet (whom I've mentioned here several times) was stopped by a traffic cop in Vegas and brought to justice. They'll be extraditing him to Utah where he'll be tried as an accomplice to rape for forcing underage girls to enter into plural marriages with men in his sect, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
2) How stupid do you have to be to fall for this? British author A.N. Wilson was writing a biography of former British Poet Laureate John Betjeman, when he received in the mail a never-before-published letter of Betjeman's which implied that the poet had had an affair with a coworker. Wow! What a break! The biography came out this month! You can read all about it! Except that it's a fake. And not only is it a fake, the first letter of each sentence spells out, "A.N. Wilson is a shit." Bwah-ha-ha! Now THAT'S a good prank.
3) Here's my big groundbreaking scoop of the day: Theater people are overly dramatic! Wait, everyone already knew that? Oh, well. Read about their latest snit fit here. In case you can't follow the link, it's a story in the NEW YORK TIMES about how Hedy Weiss, the theater critic from the Chicago Sun-Times, has pissed off the Dramatist's Guild of America by writing reviews of shows that are still being workshopped. Horrors! I can understand the point, but it's a minor glitch that certainly shouldn't have generated enough interest to merit a story in the NYT!
And what's up in my life, you ask? Well, the weather is gorgeous, I won $40 at a poker game last night, and am looking forward to doing laundry and reading comics tonight. Life is good!
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Lazy man.
Well, since I posted yesterday, apparently Forbes has received so many complaints about their "Don't Marry a Career Woman" article that I linked to yesterday that they took it down. Then they put it back up, but with a counter-point article next to it called "Don't Marry a Lazy Man." Interesting.
I want to write about this, but today I feel like I'm suffering a bit from information overload. Let's get this straight: I LOVE LEARNING THINGS. I have yet to meet anyone who enjoys acquiring information as much as I do. But, boy, some days you have to ask yourself what any of this has to do with the price of a gallon of milk, you know? Why should I spend my time thinking about how married people interact when I can't even get a date? And besides, this is all dealing in generalities. Every individual marriage is unique. No system of prediction can be perfectly accurate when it comes to human behavior. And for god's sake, even when they do get it right, I never fit the mold. I'm the exception that proves the rule. The odd man out. The pariah. Which I learned today comes from the Indian word "paraiyam," meaning drummer. The paraiyam were a small tribe that was famous for their drumming prowess at religious festivals, but were very poor and included in the Untouchables caste of Indian society. When the British colonized the area, they picked up the term and applied it to anyone in the Untouchables caste. From there it came to mean anyone who was an outcast, and the word was Anglicized into "pariah."
And milk is $3.79 per gallon right now at my local grocery store.
Regular or chocolate.
Sigh.
And now, here it is -- your Moment of Zen:
Lezley Zen, stripper-turned-porn-star. This is what comes up if you search for Zen on Google Images.
I want to write about this, but today I feel like I'm suffering a bit from information overload. Let's get this straight: I LOVE LEARNING THINGS. I have yet to meet anyone who enjoys acquiring information as much as I do. But, boy, some days you have to ask yourself what any of this has to do with the price of a gallon of milk, you know? Why should I spend my time thinking about how married people interact when I can't even get a date? And besides, this is all dealing in generalities. Every individual marriage is unique. No system of prediction can be perfectly accurate when it comes to human behavior. And for god's sake, even when they do get it right, I never fit the mold. I'm the exception that proves the rule. The odd man out. The pariah. Which I learned today comes from the Indian word "paraiyam," meaning drummer. The paraiyam were a small tribe that was famous for their drumming prowess at religious festivals, but were very poor and included in the Untouchables caste of Indian society. When the British colonized the area, they picked up the term and applied it to anyone in the Untouchables caste. From there it came to mean anyone who was an outcast, and the word was Anglicized into "pariah."
And milk is $3.79 per gallon right now at my local grocery store.
Regular or chocolate.
Sigh.
And now, here it is -- your Moment of Zen:
Lezley Zen, stripper-turned-porn-star. This is what comes up if you search for Zen on Google Images.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Love and Marriage.
I only have 5 minutes to type this, so we'll see how it goes.
Today I read three interesting articles on marriage. This most peculiar of cultural institutions has been on my mind a lot lately. Here are the links:
Maureen Dowd discusses K-Fed and his worth as a role-model to men whose wives earn more than they do (it's currently estimated that 1/3 of all married women, and 1/4 of all single women earn at least $5,000 per year more than their partners). [You won't be able to read the article unless you're a New York Times subscriber, but all you really need to know is what I just summarized.]
Forbes Online rounds up a bunch of studies that seem to show that marriages are healthier when one spouse stays at home, and that men are more likely to be happy if it's the woman. Most interesting statistic: people with graduate degrees are almost TWICE as likely to have an affair than people with only a high school diploma. Honestly, that totally flies in the face of what I would have expected.
And AlterNet rounds things out with a piece entitled "Is Marriage Rational?" It ends with the great quote, "In the battle over who gets to marry and who doesn't, we would be wise to remember that, wide or narrow, the circle of marriage brings pain as well as joy and sometimes more of the former than the latter."
My five minutes are up. There's a lot more I want to say on this topic, though. I know I've mentioned it here a lot. I know that I may have more reasons than most to be cynical on the subject. But it's an important part of my life and the lives of most of my friends, and I'm struggling to understand it. Comments are appreciated.
And now, here it is, your Moment of Zen:
The Costco Scallywag Sloop Pirate Themed Club House (only $18,000 at costco.com)
Today I read three interesting articles on marriage. This most peculiar of cultural institutions has been on my mind a lot lately. Here are the links:
Maureen Dowd discusses K-Fed and his worth as a role-model to men whose wives earn more than they do (it's currently estimated that 1/3 of all married women, and 1/4 of all single women earn at least $5,000 per year more than their partners). [You won't be able to read the article unless you're a New York Times subscriber, but all you really need to know is what I just summarized.]
Forbes Online rounds up a bunch of studies that seem to show that marriages are healthier when one spouse stays at home, and that men are more likely to be happy if it's the woman. Most interesting statistic: people with graduate degrees are almost TWICE as likely to have an affair than people with only a high school diploma. Honestly, that totally flies in the face of what I would have expected.
And AlterNet rounds things out with a piece entitled "Is Marriage Rational?" It ends with the great quote, "In the battle over who gets to marry and who doesn't, we would be wise to remember that, wide or narrow, the circle of marriage brings pain as well as joy and sometimes more of the former than the latter."
My five minutes are up. There's a lot more I want to say on this topic, though. I know I've mentioned it here a lot. I know that I may have more reasons than most to be cynical on the subject. But it's an important part of my life and the lives of most of my friends, and I'm struggling to understand it. Comments are appreciated.
And now, here it is, your Moment of Zen:
The Costco Scallywag Sloop Pirate Themed Club House (only $18,000 at costco.com)
Monday, August 21, 2006
Fortunate.
So, the third cookie ended up being relatively normal. Perhaps the cookie gods have elected to leave me alone for awhile. However, it's Euchre night tonight, and I'm voting that we order Chinese from the same place so I can see what happens this time.....
Also, on Saturday I caught "Talladega Nights." I really enjoyed it! I'm so happy for those guys -- they do a great job of stepping up the story telling from "Anchorman." This movie has much more plot and character development, and makes great use of its supporting cast. Look for a cameo from director Adam McKay (an old friend of mine) as the disillusioned driver who wanders off to eat a chicken sandwich, thus giving Will Ferrell his big break. Also look for excellent performances from Second City alums Ian Roberts, Dave Koechner and Jack McBreyer as Ferrell's pit crew. Gary Cole is just amazing, and Amy Adams is hilarious, but frankly the performance that seals the deal is John C. Reilly. Is there anything he can't do? He rocks the house. Especially his outtakes over the credits.
And on Sunday we went to the closing performance of Quest Theater's "The People's Pinocchio." Sadly, living down to their reputation as Redmoon Lite, the show was visually incredible, with great music and obviously a lot of creative people involved, but pretty much completely incoherent as a story. And it included the world's worst curtain speech. Blech.
That's all for now.
Also, on Saturday I caught "Talladega Nights." I really enjoyed it! I'm so happy for those guys -- they do a great job of stepping up the story telling from "Anchorman." This movie has much more plot and character development, and makes great use of its supporting cast. Look for a cameo from director Adam McKay (an old friend of mine) as the disillusioned driver who wanders off to eat a chicken sandwich, thus giving Will Ferrell his big break. Also look for excellent performances from Second City alums Ian Roberts, Dave Koechner and Jack McBreyer as Ferrell's pit crew. Gary Cole is just amazing, and Amy Adams is hilarious, but frankly the performance that seals the deal is John C. Reilly. Is there anything he can't do? He rocks the house. Especially his outtakes over the credits.
And on Sunday we went to the closing performance of Quest Theater's "The People's Pinocchio." Sadly, living down to their reputation as Redmoon Lite, the show was visually incredible, with great music and obviously a lot of creative people involved, but pretty much completely incoherent as a story. And it included the world's worst curtain speech. Blech.
That's all for now.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Fortune telling.
I sent this e-mail to my friend Nan last night. I don't think I can improve on what I wrote then, so I'm just going to post the e-mail as sent:
So, the movie was really good, but that's not why I'm writing. We got Chinese food instead of pizza, and of course it came with fortune cookies. Now, I'm a big fan of fortune cookies. When I was in high school my group of friends would get Chinese food a lot, and I amassed a nice collection of funny and cool fortunes I had received. Best one ever: "You are what you eat. Choose wisely." That one's great straight up, and even better if you play the "in bed" game : )
I also should cop here to having a soft spot for fortune telling in general. The I Ching, palm reading, tarot cards, numerology, fortune cookies. You name it, I have a secret love of it. [Despite Wallace Shawn's famous fortune cookie rant in "My Dinner With Andre": "That flight is going to be successful based on the condition of the plane and the condition of the pilot and the COOKIE is in no position to know about those things!"]
So, now that you have a bit of backstory, see if you can explain the fortune I got tonight. It read: "We are very happy together."
WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?!
Who is the "we" in that sentence? The cookie and me? Why is the cookie so happy to be with me? Is the cookie in love with me? Has the cookie been stalking me? Should I get a restraining order against the cookie? And what if I put "in bed" at the end of it?! Even creepier!!
(shudder)
Well, anyway, I just wanted to let someone know so that if I turn up missing tomorrow, you can let the police know that they should start looking for suspects at the fortune cookie factory.....
in bed.
And here's today's update:
Fortune cookie madness continues. We got three cookies each. I firmly believe in getting only one fortune per day, so I saved my extra two and opened one this morning. Today's fortune is: "God looks after you especially."
What is God doing in my cookie?! Or in my bed?! First a stalker cookie, now an evangelist one. When did I become the weirdness magnet? Memo to all fortune cookie writers: Take a fucking vacation before these fortunes get any weirder!
I'm kind of dreading tomorrow's cookie.....
in bed.
So, the movie was really good, but that's not why I'm writing. We got Chinese food instead of pizza, and of course it came with fortune cookies. Now, I'm a big fan of fortune cookies. When I was in high school my group of friends would get Chinese food a lot, and I amassed a nice collection of funny and cool fortunes I had received. Best one ever: "You are what you eat. Choose wisely." That one's great straight up, and even better if you play the "in bed" game : )
I also should cop here to having a soft spot for fortune telling in general. The I Ching, palm reading, tarot cards, numerology, fortune cookies. You name it, I have a secret love of it. [Despite Wallace Shawn's famous fortune cookie rant in "My Dinner With Andre": "That flight is going to be successful based on the condition of the plane and the condition of the pilot and the COOKIE is in no position to know about those things!"]
So, now that you have a bit of backstory, see if you can explain the fortune I got tonight. It read: "We are very happy together."
WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?!
Who is the "we" in that sentence? The cookie and me? Why is the cookie so happy to be with me? Is the cookie in love with me? Has the cookie been stalking me? Should I get a restraining order against the cookie? And what if I put "in bed" at the end of it?! Even creepier!!
(shudder)
Well, anyway, I just wanted to let someone know so that if I turn up missing tomorrow, you can let the police know that they should start looking for suspects at the fortune cookie factory.....
in bed.
And here's today's update:
Fortune cookie madness continues. We got three cookies each. I firmly believe in getting only one fortune per day, so I saved my extra two and opened one this morning. Today's fortune is: "God looks after you especially."
What is God doing in my cookie?! Or in my bed?! First a stalker cookie, now an evangelist one. When did I become the weirdness magnet? Memo to all fortune cookie writers: Take a fucking vacation before these fortunes get any weirder!
I'm kind of dreading tomorrow's cookie.....
in bed.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Whoa.
Jiminy Christmas! Where did the last two weeks go? Oh, I know. They went:
Monday, 07/31: Met with Mikey B., Liz and Kelly for Euchre at a bar called Sizzle. Had a great time singing along with 80's tunes.
Tuesday, 08/01: Tried to watch "Waking Life." Was very excited after enjoying "A Scanner Darkly" so much. Got so bored I was falling asleep about halfway through and gave up.
Wednesday, 08/02: Spent some quality time with "Heroes of Might and Magic V."
Thursday, 08/03: Got a sudden call to go in on the Second City mainstage -- at intermission! The stage manager was throwing up.
Friday: 08/04: Craig still sick. Ran both mainstage shows.
Saturday, 08/05: Craig still sick. Ran both mainstage shows. Had to cancel trip to Indiana.
Sunday, 08/06: Had brunch at Angel's with Kingston and Brownlee. Got talking about Toni Collette and I insisted that Kingston and I go see "Little Miss Sunshine" immediately.
Monday, 08/07: Can't even remember what I did this night.
Tuesday, 08/08: Euchre night at the apartment with Kingston, Brownlee and Louis.
Wednesday, 08/09: Second City rehearsal, then dinner at FlatTop with Heather and Nan.
Thursday, 08/10: Dinner/bachelorette party with Heather, Nan, and others.
Friday, 08/11: Lee took a personal day, so I ran both shows in the Second City ETC.
Saturday, 08/12: Ran two Second City Touring Company shows in the Black Orchid theater (inside Piper's Alley).
Sunday, 08/13: Last day in the sublet, so whole day spent packing, cleaning and hauling stuff to the new place. Also shopping at Target.
Monday, 08/14: Filled in at the Euchre League with Liz. Kelly was on a business trip to NYC. After a hard-fought series of games, we sadly lost.
Tuesday, 08/15: Euchre night at the apartment again tonight.....
Is it any wonder I'm exhausted?
And now, here it is -- your moment of Zen:
Monday, 07/31: Met with Mikey B., Liz and Kelly for Euchre at a bar called Sizzle. Had a great time singing along with 80's tunes.
Tuesday, 08/01: Tried to watch "Waking Life." Was very excited after enjoying "A Scanner Darkly" so much. Got so bored I was falling asleep about halfway through and gave up.
Wednesday, 08/02: Spent some quality time with "Heroes of Might and Magic V."
Thursday, 08/03: Got a sudden call to go in on the Second City mainstage -- at intermission! The stage manager was throwing up.
Friday: 08/04: Craig still sick. Ran both mainstage shows.
Saturday, 08/05: Craig still sick. Ran both mainstage shows. Had to cancel trip to Indiana.
Sunday, 08/06: Had brunch at Angel's with Kingston and Brownlee. Got talking about Toni Collette and I insisted that Kingston and I go see "Little Miss Sunshine" immediately.
Monday, 08/07: Can't even remember what I did this night.
Tuesday, 08/08: Euchre night at the apartment with Kingston, Brownlee and Louis.
Wednesday, 08/09: Second City rehearsal, then dinner at FlatTop with Heather and Nan.
Thursday, 08/10: Dinner/bachelorette party with Heather, Nan, and others.
Friday, 08/11: Lee took a personal day, so I ran both shows in the Second City ETC.
Saturday, 08/12: Ran two Second City Touring Company shows in the Black Orchid theater (inside Piper's Alley).
Sunday, 08/13: Last day in the sublet, so whole day spent packing, cleaning and hauling stuff to the new place. Also shopping at Target.
Monday, 08/14: Filled in at the Euchre League with Liz. Kelly was on a business trip to NYC. After a hard-fought series of games, we sadly lost.
Tuesday, 08/15: Euchre night at the apartment again tonight.....
Is it any wonder I'm exhausted?
And now, here it is -- your moment of Zen:
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Movie time.
I'm on a mission this summer to see every film that I have any interest in. And to see it IN THE THEATER. I love seeing movies in the theater, and every year there are lots of them that I just don't get around to seeing. I have vowed not to let that happen this year. And speaking of which, I need to get to "Cars" before it leaves.....
Anyway, here are this weekend's flicks:
"Miami Vice" -- I actually didn't have any interest in seeing this until the reviews were all so positive (Onion, EW, Tribune). I have not been a Colin Farrell fan in the past, but he redeemed himself with this picture. Jamie Foxx was great, Gong Li was great, and John Ortiz was a great bad guy. The guys' Miami PD back-up squad, played by Elizabeth Rodriguez, Justin Theroux and Domenick Lombardozzi, were all great in tiny little parts, until the big hostage rescue when Rodriguez and Foxx have the most bad-ass scene in the film. Sadly, poor Naomie Harris, so great in "28 Days Later" and "Pirates 2," is totally wasted here, and a victim of girlfriend-in-the-refrigerator syndrome (don't know what that is? click here). Much like the "Mission: Impossible" movies, this one has almost no connection to the original series except for character names, but it's a great summer action flick! My favorite part? Not a single credit until the end of the film!
"Scoop" -- Blech. Not since "Keeping the Faith" have I seen a movie where it was this hard to tell if the problem came from the acting, the directing, or the script. Dying is easy, Woody, comedy is hard. What happened to make "Match Point" so good? Let's compare: "Match Point" -- 1) Creepy villain. 2) Twisted plot. 3) Sexy but dumb and nasty Scarlett Johansson. "Scoop" -- 1) A main plot point is that the villain is so non-creepy that no one is sure he's a villain. 2) The plot had twists, yes, but (with a single exception) they were all telegraphed and explained to us well before the characters got there, so there's never any actual suspense. 3) Nerdy but dumb and slutty Scarlett Johansson (I think the nerdiness was supposed to be funny, but it came off like a lead balloon; and when I say 'slutty' I mean that she slept with numerous people, but never seemed an active participant in her sexuality, if that makes sense). Woody had a couple of good lines ("I was born Jewish, but I've converted to narcissism."), but a movie that can't even make good use of Ian McShane is just not a good movie.
"Clerks II" -- I had pretty much given up on Kevin Smith after "Dogma." I mean, what kind of director casts Alan Rickman as the voice of God but gives him nothing to say? And then gives long rambling speeches to the two actors for whom English is not their first language (Salma Hayek and Chris Rock)? So, to prepare for watching "Clerks II," I rented and watched "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" and "Jersey Girl." They both sucked. This is probably why I was so pleasantly surprised and delighted with "Clerks II" (expectations again). It is far and away the best thing that Kevin Smith has been involved with since "Clerks." The original is one of my all time favorite movies, and this comes damn close to equalling it. Both "Clerks II" and "Jersey Girl" still hold up marriage and children in a small town as the ultimate goal of all right-thinking Americans, but this movie is good enough to overcome the sentimentality, where "Jersey Girl" wasn't. Not that "Jersey Girl" was as bad as everyone said -- I thought it was well made, but just too cliched of a script. "Jay and Silent Bob" had the opposite problem. The script was subservient to the jokes. The plot made no sense and no one cared. If the jokes had been funnier, maybe I could have fogiven that, but Kevin Smith is consistently the worst actor in his films, and hanging a whole movie on his lame-ass mugging is just not a good plan. Anyway, this movie is much better. Go see it. Unless you don't like swearing. In that case, stay away.
Bones.
Oh, and in finding a link for "Keeping the Faith" (above), I noticed that this is Jenna Elfman's picture on IMDB. So, here it is, your moment of Zen:
Anyway, here are this weekend's flicks:
"Miami Vice" -- I actually didn't have any interest in seeing this until the reviews were all so positive (Onion, EW, Tribune). I have not been a Colin Farrell fan in the past, but he redeemed himself with this picture. Jamie Foxx was great, Gong Li was great, and John Ortiz was a great bad guy. The guys' Miami PD back-up squad, played by Elizabeth Rodriguez, Justin Theroux and Domenick Lombardozzi, were all great in tiny little parts, until the big hostage rescue when Rodriguez and Foxx have the most bad-ass scene in the film. Sadly, poor Naomie Harris, so great in "28 Days Later" and "Pirates 2," is totally wasted here, and a victim of girlfriend-in-the-refrigerator syndrome (don't know what that is? click here). Much like the "Mission: Impossible" movies, this one has almost no connection to the original series except for character names, but it's a great summer action flick! My favorite part? Not a single credit until the end of the film!
"Scoop" -- Blech. Not since "Keeping the Faith" have I seen a movie where it was this hard to tell if the problem came from the acting, the directing, or the script. Dying is easy, Woody, comedy is hard. What happened to make "Match Point" so good? Let's compare: "Match Point" -- 1) Creepy villain. 2) Twisted plot. 3) Sexy but dumb and nasty Scarlett Johansson. "Scoop" -- 1) A main plot point is that the villain is so non-creepy that no one is sure he's a villain. 2) The plot had twists, yes, but (with a single exception) they were all telegraphed and explained to us well before the characters got there, so there's never any actual suspense. 3) Nerdy but dumb and slutty Scarlett Johansson (I think the nerdiness was supposed to be funny, but it came off like a lead balloon; and when I say 'slutty' I mean that she slept with numerous people, but never seemed an active participant in her sexuality, if that makes sense). Woody had a couple of good lines ("I was born Jewish, but I've converted to narcissism."), but a movie that can't even make good use of Ian McShane is just not a good movie.
"Clerks II" -- I had pretty much given up on Kevin Smith after "Dogma." I mean, what kind of director casts Alan Rickman as the voice of God but gives him nothing to say? And then gives long rambling speeches to the two actors for whom English is not their first language (Salma Hayek and Chris Rock)? So, to prepare for watching "Clerks II," I rented and watched "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" and "Jersey Girl." They both sucked. This is probably why I was so pleasantly surprised and delighted with "Clerks II" (expectations again). It is far and away the best thing that Kevin Smith has been involved with since "Clerks." The original is one of my all time favorite movies, and this comes damn close to equalling it. Both "Clerks II" and "Jersey Girl" still hold up marriage and children in a small town as the ultimate goal of all right-thinking Americans, but this movie is good enough to overcome the sentimentality, where "Jersey Girl" wasn't. Not that "Jersey Girl" was as bad as everyone said -- I thought it was well made, but just too cliched of a script. "Jay and Silent Bob" had the opposite problem. The script was subservient to the jokes. The plot made no sense and no one cared. If the jokes had been funnier, maybe I could have fogiven that, but Kevin Smith is consistently the worst actor in his films, and hanging a whole movie on his lame-ass mugging is just not a good plan. Anyway, this movie is much better. Go see it. Unless you don't like swearing. In that case, stay away.
Bones.
Oh, and in finding a link for "Keeping the Faith" (above), I noticed that this is Jenna Elfman's picture on IMDB. So, here it is, your moment of Zen:
Strange bedfellows.
The theater is dead. Long live the theater.
Like everyone else who works in the theater industry, I've been pondering for years how to make it more commercial. Why is it that music and sports are pretty much equally popular live and recorded, but acting is only popular in recorded formats? I've been wondering for 20 years now, and still don't have an answer. Maybe what we need is closer ties among the different media.
To that end, Andrew Lloyd Weber and Richard Hopkins (former head of the BBC) are trying to tie theater and television together. With "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" (their reality-show-cum-casting-call project for Weber's revival of "The Sound of Music") they anticipate an exponential increase in ticket sales. Will other projects follow? Weber hopes so:
"When Tim [Rice] and I wrote Jesus Christ Superstar it came out first as a double album and that was revolutionary,"” he said. "“People turned up their noses in a big way, yet it brought a new public to the theatre. Which brings me to the television show, which I hope will do the same."
Also, as Hollywood big shots like Disney provide more and more of the product on Broadway, they are bringing Hollywood ways of doing business with them, such as Live Theatrical Events, a marketing research partnership between Nielsen National Research Group (as in "Nielsen ratings") and Broadway.com, the New York theater news Web site. Now, the power of target marketing is a force that can be used for good or for evil. Here's an example of evil:
This is the third survey Mr. Craig has done for "“Altar Boyz." Among the findings of the first, an online poll: for whatever reason, people said they found the show's Outer Critics Circle Award appealing, and they liked the description of one of the characters as "a nice Jewish boy." So now, among other changes, the redesigned "Altar Boyz" poster features a big red circle advertising the award and a conspicuous Star of David hanging from the Jewish character's neck.
That kind of micromanaging is a little ridiculous, in my humble opinion. But it doesn't change the fact that getting more butts in more seats is always good for the entire industry.
There are other facets to this discussion, like the downturn in movie attendance over the last couple of years, and the enormous impact iPods have had on the music industry; and it's very very difficult to establish hard and fast rules in the entertainment industry. But the bottom line is that we need new ways of thinking, and we need them soon.
Like everyone else who works in the theater industry, I've been pondering for years how to make it more commercial. Why is it that music and sports are pretty much equally popular live and recorded, but acting is only popular in recorded formats? I've been wondering for 20 years now, and still don't have an answer. Maybe what we need is closer ties among the different media.
To that end, Andrew Lloyd Weber and Richard Hopkins (former head of the BBC) are trying to tie theater and television together. With "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" (their reality-show-cum-casting-call project for Weber's revival of "The Sound of Music") they anticipate an exponential increase in ticket sales. Will other projects follow? Weber hopes so:
"When Tim [Rice] and I wrote Jesus Christ Superstar it came out first as a double album and that was revolutionary,"” he said. "“People turned up their noses in a big way, yet it brought a new public to the theatre. Which brings me to the television show, which I hope will do the same."
Also, as Hollywood big shots like Disney provide more and more of the product on Broadway, they are bringing Hollywood ways of doing business with them, such as Live Theatrical Events, a marketing research partnership between Nielsen National Research Group (as in "Nielsen ratings") and Broadway.com, the New York theater news Web site. Now, the power of target marketing is a force that can be used for good or for evil. Here's an example of evil:
This is the third survey Mr. Craig has done for "“Altar Boyz." Among the findings of the first, an online poll: for whatever reason, people said they found the show's Outer Critics Circle Award appealing, and they liked the description of one of the characters as "a nice Jewish boy." So now, among other changes, the redesigned "Altar Boyz" poster features a big red circle advertising the award and a conspicuous Star of David hanging from the Jewish character's neck.
That kind of micromanaging is a little ridiculous, in my humble opinion. But it doesn't change the fact that getting more butts in more seats is always good for the entire industry.
There are other facets to this discussion, like the downturn in movie attendance over the last couple of years, and the enormous impact iPods have had on the music industry; and it's very very difficult to establish hard and fast rules in the entertainment industry. But the bottom line is that we need new ways of thinking, and we need them soon.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Bite sized 7.
Trying to keep my posts shorter. Which is hard when you have posts as big as mine. Does size matter? ;-P
7) On Wednesday night, thanks to Entertainment Weekly, I got to go to a preview screening of "Little Miss Sunshine." I'm not sure when it's opening in wide release, but here's my review in brief:
GO SEE THIS MOVIE RIGHT NOW!!!
Run, do not walk. I don't care how you get there, just get there if you can. I laughed so hard that I cried. I thought it was simply phenomenal. Many of you know that I've met and worked with Steve Carrell (his wife is a friend of mine), and have considered him to be the funniest man on the planet since I first saw him onstage in 1993. He doesn't disappoint here. Neither do ANY of the rest of the cast. It's not life changingly deep or anything -- rather it feels like a two hour long special episode of the best sitcom never written. But it's so entertaining and sweet and funny that it could never be on TV. Suck on that, TV!
Even the critics agree, although my old friend Mr. Ebert has yet to weigh in..... (because he's been in the hospital -- get well soon, Rog!)
7) On Wednesday night, thanks to Entertainment Weekly, I got to go to a preview screening of "Little Miss Sunshine." I'm not sure when it's opening in wide release, but here's my review in brief:
GO SEE THIS MOVIE RIGHT NOW!!!
Run, do not walk. I don't care how you get there, just get there if you can. I laughed so hard that I cried. I thought it was simply phenomenal. Many of you know that I've met and worked with Steve Carrell (his wife is a friend of mine), and have considered him to be the funniest man on the planet since I first saw him onstage in 1993. He doesn't disappoint here. Neither do ANY of the rest of the cast. It's not life changingly deep or anything -- rather it feels like a two hour long special episode of the best sitcom never written. But it's so entertaining and sweet and funny that it could never be on TV. Suck on that, TV!
Even the critics agree, although my old friend Mr. Ebert has yet to weigh in..... (because he's been in the hospital -- get well soon, Rog!)
Bite sized 6.
Trying to keep my posts shorter.
6) I like M. Night Shyamalan's movies. I'm not completely sure why -- I think it has something to do with his way of taking every story he decides to film (regardless of genre) and mashing it into his personal style. The result never feels as powerful as a straight genre film would, but it's never less than interesting either. "Lady in the Water" has been getting trounced by critics, but I very much enjoyed it. Again we run up against expectations. It's made very clear in the previews of the movie that it is "a bedtime story." And several of the characters in the movie explicitly discuss what that means. But many critics seem to insist on reviewing all of his movies as if they were "The Sixth Sense 2."
The big problem here is that Night has shoved this bedtime story into his personal style. The movie is too scary to take children to, but too childish to enthrall adults. He tries to do two things at once and ends up not doing either of them particularly well. That aside, as one of my favorite professional bloggers puts it, "Whatever his apparent arrogance, it’s hard not to have a loony affection for Shyamalan, who makes movies that look and feel unlike anyone else’s."
6) I like M. Night Shyamalan's movies. I'm not completely sure why -- I think it has something to do with his way of taking every story he decides to film (regardless of genre) and mashing it into his personal style. The result never feels as powerful as a straight genre film would, but it's never less than interesting either. "Lady in the Water" has been getting trounced by critics, but I very much enjoyed it. Again we run up against expectations. It's made very clear in the previews of the movie that it is "a bedtime story." And several of the characters in the movie explicitly discuss what that means. But many critics seem to insist on reviewing all of his movies as if they were "The Sixth Sense 2."
The big problem here is that Night has shoved this bedtime story into his personal style. The movie is too scary to take children to, but too childish to enthrall adults. He tries to do two things at once and ends up not doing either of them particularly well. That aside, as one of my favorite professional bloggers puts it, "Whatever his apparent arrogance, it’s hard not to have a loony affection for Shyamalan, who makes movies that look and feel unlike anyone else’s."
Bite sized 5.
Trying to keep my posts shorter.
5) There's a lot of discussion this summer about whether critics matter. Some of it happens every year. A lot of it came from "Pirates 2" -- the critics hated it almost unanimously, but it is now the highest grossing movie EVER. I think that critics are valuable. I find it very handy when planning an activity to be able to read what someone else who has done the activity thought about it. It's even handier when I can consult that person's writings on a regular basis and see how our opinions compare. I've never enjoyed watching Roger Ebert on TV, but my opinions on films quite often match up with his; so when I want to see a movie, I usually see what he thought of it first. It helps me be an informed consumer.
Most people are NOT informed consumers. They seem to feel that critics are somehow telling them what to think about the movie (which is not the critic's job but the marketing department's). They get defensive if the critic didn't like a movie they enjoyed -- as if the critic is attacking their personal tastes. And they can be pretty obsessive about their entertainment.
Expectations do have a lot to do with how you experience entertainment. If you've read a review that was negative, you are less likely to enjoy the experience if you decide to go anyway. And vice-versa. Not guaranteed to, but less likely to. I have heard from even more people now who dislike the ending of "Pirates 2" and I think that expectations are to blame.
There are three types of sequels, to my mind. A) The unrelated sequel. The "Mission: Impossible" movies are a great example of this. Each successive one features many of the same characters, but has little reference to the other movies and is completely self contained. Often happens when each movie is written without a firm plan that there will BE a sequel. B) The serial sequel. The "X-Men" movies fit here. They try to have the best of both worlds -- offering a self-contained story for the uninitiated, while maintaining some sub-plots and charcter arcs that cross over through more than one movie, rewarding the faithful. Most TV shows operate on this principle as well. And C) The sum-of-its-parts sequel. The "Lord of the Rings" movies show this concept, serving as basically one long movie chopped into smaller parts. More commonly, when an initial film does well, and filmmakers plan a trilogy, they will write the second movie to contain all the exposition and serve mainly to set up the third movie. "Back to the Future," "The Matrix," and the original "Star Wars" trilogy all follow this pattern. So, the problem with "Pirates 2" is that people were expecting a serial sequel, and they got a sum-of-its-parts sequel.
Coming up next: Expectations vs. M. Night Shyamalan.
5) There's a lot of discussion this summer about whether critics matter. Some of it happens every year. A lot of it came from "Pirates 2" -- the critics hated it almost unanimously, but it is now the highest grossing movie EVER. I think that critics are valuable. I find it very handy when planning an activity to be able to read what someone else who has done the activity thought about it. It's even handier when I can consult that person's writings on a regular basis and see how our opinions compare. I've never enjoyed watching Roger Ebert on TV, but my opinions on films quite often match up with his; so when I want to see a movie, I usually see what he thought of it first. It helps me be an informed consumer.
Most people are NOT informed consumers. They seem to feel that critics are somehow telling them what to think about the movie (which is not the critic's job but the marketing department's). They get defensive if the critic didn't like a movie they enjoyed -- as if the critic is attacking their personal tastes. And they can be pretty obsessive about their entertainment.
Expectations do have a lot to do with how you experience entertainment. If you've read a review that was negative, you are less likely to enjoy the experience if you decide to go anyway. And vice-versa. Not guaranteed to, but less likely to. I have heard from even more people now who dislike the ending of "Pirates 2" and I think that expectations are to blame.
There are three types of sequels, to my mind. A) The unrelated sequel. The "Mission: Impossible" movies are a great example of this. Each successive one features many of the same characters, but has little reference to the other movies and is completely self contained. Often happens when each movie is written without a firm plan that there will BE a sequel. B) The serial sequel. The "X-Men" movies fit here. They try to have the best of both worlds -- offering a self-contained story for the uninitiated, while maintaining some sub-plots and charcter arcs that cross over through more than one movie, rewarding the faithful. Most TV shows operate on this principle as well. And C) The sum-of-its-parts sequel. The "Lord of the Rings" movies show this concept, serving as basically one long movie chopped into smaller parts. More commonly, when an initial film does well, and filmmakers plan a trilogy, they will write the second movie to contain all the exposition and serve mainly to set up the third movie. "Back to the Future," "The Matrix," and the original "Star Wars" trilogy all follow this pattern. So, the problem with "Pirates 2" is that people were expecting a serial sequel, and they got a sum-of-its-parts sequel.
Coming up next: Expectations vs. M. Night Shyamalan.
Bite sized 4.
Trying to keep my posts shorter.
4) So, Chicago has finally done something pretty cool. They've voted to force "big box" retailers to pay their employees a living wage! Is this a good idea? Is it just politics? Does it matter? We sent Wal-Mart running! Yee-haw! Will I be as excited if stores like Target pull out of the city too? Even the new one that just opened in my neigborhood? Maybe not.....
4) So, Chicago has finally done something pretty cool. They've voted to force "big box" retailers to pay their employees a living wage! Is this a good idea? Is it just politics? Does it matter? We sent Wal-Mart running! Yee-haw! Will I be as excited if stores like Target pull out of the city too? Even the new one that just opened in my neigborhood? Maybe not.....
Bite sized 3.
Trying to keep my posts shorter.
3) Is it just me, or is Condoleeza Rice just supremely ineffective as Secretary of State?
3) Is it just me, or is Condoleeza Rice just supremely ineffective as Secretary of State?
Bite sized 2.
Trying to keep my posts shorter.
2) Good news/bad news category: The Royal Shakespeare Company in Straford, England is closing two of its theaters for renovation. They're spending 100 million pounds, and it sounds like the end result will be really cool. However, it will take THREE YEARS and because the theaters will be dark all that time, they have to lay off a bunch of their staff. Yikes! Again, for those who don't do the math, the story says that they may lay off as many as 58 employees, which would be 8% of their total workforce. That means they employ 725 people. Then the article mentions the concern that 27 of the proposed layoffs come from the backstage and production departments, and represent a third of the staff of those departments. Which means that only 81 out of those 725 work in the backstage and production departments. That seems ridiculous, doesn't it? I shall have to look into it further.
2) Good news/bad news category: The Royal Shakespeare Company in Straford, England is closing two of its theaters for renovation. They're spending 100 million pounds, and it sounds like the end result will be really cool. However, it will take THREE YEARS and because the theaters will be dark all that time, they have to lay off a bunch of their staff. Yikes! Again, for those who don't do the math, the story says that they may lay off as many as 58 employees, which would be 8% of their total workforce. That means they employ 725 people. Then the article mentions the concern that 27 of the proposed layoffs come from the backstage and production departments, and represent a third of the staff of those departments. Which means that only 81 out of those 725 work in the backstage and production departments. That seems ridiculous, doesn't it? I shall have to look into it further.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Bite sized 1.
Trying to keep my posts shorter.
1) Remember in the spring when I was excited that Gillian Anderson is single again? Apparently she's not that single. She is pregnant with her new boyfriend's child and due by the end of the year. For those of you who can't do the math, if she's due in December, that means she got pregnant in March. But she didn't get divorced until April. What was that article about being a slut.....?
1) Remember in the spring when I was excited that Gillian Anderson is single again? Apparently she's not that single. She is pregnant with her new boyfriend's child and due by the end of the year. For those of you who can't do the math, if she's due in December, that means she got pregnant in March. But she didn't get divorced until April. What was that article about being a slut.....?
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Simple joys.
It's the little things that get you through the day, right? Thanks to Mikey B. for some of these thoughts.
-- They're making a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.
-- They're making an Iron Man movie:
-- They're making a "Stardust" movie. And Matthew Vaughn's directing!
-- They're making a new version of Monopoly that uses credit cards instead of cash.
-- And, this was on sale, so I bought it. I've been wanting a portable hard drive for quite awhile now, and this one is fantastic. Yay!
-- They're making a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.
-- They're making an Iron Man movie:
-- They're making a "Stardust" movie. And Matthew Vaughn's directing!
-- They're making a new version of Monopoly that uses credit cards instead of cash.
-- And, this was on sale, so I bought it. I've been wanting a portable hard drive for quite awhile now, and this one is fantastic. Yay!
Friday, July 14, 2006
Too darn hot.
So, the heat warnings are out. The heat index in Chicago is expected to be over 100 degrees for all of next week. But as I'm sure you all well know, it's not the heat, it's the humanity. Here are some ramblings to take your mind off of it.
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Pop Culture 101 -- today's lesson: Luna
Susan introduced me to the band Luna. They're excellent, and you should check them out. Especially since they just broke up. Yup. However, they also just released a greatest hits album, an album of all covers (called "Lunafied" -- great title!), and a DVD about the band that focuses on the breakup. And, in a cool twist that I was completely unaware of until hearing about their dissolution, their bass player was the voice of Jem from the 80's cartoon! Truly outrageous, indeed.
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A question to ponder: You're a theatrical producer for New York's Shakespeare in the Park, and you've got a production coming up of Brecht's "Mother Courage and Her Children." You've booked Meryl Streep in the title role, which should help get some butts in the chairs (always a problem when you're doing Brecht), and in an inspired bit of stunt casting you arrange to reunite her with her "Deer Hunter" co-star Christopher Walken, casting him as Cook. But Walken has to drop out suddenly due to scheduling conflicts! Quick -- whom do you cast to replace him? What famous star would be the closest thing to Christopher Walken? Wrong! It's Kevin Kline, of course. Now don't you feel silly?
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Like many of you, I've heard of silly things like cryptozoology ("the search for animals whose existence is disputed or unsubstantiated, like the Loch Ness monster"), but I never suspected that not only was it real, there's a center for it in England, and they have a team currently in Africa searching for the legendary Ninki-Nanka! Awesome or crazy? You decide. But either way, England is cooler than we are. Again.
******************************
Big, big news from the NYT today: girls get mixed messages about sexuality. And slut is still a bad word. Wow. I'm shocked. Here's what I find to be the most interesting passage:
“When I think of the word slut,” wrote Don Reisinger, a student doing accounting and law work inAlbany
Minnesota State University , Mankato
Issues raised: 1) Why the hell should I care what Don Reisinger thinks? 2) Does he mean "when he thinks of the word 'slut' in particular out of all words," or does he mean "when he thinks of a woman who has sex with a lot of words" (the 'word slut')? I think it should be illegal to quote people in the New York Times if they can't use punctuation. 3) Why did Don's dad drive his Chevy around the block so often? 4) It really frustrates me that marriage and children is still the primary goal for so many people -- men as well as women. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with it, but there are so many other options in today's society, it would be nice if people started exploring them. 5) Hey, I'm between 30 and 44 and I've had eight sexual partners in my lifetime. I'm average!
******************************
Apparently, the RIAA is relying on you to roll over and die if they sue you. If you actually fight them, and ask for silly things like details on WHAT files they say you downloaded illegally, and WHEN they say you downloaded them, then they drop the case, pay your legal fees and run away. Not that I'm endorsing illegal downloading (although I've done my share, I never inhaled), but I think their stupid scare tactics are worse.
******************************
I've talked a lot here in the blog about my fascination with reinterpreting existing media. In the theater, many people produce the same plays with different interpretations, and even the same production is subtly different from one performance to the next. In comic books, new writers and artists offer new takes on established characters. (How many interpretations have there been of Superman, just in movies?) And I love collecting cover songs. In fact, for years I've had an idea for a TV show that would allow users to download a new song, and then make a video for it. The top submissions would be aired on the show, and the audience could vote for their favorite, which would then win a prize and become the "official" version aired on MTV, etc. The beauty of the concept is that the longer it's not realized, the closer technology comes to making it completely feasible. Here's a link to a very interesting article about modern teens and the ways they use technology to reinterpret existing art. PS -- that TV show idea is copyrighted, so if you steal it from me, I will get the RIAA to sue you. So there.
******************************
In a related story, what I just did there is called "anthimeria" -- the rhetorical device of using a word as a part of speech it's not intended to be. You can have a copyright, and you can copyright a product, but I don't think "copyrighted" as an adjective form is actually acceptable. Unless you're anthimeric like me.
******************************
Quick reviews of recent movies:
"Click" -- I loved "The Wedding Singer," and was looking forward to this reteaming of Adam Sandler and Frank Coraci (the director of both). Ultimately, it was disappointing. The ending still got me a little choked up, and I left feeling good, but there just weren't any moments in the movie that I found actually funny. The one or two that might have gotten a chuckle if they were surprises were spoiled by the trailer. The rest of the people in the theater disagreed with me, and quite vocally expressed their opinion that farting in David Hasselhoff's face is the funniest thing ever.
"A Scanner Darkly" -- I would put this movie in my top ten so far this year. I didn't like the trademark Phillip K. Dick twist at the end, but everything leading up to it was so good I couldn't get too upset. Who knew that a cast of folks whose careers hit their peaks back in the early 90's could do such good work? And Richard Linklater! His work keeps getting better and better. With this, "Before Sunset" and "School of Rock" he's directed three of my favorite movies of the DECADE. I'm ashamed to say that I've never seen "Waking Life," but it's now at the top of my to-rent list. The animation in "Scanner" was just amazing! It's one of the few movies I can think of where I'm actually excited about seeing a making-of feature.
"Superman Returns" -- The biggest problem with "Superman Returns" is that it was released in the summer. The feel of this movie is not that of a stupid summer blockbuster -- it has a darker style, and is reaching for emotions that I don't think people are expecting to give it. If it had been released at, say, Thanksgiving, when our hearts and minds are turned inward anyway, it might have gotten a better reception. I enjoyed moments in it, and the big action sequences did have me on the edge of my seat. I was looking for the "plastic" appearance of Supes that many had mentioned, but it never jumped out at me. I admire Singer for picking an interpretation of the character that he liked, firmly placing his own stamp on it, and sticking to his guns. I don't care that it didn't follow the comics. I do care that the cast sucked so hard. Kate Bosworth was just plain terrible. I could sense that Brandon Routh might have been better if he'd had more to work with, but James Marsden was more interesting than Routh at every turn (which is a big deal for me to say, because I hate his work as Cyclops in the X-Men movies). Spacey was great, but was left playing Luthor smarter than he'd been written, which was hard to watch. Perry White? Jimmy Olsen? God-awful! Parker Posey and Kal Penn as Luthor's henchmen? Eva Marie Saint as Clark's mom? Wasted! I left with the bad taste of disappointed expectations in my mouth, but I suspect and hope that on future (winter) viewings when I can watch it on its own terms it will grow on me.
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" -- Not bad. On an arbitrary numerical scale of sequel goodness from 1 to 10, where 1 is "Matrix Reloaded" and 10 is "Empire Strikes Back," I would rank it around a 6.5 or 7. I liked the ideas of it. I liked the mythology of it. I liked Stellan Skarsgard and Naomie Harris. I always like Johnny Depp. I liked the cliffhanger ending. I liked the effects of the Flying Dutchman coming up out of the water and the crew's nautical appearance (especially Davy Jones). I liked watching Keira Knightley, who is very pretty (especially when dressed like a man, oddly enough). I was bored by the antics of the pirate crew, even more so than in the first movie. I was bored by Orlando Bloom every time he was onscreen. I was bored by the predictable plot. I was bored by how easy it was to defeat every obstacle. I was bored by the infamous swordfight, which had to make itself interesting by moving around a lot, instead of actually having good fight choreography. But in the end it was an enjoyable way to spend an evening, and I would recommend it to you if you're already leaning that way.
******************************
And now, here it is, your moment of zen:
I'm audi. C-ya!
******************************
Pop Culture 101 -- today's lesson: Luna
Susan introduced me to the band Luna. They're excellent, and you should check them out. Especially since they just broke up. Yup. However, they also just released a greatest hits album, an album of all covers (called "Lunafied" -- great title!), and a DVD about the band that focuses on the breakup. And, in a cool twist that I was completely unaware of until hearing about their dissolution, their bass player was the voice of Jem from the 80's cartoon! Truly outrageous, indeed.
******************************
A question to ponder: You're a theatrical producer for New York's Shakespeare in the Park, and you've got a production coming up of Brecht's "Mother Courage and Her Children." You've booked Meryl Streep in the title role, which should help get some butts in the chairs (always a problem when you're doing Brecht), and in an inspired bit of stunt casting you arrange to reunite her with her "Deer Hunter" co-star Christopher Walken, casting him as Cook. But Walken has to drop out suddenly due to scheduling conflicts! Quick -- whom do you cast to replace him? What famous star would be the closest thing to Christopher Walken? Wrong! It's Kevin Kline, of course. Now don't you feel silly?
******************************
Like many of you, I've heard of silly things like cryptozoology ("the search for animals whose existence is disputed or unsubstantiated, like the Loch Ness monster"), but I never suspected that not only was it real, there's a center for it in England, and they have a team currently in Africa searching for the legendary Ninki-Nanka! Awesome or crazy? You decide. But either way, England is cooler than we are. Again.
******************************
Big, big news from the NYT today: girls get mixed messages about sexuality. And slut is still a bad word. Wow. I'm shocked. Here's what I find to be the most interesting passage:
“When I think of the word slut,” wrote Don Reisinger, a student doing accounting and law work in
Issues raised: 1) Why the hell should I care what Don Reisinger thinks? 2) Does he mean "when he thinks of the word 'slut' in particular out of all words," or does he mean "when he thinks of a woman who has sex with a lot of words" (the 'word slut')? I think it should be illegal to quote people in the New York Times if they can't use punctuation. 3) Why did Don's dad drive his Chevy around the block so often? 4) It really frustrates me that marriage and children is still the primary goal for so many people -- men as well as women. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with it, but there are so many other options in today's society, it would be nice if people started exploring them. 5) Hey, I'm between 30 and 44 and I've had eight sexual partners in my lifetime. I'm average!
******************************
Apparently, the RIAA is relying on you to roll over and die if they sue you. If you actually fight them, and ask for silly things like details on WHAT files they say you downloaded illegally, and WHEN they say you downloaded them, then they drop the case, pay your legal fees and run away. Not that I'm endorsing illegal downloading (although I've done my share, I never inhaled), but I think their stupid scare tactics are worse.
******************************
I've talked a lot here in the blog about my fascination with reinterpreting existing media. In the theater, many people produce the same plays with different interpretations, and even the same production is subtly different from one performance to the next. In comic books, new writers and artists offer new takes on established characters. (How many interpretations have there been of Superman, just in movies?) And I love collecting cover songs. In fact, for years I've had an idea for a TV show that would allow users to download a new song, and then make a video for it. The top submissions would be aired on the show, and the audience could vote for their favorite, which would then win a prize and become the "official" version aired on MTV, etc. The beauty of the concept is that the longer it's not realized, the closer technology comes to making it completely feasible. Here's a link to a very interesting article about modern teens and the ways they use technology to reinterpret existing art. PS -- that TV show idea is copyrighted, so if you steal it from me, I will get the RIAA to sue you. So there.
******************************
In a related story, what I just did there is called "anthimeria" -- the rhetorical device of using a word as a part of speech it's not intended to be. You can have a copyright, and you can copyright a product, but I don't think "copyrighted" as an adjective form is actually acceptable. Unless you're anthimeric like me.
******************************
Quick reviews of recent movies:
"Click" -- I loved "The Wedding Singer," and was looking forward to this reteaming of Adam Sandler and Frank Coraci (the director of both). Ultimately, it was disappointing. The ending still got me a little choked up, and I left feeling good, but there just weren't any moments in the movie that I found actually funny. The one or two that might have gotten a chuckle if they were surprises were spoiled by the trailer. The rest of the people in the theater disagreed with me, and quite vocally expressed their opinion that farting in David Hasselhoff's face is the funniest thing ever.
"A Scanner Darkly" -- I would put this movie in my top ten so far this year. I didn't like the trademark Phillip K. Dick twist at the end, but everything leading up to it was so good I couldn't get too upset. Who knew that a cast of folks whose careers hit their peaks back in the early 90's could do such good work? And Richard Linklater! His work keeps getting better and better. With this, "Before Sunset" and "School of Rock" he's directed three of my favorite movies of the DECADE. I'm ashamed to say that I've never seen "Waking Life," but it's now at the top of my to-rent list. The animation in "Scanner" was just amazing! It's one of the few movies I can think of where I'm actually excited about seeing a making-of feature.
"Superman Returns" -- The biggest problem with "Superman Returns" is that it was released in the summer. The feel of this movie is not that of a stupid summer blockbuster -- it has a darker style, and is reaching for emotions that I don't think people are expecting to give it. If it had been released at, say, Thanksgiving, when our hearts and minds are turned inward anyway, it might have gotten a better reception. I enjoyed moments in it, and the big action sequences did have me on the edge of my seat. I was looking for the "plastic" appearance of Supes that many had mentioned, but it never jumped out at me. I admire Singer for picking an interpretation of the character that he liked, firmly placing his own stamp on it, and sticking to his guns. I don't care that it didn't follow the comics. I do care that the cast sucked so hard. Kate Bosworth was just plain terrible. I could sense that Brandon Routh might have been better if he'd had more to work with, but James Marsden was more interesting than Routh at every turn (which is a big deal for me to say, because I hate his work as Cyclops in the X-Men movies). Spacey was great, but was left playing Luthor smarter than he'd been written, which was hard to watch. Perry White? Jimmy Olsen? God-awful! Parker Posey and Kal Penn as Luthor's henchmen? Eva Marie Saint as Clark's mom? Wasted! I left with the bad taste of disappointed expectations in my mouth, but I suspect and hope that on future (winter) viewings when I can watch it on its own terms it will grow on me.
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" -- Not bad. On an arbitrary numerical scale of sequel goodness from 1 to 10, where 1 is "Matrix Reloaded" and 10 is "Empire Strikes Back," I would rank it around a 6.5 or 7. I liked the ideas of it. I liked the mythology of it. I liked Stellan Skarsgard and Naomie Harris. I always like Johnny Depp. I liked the cliffhanger ending. I liked the effects of the Flying Dutchman coming up out of the water and the crew's nautical appearance (especially Davy Jones). I liked watching Keira Knightley, who is very pretty (especially when dressed like a man, oddly enough). I was bored by the antics of the pirate crew, even more so than in the first movie. I was bored by Orlando Bloom every time he was onscreen. I was bored by the predictable plot. I was bored by how easy it was to defeat every obstacle. I was bored by the infamous swordfight, which had to make itself interesting by moving around a lot, instead of actually having good fight choreography. But in the end it was an enjoyable way to spend an evening, and I would recommend it to you if you're already leaning that way.
******************************
And now, here it is, your moment of zen:
I'm audi. C-ya!
Monday, July 10, 2006
Say anything.
Do I have anything to say today? I thought I did -- there were several bits of news I wanted to address recently, but as I looked into them further, they became less and less interesting to me. So, here we are. I have two movies to report on, but I'm going to save them as well. Instead, I've been meaning to do this for a while, so I'd like to talk a little bit about music.
I love music. Who doesn't, right? I really enjoy discovering new bands and new songs. Not too long ago, I was complaining that I had collected too much music -- it's become very difficult to create mix-tapes (really mix cds these days) for people because it takes me a whole day to scroll through my huge collection. I resolved to cut back, and maybe spend some time paring down what I had already gathered, or at least organizing it in a more efficient manner so I can find stuff more easily.
However, the best laid plans of mice and men gang oft aglay, as Robert Burns would say. In the last couple of months, I have been drawn into the world of MP3 blogs -- where other people do the work of discovering new bands for me, and then post a song or two by that band online. This way I can get a taste of the band, see if I like them, and then follow the links to buy their stuff if I really want to. It's great!! Since late May I've added over 1,000 songs to my collection, and discovered a lot of really cool new bands.
And not only discovered them, but bought their albums as well. Note to all those in the record industry: file sharing really does contribute to people spending money on cds! I've spent more money on cds in the last two months than I had in the last year.
Right this second as I type, I'm listening to a band called The Mountain Goats. They sound a little like They Might Be Giants, but with a much more depressing worldview. Or maybe they're like The Magnetic Fields with a higher-pitched singer. Something like that. Anyway, I'm in love with them right now. I've bought four of their albums and am looking into ordering some of their older, harder-to-find stuff from Amazon.com.
I really like it when bands are local, as in the case of Canasta. They came to my attention because of their song "Slow Down Chicago." It's just fun when they reference things like the corner of State and Madison (which is the origin point of the Chicago street grid, for those who don't know). Anyway, I only have their newest album, but it's great. They have some shows in town coming up, and I'm thinking of going -- also a change in my behavior brought on by hearing all this great new music. [UPDATE: In case you were wondering what they sound like, they were recently interviewed on the NPR show Eight Forty-Eight, which described them as a "chamber-pop band." What a great term!]
Note: if you're interested in a fun way to get albums by independent bands like the two mentioned above, try eMusic.com. For $10 a month, you can download 40 songs (with no goddamn DRM!). That's 25 cents a song -- suck it, iTunes! I like it so much that I've upgraded to the $15 a month for 65 downloads level.
Then there's Final Fantasy. They don't really have a web page; the link is to an interview with Owen Pallett, who's the driving force behind the band. I ordered two of their albums, but they won't arrive until next week. But the few songs I've heard are SO good that I have to list them here as one of my favorite new bands (and not just because of their inherent geek factor, given that they're named after a video game and write songs inspired by Dungeons and Dragons). I missed their recent Chicago show, sadly, but at least I will soon have two new cds!
Other cool musical-type stuff:
"Whipped Cream and Other Delights Re-Whipped" -- I've always dug on the beats of Herb Alpert, and this album just makes them even cooler. The reviewer linked to didn't love it as much as I do, but you should be aware of allmusic.com anyway -- it's like the IMDB only for music.
Little Yellow Perfect -- the lead singer of this band is the brother of a friend of mine from high school, but even without that connection I think they're great.
"Barenaked Ladies Are Me" -- they recorded too many tracks for their new album, and so will be releasing an online only version that's double length!
Jollyship The Whizbang -- are you on a pirate kick right now? [Obviously a lot of people in America are.] If so, then check out this Pyrate Puppet Rock Opera Consortium. If only they would come to Chicago...
And lastly, Jonathan Coulton -- I discovered him when the Onion A/V Club ranked his hilariously self-serious version of "Baby Got Back" as the best cover song of 2005 (and you know how I love cover songs!). Now, his podcast "Thing A Week" is the best part of every Friday for me. Check him out -- you won't be sorry!
That's what I've got for now. Tell me about some of your favorite music right now!
I love music. Who doesn't, right? I really enjoy discovering new bands and new songs. Not too long ago, I was complaining that I had collected too much music -- it's become very difficult to create mix-tapes (really mix cds these days) for people because it takes me a whole day to scroll through my huge collection. I resolved to cut back, and maybe spend some time paring down what I had already gathered, or at least organizing it in a more efficient manner so I can find stuff more easily.
However, the best laid plans of mice and men gang oft aglay, as Robert Burns would say. In the last couple of months, I have been drawn into the world of MP3 blogs -- where other people do the work of discovering new bands for me, and then post a song or two by that band online. This way I can get a taste of the band, see if I like them, and then follow the links to buy their stuff if I really want to. It's great!! Since late May I've added over 1,000 songs to my collection, and discovered a lot of really cool new bands.
And not only discovered them, but bought their albums as well. Note to all those in the record industry: file sharing really does contribute to people spending money on cds! I've spent more money on cds in the last two months than I had in the last year.
Right this second as I type, I'm listening to a band called The Mountain Goats. They sound a little like They Might Be Giants, but with a much more depressing worldview. Or maybe they're like The Magnetic Fields with a higher-pitched singer. Something like that. Anyway, I'm in love with them right now. I've bought four of their albums and am looking into ordering some of their older, harder-to-find stuff from Amazon.com.
I really like it when bands are local, as in the case of Canasta. They came to my attention because of their song "Slow Down Chicago." It's just fun when they reference things like the corner of State and Madison (which is the origin point of the Chicago street grid, for those who don't know). Anyway, I only have their newest album, but it's great. They have some shows in town coming up, and I'm thinking of going -- also a change in my behavior brought on by hearing all this great new music. [UPDATE: In case you were wondering what they sound like, they were recently interviewed on the NPR show Eight Forty-Eight, which described them as a "chamber-pop band." What a great term!]
Note: if you're interested in a fun way to get albums by independent bands like the two mentioned above, try eMusic.com. For $10 a month, you can download 40 songs (with no goddamn DRM!). That's 25 cents a song -- suck it, iTunes! I like it so much that I've upgraded to the $15 a month for 65 downloads level.
Then there's Final Fantasy. They don't really have a web page; the link is to an interview with Owen Pallett, who's the driving force behind the band. I ordered two of their albums, but they won't arrive until next week. But the few songs I've heard are SO good that I have to list them here as one of my favorite new bands (and not just because of their inherent geek factor, given that they're named after a video game and write songs inspired by Dungeons and Dragons). I missed their recent Chicago show, sadly, but at least I will soon have two new cds!
Other cool musical-type stuff:
"Whipped Cream and Other Delights Re-Whipped" -- I've always dug on the beats of Herb Alpert, and this album just makes them even cooler. The reviewer linked to didn't love it as much as I do, but you should be aware of allmusic.com anyway -- it's like the IMDB only for music.
Little Yellow Perfect -- the lead singer of this band is the brother of a friend of mine from high school, but even without that connection I think they're great.
"Barenaked Ladies Are Me" -- they recorded too many tracks for their new album, and so will be releasing an online only version that's double length!
Jollyship The Whizbang -- are you on a pirate kick right now? [Obviously a lot of people in America are.] If so, then check out this Pyrate Puppet Rock Opera Consortium. If only they would come to Chicago...
And lastly, Jonathan Coulton -- I discovered him when the Onion A/V Club ranked his hilariously self-serious version of "Baby Got Back" as the best cover song of 2005 (and you know how I love cover songs!). Now, his podcast "Thing A Week" is the best part of every Friday for me. Check him out -- you won't be sorry!
That's what I've got for now. Tell me about some of your favorite music right now!
Friday, July 07, 2006
I can't drive 55.
They say that the journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. But in my case, the journey of 3,500 miles began with renting a car. Here's the break-down of the mega-road-trip of 2006:
Friday, June 16: Last day of work before the trip. Poker game that night at Kelly's place. Lost $20. I was the second one eliminated in the Texas Hold'em round, but came in second place in the Dealer's Choice round. Second place doesn't buy you much, though : )
Saturday & Sunday, June 17 & 18: Packing, packing, packing. I've written some about the weekend previously. On Sunday (Father's Day!) I head down to Midway and pick up the rental car (midsize SUV).
Monday, June 19: The pods come. I try to refrain from Body Snatchers jokes and succeed only because there's no one around to hear them.
Tuesday, June 20: The pods go. I clean the attic in Evanston, drop my stuff at the sublet on Summerdale, and swing by work to use the internet one last time before the journey.
Wednesday, June 21: Relaxing. Sorting out the camping gear. Planning out a route to take.
Thursday, June 22: And we're off. Total time on the road: 11 hours. I make all the way through Iowa and most of Nebraska before stopping for the night here. This strange roadside attraction contains a motel, restaurant, and campground, so I pitched my tent and checked the place out.
Words can't do justice to this crazy museum-cum-theme-park (with the emphasis on park). Here's a link to a review.
All I can say is that it was pretty crazy. I found it cool at first, but it soon became overwhelming. If you find yourself there, focus on the village part and ignore the warehouses at the back. But all-in-all, I do recommend finding yourself there if you can.
Apropos of nothing, I spent the evening sending e-mail from my tent via my cell phone. Ain't technology grand?
Friday, June 23: Made it into Denver. Met with Matt, Jenna and Matt's parents for dinner (that's Matt Hovde, who directed the show, is a good friend of mine, and was kind enough to let me crash on his floor for the night). Got a call in the middle of dinner that Craig Taylor, the stage manager of Mainstage, was having heart problems again and was back in the hospital for an angioplasty. Here we go again!
Despite the bad news from Chicago, went to the opening night of the new Second City Denver show ("How I Lost My Denverginity"). Most of the cast were good friends of mine, but even if I hadn't known them I would have really enjoyed the show. It was really funny and tight. I tend to be overly critical of other stage managers, and I could certainly have given theirs a few pointers on lighting design (they're using a local who has a less technical background), but overall she did a great job. Here are links to reviews of the show.
Enjoyed the party afterward.
Called it a night somewhat early.
Saturday, June 24: Got up and explored downtown Denver for awhile. Then met up with several of the cast members and some other SC folks who were in town for the opening for lunch. I was torn between getting on the road early and having a leisurely day of it, and waiting around for them to sleep off their hangovers and be ready for lunch. I went with being sociable, and I'm glad I did. It was a fun time. I love those guys!
Finally got on the road around 2pm Mountain Time. Drove to Topeka, KS and spent the night at a Motel 6. I had hoped to camp again, but because of the time spent on lunch, had to drive until pretty late to get my mileage in for the day (8 hours driven). And since I had just seen Tom Bodett live a few weeks before, Motel 6 was the obvious choice!
Sunday, June 25: Drove on into Nashville (8 more hours). I was hoping to visit with Susan while I was down there, but she was out of town for the week on a trip of her own. She was kind enough to let me stay at her house while I was in town, even though she wasn't there. It was much more comfortable than a hotel, and I got to visit with her dog Moose, which is always fun.
Monday, June 26: Headed in to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (4 more hours).
Met up with my mother and Pat (who I've taken to calling my step-father for simplicity's sake, even though they aren't technically married). It was pouring down rain, and there were tornado warnings in the area, so we decided to check into a hotel in Gatlinburg instead of pitching the tents. But the weather cleared up in the evening, and we were able to go back into the park and see the synchronous fireflies, which was the whole reason I came anyway. There weren't as many as Susan and I had seen in the summer of 2004, but there were enough to convince Mom and Pat that they were real! It was a blast.
Tuesday, June 27: Drove across the mountains (3 hours) to the North Carolina side, where we rented a cabin for a few days.
It was really nice. Not really roughing it, I know (note the hot tub on the porch). We were honestly planning to tent camp for a few days, but the weather just didn't cooperate. Next year!
To get to the cabins, we had to drive up the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway, which I had never done.
It was pretty cool. Explored the local stores, and had dinner at a nice restaurant.
Wednesday, June 28: Went hiking in the Pisgah National Forest. Headed for the local waterfall.
We didn't get lost along the way, but sometimes the signs were confusing.....
Then grilled out, and afterward turned the grill into a tiny little campfire for s'mores.
Thursday, June 29: More local scenery. After complaining in Gatlinburg of being unable to find hats that looked good on me, when we discovered one at a local outfitter, my mother insisted on buying it for me as a belated birthday present. I don't have any pictures of it yet, but I'm sure you'll see me in it soon. Also, Mom bought a percolator for making coffee while camping, which worked just as well on the stove in the cabin. It was fun to play around with that.
Friday, June 30: Drove 13 hours back to Chicago. Some of that was just sitting in traffic. Got to Second City just in time to grab a bite of dinner and run two shows in ETC. Jeremy Smith had been running the Mainstage while Craig was out, and he couldn't do the whole weekend. Since I couldn't get back in time to get up to speed on the new show, Lee from ETC trained with Jeremy and took over Mainstage, while I ran ETC for him since I already knew that show. Complicated, I know, but everything went well. Great audiences, and great shows, despite having (including me) 4 understudies in!
Saturday, July 1: Dropped by Evanston to grab my mail and run some errands. I had hoped to see a concert by one of my newest favorite bands, Final Fantasy, but had to run the shows at SC instead. Heather and Henry were going to a concert downtown, so I attempted to give them a ride, but we ended up stuck in horrible holiday traffic. Yuck.
Sunday, July 2: Was originally heading over to Michigan today, but had to run a show at SC instead. It worked out well, though, because tonight was the opening of the new Mainstage show, "War! Now In Its Fourth Smash Year." So, I got to see the show and all the folks that I haven't seen in months over there. Then I ran the 10pm show in ETC.
Monday, July 3: Headed to Michigan. Took the South Shore train down to South Bend and then drove up with my aunt and uncle, who were also coming to Muskegon for a visit. That was really nice, since I haven't seen them in a year. We spent the afternoon at my dad's house playing with my brother's kids (I can't believe how big they're getting!):
Lavender
Xavier
Aunt Sherrie and Uncle Winston with the kids
Dad watching over everyone
My sister-in-law Nicole (the kids' mom) arrives, despite her headache
A splendid time. Always nice to see the fam.
Tuesday, July 4: Happy Birthday, America. Spent the afternoon at my sister's house, seeing the rest of the munchkins in the family.
Jesse (shown with his dad, Anthony)
who has finally learned to crawl...
and Nicholas, who for some reason I didn't get a good picture of this trip. Then we headed back to Dad's. Sherrie and Winston headed back to Indiana. Dad and I took a nap and then went downtown to watch the fireworks. Wow -- what a great idea that turned out to be! The weather was just absolutely perfect, and Dad remembered that there's this old military ship docked in Muskegon Harbor that they're trying to restore. As a fundraiser, for $2 you could watch the fireworks from the deck of the ship, which we did. It was the perfect location -- a great view of both the ones in the sky and the ones they did that were on the water. The show was great; many fireworks that I hadn't seen before, and a good mix of the ones that I had. We just had a really nice time.
Wednesday, July 5: Tried to take the Amtrak back to Chicago, but it was sold out, so we headed down to Michigan City to catch the South Shore line again. The trains were at 8:40 and 10:30. We arrived in town at 9:30, so we decided to get some coffee. In the coffee shop, however, we realized that Michigan City was back on Central Time for the summer, and we could have made the 8:40, but now had a full 2 hours to wait for the next train. Luckily, the outlet mall was open, so we were able to do some shopping (I got some new pants, which I had desperately needed) and then have a nice walk around downtown Michigan City before I jumped on the train. I got back to Chicago at a little after noon and went straight to work (the train station is only a block from Columbia).
Thursday, July 6: Worked again. Trying to get caught up from all the time off. Then went with Mikey B. to see a show at IO that I had a couple of friends in. It was an all female sketch comedy show (the group is called the Ragdolls), and it was great! Last night was their first preview, and already things were really awesome, so as they get tightened up I'm sure the show will really rock. It's Thursdays at 8pm, if you're in the neighborhood.
Today: More catching up. Had a production meeting at 2 for the first mainstage show of the fall semester. My boss couldn't be there because I just found out today that he was in a really bad car accident while I was gone. So I ran the meeting, which went very well, and then reported to him over the phone. Much craziness, but as I said a few posts ago, that's what I've been missing in my life : D
Friday, June 16: Last day of work before the trip. Poker game that night at Kelly's place. Lost $20. I was the second one eliminated in the Texas Hold'em round, but came in second place in the Dealer's Choice round. Second place doesn't buy you much, though : )
Saturday & Sunday, June 17 & 18: Packing, packing, packing. I've written some about the weekend previously. On Sunday (Father's Day!) I head down to Midway and pick up the rental car (midsize SUV).
Monday, June 19: The pods come. I try to refrain from Body Snatchers jokes and succeed only because there's no one around to hear them.
Tuesday, June 20: The pods go. I clean the attic in Evanston, drop my stuff at the sublet on Summerdale, and swing by work to use the internet one last time before the journey.
Wednesday, June 21: Relaxing. Sorting out the camping gear. Planning out a route to take.
Thursday, June 22: And we're off. Total time on the road: 11 hours. I make all the way through Iowa and most of Nebraska before stopping for the night here. This strange roadside attraction contains a motel, restaurant, and campground, so I pitched my tent and checked the place out.
Words can't do justice to this crazy museum-cum-theme-park (with the emphasis on park). Here's a link to a review.
All I can say is that it was pretty crazy. I found it cool at first, but it soon became overwhelming. If you find yourself there, focus on the village part and ignore the warehouses at the back. But all-in-all, I do recommend finding yourself there if you can.
Apropos of nothing, I spent the evening sending e-mail from my tent via my cell phone. Ain't technology grand?
Friday, June 23: Made it into Denver. Met with Matt, Jenna and Matt's parents for dinner (that's Matt Hovde, who directed the show, is a good friend of mine, and was kind enough to let me crash on his floor for the night). Got a call in the middle of dinner that Craig Taylor, the stage manager of Mainstage, was having heart problems again and was back in the hospital for an angioplasty. Here we go again!
Despite the bad news from Chicago, went to the opening night of the new Second City Denver show ("How I Lost My Denverginity"). Most of the cast were good friends of mine, but even if I hadn't known them I would have really enjoyed the show. It was really funny and tight. I tend to be overly critical of other stage managers, and I could certainly have given theirs a few pointers on lighting design (they're using a local who has a less technical background), but overall she did a great job. Here are links to reviews of the show.
Enjoyed the party afterward.
Called it a night somewhat early.
Saturday, June 24: Got up and explored downtown Denver for awhile. Then met up with several of the cast members and some other SC folks who were in town for the opening for lunch. I was torn between getting on the road early and having a leisurely day of it, and waiting around for them to sleep off their hangovers and be ready for lunch. I went with being sociable, and I'm glad I did. It was a fun time. I love those guys!
Finally got on the road around 2pm Mountain Time. Drove to Topeka, KS and spent the night at a Motel 6. I had hoped to camp again, but because of the time spent on lunch, had to drive until pretty late to get my mileage in for the day (8 hours driven). And since I had just seen Tom Bodett live a few weeks before, Motel 6 was the obvious choice!
Sunday, June 25: Drove on into Nashville (8 more hours). I was hoping to visit with Susan while I was down there, but she was out of town for the week on a trip of her own. She was kind enough to let me stay at her house while I was in town, even though she wasn't there. It was much more comfortable than a hotel, and I got to visit with her dog Moose, which is always fun.
Monday, June 26: Headed in to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (4 more hours).
Met up with my mother and Pat (who I've taken to calling my step-father for simplicity's sake, even though they aren't technically married). It was pouring down rain, and there were tornado warnings in the area, so we decided to check into a hotel in Gatlinburg instead of pitching the tents. But the weather cleared up in the evening, and we were able to go back into the park and see the synchronous fireflies, which was the whole reason I came anyway. There weren't as many as Susan and I had seen in the summer of 2004, but there were enough to convince Mom and Pat that they were real! It was a blast.
Tuesday, June 27: Drove across the mountains (3 hours) to the North Carolina side, where we rented a cabin for a few days.
It was really nice. Not really roughing it, I know (note the hot tub on the porch). We were honestly planning to tent camp for a few days, but the weather just didn't cooperate. Next year!
To get to the cabins, we had to drive up the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway, which I had never done.
It was pretty cool. Explored the local stores, and had dinner at a nice restaurant.
Wednesday, June 28: Went hiking in the Pisgah National Forest. Headed for the local waterfall.
We didn't get lost along the way, but sometimes the signs were confusing.....
Then grilled out, and afterward turned the grill into a tiny little campfire for s'mores.
Thursday, June 29: More local scenery. After complaining in Gatlinburg of being unable to find hats that looked good on me, when we discovered one at a local outfitter, my mother insisted on buying it for me as a belated birthday present. I don't have any pictures of it yet, but I'm sure you'll see me in it soon. Also, Mom bought a percolator for making coffee while camping, which worked just as well on the stove in the cabin. It was fun to play around with that.
Friday, June 30: Drove 13 hours back to Chicago. Some of that was just sitting in traffic. Got to Second City just in time to grab a bite of dinner and run two shows in ETC. Jeremy Smith had been running the Mainstage while Craig was out, and he couldn't do the whole weekend. Since I couldn't get back in time to get up to speed on the new show, Lee from ETC trained with Jeremy and took over Mainstage, while I ran ETC for him since I already knew that show. Complicated, I know, but everything went well. Great audiences, and great shows, despite having (including me) 4 understudies in!
Saturday, July 1: Dropped by Evanston to grab my mail and run some errands. I had hoped to see a concert by one of my newest favorite bands, Final Fantasy, but had to run the shows at SC instead. Heather and Henry were going to a concert downtown, so I attempted to give them a ride, but we ended up stuck in horrible holiday traffic. Yuck.
Sunday, July 2: Was originally heading over to Michigan today, but had to run a show at SC instead. It worked out well, though, because tonight was the opening of the new Mainstage show, "War! Now In Its Fourth Smash Year." So, I got to see the show and all the folks that I haven't seen in months over there. Then I ran the 10pm show in ETC.
Monday, July 3: Headed to Michigan. Took the South Shore train down to South Bend and then drove up with my aunt and uncle, who were also coming to Muskegon for a visit. That was really nice, since I haven't seen them in a year. We spent the afternoon at my dad's house playing with my brother's kids (I can't believe how big they're getting!):
Lavender
Xavier
Aunt Sherrie and Uncle Winston with the kids
Dad watching over everyone
My sister-in-law Nicole (the kids' mom) arrives, despite her headache
A splendid time. Always nice to see the fam.
Tuesday, July 4: Happy Birthday, America. Spent the afternoon at my sister's house, seeing the rest of the munchkins in the family.
Jesse (shown with his dad, Anthony)
who has finally learned to crawl...
and Nicholas, who for some reason I didn't get a good picture of this trip. Then we headed back to Dad's. Sherrie and Winston headed back to Indiana. Dad and I took a nap and then went downtown to watch the fireworks. Wow -- what a great idea that turned out to be! The weather was just absolutely perfect, and Dad remembered that there's this old military ship docked in Muskegon Harbor that they're trying to restore. As a fundraiser, for $2 you could watch the fireworks from the deck of the ship, which we did. It was the perfect location -- a great view of both the ones in the sky and the ones they did that were on the water. The show was great; many fireworks that I hadn't seen before, and a good mix of the ones that I had. We just had a really nice time.
Wednesday, July 5: Tried to take the Amtrak back to Chicago, but it was sold out, so we headed down to Michigan City to catch the South Shore line again. The trains were at 8:40 and 10:30. We arrived in town at 9:30, so we decided to get some coffee. In the coffee shop, however, we realized that Michigan City was back on Central Time for the summer, and we could have made the 8:40, but now had a full 2 hours to wait for the next train. Luckily, the outlet mall was open, so we were able to do some shopping (I got some new pants, which I had desperately needed) and then have a nice walk around downtown Michigan City before I jumped on the train. I got back to Chicago at a little after noon and went straight to work (the train station is only a block from Columbia).
Thursday, July 6: Worked again. Trying to get caught up from all the time off. Then went with Mikey B. to see a show at IO that I had a couple of friends in. It was an all female sketch comedy show (the group is called the Ragdolls), and it was great! Last night was their first preview, and already things were really awesome, so as they get tightened up I'm sure the show will really rock. It's Thursdays at 8pm, if you're in the neighborhood.
Today: More catching up. Had a production meeting at 2 for the first mainstage show of the fall semester. My boss couldn't be there because I just found out today that he was in a really bad car accident while I was gone. So I ran the meeting, which went very well, and then reported to him over the phone. Much craziness, but as I said a few posts ago, that's what I've been missing in my life : D
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
From outer space.
I'm back. The trip was wonderful -- even the part in the middle where I had to come back and then leave again. Don't ask. By which I mean that you don't have to ask because I'll be putting up a long post about the whole thing as soon as I get unpacked and find the cable to upload pictures from my camera.
In the meantime, just know that I am safe and well, and that I love you all. Even those of you that I am normally somewhat ambivalent about, today you are loved. Peace!
In the meantime, just know that I am safe and well, and that I love you all. Even those of you that I am normally somewhat ambivalent about, today you are loved. Peace!
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Done and done.
And I mean done.
Wow. That went so much more smoothly than I anticipated. Everything fell into place, everything stayed on schedule. I honestly can't complain!
A big part of that was thanks to Public Storage. They have just been a joy to deal with -- punctual, thorough, friendly, and (most important) reasonably priced. I highly recommend them for your future storage needs.
After finishing yesterday, I was tired and sore, so of course I went to see a movie -- what better way to rest up than sitting in a dark, air-conditioned theater? I caught a showing of "Nacho Libre." What a disappointment. My first clue that something was wrong came during the previews when a trailer for "How To Eat Fried Worms" came on (loved the book, but the movie looks idiotic). Then, once the movie started, the first words I see on the screen are "Nickelodeon Pictures presents..." Why on earth was this movie marketed towards Jack Black fans? And "Napoleon Dynamite" fans? (Wait, I haven't seen "Napoleon Dynamite" -- was it a kid's movie too?) Weak script. Weak direction. Weak performances (except for Hector Jimenez, who deserves to be the Jon Heder-style breakout star from this film). What can I say good about it? The soundtrack was great. Actually, other than being a let down, the film wasn't terrible. It was just bland. And sometimes that's a worse crime than being terrible.
So, this will be my last post for awhile. I'm not leaving until Thursday morning, but I don't think I have internet access at the sublet (I'm at work right now for just this reason). If I get a chance to post while I'm on the road, I'll do so, but I don't expect to. I'll be back on Wednesday, July 5th, so until then, keep cool and eat your veggies.
Wow. That went so much more smoothly than I anticipated. Everything fell into place, everything stayed on schedule. I honestly can't complain!
A big part of that was thanks to Public Storage. They have just been a joy to deal with -- punctual, thorough, friendly, and (most important) reasonably priced. I highly recommend them for your future storage needs.
After finishing yesterday, I was tired and sore, so of course I went to see a movie -- what better way to rest up than sitting in a dark, air-conditioned theater? I caught a showing of "Nacho Libre." What a disappointment. My first clue that something was wrong came during the previews when a trailer for "How To Eat Fried Worms" came on (loved the book, but the movie looks idiotic). Then, once the movie started, the first words I see on the screen are "Nickelodeon Pictures presents..." Why on earth was this movie marketed towards Jack Black fans? And "Napoleon Dynamite" fans? (Wait, I haven't seen "Napoleon Dynamite" -- was it a kid's movie too?) Weak script. Weak direction. Weak performances (except for Hector Jimenez, who deserves to be the Jon Heder-style breakout star from this film). What can I say good about it? The soundtrack was great. Actually, other than being a let down, the film wasn't terrible. It was just bland. And sometimes that's a worse crime than being terrible.
So, this will be my last post for awhile. I'm not leaving until Thursday morning, but I don't think I have internet access at the sublet (I'm at work right now for just this reason). If I get a chance to post while I'm on the road, I'll do so, but I don't expect to. I'll be back on Wednesday, July 5th, so until then, keep cool and eat your veggies.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Lights in the tunnel.
Well, the weather was a little better today. Still very very humid, but not so opressively hot. Picked up the rental car -- realizing that this trip is going to make me very very broke, but not so opressively hot. I'm slowly getting everything done, though. I'm so close now I can taste it! No, wait, that's the rivers of sweat streaming down my forehead and into my mouth. Never mind. Anyway, back to the grindstone. Don't you feel very very sorry for me?
But not so opressively hot. : )
But not so opressively hot. : )
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Worldwide pants.
Guess who lives in an attic that has no ventilation and gets really hot in the summer time? Okay, now guess who has to pack all of his shit on the hottest day so far this year? Okay, now guess who's about to pass out from heat exhaustion? Get it? Got it? Good.
Friday, June 16, 2006
Don't know much...
I consider myself to be a reasonably well-informed individual. Maybe too much so, sometimes -- I had a conversation yesterday that consisted solely of my friend telling me things about her life, and me responding with recent articles I had read that related. But it wasn't always this way. In my misspent youth, I was as guilty as most young Americans in my ignorance of the world around me. I remember vividly the day the Berlin Wall came down, two of my friends and I spent the afternoon wandering around campus, looking for change on the ground so we could buy a paper and find out what was happening. It wasn't until second semester of my junior year of college (spring of '93), when I had a history class at Columbia taught by a Mr. Craig, that I started getting excited about politics. I don't remember Mr. Craig's first name, and he doesn't teach at Columbia any more, but damn, he was one of the best professors I ever had. (It's always amused me how broad Columbia's history classes are -- the class I had with Mr. Craig was "U.S. History II: Civil War to present day"!)
Anyway, sometimes things that I should have known kind of shock me, because they happened during those dark years when I paid attention to nothing but my own little world. For example, today I stumbled across this explanation of the ratification of the 27th amendment to the Constitution. It happened in 1992. You'd think that an amendment to the Constitution would be big enough news that I might have heard about it (I mean come on, it's the only Amendment that has been ratified in my lifetime!), but no, I had no idea whatsoever that all this had taken place. Sigh.
So, anyway, thanks Straight Dope! Once again you have shone a light on the dark corners of my ignorance. Or something like that.
Anyway, sometimes things that I should have known kind of shock me, because they happened during those dark years when I paid attention to nothing but my own little world. For example, today I stumbled across this explanation of the ratification of the 27th amendment to the Constitution. It happened in 1992. You'd think that an amendment to the Constitution would be big enough news that I might have heard about it (I mean come on, it's the only Amendment that has been ratified in my lifetime!), but no, I had no idea whatsoever that all this had taken place. Sigh.
So, anyway, thanks Straight Dope! Once again you have shone a light on the dark corners of my ignorance. Or something like that.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
I just don't know.
So, what, all I can post about these days is movies? I guess I'm just lame. Sorry.
Anyway, I saw "A Prairie Home Companion" this week. It was great -- I've only seen a couple of other Robert Altman movies ("Gosford Park," which I liked, and "Pret-a-Porter," which I didn't), but I really enjoyed this one. The entertwining of the different storylines that all touched on the same theme was really cool. And the cast is just amazing. Except for Lindsey Lohan. She was AWFUL. I don't know what has happened to her. Too many drugs, I guess. I even heard that Garrison Keillor re-wrote one of her scenes to have less dialogue after she complained, "You're not going to make me say all that, are you?" What a freak. "Off the reservation," as I've said before. Was Altman aware of this? Is he using her awfulness as a statement? In a movie about death, she appears as the only representative of the next generation (a traditional source of immortality, or at least comfort at death's door), and doesn't make them look good. Maybe that was deliberate.....
I honestly don't have much else to report. I went to a couple of parties over the weekend -- a birthday bash for my friend Liz (from euchre -- and do you have any idea how hard it is to explain that to someone who asks "So how do you know Liz?" at her birthday party?) on Saturday, and a going away party for my friend Janet (from Second City) on Sunday. I also stopped by Second City and checked out a preview of the new mainstage show they're working on. It was good but surprisingly old-school. There were several scenes I really liked, although I don't think they've done a very good job of integrating their newest cast member (my friend Ithamar Enriquez). Yesterday I had a coffee and cribbage night with Mikey B. And that pretty much brings us up to date.
UPDATE: In this week's Entertainment Weekly, there's an interview with Robert Altman which includes the following passage:
"For Lohan, clearly eager to prove herself a grown-up thespian, hitching a ride on the Prairie wagon as Streep's morose daughter was a shrewd career move. But Altman, who wasn't too familiar with the ingenue before casting her ('I saw that Mean Girls thing she did,' he muses), has only this to say about her place in his movie: 'If we didn't have name actors, the picture wouldn't be made. She's got a nice aura. And she'll bring [a different] audience to the picture.' "
Anyway, I saw "A Prairie Home Companion" this week. It was great -- I've only seen a couple of other Robert Altman movies ("Gosford Park," which I liked, and "Pret-a-Porter," which I didn't), but I really enjoyed this one. The entertwining of the different storylines that all touched on the same theme was really cool. And the cast is just amazing. Except for Lindsey Lohan. She was AWFUL. I don't know what has happened to her. Too many drugs, I guess. I even heard that Garrison Keillor re-wrote one of her scenes to have less dialogue after she complained, "You're not going to make me say all that, are you?" What a freak. "Off the reservation," as I've said before. Was Altman aware of this? Is he using her awfulness as a statement? In a movie about death, she appears as the only representative of the next generation (a traditional source of immortality, or at least comfort at death's door), and doesn't make them look good. Maybe that was deliberate.....
I honestly don't have much else to report. I went to a couple of parties over the weekend -- a birthday bash for my friend Liz (from euchre -- and do you have any idea how hard it is to explain that to someone who asks "So how do you know Liz?" at her birthday party?) on Saturday, and a going away party for my friend Janet (from Second City) on Sunday. I also stopped by Second City and checked out a preview of the new mainstage show they're working on. It was good but surprisingly old-school. There were several scenes I really liked, although I don't think they've done a very good job of integrating their newest cast member (my friend Ithamar Enriquez). Yesterday I had a coffee and cribbage night with Mikey B. And that pretty much brings us up to date.
UPDATE: In this week's Entertainment Weekly, there's an interview with Robert Altman which includes the following passage:
"For Lohan, clearly eager to prove herself a grown-up thespian, hitching a ride on the Prairie wagon as Streep's morose daughter was a shrewd career move. But Altman, who wasn't too familiar with the ingenue before casting her ('I saw that Mean Girls thing she did,' he muses), has only this to say about her place in his movie: 'If we didn't have name actors, the picture wouldn't be made. She's got a nice aura. And she'll bring [a different] audience to the picture.' "
Saturday, June 10, 2006
And nobody knows us.
Haven't posted for a few days because the blogger.com servers have been down for maintenance. I was going to write all about last weekend, which was incredibly fun. Heather's mother and sister were in town, it was houseguest central at Casa de Foster-Orrington, and craziness abounded. I need more craziness right now. Anyway, I was going to write about all that, but now it was so long ago that I don't feel like it. So there. ;-P
Saw "The Proposition" tonight. It was really well made and well acted, and BEAUTIFUL. But in the end, it was a bit thin as a story. More of a character study than a plot with an arc. Still, enjoyable. And very violent -- not a good date movie. Not that I would have to worry about that. Sigh.
Ah, well. Only a week and a half until the big move, followed by the big trip! Now that'll be some craziness.
Saw "The Proposition" tonight. It was really well made and well acted, and BEAUTIFUL. But in the end, it was a bit thin as a story. More of a character study than a plot with an arc. Still, enjoyable. And very violent -- not a good date movie. Not that I would have to worry about that. Sigh.
Ah, well. Only a week and a half until the big move, followed by the big trip! Now that'll be some craziness.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Team Aniston.
Okay, I admit it: I think I may have been wrong. I've been yammering on for years about how on the opening weekend of a movie, all of the profits go to the studio, but as the successive weeks go by, the percentage which goes to the theater gets higher and higher. So, why go on the opening weekend? Why not wait until you've had a chance to read some reviews, and if you still really want to go, then you can be sure that your money is supporting your local theater?
After thinking about this, and discussing it with several other people, I've decided that it actually doesn't make that much of a difference. First of all, the percentage change is not that great -- the bulk of the ticket price will still always go to the studio and distributor. Second of all, the place where the theater makes the bulk of their money is from concession sales. So if you really want to support your local theater (and keep in mind of course that most theaters are not owned locally but are national chains), then go whenever you want, just be sure to buy a $4 bottle of water while you're there.
That said, I went and contributed to "The Break-Up" being the number one movie at the box office this weekend. And, yes, I bought a $4 bottle of water. Christine went with me, which was fun -- we don't get many chances to just hang out. And since we're both moving in the next couple of weeks, this was probably our last chance to do it!
The movie was pretty good. There were a number of very funny moments, and the acapella version of "Rainbow Connection" over the credits was worth the whole price of admission. I thought Jennifer Aniston acquitted herself quite well. The reviews have been somewhat negative toward her, saying that her character was unlikeable, but I think that's kind of the point -- the character has gotten herself to a place in her life where she has become unlikeable. She isn't sure how she got to that point, and she wants out. The first and easiest way to make a change like that is to break up with your significant other. It's a fairly real situation (one that I've been in myself), and if I have any complaint about the movie, it's that she's TOO likeable at the beginning.
The other part of Jen's problem is that this is definitely Vince Vaughn's movie (he co-wrote it, too, in case you didn't know). She really should be only a supporting character, and I suspect that the girlfriend's role might have started out that way before Aniston signed on. This is essentially Vince Vaughn's "Punch-Drunk Love." That movie took Adam Sandler's comedic persona, the man-boy with an unpredictably violent temper, took it to a logical extreme, and examined the consequences of that behavior. "The Break-Up" does the same thing to Vaughn -- takes his quintessental guy's guy; that sports-lovin', beer-drinkin', video-game-playin' motor mouth; and wonders what would happen when that guy got into a relationship. Sure, he's charming as can be, but really only in small doses. Once you're living with him, a lot of that charm starts to wear a little thin. And what happens is: he gets dumped.
By the end of the movie, of course, he realizes his mistakes, learns a lesson, and we're left with the tacked-on happy ending that test audiences demanded. But all of this felt very real to me. I really liked the script, though it was not nearly as funny as I think most people will anticipate. They are looking for "Wedding Crashers 2," but they're getting something a little closer to a Gen-X "thirtysomething." I understand how likeable people can take step after step that each seem completely reasonable, yet lead them somewhere they never expected to be. And I understand how hard it is to come back from that place, and how sometimes it's easier to hate the other person than to work things out. The characters also get bad advice from their best friends, which is a fairly common and real problem, I would imagine : )
Roger Ebert said in his review that he didn't like them as a couple, so he was never rooting for them to get back together. But I think he missed the point. The movie is called "The Break-Up" for a reason -- they're NOT good together at this point (although it would have been nice to see a little more backstory about when they were good together), and the best possible thing for them IS to break up. You should be rooting for them NOT to get back together. Then they might actually learn something from the experience. And they do.
[Update: here's a link to a great review of the film from the Onion AV Club that feels the same way I do, and says it more eloquently.]
After thinking about this, and discussing it with several other people, I've decided that it actually doesn't make that much of a difference. First of all, the percentage change is not that great -- the bulk of the ticket price will still always go to the studio and distributor. Second of all, the place where the theater makes the bulk of their money is from concession sales. So if you really want to support your local theater (and keep in mind of course that most theaters are not owned locally but are national chains), then go whenever you want, just be sure to buy a $4 bottle of water while you're there.
That said, I went and contributed to "The Break-Up" being the number one movie at the box office this weekend. And, yes, I bought a $4 bottle of water. Christine went with me, which was fun -- we don't get many chances to just hang out. And since we're both moving in the next couple of weeks, this was probably our last chance to do it!
The movie was pretty good. There were a number of very funny moments, and the acapella version of "Rainbow Connection" over the credits was worth the whole price of admission. I thought Jennifer Aniston acquitted herself quite well. The reviews have been somewhat negative toward her, saying that her character was unlikeable, but I think that's kind of the point -- the character has gotten herself to a place in her life where she has become unlikeable. She isn't sure how she got to that point, and she wants out. The first and easiest way to make a change like that is to break up with your significant other. It's a fairly real situation (one that I've been in myself), and if I have any complaint about the movie, it's that she's TOO likeable at the beginning.
The other part of Jen's problem is that this is definitely Vince Vaughn's movie (he co-wrote it, too, in case you didn't know). She really should be only a supporting character, and I suspect that the girlfriend's role might have started out that way before Aniston signed on. This is essentially Vince Vaughn's "Punch-Drunk Love." That movie took Adam Sandler's comedic persona, the man-boy with an unpredictably violent temper, took it to a logical extreme, and examined the consequences of that behavior. "The Break-Up" does the same thing to Vaughn -- takes his quintessental guy's guy; that sports-lovin', beer-drinkin', video-game-playin' motor mouth; and wonders what would happen when that guy got into a relationship. Sure, he's charming as can be, but really only in small doses. Once you're living with him, a lot of that charm starts to wear a little thin. And what happens is: he gets dumped.
By the end of the movie, of course, he realizes his mistakes, learns a lesson, and we're left with the tacked-on happy ending that test audiences demanded. But all of this felt very real to me. I really liked the script, though it was not nearly as funny as I think most people will anticipate. They are looking for "Wedding Crashers 2," but they're getting something a little closer to a Gen-X "thirtysomething." I understand how likeable people can take step after step that each seem completely reasonable, yet lead them somewhere they never expected to be. And I understand how hard it is to come back from that place, and how sometimes it's easier to hate the other person than to work things out. The characters also get bad advice from their best friends, which is a fairly common and real problem, I would imagine : )
Roger Ebert said in his review that he didn't like them as a couple, so he was never rooting for them to get back together. But I think he missed the point. The movie is called "The Break-Up" for a reason -- they're NOT good together at this point (although it would have been nice to see a little more backstory about when they were good together), and the best possible thing for them IS to break up. You should be rooting for them NOT to get back together. Then they might actually learn something from the experience. And they do.
[Update: here's a link to a great review of the film from the Onion AV Club that feels the same way I do, and says it more eloquently.]
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Cryptic.
So, here's the thing: some of you may know that I used to be something of a poet. There was a time in my misspent youth when writing poetry did for me what this blog essentially does now; which is to give me an outlet for venting my feelings without having to actually explain myself. In that spirit, here is a poem I was inspired to write today. It's called "The French Connection."
i Forgot. i totally forgot
how Uncontrollable life can be.
it's so Completely frustrating sometimes that
i could Kick myself.
why now? why am i? why not?
i'm on another planet indeed.
Of course, none of you will understand what that's about, but I needed to say it, so thanks for listening. And, hey, if you can figure it out, call me. 'Cause I'd love to vent about it.... ; )
i Forgot. i totally forgot
how Uncontrollable life can be.
it's so Completely frustrating sometimes that
i could Kick myself.
why now? why am i? why not?
i'm on another planet indeed.
Of course, none of you will understand what that's about, but I needed to say it, so thanks for listening. And, hey, if you can figure it out, call me. 'Cause I'd love to vent about it.... ; )
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Sequel-itis.
The more things change, the more they stay the same, eh?
- Saw "X-Men 3," also known as "The Last Stand." It was fair to middling, I would say. I didn't hate it, but it sure had plot holes you could drive a truck through. Then there's this article from Entertainment Weekly, where the director comes off looking like a total prick. What was I saying last week about separating the artist from his art?
- Saw "Art School Confidential." Not a sequel, per se, but it has basically been reviewed as one. Everyone loved Terry Zwigoff's "Ghost World" so much that this movie has been under especially intense scrutiny. And it can't hold up -- it's a so-so picture on its own, and looks especially bad when compared to something like "Ghost World." It's not even as good as his "Bad Santa," which people thought was a fluke after "Ghost World," but now it looks like "Ghost World" was the fluke.
- Am finally going to try and finish the final book of Neal Stephenson's "The Baroque Cycle." I started it once before and got distracted, but I expect to have finished it before the camping trip next month (see below).
- It's an adaptation, not a sequel, but I think "Spamalot" fits into this category (the link is a review of the New York production, and harsher than I might have been, but relatively accurate). As I mentioned, my friend Chris Sutton is in the touring company, so he got Kingston and I some REALLY good house seats for Tuesday night's great show. It was total cheesy fun -- not just endearing but agressively charming. There was so much going on that I was waiting for them to drop in a kitchen sink! It was fabulous. After the show, we had fancy martinis at a swanky downtown bar with Chris and his fiancee, which was more fun than I imagined it could be, mostly due to the excellent company.
- This is a sequel to one of my very earliest posts here. In the NYT this week, Garrison Keillor, (who in the last two years has become a personal favorite) uses the word "trepidatious"!! Some of you may remember that I love this word, but am concerned about using it because it doesn't actually exist. Well, if it's seen print in the New York Times, then I think the folks at the dictionary had better start thinking about adding it to the next edition.....
- And then there's my summer living arrangements, which are a series of sequels. In a couple of weeks, I'll be moving out of Evanston. First, I'll load everything but some clothes and the computer (and my camping gear) into a storage pod and send it off. Then I'll move into a small apartment next door to my friends Jason and Kate (and their daughter Lily). Kate's mother owns both buildings, so I got a nice "friend arrangement" on subletting for a couple of months. For those of you who weren't aware, Jason was my roommate my first year in Amsterdam, and Kate (then his girlfriend, now his wife) lived with us for several months. An extra benefit of that move will be the time it creates for Kate and I to talk about the show we'll be directing together in the fall (she also directed "AmeriKafka" last year). After that move, I'll head immediately out to Denver for the opening of the new Second City stage out there, which features 3 actors I used to tour with, and was directed by a friend as well. I'll go straight from there down to Tennessee for a week of camping in and around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with my mom and Pat, coming home just in time for the 4th of July. Then once Michael Kingston's current roommates move out (date unclear, but no later than September 1), I'll move in permanently with him. Michael was my very first roommate when I moved to Chicago, so this whole summer is going to be like a journey back through time!
That's all for today. C-ya!
- Saw "X-Men 3," also known as "The Last Stand." It was fair to middling, I would say. I didn't hate it, but it sure had plot holes you could drive a truck through. Then there's this article from Entertainment Weekly, where the director comes off looking like a total prick. What was I saying last week about separating the artist from his art?
- Saw "Art School Confidential." Not a sequel, per se, but it has basically been reviewed as one. Everyone loved Terry Zwigoff's "Ghost World" so much that this movie has been under especially intense scrutiny. And it can't hold up -- it's a so-so picture on its own, and looks especially bad when compared to something like "Ghost World." It's not even as good as his "Bad Santa," which people thought was a fluke after "Ghost World," but now it looks like "Ghost World" was the fluke.
- Am finally going to try and finish the final book of Neal Stephenson's "The Baroque Cycle." I started it once before and got distracted, but I expect to have finished it before the camping trip next month (see below).
- It's an adaptation, not a sequel, but I think "Spamalot" fits into this category (the link is a review of the New York production, and harsher than I might have been, but relatively accurate). As I mentioned, my friend Chris Sutton is in the touring company, so he got Kingston and I some REALLY good house seats for Tuesday night's great show. It was total cheesy fun -- not just endearing but agressively charming. There was so much going on that I was waiting for them to drop in a kitchen sink! It was fabulous. After the show, we had fancy martinis at a swanky downtown bar with Chris and his fiancee, which was more fun than I imagined it could be, mostly due to the excellent company.
- This is a sequel to one of my very earliest posts here. In the NYT this week, Garrison Keillor, (who in the last two years has become a personal favorite) uses the word "trepidatious"!! Some of you may remember that I love this word, but am concerned about using it because it doesn't actually exist. Well, if it's seen print in the New York Times, then I think the folks at the dictionary had better start thinking about adding it to the next edition.....
- And then there's my summer living arrangements, which are a series of sequels. In a couple of weeks, I'll be moving out of Evanston. First, I'll load everything but some clothes and the computer (and my camping gear) into a storage pod and send it off. Then I'll move into a small apartment next door to my friends Jason and Kate (and their daughter Lily). Kate's mother owns both buildings, so I got a nice "friend arrangement" on subletting for a couple of months. For those of you who weren't aware, Jason was my roommate my first year in Amsterdam, and Kate (then his girlfriend, now his wife) lived with us for several months. An extra benefit of that move will be the time it creates for Kate and I to talk about the show we'll be directing together in the fall (she also directed "AmeriKafka" last year). After that move, I'll head immediately out to Denver for the opening of the new Second City stage out there, which features 3 actors I used to tour with, and was directed by a friend as well. I'll go straight from there down to Tennessee for a week of camping in and around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with my mom and Pat, coming home just in time for the 4th of July. Then once Michael Kingston's current roommates move out (date unclear, but no later than September 1), I'll move in permanently with him. Michael was my very first roommate when I moved to Chicago, so this whole summer is going to be like a journey back through time!
That's all for today. C-ya!
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