The LogBlog

Moving...

2010-04-26T18:41:00.001-04:00

I've decided to consolidate things and try to actually maintain ONE personal and professional blog. If for any reason you're looking for content here (meaning you're one of my 10,000 fans.... or fan... do I even have one?), head on over to my new website at http://www.loganculwell.com, or the blog at http://www.loganculwell.com/blog.

It's been real, blogger. Seacrest OUT. Wait, I think I did that wrong.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T13:08:00.000-05:00

It's 2010, folks. I don't think I'm going to do resolutions this year. I AM going to enjoy the day off today. For that matter, I'm going to enjoy all of my days off until January 17th, so I guess today isn't really all that special.

If you're in the market for a resolution, though, I suggest resolving to get Netflix. Netflix Streaming, if you haven't used it, is the greatest thing in the history of the world, and I employ no hyperbole. Yesterday I decided to watch some classic comedy movies that I'd never gotten around to seeing, and thanks to Netflix Streaming I can take National Lampoon's Vacation and Weekend at Bernie's off my never-seen list. They were both great, but I especially enjoyed Weekend at Bernie's.

Oh, and real late last night I, for some reason, got a hankering for Emma Thompson's 2001 HBO movie Wit. What a great movie. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and check it out, but bring tissues.

Well, like I said, HAPPY NEW YEAR! It remains to be seen what I'll be doing today, but I hope whatever you choose to spend the day doing is entertaining and fulfilling. There's only one January 1, 2010.

Back in Ithaca

2009-12-31T00:42:00.000-05:00

One more day of plane travel under my belt and I'm back in Ithaca, sitting on my couch and petting my kitty. Literally, you dirty bird. Thank goodness I was flying domestically. Otherwise I might have to adhere to the TSA's ridiculous new flight restrictions. Any bets on when some poor person's case of explosive diarrhea will send those rules shooting into oblivion?

It was a nice holiday visit. Along with the usual festivities, my family went out for a fantastic dinner at the new Wolfgang Puck restaurant Five-Sixty. It's the new restaurant at the top of Reunion Tower in Dallas, affectionately called the Big Ball. Like before, the restaurant features top to floor windows overlooking downtown Dallas in a constantly turning dining room. Everything else is different. Unlike the prior experience, the food is actually.. um... good. Really good. Expensive, yes, but unbelievably tasty. It's your typical new-schmancy-asian-and-something-else-fusion-type food but there are lots of tempting choices. I had steak and crab cakes and well... who could ask for anything more? 'Twas delish, but the most surprising part were the green beans (of all things) they bring out as a pre-appetizer-appetizer. I don't know what they did with them, but they were TASTY. I would kill for the recipe.

Oh, and I just saw Nine. I went in with no expectations because everything I'd heard was disappointing at best. No expectations is always the best way to go into a movie for me, but I have to say I pretty well liked it. It was exactly what I expected, which is not a bad thing. With the criticisms I've been reading, I wonder what exactly most people were expecting. After all, despite the fact that director Rob Marshall is most famous for bringing us the wildly successful film adaptation of Chicago, Nine is no Chicago. It's based on Fellini's 8 1/2, for pete's sake. It's cerebral and existential and not very plot driven. That's exactly what Rob Marshall put on the screen, in an incredibly beautiful package with lots of wonderful acting to boot. Are you going to walk out of the theatre going "WOW!"? No. But it's just not that kind of piece and I think it would have been wrong to try to make it.

The bottom line is know what you're going to see before you go if you want to enjoy it. And I guess I can't really blame the public too hard for that. Not many people know Nine and probably go expecting another Chicago as the commercials kind of make it look like that.

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and my only plans are watching Kathy Griffin co-hosting CNN's festivities with Anderson Cooper. I'm pretty excited. Hope all of you have fun plans too!

Did you have a happy holiday?

2009-12-27T16:25:00.000-05:00

I did! I got Rossetta Stone in German and the rumors are true, kids. It works and it works in a way that is not annoying like taking a traditional language class. I mean, I'm already fluent, as long as you define fluent as only being able to describe what people are doing if they are eating, drinking, sleeping, cooking or running. Oh, and being able to say hello and goodbye. But seriously, it's good stuff. In case you're wondering, I picked German on the recommendation of my conducting professor. A lot of musicals get done overseas with American creative team since musicals are a very American art form, and he thought knowing German would behoove me. I agree!

I saw Avatar. Not really sure why anyone was disappointed in the plot--what were you expecting, exactly?--but as an action movie, it is compelling and very visually entertaining. I saw it at IMAX 3D and neither me nor my mother got a 3D headache, either. I would definitely recommend this one.

I have seen no other no movies as of right now, though. I don't know what's up. I hear Nine is disappointing and that It's Complicated is downright terrible. Those are the two I wanted to see. I have no desire to see what looks like a RIDICULOUS adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, but apparently it's pretty good. I did finally watch A Christmas Story on Netflix Streaming, which is officially the greatest thing ever. The movie was great! Somehow I escaped my childhood without ever seeing it, but I thought it was real cute. I might have never seen it because when I was talking to my dad about it, he had never even heard of it. Not really sure how that's even possible, but whatever.

The real surprise of the season for me has been in games. Sure, I got a video game--Wii Sports Resort. It's very fun! Nothing revolutionary, of course, but entertaining for sure and the MotionPlus addition shows real promise for the future of the Wii. However, the REAL shocker was in a card game that I got for free. I bought my mom board games for Christmas and Target was giving away free Hasbro card games with them. I had Monopoly Deal, Scrabble Slam, Picture-something (Pictionary related?) and a kid one to choose from. I chose the first three and have played the first two. Scrabble slam is basically speed with letters, and is pretty fun. Monopoly Deal I was expecting to be terrible, but it was exactly the opposite. It is exactly what it is billed to be: a Monopoly experience that doesn't take near as long. It's different because there's no board and you're drawing cards and such, but it's pretty awesome. Everyone around me hates Monopoly except for me and Patrick Pevehouse, so I'm hoping this new form will perhaps allow me to actually get to play the game now and then. Unfortunatly, it seems like such a horrible concept (a Monopoly card game) that I can't really see the game doing very well, but I'll hold on to my copy and enjoy it because it is a good time!

Oh, and the other surprise of my holiday items? I randomly told my mom a while ago that I thought these cups at Starbucks were cool. They are permanent plastic versions of what the throw-away plastic cups they serve cold drinks in. Mind you I don't like Starbucks drinks at all. The only thing I ever get there is Caramel Apple Cider, but I just thought the cup was cool. Well, leave it to my mom to remember and get it for me for Christmas. Turns out the thing is double insulated so you can put cold drinks in it and it won't sweat. Also, unlike most double insulated cups, it has a screw on top with a straw, meaning my cat wouldn't try to tip it over for the liquid inside if I went to bed with it on my bedside table. Brilliant! So, I start looking around thinking I'd get one for Cody too. What do I find out? They are sold out everywhere and only available on Amazon 3rd Party Sellers and eBay for $40-$80 a pop. Apparently I am not the only one who loves these damn cups. Isn't that weird? The moral is if you happen to see one this holiday season, buy it and sell it on eBay. Or to me to give to Cody because you're nice like that.

Anyways, happy holidays!!

Night Music, Mario, Disney and MORE!

2009-12-18T17:14:00.000-05:00

Lots to talk about. First of all, the semester is over. I am muchly looking forward to a month or so of no obligations, visiting family, game playing and food eating. Ah, Christmas. Even as I type this I am making gingerbread cookies and I'm real excited about them.

So you should know that in January I get to do this really cool thing at the Goodspeed Opera House called a music direction intensive. The Goodspeed is a very well-known theatre that does (despite their name) mostly musicals. I'm basically going down there for a week to take lots of classes and workshops and to meet a lot of people in the biz. This is the first year they're doing it and I'm pleased as punch to be in the first group of attendees. There are so few educational experiences for wannabe music directors out there, outside of just actually working. It's nice to see that things are beginning to turn around.

OK so since the last time I blogged, I went to New York City and saw the new revival of A Little Night Music. I loved it. The production is not perfect. The direction at times is awfully slow and a couple of the performances were rough, but for the most part it was a solid production of a fantastic show.

First the bad. I get that the show begins with the characters distressed because they haven't found their proper partner, but I think this production directed this portion of the evening to be far too gloomy. A funeral-like dirge begins the show instead of the traditional lively Liebeslieder vocalise and I just sat there thinking, "NONE of the rest of the show was written to be like this." I didn't agree with the choice, but it certainly didn't ruin the evening.

Also, I thought Leigh Ann Larkin's Petra was fine, but she attempted some sort of lower-class European accent (Scottish or Irish or something) and it just really wasn't working. I mean she only even noticeably tried to do it every so often, which in and of itself is terrible, but when she was trying to do it it was terrible too. It's hard for me to believe that no one could have told her to quit it. I also saw the show in previews, so hopefully by now someone has.

My only other problem was some singing issues. The Liebeslieders, a singing chorus, were all cast with very unremarkable singers who in many cases couldn't sing the notes they were supposed to. This kind of baffled me. Then there was Anne, who felt it was appropriate to belt her way through Weekend in the Country. If it had sounded good, I could have gotten past the inappropriateness, but it just didn't sound good at all. The sad thing is she had a fine legit voice. Again, I sat there wondering why the production's creative team were allowing her to sing that way.

Now for the good. The set, especially act 2, is really pretty. Also, the casting is, on the whole, pretty terrific. I saw Aaron Lazar as Mathew Morrison's replacement in Piazza and thought he was much better than his predecessor. Now he's playing Count Malcolm and you just don't see many performers like him around anymore, unfortunately. He has a beautiful and very solid singing voice, but he can also act fantastically. It doesn't hurt that he's quite nice to look at either. His wife, played by Erin Davie, definitely was the shock of the evening for me. I thought she was fine, if unremarkable, as Young Edie in Grey Gardens and was pretty surprised when she was cast as Charlotte. She seemed to young and not the right type. Well, I was wrong. She was hilarious, genuine, and fantastic. She's the only Charlotte I've ever seen that managed to not play her as a emotionless sarcastic robot (not that I don't love that interpretation too) and make it work. I also particularly enjoyed Alexander Hanson's Frederick.

Moving on to the stars of the show, I'll say that Catherine Zeta Jones is a gorgeous woman. She also does a nice job as Desiree. It's not great, but it's certainly not bad. As far as star casting goes, I was definitely in approval. I agreed with Brantly's review that she was a little too vivacious and Velma-like, but it's nothing that makes you groan at her casting. Angela Lansbury as her mother, on the other hand, delivers just the kind of top-notch performance you'd expect from her. Wonderfully witty, heartbreakingly honest.. just all kinds of good. Her "Liasons" alone is worth the price of admission. That and the scene about the wooden ring. It was a total thrill to get to see a theatre legend and personal idol live!

Moving to a totally different stratosphere, I also (on a whim) bought New Super Mario Bros Wii recently, right after Children of Eden ended. If you have a Wii, you need to own this game. Single player mode is a wonderfully retro throwback to NES days, offering all the side-scrolling fun of Super Mario Bros 1 and 3. We'll just, erm, forget that 2 ever existed.

The real cherry, though, is in the multiplayer mode. You get all the same levels and game play, but you can have up to three additional players along with you. I didn't think it would be all that special, but it makes it surprisingly more difficult and a LOT more fun. I mean, my Thanksgiving break was basically spent on playing that game and really nothing else. I ate turkey somewhere in there.

I also recently got Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for my DS. I mean, what can I say? I love Zelda games. Always have and always will. This one is no different. Lots of side quests, VERY creative boss battles and puzzling dungeons. I am taking a break from it right now simply because I don't want it to be over.

Last, but not least, I saw Princess and the Frog, Disney's much-anticipated return to hand-drawn animation, last night. It was entertaining. I don't think it is quite the triumphant come-back I've heard other people call it, but it's definitely worth seeing. I was never very impressed with Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls, From Justin to Kelly)'s singing voice before, but she really delivers in this movie as Tiana. However, the songs are pretty unremarkable and nowhere near the quality of the Ashman-Menken canon that brough about Disney's 90's renaissance.

It was nice to see, for a change, a movie in which the theme was "wish on the star, but work hard to actually make it happen." However, as the movie progresses, this becomes cheesily preachy, thanks to some just vomit-inducing BAD dialogue. I wish they could have figured out another way to do it, because what could have been a really wonderful sentiment was just trite by the end of the movie. I also thought a certain character's finale (I'll leave it at that) was ridiculous and totally unnecessary.

Which, I also got to say-was anyone else scared out of their freaking MINDS by parts of this movie? Voodoo is freaky stuff and Disney did not shy away from it. The "henchmen" of the story are these shadow men that only exist as shadows on the wall or floor, but can still drag people and stuff. I mean, I may never sleep again. I'm just sayin...

ALSO--I was a little put off by some of the animation style. It seemed very mid-90's WB in parts. For instance, for those of you that have seen the movie, does this look familiar?

That would be Darla Dimple from Cat's Don't Dance and the child version of Charlotte from Princess and the Frog (who of course I can't find a good picture of) basically looks exACTLY like her. I don't care that it was ripped off (because it's not like a highly individual piece of artwork or anything) but I thought it was not very Disney, which I didn't like.

However, despite all this, I enjoyed myself and I would recommend seeing it.

Happy Holidays!!

Papermill's "On the Town"

2009-11-30T09:37:00.000-05:00

Living in Ithaca has benefits other than beautiful gorges and wonderful education. It also leaves me within driving distance of wonderful theatre. While this obviously includes Broadway, it also includes the Papermill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey. One of the most famous regional theatres in the country, the Papermill regularly employs Broadway talent and produces top-notch musicals and plays. Getting there early yesterday, I got to poke around all of their production photos, which was real fun. They had two from Children of Eden, which they premiered (in the current version) in 1998. I just finished working on Ithaca College's production of the show, so I was interested to see material from its premiere. You can not find photos of Papermill's production online, and there may be a reason why. It kind of looked like a bad community theatre production. I wish I had taken pictures, but alas you'll just have to imagine. On the other end of the spectrum, apparently they did Sweeney Todd in 1992 with George Hearn and Judy Kaye. Why was I not there to see this? George Hearn is wonderful (you can see him on the tour and concert DVDs) and Judy Kaye, whom I saw on the revival tour a few years ago, is among my most favorite Mrs. Lovetts EVER.

Anyways, on to the show. On the Town is a great show, and that was this production's greatest asset, along with the choreography. The sets were mixed from me, ranging from beautiful to sloppy and community-theatre-looking, though fortunately with an extreme scarcity of the latter. The costumes were fantastic, including a multi-changing costume for "Miss Turnstiles" as she bounces from vocation to vocation in her opening number.

The performances were the most mixed. In the three sailors that lead the cast, they had absolute winners in two of the three. Jeffrey Schecter as Ozzie and Brian Shepard as Chip both gave fantastic performances that I enjoyed a lot. Conversely, Tyler Hanes as romantic lead Gabey was all kinds of bad. I have to wonder why Mr. Hanes, who does not have a lyrical baritone voice, was cast in this role, a lyric baritone. The character gets to sing such Bernstein classics as "Lonely Town" and "Lucky to Be Me," but his voice was incapable of having any line at all, making ballads totally useless. Even if he had been able to overcome this, his voice is so nasal that it still would have sounded totally inappropriate in Bernstein's wonderfully jazzy score. On top of all this, I often found his dancing and line deliveries to be, for lack of a better word, queer. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. Unless the character is gay, please cast someone who can act like a man. Why does this seem to be such a common occurence these days, even on Broadway? I guess Hanes was cast because he's attractive, which he is. I, however, would rather have seem someone who could perform the part. I mean, all the sections that involved him were just not entertaining, and I always found myself waiting for the other two to get on stage.

I thought the girlfriends were all fine, including Jennifer Cody as Hildy, though she wasn't exactly how I would have cast that role. I would have rather had a real broad with a nice meaty belt that befits the character. Cody got the role and did a nice job, but had to vocal growl every five seconds to make her voice sound appropriate to the music and character.

Now, as I was thinking of all these things, I chastised myself for being too much of a purist on the singing. After all, I'm studying to be a musical director. Maybe I've gone too far off the deep end. However, I don't think that's why I have these complaints. Bernstein's score, and in truth the entire show, is highly stylized, jazzy and 1940s. Some of these performers' inability to perform in this style made it not sound right.

Which brings me to the music in general. First off, there were four keyboards, which I was just not expecting going to hear a Bernstein score. I incorrectly assumed they'd spring for a nice big orchestra, but I'll admit the sound wasn't terrible. Most of the problem lied in the orchestra's inability to play a lot of the syncopation in the correct style. This resulted in the band being off from the performers several times, which in many ways is just as much the performer's fault as the band's, but either way it was muddy. I also didn't appreciate the amount of musical changes they made to the score. The changes they made just felt unnecessary and cheap compared to Bernstein's brilliant original. For example, they added a stomp-like cave man dance to "Carried Away" that was absolutely ridiculous. I've seen the show as originally performed before and it doesn't need help to be entertaining. I really don't consider myself to be a purist, and certainly the score needed some updating to accommodate modern methods of transition and scene change, but many of the others fell flat.

All of this aside, it was mostly a very entertaining production. On the Town is a wonderful show that nobody seems to ever do, mostly because, like West Side Story and Fiddler on the Roof, the original production was dance oriented, being based on a Jerome Robbins ballet. However, unlike his later musicals, Robbins' choreography for On the Town is now lost, making any new production a hefty undertaking for a choreographer. Patti Colombo has definitely risen to the challenge, giving exciting and decidedly Robbins-influenced steps to her dancers.

The other problem is a movie was made shortly after its Broadway premiere with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, but for whatever reason the movie studio decided much of the show's material was too edgy for film. As a result, the movie of On the Town is completely unremarkable, if still entertaining.

The work of Bernstein, Comden and Green, however, is anything but unremarkable, and it's a great work worth exploring if you're not familiar with it. You could just go see Papermill's production, which runs through next weekend before moving to Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre next Spring.

Fall Break Post-mortem

2009-10-19T10:48:00.001-04:00

I haven't blogged in a while on here, and that's basically because I've been very busy with school. It's a good busy, though. Regardless, Fall Break was this past weekend and I was very happy to have a break. So what did I do?

I drove to New York City. Yes, you read that correctly. I got up in the morning and drove my car to Manhattan. That is an awesome ability I have. There was no airport visit. There was no security line. There was Cody, me, my iPod and my car. Oh, and also--there's a Sonic in-between Ithaca and NYC. Perfection.

Aside from getting to spend some time with wonderful friends I haven't seen in a while, we also got to see some theatre. Now, usually I'd be bummed that we only got to see three things, but there is not much on Broadway exciting me these days. Actually, the only thing that I actively wanted to see was Roundabout's new revival of "Bye Bye Birdie," but more on that later. We also got to see the new musicals "Memphis" and "The Toymaker," the latter being part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival for new works.

I knew almost nothing about "Memphis" going in, which is my preference these days. I knew the story had something to do with a white DJ and a black singer and had also heard that it was pretty bad. Now, I'm not going to tell you it was amazing, because it wasn't--but it WAS entertaining. The story takes place in 1950's Memphis (who would have guessed) and concerns a white DJ obsessed with black music and his efforts to play it on the radio. He particularly enjoys a singer named Felicia (played by Montego Glover, who has an incredible voice) and even falls in love with her. But wait--it's the 1950s! You can't do that! Two hours of fun music and scary racism later, we've all learned a little something and have been moved.

The problem here is this has been done before, and other musicals with the same plot points have managed to do it with considerably less triteness and saccharine. What you get here is a very bubble gum version of racism and race relations. The other problem is the music ranges from downright terrible ("She's My Sister") to just completely unremarkable. That doesn't mean the music isn't nice to listen to, but it's just not special or memorable at all.

Despite all this, if you can go without any expectations, you will have a good time. Despite all the above problems, I enjoyed myself and the only real complaint I had walking out was that the choreography never really sizzled for me (parts of it inappropriately looked like it belonged more in West Side Story). I'm totally happy I saw the show and I wouldn't recommend rushing out to see it yourself, but if you have the opportunity, I wouldn't turn it down.

"The Toymaker," was most remarkable to me because of its dynamic leading lady: Miss Abby C Smith. Some of you may not think the role of "Ensemble" qualifies as leading, but clearly you have never seen Abby in a show. But seriously, now--the show is very new and needs work, sure, but it had some very nice tunes. The story is about a holocaust-era toymaker who makes toys for the kids in his town and has made toys for his own children only to be devastated when they are lost before they're born. Years later, a modern-era childless woman starts finding these toys on eBay and goes searching for more, feeling a connection to this man's story. The show goes back and forth between both stories trying to create a lot of mystery and intrigue as the toy maker's story unfolds. Now, this was a world premiere show so one can only expect that the work is much development left, but I found the music mostly angsty which got a little taxing after 130 minutes. I also think the story could use some work. At the end, they kept talking about what the modern woman had done and how she had been so courageous and life-changing, but it didn't appear to me that she actually did anything. I also thought the premise of her becoming fascinated with the toy maker's life was very thin. Essentially, the problem was that there were lots of dots being connected throughout the show that really came out of nowhere. For example, in one song, the modern woman (Sarah) and her acquaintance (a Czech street kid she enlists to be her tour guide of sorts) sing about their deep friendship even though we, as the audience, haven't really seen that develop at all. Right after, she requests that she go to this particular meeting alone, as if apologizing for leaving him out. This is odd, considering she's done every meeting alone up to this point.

I don't know if this show is going to go anywhere, but the writer clearly has talent. A lot of the music was very pretty, and I think with some further workshop and development, one could get a nice musical out of it.

Now we move on to the show I really wanted to see. "Bye Bye Birdie" has the power to make anyone acquainted with High School musical theatre to run away or at least yawn. I don't blame them--I was once this way too. Then, I worked on an equally obnoxious production as the piano/conductor and was forced to listen to it every night for a while. My conclusion was that it's actually a very clever and funny show, but no one that I've seen perform it has gotten it. It's a satire, people! It's supposed to be stupid, not saccharine! And those movies don't help much either. You can't really satirize dumb 14 year olds when you cast mature sexy Ann Margaret. So, because of all of this, I was excited to see the show's first Broadway revival ever. I didn't know anything about Gina Gershon and I'd thought John Stamos was supposed to be good in "Nine" and "Cabaret," so I remained excited. I got even more excited when I saw that for ONCE in professional theatre they cast people as the kids that actually looked the ages they were supposed to play. Conrad (Nolan Gerard Funk from some Nickelodeon show) seemed a little too young, but I get it--it was as close to Zac Efron as they could afford. Excitement!

Then I saw the show and became embarrassed and enraged at the Roundabout theatre. Their production of "Bye Bye Birdie" was not only bad, it was so bad that I will probably never see a Roundabout production again unless it comes HIGHLY recommended from a friend who has seen it and whose opinion I trust. The set looked like a 60's stylized laboratory. The main pieces of the set were white and made of some Plexiglas looking material, and though the trucks with the other sets were more colorful, they all retained the bizarre Plexiglas composure. Did this designer not see "The Little Mermaid?" Plasticization is not a good choice, people! The costumes were no better, offering standard designs for the show but then coloring them in RIDICULOUS stylized colors, coordinated by family. And when I say coordinated by family, I don't mean each family had the same accent color. I mean that each family had one color and their costumes were all that color (the same shade even) and there was little else on their costumes. They looked like freaking citizens of Whoville.

Now lets talk about the performances. John Stamos had little to no character, little to no comic timing, and very little concept of good tuning. He was so flat at the beginning "Baby Talk to Me" that I seriously considering heckling him. However, he was like Renee Flemming compared to his co-star, Gina Gershon. Now, I understand stunt casting. It brings in money and hopefully the person is at least okay in the role. Gina Gershon isn't famous. I don't think there's a single person in the world who is seeing this production because she's in it, and if there is, they're probably the one devoted Gershon fan out there. This would all be fine if she was good in the role, but she's not. She can't sing. I don't mean her singing isn't the best--I mean she can't sing. Whenever she would complete a song the audience members around me would turn to their friends with faces of disgust because they couldn't believe that a theatre of any reputation would hire such a performer for a major singing role in a major musical. This might even be excuseable if she was acting the part really well or something, but she wasn't. I actually suspect that her voice was so bad as to be performance ruining even for a very good actress, but her non-singing performance as Rosie was mediocre at best, rendering the performance a complete failure in every way. Rounding out the "celebrity" cast (as we continue on our F-list tour) was Nolan Gerard Funk as Conrad. Yes, he's way too young. Yes, he looks far more Backstreet Boy than Elvis as Brantley put it. He actually has a pretty good voice, which was to be enjoyed with so much off-key nonsense going on elsewhere. Unfortunately he couldn't act his way through the scene work at all so it's hard to call him a bright spot. He was, however, immeasurably better than anyone else in the cast which is a sad remark on how much everyone else truly sucked. He also fell victim to some ridiculous and needless scenes of vulgarity in which the director apparantly found it appropriate to exploit his "hot bod" for no reason. For example, in the scene in which Conrad is supposed to come in for breakfast looking haggard and gross (despite having the teenagers of Sweet Apple still swooning over him, hence the joke), this production chose to have him come in with nothing on but tighty whiteys, showing off his chiseled pecs and abs. As per usual, he then pulls a beer out of the fridge and gulps it down, finishing with a burp. This production, though, had him drizzle the beer down his naked chest, after which he rubbed it into his stomach. Picture that for a second. Yes, that's right. It was "Bye Bye Birdie" and it looked like a scene from a freaking porn movie. RIDICULOUS.

But the non-celebrity performers were good, right? Nope. Allie Trimm was apparantly in "13" and now she's in "Bye Bye Birdie." She also clearly has no concept of comic timing or the role of Kim at all. She has a very weak voice and little to no personality in her role. In fact, the entire [VERY young] kids chorus was almost across the board terrible. Their singing was muddled and the dancing... well let's just say I can't even comment on the choreography because the performance of it was so sloppy.

Maybe casting actual youngsters as opposed to adults who look like youngsters was just a mistep. I'm sure the adult cast knew what they were doing. In all fairness, most of the adult cast was unnoticeable in a good way. Dee Hoty gave a fine if seeming apologetic at times performance as Mrs. MacAfee, but her husband, played by Bill Irwin, was bizarre. He was trying very hard, and I'll give him that. It just never worked for me. His hijinks and crazy voices never seemed to mesh with the production as a whole, which could be partially because everyone around him was performing like blabbering idiots. Unfortunatly, Mr. Irwin also falls into the "can't-sing-to-save-his-life" camp. It's not a singing role or anything, but his "Kids" was bizarre at best, and... well let's just say I wish he'd only mouthed "Hymn for a Sunday Evening."

All in all a terrible production that Roundabout should be ashamed to be accepting money for. Don't go see it. I spent only $20 on my ticket and it was far too much.

The trip, however, was in total a complete success. I'm glad to know now that I can drive to Manhattan with no problem, something I definitely plan to do a lot so I can see all the wonderful people who live there!

Overheard in the staff lunchroom...

2009-10-09T12:50:00.001-04:00

From the lunchroom I chose to eat lunch in today, up here in New York State. On the East Coast, yes, but still...

Girl 1: Ya I tried to watch the NASA launch today but I didn't see it
Girl 2: Oh, they launched something today? From where?
Girl 1: Earth!

... it gets better ...

Girl 2: No, but like where on Earth?
Girl 1: Oh, I think Florida.
Girl 2: Well of COURSE you couldn't see it from Florida. That's really far away.
Girl 1: .....they were supposed to show it on TV but I missed it....

So glad I chose to eat lunch here today.

Andrew Lloyd Webber thinks he can improve The Wizard of Oz

2009-09-16T19:00:00.001-04:00

Remember that "You're the One That I Want" reality show that cast the leads in the Broadway revival of "Grease!"?

Well, the idea for those shows started in Britain, where, apparently, its a much more successful venture. They've done it with "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", "The Sound of Music", and they're currently preparing to do it for a new revival of "The Wizard of Oz." I mean, everyone loves that movie and its a bonafide classic. I don't know about you, but I'd MUCH rather fork over $300 to see random people mimic the classic performances of Judy Garland and company, performances I could own on DVD and watch thousands of time for one easy payment of $20. That's just common sense.

But wait, there's more. Andrew Lloyd Webber, who was involved with all of these reality programs, has announced he's writing not one, not two, but six new songs for the revival. I can't even begin to explain how messed up this is. There is not anything that needs to be expanded in "The Wizard of Oz," and certainly nothing Webber, a pretty blah composer, is going to add to enhance it. He probably saw dollar signs out in the distance and jumped at the chance. After all, he is also working on a sequel to "Phantom of the Opera."

Seriously, Andrew--it's getting embarassing.

By the way, is it just me, or am I seeing something here...

Left: Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer of The Phantom of the Opera
Right: The Phantom of the Opera, as depicted in the 1925 silent film of the same name

..or maybe it's the other way around...

To fix the line breaks in Mac Word...

2009-09-16T14:48:00.000-04:00

I don't know if everyone was having this problem, but since getting the new Mac Office on my computer, I was very aggrivated by the default setting for line breaking. It would put a space like

this every time I pressed "enter," instead of a space like
this as I expected and wanted.

Well, I figured out the problem, and here it is! You have to edit the default template. How do you do that, you say? Well, I'll tell you.

Go to open a file. Go to your home directory (it should be there on the left with an icon of a house next to it) and then click Library-->Application Support-->Microsoft-->Office-->User Templates. In this folder you'll find a file called Normal.docm. Open it! It'll bring up a blank Word document.

Next, click Format up at the top and then Paragraph.

See that thing that says "Don't add space between paragraphs of the same style"? Make sure the little check box next to it has a check in it. Click "OK" and then save your changes. DONE!

If you were like me, you'd now be jumping for joy.

Thoughts on Glee

2009-09-09T23:56:00.001-04:00

It's not the worst thing I've ever seen, but... I just don't understand why this show is getting the buzz it's getting.

The lip syncing is really fake looking. It all looks fake, but there was even a scene in which two back-up-singing cheerleaders (one white, one black) were supposed to have the sound of at least three black girls. Isn't the show supposed to be about singing? Very odd choice.

Also, in general, it's just not that funny. They seem to be focusing on the dramatic aspects of the plot lines which is another incredibly odd choice to me.

Last, but not least, I don't understand why they think we are going to want to watch Matthew Morrison be married to a bitch for however long he is before he gets together with the guidance counselor.

Anyways... someone tell me what I'm missing and why this show is getting the buzz it's getting, because I'm lost.

Lightning Review: Official Book Club Selection

2009-09-08T16:10:00.000-04:00

I'm only a couple of chapters into Kathy Griffin's new book/memoir, "Official Book Club Selection," but I can already recommend it! Not only is it funny (as can be expected), it's also pretty interesting. I wasn't aware of how memoir-y it was going to be, but I'm glad it's like that. The audio book is abridged, which kind of pisses me off, because I would really like to hear her reading these things, but I guess everyone has their cross to bear.

By the way--did you know she also has a new CD out? It's called "Suckin' it for the Holidays" and it's only available digitally. I haven't exactly listened to it yet, but I'm sure it'll be as good as her previous specials and CD. I think this release was a little haphazard and mainly an attempt to get another Grammy nod. Either way, I'm happy to have another hour and a half of Griffin hilarity for $9.99. Actually, it was free. God bless going away parties!

As for the rest of my life, I have been incredibly busy. It turns out that free graduate school comes with a lot of stuff to do. I'm not complaining, don't get me wrong. I am loving the program and my classes have been wonderful so far. I also love the experience I'm getting. I always thought I'd be a good assistant after reading The Devil Wears Prada, and now I'm putting my money where my mouth is, so to say. Although, the demands made of me are a little more normal and mundane then, say, obtaining the next Harry Potter novel prior to publication.

By the way, not that this has anything to do with anything, but if you haven't already done so, I suggest reading the transcript of the speech Obama gave to school children this morning. You can read it here. Now, let me tell you I am not a big Obama fan. I don't hate him, but I don't think he's Jesus or anything. However, I am BAFFLED by the controversy on this thing. The speech is FANTASTIC and for once in my life I agree with every word of it! Not only that, but I found myself reading it thinking my Dad, my very conservative Dad, would LOVE this. What are people freaking out about?

SlingCatcher

2009-08-19T12:00:00.000-04:00

So one of the other unfortunate things about my Ithaca apartment is the only room wired for cable is the living room. Because I didn't feel like dealing with having another outlet put in, I decided to get a SlingCatcher, a device that lets you watch whatever you have connected to your Slingbox on a TV. I got it with trepidation, thinking it wouldn't work well and I'd have to take it back.

This was not the case! The video quality looks fantastic and I couldn't be happier with it. The remote works really well for everything I need it for, and if there's a not a button on the remote for something you need, you can press the options key and every other remote option for your device will come up on the screen.

Now I should say that I am using my SlingCatcher on a 4:3 tube projection TV output at 480i, so I'm sure it wouldn't look as good on, say, an HDTV or perhaps even a larger SD TV. However, alls I knows is that it's doing the job that I need it to do, and wonderfully to boot.

A word to the wise for those using or looking to use this with a TiVo: fast-forwarding and rewinding can be a little bit tricky as there is a delay in your remote command actually getting to the TiVo and streamed back to the SlingCatcher as it is being streamed over your home network. What I have figured out (and this has yet to fail me) is do two fast-forward clicks, and then when you see the program you're watching come back on, click play and then instant replay 4 times. Works like a charm.

The Move (Part 3): Ithaca at last

2009-08-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

We got into Ithaca super late Friday night after traveling all day. And I mean all day. We neglected getting a hotel reservation prior to arriving, and thanks to an influx of visitors for a Nascar race nearby (who would have guessed) we ended up in the craptacular Clarion Inn. Now, I'm not near as picky as my mother. All I want is a reasonably clean place to sleep and shower for the night. This place was a hole, and it didn't help that they were charging $200 a night per room. I, uh.. wouldn't recommend them.

We got to see the apartment that night, which was horrifying in some ways and refreshing in others. The living room was just as big as I'd remembered it, and if you know Cody and I, we are living room folk, so this was all good. However, the apartment was in pretty bad shape. There was a good quarter inch of dust on the top of all the windows (people had been living here up until a week or two before this, mind you), beer bottles under the bathtub, and an unmistakable red stain behind the toilet that could only possibly be vomited trashcan punch. Yummy.

The next day we went straight to work. My mom started giving the kitchen a good mom clean while my dad starting patching the hundreds (upon hundreds) of holes in the wall, some gaping giant holes. The movers were able to drop off our stuff that morning. In retrospect, this was probably a mistake. Taking a day to clean before having stuff would have been so very nice.

My parents were scheduled to leave at the butt crack of dawn the next day, but with the amount of work ahead of us, my dad graciously agreed to stay and help for a few more days. He ended up leaving Thursday afternoon, which was a godsend. That is, the fact that he stayed was a godsend, not him leaving on Thursday.

The time in-between was so terrible that I barely even want to speak about it. Stuff was everywhere, be it actual stuff that needed a place to rest, or moving trash, or new stuff trash, or one of the many many pieces of junk the previous tenants so... graciously... left us. We had to get things put away before we could really clean, and yet things had to be cleaned for us to be able to put things away without making our stuff gross. This basically meant that the apartment was a flustercuck for several days to say the least. On top of this, Ithaca was and is going through an unseasonable heat wave, and because this is not normal for Ithaca, our apartment has no air conditioning. Deep breaths.

We eventually got most of our stuff put away, or at least enough stuff to start painting. You see, the walls were white, and I use the word "were" because at one time they probably were white. In August of 2009, we found them a pale yellow at best, and that's only when any one color was constant. We painted, which actually added a whole new level of stress for me because after getting several rooms very close to done, we had to move everything to the center of the rooms so that the walls were exposed for painting. Though I could have left everything be most likely, I will say that the new paint makes the apartment look a LOT cleaner and nicer. It also gave excuse and reason to give the walls a really good scrub beforehand.

When Dad left, we were very close to being done, and in truth the work has slowed significantly since after the painting. Things were in a bit messy but good condition, and because of that, constantly doing stuff was no longer needed. This was not only good for my sanity, but for temperature issues and my desire to actually see Ithaca as well.

We have been continuing work and we are nearly done. We bought curtains yesterday and almost have everything put away. We have been able to see a movie (Julie & Julia, which was really good), rent a movie (17 Again, which was... not) and see some of the many wonderful things Ithaca has to offer.

It is beautiful, for one. TREES! I love trees and I don't know what I did before I had them around me. Driving out to the boonies in Texas reminds me of fields and being hot and miserable, but here it's a treat! Also, did you know Ithaca is the birthplace of the Sundae? Well, actually that fact is under dispute but I think that Ithaca holds the true honor. Just feels right.

Another thing that I really like about Ithaca and New York State in general is a couple of TV offerings we didn't have before. The first is New York 1 which covers a lot of Broadway stuff. The second and most impressive is public access television. Turns out anybody can have a TV broadcast in Ithaca as long as they complete a workshop that is free to attend. I don't share this intending to take it one day, but to impress upon you the amount of bizarre things you can see on it. For example, Cody & I have watched un-narrated horse footage being shown for seemingly no reason, a saxophone band in some club somewhere, and a lecture from these weird people on a very hippy strange lifestyle about harnessing energy and not focusing on the body or something. They had a word for it, but I forget. I came in half-way through on that one.

The main thing that annoys me about Ithaca TV is that Ithaca is such a small city that I think most of the programming is based in other cities around us. That might not seem like a big deal, but it is when you are forced to watch Sonic commercials and start craving it, knowing all the while that the nearest Sonic is about an hour away. Just. Cruel.

The other thing that [used to] annoy me about Ithaca TV (well, cable) is that they use something called Switched Digital Video, or SDV. It's basically a technology that requires your TV being able to communicate back to the cable company what channel is being requested so that only that channel is being sent over the coaxial cable, as opposed to "normal" cable in which all channels are sent all the time. Theoretically, this frees bandwidth on the cable lines making it possible to have better quality audio and video in addition to more channel options. This is all swell other than the fact that it doesn't work with TiVo. Usually to get digital cable on a TiVo you get something called a CableCard which basically makes it possible for encrypted digital signals to be received by the TiVo without a cable-company-supplied Cable box. Bad news is CableCards only communicate one way (information coming TO it, not out of it), and SDV has to have two-communication. It has to be able to tell the cable company what channel it is you're wanting to watch.

For a long time, this meant that if you lived in an area with SDV and had a TiVo you were basically screwed. Luckily for me, they have since come out with an adapter. I'll save you the long story by saying that it originally didn't work for me and now does, but I'll quickly add that the first thing out of the first tech who-came-out-to-fix-it-yesterday-morning's mouth was, "Well, I've never seen that before!" Lovely training, Time Warner. Oh, and he left some of his equipment at my house and never came to get it even though he called to say he was going to. Guess it's not important.

Other than all that craziness, I have been practicing the score to Children of Eden because that's the first show I'll be working on at Ithaca. I don't totally know my schedule yet with school or the production, but I expect things to be more clear after my meeting with my professor tomorrow.

A video apartment tour will be coming as soon as everything's good and finished!

The Move: Part 2 (Washington State)

2009-08-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

In between OKC and Ithaca, Cody and I took a little trip to Washington state to visit Cody's family. Let me tell you Washington state is BEAUTIFUL. The trees and the ocean--I mean it just basically doesn't get any better than that.

Day one I checked out some Seattle yarn shops while Cody had the wedding rehearsal. He has now officiated two weddings and was fantastic at both of them!

After the rehearsal, we caught ACT's production of Das Barbecü. Cody and I love that show and happened to see a poster for their production. It began performances the day we got there, so we figured we ought to go. Alas, it was pretty rough and terrible. The performance was plagued with lots of costume and technical issues, and some booooring performances added in made the evening less than entertaining. The sad thing is they clearly had tons of money to spend on their set and costumes and stuff but paid very little attention to details. You know, like casting good people or delivering jokes as jokes. I'm talking LOTs of money here. Enough to have elaborate and realistic looking topiary set pieces that are only in one scene and burned versions of the same also for only one scene, with real smoke coming off them and everything. I know this is picking at a really small issue, but at one point a character was eating chips out of a frito bag, but the chips were potato chips. That's just embarrassing for the theatre which is pathetic because fixes don't get any easier than that. Where do you get the money for a set like that but not to have freaking fritos in the fritos bag?!

Moving on, Cody had the wedding the next day and I set out for Ferndale where Cody is actually from. I set my GPS to avoid high ways and took the very scenic route. I was very glad I did, because I got to drive through some gorgeous woods and past beautiful lakes. About half way through, I felt bad keeping Lainey locked up in her case, so I let her out and even SHE loved it. She kept staring out the window at the trees, which is not usually what she does in the car.

Back in Ferndale, I got to be a guest of the Smith family which was awesome because they have a big family with a lot of little kids that are really cute. They also like to do picnics on beaches which, well.. I wish Texas or Oklahoma had beaches. Picnics are a lot less fun when you are surrounded by flat fields and melting in 100+ degree weather.

Then my parents joined us. Cody and I met them in Seattle where we spent a fun filled day capped off with another night at the theatre. We were lucky enough to catch the world premiere try-out of "Catch Me If You Can." It's a new musical by most of the team from Hairspray, and yes, it's based on the book and movie. It was not without problems, but for a world premiere it was in fantastic shape. The team took a cue from the 60's time period of the piece and made a campy and cool 60's musical, complete with technicolor TV specials, an onstage orchestra and flight attendants doing musical numbers! The ending was terrible, but this was a world premiere and given the caliber of writing going on almost everywhere else, I'd say this is one to watch for in the future. Norbert Leo Butz as the FBI agent chasing con artist Frank Abignale gave an especially entertaining performance, especially given his sister was murdered in Seattle days before the show started performing. I have to imagine that having another life to escape into at a time like that is probably a blessing in some ways, but I can't imagine a tougher thing to deal with. But seriously, his performance was fantastic, news story or not. Leading man Aaron Tveit also gave a nice turn as Abignale, and given he is an Ithaca alum (although I don't think he graduated) it made me a little more excited to be going there next!

We spent a day in Ferndale and then on the way back to Seattle, we went on a whale watching expedition. I didn't think I was going to be too into this, but it was really cool. We had some gigantic whales swimming quite close to our boat. Actually, just being on the boat and by the water alone was really fun. After that, we said our goodbyes to Cody's fam and headed to Seattle for one last night.

We headed out to Ithaca early the next morning, but more on that in the NEXT installment of my moving extravaganza!

A brief tale of comedy

2009-08-14T12:05:00.000-04:00

So this just happened and I had to share it.. AND it was too long for twitter.

I just called Cody into the kitchen to look at Lainey, who was being extra special cute laying in the window sill and looking out on the street. To accommodate her love of windows, he went to open the blinds fully. He goes "Don't be scared!" and literally the next instant he yanks the blinds cord and they come crashing down on her. Hilarious!!!

The Move: Part 1 (Goodbye)

2009-08-14T11:45:00.000-04:00

It has been a long time since I blogged, and that is because I have been a gritty, dirty, nasty hell hole called moving. I'll try to tell the tale if you're in.

Packing was a bit of a nightmare. Who wants to spend hundreds (and I mean hundreds) of dollars on what is essentially trash? Boxes, packing peanuts, bubble-wrap are apparently way more expensive than I would have guessed. Regardless, the movers arrived and most of our stuff left with only 3 days of Oklahoma City living stuffless.
As you can see, we were squatters in our own house. Lovely.

Our last days were filled with some lovely going away parties (shout out to the guys at GYC, and the gals at SWAK!) in which we received lots of yarn, a cake, and even authentic Bucky's beaver nuts (corn pops covered in the stuff they put on popcorn to make it caramel corn). They were tasty, friends, and you can make any joke you want.

You know, I've said goodbyes before, but I think when you're the one leaving, it's a lot worse. It was a rough experience and I hated every second of it. I'm glad that I'm moving on to the next chapter in my life, but saying goodbye to the closest friends I've had in my entire life... well it stinks.

And in that spirit, here is a list of things I will miss about Oklahoma City

SWAK
Brenda Holleman
Ted's and Tex-Mex in general
Blue-Bell and Braum's ice creams
Cheap gas
Air conditioning
My bestest friends

And in another spirit completely, here's a list of things I will NOT miss about Oklahoma City

The drivers
The heat
Paying utilities
Having roommates

I had to think about the last one before typing it, but I decided to accompany it with the following: I have ADORED all of my roommates since junior year of undergrad (and many of you will remember the one tumultuous year that requires that start date), but as time has gone on, it has become increasingly apparent to me that I needed to be living sans roommates (Cody doesn't count). We will always have a couch (at the very least) ready for ya, though!

The next stage of our journey was a stop-over in Seattle, but more on that next post!

It's $#*&ing HOT

2009-07-16T14:00:00.001-04:00

I don't mind telling you that in Ithaca today, their freaking HIGH is 82. At any given time, if you check the actual temperature, it is likely to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 69-76. There are times in this 100+ degree bake oven that I think I might just hop a plane and move there a couple of weeks early.

But I have friends to enjoy more time with, and money to make. Yadda yadda yadda.

In case you were wondering, the move to Ithaca is going as smoothly as a cross-country transplantation can be expected. You see, the fork in the gears here is Cody's cousin is getting married at the beginning of August, meaning we have to go to Seattle in between moving out of Oklahoma City and moving in to Ithaca.

Don't get me wrong--Seattle weather is going to be a fantastic change from Oklahoma and a little pre-moving vacation is going to be wonderful. It's just that it made planning and executing the move a lot more difficult.

We hired a moving company. Yes, no live tweeting of a horrific cross-country drive with a cat in the car. Sorry. Even my car is going to be shipped. This also means we will be without our stuff for as much as a week and a half when we get to Ithaca. That could be pretty bad. Fortunately, I plan on traveling with my laptop and wireless supplies. The cable company already has an appointment with us for the day we arrive, so if we have nothing else, we will have interwebz.

Cody and I took one last trip to Dallas this past weekend before going to Dallas becomes much more involved of a process. It was a nice visit, though kind of bittersweet. I found myself dwelling on how weird and terrible it is that it will be a LONG time before I get to see my parents' dogs again, and how I will probably never get to drive my car around Dallas again. For that matter, it may be quite a while before Cody gets to be in Dallas with me. If he's getting to fly away somewhere, chances are it will be to his parents in Washington state.

Cody has dealt with being this far away for 5 years now, but I haven't and I only hope that I will be OK with it. Of course, I'm not even mentioning all the fantastic friends and places in Oklahoma City we're leaving behind.

But seriously. It's hot. I'm hoping that at least at the beginning the drastic and very positive weather change will eclipse my homesickness, and I wouldn't be surprised if it did.

And with that, I leave you with this very interesting article from LifeHacker on how to cool down your scorching-hot car in greatly reduced time.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: Let's get down to it

2009-07-15T11:10:00.002-04:00

I bit the bullet at saw the latest Harry Potter movie last night at midnight and am paying for it right now as I sit at work exhausted. But I digress.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince yadda yadda 6th in the series yadda yadda late release yadda yadda franchise yadda I love yadda yadda expectations yadda. The 6th book is easily my least favorite, and here's why: NOTHING HAPPENS IN IT. Sure, there's a bit of action in the last 50 pages, but you have to get through a lot of expositionary filler to get there. Oh, and not to give anything away (and believe me, this isn't) but even when you THINK something happened.. well it's disappointing.

The movie reflects this. The lack of moving plot made a tough job for the cast and creative team making this movie interesting to watch, and they did a fairly good job. Jim Broadbent was especially good and there are interesting sequences. For the most part, however, nothing was happening in this film and it showed. The ending was not near as climactic nor moving as the ending of the 5th movie.

In conclusion, I suggest seeing this movie because it was entertaining, but I doubt that this will be remembered as one of the better entries in the franchise. Let's just get it over with and get to the needlessly-split-because-it'll-bring-more-money-in-that-way 7th (..and 8th...) movie.

100th Post: Free Chicken Day!

2009-07-10T11:58:00.003-04:00

No, I'M not offering free chicken, but Chick-Fil-A is. All you have to do is dress like a cow. Or maybe just look like one. I'm not real clear on that.

The bad news is I'm working all day, so I shan't be participating like I did last year. Drag. Regardless, enjoy these pictures from last summer's celebration.

Happy 100th LogBlog and more importantly, Cow Appreciation Day ;)

Rollover Minutes: Really?

2009-06-26T17:10:00.003-04:00

We've all seen the commercials, and they're hilarious (kind of). But... if you are not using all of your minutes one month what is the actual chance of going over your minutes the next month? It doesn't make any kind of sense to me. Le sigh.

Goodbye Nokia... FOREVER

2009-06-20T02:29:00.001-04:00

As you all know, my iPhone 3GS came in yesterday. It's perfect. Much faster than the 3G, with an awesome camera, compass and voice control. I love it.

And now for the good stuff: watching me destroy my old phone in a video shot on my new phone. Enjoy.

I was offered a job!

2009-06-19T10:20:00.003-04:00

I got an e-mail today from a company that looked at my resume online and from that, offered me a job with the following responsibilities:

Process work requests that necessary to maintain an effective payments transfer program
Managing cash and balancing receipts
Making collections (if necessary)
Posting payments
Making bank deposits
Perform related duties and responsibilities as required

I don't know why they think I'd be good at these things, given that my only resume is filled with my various music direction and performance gigs, but I'm happy to have the offer. Yes, random Internet company! A million times yes!

The finish line

2009-06-18T12:40:00.002-04:00

Today is my last day of iPhonelessness. Hallelujah!

I know what you're all thinking, and no, I have no flipping clue.

Pop Music and the New Musical

2009-06-17T14:30:00.001-04:00

I found this quite fascinating.

American Theatre Wing - Working in the Theatre - Pop Music and the New Musical - September, 2005

Shared via AddThis

Nokia 2610 v. iPhone 3GS

2009-06-16T10:13:00.013-04:00

Pros & Cons:
The Nokia 2610 compared to the iPhone 3GS

Pro: Comes with 'The Sims 2: Castaways' gratis

Con: It's a piece of shit

Pro: It's the awesomest phone ever
Con: It's not in my hand currently

Pro: $20 pricetag
Con: It's a piece of shit

Pro: GPS, Internet... EVERYTHING!
Con: NOTHING

I think my point has been made.

Days of iPhonelessness remaining: 3

You taunt me

2009-06-15T11:00:00.001-04:00

If it's prepared for shipment... than SHIP IT

Days of iPhonelessness Remaining: 5

The secret is pacing

2009-06-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

Last night I was in Tulsa and got to see several friends in Tulsa Light Opera's production of My Fair Lady. Let me just tell you that Tulsa Light Opera has (for me) more consistently delivered good productions than any other summer stock, and that's with me having been to several productions at the "bigs." Tulsa Light is always exactly what I suspect: not the best thing I've ever seen in the world, but totally enjoyable, well put together and worth the money. I won't say that My Fair Lady didn't have its share of troubles. A lot of the acting left something to be desired, as did many of the costumes. There were some.. I'll just say odd casting choices. Despite all this, I completely enjoyed the production, and you know why?

PACING.

It was paced really well, which confirms my theory that good pacing covers a LOT of other problems. Every time I bring the issue of pacing up the answer seems to be something along the lines of, "well the director had bigger fish to fry." I humbly disagree and submit that pacing should be priority 1.

Fin.

Congress Finally Does Something I Care About

2009-06-12T15:17:00.002-04:00

Is anyone else really annoyed by how LOUD commercials are?

Apparently I'm not the only one. This article is talking about a new bill that would limit commercials' decibel level to the average of the TV program during which they air. I am definitely in support of this. I am tired of having to mute my TV when commercials are on.

Click here for the full story.

Why ONG is stupid

2009-06-12T11:03:00.002-04:00

ONG, for those of you not living in the Oklahoma City area, stands for Oklahoma Natural Gas. I had an interesting run-in with them this week.

When we moved into our house, we had to pay a HUGE (read: $500) deposit to get them to turn on the gas. Apparently the people before us had been very delinquent in paying their bills and somehow they thought it was the house's fault. It didn't make sense, but there was nothing to be done so we paid it and went on.

Winter this year, we were told we could pull from this deposit to take care of some pretty big bills. Apparently this was wrong information and now we have a very large bill piled up and a cut-off notice. We told them we're moving in July so could they please use the deposit or put us on some kind of payment plan so we could pay a little and then just let the deposit take care of the rest of it when we moved to New York. They wouldn't let us. Too bad for us, right?

What we ended up doing is putting a stop on our current account and then opening a new account. When the first one stopped, the deposit went to pay our outstanding balance. The new account required a $215 deposit, but they said it'd come with the first bill which is due to arrive mid-July. We are moving July 30th. Are you seeing how shtupid this whole thing is?

If more people would just use common sense, I swear the world would turn a lot smoother.

Breathe

2009-06-11T21:52:00.003-04:00

After some frustrating calls with AT&T, Cody's upgrade price eligibility was FINALLY confirmed today and my brand new iPhone 3GS is ordered.

Get this brilliance: I am working all that day at the yarn store and was trying to figure out who I could bribe to stay home for me and sign for it until I realized that I could have it delivered to the store. BRILLIANT!!

Luckily between then and now I have a trip to Tulsa to look forward to. I'm going down for a knitting event (I know, lame) and am staying until the evening to see Ms. Jessica Diana Salley in My Fair Lady.

Days remaining of iPhonelessness: 8

SUSPENSE!

2009-06-10T16:57:00.003-04:00

No, this post is not about the fantastic old-time radio drama (which, incidentally, you should look up if you're not familiar). It is about the suspense of not having an iPhone. Sure, I can tweet via text, but I have no clue if someone responds until I can find a computer or until Cody is nice enough to let me borrow his (used-to-be mine, oh the irony) iPhone.

Also, apparently it takes up to 72 hours to process an upgrade eligibility reversal if it's coming from a non-AT&T retail store, and since we bought Cody's original phone at Best Buy, this is the case. I sure would feel better if I had a new iPhone ordered and secured, but it will be tomorrow some time before I can. As you can see, suspense surrounds my current situation.

Remaining Days of iPhonelessness: 9

--

In other news, I have been listening to Sister Act the musical a lot and.. well I liked it the first time I heard it, but it's growing on me even more. I pretty much can't wait for the cast recording to come out. The annoying thing about that is I believe it will be released first in the UK, which is fine because lord knows I'm not scared of ordering Dutch 'The Wiz' CDs from websites that are completely in Dutch. However, with a release date of 'late July,' there is no real way for me to order it until I know for sure when it's being released / when it would actually arrive at my house. Dern moving up north.

--L

Diary of an iPhone Addict: Part 1

2009-06-09T10:42:00.002-04:00

Do you know what it's like not knowing that you've received an e-mail immediately after it is received?

I know. It is a fact of my life for the next two weeks, and one that it's really hard for me to deal with. It's hard for me to deal with the fact that I can not Twitter except via text message (which does not allow me to check other's Tweets) or with the aid of a computer. It's hard for me to accept that now I have TWO crappy phones... my work phone AND my real phone.

But in 10 days I will have a brand new iPhone 3GS, and that's what it's all about, right? Improved camera with video recording capability, integrated compass and voice command... mmmm

We're going to Wichita tonight to see Ian Gibb in The Producers at MTW. A whole car trip without an iPhone. WHAT if I want to watch Peter from Family Guy with acrylic nails on YouTube again?!?!?!

And speaking of which, I leave you with...

iPhoneless

2009-06-08T20:55:00.002-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen

I have quite possibly made the mistake of my life. You see, Cody was bought and given an iPhone 3G exactly 30 days ago today. Next week on the 19th, the iPhone 3GS will be released. Given that I am a technophile, I expressed interest in one and realized that since Cody's iPhone was still in its 30 day return period, it could be returned while still retaining eligibility for upgrade price. Therefore, Cody's iPhone has now been returned, my iPhone is now Cody's, and my phone is a shitty $20 Nokia GoPhone until the 3GS comes out on the 19th. Ya, a new iPhone sounds fantastic and all.. but two weeks with no iPhone...

Will I survive?

Stay tuned.

Sister Act in the UK

2009-06-08T13:03:00.005-04:00

After last night's Tony Awards, I am very excited to be reporting about a new musical I'm actually eager to see. Several years ago I had the pleasure of seeing the world premiere of "Sister Act the Musical" in Pasadena, CA. The movie on which it's based is one of my all-time favorites, and given the uh... less than stellar... track record of movies made into musicals as of late (artistically speaking, of course) I was worried to see it. However, what I saw was actually pretty entertaining. For once someone had endeavored to actually ADAPT a movie for the stage as opposed to just transplanting it into a live presentation with songs inserted. In fact, fans of the movie seeing the new musical will be surprised to find that the time and musical texture of the story has been changed to the disco 70's. I think that was a great choice, personally. The completely-original Alan Menken score is, in my opinion, his best in years. It most certainly had its problems (MAJOR problems, some) but that is to be expected to some degree from a world premiere.

Well, now the show has opened in London's West End and by means I'm reluctant to discuss in any public forum I have heard but not seen this new production. I'm happy to report that many of the errors have been fixed. First and foremost, Patina Miller (Delores understudy in Pasadena) is giving a FANTASTIC star-making performance in the leading role of Deloris Van Cartier, replacing the lack luster Pasadena lead, Dawnn Lewis. Several terrible songs have been eliminated and replaced with much better ones. I am also happy to see one of the best songs from the Pasadena production, "Fabulous, Baby," reinstated after being cut from the Atlanta production that followed a few months after the Pasadena try-out.

No official announcement has been made about a US transfer of this production, but I can't really imagine it not making the leap. I found it extremely entertaining and I'm usually pickier than most.

I have one complaint. The logo for the Pasadena and Atlanta productions has been replaced with a much less-awesome one. See for yourself:

Pasadena / Atlanta:
London:

I mean, the latter isn't bad but the former is SO much better.

The cast recording is set to be released in the UK in late July on First Night Records.

So I've been a little delinquent...

2009-05-15T09:36:00.006-04:00

My last blog post was April 3rd and it's now May 15th. Oooops!

Luckily lots has happened since then. The school year ended and I got all A's--a satisfactory way to be leaving OCU forever. I may have had my gripes from time to time, but overall I really loved my time at OCU. I met some incredible teachers that I will never forget and learned things that I will carry forever.

That being said, I very happily deleted my OCU e-mail account from my phone and computer as soon as my grades posted. Now I don't have to get 90 ALL CAPS e-mails from Jonathan Triplett about whatever event he's promoting that only he cares about. That's right. I said it, and in a public forum. I don't care who reads it. I hate Jonathan Triplett. To be fair, I don't actually know him at all, but I DETEST his e-mails.

I somehow cranked out two papers towards the end of the year despite having the worst case of already-got-into-Ithaca-itis EVAR. The way I did it was by actually caring about my topics, which were the sexual subtext in Sondheim's 'Into the Woods' and Bernstein's 'Candide': Musical or Opera. Both ended up being quite interesting to write, and especially for 11th hour work on my part, I was very proud of them.

Speaking of Ithaca, Cody and I officially have a place to live for when we move there. Lease is signed and everything. It's going to be right across the street from a yarn shop, so that may be kind of dangerous. In case you were wondering, our current plan is to go to Seattle for Cody's cousin's wedding in early early August. We'll also get to visit with his family and see the Pre-Broadway tryout of Shaiman's new "Catch Me If You Can" musical, which could be neat. Then we will fly to Ithaca and meet all our stuff (moving company).

As for the summer, I am pleased to announce that I have procured my first 'McJob' EVER. I have heretofore only been employed as a performer, pianist or musical director so I figured I needed to have at least one 'regular' job before I went on my merry way. Luckily, I really enjoy it! I am working for a company called 858-ToGo. They deliver from restaurants that don't deliver for a small surcharge. I know what you're thinking--why would people pay more for food when they could just go get it themselves? Apart from the awesomeness of having it delivered to your door, you should know that about 99% of the orders they get are from businesses, specifically medical offices. Basically I go and pick up an order and deliver it and them I'm on call until the end of my shift for new orders that come in. As far as McJobs go, it's an entertaining way to make money and all the people in the office are really nice, which I totally enjoy.

I'm also venturing out into retail for the first time, albeit a 'different' kind of retail. I am also working at Sealed with a Kiss, my local yarn shop! Again, the people are all really fantastic to work for and with. I get to help people pick out yarn and help them with their projects if they need it.

Incidentally, if you are knitting or wanting to learn to knit, I would like to offer the following advice: Do it a lot. I've been noticing that I am a better knitter than several people who have been doing it much longer, and I think it might be just because I've taken to it well, but to go down a much less egotistical route, I think it's mostly because I do it a lot (as in hours of the day). Practice makes perfect, and when being taught a new skill, it can be easy to forget if you don't ingrain it into your mind grapes soon thereafter. I highly recommend picking up some needles and trying it out if you haven't. It's incredibly relaxing, fun and creative. It's also completely functional, which is a nice bonus.

What am I working on now? I started a second Sackboy, but he's been losing my attention to my mom's Shipwreck Shawl. I would show you a picture of my progress, but lace looks really ugly until you block it, so you would just judge me and it.

Today kicks off Sealed with a Kiss's Knit Out 2009, a retreat in Guthrie, OK at which there be trunk shows from some really great artisan yarns and workshops with some incredible teachers, including WendyKnits' Wendy Johnson (hot off the press of her new toe-up sock book), Mags Kandis (of countless books and patterns) and Joan Shrouder, the famous teacher. It promises to be an incredible retreat. I am taking Wendy's classes because she's doing all sock stuff, which I am in the process of fully learning. She teaches toe-up technique, which is cool because then you don't run out of yarn at the toe--you just make the cuff shorter! I've also been promised great food, eclectic company, and interesting yarns. Needless to say, I am chomping at the bit to get up there and start the weekend!

I got to drive Mags Kandis to Guthrie from the airport last night, and she is a cool lady if ever there was one. Drives--especially 45 minute Guthrie drives--can be real awkward when you don't know the person, but this was not a problem with Mags. She's also from Canada, which right there makes her about 90% cooler without even trying.

I almost forgot my most exciting update: I finished my sweater! It was my first sweater and it totally fits and everything, which means I must be doing something right for once in my life. The pattern is Jared Flood's Cobblestone Pullover, and I made it out of cheapy Cascade Tweed. It actually ended up being comfortable and everything, but now that I made a sweater that wasn't a total disaster, I may move on to more expensive options. Here's some pics:
I'm very proud of that sucker.

Okay. That's all for now. I need to get ready for work. Love to all I haven't seen in recent weeks!

Look, I made a sock where there never was a sock

2009-04-03T21:27:00.002-04:00

I'm really proud of these, you guys. They're super comfy and for as much people freak out about socks, they were super easy to make. I sense that these will be the first of many pairs in my future.

Pattern: Knitting Pure and Simple, Beginner Mid-Weight Socks (Large Size)
Yarn: Sirdar Click DK, Fern (3 balls)

The Ithaca Mega Post

2009-03-23T08:52:00.002-04:00

The Audition:

If you didn't know, I spent the last three weeks furiously preparing for this grad audition. While for a conducting degree. most of the audition was for the assistantship that goes with it, which basically involves a lot of accompanying. I was instructed to bring an aria, a music theatre piece, a classical piece, and the song and dance break to the revival version of 'Too Darn Hot,' which I later found out is pretty much a huge bitch to play. Anyways, I decided to bring some options for the pieces I was choosing, so for my arias I brought 'Glitter and Be Gay' from Candide and 'Der Hölle Rache' from The Magic Flute. For Music Theatre, I brought in 'Change' from A New Brain and 'If Mama Was Married' from Gypsy. My classical piece was the adagio from Pathetique because who wants to prepare a classical piece from scratch. NOT ME. I was also prepared to do some sight reading and conduct the opening to Titanic the Musical. Woo!

Cody, my parents and me all flew into Ithaca (which is at the southern tip of the Cayuga finger lake, btw) last Thursday and I basically spent all my free time until my 9am audition on Friday utilizing their practice rooms. At 9 on Friday, I went up to Brian DeMaris (the director of the program)'s office for an interview and the piano audition which went really really well. Brian is super awesome. He's conducted at the New York City Opera with Paul Gemignani, but he's only allowed to be away from school for two weeks, so he won't be gone all the time. We got along really well.

Next we took a little tour of the music and theatre schools (mine will be a music degree, whilst the musical theatre program with which I will be working is in the theatre school) and let me just tell you it is a FANTASTIC facility. They have tons of classrooms (imagine that) and some of the most beautiful performance spaces I've ever seen. The theatre school is really 70's, but it's being completely re-done over the summer, so that's going to change. Regardless, even their performance spaces are pretty awesome.

After some lunch, we went to Ithaca's Music Theatre Workshop class. Their's is a bit different from our's. It's a really long class that they take on Fridays in which they work on numbers from shows. They also use this time to have audition and career master classes. I came in and played 'Too Darn Hot' whilst they danced to it, and then I conducted them in the opening to Titanic. Let me just say that I rocked this part of the audition, which is kind of a miracle because I ended up having VERY little time to prepare the conducting part of my audition. After this, I parted ways with Brian and met the current MT/Opera conducting grad student Jeff Theiss, who is really really awesome. Unfortunately, he's leaving. He took me to a little meeting with their music admissions director, who answered a few of my questions, and then I got to hang out with some of the grad students. I liked them a lot, and they made me feel pretty positive about the program and the school AND the city.

Okay so at this point I was done and left. I was like 99% sure I had gotten it because of a lot of stuff that people said to me during the day and the way they were acting. Regardless, I was ready to wait 2 weeks because that's what the admissions guys said. Sure enough, a couple of hours later I got an e-mail from Brian saying that he had chosen me for the program and the assistantship and everything which was REALLY nice of him because then I could use the rest of my trip to really see what it will be like to live here.

I worked really hard and I am really glad to have been successful. Ithaca is extremely cool and I'm super excited to be in school here.

That night we went to their rehearsal for 'A New Brain' which kind of sucked because it was a tech cue-to-cue. We left early.

The City:

Saturday we slept in (thankfully) and looked at some housing options. No one was open to show us anything on Saturday, so that stunk, but we got to look at a lot of outsides. We hung out a lot at the commons, which is this is very community/hippie outdoor shopping center in downtown Ithaca. We also visited the Taughannock Falls, which is the biggest waterfall in the northeast. It's also BEAUTIFUL. We were originally scheduled to leave early Sunday morning, but knowing now that I would definitely be living here next year, me and Cody decided to stay until Tuesday morning so that we could actually go into some houses and hopefully find a place to live.

After taking my parents to the airport on Sunday, Cody and I toured the mundane aspects of living in Ithaca. First off, they have an inCREDIBLE grocery store called Wegman's. It's the kind we've been looking for but could never find in Oklahoma City. It also has a Redbox in it and a Chili's right near by. This block alone shot my excitement for living here up by at least 60%. We also went to their Target, Best Buy and Borders (See, I'll be fine!) and their yarn stores. All very nice.

Today we are waiting to hear back from some rental peoples and hopefully look at a lot of places to live. More on that later.

I'll be back in OKC Wednesday!

Because it was too long to post on Twitter...

2009-03-18T04:13:00.002-04:00

So I'm up late knitting (again, damn it) and WE (shut up) is having a 20/20 marathon. They showed the saddest story ever about these two 23-year olds that were high on crystal meth and lost in a blizzard. They kept calling 911 but they couldn't tell them where they were because they were hallucinating so much. I'm not going to lie--some of the things they were saying as a result of the hallucinations were quite hilarious, but they ended up dieing so it wasn't so funny. The weirdest thing of all was they had taken the meth 2-3 days before this incident happened. I didn't know the effects could last that long.

The moral is, don't do meth. --End--

iPhone Oregon Trail, Day 2

2009-03-12T15:07:00.002-04:00

Restart your iPhone. After you do, it won't crash any longer.

And it's still. Amazing.

Lightning Review: Oregon Trail iPhone

2009-03-11T15:13:00.005-04:00

I haven't played this too much yet, but for those who are wondering, Gameloft's new iPhone game, "Oregon Trail," is pretty awesome. Now, this isn't the Oregon Trail from your elementary school. They actually don't make that game anymore (lame). What we have here is a very cartoony and game-like version of the original. People still die, you still have to hunt, and you're still crossing the country in a Conestoga, but there's a lot less emphasis on the simulation aspect and a lot more on the fun and craziness. When you hunt now, instead of an open-ended field you can shoot at until the animals won't come any longer, you have a time limit in which to catch a certain number of animals, lest you be forced to return to the wagon empty handed. Ditto on fishing. Remember how you could find dead Buffalo and harvest their meat? Now when that happens, you find an upside down buffalo in the path ahead of you, covered in flies and with a quite comical "dead" expression on its face. Should you choose to harvest its meat, it instantly becomes a skeleton in the same position. You see where I'm going with this. All things considered, it's super fun and very nostalgic for those of us that played it through our childhood. With some added sense of humor, this one is definitely worth the $6 price tag in the iTunes app store, at least in my opinion [link].

UPDATE: You don't return empty-handed if you don't meet the challenge quota for hunting/fishing/berry picking, you just get a lower rating. Also, I feel it neccessary to tell you that this game has crashed a fair amount whilst I have been playing, but it seems to auto-save. I have never had to go back too far from where I was. AND I'm sure they will update it before too long with a version that fixes this. It's not a deal breaker for me at ALL.

Here's one way to stick it to the man

2009-03-10T15:24:00.003-04:00

This guy was upset with his high electric bill of $350, and to show his dissatisfaction, he paid the entire balance in pennies. Good job, sir. I tip my hat.

http://consumerist.com/5167480/upset-with-350-electrical-bill-man-pays-in-pennies

"Shameful Self Promotion", or "Come See Assassins!"

2009-03-03T21:36:00.004-05:00

If you're in the city (Oklahoma City, that is), come down to OCU's Burg Auditorium (in the Fine Arts Building) to see me in the ensemble of Assassins. I get to be killed by my roommate and sing "How I Saved Roosevelt" which is really awesome.

"Assassins"
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by John Weidman

March 6-7, 8:00pm
March 8, 3:00pm

All performances in Burg Auditorium.

More Information

I am a badass

2009-02-24T15:49:00.002-05:00

Behold: my finished homemade dopp kit

'Twas knit (from a pattern in "Knitting with Balls," if you were wondering) and then felted (when a wool knit is put in a hot-water wash with agitation). Cody did the zipper and lining.

Bow down to my crafty awesomeness.

For you bulimics out there

2009-02-20T11:03:00.000-05:00

Contrary to the end of this video, she did NOT cut her nails on the date she'd set. She was in a car wreck 10 days ago in which she was thrown from a SUV and they broke off, if it makes you feel any better.

High-Def Musical (HSM Blu-Rays)

2009-02-19T12:52:00.000-05:00

High School Musical 3 came out this past Tuesday on both DVD and Blu-ray formats, and with it Disney released the original movie on the Blu format as well. With the already-released Blu-Ray High School Musical 2, all three movies are now available in high-def.

Needless to say I bought them all. Yay credit cards!

If you haven't seen it yet, HSM3: Senior Year is the true sequel to the original High School Musical you've been waiting for. With ridiculous acting, obvious dubbing, and fun choreography to boot, there's little not to enjoy here.

Unfortunately, the ability to watch the movie whenever I like is about the only reason I'd recommend buying this title. There is next to no special features on it, including only the sing-along version of the movie, a few deleted scenes and bloopers and featurettes. Where are the dance-a-longs? Where is the making-of documentary?

The answer is clear. Within 6 months or so, Disney will most likely release High School Musical 3--YEARBOOK EDITION (or something) that will have the extras that should have been on the first release. They were at least smart enough to release the first movie on Blu-ray complete with the special features from the 2-disc "Remix" edition DVD release. HSM2 has a similar feature set to that of HSM3's release. I'm sure the "Dance Edition" will eventually be released on Blu-ray as well.

A nice perk of having the first two movies on Blu-ray is that they're now presented in widescreen, something Disney has provided with little to no fanfare, strangely enough. I'm assuming both movies were filmed on widescreen cameras with a box on the monitor showing the TV aspect so as to gear it towards that size. Whatever the case, the picture is now a bit wider. It's odd to me for the following reasons:

Disney had the foresight to tape the first one in any kind of widescreen
No widescreen version of either of the first two entries has ever appeared on DVD
There is no mention in commercial nor on the disc itself that the Blu-ray presents the widescreen version of the movie for the first time. Wouldn't you think that could be a selling point?

I mean I'm happy to have the movies because they're hilarious and that's wonderful and all, but methinks by Christmas there will be a different set out, one with much more to offer in special features. I will be very annoyed when that happens. But I'll probably still buy it. Touché, Disney. Touché.

Knitting Moral for the Day

2009-02-17T12:37:00.000-05:00

Here's your knitting moral for the day (because you all need it): ALWAYS BUY EXTRA YARN

Yea, my Mogul's Scarf could be done right now, but I'm waiting on one more ball of yarn, and since KnitPicks is quite slow in delivering to me in little ole Oklahoma City, I get to just sit on my hands until it gets here. Boo.

P.S. that's TOTALLY me in the picture of the scarf I'm making.

In case you were wondering, I'm also working on this dopp kit (men's toiletry bag)...

and this needle case for my spiffy interchangeable needle set.
I'll put up actual pics of my work up when I finish them!!

PSA: Sex Ed on the View

2009-02-17T11:17:00.003-05:00

I just heard Elizabeth say on The View that there's a big difference between an abstinence-only sex education program and not teaching abstinence at all in a sex-ed program.

Earth to conservative America: THERE IS NOT A SEX ED PROGRAM IN THE WORLD THAT DOESN'T TEACH THAT ABSTINENCE IS THE ONLY SURE-FIRE WAY TO NOT GET ANY OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF BEING SEXUALLY ACTIVE.

What the rest of the world is saying is that abstinence is an important lesson, but given that teenagers will NEVER just be abstinent, it is vitally important to teach them about birth control. If you've ever talked to a teenager, then you know the ignorant things they so sadly believe in.

All this came about because Sarah Palin's daughter gave an interview talking about how abstinence only programs don't really work because teenagers aren't just abstinent. It's so true, and it bothers me so much that there are abstinence only programs out there, such as in GISD my alma mater. It's on par with preventing the surfs from being able to read for fear of where that knowledge will lead them.

It'll be Weird Romance TONIGHT!

2009-02-16T19:33:00.002-05:00

This entry was originally published on LoganCulwell.com, which you should visit right now if you haven't already done so.

--

Well, the Stripped festival is over. It was very stressful and busy, but also a really incredible performance. In two days we did 6 shows and had 3 master classes, all of which were attended pretty well. More fun for me was the opportunity to work on “Weird Romance,” by David Spencer, Alan Menken and Alan Brennert. It’s a fantastic show that I have loved for a while now. Getting to prepare and perform it was really a dream come true. Of course, the real excitement comes when you know that one of the authors, David Spencer, was able to fly out and be with us for the festival. He even stayed at our house. I can’t say enough to express what an amazing experience this was. He obviously had wonderful insight on the show he helped create, but he also had some incredible advice for our first-time director that will always be an influence on the both of us. He has also seen most everything on Broadway since the mid-60’s, so chatting him up about that and asking all the questions I’ve built up over the years was a joy as well. Turns out he was there at Sweeney Todd the night the bridge fell in previews. I finally know the real story!

The show was received really well too. I had several people tell me it was not only their favorite performance of the festival, but their favorite performance at OCU. That makes me feel really validated given the show is not incredibly well known or anything. If you are looking for a musical to get into, I would highly recommend Weird Romance!

I have to say a special thanks to our inCREDIBLE cast. I don’t think we could have picked a more fun group of people to spend a month with and I loved putting it together. I only wish we could have done a longer run.

Now it’s time to turn my attention to “Assassins,” in which I am playing a Bystander (I get to sing “How I Saved Roosevelt”!!) and am a part of a oddly large ensemble. There’s college theatre for you, eh? I love the show and most of the cast, so it’s going to be a great experience. I also have grad school auditions to look forward to. I’ll be traveling up to Ithaca to audition for their Music Theatre Conducting program in late March. Wish me luck!

I am unbelievably grateful for having had this opportunity. Not only do I feel better equipped to do what I wanna do in the future, I feel sure that it is a good choice for my future. My heartfelt thanks go out to everyone involved who might be reading this, and break a leg in our final weekend of shows!

Sister Act the Musical Updates!

2009-02-11T01:16:00.003-05:00

OK so a few years ago I saw "Sister Act the Musical" at its premiere production in Pasadena, California. I enjoyed it and saw a lot of promise in it. I've been very happy to see its life continue. It opens this Spring in the West End with a Broadway transfer planned afterwards.

So here's the interesting part. When I saw the show, my favorite song hands down was Deloris's first big number, "Fabulous, Baby." Subsequently, the production went to Atlanta for an additional 3 month run, during which this number was replaced. I thought it would be gone forever. They brought it back! You can actually hear part of it in this first video blog that the production is going to be putting on YouTube.

The funny thing is Patina Miller, who is now cast as Deloris, played one of Deloris's back up girls in the production I saw and I believe was the understudy for Deloris. I remember hearing her sing a little bit in the show and thinking to myself, "why don't they make THAT girl Deloris, because the one they have is less than good." Then they totally did. I am now officially really excited to see what happens with this show.

Of course, I was really excited for Legally Blonde the musical too, and we all know how THAT turned out... *cough*

UPDATE: Color me MORE excited. Mother Superior (also seriously lacking in the Pasadena production) is going to be played by Sheila Hancock, a famous London actress who was the first London Mrs. Lovett. Based on the boot I've heard of her, she's one of my favorite Lovetts, so I'm thinking she's a wonderful choice for this.

Broadway Updates

2009-02-05T15:15:00.002-05:00

Hey. Remember? I like musicals. Here we go.

According to people at a live Sondheim talk-back in West Palm Beach earlier this week, Sondheim said we can expect full revivals of "A Little Night Music" and "Merrily We Roll Along" in the near future, the former based on the Roundabout's January fundraiser concert of the work. I don't know Merrily super well, but what I've heard I really like. Night Music is glorious. It's about time they revived it.

If you're a RENT fan, I recommend the final (kind of) Broadway performance taping that was released on DVD and Blu-Ray this past Tuesday. It's much better than that terrible movie. I saw it in the movie theatres.

Also, if you're in OKC--check out the OCUStripped New Musical Festival this weekend! There's lots of masterclasses and performances going on.

Most importantly for you, as a reader of my blog, is "Weird Romance" which is Sunday at 8:00pm in Burg Auditorium at Oklahoma City University. You can also see "Edges" Sunday at 4, "Big Red Sun" Saturday at 8, and three brand new works Saturday at 4 and Sunday at 2. Hope to see lots of you there!

Ice Storm 2009

2009-01-28T03:35:00.002-05:00

It's not near as bad as last year's ice storm, but here we are again with cancelled school and little to do. Luckily this year my car is in working order.

Last year OKC had a terrible ice storm that rendered most roads un-drivable and many houses powerless for weeks. Our neighbors had their power line literally ripped out of their house. I remember waking up the morning after the first wave hearing creaks and then the eventual crash of tree branches, succumbing to the weight of the ice. It was pretty scary.

Worst of all, the night before, my driver-side car window broke, falling into the driver side door. Nothing like having no driver side window as an ice storm is coming in. Ah well. Our home was converted into a homeless shelter for our powerless friends. Nothing like some good quality time with Ms. Abby C. Smith to make an ice storm seem pretty awesome.

So what have I been doing THIS ice storm? Well, driving a lot strangely. We've rehearsed Weird Romance a bit because we open a week from Sunday and kind of have to. I've also been knitting up a storm. Seriously. I can't be stopped.

I also watched "Toddlers and Tiaras" on TLC tonight, which incidentally, is incredible and highly recommended.

The sad part is the only day of school I'd actually enjoy being cancelled is Thursday, and it'll most likely be cleared up by then. Lame.

Some thoughts on 'The Color Purple'

2009-01-25T03:10:00.003-05:00

I just finished re-reading Alice Walker's "The Color Purple" after re-watching the movie last week. I read it my Freshman (?) year of high school and have since seen the movie several times, as well as the musical adaptation.

It's a fantastic story. There's no getting around it. Strangely enough, reading the book for the 2nd time, I came out feeling the movie is the most dramatically successful version of the story. It's more cathartic and structured in a way that makes it more moving than the book. The novel is probably more realistic and is more thought-provoking, but that movie is just a masterpiece.

I've always thought the anti-man criticism of the story was missing the boat. After all, Mister redeems himself at the end. I'd forgotten, it having been so long since I'd read the book, that the novel is kind of different in this regard. The book is probably more anti-male, in that the novel's Celie says she doesn't like men and is a full on lesbian. The movie hardly deals with her homosexuality, and the musical treats it more like bisexuality and most important a desire to be loved and give love in return to someone who can provide that opportunity. The novel also does not have Mister responsible for Nettie coming home, so that redemption from the other adaptations is not present. However, this being said, Mister is also not near as vile as he is in the other adaptations. He's nasty, of course, but Celie's description of their marriage focuses a lot more on her constant hard work and lack of love than on the abuse. And though Mister doesn't have a particular redeeming act, he does change in the end and he and Celie even get to be friends.

I still don't think her point with this book was men are bad. I came away from my second read thinking it was much more about deciding who you are inside, loving that person, and being free to be that person no matter what anyone says. The book seems to be much more against social prejudices and conforming religions than men as a sex.

I really love what Shug says about religion, because I totally agree.

"Here’s the thing, say Shug. The thing I believe. God ... is inside you and inside everybody else. You come into the world with God. But only them that search for it inside find it. And sometimes it just manifest itself even if you not looking, or don’t know what you looking for. Trouble do it for most folks, I think. Sorrow, lord. Feeling like shit.

It? I ast.

Yeah, It. God ain’t a he or a she, but a It.

But what do it looklike? I ast.

Don’t look like nothing, she say."

That's why I've never understood Bible literalists. Religion and true beliefs have to come from inside of you. If you read it in a book and just decided to believe it because a book said so, then it's not really a belief. I think you should know why you believe the things you do. That's not to say the Bible doesn't have lots of great things to say--probably more good than bad--but it simply being printed there isn't reason enough to believe it blindly--for me anyways.

The moral is "The Color Purple" is pretty wonderful in all its adaptations. If you haven't yet seen it, I would strongly strongly suggest seeing the movie ASAP. It's definitely a top 10 of all time for me.

Bringing You Up to Date

2009-01-21T21:56:00.004-05:00

Okay so my blog posts kind of petered out after the New York trip, so here's some finishings and updates on my life.

Shrek was fine. Nothing to write home about. Entertaining, yes--and I even liked it better than the movie (which isn't really saying anything because I detest those movies) but completely manufactured. It would fit in really well at Universal Studios. It wasn't bad at all, but it wasn't great. I can say that I would recommend it, but only if you're paying much less than full price.

Hairspray was one of the most memorable nights I've ever had in a theatre. We saw January 4th, 2009's performance, the closing matinee after a six and a half year run. Not only were we in the minority as a "fan" audience member (the bulk of the audience were celebrities and people that had been involved with the show in some capacity during its run), but the performance was the most energetic and incredible thing I've ever seen. If that cast had performed like that every night, it would probably still be running. The audience was supplying a lot of this energy, however. Every character got entrance applause (including the rats on the street) not to mention the thunderous applause at the beginning AND end of every song.

I got to see original cast members Marissa Jaret Winoker and Harvey Fierstein as Tracey and Edna Turnblad, respectively. They were both PHENOMENAL. I could not have imagined how incredible their performances would be. I'm very glad they came back to close out the show.

After the performance, the "Hairspray Family" (all the folks in the audience who had performed with the show) was called to the stage for an encore of "You Can't Stop the Beat." Harvey then gave a wonderful speech and they did YCSTB again! All in all, a wonderful wonderful performance that I will not soon forget.

After the New York trip, we sadly said goodbye to our wonderful hosts (The Smith Family, starring Abby C. Smith) and made our way back to Dallas. We got to hang out with my fam for a couple days, and then we packed up my car and drove back to Oklahoma City!

Since being back, we've been getting into Weird Romance rehearsals. Everything is going fantastically, thanks to a very talented cast. Lyricist and co-book writer David Spencer is definitely coming to OKC for the Stripped Festival and is going to see our production, so that is really exciting and something to look forward to.

In other news, I have become a knitting fool. It started with stockings for Cody's family, but I have can't stop. I really want a nice chunky shawl collar with buttons cardigan, but I can't find the one I want anywhere, so I've decided that I'm going to make it. I'm basically looking for something along the lines of Starsky's cardigan from Starsky and Hutch. I'm on the lookout for a good pattern, so if you find one, let me know.

That's all for now. Hope everyone is doing wonderfully!

New York Trip: Part 6 (In the Heights)

2009-01-04T00:49:00.000-05:00

*Logan's 2 Cents*
"In the Heights" was a show neither Cody nor I cared anything about seeing, but on the positive reviews from our friends and an open evening we figured we should see it anyways. Last year's Best Musical Tony Award winner, "In the Heights" is the baby of Lin-Mandel Miranda, who also plays the major role of Usnavi the corner store owner. It combines the culture, music and dance from lots of inner city groups, the most prominent being Latina. With this rich musical and visual style, the show tells the story of several inhabitants of a street in Washington Heights as they struggle with money and race issues. I would like to rename it "El Rent-o."

My biggest problem with the show was that the story was not compelling at all. I struggle to even discern what the authors considered the main plot, as the finale suggested one but the rest of the show suggested another. The two plots also seem to contradict each other in their endings, one finishing with a character going to Stanford to become better in the world and therefore leave the Heights, and the other finishing with a character deciding to not leave the Heights because it's awesome and his home. It ended up feeling like the show was scenes from a street in Washington Heights that at one point just kind of stopped.

There are some nice things about the show, though. Lin-Mandel Miranda has an incredible amount of charm about him. He had the extra star quality that I was searching for in Risch's Joey in "Pal Joey." Robin De Jesus also delivered a fantastic and hilarious performance as Usnavi's kid cousin. Andrea Burns as the beauty shop owner was also very memorable in a role that reminded me of the equally wonderful Church Ladies from "The Color Purple." The rest of the cast was forgettable at best, save some inCREDible dancers. Olga Merediz's Abuela was kind of amateur, I thought.

Overall I was pretty tepid towards the show. There were entertaining parts and less entertaining parts. It wasn't horrible or even bad, but I also didn't anything close to love it.

I give it 75 cents out of a dollar.

*Cody's 2 Cents*
We were soooo lucky to win the lottery! A big thanks to Abby's dad for winning them for us. Anyways, it seemed as if God wanted us to see this show. It seemed like it was going to be an amazing Tony award winning show... well it only seemed that way.

The show was not bad. There was just no point. It seemed like all it was was people singing about how they liked the Heights. I wanted there to be some real conflict... I wanted there to be SOMETHING. The plot was just kind of pedestrian and boring. The dancing however was anything BUT boring. I loved how the dancers went from dancing into pedestrian movement, and from pedestrian movement (literally being pedestrians on the stage) to kick-ass hip hop dancing. It seemed as if the rhythm of the streets was living in their movement. The dancing was fantastic!

Lin-Mandel Miranda was fantastic. He had amazing energy, and that special spark about him. I can not see the show surviving without him. Andrea Burns was fantastic AND had such great knockers! She was hysterical! Those two made the show for me. Robin de Jesus was also fantastic. He delivered a fantastic performance.

Overall I thought the show was good, but nothing I would pay premium ticket price to go see.

I would give it 71 cents out of a dollar.

Conclusion: High-energy dancing and some entertaining performances definitely make this show worth seeing, but lack of a compelling plot prevents it from getting any further than that.

New York Trip: Part 5 (Gypsy)

2009-01-03T18:45:00.003-05:00

*Logan's 2 Cents*
I have a favor to ask of all of you. Any time I tell you I'm going to see something, be it a movie, play, musical or whatever, tell me that it's terrible and I'm going to hate it. It seems to always be a recipe for me really enjoying something.

There were lots of naysayers for this revival of "Gypsy"; naysaysers with opinions I understood and respected. There was lots to say of Laurent's direction, which I had low hopes for after seeing his work with "West Side Story" earlier this week. There was lots of hate for Ms. Patti, and while I don't share the hate so many seem to have for her, I am not a fan of several of her performances. I do LOVE the show "Gypsy," giving me good reason to want to see this production anyways, but I went in with pretty low expectations. Surprisingly, about halfway through the first act I realized I was totally enjoying it.

"Gypsy" is easily the best musical comedy ever written, and one of the best written musicals out there period. It has a top notch score by Jule Styne, smart lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, a perfect book by Arthur Laurents, and several of the most iconic numbers in the music theatre canon, including "Some People," "Everything's Coming Up Roses," and the climactic, "Rose's Turn." It is so excellend, in my opinion, because it walks the line of being classic musical comedy while actually having a quite compelling and interesting plot. Perhaps by accident, the show has aged really well because a lot of the things that have dated similarly written works work to the show's advantage as a device of the plot.

"Gypsy" tells the story of Gypsy Rose Lee, a real-life stripper who rose to national fame in the 30s and 40s. The musicals focus, however, is on her mother, Mama Rose, the quintessential stage mother who will do anything and everything to make her children performing stars even as she's faced with the reality of the end of Vaudeville. As the story progresses, it almost becomes a character study in what Rose is willing to do and give up to make her children succeed at any price, and why she so desperately wants it.

It's no surprise, then, that Patti LuPone has long been desired as a Mama Rose. With such famous alumni as Ethen Merman, Angela Lansbury, Bette Midler and Bernadette Peters, the role has become a veritable rite of passage for every majorly dynamic Broadway leading lady, and Patti LuPone with her... violently... diva-tastic performances definitely falls under this category. Patti is of course most famous for being the original Broadway Evita and her infamous concerts at Les Mouches during that same time. She first tackled Rose a few years ago at Chicago's Ravinia festival to great acclaim, which lead to City Center's Encores! concert mounting of the show with her again staring as Rose. It's this production that has now transferred to the St. James as a full-fledged Broadway revival. While they upped the production value some from the Encores production, it is still presented as a staged concert, with the orchestra "living" at the back of the stage. They also retained the dog and lamb puppets, which, while not ideal, were not as bothersome to me as they have seemed to others.

The focus of the performance is, as with all Gypsy productions, Mama Rose, and Ms. LuPone did not disappoint. In her first scenes, I was expecting a terrible performance. It felt like she was kind of phoneing in her performance, but once "Some People" was over she really fell into the part. Surprisingly for me, her scene work was what I was most impressed with. Her singing featured her often-mocked lack of consonants, but I still found it exciting and compelling.

Boyd Gaines also delivered a wonderful Herbie, a part I've always found pretty forgettable. Gaines, from his first entrance, gave a somewhat unconventional and different Herbie, but one of the more interesting interpretations I've seen. His scene work with Patti before "You'll Never Get Away From Me" and especially the number itself were pure perfection, performance and staging-wise.

Laura Benanti's Louise/Gypsy was also a standout. Benanti is a solid Broadway performer, something she's proved several times now. This is no different as she gives a wonderful and heartbreaking performance. She also does one of the best Patti LuPone impressions I've ever heard during "If Momma Was Married."

Unfortunately, her partner in the above number was the worst part of the show. Though not as bad as I expected to find her performance, Leigh Ann Larkin as Dainty June was just plain miscast. Her June performances were not near annoying enough, and her scene work was pretty bizarre. I'd also love to have a little chat with whatever music director allowed her to belt so poppy. It was very inappropriate for the score.

Overall, the direction was noticeably slow, which was bothersome. Arthur Laurents, the author of the book, was the director of this production, and while it was not nearly as offensive as his direction of "West Side Story," I nevertheless suspect Mr. Laurents should stick to book writing solely from now on. I think a major factor that helped "Gypsy" despite this aspect of the direction is Patti's inability to be much other than vivacious. There were many a time when Mama Rose was not on stage and I desired similar qualities in other onstage characters.

Though I admire Jonathan Tunick as an orchestrator (and what person having heard his work on Sweeney Todd wouldn't), I wonder why it was felt Gypsy needed any orchestrational work at all. I really think "Gypsy" is pretty perfect the way it is. Those working on this production must have agreed because there were very few changes, but most every time there was any sort of change, I found myself wishing they'd left it alone. It's undeniable, though: it really is the best overture out there.

This is definitely not the best production of Gypsy I've seen, but a combination of some great performances and wonderful writing shining through some much still made this show very enjoyable for me.

I give it 89 cents out of a dollar.

*Cody's 2 Cents*
Here is the thing. I actually agree with Logan for the most part on Gypsy. I just liked it a little less than he did. I wanted it to shine and it only kind of glimmered. So why write a review, because if you read all of Logan's I am sure you don't want to read mine. So I will just say this:
Laura Benanti was AMAZING. I want to see everything she was in. She is a FANTASTIC performer, and she has a KILLER body.

So, that being said; I give it 79 cents out of a dollar.

Conclusion: Though not without its problems, this production of a wonderful musical features some wonderful performances that made it pretty entertaining.

New York Photos: Part 2

2009-01-03T09:50:00.003-05:00

Amanda and her man, Bill--1st and 2nd tries

Dustin, PV, and Jayme Ballard

In line at Shrek rush

New York Trip: Part 4 (Pal Joey)

2009-01-03T01:06:00.006-05:00

*Logan's 2 Cents*
I was very curious to see this show as I literally knew nothing of it other than the fact that it contained the numbers "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" and "Zip." Roundabout's new revival production may not have actually been the perfect first introduction to the show, as a quick flip of the Playbill informed me that tonight's performance would feature both a brand new orchestration and a brand new book. Regardless, I now know at least the basic story of Pal Joey, so I guess that means it was a successful outing.

It's not a great show. There is very little plot, and considering this is a revised in 2008 book, I can only imagine what the original was like. There are great tunes, but most of them are fairly forgettable. "Zip" was probably my favorite in the show, but a combination of it having absolutely no relation to the show's plot and the fact that I highly doubt 90% of the audience had any understanding of what it was about make it nearly inappropriate for the show itself. The whole song is about Gypsy Rose Lee, a famous burlesque performer from the 30s, and countless other 1930's personalities. Gypsy Rose Lee is somewhat known in that she was immortalized in Styne and Laurent's classic musical, "Gypsy," but many of the others are nearly forgotten. Of course, all they ever say in the song about Gypsy herself is "Ms. Lee" so that one probably whizzed on by most too.

The "plot" deals with Joey, a smarmy personality who emcees a club in Chicago. He uses his charm and wit to get whatever he wants and most any price. Wanting a club of his own drives him to a relationship with a wealthy and married older woman. This, of course, comes at the price of his other, more serious, relationship and hence the conflict of the show. Unfortunately, even this new book only gives us 2 scenes between Joey and his age-appropriate gal in which they are not fighting about his Cougar sugar mama. That's a quandary to me, and something I would love to know the reasoning behind.

The performances were all in all strong. Stockard Channing as the older woman acted wonderfully, but as we all know from her Rizzo in the movie of "Grease," the woman doesn't have much of a singing voice. I found her "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" much too slow. I thought it was kind of funny that they are billing Martha Plimpton as a lead, when in fact she is barely in the show at all. Regardless, she delivered the best sung role of the evening, as the club's lead performer. This was impressive considering it's Plimpton's first musical. Matthew Risch as the title role showed a lot of talent and promise but lacked that extra star spark needed to carry the show. His singing also left something to be desired. It makes one wonder why a theatre would pick to do this show, of all shows, without a solid male star to carry the show already in mind. Risch has very little spotlight experience, his only major previous resume credit being an ensemble member in Legally Blonde. Risch came as an 11th hour replacement to the previously announced Christian Hoff, making the choice even more odd. Funnily enough, our Playbills all week have featured an interview with Hoff talking about Pal Joey. Someone dropped the ball there, I feel.

All in all, the evening was enjoyable. The choreography was really good, and many numbers enjoyable, but with little plot and a lacking male lead, I wouldn't say you're missing much if you skip this one.

I give it 74 cents out of a dollar.

*Cody's 2 Cents*
I really wanted to see Pal Joey because I heard how it had been such a depressing flop in it's original production. And because I wanted to see the show that my cat's namesake (Elaine Stritch) was in.

I am able to forgive a lot of shows for weak scripts as long as they are cohesive and make sense. Pal Joey is an example of a show I forgave a lot with the script. But, it is based around a plot structure I adore; older woman loves a gold digging womanizer. I mean what can be better than "Cougar: The Musical!"And the songs were all fantastic. With "Zip" and "Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered" how can you go wrong?

I loved Stockard Channing in the role of Verra. Her scene work was fantastic, and even though she was not able to sing most of her material I felt that she was able to act through it. She was sensational. Event hough her "Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered" was a tad too slow I felt that she believed every word she uttered. Martha Plimpton was very solid in her performance. I wasn't a fan of her affected voice all the time. However, her singing voice was very solid. I really wish there would have been a better Joey. Risch was ok. He was not offensive, but was nothing to write home about. He lacked a certain star quality, that IT quality that Gene Kelly [the original Joey] had. Risch's acting was very good, his dancing was good, and his singing was ok; nothing was GREAT.

Overall I thought the direction was very solid. There was nothing that stood out as brilliant, but nothing offended me. The dancing, however, was fantatstic, but everyone knows that I am EASILY entertained with girls in skimpy chorus girl outfits. I love the Tits and Ass.

If you had an evening for the theatre I would recommend going to see this show. It was very fun. Stockard Channing was worth the ticket for me. I felt that she was THE show.

Out of a dollar I give this 80 cents

Conclusion: This was an entertaining old-style musical, if a little devoid of plot. Excellent acting and dancing made for an enjoyable evening, though not life changing.

New York Trip: Part 3

2009-01-03T00:52:00.005-05:00

We got back from D.C. just fine and then met Amanda [Wertz] for lunch. Prepare for jealousy because we met her boy Bill. I have a pic I'll post later. After that, Cody & I just kind of hung out with Abby until New Years Eve festivities at Dustin Norris's apartment. That was fun until the end.

The next day was nice because there was no rush to attend to nor any matinee, so we got to sleep in and do whatever until the evening. We met fellow Russell-Orlowski Wedding party member Nikki in the city for some lunch, which was fun, after which we went with her to the Studio 54 box office to get a ticket for Pal Joey that evening, which we also went to. If there's anything I love, it's $20 rush tickets. We saw Shain Fike at the theatre! I know lots of people are in New York, but still--that's kind of crazy. We met his girlfriend and learned he's on a tour of Footloose playing Cowboy Bob. This is the same tour that almost made OCU unable to do the show. After the show we went to this place called Europan (I think it's a chain) for some Pizza and cheesecake. After-theatre cheesecake used to always be my tradition, and I haven't done it in a while. The thing about cheesecake in New York is it's real expensive and sometimes not very tasty. This cheesecake was super good, though, and it made me miss my little habit.

Today we got up early and got rush seats to Gypsy. We sat in a box, which I've never done before. I thought it was going to be terrible, but it really wasn't. It's kind of a faux concert staging, so that probably helped sight-line wise. The really interesting story comes with our evening. We decided to give the In the Heights lottery a go. I had no desire to see the show other than that it's a musical on Broadway and some of my friends really like it. Cody was in a similar situation. We figured we'll try, and if we win we win and if not, no feelings hurt. I figured we'd have a pretty good shot because we had Abby, both of her parents AND Dustin all enter their names for us, not to mention Cody and myself. Well, about a bazillion people showed up, so our chances ended up not being so great. We left after the drawing and got across the street and realized Abby's dad wasn't with us. It turned out he hadn't seen us leave and was still in the crowd where one winner hadn't worked out and they happened to draw his name as a replacement. How random is it that he won at all, and how lucky considering had he not happened to stay behind we would have won and not even known it. Anyways, we got our 2 tickets to In the Heights and got to sit on the front row and everything. It was pretty fun.

I'm really excited for tomorrow, because we're going to the Lincoln Center Performing Arts Archive in the morning to watch a show. Cody is going to see Sunset Boulevard with Betty Buckley while Abby and I are seeing *drumroll* Fantasia in Color Purple. I was really surprised they taped her in it. It costs quite a bit of money to tape these things, and they also have the Pre-Broadway production and complete original Broadway cast on tape. Turns out it was funded by The Color Purple LLC. In other words, I GUARANTEE you Oprah forked over the cash to have her preserved because she knew it was THAT good. Abby has never even seen the movie of Color Purple, so I'm pretty much really really excited to watch it with her.

Hope everything is wonderful in OK and TX!

5 Drinking Myths That Can Kill You | Cracked.com

2009-01-01T04:47:00.001-05:00

"Though this is a comedy blog, this is really a quite fantastic article that anyone who ever drinks alcohol should definitely read."

5 Drinking Myths That Can Kill You. Also, it doesn't make you smarter.

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Detour -- DC Pictures

2008-12-31T13:16:00.003-05:00

Here's a few pics from our trip to DC. They're pretty self explanatory.

Detour -- DC Trip Part 2: West Side Story

2008-12-31T11:11:00.007-05:00

*Logan's 2 Cents*
I will tell you right up front that I've never been an emphatic fan of "West Side Story." I think Bernstein's score is beautiful (especially "A Boy Like That/I Have a Love") but I've always found the story boring and the dancing fruity. That being said, there was lots to be excited about here. This was the Broadway Revival on a Pre-Broadway tryout in DC. It was directed by the shows book writer. It stars a cast that was the result of a long and exhaustive casting search including an international Maria. It sports a 27 piece orchestra, a number unheard of for years thanks to overzealous budget cuts. It even features brand new Spanish lyrics written by "In the Height"'s Lin-Manuel Miranda under the supervision of original lyricist and personal idol Stephen Sondheim. Great, right?

Wrong.

Around half of that 27-piece orchestra was backstage somewhere and piped in, and you could tell. On stage, I found Arthur Laurent's attempts to make the show grittier just make it more boring. There is a certain amount of ridiculousness inherent in this show. We're in the 1950s and watching "tough" gangsters sing 50's jazz music whilst prancing about the stage in an elegant ballet. The attempt to make it more raw, at least here, just made it more ridiculous. It appeared no one knew what show they were doing. First of all, the curtain came up to find the Jets dressed like they might be going out to the gay club in a little while. Their faux-hawks only added to this. Add some ballet dancing and you have one queer bunch of gangsters.

Actually, in general the Jets were just all kinds of terrible. "Step it Up and Dance" winner Cody Green's Riff wreaked of amateurness quite deserving of his last name. While not horrendous or offensive, it was embarrassing to see a performance of this caliber in such a featured role in a professional Broadway production. The rest of the Jets (save perhaps Curtis Holbrook's Action) were gay as the day not to mention not being able to act OR sing. I found myself thinking they just cast these guys horribly. On top of this, listening to the show again made me come to the conclusion that West Side Story will likely never be taken seriously by an audience until someone re-writes every stitch of Jet dialogue and renames every single member. Even IF you find a way to get guys dancing and acting masculine (which I find doubtful barring new choreography), how can they say lines like "unwind, Action!" or have names like "Big Deal" without eliciting laughter? It's just ridiculous. There were actually moments of laughter in our audience because these Jets were so homosexual.

Josefina Scaglione's Maria was fine if unmemorable. It has become the trend to cast young characters, traditionally written as music theatre sopranos, with these girls that have tiny untrained voices so as to sound as simple and young as possible. This has the adverse effect of sounding like shit. I will give little Josefina credit where credit's due in the fact that she did not fall into this trap. While sounding young (which she should, being only 21 and fresh from Argentina), she did not sound ridiculously untrained.

Unfortunately, her unlikely suitor, Matt Cavenaugh's Tony, was much more disappointing. He acted it very smarmy, almost like a caricature of a 50's movie character actor. His singing voice was so vibrato-filled that one could barely tell any kind of melodic line. He is simply too old for the role, a fact I might forgive if his warbly voice had not made him SOUND so old.

So the Spanish. I get it. The sharks are Puerto Rican and they, in real life, would speak in Spanish. Wonderful. "The Light in the Piazza" had whole scenes and songs in Italian and everything worked fantastic. This was not the case here. There seemed to be no rhyme nor reason to when Spanish sections would happen. Sometimes the Sharks spoke English to each other, and sometimes they spoke Spanish. "I Feel Pretty" was completely in Spanish whilst "America," a song 1/2 about missing Puerto Rico, was completely in English. On top of this, it was bothersome to not know what they were saying. Yes, West Side Story is famous and lots of folks know the lyrics pretty well, but these are new lyrics. They are clearly saying completely different things and I would have preferred to know what those things were. For example, I know very limited Spanish, but I noticed Anita saying, "Por favor, Maria. Por favor" where the English lyric is "Very smart, Maria. Very smart." The change doesn't bother me, but this example just points out that there are completely different words being said in the Spanish lyrics, changes I'd like to be aware of. Maybe the actors could have expressed it more with their acting, but they definitely weren't able to when I saw it.

Seeing the show on stage again also made me question the structure of the show. If you're familiar with the movie, you should know that "Cool" and "Gee, Officer Krupke" are switched on stage, and if you've seen both you'll surely know that the movie order makes a lot more sense. Having the Jets sing a lighthearted musical comedy number in the midst of the aftermath of a rumble involving two deaths is just inappropriate, though I have a feeling their attempt to make even this song "gritty" in this production has rendered the number unsalvageable wherever they may place it. I also wished Cool had had some backstage singing for the last part of the number after the dance break. When they're saying "Just keep it cool" and yet they can't even catch their breath, it's pretty inappropriate.

The timeline of the plot was also really hard to follow for me. They have a dance, and then a meeting where they plan the rumble, and then the rumble. End of Act 1. Act 2 opens with "I Feel Pretty" and then basically a lot of business until the finale where Tony is shot and all. At one point in Act 2 they talk about the dance being last night, meaning that the rumble to the end of the show is all one evening. This is really kind of hard for me to believe period, and in this production at least, I had NO idea that this was even the purported time table. Seems to me it'd make a lot more sense to end Act 1 with the Tonight Quartet, and then leave the Rumble for Act 2. As I feel the rumble is the most climactic moment of the show, it makes sense to actually let it be the climax and then the rest can be the quick aftermath. As it stands now, you have a whole act of aftermath. Of course, there's very little plot in Act 1 as it is now, and moving the rumble definitely wouldn't help that. Oh well, I'm not directing the show. Just my little thoughts.

I also think it would be interesting to see someone direct the show as not gritty at all. Make the Jets be super juvenile and stupid--like they don't even really know anything, much less what they're getting into. Then, when the deaths happen, there can be a huge shift which also would play up the aspect of the story that neither side meant for these deaths to happen really. A bunch of kids who got mixed up into some bad groups and let their emotions and mob mentality get the better of them. Anyone? Anyone?

In conclusion, I found this production boring and ridiculous. I did like that there were musical numbers as opposed to Boeing Boeing. I do not foresee this production having very good of a New York run. If there were interested in making a good production, some major recasting at the very least would be required, and also, in my opinion, a new director who is aware of what the show is and who is not trying to make it something it is not and can not be.

I give it 40 cents out a dollar.

*Cody's 2 Cents*
Unlike Logan I have been a fan of West Side Story. Not a HUGE fan, but a fan non the less. However, much like Logan I was not a fan of this production.

I was really intrigued by the fact that it was going to be a "gritty" West Side. When the curtain went up revealing Riff (Cody Green), he stared down the audience. The entire Jet Gang came in staring down the audience for what seemed to be an eternity. I got it! They are in a gang and they are butch! Or not. They looked like a gaggle of gays ready to go to a club. The only thing gangish about the Jets was that they looked like they were going to a gang bang. And then the dancing started. They were amazing dancers I have to admit, but they were almost too good. I wanted the gays to be less like ballerinas and more like men. I wanted some grit in their dancing. They needed to be told "You have the steps and look fantastic, now just forget technique and dance the shit out of it." That is they only way that the original Jerome Robbins Choreography could ever look remotely NOT faggy. The ONLY good Jet was Curtis Holbrook as Action. He seemed to be the only one who got the memo that queers didn't do the beating, but rather got beaten up in the 50s. Cody Green's Riff was laughable. He first off could barely sing the role, and all his scenes were played really dramatic (and a horrible actor being dramatic is never a good mix). I wanted to see Riff as a sexed up teenager. Riff needs to have some edge, but he still has to have a smidgen of innocence to him. They were kids killing kids. That is what Doc is so upset about. They are not supposed to be hardened criminals killing other hardened criminals!

Matt Cavenaugh as Tony was a big disappointment. There was no character to his character. I felt like he was just playing a dippy 50s talent agent in a Gidgit movie. The one really good thing he has going for him is his looks. He knows how to fill pants and T-Shirts just right. I felt that as an actor he did not give his scene partners anything to work off of. I have to commend Josefina Scaglione as Marie for being remotely good when having nothing to work off of. I think if she would have been able to play opposite a worthy Tony she would be able to give an incredible interpretation of Maria. Scaglione has the innocence of the Maria down. Her voice was almost pleasant to listen to. She, however, was a little too soft at times. Karen Olivo as Anita was FANTASTIC! I though she nailed the character. She was a fantastic dancer, and her scene work was very nice. She was a star in the production.

Over all the direction was the biggest problem. It was slow and had no tension and no drive. Every scene played at one level; boring. There was no life. It made it so when dramatic instances in the script came the audience was launched into a tense situation that was very unbelievable. For example; the ending scene where Tony runs around calling for Chino to finish him off it as if he is looking for him in a Library. It seemed as if he was using his "six inch voice." When he is finally killed (and thank god!) Maria grabs the gun. She then puts it to various characters heads threatening to pull the trigger. This would seem to be an intense scene, a scene I was riveted to. I however couldn't have been more bored. There was no build up. I was actually kind of glad Tony died. Arthur Laurents also is a HUGE fan of the "park and bark." Every song was delivered with no movement. I am sorry, but during "Maria" there has to be a little movement. Standing stationary in a spotlight does not cut it, Arthur! This entire show could have been blocked in a hour. It was so boring.

Overall I was not fan of this show at all. I could complain about it A LOT more. There were many other things I hated about the production, but I would rather bitch about it in person! So out of a dollar I would give this show 38 cents. I would have given it 35 but Matt Cavenaugh's butt did look really good his his pants!

Conclusion: Bad direction, several bad casting choices. This is a recipe for disaster, and this revival is, in our opinion, not headed for success.

Detour -- Washington D.C. Trip

2008-12-31T10:58:00.003-05:00

DC was fantastic! We didn't have too much time to look around the city because the main reason we came down was to see a show, but what little I saw I LOVED. It was really pretty weather, and the city of DC in general is very pretty. The trees reminded me a little of the Pacific Northwest. They have bleachers and all set-up for the inauguration parade. I don't want to be anywhere near DC on that day. I bet it's going to be cer-azy.

We had the pleasure of staying with Patrick [Pevehouse]'s Aunts Bev and Pat, who couldn't have been better hosts. They were super nice, hilarious, and quite hospitable.

DC has a subway system much like New York's, but with a lot less people than NY and a bigger percentage of the population driving, their subway is much less crowded and a lot cleaner. I liked that a LOT. They also have little cards for regular travelers that you just wave on a pad to get past the gate. New York should adopt that, I say. Strangely, you have to repeat the same process to exit the station though, and that specifically would create ridiculous lines were they to implement it in NY.

We didn't get to see much while we were there, but I did get to see the Washington Monument, the WWII memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. The Washington Monument was a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be, though I found it odd/funny that they clearly used much nicer stone at the bottom where you can really see it. Cheap bastards. The World War II memorial is really quite beautiful. I also really enjoyed seeing the Lincoln Memorial because it's just a triumph of rock sculpture, but walking that reflecting pool is tiring. We were all ready for a nice sit down dinner when we'd made that walk twice.

We ate at this place called Chef Geoff's. You know it's fancy because of the funky spelling of "Jeff." It was kind of expensive. Also, our server was this big black guy, which obviously is no issue in and of itself, but he had a really blunt and mean sense of humor (or at least what I'm guessing was a sense of humor) and on top of that his service was really slow. We ended up having to ask for our check with our entreés so we could make the 8pm curtain on time.

The West Side Story review is forthcoming, but as a sidebar, I am totally sick. I started losing my voice the day of the Wedding (the 28th) and it has gotten progressively worse since then. It is NOT fun being away from home and sick, but it is a true mark of my devotion to the theatre that I wouldn't dream of missing anything.

Pictures are coming later!

New York Trip: Part 2 (Boeing Boeing)

2008-12-31T10:41:00.004-05:00

I am TRULY mobile blogging now because I am on my iPhone. We're on the bus to DC and this one doesn't have wifi. Blech.

Last night we saw our first Broadway play, "Boeing Boeing." Cody & I are going to offer our reviews of the things we see, so if you care to know, you can!

*Logan's 2 Cents*
Call me a rube, but where were the musical numbers? This French 1960s comedy could certainly have used some to make the evening more interesting. Don't get me wrong; there were very funny moments, but they were unfortunately too few and far between.

The story takes place in France, with Bernard (Germann) meeting with an old business pal (Rylance). Bernard, as it turns out, has three fiancées so that he never gets bored with his woman. He chooses all flight attendants with different flight schedules so no one ever knows about either of the others. Needless to say, all their schedules change and they all end up at the house at the same time. Formulaic, yes, but LOTS of opportunity for hilarious hijinx.

Unfortunately, this opportunity is not taken. There's long stretches of straight up boring scene work and, strangely, very little quick entrances and exits with much door slamming. I know this is cliché for this type of story, but it's cliché because it's funny! I would have taken some hackneyed humor over a lot of this material.

It wasn't all bad, though. Mark Rylance was forking inCREDIBLE as Bernard's friend Robert. He delivered some of the best and most believable physical comedy bits I've seen in a very long time. Missi Pyle as the German fiancée was also hilarious, so much so that I found myself waiting for her character to come in. I was actually hating the show until she very thankfully entered late in the first act.

I have to say that Christine Baranski as the sassy maid was very community theatre. Not very funny and WAY too much mugging going on. Paige Davis as the American fiancée was also especially bad. Stick to dancing, my dear.

In the end, I was marginally entertained, and in some ways Rylance and Pyle's performance was worth the [thankfully] $36 ticket, but overall this one fell flat for me. I sat there thinking this might have been fine for a Free Movie Night.

I give it 60 cents out of a dollar.

*Cody's 2 Cents*
Make sure you do not take a sleeping pill before you go or you will be definitely asleep by the first half. Nothing happens until the German bitch [Pyle] arrives, who is hysterical. I felt that the Bernard [Germann] was not very convincing. He would say he was having a panic attack when he was really just spazzing out. I felt his friend [Rylance], on the other hand, was fantastic, but anybody would look fantastic playing opposite most of this cast. Christine Baranski, who I expected to be fantastic, was passe at best. The only times I laughed were when she was drinking, which was only one scene. Paige Page (or Davis, whatever) had fantastic legs, great heels, an ass that won't quit and a killer rack... but unfortunately this was all that she had to offer. The Italian girlfriend [Rebecca Gayheart] also had nice legs and slightly better acting chops to go along with her pins. Missi Pyle as the German mistress, as I said, was hysterical and one of the best parts of the show. It was a little over the top as a performance, but I think it worked.

I expected there to be a lot more physical and slapstick comedy in the show for as farcical as the story seemed, but it just kind of fell flat. There were a lot of missed opportunities for different jokes and physical comedy bits. Overall the direction was passe.

The set kind of bothered me. I wasn't sure if they were wanting it to look like a used house, with skid marks all over the pretty white baseboard, or if this was just because they had neglected to repaint the Broadway set. For a character that keeps everything to schedule with everything in its place, it seemed inappropriate that he wouldn't also keep his white living room immaculate. I liked the lighting design for the most part. I'm not sure if I actually loved or hated the fact that every room was lit with the color corresponding to that of its usual inhabitant's uniform color. While this showed the audience whose room was whose, I felt it insulted the audience's intelligence in this regard.

Overall, this being my first Broadway play to attend, it was only OK. I'm not sure if I'll return to straight plays because musicals are far more entertaining.

I give this production 64 cents out of a dollar.

Conclusion: Neither of us were particularly thrilled with the production. Though there were redeemable aspects, one had to sit through lots of boring scene work to get to these moments.

New York Photos: Part 1

2008-12-30T10:49:00.002-05:00

The Wedding:

The beautiful view from our Albany hotel:

Abby's AWESOME glamour shot from her parent's house:

Rockafeller Christmas Tree:

Bus to D.C.:

More later!!

New York Trip: Part 1

2008-12-29T11:27:00.000-05:00

Okay children.. set your faces to AMAZED. I am writing this post on a bus to Manhattan, making it my first mobile blog. Eat it.

As you know being a devoted reader of my blog (all 1 of you), Cody and I are currently visiting the Great American Northeast. Specifically, New York. The trip got off to a bumpy start as we both ended up in Chicago's O'Hare four hours longer than we were expecting to be. The weather actually wasn't that bad. It wasn't great, and given the amount of people trying to get on planes because of cancellations from days previous (and it being the day after Christmas, a heavy travel day) there were lots of delays waiting for planes to arrive. Well, this apparently has trickle down effects which is why we ended up having to wait around for so long. Luckily, I had my iPhone which I had downloaded Uno and Monopoly onto that morning. Both are HIGHLY recommended.

So finally (seriously.. we landed at like 1:45 in the morning) we landed in Albany, where we were quickly whisked away to Amsterdam. No, not in the Netherlands. It's a (how do I say) quaint suburb of Albany. Our friends from OCU Chris Russell and Megan Orlowski were getting married. We slept at Megan's mom's place, a early 19th century house that is currently operating (under her mother's direction and ownership) as a B&B and Victorian activity center. It's called The Brown House Inn. Awesome, right? The only caveat is it doesn't have any kind of central heating, just a furnace in one room. It also is run on a well system, so the running water is kind of.. iffy. Luckily, we were pretty exhausted from travelling so we were able to sleep pretty well.

The next day we went to the wedding venue (a women's club center also from the 19th or maybe very early 20th century) and got it all set up and purty, after which we had a little rehearsal. With that out of the way, we went back to the Inn and had some dinner. Luckily for us groomsmen, we got to stay in a hotel that night so as to separate the groom and bride for the wedding day.

The day of the wedding got off to an interesting start as I realized my tuxedo jacket was no where to be found, even though I KNEW I had brought it with me over to the hotel. I searched the room, the lobby, asked the folks at the front desk--I even searched the parking lot. Nada. It ended up being behind the front desk. The person I had originally asked was just too stupid to see it, I guess. Then we had some pictures at the venue followed by the wedding itself, which was super successful and that they, indeed, got married. Cody was the officiant at their request and he did a FANTASTIC job. I was super proud to be his boyfriend. If anyone wants a great wedding officiator, Cody is totes available. The reception was super long which was a little bothersome for me because I really just wanted to get somewhere and sleep before our early bus to Manhattan, but I got over that and had a great time eating really good food and dancing with some great friends I hadn't seen in forever. When all was said and done, we said our goodbyes and piled (and I mean PILED--6 people in a sedan that seats 5, plus extended travel luggage) into a car to Albany where Cody & I got a room for the night. We could have stayed at the inn for free, but we were like nu-uh.

Being really close to the bus station in Albany, we were able to wake up pretty leisurely this morning and take advantage of the free continental breakfast before getting a cab to the bus station. Now, I found this bus company called MegaBus. I originally found it because they had $6 fares from Manhattan to D.C. They also had really cheap fare from Albany to Manhattan ($15 a person). With it being so cheap I was pretty much expecting to be riding on a bale of hay with some chickens, but being on the bus right now I can tell you it's a perfectly respectable coach bus AND it has free in-bus wifi to boot, so I am pretty much completely satisfied with this bus company.

What does the future hold? We get into Penn Station around 1:15 and tonight we're seeing "Boeing Boeing," my first Broadway play. We're staying with the lovely Abby C. Smith's parents, and we're really excited about it! I think Cody and I are going to take a tip from Urban and Rucker and do some dual reviews of the stuff we're seeing. You'll especially want to read our reviews of the last Broadway performance of Hairspray, which we bought tickets to last night.

Anyways, that was probably a lot more than y'all ever wanted to know about the trip, so I'll close with the fact that I love you all and I hope to see you soon!

As I embark on my travels...

2008-12-26T14:09:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and I'm sure that you did. I had a wonderful, if short, holiday visit with my fam that was very merry and [most importantly] resulted in me receiving some cash for my New York trip, for which I am currently sitting in the airport waiting to leave on.

What will I be doing up there? Well I'm glad you asked. First, I am traveling to Albany where I will meet up with the always-fabulous Cody. The 28th is the wedding of Chris Russell and Megan Orlowski, and we're in it. Cody is officiating! A little scary, but cool nonetheless. On the 29th, we travel by bus to NYC where we're going to meet up with the ALSO always-fabulous Abby C. Smith. That night we're seeing the Broadway play "Boeing Boeing." The next day we take a bus to Washington D.C. where we're seeing the Pre-Broadway try-out of "West Side Story." The next day we bus back into Manhattan for New Years Eve. On New Years day, we're seeing the new revival of "Pal Joey." Then, sometime by Sunday, we hope to see "Gypsy," and "Hairspray" and whatever else we can happen to get into. Monday the 5th, we're flying back.

As I'm sure you can expect, I will keep this blog updated with thoughts and reviews as time allows. I can't wait to see those I will see in New York, and Oklahoma/Texas friends, I'll see you when we get back!

Have a WONDERFUL New Years! If you're wondering, I do NOT plan on being anywhere near Times Square.

Killer Reindeer--Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-25T11:00:00.000-05:00

I can't even really say anything other than watch this and watch it now.

UPDATE: Mouse out of the house

2008-12-14T10:12:00.003-05:00

As you surely have read, we over here in Oklahoma City had a little mouse problem going on. Well, no more. This morning I awoke to find Lainey triumphant with mouse in mouth (and fortunately, she didn't bring it to me in bed as she had earlier this week). As usual, she wasn't killing it, but rather putting it down on the ground and then re-catching it over and over again. Cody and I snapped into action, getting a cup and trapping it on one valiant attempt to get away from our cat. We then put an envelope underneath the cup to trap it forever, walked it sufficiently far away, and then put it in a dumpster. Now, that may seem like above and beyond to essentially kill a mouse, but I figure it might just be able to climb some trash, get out and still be far away enough to no longer be a threat to our house. It also might find lots of food scraps and live in there forever. Who knows.

The important part is, it's GONE.

Wall-E continues to take the world by storm!

2008-12-10T10:19:00.004-05:00

Have you seen it yet--the science fiction movie with heart? Wall-E already is my pick for best movie of the year (not that I saw anything close to every movie released this year, but I don't care. Just go with it) and yesterday the LA Critics association decided that they agree, giving it the Best Picture of the Year award. It seems appropriate. They all freaked out about Ratatouille and Wall-E is a lot better than Ratatouille. Does the little robot have Oscar gold in his future? Is Wall-E even really a he? These are all questions that only the future can tell us. [Link]

A trip to an ice village

2008-12-08T12:00:00.001-05:00

No, I'm not talking about my parents' house. Over Thanksgiving, we visited an exhibition called ICE! (clever) at the Gaylord Hotel. They make all these crazy carvings completely out of ice. The entire thing is air conditioned to 9 degrees and they give you special coats. There was even a slide made of ice! Anyways, here's some pics from my journey inside it.

Then we went to an amazing steak restaurant, which had a pretty awesome wine bottle Christmas tree in the lobby.

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Time is Here!

2008-12-04T14:20:00.009-05:00

It's official...

CHRISTMAS is here!

Thanksgiving is over, and it was great. Not that people hadn't already started, but now that Thanksgiving is over, Christmas can officially begin as far as I'm concerned. That means we're wearing sweaters and hats and scarves, and our Christmas Tree is up, complete with stockings.

The best part of Christmas time, though, is the music! I freaking love Christmas music, and since I do, I thought I might share a few of my favorite albums with you. There's always the standby of our generation, Mariah Carey's Merry Christmas, but if you really want some Holiday goodies, you have to go farther back.

One people don't think of very often is one of my all-time favorites: The Jackson 5 Christmas Album. Sure, he may be a pedophile now, but as a little boy he was damn entertaining. With classics like "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" (in which Tito just wants a guitar that will play in tune.... cute), "Up on the House Top," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause," this chipper Motown album will definitely put you in the Holiday mood.

I also really like the Andy Williams albums. You can take your pick of the two, "The Christmas Album" or "Merry Christmas," but they're both really solid 60's Christmas albums. The first does, however, have his most famous Christmas tune, "It's the most Wonderful Time of the Year," so you may want to stick with that one. Regardless, he is Mr. Christmas for a reason. Andy Williams and Christmas just kinda go hand in hand, so you can't go wrong with either of these selections.

My favorite of all favorites is one you probably already know and love. It might just even be in your CD player RIGHT now. Yes, you've guessed it--A Charlie Brown Christmas. Stay away from that 40th Anniversary clap trap, the original is the way to go. Vince Guaraldi offers the same wonderful jazz music he did for the other Peanuts specials, but something about this selection of tunes just puts me INSTANTLY in the Holiday mood. "Skating," "Christmas Time is Here," "The Christmas Song"--every track is a classic, and you'd do well to add this one to your collection if you haven't already.

To help you get you into the Christmas spirit, I made some Holiday ringtones from these and other CDs. There's 6 in all, and I hope you'll download and enjoy them. It comes in an iPhone and non-iPhone flavor, with the non-iPhone files being regular MP3s. There are ways on many phones to transfer these over as ringtones, so if you can figure it out, have at it.

Logan's Holiday Ringtone Collection (iPhone)
Logan's Holiday Ringtone Collection (Non-iPhone)

Pre-Thanksgiving Updates

2008-11-24T12:11:00.004-05:00

Here's what you need to know about my life as of late:

Wall*E is a FANTASTIC movie, and the Blu-Ray is even better. It looks gorgeous, sounds gorgeous, and has lots of bonus features. These include the hilarious "Presto" short that played before the movie in theatres, a decent new short called "Burn-E" that expands upon one of the jokes from the movie, a fantastic documentary called "The Pixar Story," and a lot of cool making of featurettes. It being a Blu-Ray, it also has some games that they designed to look like classic NES games and you can actually play them like on a NES system, unlike most DVD games. Not the most entertaining fodder you'll ever see, but entertaining nonetheless.
Howard Sings Ashman is a true gem of a CD set. Though I already had via bootleg most of the Smile demo featured on disc 2, I welcome the ability to pay for it. It also had the original "Pretty as a Picture" finale that I did not have a copy of. The new finale is much better, but it's still interesting to hear other things they tried. Perhaps the most interesting part of this set are the WONDERFUL liner notes. They compiled some notes and anecdotes from the people that worked with and loved Howard, and there is tons of great information to be read. There's also a transcript of Howard talking about the Little Mermaid score and how it works dramatically, and even more interesting (for me), if you go to the PS Classics website, there's a transcript of a discussion with Bob Fosse on Smile. Apparently they had wanted him to direct and help develop the show at one point. Just great stuff.
I'm going to New York for New Years this year! All I know now is that I'm seeing the Pre-Broadway tryout of "West Side Story" in DC with OCU alum and former classmate of mine Jennifer Sanchez, but I'm assuming I'll get to lots more as well.
Christmas Shopping has begun.. and I don't know what to get anybody. Balls.

I leave tomorrow for Heath. Thanksgiving holidays! Cody, Grant, and his girlfriend Abby are all going to be there, along with my parents obviously. I am looking forward to a nice break, though I can't wait to get up to NY and see my other family.

Happy holidays!

4 Month iPhone Anniversary App Review!

2008-11-17T12:00:00.000-05:00

Ah, iPhone. How you've changed my life. Yesterday was our 4 month anniversary, and what a happy 4 months it's been. I can honestly tell you that the iPhone is as awesome as everyone says it is. It's so awesome, that I find myself going whole days not using my laptop. If you know me, you know that's pretty crazy.

I figured I should commemorate our relationship in some way, and I know lots of people have done lots of app reviews, but I don't care. I want to share what apps have made their way to my iPhone and why.

First of all, there's the obvious and boring ones: Facebook, Bank of America and PayPal. The only thing of note here is that ever since Facebook changed their layout to their highly annoying current one, I've pretty much only used Facebook via the iPhone app. It's a highly recommended solution.

Next on the ascending list of boring apps comes my practical utilities. Left to right, the apps I use here are SplashID, Deliveries, AirSharing, and Metronome TS. SplashID lets you store (and encrypt with a password) any kind of important info you could want to. I use it to store my Bank Account and Credit Card numbers, Frequent Flyer Account Numbers, my car's VIN and so on and so forth. I have used this baby a TON. Deliveries is an app that lets you track any shipments you have coming, and when you're someone like me that pretty much only shops online, this one is really really nice. It also syncs up with the free Dashboard Widget. AirSharing turns your iPhone into a wireless flash drive and file viewer. Use the app on the same Wi-Fi network as your computer and you can transfer files back and forth. Outside of your computer's Wi-Fi, you can view the files! I use it to store all of my class's syllabi. That way I know what the test I didn't study for covers. Metronome TS might only be useful to me as a music director, but it is VERY useful. Aside from acting as your standard metronome and tuner, Metronome TS will let you tap your own tempo and have it converted into a standard tempo number. Love it!

Next up are my informational apps. Pictured above from left to right, we have Newsstand, Shovel, and i.TV. Newsstand downloads and lets you read all of your favorite RSS feeds in an easy-to-read format. Any news site or blog has an RSS feed that basically updates each time there's a new story on the site. Why, even your favorite LogBlog can be followed with its RSS feed. Newsstand is the first thing I click every morning. With one click, everything I follow is updated. Shovel is usually my second click. It's an iPhone interface for the popular news story site Digg. If you don't check Digg regularly, you should. It's an eclectic source for all sorts of interesting tid-bits. i.TV is actually a fairly new one for me. It provides TV listings, movie showtimes, AND allows you to manage your NetFlix queue. I was glad to find it because it has replaced other apps I was using for movies and NetFlix queue management. Once they add the ability to remotely schedule your DVR to record TV shows as they say they will in a future update, this will probably be the best update ever.

My next most important group of apps hold all the tools I use to communicate. You may be a little confused, because I have included two Twitter apps here: Twitterific and Tweetsville. I'll explain that later. The third one is Beejive IM. Twitterific is actually the 2nd Twitter app I used, the first being Twinkle. Before I had lots of friends to follow, Twinkle was really nice because it shows you tweets that are close to you geographically. As I found more Twitter friends, I noticed I wasn't using that feature anymore, and Twitterific offers a much prettier interface than Twinkle. It kept me really happy for a while until Tweetsville came alone. My current app of choice is fast as lightening, has a very iPhone-looking design, AND, unlike any other Twitter iPhone app, has the ability to follow and de-follow Twitter users and also to delete tweets right from inside the app. Beautiful! Now, you may notice that Beejive IM is by far the most expensive app on my list, coming in at $16. However, you should know that it is a solid app for AIM use (which I DO still use). Unlike the official AIM app, BeejiveIM keeps you online for up to 24 hours after closing the application and then emails you when someone has sent you a message. It seems that's going to have to do for now seeing as Apple's "late September" background notifications update is nowhere to be found. It's allowed me to make AIM something I can actually use, because--let's face it--I ain't going to use it when I'm tied to looking at that app for hours on end.

As a finale, I have my games--Solitaire City Deluxe and OmNomNom. SolitaireCity Deluxe will only be cool to you if you're a Solitaire player, but I definitely am and this entry offers a solid graphical interface, and enough game options to keep you interested and entertained for a really long time, over 60 different variants of Solitaire. OmNomNom may have an odd title but its purpose is clear: FINALLY bringing back the best cell phone game EVER. Classic Snake was the best ever, and when it started to disappear from Nokia phones, it was really sad and bizarre. I can tell you that it is back here and just as you remembered it. Highly highly recommended. I would also like to recommend you to Tris, the free Tetris game that I play constantly, but it was yanked from the app store shortly after it first appeared. Oh well.

Here's to 4 more months of ecstasy!

Sister Act, Broadway Musical

2008-11-14T13:00:00.001-05:00

In this age of TERRIBLE Broadway adaptations of movies (I'm looking at YOU, Legally Blonde), everyone is justifiably cautious of new movie adaptations. Given this, "Sister Act the Musical" has an uphill climb right out off the bat, but it does have some things going for it. First of all, its basis is a freaking hilarious movie. If you haven't seen it, then move out from under that rock, it's time to join the world. Also, though, it's really really funny. Whoopi is wonderful backed up by the hilarious Kathy Najimy and ridiculously-dubbed Wendy Makenna. Even Maggie Smith is there to be British and judgemental. Add in a few 90's chase scenes including one that involves a fat cop chasing a car on foot and you're pretty much good to go. The musical version also has Alan Menken writing its score to its credit. That's right--8 time Oscar winner Alan Menken, of "Little Shop of Horrors," "Little Mermaid," (stage version ignored) "Beauty & the Beast" fame, and that's just to name a few.

Perhaps the thing that makes me the most hopeful with this one, though, is that the authors have made it clear they are not seeking to simply put the movie on stage with some unnecessary songs inserted. They've moved the time of the piece to the disco era, providing us with an eclectic score of disco tunes with fun dancing that accompanies.

Two years ago, the piece premiered in two productions in Pasadena, CA and Atlanta, GA. I was lucky enough to get to see the Pasadena production as part of a 21st birthday California trip. It was very much a brand new show with lots of kinks, but I have to say it definitely showed a LOT of promise. The score is tuneful and fun, one of Menken's more interesting entries of late in my opinion. The book is funny, but not without its problems. They clearly did not have the characters completely down yet, which is understandable. Musicals take a long time to get right. I did, however, hear an interview with Alan Menken about a year ago in which he said they had made a LOT of changes to the show, so I am fairly confident that things are getting fixed and that future productions are going to be really solid. Unfortunately, I know one of those changes was the deletion of my favorite song, "Fabulous, Baby." I would kill for a recording of this song, especially because it's not in the show anymore and I may never hear it again. The replacement is more character moving, however, so it was probably a good choice. My only other problem is that they've GOT to get a new leading lady if they haven't already. Dawnn Lewis (of "A Different World" fame) starred as Deloris Van Cartier and she was fine, but not the dynamic performance the show needs to head it up.

I'm really excited to see what happens with the future productions planned. Whoopi Goldberg announced today she is joining the production team (reminiscent of Oprah much?). You can watch her announce it on the View above. A heavily revised production is slated to open in London's West End May 7th, 2009 with a Broadway transfer expected the following Fall. I have high hopes for this new production, although I do have one concern.

The logo for the production I saw [above] is one of my most favorite logos ever, while the new London logo [below] is... well, not. Hopefully the rest of the production will be much better.I do have to say here that this show makes me wish more than anything that Howard Ashman was still alive. He would have known exactly what to do and would have made it a fantastic show, no questions. Just really seems like his kind of show. Ah, well.

This is my confession

2008-11-13T11:08:00.007-05:00

In choosing an intro for this blog post, I debated parodying the lyrics to "Stick to the Status Quo" from High School Musical or "Confessions Pt. 2" from Usher, but instead, I'm just gonna come out and lay a truth bomb on y'all.

I crochet.

I know. It's like the gayest thing I could possibly do, but hear me out. I have what I call hand ADD, meaning I like for my hands to always be doing something. That way, I don't have to feel awkward sitting still and/or deciding where to put my hands. Because of this, crocheting works out real nicely. Plus, it means I have lots of scarves and hats and crap.

So today I was looking for a pattern of something to make because this winter season I've already made a scarf and two hats. I found, as anyone will find when looking for crochet patterns, some of the most ridiculous stuff I've ever seen. That's when I knew I had to write a blog entry about it.I start here because it's the most... traditionally ridiculous entry I have. All I really have to say is how lame is the kid that only has these to play with. They looked like color-dyed doodies with arms.
As if normal dog sweaters weren't humiliating enough, here's one you can make yourself!
Crocheted wigs... nice.

But sometimes, crochet projects are intended to be worn when not trying to look crazy. And yet..

Make this one yellow and you could be Lisa Simpson for Halloween!
Because can one ever look French enough?
Hmm--it's like we traveled back to the 1920s. What better way to tell the world you're a big ole lonely nerd than by wearing your horribly outdated homemade CAPE?Can you freaking imagine walking down the street in this? And the kicker is this pattern costs money to obtain.

But men aren't spared in the crazy-crocheted clothes craze. Take a gander at this one.
I mean come on. What man in the UNIVERSE is going to wear this? The answer is the one with the girlfriend who made it, but still. It's not near hippie-looking enough to appeal to that demographic, so what were they thinking?!

I get it, OK? The crocheters of the world possibly have different tastes than most. I like to feel that I've somehow escaped this, because if I ever saw someone in the wild with one of these items, I just don't know if I could contain my laughter.

If you're feeling particularly industrious and/or crazy, you can click the images to be linked to the patterns to make them yourself! Yipee! Happy poncho-wearing all!

HSM3 Revisited

2008-11-12T12:07:00.003-05:00

As many know, I have seen High School Musical 3: Senior Year 4 (four) times. I know that this probably makes you jealous of me, and I understand that. All I can do is offer you support and advice to obtain the same momentous achievement. All you need to have is a dream and a plan. You are your own rainbow.

Regardless, my long relationship with this film has given me the chance to make some pretty in-depth observations about it.

Every movie should be presented in sing-a-long format, even if the movie doesn't have songs.
If a sing-a-long edition of a movie is offered in your area, you need to attend it.
Kelsi establishes that the Spring Musicale is 2 days after the prom. Troy meets Gabriella at Stanford on the night of the prom. They barely make it back to Albuquerque in time for the show. What are they doing for 2 days? Why is everyone shocked that Troy isn't there minutes before curtain? Wouldn't they have had a final dress the night before for which Troy was absent?
Vanessa Hudgens is a terrible dancer and so is Lucas Grabeel, and yet the latter is supposed to get a dancing scholarship to Julliard. Interesting.
Lucas Grabeel belts a long and high C# in "I Want it All." Work it.
What is up with the really girly (read: homosexual) tea set that everyone is always using? Since when do high schoolers like to make tea all the time?
The shadowed damsel in distress is wearing flip flops. This isn't really a mistake, but I'm betting it wasn't something they wanted me to notice.
Why do Ryan and Sharpay's parents go to India and then remain in the same clothes for the Spring Musicale? Very random.
The lyrics to "Walk Away" just flat don't make sense. Among others, this one is a real peach: "You know that I'm strong, but I can't take that / Before it's too late." WHAT?!

Other non-HSM3-related observations of note:

In "Welcome to the 60's" in Hairspray, one of the Dynamites lip syncs when she's not supposed to. It's when they're in the bench ad.
In High School Musical 2's "You Are the Music in Me," Vanessa Hudgens is RIDICULOUSLY dubbed in a high belty part at the end of the bridge. It's easily one of the most blatant things I've ever heard in my life. They clearly made no attempt to find someone who sounded even remotely like Vanessa Hudgens. I guess I can kind of understand that--why would one give money to someone for sounding like Vanessa Hudgens?

That's all for now. Go see HSM3: Senior Year Sing-a-Long!

Mouse in the House!!

2008-11-08T11:01:00.005-05:00

SOMEONE isn't doing their job at casa de Culwell, Smith e Pevehouse. You see, we currently have a very small (albeit cute) MOUSE having a party in our house right now. Sitting in one's bedroom and noticing something very small and with a tail scurrying along the side of the wall is not fun, especially when you own a cat that's supposed to be catching mice. Instead, Lainey [pictured above and left] likes to sit around the house, lounging away in her free place to live, getting up briefly to eat her free food or drink her free water. All the while, she has a job in our house that she seems to be mostly unaware of. Sometimes we catch her staring under the refrigerator which is where we're pretty sure this mouse is living, but she could just be lounging in a different spot.

So what has it come to? We bought traps. They're little round things that lure mice in with the promise of peanut buttery goodness only to trap them inside and either snap their neck or let them wait to starve to death. I'm unsure of the specifics. The important part is that when it catches a mouse, I don't have to see it. The end.

We will keep you updated on this late breaking story here on the LogBlog as more news becomes available.

Updates on my life

2008-11-05T12:20:00.003-05:00

So anybody that follows my Twitter feed probably already knows this, but I am in the process of applying for Ithaca's Graduate Conducting Program. They have a music drama conducting program which specializes in conducting for musicals and opera, which is obviously what I want to be doing. The trouble is they only take one person a year.

I had to send them a DVD of myself conducting, so I filmed myself piano-conducting "Into the Woods" a few weeks ago and also sent some video of me conducting the "Sweeney Todd" orchestra from this past summer. They approved my DVD and invited me to come up to Ithaca and audition in person in March, so I'm pretty excited.

It's really intense because the program also comes with an Assistantship that provides a full ride and a stipend. They're not going to give that away lightly. I have to sing something and accompany myself at the same time, sight-read some musical and opera samples, and conduct one of their ensembles. I also have to convince them I'm awesome and the right person for all of this. Good luck me!

What I'm doing now is finalizing all of the application process (getting recommendations and transcripts in) and then in March I will fly up to do all those things and interview in person. I'm really excited about all of this, but also wary. As I said, they only take one person a year, and I really want to study there, so needless to say my hopes are high.

It'll be a while before I have more to update on this, but when I do it'll go here!

The Beauty of Vornado

2008-10-31T13:00:00.000-04:00

So one of the things in my life that I have come to really love fairly recently is the company Vornado and its multitude of products. They are most famous for their fans. Well, excuse me--room circulators. I was in the market for a new room fan and Vornado seemed to be the highest rated. It bothered me a little bit that none of their fans oscillate, but I figured I'd try it out. How could all the positive reviews be wrong?

Luckily, they weren't. Vornado fans don't need oscillating. It's so powerful a fan that it literally moves the air it blows throughout the room, lowering the temperature of the entire room instead of just where the fan is blowing onto. Also, they're really quiet and somehow not overpowering if you're close to them. I started with this basic black model and it made me a fan instantly. Then, Cody bought me this super-cool retro model for my birthday, and I can't say enough good things about it. It's a LOT trendier looking than the black but it's just as functional, so if you're willing to spend a bit more, I would highly recommend it.

Now, as many of you know, it is getting colder and fans are not very good to have on these days. It is already pretty damn cold in my room, especially when I woke up. When I was shopping for Vornado fans, I noticed they made space heaters too, and so when it got cold I decided to try these babies. Let me just say my purchase (below) has completely lived up to my love for the Vornado fans. It keeps my WHOLE room heated and it is a dramatically different temperature the instant you leave me room. I know that it is way cheaper than using your house's gas heater, so I would highly recommend this unit as well.

The moral is--Vornado is awesome. And they didn't even pay me to write this.

Don't mess with my Redbox

2008-10-30T13:00:00.002-04:00

Do you guys know what Redbox is? It is a wonderful new way to rent DVDs. You go up to a kiosk (in my neighborhood, they're at most Wal-Marts and McDonalds) and select which DVD you want on a computer screen. The machine then spits it out at you, and it's only $1 per day that you have the movie. On top of that, you can return it to any Redbox kiosk you want. It is amazing and is way more equipped to changing rental trends than Blockbuster is.

What's distressing is what I read today about it. Apparantly Universal has decided that they do not approve of Redbox. They have demanded that Redbox stop selling used DVDs through their kiosk (which by the way they also offer) and hand over 40% of their gross yearly profit on top of that. If not, they're threatening to cut off DVD supplies to Redbox's suppliers. DAG!

Well, Redbox is sueing them for antitrust behavior. Best of luck, Redbox! I'm for you! [Source]

HSM3: Senior Year Review

2008-10-25T11:00:00.000-04:00

Stop reading this right now and go see HSM3: Senior Year. RIGHT. NOW.

It's the most brilliant thing I've ever seen. It was everything that I needed it to be. It was the sequel that HSM2 just wasn't. Whereas HSM was ridiculous and hilarious in its ridiculousness, HSM2 was more serious and just bad. HSM3 was from the VERY beginning a return to HSM's ridiculous roots and I loved every second of it.

I could go into more detail, but there's no point. Turn off your computer and go to your nearest movie theatre RIGHT NOW.

Musicals you should know: Smile pt 1

2008-10-24T13:00:00.000-04:00

First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ME! I'm 23 today, and I'm damn happy about it. Moving on...

Anyone who knows me knows that one of my obsessions is the 1986 Broadway flop "Smile," by Howard Ashman and Marvin Hamlisch. Don't let the fact that this was a flop fool you. Smile is a wonderful work that is funny, tuneful and thought provoking.

Based on a 1975 movie, Smile tells the story of the California state Young American Miss pageant, a pageant looking for America's best and brightest about-to-be-senior [in High School] girls. Naturally, there's lot of antics between the girls as they go about the stressful week, very much in the vein of Drop Dead Gorgeous if slightly less campy.

For the youngsters, the story centers on two contestants, Robin and Doria. Doria is the typical pageant girl. She knows all the tricks and is in it to win it. As we find out early on, there are lots of things missing in Doria's home life that drive her towards fufillment through pageant competition. Robin, on the other hand, is a smart and "normal" high school girl, encouaged to enter this competition by a teacher. She doesn't know anything about pageants, doesn't really know why she's there, and is rooming with Doria. This obviously provides a great opportunity for discussion of pageant conduct and tricks. It also sets up the central theme of what people do to win, and how losing yourself in the process can be detrimental.

Aside from the teenagers, there's a whole sub-plot concerning the adults running the pageants. Brenda DiCarlo-Freelander is a former California Young American Miss herself and grew up to marry a successful used car salesman and head up the California state pageant. Very early on, Brenda learns she's being considered to move up the ranks and start working on the Pageant from the national level. As the show progresses, we see Brenda's cheery "pageant" demeanor break down as problems arise, showing that Brenda is the embodiment of the kind of person that will do anything to get ahead.

Her husband, Big Bob Freelander, is the typical all American guy. He sells used cars, is genuinely nice, and is a thoughtful, caring husband and father. He looks for the good in people and is head judge of the pageant, using it as a platform to reward young girls who have the same American ideals as he. Unfortunately, he also is oblivious to his wife's darker side, and the negative in-it-to-win-it nature of the pageant itself as well.

As the show progresses, we watch the pageant process from the eyes of Robin, as she looks at what the people around her are willing to do to win, and as she's deciding what she herself might do to get ahead. It becomes an interesting commentary on the dark side of pageants, and perhaps even the American dream itself: how we want to reward these high American ideals, and too often those who get rewarded only have those ideals as a front to get ahead.

Pretty bitter, right? Don't worry. One of the most brilliant things Howard Ashman brought to his adaptation of the work is his treatment of this aspect of the story. The original movie is straight up satire, and thus ends pretty negatively. Howard, knowing he was writing a musical in which a full-on satire ending might not be the best choice, found a way the piece in a VERY hopeful way while also staying true to its satire roots. I'd love to tell you how that seemingly impossible feat is possible, but I'm not going to blow the fantastic ending.

More on Smile later, including a history of the show and some song clips!

Video Blog! New Car Tour

2008-10-23T13:00:00.001-04:00

Hey everybody! I don't think I'll be a big video blogger, but here's one for you. This is my schlamazing new car, all out there for you to see. Virtually, that is. Enjoy!

HSM3: Senior Year Soundtrack Mini-Review

2008-10-22T10:53:00.011-04:00

I'm pretty sure they end up all in this together.

WOAH. I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. I should have given you a spoiler warning. The plot twists and turns of the High School Musical franchise are many and well guarded, much like Harry Potter or Heroes.

Na, but this new soundtrack definitely has me excited to see the new movie this Friday. Don't get me wrong--it's still High School Musical, and all 13 tracks here are still essentially formulaic pop songs. However, this material is WAY better than that of High School Musical 2, at least on first listen. It basically sounds like the movie is going to have everything we love about HSM, but bigger, better, and more ridiculous--and like from the very beginning. There is something SUPER ridiculous in the opening number. This can only mean amazing things. Basically, I just hope it fulfills my hopes and dreams for it, and specifically I hope they don't make Sharpay a super $%^& like she was in HSM2. I'd prefer a hilariously mischievous villain if she has to be a villain at all.

If there's any track to listen to before the movie, it's definitely track 11: "We're All In This Together (Graduation Mix)." Basically, they arranged the first High School Musical's climactic finale number to sound a lot like Vitamin C's Graduation song, meaning slow and thoughtful. It's everything you would think it could be based on this description.

Oh, and I have to say that Disney really dropped the ball. You're supposed to be able to pop the CD into your computer and access all this additional online content, but when you open the program and click any of the links, it takes you to a page on the internet that does not exist. Really Disney? How many millions do you have and you can't put up the website you link to in your own damn product? Nice.

The moral is go see High School Musical 3: Senior Year this Friday in movie theatres, though given you're one of the 3 people that read my blog, it's somewhat safe to assume you're already planning to go and with me alongside you, so this moral is rather moot anyways I suppose.

Another Tuesday is Upon Us

2008-10-21T09:22:00.005-04:00

Any tech / TV lover looks forward to each Tuesday for exciting product releases, and this one is no different. What's out today, you ask?

Sweeney Todd may not have been the best version of the musical I love, but it was pretty good. Most importantly, it features a visual style that I'm pretty sure is going to look AMAZING in HD. It was slated for release in HD-DVD format originally, but we all know how that turned out. Today, we finally get the Blu release we've been waiting for. Those of you who enjoyed the Burton film but don't want to spend $25 on the Blu-Ray edition are encouraged to explore the staged DVD, the theatrical version of the property that I much enjoy.

Normally I hate when they double-dip releases so soon, like with this new 2-disc collector's edition of Casino Royale, but I only ever rented the initial release. It's a GOOD solid action movie that is pretty different from the Pierce Brosnan Bond entries, and I would highly recommend it. We also have 6 other Bond movies being released on Blu-Ray today and the next Bond movie release in theatres to look forward to (November 14th).

Lastly and certainly MOST importantly, the 1 disc and 2 disc flavors of the High School Musical 3 Soundtrack "drop" today. As you can see from the 2 disc album art, HSM3 promises to be just as happy and jumpy as it's first 2 incarnations. It also includes a "Graduation Remix" of "We're All In This Together" which I'm really excited about. The movie is coming out Friday, which happens to be my Birthday, so it's pretty much fate. Luckily, there will be much celebration in Austin with @adamrucker, @whitneyredman, and @samanthaurban to ensure the HSM3 release will be memorable.

All this being said, I think all I'm getting today is the HSM3 soundtrack. As much as I'd love another exciting Best Buy trip, I just can't do it so close to my date of birth. I AM however looking forward to actually having a CD in my car to see what that's like.

Oh, and by the way--I got a new car, and it's beautiful. This pic makes it look like a mini-van, but it's not. It's a hatchback with a back seat that folds in like 50 different ways to make it super easy to transport stuff (like keyboards and amps if you're me). Most importantly, it has an iPod hook-up in the glove compartment. Woo hoo!
Have a nice Tuesday! I'm off to get my hur did.

Haunted High School Musical

2008-10-17T13:00:00.000-04:00

I know that you probably think this post is about the High School Musical movie hitting theatres next week that began its life as Haunted High School Musical, but no. How frightening is the dude playing Troy in the Dutch production of High School Musical? Enough said.

Does the Bible foretell the future?

2008-10-16T13:00:00.000-04:00

The two Jehovah's Witnesses who came to my house two days ago and the "Watchtower" magazine they left says yes. And the evidence they list is.. well.. plum. Here are some examples.

What did the Bible foretell according to the Jehovah's Witnesses you ask? Well, international wars is the first thing they list, because in Matthew 24:7, Jesus says, "Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom." It then goes on to say that this is a prediction of World War I, prior to which wars had been more localized. Yes, World War I was the first major war and Jesus foretold that specific war with that really general statement that couldn't possibly be referring to any of the many wars that have been happening in the "holy land" for thousands of years. Or the many wars that have been happening EVERYWHERE for thousands of years for that matter.

How about widespread hunger? Apparently after foretelling World War I in Matthew 24:7, Jesus went on to predict world hunger in saying "There will be food shortages." Apart from the general hilarity of thinking that statement predicts the hunger crisis currently happening in the world, one has to wonder if they even understand the world hunger crisis itself. Any educated person can tell you there isn't any amount of food shortage. We have plenty of food to feed everybody in the world and more, even with the gluttony that happens in America. The problem is the political atmosphere where people are starving, which hinders the delivery of food. Which Bible verse predicts that?

The Bible also foretells massive earthquakes. In Luke 21:11, Jesus said "There will be great earthquakes." Well woo-hoo Jesus! That's f$%*ing amazing! No one could have possibly predicted earthquakes happening! The article then goes on to say that this is a prediction of the increased seismic activity recently. I'm just going to leave that one alone.

The next mystical Jesus quote is also Luke 21:11, which reads, "There will be...pestilences," and predicts intractable disease. Apparently illness has been getting worse in the recent years also. There's no discussion of the eradication of smallpox, of course. Or of antibiotics, and how a small infection used to be able to kill you. Nope. Disease is way worse now, and Jesus totally predicted it.

There's more, but I can't bear to write any more of it out. What do YOU think? Was Jesus a soothsayer for all that currently ails us?

I Know Things Now

2008-10-15T13:00:00.000-04:00

As most of you know, I've been working on my Music Director debut of sorts, working on the Sooner Theatre's production of Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods." Having played the first weekend, I've had some time to reflect on the experience. I have to say it was a completely positive one. I was not completely green going into the show. I have music directed several youth productions, as well as some productions I've put together myself with classmates that I would designate as adults. I even came in as a last-minute replacement music director for Little Shop of Horrors at the Sooner last season which gave me experience in rehearsing a band. Woods presented a whole new set of challenges. I got to coach the songs from the very beginning of the rehearsal process, which was unbelievably gratifying. I got to work with a cast of 18 and an orchestra of 7, all while actually playing the piano. Let me just tell you it has been quite the challenge. I'm not sure if I would ever agree to Piano-Conduct Woods again. With all the cut-offs and cues needed, it's just really really hard, and having a dedicated Conductor would definitely be about a million times more efficient. I have, however, come out of the process feeling like a real-life music director for the first time in my life. The orchestra came together. The cast came together. I came together! Through the stress, I think we all figured out what needed to be done and did it.

I am unbelievably grateful for having had this opportunity. Not only do I feel better equipped to do what I wanna do in the future, I feel sure that it is a good choice for my future. My heartfelt thanks go out to everyone involved who might be reading this, and break a leg in our final weekend of shows!

New MacBook Pros!

2008-10-14T18:05:00.002-04:00

Well, they finally did it. The MacBook Pro has been updated, complete with 2.5 ghz Intel processor, glass button-less track pad with multitouch capabilities, TWO video cards, and more. Just look at it [above]. Isn't it beautiful?

Too bad there's no blu-ray drive. Oh well. Guess I'll have to put one in myself... when and if I can afford this pretty baby.

Degrassi--Has it jumped the shark?

2008-10-13T12:03:00.005-04:00

Degrassi: The Next Generation came back to airwaves for its 8th season last Friday in the United States, and I have to say it was quite a shock. Season 7 ended with the original group of Grade 7s finally graduating Degrassi Community School, after having the longest senior year of all time. We were still in contact with the group ahead of them, completing their Freshman year at University. The main storyline here was did Paige's Corbin-Bleu-look-a-like roommate give her the AIDS when they did the nasty nasty?

Well, here's season 8. No sign of Paige, nor any of the University students. Sure, we got to see Liberty, Manny and Emma, but only barely. Meanwhile, back at Degrassi, Shenae Grimes was all but nonexistent (not sure how they're writing her out of the show, but she did indeed leave for 90210), and probably 70% of the characters were new. It felt SO Saved by the Bell: The New Class, and I'm really afraid that the show has totally jumped the shark.

Don't get me wrong--I will probably watch the show till its bitter end just for loyalty's sake, but if they can't make the show more interesting this season, I fear it will be its last. I would hate for the show to end down like that. Ridiculous or not, Degrassi is a [mostly] realistic and compelling drama for young adults that never hides the truth or gets opinionated with its information. I only hope the show can end with the same quality in which it began.

Howard Sings Ashman

2008-10-10T13:00:00.000-04:00

Guys I don't know HOW I missed this, but PS Classics is releasing a 2-disc CD set November 11th of the personal demos of the late great Broadway book writer and lyricist Howard Ashman. You remember him as the author of such works as Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and a few of the songs in Aladdin that he completed before his death of AIDS. You probably don't know his other works, but those include "Smile" (which if you know me, you know I freaking adore), "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater," and "Kicks: The Showgirl Musical."

Guys, Howard Ashman was a genius. He was one of the best musical theatre book writers we ever had. It sounds weird, but there isn't a day that I don't think about how sad it is he met such an untimely end. He should have stayed around to give us more fantastic musical, and, more importantly, to teach more people how to craft stories the incredible way he did. He was a major, if not the driving force behind Disney's animation come-back. Watch the documentaries on those DVDs--he taught them how to construct those stories, and that's why they're so good. He left a gigantic hole in the art form when he left us, and I'm happy to see this CD's release giving him the attention he is so very due. This is all kind of ironic, actually, because I'm currently working on a post about his musical "Smile." Look for it later this week! [Link]

Aftermath: Reviews of Tuesdays Products

2008-10-08T13:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday has come and gone. I am quite a bit poorer money-wise, and yet I feel so much richer for owning these wonderful things.

I can only give a glowing review to 30 Rock Season 2. After all, having already seen Season 2 when it aired on television, I can tell you they really upped their game after completing their first successful season. The plots are crazier, the characters are funnier, and it's all-in-all a better show. (That being said, I would highly recommend re-visiting Season 1, because it is also hilarious.) The DVD set doesn't fail either. Unlike the last release, Season 2 features several attractive bonus features, such as a live-at-the-improv benefit performance of "Secrets and Lies," several audio commentaries, and the table read for season finale "Cooter." It also has backstage footage from when Tina Fey hosted SNL and a post-Emmy awards interview with some of the cast and creators of 30 Rock. Overall, a HIGHLY recommended DVD set.

I haven't watched all of Sleeping Beauty yet, but I can tell you that it looks astonishingly beautiful. Blu-Ray is just such a fantastic format for animation, be it computer or hand drawn. If you don't believe me, pick up the Blu-Ray and compare it with the included DVD. You will be SHOCKED. It also is chock-full of bonus features that I look forward to delving into.

I can't say much for The Wordy Shipmates yet. I haven't had a chance to listen to it much, but the little part that I did I enjoyed. Sarah Vowell is awesome, so my anticipatory review is that it's amazing, interesting, and hilarious.

In other news, Into the Woods is almost ready to open this Friday! I started rehearsing with the orchestra over the weekend. They're sounding great! We got new costumes last night, which is fantastic because before we had been using literally in-the-plastic-bag Halloween costumes for everything. The joys of community theatre, eh? Listen, I'm not complaining. Oddly enough, only a few of the cheapie costumes looked terrible. Hopefully by Friday we'll have most of our kinks out, making us ready to give a wonderful weekend of performances.

Reminder: Today is the best day EVAR

2008-10-07T12:30:00.000-04:00

OCTOBER 7th, 2008

It is upon us. Today, the triumvirate of entertainment is being released, namely 30 Rock Season 2, Sleeping Beauty on Blu-Ray, and Sarah Vowell's The Wordy Shipmates. Oh yes, my children. That magical day has arrived.

What I HAVEN'T talked about here that's taking place today, though, only ADDS to the excitement. Today begins McDonald's Monopoly Sweepstakes! Start collecting those properties that you'll end up losing and never knowing if you were actually the big winner! More importantly, instant win can get you free fries! If that doesn't make your life, I'm not quite sure what will.

Well, I'm gonna quit writing and get out to the shops. Later fools!

TGI...M? The hilarity of Kristen Wiig

2008-10-06T10:10:00.003-04:00

I didn't really know what to post about today, so here's a collection of some HILARIOUS SNL videos featuring Kristen Wiig, beginning with this fantastic sketch from this weekend's episode!

TGIF: Mary Roach [Extended Edition]

2008-10-03T13:00:00.001-04:00

The best 6 1/2 minutes of your life...

UPDATE: Apparently it was fake.

Ode to an X-treme Gulp

2008-10-02T14:44:00.007-04:00

A testament to the fact that every thing's bigger in Texas, I dedicate this post to one of my favorite items of my high school life, the 7-11 X-treme Gulp, renamed Debbie Gulp for reasons that will go unmentioned on this blog.

I know you're thinking this X-treme Gulp [pictured here with a DVD case for size reference] is ridiculous, but if you haven't partaken in it, you can't understand. You see, my heart had a big hole in it at the age of 17, a hole that only a giant insulated soda cup could fill. This giant coke cup that keeps cold liquids cold and hot liquids hot filled that hole, and was only made better with its ability to be filled with the soda of my choice at any 7-11 for the price of only $1. That's right folks, the deal was that good.

The X-treme gulp doesn't judge. The X-treme gulp is only there to please. It doesn't even mind that it has fallen into disuse recently due to Oklahoma 7-11s' refusal to honor the Texas $1 refill deal. It knows it's still loved and it still has love to give; 52 fluid ounces of love.

In truth, it is perhaps the X-treme gulp SOLELY that makes my childhood home town of Garland the 67th best city to live in despite all of its... less attractive qualities.

Next week in things to buy

2008-10-01T13:00:00.003-04:00

Ah, The Incredibles. Who doesn't love it? It's a fantastic movie that wasn't outdone until this summer's Wall-E. So assuming you love The Incredibles as much as I do, pop in disc 2 of the Incredibles DVD set I know you own. I can't remember exactly what section it's in, but somewhere there's a feature called Vowelette and you should definitely watch it.

If you DO get to watch Vowelette, you'll find that the voice behind little Violette is popular history essayist Sarah Vowell. Vowell is also a frequent contributor to NPR's This American Life (you can check out some of her episodes here). She is both incredibly smart and super hilarious. Having seen her read some of her work live, I can tell you her readings are more like comedy shows than public readings of history essays. I know what you're thinking. "How could history essays be interesting?" I don't know what to tell you other than pick up one of her books and you will soon know. Actually, skip the book and go for the audio book read by the author. That way you get her witty writing said in her particularly witty way.

My personal favorite work of her's is The Partly Cloudy Patriot [audio link here]. That one isn't so much historical in subject matter, but given that it's her obsession, there's lots of tid bits in that subject throughout. Most of it is just interesting stories and musings she has on her life as an awkward geeky writer.

You'd be surprised how interesting her historical stories can be too, though, as in her other book Assassination Vacation [audio link here]. This work deals specifically with the assassinations of Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley. I found it so interesting and entertaining that I was actually sad the audio book version is abridged. For instance, did you know that the Oneida company that makes tea pots started as a sex cult? You would if you read Assassination Vacation.

The reason you should be paying attention now is Vowell's new book, The Wordy Shipmates, comes out next Tuesday, on October 7th. This one apparantly is about the Puritans, and though that specific subject doesn't directly interest me, I'm pretty sure this book will deliver as much as if not more than her previous ones. Look for it to be in book stores AND on iTunes come Tuesday for your enjoyment, and believe me--audio is the way to go.

I know this all may seem like a bit of a departure for me, it being non-technology-related and all, but that being said, Partly Cloudy Patriot and Assassination Vacation are available in Kindle format. I'm sure Wordy Shipmates will be as well, being new.

Also, let us not forget that October 7th also sees the release of Sleeping Beauty in Blu-Ray format and 30 Rock Season 2. Gooooood Tuesday!!!

Mandy Moore in Joseph..Dreamcoat--It happened!

2008-09-30T13:00:00.000-04:00

...but she was little and it was a camp production. Regardless, enjoy.

Thoughts on 'Into the Woods' Pt. 3: The Recordings

2008-09-29T13:00:00.004-04:00

This is the third and final post in a series about Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods. You can also read the first and second parts.

In the last section of my ponderings on Into the Woods, I thought it'd be nice to look at the recordings available of the show. The Original Broadway Cast gives a lively and entertaining (if slapstick and cartoony at times) performance on the taped version of the show available on DVD. What was going on when they recorded the cast recording? The tempos are slow as Christmas and the entire cast sounds like they have a gun to their head and are being forced to sing. Seeing the two recordings, you'd hardly think they were even the same cast. The OBCR is interesting though in the cut material it provides. We're treated to an extended "A Very Nice Prince" that contains a section similar to the middle of "Agony." I agree with this cut first and foremost because it's nice, but not needed. It also makes "On the Steps of the Palace" a little redundant, in my opinion. I like that she doesn't even really think about making a decision until that final evening. It makes the climax of the song a bigger deal for the character, and therefore more interesting for the audience. There's also a longer version of the "Witch's Lament," in which there is more of a reprise of "Stay With Me," and a few extra lines in "Any Moment." Again, unnecessary and a happy cut. If you get the remastered print of the CD, you also get some bonus tracks, such as the "On the Steps..." precursor "Back to the Palace" and "Boom Crunch" which was eventually replaced by "Last Midnight." Both are remarkably similar to the songs that later replaced them, and both are pretty inferior to their replacement as well. They're still interesting to hear, though.

My favorite recording is the Original London Cast. The CD is excellently produced, the only recording to split up the Act 1 Finale into separate tracks. The orchestra sounds excellent and crisp, as do the performers. Not only do the British accents here really suit the story, there are so fantastic performances. The stand-out for me is Julia Mackenzie's witch, which is much much better than Bernadette's. She sounds like an old woman and a witch, and then still delivers the most terrifying rendition of "Last Midnight" I've ever heard. Imelda Staunton (now of Harry Potter fame, she was Prof. Umbridge) also gives an excellent performance as the Baker's Wife, one that rivals Joanna Gleason Tony-winning turn. The narrator may not be able to sing on key in Ever After, but I find this recording to be the most satisfactory. The London production was clearly much darker than the original Broadway, and I would have loved to see it. The way they did their wolf is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. You can watch it below, though keep in mind this performance was taped for a television show and the set they're on is not the set that was used in full production.

I barely even want to talk about the 2002 Broadway Revival recording. That production was actually the first Broadway show I ever saw, and at the time it was really exciting. With time, I kind of realized how terrible a production it was. I'll start with the good. The physical production was really gorgeous. I loved the added choreography. I LOVED the cow. I also liked the "Oos" they added to the title number. Laura Benanti and Kerry O'Malley were both fantastic. That being said, WHAT were they thinking changing the ending to "On the Steps..." and the lyrics to "Last Midnight." Both HORRIBLE choices. Also, WHY did they add pigs to "Hello, Little Girl?" Terrible. I don't want to talk about it anymore.

The moral is, get the London cast recording if you need one.

That's all I have to say about Into the Woods, at least for now. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. If not, stop reading. If you'd like to come see my production of Into the Woods, visit the Sooner Theatre's website for performance and ticket information. Until next time!