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[Ginny]

From Jackie Demaline's review of the BILLY ELLIOT tour now playing at Cincinnati's Aronoff Center:

"...when the music stopped the show felt calculated.  Yes, one can argue that all musicals are calculated, but the greatness is in not letting the audience know it."

In the words of one of my favorite college professors, "To what extent to you agree?"

[JoseSPiano]

Good Morning!

I'm up, I'm up... And about 12 hours I'll probably be crying. A lot.

[JoseSPiano]

Jose - What is the dress code at the Landmarc? 

It looks pretty elegant online, for dinner especially. 

There's no dress code for Landmarc. I'm usually there in jeans and sneakers. And a shirt, of course.

The website does make it look a little "elegant", but it's not. More like casually dressy. -Whatever you'd wear to the theatre should be fine. They get a lot of the pre-Jazz at Lincoln Center crowd, as well as the post-Metropolitan Opera folks. It runs the gamut.

[JoseSPiano]

From Jackie Demaline's review of the BILLY ELLIOT tour now playing at Cincinnati's Aronoff Center:

"...when the music stopped the show felt calculated.  Yes, one can argue that all musicals are calculated, but the greatness is in not letting the audience know it."

In the words of one of my favorite college professors, "To what extent to you agree?"

Interesting comment. My least favorite part of the show, at least on Broadway, was the music. -I still can't listen to the OCR in isolation - mainly since it sounds very tinny to my ears. However, I thought the way the book worked with the songs was very well done.

[JMK]

Wonder if DR JMK's boys will be in school today - or if DR GEORGE will close his office?

The big blizzard landed further north--we're just soggy under torrential rains at this point.

[JMK]

I haven't had any huge scares on our various computers, though a few years ago, our internal power supply died the afternoon before Gabe had a huge science paper due (which was on the computer).  Luckily one of Betsy's IT guys from work came to our house and transferred the hard drive into a spare tower we had and we were able to use that until I bought a new computer.

One thing that has occasionally happened (it happened with my Nick Redman IV) is due to a weird glitch in Windows.  If you attach a document to an email, then open it and simply "save" (instead of "save as", selecting your Documents folder as the location), it goes into an unreadable subfolder buried so far down in the System 32 directory it's virtually unfindable (and even if you do find it, it's unreadable).  So I have to remember to "save as" whenever I do that.

[JoseSPiano]

As for the Topic of the Day...

Well, the only semi-traumatic computer incident I can think of was when my logic board died on my iBook just a few weeks after I had bought it. Thankfully, I was able to take it to the Apple Store right away, and even though they said it would take 2-3 days for the repair, I had it back in hand the next evening. -Not even a full 24 hours after I had brought it in.

I think I've just always known that computers can have problems. Yes, if something crashes, it can cause a bit of tsuris, but I usually have things backed up or, of I've been working on a "paper document", I've already printed out an early draft or two along the way. -Which makes it much easier to write/type it all up again.

[Jrand73]

In the real story DR DRUXY - if I am remembering correctly - her son served some time in a facility for "disturbed" persons and is now out and walking around somewhere.....

It's too bad she is not better known - she always gave good performances even when the movie wasn't so hot.

[JoseSPiano]

As for the Topic of the Day (The Appendix)...

If you want to include the computer "brains" in keyboards, sound modules and synthesizers, well...

When I was doing CHILDREN OF EDEN at Ford's Theatre, there was a random bug where the "tinkly" sound we used for that little "Spark of Creation" ripple-motif that appears througout the score would just go to full "velocity", volume, from time to time. Of course, the first time it happened was when Stephen Schwartz came to see the show.

*The only way I found to fix it, was the dump (erase) the set-ups, and re-program the sounds. That took a good afternoon.

[JMK]

I also prefer CDs.  I don't like the sound of MP3s in any case, but I just worry about having all of that content go "poof", like Michael did.  I will say I subscribe to Carbonite, so at least it would be in the ether somewhere, reclaimable.

[JMK]

As for the Topic of the Day (The Appendix)...

If you want to include the computer "brains" in keyboards, sound modules and synthesizers, well...

When I was doing CHILDREN OF EDEN at Ford's Theatre, there was a random bug where the "tinkly" sound we used for that little "Spark of Creation" ripple-motif that appears througout the score would just go to full "velocity", volume, from time to time. Of course, the first time it happened was when Stephen Schwartz came to see the show.

*The only way I found to fix it, was the dump (erase) the set-ups, and re-program the sounds. That took a good afternoon.

When I was MDing the NW premiere of Putting it Together, I had a keyboard with a disc drive that I programmed the Key II part into (the company couldn't afford two keyboard players--what else is new?).  That part worked swimmingly, but one night during Act II, I believe it was in the relatively quiet Night Music sequence, the damned metronome just went off all by itself, dinging along.  The problem was, my band was onstage, up on huge platforms, and my mad scramble to fix the issue could be seen by everyone.

To top it off the Nazi Stage Manager (technical term) came back and read us the riot act after the show, as if we had done it on purpose.  Not a good move--I gave it to her but good in front of the cast, and everyone supported the band.

[JoseSPiano]

Oh...

And there was that time in Memphis during my MAMMA MIA! when my keyboard got "stuck" on a high pitch at the top of the second act... And it was my first night on the new (to me) keyboard... And the alternate conductor was on that night for the first time too... And when I saw the main conductor run into the pit a few moments later... "JUST TURN IT OFF!!!"

-Yep, that fixed it.

[JoseSPiano]

As for the Topic of the Day (The Appendix)...

If you want to include the computer "brains" in keyboards, sound modules and synthesizers, well...

When I was doing CHILDREN OF EDEN at Ford's Theatre, there was a random bug where the "tinkly" sound we used for that little "Spark of Creation" ripple-motif that appears througout the score would just go to full "velocity", volume, from time to time. Of course, the first time it happened was when Stephen Schwartz came to see the show.

*The only way I found to fix it, was the dump (erase) the set-ups, and re-program the sounds. That took a good afternoon.

When I was MDing the NW premiere of Putting it Together, I had a keyboard with a disc drive that I programmed the Key II part into (the company couldn't afford two keyboard players--what else is new?).  That part worked swimmingly, but one night during Act II, I believe it was in the relatively quiet Night Music sequence, the damned metronome just went off all by itself, dinging along.  The problem was, my band was onstage, up on huge platforms, and my mad scramble to fix the issue could be seen by everyone.

To top it off the Nazi Stage Manager (technical term) came back and read us the riot act after the show, as if we had done it on purpose.  Not a good move--I gave it to her but good in front of the cast, and everyone supported the band.

...And then there was that night at Signature Theatre during the run of PASSION - in fact, I think it was the Press Night - where in the middle of one of the transitions, my keyboard died. Well, actually all the power to the pit died. Someone had tripped over the power supply to the pit and pulled the plug from the wall. Thankfully, the strings and woodwinds were able to keep playing, but it did take a few very long seconds to figure out what had happened. I still remember moving my fingers on the keyboard even though I knew it had powered down. Thankfully, everything was back up in time for the next solo(!) keyboard(harpsichord) entrance.

-But I guess that was more of human error than a computer one.

[Druxy]

In the real story DR DRUXY - if I am remembering correctly - her son served some time in a facility for "disturbed" persons and is now out and walking around somewhere.....

It's too bad she is not better known - she always gave good performances even when the movie wasn't so hot.

The son died about 8 years ago.

[Jrand73]

Ah I didn't know that DR DRUXY.  A sad end to a sad tale.

[Jrand73]

Theatre mishaps not related to computers, but to humans.....was the night our stage manager fell onto the pad that rang the doorbell.......and so it just kept ringing.....and ringing....and ringing......

[JMK]

I also had a lightbulb burn out on the piano light when I was doing a parody of WEST SIDE STORY for the Oregon Democratic Party.  It was during the Quintet, probably the worst time to lose sight of the score.

[JMK]

In the real story DR DRUXY - if I am remembering correctly - her son served some time in a facility for "disturbed" persons and is now out and walking around somewhere.....

It's too bad she is not better known - she always gave good performances even when the movie wasn't so hot.

The son died about 8 years ago.

I can't remember where it was (maybe PREMIERE?), but there was a huge article on Susan Cabot I remember reading several years ago that documented all of this.  I think the title of the article was Confessions of a Wasp Woman or something like that.

[JoseSPiano]

OK...

My (complimentary) coffee has arrived, and I believe I'm going to venture out for a bit.

Laters...

[JMK]

Betsy just called.  She is stuck inside a "security lobby" at a Chase ATM.  The security door will not let her leave.  Didn't Sartre write a play about this?

[Doug R]

I mentioned the last episode of "Sherlock" yesterday. One aspect of it which was particularly interesting was the appearance of Douglas Wilmer, who at the age of 92, portrayed a member of the Diogenes Club. Wilmer has been in numerous films (he was memorable as an Emir in "El Cid") and was the first actor to portray Sherlock Holmes for the BBC in 1964/65. Good to see him still acting.

  

[Laura]

Theatre mishaps not related to computers, but to humans.....was the night our stage manager fell onto the pad that rang the doorbell.......and so it just kept ringing.....and ringing....and ringing......

And then there's the time the organ changed keys during the Messiah...

[Laura]

I should get Sandra to log on and tell the tale of the Orlando button on the computer.

[Ben]

Betsy just called.  She is stuck inside a "security lobby" at a Chase ATM.  The security door will not let her leave.  Didn't Sartre write a play about this?

There was an episode of Friends about this where Chandler was stuck in an ATM facility with a beautiful girl during a power blackout.

[JMK]

I should get Sandra to log on and tell the tale of the Orlando button on the computer.

Did it change sexes?

[JMK]

Betsy has been rescued by a co-worker.  She slid her debit card through the crack between the door and the jamb and the co-worker slid it in the reader outside and the door unlocked.

[Ron Pulliam]

Betsy just called.  She is stuck inside a "security lobby" at a Chase ATM.  The security door will not let her leave.  Didn't Sartre write a play about this?

I don't know about Sartre, but there WAS a "Friends" episode in which Chandler Bing was trapped inside an ATM with a supermodel.

[Ron Pulliam]

Betsy just called.  She is stuck inside a "security lobby" at a Chase ATM.  The security door will not let her leave.  Didn't Sartre write a play about this?

There was an episode of Friends about this where Chandler was stuck in an ATM facility with a beautiful girl during a power blackout.

LOL!  LOL!  LOL!

[Ron Pulliam]

TOD:   Not a "computer" scare, per se, but my scariest online experience was when I was using TurboTax to compute my 2010 taxes last February.  It was then that I discovered the after-result of Obama's so-called "tax cut"...i.e., not a cut at all but a deferment of taxes that HAD to be paid back.

I was doubly appalled because I had been having extra money taken out for federal and state to compensate for my double income (military retirement and County pay).  These were discontinued for Obama's special "tax cut".  Discontinued without notification, without consent.  Payroll clerk said that the "tax cut" negated ALL in-place extra withholding.

My tax bill was gi-normous.  GRRRRRR!

This past year, I fixed that with NEW withholding instructions.  Now, I'll have to repeat the procedure for the next year.

Don't give us "tax cuts" that AREN'T tax cuts, dammit!!!  (I.E. Lower the amount of taxes owed...don't just withhold less but make us pay it back).

[Laura]

Do you remember that episode of "Friends" where Chandler was trapped in the ATM lobby with a beautiful woman?