Haines His Way
Archives => Archive 2 => Topic started by: bk on October 02, 2004, 11:58:39 PM
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Well, you've read the notes whilst I have been having coughing fits, and now it is time for you to post until the coughing cows come home.
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First post - huzzah!
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Writing a song about an Undescended Testicle certainly represents a new low.
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Apple Brown Betty? Wasn't she in the Playmate room yesterday?
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OMG - Miss June Wilkinson & Mr William Wellman Jr & a Macumba Love shrine.....I am speechless....
DRCP - did you mention that you recently observed her poster from The Playgirl & the Bellboy? Was she impressed.
I simply MUST send some $$ next time to get an autographed photo. I recently watched TWIST ALL NIGHT again....just to see June - who in violation of the law of gravity...does the twist almost entirely from the WAIST up!
The bulbs were out? Whew! Who knew?
I am very grateful and excited that DRJAY located the Allison Hayes House and photographed it....and certainly mindful of the effort it took.....of course the pictures that DRJOSE sent me were lovely as well....as a house that Allison drove by everyday to get home!
Congratulations to DRJENNY on getting the lead in THE DOLL WHO CAME TO DINNER!
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DRCP did you see Laurie Mitchell?
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Hi Maya!
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You want to hear about coughing fits?? (And two spaces after two question marks!) When I was in college (Western Washington University, class of 1989), one of the music professors wrote an a cappella piece of choral music in four short movements. The text was in Latin, but it was not gramatically correct. What the conceit of the piece was that when you slurred the pronunciations of the Latin a bit, it sounded like English. I wish I could give an example, but I can't remember any of it. It was pretty cool...on an intellectual level (the music never really grabbed me). Anyway, we had the "world premiere" at Western and did the piece. In the middle of the third movement, I started having a coughing fit. Fortunately (well, to me) it wasn't too noticeable. I was able to maintain my poise (almost an A Little Night Music reference) and got through it.
After the piece was done, the composer/conductor turned to the audience and explained that most people don't really "get" modern music on the first hearing, so we were going to perform the entire piece again (the chorus knew this ahead of time). So, we start performing again and in almost the exact same spot in the third movement, I have another mini-coughing fit! It was quite embarrassing to me, but still I was able to perform without causing too much distraction. It was the weirdest thing to have the coughs at almost the exact same place in the music!
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Welcome back, Maya!
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It is my guess, gentlemen, that those Playmates at the show today will never reach the status of Miss June Wilkinson, and when indeed they are the age that she is today - they will not look like she does.
Still lovely - and "accessible" it seems. Thanks, Miss Wilkinson! ;D
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some may have thought it was written that way, DRGEORGE.
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Wow, I was just reading about DR Jenny's news from last night. That is crazy. But good luck.
I was surprised when you said the director had not come up with the idea, but was merely going by what you said. Wow, you must have a lot of influence.
Please keep us posted on rehearsals.
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Good Morning!
-I had a very nice night's sleep last night. At first, I thought the "new" Marriott bedding was going to be a bit too soft - there's like this 4-inch thick pillow/foam top mattress pad on the bed - but it helped to lull me to sleep in comfort. -Sheesh, I sound like ad copy. In any case, the sun is shining outside, and I need to get my backpack (a.k.a. luggage) packed up, and get my self all set for today's shows. -Oh, and find some brunch too. :)
BK - I hope your cough is on it's final legs. With all the rain - and hurricanes - lately in Richmond, the mold levels are very high. Consequently, I've been dealing with a constant low-level allergic reaction. No cough, but an irritated throat from the "insipid post-nasal drip" (that's my doctor's term). Ugh! -But that's been the only inconvenience since coming home. Thankfully, a minor one. -Oh, that and the mice.
DR Jay - Thanks again. I bet your car maneuvering is somewhere on someone's private surveillance tapes in the neighborhood. :o ;)
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Oh, and from last night's posts...
DR Jay - I am also amazed by the lack of friendliness and usability of the TicketMonster website. It appears that their database is based on the date the event takes place rather than the event itself?!?!? Whenever I'd had to deal with TicketMonster, I usually end up calling them on the phone rather than having to redo my date, event and venue request over and over again to find good seats. -Now, as for Tele-Charge... I like the new format. And I even like the old format too.
OK...
Laters...
*OH, did anyone see one of the late sketches on SNL last night? The one where the escalator broke down? -An escalator, not an elevator. I thought it was quite funny turning the situation into a disaster movie.
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I'm really impressed at high schools that attempt such intricate shows as THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD. Not an easy show at all for professionals to pull off. Wow! Break a leg, DR Maya when the time comes for auditions.
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Seems like late night denizens last night were having a ball discussing testicles (pun intended), but glad I had gone on to other things.
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Oh, and from last night's posts...
DR Jay - I am also amazed by the lack of friendliness and usability of the TicketMonster website. It appears that their database is based on the date the event takes place rather than the event itself?!?!? Whenever I'd had to deal with TicketMonster, I usually end up calling them on the phone rather than having to redo my date, event and venue request over and over again to find good seats. -Now, as for Tele-Charge... I like the new format. And I even like the old format too.
Egads! I find dealing with the TicketMonster telephone cretins even more frustrating than navigating their website.
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What I had gone on to was my DVD-R of MURDER AT THE GALLOP. I know Warners is releasing a boxed set of Rutherford/Miss Marples next year on DVD, but for now, I'm pleased as can be with the DVD-Rs I made of the four films.
As for today's DVD romp, still haven't made up my mind which one I'll choose.
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Morning all. The modem seems to be up and running this morning. I don't know what happened last night!
When it went off the last time, it was after ten our time so I just shut the whole computer down.
I still had the e-mail in the out box so I just deleted it.
Congrats DR Jenny!
I'm still trying to get Easy Media Creator 7 to "see" my video camera so I can transfer my trips to DVD. I even bought another copy of Easy Media because I thought that since the other copy I had wouldn't allow me to register it, I got a bad copy. I bought it (the first copy) off of Amazon.com.
I just got a notice that I have a down load/update--the dreaded Service pack 2 for XP! Should I allow it to install?
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Good morning, Elmore! I'm going to attempt to send you a little "test" e-mail to see if it goes through.
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Good morning, DRDanise and all!
I've been up around an hour and a half now, playing at the computer, reading all the lovely posts and making plans for the day. For the past 30 minutes I've been bugging vendors on eBay and Half.com about late shipments from over three weeks ago. I don't understand the delays from some of the DVD vendors, and I still question why anyone would use Media Mail, which has sometimes taken as long as six weeks, over Priority Mail, which I'd rather pay for.
My best friend from college, Matthew, and I are off to see SHAUN OF THE DEAD later this afternoon, and that's my outing for the day. My social life, between Jo Loesser's party, dinner with PennyO and today's movie, has been busier this week than the past two and a half months. This week I've a friend in from Ohio as well as DRJane, so I'll be jumping around a bit.
I'll check back in later. Stay well, all!
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Last night I attended the first subscription concert of the season of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with Maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting.
With the wraps just removed earlier this week from the new concert organ at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, programming over the first few weeks of the season has been designed to show off this new addition to the serious music scene in Los Angeles. Mr. Todd Wilson was the guest organist on three of the four pieces played last night.
The concert began with Mr. Wilson alone, playing what is probably the best known piece of organ music ever written, Mr. Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor. With Thursday's organ recital largely filled with unfamiliar works, it was nice to hear a piece I know inside and out and my initial impressions of the instrument's magnificence were validated.
Next up it was the orchestra alone, playing Mr. Leopold Stokowski's arrangement of Mr. Bach's Fugue in G minor ("Little.") Ironically, in contrast to the first piece on the program, this piece communicated how successfully the organ is able to convey an enormous array of orchestral colors.
Next up was Mr. Lou Harrison's Concerto for Organ, with Mr. Wilson as soloist. The orchestra in this piece consists solely of a percussion battery, requiring ten players and, beyond several of the percussion instruments typically played in a symphony orchestra, instruments such as a set of plumbers's pipes, a large rasp and a rattle. The two outer movements of this five-movement piece were just so much noise to my ears. I have never been a fan of keyboards being played with blocks (whereby several contiguous notes are played simultaneously), and there was plenty of it in those two movements. The three inner movements, however, did offer some nice lyricism and the unusual orchestral accompaniment did create some pleasant exotic effects.
Following the interval, the concert concluded with Mr. Camille Saint-Saens' Symphony No. 3 in C-sharp minor, more commonly known as his "Organ" Symphony. This was the first test of the balance between the new organ and the full orchestra, and it was a wild success. There are beautiful soft passages in the piece, and it concludes with a rousing coda. The cheering following the symphony's conclusion was loud and extended.
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I must say that I'm not a huge fan of organs (DO NOT GO THERE!). This is not to say that under the right circumstances I might not be delighted by organ music. But I have yet to experience those circumstances. As a sidebar - (Joe's) I especially do not like organs played in synagogues - as they are in certain reform congregations. It just seems totally out of place to my ears.
I feel nauseated this morning. The question is - shall I go for my walk and try to walk it off or eat some breakfast first to make it go away... I think I'll walk first.
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I must say that I'm not a huge fan of organs (DO NOT GO THERE!).
My neighbor lady told my mother she never liked flies till she opened one.
Some of us fools take no advice and jump right in!
DRPanni, feel better!
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Our very errant and truant dear reader MusicGuy is a wonderful organist - I have many of his albums and they are a delight to listen to.
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Our very errant and truant dear reader MusicGuy is a wonderful organist - I have many of his albums and they are a delight to listen to.
I wish the VE&T Dear Reader MusicGuy would return to HHW.com. Not only do I miss his posts, I am curious about the differences between theatre organs (his specialty) and concert organs (like the one I heard last night) and would like to ask him some questions on the matter.
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I fear he will never return. Too bad.
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As way of explanation, sometimes dear reader Kerry has said he's been extraordinarily busy these days.
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I especially do not like organs played in synagogues - as they are in certain reform congregations. It just seems totally out of place to my ears.
I couldn't agree with you more, DR Panni.
And during the High Holiday season just past, I was treated to (variously) piano, guitar, violin/harp duo (playing a very lugubrious instrumental version of "Kol Nidre") and, as memory serves, a clarinet at one point.
All very disconcerting to ears that were raised in very traditional conservadox synagogues. I am sure that all four of my grandparents were having a nice spin at my expense.
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Yes, another performance of THE SHAPE OF THINGS brings me to the office on this lovely autumn afternoon. Ergo, my appearance on this here board: The most intellectual in all of web-dom.
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And one for Mahler.
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I finished watching Super Size Me, about which more later. However, the film had the opposite effect on me than it does on most - it made me hungry for McDonald's.
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Apropos to yesterday's topic of the day: I haven't yet enrolled in Latin classes, and I haven't yet signed up for piano lessons, but I did take a subscription to a ballet series in Orange County for The Dear Mother and myself. Today is the first performance, with the New York City Ballet in an all-Balanchine program in this, his centenary year. There's an ungodly 12:30 p.m. curtain; I can't imagine why. Thus, instead of our usual pre-performance big hat luncheon, we shall partake of a post-performance mid-day meal. Until later, I remain yours, yours, yours.
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Apropos to yesterday's topic of the day: I haven't yet enrolled in Latin classes, and I haven't yet signed up for piano lessons, but I did take a subscription to a ballet series in Orange County for The Dear Mother and myself. Today is the first performance, with the New York City Ballet in an all-Balanchine program in this, his centenary year. There's an ungodly 12:30 p.m. curtain; I can't imagine why. Thus, instead of our usual pre-performance big hat luncheon, we shall partake of a post-performance mid-day meal. Until later, I remain yours, yours, yours.
DRJay, Balanchine is the greatest! What were the ballets?
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It is my guess, gentlemen, that those Playmates at the show today will never reach the status of Miss June Wilkinson, and when indeed they are the age that she is today - they will not look like she does.
Still lovely - and "accessible" it seems. Thanks, Miss Wilkinson! ;D
DR JRand54: By all means, you must prostrate yourself before her and demand to be taken as her slave.
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My neighbor lady told my mother she never liked flies till she opened one.
Some of us fools take no advice and jump right in!
DRPanni, feel better!
She opened a fly? What was she, an etymologist?
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I finished watching Super Size Me, about which more later. However, the film had the opposite effect on me than it does on most - it made me hungry for McDonald's.
I've not set foot in a McDonald's since seeing Super Size Me, and am very surprised BK got a hankering after seeing it. I was swayed by its implicit argument, that when you have a capitalist society in which a corporation's primary objective is to make money, this comes in confict with mankind's objective to live, eat, and grow in a healthy way. There's a clash all around us, under every pair of golden arches, and I keep thinking about the unable-to-resist-the-call-of-the-Big-Mac humans who are ruining their hearts and muscles with every bite.
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I've not set foot in a McDonald's since seeing Super Size Me, and am very surprised BK got a hankering after seeing it.
Oh, my reaction to the film was quite similar to BK's! After watching, I wanted nothing more than a nice Big Mac!
In fact, right now I want nothing more than a nice Big Mac.
Mmm...
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I'm really impressed at high schools that attempt such intricate shows as THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD. Not an easy show at all for professionals to pull off. Wow! Break a leg, DR Maya when the time comes for auditions.
Maya is actually a college student!
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I'm back from looking at another place. Blechhh!
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BK - I thought I was the only one who enjoyed the STAR WARS films without considering them the be all and end all of film. Entertaining: yes, by all means. But great filmmaking? I think not. (I also feel that way about ET - even with your cameo appearance).
Speaking of high school musicals, Papermill Playhouse in NJ gives out awards to area high school musicals and it is amazing some of the shows that are done by high schools. Last year these included OVER HERE, COMPANY, CRAZY FOR YOU, MY FAVORITE YEAR and FOOTLOOSE.
While the world doesn't need another Sondheim Compilation Revue, nonetheless OPENING DOORS was a delight. Instead of the usual suspects (no "Send In the Clowns", no "I'm Still Here") they use a lot of lesser known SS songs including much of the material on BK's "Unsung Sondheim" CD. There are unusal arrangements ("Barcellona" is done by a male air host and his girlfriend) and medleys. It's a very entertaining evening.
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Speaking of high school musicals, Papermill Playhouse in NJ gives out awards to area high school musicals and it is amazing some of the shows that are done by high schools. Last year these included OVER HERE, COMPANY, CRAZY FOR YOU, MY FAVORITE YEAR and FOOTLOOSE.
The Stars of Tomorrow program in Rochester, for which I am an adjudicator, is modeled on the PaperMill program.
Let's see, in my division last year, I sat through two DOLLYs, two GUYS & DOLLSes, two MATTRESSes, an INTO THE WOODS, a FIDDLER, an OLIVER, and ANNIE. Other divisions, including the one that includes Rochester's School of the Arts, had similar fare, but also an occasional oddity or difficult piece, such as DEAR EDWINA (!) or RAGTIME.
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William E. Lurie, Add me to the club that never found STAR WARS the be all and end all. I really enjoyed the movie when it first came out and I was in the first audience who saw in Dallas, Texas, the day it opened. But I think I was just thrilled to see something like it when there hadn't been anything like it inso long. But even then, I could hardly agree with Time magazine's assessment of the Greatest Movie of All Time. And when I saw it a few months later, I was the thrill had begun to pall and I was able to watch the film much more objectively. Actually, to me, the best of the lot is THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, because of its darker colours (though I had the matinee serial ending...I think every movie should be complete in itself and tie up its loose ends...you should never have to wait for the next in the series). I really liked the way Revenge of the Jedi started it out and then it devolved into that horrid mess with those cuddly Ewoks and such. The two recent ones have been negligible. All five are perfectly fine, but the be all end all? None of them would make my top 25, probably not even my top 100.
JRand, I did mention the Playgirl and the Bellboy to June. She said it had been a real nothing experience and the director had been so inept that she had forgotten his name. So she was surprised when it was re-released a few years later after the direcotr had made a name for himself-- Francis Ford Coppola.
June is indeed more attractive and sexier than all those younger playmates. Mainly because she's genuine and she has a sense of humour.
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I sat through two DOLLYs, two GUYS & DOLLSes, two MATTRESSes, an INTO THE WOODS, a FIDDLER, an OLIVER, and ANNIE. Other divisions, including the one that includes Rochester's School of the Arts, had similar fare, but also an occasional oddity or difficult piece, such as DEAR EDWINA (!) or RAGTIME.
I'm guessing Dear Edwina warrants the (!) because it's never been produced on Broadway. I'd love to know what you think of it.
Dear Edwina has a rather strange development history. While working for Disney, Zina Goldrich perceived that there was a need, out there, for songs that teach children about manners. She and Marcy Heisler wrote a bunch, including my favorite song of theirs, Hola Lola, and, years later, turned it into a stage musical about a modern-day Emily Post type.
And it gets done by schools with some frequency.
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Thank you all so much for the Welcome Backs!
Matt--I am a junior in college, but I can understand your confusion. I'll be 22 in December :o, but everyone tells me I look 16 or so. Which might explain one of the reasons I get along so well with Jenny! ;)
I've actually heard of high schools putting on "Drood." I was also involved in a program in high school similar to the Paper Mill and the Stars of Tomorrow ones, called the CAPPIES. It was a fun experience, and I got to review a lot of high school shows in the metro area. I got nominated for Best Critic, but didn't win. It was still very flattering though! And I got to wear a pretty gown.
I'm not a huge fan of "Star Wars" either. It's just never affected me much either way.
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I'm guessing Dear Edwina warrants the (!) because it's never been produced on Broadway. I'd love to know what you think of it.
As I mentioned, it was performed by a school that was not in my division, so I still have no opinion on the piece.
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Peter Mills' The Taxi Cabaret was not nearly as impressive as I'd anticipated it would be, mostly due to some weak people in the cast and the 45th Street Theatre being the wrong space for a cabaret show. I think my enthusiasm about Mills may have something to do with the notion that he writes the kind of song I wrote in my 20's.
He's gotten so much praise that I worried that seeing his revue might make me green with envy. But, over two hours' time, there was plenty of stuff that failed to impress, making Mills seem human, for once.
I continue to believe that someday he's going to write an excellent musical. But I've stated the same faith in Jason Robert Brown, and, you know, he's let me down...
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I don't believe I have anything interesting to say today. As usual.
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I don't believe I have anything interesting to say today. As usual.
Thus far, this shared affliction hasn't stopped any of us...and you're never uninteresting, either.
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Noel, your McDonald's comments will be addressed in tomorrow's notes when I talk about the film - but basically I found its argument preposterous - that if you were to eat three meals a day for thirty days in a row you'd have problems if all those meals were at McDonald's. I think you could say the same of any fast food restaurant and basically any sort of diet with no variety. I eat at McDonald's maybe twice a month, sometimes I go three or four months without a visit, and I suppose there have been times when I've eaten there maybe four times in a month. Furthermore, I have never gained a single pound eating my one McDonald's meal in a day. In fact, when I was playing racquetball regularly in the early eighties, I used to love to do my hour of racquetball then go directly to McDonald's and eat a large amount of food (including fries) - on those occasions I would always lose a pound or two the next day. While I'm sure that Super Size Me applies to a small minority of people who eat fast food day and night, I think the majority of people don't do that. I also think there's living proof in the film that you don't have to weigh three hundred pounds if you've eaten a LOT of McDonald's - just look at the guy who eats nothing but Big Macs - he's not overweight at all, in fact, he looks a little thin to me.
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Well, I enjoyed THE ROCKETEER for some mindless entertainment this afternoon. The plot is rather thin, but it certainly has a bracing music score.
After it finished playing (old transfer hence3 no anamorphic enhancement which would have made the transfer even more sparkling), I slipped in Laurence Olivier's RICHARD III. Have only watched a bit of it, but the Technicolor is eye-popping, and I don't think I've ever seen it in its proper VistaVision proportions, so that is also a treat. Criterion has done a masterful job with transferring this title using anamorphic enhancement, so the whole thing is just stunning.
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DR JRand54: By all means, you must prostrate yourself before her and demand to be taken as her slave.
Oh, my!
Me bad!!
At first, I tought I was reading: "you must prostate yourself...."
Testicles, prostate.... what a programme! :)
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But even then, I could hardly agree with Time magazine's assessment of the Greatest Movie of All Time.
"Time", in its review, called it "the best movie of the year" and rightfully raved over its sheer entertainment value and its pushing the state of special effects to heights we had never seen.
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I'm back from looking at another place. Blechhh!
I guess you did not like it, hey? ;D
Have another Big Mag!! ;)
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I eat at McDonald's maybe twice a month, sometimes I go three or four months without a visit, and I suppose there have been times when I've eaten there maybe four times in a month.
Then you're perfectly safe. And the racketball exercise makes you even safer, healthier.
Super Size Me applies to a small minority of people who eat fast food day and night, I think the majority of people don't do that.
But the vast majority of Americans are not healthy. They're fat, or their cholest. is high, or their blood pressure is dangerous, and, from a public health point of view, that's a crisis, even a pandemic.
Unlike BK, who feeds on fast food only rarely, there's a huge segment (not "a small minority of people") who eat this junk much more frequently than can possibly be healthy. I agree with you that the example the filmmaker makes of himself is preposterous. Nobody's eating nothing but fast food, 3 times a day. But, the more valuable service of the documentary is its illumination of the connection between major unhealthy food corporations convincing people (especially children) to eat at their establishments and our national state of lard-ass lethargy. That's what I mean about the conflict between capitalism (I'm sure McDonalds' stockholders are happy they sell a billion burgers) and public health (the surgeon general would rather everyone followed BK's example).
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I've never been a huge sci-fi fan, so it comes as no surprise that I've never been a STAR WARS devotee. I do respect the filmmaking and felt the film's aims were certainly accomplished. I've actually liked each one a little less than the previous one (though I know most critics think THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is the finest of the lot; I don't), and got really bored with the last one, especially with that miserable excuse for a Skywalker, Hayden Christiansen. Oh, he was horrid!
I'll look forward to seeing and hearing the new DVD transfers, but I certainly have plenty of things to watch that I haven't felt this dire need to rush out and get them yet. Still waiting for some used deals to pop up.
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I've not set foot in a McDonald's since seeing Super Size Me, and am very surprised BK got a hankering after seeing it. I was swayed by its implicit argument, that when you have a capitalist society in which a corporation's primary objective is to make money, this comes in confict with mankind's objective to live, eat, and grow in a healthy way. There's a clash all around us, under every pair of golden arches, and I keep thinking about the unable-to-resist-the-call-of-the-Big-Mac humans who are ruining their hearts and muscles with every bite.
The trailer just turned me off this film!
Yep!
Who, in his/her right mind, would go and eat McDonald's food for so long EACH and EVERY day ..... to prove that's not healthy???
I don't like to be taken for a jerk.... even -- or... even more!! -- if I'm one....
The premises to that "study" are just plain dumb to me!!
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BK - I thought I was the only one who enjoyed the STAR WARS films without considering them the be all and end all of film. Entertaining: yes, by all means. But great filmmaking? I think not. (I also feel that way about ET - even with your cameo appearance).
Speaking of high school musicals, Papermill Playhouse in NJ gives out awards to area high school musicals and it is amazing some of the shows that are done by high schools. Last year these included OVER HERE, COMPANY, CRAZY FOR YOU, MY FAVORITE YEAR and FOOTLOOSE.
While the world doesn't need another Sondheim Compilation Revue, nonetheless OPENING DOORS was a delight. Instead of the usual suspects (no "Send In the Clowns", no "I'm Still Here") they use a lot of lesser known SS songs including much of the material on BK's "Unsung Sondheim" CD. There are unusal arrangements ("Barcellona" is done by a male air host and his girlfriend) and medleys. It's a very entertaining evening.
When does it play Paris, France? :D
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Actually, I'm looking forward much more to the release of ALADDIN this week. I loved what the Disney sound folks did with the soundtrack to THE LION KING (while retaining the original theatrical soundtrack for purists), and I can't wait to hear what marvels they achieve with ALADDIN.
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I haven't seen The Rocketeer since it came out - hated it back then, but suspect I'll like it more now. From what I understand, the Region 2 from France IS anamorphic and I might pick that one up.
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I don't believe I have anything interesting to say today. As usual.
Thanks for sharing! :D
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Page 3!
Let's Moon Walk!
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I can't remember whether you have an all-region player, MattH, but if you don't, given your insatiable love of film and DVD, you really should get one. The best of them can be had for under two hundred and fifty bucks and there are models much cheaper than that, although you must make sure they do the PAL to NTSC conversion properly, otherwise you won't get the proper ratio. I have so many great other region discs that cannot be had in any format in this country, or which have much better transfers.
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I REALLY want McDonald's today, but I shan't because I must eat out this evening in some Eyetalian jernt I know nothing about.
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Hey, Jenny, meet you at McD's for a BM. BIG MAC, all you people with your minds in the gutter.
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Noel, your McDonald's comments will be addressed in tomorrow's notes when I talk about the film - but basically I found its argument preposterous - that if you were to eat three meals a day for thirty days in a row you'd have problems if all those meals were at McDonald's. I think you could say the same of any fast food restaurant and basically any sort of diet with no variety. I eat at McDonald's maybe twice a month, sometimes I go three or four months without a visit, and I suppose there have been times when I've eaten there maybe four times in a month. Furthermore, I have never gained a single pound eating my one McDonald's meal in a day. In fact, when I was playing racquetball regularly in the early eighties, I used to love to do my hour of racquetball then go directly to McDonald's and eat a large amount of food (including fries) - on those occasions I would always lose a pound or two the next day. While I'm sure that Super Size Me applies to a small minority of people who eat fast food day and night, I think the majority of people don't do that. I also think there's living proof in the film that you don't have to weigh three hundred pounds if you've eaten a LOT of McDonald's - just look at the guy who eats nothing but Big Macs - he's not overweight at all, in fact, he looks a little thin to me.
Oops!
I had NOT read your comment yet... and see we agree!
Fun! :D
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The DVD player in my bedroom is an all region player, but I find I don't often go to Amazon.uk or other places that sell other-region DVDs. Perhaps once this latest group of shows I'm involved in is over, I can treat myself to some for Christmas.
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especially with that miserable excuse for a Skywalker, Hayden Christiansen. Oh, he was horrid!
Yes, BUT so easy on the eye that I could not care less about the story and the film!! :o ::) ;D
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DR Maya, I'm glad you weren't insulted by my obvious error in thinking you a high school student. If you aren't flattered now to be thought younger than you are, believe me there will come a time when you'll LOVE hearing that.
Anyway, sorry about my mistake and break all kinds of legs with your audition endeavors.
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Yes, BUT so easy on the eye that I could not care less about the story and the film!! :o ::) ;D
Glad some people like him. He does nothing for me either looks-wise or talent (or lack of it)-wise. Granted, the dialogue he and Natalie Portman had to spout in STAR WARS II was dreadful, but his acting was just so terrible. I had a hard time not laughing at all of their scenes.
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DR Maya,
sorry about my mistake and break all kinds of legs with your audition endeavors.
Maya breaks legs and hearts, I'm sure! ;D
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MY DD had the same reaction as bk and Jenny to Supersize Me - she wanted to go to McD's.
By the way, she says the McD's in Budapest are great - very friendly and clean.
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Glad some people like him. He does nothing for me either looks-wise or talent (or lack of it)-wise. Granted, the dialogue he and Natalie Portman had to spout in STAR WARS II was dreadful, but his acting was just so terrible. I had a hard time not laughing at all of their scenes.
I am NOT some people! >:( :D
Yes, he's wooden...but I like puppets!!
I LOVE to pull strings! ;D
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MY DD had the same reaction as bk and Jenny to Supersize Me - she wanted to go to McD's.
By the way, she says the McD's in Budapest are great - very friendly and clean.
Well, I wish I could say the same about the ones in Paris! >:(
I've always wondered why people in the States go out so often for burgers while it's such an easy item to fix at home!
Am I too rational?
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Glad some people like him. He does nothing for me either looks-wise or talent (or lack of it)-wise. Granted, the dialogue he and Natalie Portman had to spout in STAR WARS II was dreadful, but his acting was just so terrible. I had a hard time not laughing at all of their scenes.
One thing I can add is that his French was very good in the version I saw! ::)
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I am my own Jedi!
Watch my dust!
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I guess the Force is with Moi!
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I don't believe I have anything interesting to say today. As usual.
See Laura!
You can post even if you don't have anything to say! ;)
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.... And here's the keeper of the keyboard: big François!
If you're good to François,
François's good to you!
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I've always wondered why people in the States go out so often for burgers while it's such an easy item to fix at home!
Am I too rational?
"Rational" is the last thing I would call you, Francois. ;)
And I should add about DD that she is totally into eating the food of whatever land she is in (including Nevernever...) -- but as she is in Budapest for an entire semester, I guess she needs a McD fix once in a while.
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Hey, Jenny, meet you at McD's for a BM. BIG MAC, all you people with your minds in the gutter.
::scratches youthful innocent head::
I can't think of any possible meaning for BM besides Big Mac! :D
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And one for McMahler!
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Hey, Jenny, meet you at McD's for a BM. BIG MAC, all you people with your minds in the gutter.
Thanks for letting me know where my mind is....
I looked for it all day long! :)
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Ooops! I was 10 posts ahead of myself.
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"Rational" is the last thing I would call you, Francois. ;)
You would if you really knew me! :D
I know I do sound quite insane here... but I'm just trying to communicate with all of you! :o ;D
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Ooops! I was 10 posts ahead of myself.
What is really new??? :D
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And I should add about DD that she is totally into eating the food of whatever land she is in (including Nevernever...)
They feed on Pixie Dust in Nevernever.... ??? :)
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I also have nothing interesting to say, except that I am hungry.
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::scratches youthful innocent head::
I can't think of any possible meaning for BM besides Big Mac! :D
Bruce Mikkel... maybe!?!
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I also have nothing interesting to say, except that I am hungry.
Ok!
But that's not interesting....except for McDonald's!
And even then!.... ;D
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I want a Big Mac. I want a Filet o' Fish.
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-- Is it the States yet?
-- Shut up and keep rowing!
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New Page !
Maestro, please!
(Where's Panni when she's needed?!)..........
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I want a Big Mac. I want a Filet o' Fish.
Sorry!
We don't provide those items here!
Move to the next window, please!
NEXT! :D
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New Page !
Maestro, please!
(Where's Panni when she's needed?!)..........
10 POSTS BEHIND!! ;D
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I want a Big Mac. I want a Filet o' Fish.
The Filet o' Fish is part of the story of the Randy Vicar and the Indecent Reticle mentioned yesterday!
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Hello, all! I'm back from SHAUN OF THE DEAD, which made me laugh and grossed me out at the same time. It's like a Monty Python version of Romero's three Living Dead films rolled into London and quite a hoot.
DR Maya, I've been wondering where you were since I got back from WHERE'S CHARLEY? at Goodspeed. I wish you could have seen it.
DRJennifer, I've seen Monty Wooley, Elis Rabb, and Nathan Lane play Sheridan Whiteside, and Ellis Rabb made one big mistake: he wanted the audience to like him and he was too cute. The joke is, the audience does love the character because he calls it like it is, behaves rudely, and does something generous at the end. Don't make Ellis' mistake! And have fun.
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LOL FRANCOIS.
Well DRRLP - that would put me in the shade fer shur!
Francis Ford Coppola directed The PlayGirl and the Bellboy? Yup....oh my...well he was probably a bit intimidated by Miss June Wilkinson. Certainly her leading man was NO William Wellman, Jr. At least as far as I can tell.
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Hi folks! I just got off the phone with Jane. She said to say "Hi" to everyone.
She had a nice trip but is a bit lonely. She was looking for a drug store when I spoke with her. Something about her inhaler (sp?) breaking and she needs another one.
I worked on the computer today and managed to get my film from Salt Lake City onto the computer. Still working on NYC. It "sees" the camera once then it doesn't see it at all. I don't understand.
Gotta go and feed the dogs and then I'm going to McD's. I don't know why but I keep getting these urges for a Big and Tasty.
Be back later!
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DRJennifer, I've seen Monty Wooley, Elis Rabb, and Nathan Lane play Sheridan Whiteside, and Ellis Rabb made one big mistake: he wanted the audience to like him and he was too cute. The joke is, the audience does love the character because he calls it like it is, behaves rudely, and does something generous at the end. Don't make Ellis' mistake! And have fun.
Thanks for the advice!
(By the way, I am DRJenny, not DRJennifer!)
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Yes, Jenny is not Jennifer. One is a Canuck and it's not Jenny.
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And from The Man Who Came to Dinner, Jenny could go directly into that Noel Coward musical, The Girl Who Came to Supper.
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Thanks for the advice!
(By the way, I am DRJenny, not DRJennifer!)
Mea culpa! Mea maxima culpa! I do beg your pardon. It's the drugs.
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And from The Man Who Came to Dinner, Jenny could go directly into that Noel Coward musical, The Girl Who Came to Supper.
Yes, indeedy! DRJenny is a little bit of all right.
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In fact The Girl Who Came to Supper is a terrific alternate title....hehehehe
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We're having cheeseburgers for dinner and I don't think I've ever been so excited!
Let the "portly Sheridan Whiteside" weight gain begin!!!
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I will shortly be on my way to some Eyetalian restaurant. Keep the home fries burning whilst I dine on some sort of pasta.
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I'm back, and yes, everything was beautiful at the ballet. (Oh. An Ed Kleban reference.)
The program did a nice job of illustrating George Balanchine's range and span:
Serenade, from 1935, to Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings
Rubies, from 1967, to Stravinsky's Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra
Stars and Stripes, from 1958, to a pastiche of music by John Philip Sousa adapted and orchestrated by Hershey Kay
It was quite an enjoyable afternoon. As a whole, Rubies was probably the best of the three pieces. The male corps, however, has an extended--and highly athletic--segment in Stars and Stripes that deservedly brought the house down. There was a bit of sloppiness on the part of the female corps in Serenade; movements that should have been performed in unison were not so unified. A small quibble, given the quality of the rest of the performance.
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I don't know why but I keep getting these urges for a Big and Tasty.
Now, Danise, you're talking dirty again!! :D
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And from The Man Who Came to Dinner, Jenny could go directly into that Noel Coward musical, The Girl Who Came to Supper.
I like the masochist version:
The Girl Who Came To Suffer.
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DRJay, I love Balanchine's SERENADE, and I'm sorry the ladies were sloppy. When I first saw it, it blew me away that Balanchine caught the music's flow and interior lines in his choreography. I've been a fan of STARS AND STRIPES for years. Hershy Kay's adaptation is quite brilliant.
I just watched DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, and I'm still laughing over it. It's highly addictive kitsch, abd I can't wait to see what these madwomen are going to do next.
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We're having cheeseburgers for dinner ...
And what are you going to feed them? ;)
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The male corps, however, has an extended--and highly athletic--segment
Gee!
DR Jay talks dirty too! :o
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Hello, all! I'm back from ............... THE DEAD,
Oh, Larry.... I had no idea!! :o
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and I'm sorry the ladies were sloppy.
Call me chauvinist pig :o but .....ladies tend to be that way... in general... from what I've seen....heard... experienced!....
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I think WICKED has officially crossed the line as a cross-over show:
http://netscape.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,15045,00.html?tnews (http://netscape.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,15045,00.html?tnews)
Britney to Unveil "Letter of Truth"
by Joal Ryan
Sep 30, 2004, 1:45 PM PT
Britney Spears has penned "the most amazing letter [she] has ever written."
This, according to the author herself, who tells Britain's OK! she has drafted a missive explaining the state of her union, marital and otherwise.
"It's called 'The Letter of Truth: I Hope You Can Handle It,' " Spears says in OK!
As of late Thursday, the "letter of truth" had not been posted on Spears' official Website, BritneySpears.com.
The site, however, promised that the pop star turned wordsmith was "putting the finishing touches" on the communique.
Oh, and one other thing, the site said: If you'd like to read "exclusive content," such as Spears' "letter of truth," Spears would like it if you'd commit to her fan club.
Commitment runs about $24.98 these days. Major credit cards accepted.
A call to Spears' publicist was not returned Thursday.
There were no details on the revelations to be featured in Spears' letter. But there was little doubt, to the entertainer at least, of its import.
"It was a life-changing letter for me, and I just want my fans to read it," Spears says in OK! "It really states where I am in my life right now. It is making closure with a lot of things and I think this is my ultimate truth."
It sounds as if Spears' dancing beau, Kevin Federline, has been suitably supportive of the singer arriving at her ultimate truth. Federline tells OK! that Spears worked on the letter "every day for the last week and a half."
Chimes in Spears: "I feel like I am at Harvard!"
As with any thoughtful graduate thesis, Spears' was inspired by a Broadway musical about a flying green witch.
In OK!, Spears says a performance of the "amazing" Wicked drove her to commit her thoughts, such as they are, to a letter.
"It was the most amazing play. It was real life-changing for me," says Spears.
The Tony-winning Wicked imagines the pre-Wizard of Oz lives of the two who would become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.
For those only recently emerging from their caves, Spears, 22, wore a wedding dress, walked down an aisle and posed for pictures (splashed across the pages of People and OK!) with Federline, 26, on Sept. 17.
It remains unknown if the ceremony resulted in marriage. The couple's marriage license, released to the press last week, was incomplete. Us Weekly reported that the couple wed for show, with the intent to wed for real on Oct. 16--a copy of the so-called "faux wedding" agreement was subsequently published on The Smoking Gun.
A newlywed in the eyes of the court or no, Spears reportedly is being treated as a newlywed by Madonna.
The pop tart's onetime kissing buddy has proffered the use of her British estate for the Spears-Federline honeymoon, Britain's Sky News reports.
No word if Spears has had a chance to pen yet another letter--of thanks--for the overture.
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Evenin', gang!
I am happily ensconced (is that right???) in a back bedroom of Aldo di Tullio's giganto apartment in a Stanford White landmark building, right at 72nd and Amsterdam. He and his wife have been here for over 40 years, and when I got booted, yes booted, outa my horrendous sublet yesterday, I called and they took me in - even sent a car for me! These are great old Italians, he was Charles' singing master for years and years. They are constantly cooking... oy. But there is a small piano in my room (and 2 grands in the huge living room studio) and a phone line, so I can get my email!!!!
What a lovely day it was here today in NYC. A blue, blue sky, about 70 degrees, bright sunshine. Oh, how swell! Anyway, i'll be here for about a month or so, while I slowly and carefully attempt to find another sublet. Oy!!
Tomorrow is my first meeting with the gang at the BMI workshop, and I'm so happy, I could kvell. I think I will... *kvelling...* So see the NY contingent and Jane on Wednesday - that will be so fun! Nitey-nite (egad - another night right at the corner of 72nd and amsterdam... I'm gonna try earplugs tonight. Wish me luck, says the hypervigilant insomniac...)
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Oh, Larry.... I had no idea!! :o
Didn't know you could have any!!
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I enjoy McDonalds' food on occasion, too. I usually eat there once a month for lunch. And a Big mac meal is usually enough to last me for the rest of the day.
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At rehearsal tonight, we had three people missing: the leading lady, the ingenue lead, and the young leading man. The three biggest parts in the show, and none of them bothered to come to rehearsal tonight. Is this any way to run a theatrical company? I smell disaster in the air.
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I think WICKED has officially crossed the line as a cross-over show:
http://netscape.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,15045,00.html?tnews (http://netscape.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,15045,00.html?tnews)
Re Britney's letter. I love it! This twit can carry on about the marital state at its most trivial inane stage, because she's trivial and inane (some would say braindead). and gay couples cannot be taken seriously. She's such a model for young morons.
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And of course DRFRANCOIS the druggie version:
The Girl Who Came to Upper
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Why do we have Mondays? Why do we have to go to work?
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Why do we have Mondays? Why do we have to go to work?
That's what Britney Spears keeps asking herself!!
Blue Mondays!
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And of course DRFRANCOIS the druggie version:
The Girl Who Came to Upper
Coming up soon to a theater near you, starring Britney Spears!
Remember you've seen it first here!! ;)
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And of course DRFRANCOIS the druggie version:
The Girl Who Came to Upper.... BEACONSFIELD!!
.... the OZ version, starring DR Tomovoz, who's checking locations here in France!!
http://www.vicnet.net.au/victoria/upperbeac/
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SADE to be all alone..... says the masochist!! :-\
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I am taping DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES at this very moment. From the few minutes I saw of it I think I might have another favorite show!!!!
And Marcia Cross, formerly of MELROSE PLACE (a previous addiction for me) is one of the stars of this new show!!
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I got in an additional Bollywood movie this weekend, which I just finished watching. LOVE MARRIAGE (1959) which is a very cute romantic comedy which turns serious at the end...but of course all comes out happily! Stars the wonderful Dev Anand who I always enjoy, and the lovely Mala Sinha who is quite young in this one! Helen, of course, shows up as a dancer...she often makes a cameo as a dancer!
(http://216.247.121.93/dvdImages/b2238.jpg)
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I'm back - bad meal, fun but LONG show and I'm ready for the Jacuzzi. More about all this in the notes. I smell a FRENZY.
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Laurie Mitchell called me tonight and she had an absolute blast at the Hollywood Show in Burbank this weekend....and she took in $650 selling her autographed photos! She was only selling them for $10.00 but people kept telling her she should sell for $20! She declined to raise the price as she thought $10 bucks was too much! LOL!
Her table was right next to Larry Hagman, who, she said, took in about $2000! She also made friends with Don Stroud and his wife while she was there. Laurie and her husband now have a standing invitation to dinner with the Strouds in Manhattan Beach!
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That's why I didn't see her - you couldn't get near Hagman's table. And I'm quite sure she's incorrect about Hagman's take - people like Hagman regularly take in anywhere from 5 to 20K or more. Unless he just was there for an hour or something. I didn't see Don Stroud either.
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I do not eat at McD's. I avoid all fast food places, with the strange exception of Taco Bell. I know that I can cook better than the fast food joints, and do so.
But that's where the problem lays, I believe. (Yes, lays is correct, as in the potato chips.) Too many Americans are no longer willing to spend the time cooking their own meals. They think cooking is "difficult," and would rather lazy their way through their lives and eat something cheap and dull.
When der Brucer and I had his son-in-law and crew over to put up the fence for the new dog yard, der B went and got lunch for them. There's a much better than good place close by that makes fantastic sub sandwiches. The s-i-l and crew would have none of it. They wanted McD's, because they knew what they were getting ahead of time. They didn't want to risk having something in their mouths they hadn't had there before.
And that, more than anything else, is what is wrong with food today. It's too easy to get the same exact thing everywhere, because of "standardization."
I say to hell with 'em. I would much rather save my money for a better dinner than waste it on a carbon copy (and carbon dated) lunch.
If anything, these days I rebel at having to cook because "I'm tired of my own cooking," more than for any other reason. I need something different, something to re-stimulate my taste buds. But I know I'm not going to find that sort of taste at a fast food joint.
(Taco Bell is an anomaly I cannot explain. Go fig.)
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The Chef event der B and I went to today was quite fun. Our friends Charles and John, from Cafe Zeus, were serving up a very nice steak sampler with three different sauces. There was very good sushi from Abstractions, a duck stir fry from Confucius that could be enjoyed with or without the extra spices (which cleared the sinuses quite well), and a lamb dish that was served with a lemon relish that was very refreshing. And there were lots of other dishes served that were nicely enjoyable.
After, we returned home and napped with the dogs, who enjoyed the cuddle time. Then, this evening, I made a double batch of chocolate chip cookies, which der B has had to do without for a few weeks. For dinner, we noshed on leftovers.
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I am, as I've said before, very fond of Taco Bell - I don't know what it is about their regular crunchy tacos, but I really enjoy them. It's not like eating a REAL taco at Casa Vega but there's something very tasty and fun about Taco Bell tacos.
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Waiting for the Jacuzzi to reach 100 then I shall submerge.
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Well - as I have no Jacuzzi to heat up, I'll do my brief report on the Eyetalian restaurant and show. bk kindly accepted an invitation to see my friend, Roxanne, singing at this joint in North Hollywood (NOHO to the natives). The place left something to be desired in terms of service and food -- it's literally a mom and pop joint with the kids acting as waiters. I'll let bk handle the specifics. He's much better at that kind of thing than I am.
My friend, whom I haven't seen in 8 years, is a very talented lady. She's been on Broadway; she's opened for Richard Pryor. Her present "act" is really not yet an act. It needs to be shaped and honed. But she IS a phenomenal talent who has gone through some hard times and is now coming back. I was really happy to see her again and the joint was packed with her friends - some of whom were singers, actors, choreographers -- so it made the interchange with the audience fun. The show was overly long at two hours -- but as I have a significant history with Roxanne, I'm sure I had a better time than bk. He was a good sport about it all.
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BK, Don Stroud was at the end of Denny Miller's row, right past Ty Hardin, in that same horsehoe of tables (where June also was) off the central area of the main room. Mr. Stroud look tanned and healthy but seems to be geting a little thin on top.
Did you end up going back to the show today?
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I did go back, because long ago I'd promised Miss June Wilkinson a copy of Benjamin Kritzer, so I brought it to her, and I gave one to Mr. Anson Williams, too.
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Good Evening! Good Morning!
I'm back from Norfolk. I had to make a stop at Kinko's to copy the advance book for THE PRODUCERS. The contractor called me today and told me that the librarian needs it back at tomorrow night's rehearsal so that he can send it on to the next person/town on Tuesday morning. However... I have my keyboard rehearsal with the assistant conductor on Tuesday morning, and then I'm auditing the Tuesday and Friday nights show. But I don't actually play the show until Saturday... So, if I intend to practice before Saturday... Kinko's. Ugh! It wasn't too bad. I did have to hand place all the copies since the pages were three-hole punched a bit worn already. But 246(!) pages later...
*In defense of the librarian, there is a piece of paper saying that the book needs to be turned in at the first rehearsal... But I figured I would at least get to keep my copy until I actually played the show. Ah, well... One more receipt to add to the write-off file.
Well, now I'm gonna read the rest of today's posts. -I just wanted to make sure to get in here before "tomorrow".
Laters...