Posted by Jrand52 @ 03/05/2003 09:27 AM PST

When are you going to give the next trivia question?

Posted by steveg @ 03/05/2003 09:27 AM PST

First post huzzah! First of 107 more today!

I'm NOT making this up!

Posted by Jrand52 @ 03/05/2003 09:27 AM PST

My "Ask BK" question: Does the prospect of an "abrasive, edgy" GUYS AND DOLLS with a "new script and score" [what are they THINKING????] and starring Vin Diesel and Nicole Kidman scare you as much as it does me?

(And let's not even go into the latest news about the Cole Porter bio movie. Apparently it's about a DIFFERENT Cole Porter than the one we thought.)

Posted by Pam @ 03/05/2003 09:31 AM PST

Dear BK,

For my Literature and Film class, comma, I have to watch a film from a list and write a paper on symbolism and all that. Which one should I pick?

Here are the movies I have to choose from:

The Best Years of Our Lives
Casablanca
Citizen Kane
A Clockwork Orange
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Dr. No
Full Metal Jacket
The Great Dictator
The Grifters
Henry V
It's a Wonderful Life
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Laura
Lawrence of Arabia
The Maltese Falcon
McCabe and Mrs. Miller
Once Upon a Time in America
On the Waterfront
Rear Window
Schindler's List
The Thin Man
The Third Man
Touch of Evil
Truly, Madly, Deeply
Vertigo

Posted by Sandra @ 03/05/2003 09:34 AM PST

Bruce,

Do you have a single favorite song sung by Guy Haines? For me, it has to be "What Can You Lose?"

BTW, just discovered your website a few days ago and love it. It's been added to my favorites list, and I make it now a daily ritual.

Posted by Matt H. @ 03/05/2003 09:47 AM PST

Dear BK,
What should one do with a Chia Pet after it has grown its full coat of sprouts? This will soon be a concern at our house, and we need to be prepared.

Posted by Laura @ 03/05/2003 09:49 AM PST

Welcome, Dear Reader Matt H. We are glad to have out joining us!!

Posted by Laura @ 03/05/2003 09:51 AM PST

Welcome to Matt. A new Hainsie/Kimlet is always appreciated.

No question yet. Maybe later.

I hadn't heard that they were going to do a new score for Guys and Dolls but then if you're going to trash the movie by using Vin Diesel why not throw away the score!

Where was the info about the Cole Porter bio. Couldn't be much worse than the Cary Grant/Cole Porter as a straight man, but then again, with today's sensibilities, it probably could. >>

Posted by Ben @ 03/05/2003 10:01 AM PST

Welcome Matt. Now you must join in Chat sometime. I think the next one is next Monday.

I read that Carl Reiner has begun writing a "Dick Van Dyke Show" reunion and that Dick and Mary have expressed interest. It would certainly be better that what passes as sitcoms today. The GREEK WEDDING film was very entertaining but the television version is awful. I gave it two chances and the second was worse than the first.

For ask BK day:
The recent closing of OKLAHOMA! and the closing of FLOWER DRUM SONG later this month, both with much shorter than anticipated runs, does not seem to bode well for future Rodgers and Hammerstein revivals. However the OKLAHOMA! was the first major production to do away with the intregal Agnes DeMille dances and FLOWER DRUM SONG dumped the entire original libretto for a new one. Do you think if these shows had been done in more traditional productions they would have been better received (both artistaclly and financially) or do you think that these shows are so out of date today that they cannot be revived or revised successfully?

Posted by Wiliam E. Lurie @ 03/05/2003 10:04 AM PST

I received the DVD of "Contempt" based on comments on this here board.

Will view it this weekend!!!

For Ask BK: If BK has his crystal ball all polished up and ready to go, tell us who will win the Oscar for Original Score.

I'm feeling sickie-poo today -- must be attributable to all the coprophiliacal humor on yesterday's board.

Anybody else out there reveling in "Best Foot Forward" and "Good News" besides me???????

I received my eBay treasure in yesterday's mail: It's an artist's palette used in the second night of "La Boheme" on Broadway. On one side, a handbill was applied, and the palette was signed by Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Maestro Kitsopoulous (sp???), and several other (unknown to me) production staff (first names only, too). On the back are signatures of the entire cast (save the Russian soprano who apparently missed my palette in the flurry of signings). At any rate, it's a wonderful treasure to moi, and it was well worth the $200 I paid.

Another treasure will soon be on its way -- a window card from the original production of "A Little Night Music." It has flaws (it's 30 years old and was used), but it looks great and was only $5.50!

Life is sometimes very sweet!

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 03/05/2003 10:46 AM PST

Question for BK: Does this taste funny to you?

I watched part of "Forsaking All Others" this morning before departing for work, and here are some thoughts:

* Joan Crawford is really surprisingly good in what is a departure for her: screwball comedy.

* Why do so many film buffs speak and write so slightingly of Robert Montgomery? He did what he did well.

* Joan's wedding dress, designed by Adrian, is hideous. An absolute monstrosity. The sleeves -- tight from shoulder to elbow, with huge puffs at the forearms -- are bad enough, but the gigantic lacey fishtail that Divine would have turned up her nose at takes this one over the top into Nightmare Territory.

* Billie Burke's acting style has not aged well.

* Clark Gable: va-va-va-voom!

Posted by Lulu @ 03/05/2003 10:52 AM PST

Oops, almost forgot: Roz Russell's dress in her first scene is also quite wretched. Her sleeves -- voluminous puffs that are so big and made of material so heavy that they sag -- seem to have been designed for an orangutan. When her arms are straight down at her side, her hands disappear! Was Adrian ill, or what?

Posted by Lulu @ 03/05/2003 10:54 AM PST

Robert Montgomery, yes.

Lulu - did you see Norma Shearer yet in The Divorcee or Smilin' Through. They will eventually show up on TCM, but you might seek them out.

Ron, what great treasures. Fingers crossed that you will like Contempt, but I think you will. Awesome!

Ain't it the truth, Ben? Hi, Matt H.

Posted by Jrand52 @ 03/05/2003 10:58 AM PST

Ben, my info on G&D and the Porter movie comes from Playbill.com, so I assume it's press releases issued by the studios (I would be VERY HAPPY to be wrong).

The latest news on the Porter bio (to star Kevin Kline, which is great casting imho) is that the much-younger-than-Kline Ashley Judd has been cast as the significantly-older-than-Porter Linda, so the relationship between THEM will be, shall we say, fictionalized? But what can you expect from a release that refers to Porter being "trampled" by that horse (WRONG) and never writing a song after Linda's death (SO VERY WRONG!!!)?

I hope the "new script and score" referred to in the articles on G&D is an overanxious flack who has sinced been well and thoroughly bitch-slapped by Jo Sullivan Loesser.

Posted by Pam @ 03/05/2003 10:59 AM PST

Eeeps...Sandra, for symbolism you can't beat the JUST released DVD of The Day the Earth Stood Still...symbolism and all that.
8-D

Posted by Jrand52 @ 03/05/2003 10:59 AM PST

Ron---
I received "Best Foot Forward" and "Good News" but have yet to have time to listen to them. Did you get "It's Always Fair Weather" and "The Pirate" last month? And did you ever get "Athena"? That was one film I never thought would get a CD soundtrack. I know they have a couple more coming up in a month or two including "Broadway Melody of 1940" with a Cole Porter score.

I think George Feltenstein is the 2nd best CD producer around. His 6-CD "That's Entertainment" Boxed set was everything an MGMusical fan could ask for --- except having the "That's Entertainment" films released on extras-filled DVDs.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 03/05/2003 11:04 AM PST

Bill or Ron - could you post the link to the site that is offering the Good News cd - I know....could you post it again?

Posted by Forgetful @ 03/05/2003 11:07 AM PST

Forgetful...
Go to Rhino.Com and click on "Rhino Handmade". While there, check out the other soundtracks. They have a lot that they don't think would sell enough for general release but are a must for fans of old musicals.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 03/05/2003 11:15 AM PST

Have to share two comments about Jo Loesser that I heard at the Steve & Eydie concert a couple of weeks ago. Steve was saying that Ms. Loesser, apparently, is not the easiest person in the world to get along with. Ergo, she became known as the evil of two Loessers. One time she asked somebody why people take an immediate dislike to her, and he replied, "It saves time."

Posted by Jay @ 03/05/2003 11:22 AM PST

Jrand: I've seen The Divorcee, but not Smilin' Through. Eventually, I plan to have all the Normas that are available on VHS, but I also have to get all the Garbos, the Dietrichs, the Stanwycks, the Harlows, the Crawfords, etc., so it will take awhile.

It took so long for some of this stuff to make it to VHS, and now we're starting all over again with DVD, and my hopes aren't high that a lot of these films will be available on DVD in less than 10 years or so. I mean really...do you think it'll be a top priority for AOL/Time/Warner to release, say, A Woman of Affairs to DVD? I think not. But as one of the four movies that paired Garbo and Gilbert, it's important to little me. And this stuff just isn't shown on TV anymore (unless you're fortunate enough to have TCM). The days of local stations showing old movies late at night or on weekend afternoons are gone - infomercials and cheap, sleazy syndicated dross is far more lucrative for them.

Oh, my...that was a rant, wasn't it? Sorry.

Posted by Lulu @ 03/05/2003 11:25 AM PST

Lulu---
If your cable company doesn't have TCM (among others) have you thought of cancelling cable and getting something like Direct TV which does have all those stations for about the same monthly cost as Cable?

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 03/05/2003 11:33 AM PST

Oh...Sorry. Sandra's movie question was for BK.

You can imagine my embarrassment.

Posted by Jrand52 @ 03/05/2003 11:35 AM PST

Oh yes, Lulu...I remember well the days that local tv stations showed movies for hours and at ALL hours.

What were some of the cinema discoveries that you made then, dear readers?

Posted by Jrand52 @ 03/05/2003 11:37 AM PST

WEL: We live in a condo, and the cost of cable is automatically charged to us in our monthly "maintenance" fee. So we could get DirecTV (or whatever), but we would be paying the $40-50 a month in addition to what we would continue to pay for cable we wouldn't be using. And believe it or not, I have thought of doing that! But instead of doing it, I've been complaining here. :) And spending the $40-50 a month (or more) purchasing VHS tapes of the films I'm missing because our cable company refuses to carry any halfway decent channels (I mean, really...who needs the GOLF channel??).

Point taken, though...I'll try to whine a bit less in future. :)

Posted by Lulu @ 03/05/2003 11:38 AM PST

Lulu---
Is it legal making you pay for Cable even if you don't want it? At the next Condo Association meeting you might inquire if other people would rather have Direct TV instead of Cable. Of course you might come prepared with a list of all the stations you would get that you don't get now if you switched. Maybe the whole condo would switch.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 03/05/2003 11:47 AM PST

Jrand: I had chicken pox when I was 8, and the TV was all mine for many glorious hours every day for a couple of weeks. When I wasn't being driven mad with the desire to scratch myself silly, I watched several Andy Hardy films, the movie that Red Skelton made with Esther Williams (can't remember the name...I know I could look it upon imdb, but I'm too lazy), and A Date with Judy (thanks to seeing that, I was able to get the aural joke at the beginning of North by Northwest, when Cary Grant walks into the dining room and the pianist is playing "It's a Most Unusual Day.").

Until I was around 13, we didn't have a VCR, so seeing old movies usually necessitated staying up late. The Johnny Weissmuller "Tarzans" topped the list for movies worth staying up for, and once when our local station showed Mae West movies every night for a week (at 3:30 in the morning), I somehow set my internal alarm clock to wake up at exactly 3:25 a.m. every night in order to sneak downstairs and watch them.

The Marx Brothers were ones that I had to periodically splash water on my face to stay awake for -- usually started no earlier than midnight. Daunting, when you're 9. But not undoable.

I remember being really mad that movies like The Thing and Them! invariably came on so late that I would fall asleep, and even though I'd begged my parents to wake me up before the movie came on (and they promised they would!), they never did. "You needed your sleep!" they'd say when I accused them the next morning over corn flakes. Although my mom did totally surprise me one night (a school night!) when she woke me up around 3:00 a.m. to watch The Thing with her.

You just never know about parents.

Posted by Lulu @ 03/05/2003 11:47 AM PST

Esther Williams and Red Skelton were in several movies together, most notably "Neptune's Daughter" and "Bathing Beauty".

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 03/05/2003 11:51 AM PST

Oh, dear. I didn't know they were a regular screen team. I don't know if I could possibly recall enough details to know which movie they were in together. It struck me as an odd combination (even at age 8), and I never dreamed they'd made any other films together.

Posted by Lulu @ 03/05/2003 11:53 AM PST

Lulu - it was probably Bathing Beauty. That's the one that features Red's intrusion into a ballet class.

Neptune's Daughter has the song Baby It's Cold Outside.

Posted by Jrand52 @ 03/05/2003 11:58 AM PST

Who do you fantasize about?

Posted by Portnoy @ 03/05/2003 12:03 PM PST

Jrand: Actually, if Esther was the teacher, I think Bathing Beauty might be it. That's about the only thing I vaguely remember, is Esther being a teacher or some sort of authority figure (hazy, I know).

Oh, and I almost forgot to admit my secret shame: I *sob* I once adored Martin and Lewis movies! From My Friend Irma to...to...well, whatever was the last film that they did together, I just couldn't get enough. I even audiotaped part of one film, in a pre-video attempt at saving the Big Laffs for posterity. Again, not sure of the specific film, but I do remember Jerry having a conversation with himself in a full-length mirror, as he tries to screw his courage to the sticking place: "You could get a blackjack," is all that remains in the used-up brain cells I euphemistically refer to as my mind.

Posted by Lulu @ 03/05/2003 12:06 PM PST

Check out this link for a different view of CHICAGO:

http://www.leonardmaltin.com/03-01-19/home.htm

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 03/05/2003 01:40 PM PST

Well when I got home what should be waiting but my sparkling Thomas Picconi phono-cd-cassette-radio. It is a beauty! I am now listening the Mr Danny Kaye and Miss Susan Gordon singing The Music Goes Round and Round from the FIVE PENNIES soundtrack. 8-D

Posted by Jrand52 @ 03/05/2003 02:02 PM PST

My question for Ask BK Day:

When you travel for pleasure, what kinds of places do you like to go to and what sorts of things do you like to do? Tell us about your favorite vacation: where was it and what made it so special?

Posted by Jay @ 03/05/2003 02:26 PM PST

How terrible! I have missed many days of fantabulous posts! I could not partivipate in many wonderful discussions, not to mention the chat, which was apparently one for the ages. I had much work to do.

Questions:
Is your dentist a nice person? Mine is an incredibly unpleasant human being, obnoxious and vulgar. Unfortunately, he is an excellent dentist, so we can't go anywhere else.
What was the first album on which Mr. Guy Haines sang?
What is your opinion of Mr. Kevin Kline?
Who is the best cook that you personally know?
Do you still own a record player? (We do, and play records pretty frequently.)
Do you still own a VHS player?
Are there any political causes to which you regularly give money?
Did you do anything for today's nationwide anti-war protest?
What was the last novel you read? (Other that enjamin Kritzer II.) What did you think?
Is there any kind of flower that you particularly love?

I have little homework tonight, and we are having friends for dinner. Hooray!

Posted by Hapgood @ 03/05/2003 02:27 PM PST

WEL: Yes, I have purchased all the Rhino/Rhino Handmade musical titles.

I think one of the upcoming ones is "Born to Dance." Don't know where I read it but I did read it.

Thanks for the link to Maltin's review. I'm thankful to get a film like "Chicago" rather than the alternative...but he's dead-on. Every time I "tune in" to "American Idol," I find myself in full agreement with "Simon" when it comes to what is dreadful.

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 03/05/2003 02:38 PM PST

Thanks for the greetings, folks. You're a wonderful bunch of people, it's obvious.

I knew about the new GUYS & DOLLS, but I don't think there is to be a new score. Jo Sullivan Loesser would NEVER approve of that unless she's suddenly had a stroke and not able to speak, read, or write her objections.

The Cole Porter film to come is even more disturbing to me than a new GUYS & DOLLS. Here we are in the 21st Century, and they still can't tell a true story when the facts are right before them. It makes me want to cry and then hit someone, hard!

Posted by Matt H. @ 03/05/2003 02:48 PM PST

Welcome Matt! We are glad to have you with us.

Jrand- A bitch-slapping is in order. You took it upon yourself to answer one of BK's questions. I still have the marks from the bitch-slapping I got when I did that.

Perhaps if Matt needs to hit someone hard, he can use that frustration to be our official bitch-slapper.

Posted by Kerry @ 03/05/2003 03:17 PM PST

Hi, I'm Matt.

And I'm a bitch-slapper.

Posted by overheard at a 12-step meeting @ 03/05/2003 03:27 PM PST

Hi Matt!

Posted by Participants at the 12-step meeting @ 03/05/2003 03:27 PM PST

Sorry I've been errant and truant (and truant and errant). I've been working my little fingers to the bone between MTI and the Met and have just been too tired to post anything coherent.

As far as the new GUYS AND DOLLS movie goes, I must agree with our new Dear Reader Matt H. (welcome, by the way [BTW in internet lingo]...I must admit that your AOL profile made me laugh out loud). I don't think that Ms. Loesser will allow major changes to the script or score. Neither of the Loesser's liked the first version, and I'm sure that the point of making a second movie is to "fix" the mistakes made in the original. How they intend to do that with Mr. Diesel and Ms. Carey is beyond me...I think they've made mistakes already just by casting those two. But what do I know? I'm just a kid. Hey! Maybe they can get Michael Jackson to play Nathan Detroit and Bubbles the Chimp can play Ms. Adelaide.

Just read on ATC that CBS will indeed be presenting all three hours of the Tony Awards this year. They have also added a policy that if a show that has already closed is nominated for Best Musical or Revival that they will NOT automatically be given a performance slot in the show. That means that we may not get to see Ms. Errico sing from AMOUR (which HOPEFULLY will be nominated over VAMPIRES). Hopefully, though, those of you who didn't get a chance to see the dreaded VAMPIRES will get to see at least a hint of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" on the broadcast. I think you'd get a kick out of it.

Have any of the rest of you gone out to get your copy of Melissa Errico's CD? If you haven't, you're missing out. It's MARVELOUS. I got Ms. Lauren Kennedy's solo CD of Jason Robert Brown's songs yesterday. I'm not overly keen on it yet--I prefer the original orchestrations--but there are four new JRB songs that are just fantastic. They make the whole disc worth it, and I'm sure that the longer I listen to it, the more I'll enjoy it. Oh, and you get to hear Mr. Brown sing on one of the numbers. Kind of a country twang, which I totally wasn't expecting.

For anyone who is interested, Ms. Renee Fleming and Mr. Bryn Terfel will be signing their new "Broadway Duets" CD at the Tower Records at Lincoln Center on Monday the 10th beginning at 6:30. In Opera Singer's Time, that's probably 7:15, but they're advertising 6:30 nonetheless.

Anyway, I'm gonna go take a nap (I don't have to work TRAVIATA tonight). I'll be back later, I'm sure. Welcome to the group, Matt H.--hope to see you around more often!

Posted by Jason @ 03/05/2003 03:33 PM PST

Ouch!

X-/

Posted by Jrand52 @ 03/05/2003 03:44 PM PST

Happy Birthday, Eddie Hodges!

Can anyone else name his two top 40 hits?

Posted by Meredith Willson @ 03/05/2003 03:45 PM PST

I don't think Kevin Kline looks much like Cole Porter, but he's a much better coice than, say, Vin Diesel. I would have cast Steve Buscemi, if his teeth weren't so ghastly.

I wonder what the reasoning was in casting Kline. "Well, he was pretty convincing in "In & Out . . ."

Matt, where can I read up on how Irwin Winkler and Jay Cocks are screwing up Porter's life story? I feel like I'm missing out on some top-notch dread!

Also, I think I've figured out the reasoning behind the Diesel/Kidman "Guys and Dolls" update. (I've also heard Mariah Carey mentioned for it.) What they're trying to do is reproduce the spirit of the Goldwyn film version, NOT the original show. The movie has many charms, but was criticized for its miscasting and for Joseph Mankiewicz's tampering with the flawless Broadway script. What these new producers want to do is mess up the casting and the script even MORE, see? Hey, it worked the first time. That mildly disappointing 1955 film is looking more and more like a classic.

I'm reminded of a quote from Orson Welles who encountered Abe Burrows after seeing the "Guys and Dolls" movie. He remarked, "Abe, they've put a tiny little turd on every one of your lines."

It seems Hollywood won't rest until there's a tiny little turd on every classic musical.

Posted by Sigerson Holmes @ 03/05/2003 03:59 PM PST

Wasn't yesterday's discussion of - uh - stuff - enough?

Posted by Oh NO! @ 03/05/2003 04:01 PM PST

Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today...

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 03/05/2003 04:21 PM PST

Jason,

One can hear Jason Robert Brown sing - albeit briefly - on the SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD cast recording. At the conclusion of the show, the line "Listen to the song that I sing, and trust me...." is sung by none other than JRB himself.

BTW, Jason, I just found your address, so I'll try to get a cheque out to you tomorrow. How much was it again?

Posted by Dave @ 03/05/2003 04:43 PM PST

Answer to the Eddie Hodges trivia question about his two top 40 hits:

"I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door"

"(Girls, Girls, Girls) Made to Love"

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 03/05/2003 06:09 PM PST

Incidentally, I feel compelled to defend Jo Loesser against Jay's remark about her being "the evil of the two Loessers." That famous comment was made not about Jo, but rather about Frank Loesser's FIRST wife, Lynn Loesser. Lynn had emotional problems and was an alcoholic, and the two conflicting volatile personalities eventually became too much for their marriage.

However, when they were still happily married, Lynn and Frank Loesser were known at Hollywood parties for performing Frank's "Baby, It's Cold Outside" for the guests. I'll bet you anything that's the song Steve & Eydie sang after telling the "evil of the two Loessers" anecdote. Am I right?

Posted by Sigerson Holmes @ 03/05/2003 06:31 PM PST

I mentioned these Guys and Dolls rumors to my mother, and she has decided that they are not true. They are simply to disturbing. She do[es]n't want to know. (Oh! A Jerry Herman reference.)
I don't think that this could possibly come to fruition.
Speaking of casting rumors, they say that Audra McDonald might play Clara opposite La LuPone's Fosca in the Ravinia "Passion." That would be interesting.

Also, The Kennedy Center will do Sondheim's "Bounce" after Chicago, and will do a Tennessee Williams Festival in Summer 2004: big productions of Streetcar, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Glass Menagerie, along with one-acts in one of their smaller spaces, and maybe a one-man show. (I've forgotten.)
Aren't I just the theater news mayven!
Good night unto you all.

Posted by Hapgood @ 03/05/2003 07:15 PM PST

Question for BK - If you were stranded on a desert island, with no forseeable chance of rescue and you only had five CDs with you, which five would you want them to be, and why. Of course, this question implies that you would also have a solar powered CD player.

Posted by Ray @ 03/05/2003 07:45 PM PST

There may be better even more recently published bios out there, but I really enjoyed COLE PORTER by Charles Schwartz.

Posted by Matt H. @ 03/05/2003 08:19 PM PST

Actually, my question would be regarding Hapgood's earlier post:
When you have friends for dinner, do you use "To Serve Mankind" for your cookbook?

Posted by td @ 03/05/2003 08:27 PM PST

Actually, my question would be regarding Hapgood's earlier post:
When you have friends for dinner, do you use "To Serve Mankind" for your cookbook?

Posted by td @ 03/05/2003 08:29 PM PST

Greetings from the 2003 Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) Convention in Crystal City (Arlington), Virginia!

-And I have a surprisingly fast dial-up connection through the hotel switchboard.

WARNING: I'm in a rambling mode tonight - and I'm actually kind of wired right now - ?!?!?!?

So.... as it turns out, there are not 720 auditionees... nor are there 750... not 802.... not 809... not 820... but 860!!!!

That's 860 people over three days, but we've never had this many people auditioning... Gonna be some long days. Granted, not everyone will be singing - but it could happen - but that's a LOT of people.

Matt H. - Welcome!! I checked out your AOL profile too - I guess I'm your type of people. Do you do anything with SETC?

RE:The proposed Guys & Dolls movie - As Jason mentioned, Jo Loesser is way too protective about her husband's properties - in particular Guys & Dolls. Now the casting will most likely be out of her hands - unless she actually comes on board as one of the producers - so we'll just have to see what and if it comes to fruition. And as for her being "the Loesser of two evils", I, too, believe that's more in reference and comparison to the first Mrs. Loesser. -When Jo came to see Guys & Dolls at Arena Stage, she was very gracious and complimentary - and it was her support that led to the subsequent tour.

RE: Leonard Maltin's Chicago "review" - Wonderfully stated.

RE: Audra McDonald and Patti LuPone in Passion. Now, Audra I could see - and hear - as Clara - I hope the negotiations work out in her - and our - favor. But when I first heard that La LuPone would be playing Fosca... Boy, did I scratch my head. Fosca is quite a rangy role, and not that Ms. LuPone doesn't have that range, but I do have to wonder if she's up to it musically and technically. AND I'm just basing this on her recent work. She did a fine job as Ms. Lovett, but Fosca is a totally different animal, and I just can't hear her voice caressing some of those melodies. Of course, I want to know who the Giorgio will be?!?! -Hmm, I guess they could bring back Mark Kudisch... Although, with Audra in the picture, Norm Lewis would be a good choice. Or they could bring in Michael Ball... hmmmm....

RE: My vacation - Well, it looks like I'll be treating myself to a few days in NYC next week - most likely Thursday-Saturday. *Amtrak is offering a great rate on the late Acela trains from Union Station to Penn Station. Maybe we could have a Hainsie/Kimlets gathering? -We could all meet at Gray's Papaya! I know, bk, that you probably can't be there, but I promise to save you a space at the table.

Ask BK Day: Since I'm about to play for three days full of auditions:

Is/are there any song/s you're tired of hearing at auditions? -No matter how well (or how bad) it's done.

Is/are there any song/s you'd like to hear more at auditions?

Is there a song - out of the standard audition canon - that you have yet to grow tired of hearing at auditions?

Is there a song that you heard for the first time during an audition, and just fell in love with it right then and there?

Have you ever been so impressed with an audition, that you asked the person to sing the same song again? *We did this when Christine Andreas auditioned for Sunday in the Park with George at Arena Stage. She sang her version of "On a Clear Day" - her husband played for her, so I was able just to sit back and listen - she had just recorded it with an orchestra for her "Love is Good" album a few days before.

What is the most number of people you've heard in one day?

Will you need an audition pianist for TFNM?

Hmm.. That's almost a Craig-like plethora!

Well, I have an audition briefing in seven and half hours - and, yes, I'm still wired - and I better head to bed.

-Oh, and thanks for all the poop jokes yesterday. Who knew that a number 2 could spread so much joy! -Boy is that a strange statement!

Posted by Jose C. Simbulan @ 03/05/2003 10:25 PM PST

QUERY FOR BK - In your notes, when describing the films that you see (no matter the format), it's apparent--from a TECHNICAL standpoint--that you know whereof you speak. Just how did you acquire this knowledge...
in school?
on the job?
from a mentor?
or?

ANYONE - Did you see the PBS special about Dinah Shore? WOW! WHAT GREAT SINGING! Standouts for me were the duets with Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald. What struck me was how well-rehearsed she and her guests were. American Idol and Star Search participants - WATCH AND LEARN!!!

Hi Matt!

Posted by Donna - Cabaret West @ 03/05/2003 10:28 PM PST

Eddie Hodges had another top 40 hit here: "Bandit Of My Dreams".His version of "High Hopes" was also released as a single.I just checked with Mr Whitburn. "Bandit" only made it to #65 in the USA. Girls Girls Girls "(Were Made To Love)" did not chart here in OZ. I know you all needed to know that. I don't have a question for BK and I know we a duty bound to post!

Welcome Matt H.

That mention of LuPone as Fosca sounds horrifying. (Sorry Jason. I know you're a fan).My dog is really upset. (Yes. Her name is Fosca). Oh to have heard Judy Kuhn in the role.

Three hours of Tonys sounds wonderful. (we are luck if we get any here!) Then again, will that be a three hour session of our host singing a medley (out of tune) of every show performed on Broadway in the last ten years. I am assuming it is the same host at RCMH. Please let me be wrong.

Posted by Tom from Oz @ 03/05/2003 10:33 PM PST

It's late and I, too, feel I must post. Last night I ushered for "Mark Twain Tonight!" with Hal Holbrook, here in Olympia (one night only). It was sold out, and it was very good. There were a couple of times where it seemed that Hal had forgotten his lines or lost his place, but, no! Each time he was telling a story in someone else's voice and that person couldn't remember something. I did a little Internet research today and found out that the video of the show that was shown on TV (and is still available for purchase) was taped in 1967 and that the stage show originally opened off-Broadway in 1959! He started it as a college honors project and has been doing that show for more than 43 years!

Okay, here's are my questions for Bruce (even though it's too late): Have you ever seen Hal perform "Mark Twain Tonight!" live? If you did, when did you? What did you think? Have you ever met him? Do you like/know/have you ever met Dixie Carter (his wife)? Have you ever seen her perform in a cabaret setting? Did you ever watch "Designing Women?" Did you like it?

Posted by George @ 03/05/2003 11:21 PM PST

Here's an "ask BK" question.

Is there any way of posting either the audio recording or a text transcript of your radio interview, here at this site?

Posted by Sigerson Holmes @ 03/05/2003 11:21 PM PST

What wonderful Eddie Hodges news from Ron and Tom! Kudos!

Posted by Jrand52 @ 03/06/2003 02:22 AM PST

I just want to go on record as saying that BK was, indeed, lively AND sparkling during our radio interview on XM Satellite Radio, although I do NOT care for the term "DJ." And those of you who are not yet subscribers to "Radio to the Power of X" are missing the boat, because I have lively and sparking guests like BK on my show all the time!

Posted by Bill Schmalfeldt @ 03/06/2003 05:45 AM PST

Have to agree with Jose about the whole Patti/Fosca thing. For one thing, she strikes me as being too old for the role. For another, I can't imagine Patti projecting vulnerability and neediness. I've been listening to her sing EVITA a lot the past few days (more on that later...), and then saw her on Law & Order last night. She has the "diva bitch" role down pat, but is she capable of playing anything else? I, for one, was not impressed by her Mrs. Lovett, and I didn't hear good things about her in "Noises Off".

Yes, Judy Kuhn might also be a good choice for Fosca, but it will forever be hard to top Donna Murphy.

Posted by Dave @ 03/06/2003 06:10 AM PST

Do I detect censorship here on HHW? Last night there was a very derogatory post from an interloper with a phony name. This was followed by BK's reply that he was thinking of unmasking this person and his request that this person go bother some other website. Both of these posts have been removed. While the interloper's post was very nasty to BK, BK's reply was perfect and seemed to end the matter. I'm interested in who removed these two posts, why they were removed and what this says about censorship on this here site in the future.

Posted by William E Lurie @ 03/06/2003 06:11 AM PST

WEL: You'll be happy to hear that Leona Helmsley only has to pay $554,000 to that guy she fired, instead of the $11 million that the jury awarded her. The judge said that it was excessive. Cut and pasted snippet follows:

In his 16-page decision, the judge said the punitive damages award
"was excessive and actuated by passion." He speculated that
"Helmsley's brief [21 minutes by some estimates], belligerent,
confused, agitated, and insensitive presentation only resulted in
inflaming the jury." He commented on her response to a question about
Bell's giving out free rooms at the Park Lane Hotel by noting that she
said "in a gratuitous, acerbic gibe, 'It made him a big shot in the
gay group, I guess.' That and Mrs. Helmsley's accompanying sneer made
a very distinct impression on the jury. Moreover, on
cross-examination, her belligerence and evasiveness did little to
further her cause."

Posted by Lulu @ 03/06/2003 06:35 AM PST

Welcome to Matt H!

Questions for BK: Can you reveal what 70's flop you may be involved with???

And speaking of 70's "flops", what do you think of "Seesaw"??

Have you ever worked with Tommy Tune, and if so what did you think of the experience?

Posted by Phil @ 03/06/2003 07:05 AM PST

Wow! Sorry I didn't post again last night. I fell asleep around 6:30 and slept straight through to this morning! Guess I needed the rest...

No offense taken in regards to La LuPone playing Fosca. After seeing Ms. Judy Kuhn do it last summer, I doubt that anyone else could do it justice (and I'm even a huge fan of Ms. Murphy, but I think Judy topped her), let alone La LuPone. She's too tough-as-nails for it. (Though I would welcome the day she would do EVITA again--oh, how glourous that would be (though she's a bit old for it now). If only she and Lord Andy could get over their little tiff...)

Dave: I believe it was something like $20 for shipping.

Jose: If you get the chance to stop by the MTI booth at SETC, say hi to Russell and John for me. Russell got me the job and John is my boss. They're nice guys.

Well, I have to go to MTI now, speak of the devil. It's snowing here in NYC--I hope that Craig brought his rubber booties and a coat!! Talk to you guys later...

Posted by Jason @ 03/06/2003 08:06 AM PST

My apologies for confusing the two Mrs. Loessers. Serves me right for not doing my research before relaying Steve Lawrence's comments. A fine bitch slapping is in order.

And yes, the anecdotes preceded Steve and Eydie singing "Baby, It's Cold Outside."

Posted by Jay @ 03/06/2003 08:31 AM PST

Jeux sans frontieres

Posted by . @ 04/05/2003 04:40 AM PST