Haines His Way
Archives => Archive 1 => Topic started by: bk on January 23, 2004, 12:02:30 AM
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Well, you've devoured the notes, you've digested the notes, hence you are notes complete and ready for posting until the cows come home.
:-*
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First Post! Huzzah! (Is that how you spell it?...I mean "Huzzah?")
Anyway, it's too early to say what's in my respective media players except my VCR: a blank tape to tape "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in the morning. I'll report on what's in my CD player at work when I actually get to work. Until then, goodnight!
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I have been playing 100s of Cds to compile individual tracks this week so have had little time to play for myself. I did manage to give "Wicked" another play today.
DVDs: A whole stack waiting: "LOTR ROTK" (yes truly), "Mystic River", "Cold Mountain", "21 Grams", "Looney Tunes". "Brother Bear", & "Mona Lisa Smile" . They are not good quality but at $3 each what can you expect?
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Good vibes to DR Jason! (Sorry I just read about the audition now!)
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Good vibes to DR Jose! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Good vibes to Sarah on the audition next week! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry that the audition didn't work out, DR Joy!
I don't have anything in any media players, but this is the song I've been listening to tonight. My friend found it combined with a classic cartoon. The editing makes it fit! The song's beat is infectious! :) (This is Hey Ya!, a song I've loved since I first heard it in October or so.)http://www.venisproductions.com/movies/heyyacb.html
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DVD: Barney Miller Season 1
CD: Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Revenge with the wonderful and sadly late Miss Dorothy Loudon.
How to Improve Your Memory (I forget the author's name)
Somewhere in Time (Varese Sarabande complete recording)
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BK:
Does the Elmer Bernstein 2 CD recording of Hawaii have the vocal of "My Wishing Doll"?
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Yes DRs - Jason now has a selection of the Greatest Hits of Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in his possession - and I don't remember what else I put on the Disk! ;D
DR DANISE perhaps it was a spelling bee..... ;) DR JAY.
Thanks for the website DR. CARL - I will peruse it more carefully over the weekend! I hope your rehearsals are progressing. Still haven't gotten a answer from Bryan about seeing the show, but I have my fingers crossed and the dates written down. Read EUKIAH!
CD Player: The Langley Schools Project "Innocence and Despair" - interesting!
VCR: "Hit the Deck" replacing "The Fuller Brush Girl."
DVD: Plague of the Zombies - mid sixties Hammer Horror!
Friday at last!!! :D
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Here we are, Swishy and me.
I posted Mr. Brains yesterday afternoon and today another shopping experience.
Here I am in the frozen food section with a favorite British dish, Toad in the Hole. Surprisingly, even though our friends, Catherine and Maurice made toad in the hole and bubble and squeak for dinner, Anthony was so excited about it that he forgot to take a picture of the plate, so when we saw it in the grocery store he wanted this picture.
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I am so confused! A day or two ago I asked if the "divorce" film BK mentioned was "Le Divorce" with Kate Hudson. A bunch of people said no. And now he's reviewed it and it is the one with Kate Hudson. Btw, I still would like to rent it.
Look Paige Davis (Trading Spaces) is coming to Broadway:
http://www.broadway.com/template_1.asp?CI=33583&CT=38
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Yes DR Jennifer - we are all confused because DIVORCE AMERICAN STYLE was also mentioned in the notes.
But that is all right. I don't know why, it just is.
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Hi Everybody,
Haven't been around for awhile. Busy, busy, busy. Don't know if anyone posted this but just in case...
BILLY MAY passed away as did ANN MILLER.
Speaking of Ann...Get a hold of the MGM musical "Deep in My Heart" and see the TERRIFIC Eugene Loring-choreographed Charleston number she did. Not that well-known, IMO, it's one of her best!
In honor of these two talents, I will have in my...
CD PLAYER: The Billy May arranged album with Sinatra, "Come Fly With Me," and the double CD "Sorta May/Sorta Dixie" with the wild and swingin' tracks of "South Rampart Street Parade" and "Chicago" (which was, I believe, used for Billy Wilder's film of "The Front Page" with Lemmon and Matthau).
VIDEO PLAYER: Annie in "On the Town," "Easter Parade" and "Kiss Me Kate."
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Yes DR Jennifer - we are all confused because DIVORCE AMERICAN STYLE was also mentioned in the notes.
But that is all right. I don't know why, it just is.
It's all right because apparently I can read BK's mind :)
Yeah!
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I admit that I haven't read the notes yet, but I had to comment on last night's discussion of DVD site "reviewers" by quoting from one of the reviewer's comments on ALICE IN WONDERLAND and bk's follow-up:
"Black levels seemed nicely deep and dark, and shadow detail was fine. Contrast was solid as well, as whites were pure and clean."
Of course, in this one paragraph we get all the other catch-phrases - i.e. Black levels, shadow detail, clean whites, and solid contrast. I mean, I just scratch my head in wonderment."
Since the reviewer is critiquing an ANIMATED film, I think the discussion of shadow detail is absurd. All of the shadows were DRAWN in and are exactly the levels of darkness the animators wanted them to be.
And as for the reviewer of PLANET OF THE APES (actually two of them since part of it was the orignal review and the other part by the site's editor), can you believe this site did not hire me as one of their critics? I applied something like three years ago when they were looking for some new critics and despite 25 years of professionally reviewing films, television, theater, and home video, they couldn't use me. (Said I was next in line if they lost another critic; ha!)
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Not much in my media players this week I guess...I did pop in a DVD of the 1960s Gerry Anderson series STINGRAY last night to watch an episode. As far as the cd player the one in the house has been empty as I have been listening to AOL RAdio on my computer, and in the car it has just been the same old Bollywood soundtracks.
However, now that it is Friday I will watch my weekly Bollywood movie...maybe FOOTPATH or RAAZ. Time will tell.
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OK - WHO THROW THAT VILE THING!
(http://pic8.picturetrail.com/VOL242/891350/2995020/43676924.jpg)
der Brucer
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Good morning. I fell asleep early last night (10:30-ish) - a mistake. Because I woke up at 2 AM - refreshed and ready to start the day. Realizing it was a tad early for that, I lay there, tossing and turning while rehashing the entire history of the human race in my head. Luckily, my dog would have none of it. He eventually jumped up on the bed and snuggled up at my feet - which forced me to lie still and fall asleep.
LE DIVORCE - I walked out on it. I had high hopes for the film, which were dashed pretty quickly. It was a silly movie, dressed up as something else. I don't mind a silly movie if it wears its silliness on its sleeve. But when it's dressed up in Chanel, I walk. And how's that for a convoluted analogy?
I have a blank tape in VCR, nothing in my DVD player, "Leonard Cohen-Ten New Songs" in my CD player, and in my car CD player, a limited edition of Guy Haines' "A Wonderful Guy."
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Good grief! Don't do that, I thought it was a mirror!
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Well, while I don't go wild for all the Merchant-Ivory productions, I did adore A ROOM WITH A VIEW, THE REMAINS OF THE DAY, and, supremely, MAURICE. MAURICE is to my mind the greatest gay themed film ever made.
I have to admit their more recent films like JEFFERSON IN PARIS and THE GOLDEN BOWL did not interest me much.
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Media check for Friday:
CD - WICKED again. Can't leave it alone
DVR - NOTORIOUS C.H.O.
laserdisc - HIT THE DECK
DVD - AT BERTRAM'S HOTEL (Joan Hickson/Miss Marple mystery)
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I enjoy "Maurice" as well - some good performances. I thought "A Trip to India" or whatever it was would NEVER end! on and on and on.... My main problem is a lot of the performers (Emma Thompson) play their roles with a modern sensibility that would not be there in the personalities of these people at the time it is supposed to be.
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Yesterday "Divorce, American Style" and today "Le Divorce". If BK were still married I'd think he was trying to tell us something.
Michael - My Annie 2 recording doesn't feature Miss Loudon. Is the one that you have commercially available?
Are the extras on the ALICE IN WONDERLAND deluxe edition worth replacing the original which has only a few extras?
DVD - I'll try to watch KATE or ON THE TOWN this weekend as a tribute to the former Johnnie Lucille Collier. I wish EASTER PARADE were available although I have that on VHS. I did watch her Great American Soup commercial as a tribute last night, followed by a minute of silence.
CD - After the posts last week about Jonathon and Darlene Edwards I pulled out the 2 CDs when we had company and just slipped them on in the background. As is usually the case people gradually caught on. I'm also still working my way through the All Music shipment. I enjoyed THE BODY BEAUTIFUL. It had that typical 50s musical comedy sound and was a good start for Bock and Harnick, but from the description in the notes the book seemed to be the problem. I had forgotten that "Summer Is" came from this show. 45 MINUTES FROM BROADWAY was the whole soundtrack from the TV special, with way too much dialogue and no track numbers for just the songs. Still Tammy Grimes (billed as "introducing" although this came after THE LITTLEST REVUE it was before MOLLY BROWN) was wonderful.
VHS - THE L WORD from Showtime, a Lesbian version of QUEER AS FOLK involving a group of Lesbians who spend all their time in a coffee shop in West Hollywood. It should be called THE S WORD for stereotype, silly, stupid, sex-filled, etc.
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DVD Player: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, which DH Noel and I watched last night. Not the greatest film ever made, but I love it like a dear friend with flaws that I can easily overlook. My favorite line (which you have to imagine with a pronounced Louisiana drawl:
Vivi: Don't you talk to me like that, I will knock you into the middle of next week.
Caro: And I will kick your sorry ass on Thursday, now get back in the car.
Louisiana is an important part of my heritage, so I love the music and the setting and all the accoutrements of the story. And I like the story, too; it hits pretty close to home.
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Now you've made me want to see L Word, WEL.
DVD: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
CD: Stravinski - Solder's Story
I'm going out just to purchase another CD, Andrew Lippa's musical Wild Party
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DR Joy - I am sorry, but no court in the world, no power under heaven (a Clifton Webb reference) could force me to watch a movie called 'Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood.'
DR WEL - I ordered the Volume 2 Jonathan & Darlene CD. Florence Foster Jenkins arrived in my mailbox yesterday, but I haven't listened yet.
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JRand, you are a very funny dude. Well, it's really aimed at women with mother/daughter issues and the men who love them. And gay men.
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LOL...well they missed the target here.
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Okay, I just heard the craziest story from my friend Jon:
my good friend Bridget is and was the baby wrangler for GYPSY.....well apparently one injury led to another and last month she made her broadway debut in the ensemble with Bernadette....its just amazing how things work out
I'm speechless.
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A star is born! That's what I call being in the right place at the right time.
"You're on!"
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Hi, everyone. Well, it's official. I'm not called back. Oh, well...c'est la vie. now it's time to grieve (I've actually already done that) and move on to the next thing. I feel a lot better knowing for certain that this particular audition is over and done, and I'm actually not too upset about it any more. Believe it or not, there does come a point when you can stop taking the rejection personally. It ain't easy, but it sort of becomes second-nature. Anyway...moving on...
In my CD player: That GLORIOUS compilation CD that JRand sent me. In addition to the Edwards' music are some of the most horrific tunes by Ms. Patty Duke and some fun ones by Ms. Gale Storm and Ms. Annette Funicello or Fettucine or however you spell her last name. I could never get it right.
Also in the CD player: SEUSSICAL, WICKED and Andrew Lippa's THE WILD PARTY.
VCR: Nada.
DVD Player: I can't remember. CLUE, I think.
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DR Jason - glad you are ---ummm---- enjoying the efforts of the vocalists.
My favorite moment in the studio is when Patty's orchestra revs up and on her first note, the producer calls a halt and Patty says: "Good up to there....."
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Jason, if you're interested in a non-eq summer stock gig with impossibly low pay and gorgeous scenery, Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre is doing Seussical this summer. I think they usually have auditions around late Feb-early March.
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I enjoy "Maurice" as well - some good performances. I thought "A Trip to India" or whatever it was would NEVER end! on and on and on.... My main problem is a lot of the performers (Emma Thompson) play their roles with a modern sensibility that would not be there in the personalities of these people at the time it is supposed to be.
A PASSAGE TO INDIA was not Merchant-Ivory. That was David Lean (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, RYAN'S DAUGHTER).
I thought it was brilliant, so I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.
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Condolences, Jason. How do you do it? How NOT to take it personally, and move on??? You're a better man than I, Gunga Din...
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Extra special good vibes to DR Jason ~~~~~~~~~~~
Btw, for all canoe spoiler fans or Survivor fans check out canoe's new All Star Spoilers page. Great stuff.
http://jam.canoe.ca/JamSurvivorAllStars/home.html
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Penny--For this particular audition it's quite easy for me to not take it personally. He told me flat-out that I was too thin for the role. There's not much I can do about that in the next three days, so...that's that. Now, OTHER auditions where the casting director just says his/her "thank you" and you leave without a reason...? Well, that's harder to get over.
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DR MattH - oh yes, "A Passage to India." Okay, yes, you may have that movie, thank you. Now why did I think that was a M/I film? Hmmmmmm.....
Matt - have you seen "Big Eden"....any thoughts.... ;D
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Jason, you brought up an interesting topic. I often discuss this with my friends, some of whom have a real problem with letting go of an audition. I think the people that survive and stay reasonably sane in this business are the ones that are able to move on and forget about it after each audition. It drives me crazy when my friends call me up after an audition and post-mortem it to death. "I don't understand, they were just like, Thank you, nice voice, and I'm like, what the hell? What are they looking for? I looked at the people they kept, and I was like, What?"....and on and on. Most unhealthy.
It's important to develop the skill of not only the 2 minute performance, but also handling the aftermath. I believe the thing to do is to take whatever lessons you gained from the audition (that song doesn't work, I need to do it in a different key, etc.) and move on to the next one. Dissecting it and overanalyzing and fretting is just detrimental to you as an artist and also from a business standpoint.
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Sorry you didn't get the role, Jason! Onward and upward -- which doesn't mean, put on a few pounds and you'll get the next part.
My daughter, Rachel, when she was a kid actress, once auditioned for an ongoing role in a series that called for a "fat girl" (in the script). Rachel was quite thin, but the producers loved her in the reading and told her she was it, she was their girl. The director, who wasn't at the audition, vetoed them, saying that the girl HAD to be plump. Rachel (around age 10 or 11 at the time) was devastated because she was sure she had it - even though I had told her there's no such thing as "sure" in this business.
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It's important to develop the skill of not only the 2 minute performance, but also handling the aftermath. I believe the thing to do is to take whatever lessons you gained from the audition (that song doesn't work, I need to do it in a different key, etc.) and move on to the next one. Dissecting it and overanalyzing and fretting is just detrimental to you as an artist and also from a business standpoint.
Couldn't agree with you more, Joy.
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Just to add a note of compassion, because my note above sounds like I'm saying people should "Just get over it", which is not helpful. I hope nobody felt like that's what I meant, because it is] very difficult to deal with the ones like Jason mentioned, where they just say "Thanks" with no feedback at all. But business is business, and believe me, they are just as disappointed as you that they can't cast you, because that would make their jobs a heck of a lot easier. (Universal You, not You Jason.) I always yell at a certain friend of mine - no names - who post-mortems every single audition until I go insane. You're lucky if you get callbacks for 1/4 of all your auditions, so what's your life going to be like if you beat your breast after the other 75%? Eek.
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DR Joy: I agree...it's frustrating to have to listen to people analyze their past auditions to death, but I guess that's just their way of dealing with it. Rejection is never easy, but I've found that it's actually more bearable when it comes in large amounts. I don't know why, but it's easier for me to deal with a lot of "no's" as opposed to maybe just one big "no." Does that make any sense at all? I dunno. This one was easy to let go of once I knew I was done with it. The OKLAHOMA! auditions weren't so easy to let go of, seeing how I auditioned for it six or seven times and ended up with nothing. I feel like you can learn something from each audition you attend but then you have to let it go. There are a million and one reasons why they may not have hired you, and you can sit and analyze all million and one reasons or you can move on to the next audition and get a job. I audition well. I perform even better, but there's always room for improvement, and the casting director helped me a lot with our work session yesterday.
He just called me a second ago to let me know that he won't need me today...he's only seeing 2 people...but that he would show them my headshot and let them know that he sees me as a handsome leading man type. I've never heard THAT before, either! He said that he figured that they would see me as the understudy since I'm so much smaller than the other guys, but that if he needed to see me again, he'd call sometime next week and to hold on the materials he gave me. He also kept calling me "Buddy," which leads me to think that perhaps he feels I'm fragile right now. Haha! That's ALL I need is for him to think that I'm some sort of weenie. I'm a big boy (but apparently not big enough)--I can take it.
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Jennifer: When you asked the original "divorce" question, people correctly told you I was talking about Divorce, American Style. Two days later I saw Le Divorce. No confusion necessary.
I was rudely awakened this morning by the man who looks at the gas meter - once a month this happens.
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And I do hope MattH has rectified that "haven't read the notes" situation.
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My daughter, Rachel, when she was a kid actress, once auditioned for an ongoing role in a series that called for a "fat girl" (in the script). Rachel was quite thin, but the producers loved her in the reading and told her she was it, she was their girl. The director, who wasn't at the audition, vetoed them, saying that the girl HAD to be plump. Rachel (around age 10 or 11 at the time) was devastated because she was sure she had it - even though I had told her there's no such thing as "sure" in this business.
No, there sure isn't. There's a company (no names, at this juncture) that is NOTORIOUS for building up false hopes and making false promises and then reneging. I always tell people who get callbacks from them, "PLEASE do not get your hopes up and whatever you do, don't start shopping for suitcases until you have a fully-executed contract."
Your daughter is very pretty and personable. Does she still perform? At least she only had one instance where she wasn't fat enough, rather than being told her whole adult life, over and over again, that she was too fat. ::)
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Does anyone know if there is a CD recording of Beehive?
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DR Joy - I think there was a Japanese Import CD available for awhile....but no US release except on LP.
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DR Joy: I agree...it's frustrating to have to listen to people analyze their past auditions to death, but I guess that's just their way of dealing with it. Rejection is never easy, but I've found that it's actually more bearable when it comes in large amounts. I don't know why, but it's easier for me to deal with a lot of "no's" as opposed to maybe just one big "no." Does that make any sense at all? I dunno.
Yeah, it does, actually. I don't know why, but it does!
This one was easy to let go of once I knew I was done with it. The OKLAHOMA! auditions weren't so easy to let go of, seeing how I auditioned for it six or seven times and ended up with nothing.
Yes, I know how that is. I couldn't even TELL you how many times I was called back for various productions of Footloose. For crying out loud. And THEN I was later told that they were all ready to offer me a job when the person who was quitting decided to come back. Now THAT sucks.
I feel like you can learn something from each audition you attend but then you have to let it go. There are a million and one reasons why they may not have hired you, and you can sit and analyze all million and one reasons or you can move on to the next audition and get a job.
Perfect. I couldn't agree more.
I have a feeling I might know what this audition was for, in which case, I'm wondering how this all went down. Hm...I guess I'll have to wait until February!
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Matt - have you seen "Big Eden"....any thoughts.... ;D
Yes, I've seen it; I have it on DVD. I thought it a lovely gay fantasy. Too bad there isn't a place on earth as accepting and welcoming as Big Eden. My favorite scene was after the Thanksgiving dinner when Arye Gross' best male friend (straight) bursts into tears after being treated so coldly and tells him how much he loves him in his own way and how much his friendship has meant. Wonderful moment in a very sweet and loving film.
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He told me flat-out that I was too thin for the role.
Let me guess - you were auditioning for Edna in "Hairspray"?
der Brucer
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AND, if I'm right, then I also know the person who is bigger than you.
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Nice moment...lovely scenery...I thought Nan Martin and Louise Fletcher were both so good.
Yup - no place like it on earth, but a nice movie!
Oh, and did you know that Lucy Marlow (A STAR IS BORN as Lola Lavery, QUEEN BEE as Cousin Jennifer) teaches drama at a private girls school in Idaho?
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I mean....crap, that didn't come out sounding right. I'm positive that there are millions of people bigger than you, but...eek...you know what I mean.
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I was rudely awakened this morning by the man who looks at the gas meter - once a month this happens.
Dear BK, kiss and tell?
der Brucer (wondering why BK has his gas meter in the bedroom)
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bk, responding on the forum before reading the notes is a rare, rare thing for me, but I was so mortified by those "reviews" that I had to speak as soon as I could get my fingers on the keyboard. Certainly, I've read the notes now as you've seen as I responded to your comments on Merchant-Ivory and other matters.
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(http://www.aaapostcards.com/cards/previews/266.gif)
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Whew!
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The aftermath of a rejection is indeed the most difficult thing I've had to cope with in all my years of doing theater. As someone who's received more than a fair amount of rejection, it's part of the process which you know going in.
And I can tell myself from now until doomsday that if I gave the best audition I could, there should be no regrets if I wasn't chosen. Yes, I tell myself that, and my brain knows it's true, but the heart, ah, the heart doesn't have ears, and it aches and aches, especially if it's a show that you really really wanted to be a part of.
Still, somehow, the disappointment doesn't kill us and we move on to the next. When you have the itch to perform, the hope that it'll be scratched is stronger than the threat of someone swatting you with a broom instead.
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Joy: You're so sly. You probably do know what show it was for. And if you do, then you'll understand why I'm not allowed to talk about it. Perhaps I'll PM you and let you know.
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Oh, and did you know that Lucy Marlow (A STAR IS BORN as Lola Lavery, QUEEN BEE as Cousin Jennifer) teaches drama at a private girls school in Idaho?
Don't you mean Lucy Marlow as LOVELY Lola Lavery? ;D
She is good in QUEEN BEE as is anyone who could share scenes with Joan Crawford at that stage of her career and not be totally trampled on in the scene.
THanks for the info on her. I had no idea she was even still alive. I'd love to hear some of her A STAR IS BORN stories.
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Also in the CD player: SEUSSICAL, WICKED and Andrew Lippa's THE WILD PARTY.
VCR: Nada.
DVD Player: I can't remember. CLUE, I think.
Jason -- Who is in the cast of Nada?
I am very sorry about your audition, Jason, but that just means that something better is coming up for you. I am really curious to know which show is going on tour. Please let us know when you are free to talk about it.
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From Europe's Mars Express:
(http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/04/05/20040123084909990001)
Extract from AOL News (http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20040123065209990002)
DARMSTADT, Germany (Jan. 23) -- Europe's Mars orbiter has found the most direct evidence yet of water in the form of ice on the Red Planet's surface, the European Space Agency said Friday.
der Brucer (still waiting for pictures of Dejah Thoris)
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The aftermath of a rejection is indeed the most difficult thing I've had to cope with in all my years of doing theater. As someone who's received more than a fair amount of rejection, it's part of the process which you know going in.
That's true; but a foreknowledge of pain is very different than the actual experience. Sometimes better, sometimes worse.
And I can tell myself from now until doomsday that if I gave the best audition I could, there should be no regrets if I wasn't chosen. Yes, I tell myself that, and my brain knows it's true, but the heart, ah, the heart doesn't have ears, and it aches and aches, especially if it's a show that you really really wanted to be a part of.
Still, somehow, the disappointment doesn't kill us and we move on to the next. When you have the itch to perform, the hope that it'll be scratched is stronger than the threat of someone swatting you with a broom instead.
That's why I think it's important to have a creative outlet for your performing itch. Mine is currently dance class; some people use karaoke, piano bars, or, like I did a year and a half ago, produce their own show.
I have a theory that it may have something to do with how life prepares you for this kind of rejection. Maybe if you're more accustomed to it, it's easier for you to accept it. Still not easy, ever, but easier.
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Joy: You're so sly. You probably do know what show it was for. And if you do, then you'll understand why I'm not allowed to talk about it. Perhaps I'll PM you and let you know.
I won't tempt you to break your vow of silence. I'll be content to wait until Feb. ;D
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Yes, DR MattH - "...and the diamonds in the hair......."
I wrote a review of "Queen Bee" at epinions.com and received an email from a gentleman who knew Lucy because his grandkids were in a show she directed at the school. She is unaware of the internet....or at least didn't know what her IMDB listing was when it was printed out and given to her.
I tried to keep a dialog going so that maybe I could get an interview - but nothing came of it....communication ceased. Oh well....I will try again in a few months.
I agree - she was so very good in QUEEN BEE - and I am sure she would have some good stories.
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Bob Keeshan passed away.....
I am sorry to say...I thought he already had.
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Bob Keeshan passed away.....
I am sorry to say...I thought he already had.
Oh, gosh, not another legend. I am truly saddened by this. Another piece of my childhood lost. [sigh]
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In case you wondered:
(Extract from Straight Dope (http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_319b.html)
Dear Cecil:
Why are some musical instruments made in different keys? If the tenor saxophone, a B-flat instrument, and the piano, a C instrument, both play the note C, they would in fact be producing different tones. The tenor saxophonist would have to transpose to D for the instruments to be sounding the same tone. Why don't they just build instruments so that a C (or any other note) is the same tone for all instruments? --Robert B., Glen Burnie, Maryland
Cecil Adams replies:
Before we get into this, Bob, let me explain to the befuddled masses what we're talking about here. First of all, the true C is the same tone on whatever instrument it is played, namely 263 cycles per second. However, a true C is not necessarily called C on all instruments. On a tenor saxophone, which is known as a "transposing" instrument, everything is shifted down a tone (well, actually a tone plus an octave, but let's not quibble). That is, if you play a "C," you actually get a B-flat; if you play a "G," you get an F, and so on.
The reasons for this have to do with the difficult nature of the sax. On instruments with a linear arrangement of notes, such as a piano, transposing keys is easy--you just shift your fingers up or down the keyboard. On instruments like the sax and the cornet, however, the notes are obtained by various combinations of valves scattered all over the instrument. Changing keys would mean having to completely rethink your fingering. To avoid this difficulty, saxophones are made in a number of different ranges, soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone being the most common. Essentially, instead of your doing the transposing, the instrument does it for you. Thus if you think a tenor (B-flat) sax is too low for a given tune, you can get an alto (E-flat) sax instead. Using the identical fingering, you'll find the melody comes out about a half-octave higher. For ease of nomenclature, when sax players talk about playing a "C," they are talking about a particular valve combination (which is the same for all saxes), not the actual tone that is produced.
Most saxes today are either E-flat or B-flat, but years ago there were also C and F instruments, the former being called a "melody saxophone." Although it enjoyed some popularity in the 20s and 30s, it is rarely seen today. When C saxophones were still used, it made sense to write all sax music as though C were the home key--after all, C is the easiest key to sight-read, due to the absence of sharps and flats in the signature. Also, when they first invented this system, it seemed pretty obvious that on a C sax a "C" came out C, on a B-flat sax "C" came out B-flat, and so on. Admittedly, now that C saxes are uncommon, it seems a little perverse to have to choose between a B-flat and an E-flat as the result of playing a "C," but having known a few sax players in my day, I must say it seems only appropriate.
--CECIL ADAMS
der Brucer (who will stick with the bongo drums)
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Your daughter is very pretty and personable. Does she still perform? At least she only had one instance where she wasn't fat enough, rather than being told her whole adult life, over and over again, that she was too fat.
Thank you for the compliment. No, she "retired" when we moved to Colorado. She had done a series (Shari Lewis) and an Equity play, as well as several non-Equity productions, by the time she was 11. Said she wanted to be a regular kid - which was just fine with me.
As for being told your "too fat" - you're a strikingly pretty woman, Joy. Not everyone can have - or should have - a model's figure. We live in such a ridiculous age - when the "norm" as presented by the media is something that is almost totally unatainable in the real world. Next time someone says that to you, say to yourself "And you're too insensitive and stupid."
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So sorry to hear about Bob Keeshan. As Matt H. said, another part of my childhood gone.
Rejection as a performer, one of the most difficult parts of the business. Joy and Jason have said some very intelligent things. I think if I ever got back into "the biz" I would be able to handle that part better. I've been out of it for 13 years now and with a different perspective on life in general, I think it would be a whole different experience.
My current creative outlet (other than my musings on this here board), which fell into my lap by chance, is writing 90 second reviews of Broadway musicals (boy is that difficult) which are then broadcast on BBC Radio Wales. It's great fun to hear my voice again and it's even more of a charge to know that I'm on a BBC Radio station.
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A wise old sage (or maybe it was a wise old tarragon) once said that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
As someone who is not in "the business," today's dialogue about auditions and rejection has provided me a fascinating glimpse at what it's really like for performers. You all have my utmost respect.
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Thank you for the compliment. No, she "retired" when we moved to Colorado. She had done a series (Shari Lewis) and an Equity play, as well as several non-Equity productions, by the time she was 11. Said she wanted to be a regular kid - which was just fine with me.
As for being told your "too fat" - you're a strikingly pretty woman, Joy. Not everyone can have - or should have - a model's figure. We live in such a ridiculous age - when the "norm" as presented by the media is something that is almost totally unatainable in the real world. Next time someone says that to you, say to yourself "And you're too insensitive and stupid."
Thanks! To be honest, though (in my adult life, at least), it's mostly been me that says it. Mostly. I try to live a healthy lifestyle, to eat the right things, and to stay active. It's a struggle for me because I've had to break through habits that were cemented in my adolescence and teen years, but I feel pretty good right now and, although I would like to shed a few pounds (and most people I know would, even if they don't need to by any rational standards), I am happy with the progress I've made and with the way I feel now, and, to be honest (as opposed to ? ;) ), with the way I look -- most of the time. ;D
DERBRUCER
I am THRILLED that you posted that article! I played Tenor & Bari sax in high school and part of college and it always annoyed me a little bit that we transposing instruments (cornets, saxes, clarinets, English Horn, maybe?) had to do the math. It really helped me with music theory, though, in that I had to learn to think about music in a different way. Hard to explain how; maybe it has to do with linear v. circular thinking. I beg to differ with Cecil, however, about Bari being the most popular of the saxes. I think Alto and Tenor are much more prevalent, even though Lisa Simpson plays Bari. The Soprano sax, if I recall correctly, is in C.
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AND, if I'm right, then I also know the person who is bigger than you.
Okay, okay, I admit it. Nine out of ten consumers felt that I was the person that was bigger than Jason!
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My current creative outlet (other than my musings on this here board), which fell into my lap by chance, is writing 90 second reviews of Broadway musicals (boy is that difficult) which are then broadcast on BBC Radio Wales. It's great fun to hear my voice again and it's even more of a charge to know that I'm on a BBC Radio station.
As I was scrolling, my eyes somehow read "My current creative outlet" and "lap dance". :o
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By the way, I don't believe anyone answered Noel's question earlier about record players in the 1950's? As his Dear Wife, I must hurl vile epithets until he is answered.
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Good morning everyone!
Today marks the third day that I made myself get up and head to the gym. Go team me!
There's something about the sound of rain that just makes me want to stay cozied up in bed all day. It was lovely to fall asleep to last night, but not as lovely to hear as I dragged myself out of bed.
Media check - I have no idea. I've been on an Mp3 kick lately, so no CD's...and no DVD's to speak of.
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I'm a Merchant/Ivory fan. They hit far more than they miss with me.
BEN...from what grocery are all these delightful British food products coming? Sainsbury? Tesco? Asda? By the by, Julieanne and I have toted back from England more Fairy Soap for more gay friends over the years...Always appreciated.
CD...I too have been listening to MOONFLEET by Rozsa with its haunting main theme. As well as THE BLACK SWAN by Newman, and Max Steiner's scores for HELEN OF TROY and THE ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN.
Listen to WICKED finally. I enjoyed it. I'm vexed that they do not, however, have a story synopsis included in the booklet.
DVD...a filmed play with Laurence Olivier & Joan Plowright from the 1970's called DAPHNE LAUREOLA..
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OMG, Der Bruce, when you said that the role Jason was too thin for was Edna I nearly split a gut. :)
It is very, very cold here :(
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I've just been reading the discussion of auditions and rejection, and want to thank all of you for so much candid feeling expressed. Just about the worst of it (auditions, rejection) is the feeling of being so alone with it. At one point I felt I would rather suck a tailpipe than face another audition. I left NY, mid-career, rather than continue the auditioning. Ah, if I knew then what I know now... Anyhow, this feeling of being in it together is balm fro the soul.
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We're seeing Wicked tomorrow night! Yaaay!
Charles, I have a funny story about Menotti's The Black Swan:
So there I was, auditioning for the annual opera in college, singing The Black Swan. I began the song, sang the first line, "The moon has fallen and it lies in blood," and then my mind went completely blank. White paper, as the Greatest American Hero used to say. But my training to "keep going, no matter what!!!" was SO ingrained in me that I kept going, improvising madly, and made up the entire rest of the song. Every word. Just made it right up.
I didn't get into the opera.
Later on my voice teacher, who had recorded it for me from the audience, played the tape as I sat there with my mouth hanging open in disbelief. "Why didn't you just start over?" he said.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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DVD PLAYER- Jean Renoir's brilliant THE RULES OF THE GAME.Criterion Collection release and just absolutely brilliant.Jean Renoir was a genius..just like Papa!
CD PLAYER- WICKED..it gets better at every listening.
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Charles, they are from both Tesco and Sainsbury. We were in walking distance of both stores. They are open 24 hours and as big as U.S. suburban grocery stores. Quite an adventure for grocery store challenged Manhattanites.
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Or balm FOR the soul, if you prefer...
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Joy - are you a mezzo soprano, and do you live in NY, and how tall are you???
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Ben, so what part of London were you staying in that you were near a 24-hr. Tesco & Sainsbury? We're usually near the Covent Garden Tesco Metro, but it doesn't stay open 24 hrs (unless it's changed in the last year). Occaisionally I'll frequent a Sainsbury on Victoria, but I don't think it's an all-nighter either.
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Joy - are you a mezzo soprano, and do you live in NY, and how tall are you???
Sorry to report, she's spoken for, Dear Reader PennyO.
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I've just been reading the discussion of auditions and rejection, and want to thank all of you for so much candid feeling expressed. Just about the worst of it (auditions, rejection) is the feeling of being so alone with it. At one point I felt I would rather suck a tailpipe than face another audition. I left NY, mid-career, rather than continue the auditioning. Ah, if I knew then what I know now... Anyhow, this feeling of being in it together is balm fro the soul.
"And we will allllll go dooooooown together...." (ooh, a Billy Joel reference!)
The hardest part for me right now is feeling like I'm starting all over again. I had built up all this momentum, was getting a great percentage of callbacks, and then I walked away for a year and a half...and now I have to build that up again, but I feel so unpolished and amateurish now. I know that I just have to be patient and work hard and I'll get back up there again. But there is still a part of me that feels like I'm 21 and ignorant again, walking into auditions with no clue and no experience. Ack.
I have to remind myself of the time I was standing in line for a "final" callback for the national tour of Annie, about to audition for Martin Charnin (we had been told, "He wants you to look him in the eye and sing directly to him"). There were about 8 of us girls, hanging out nervously in the hallway, waiting our turn; when this little old lady with enormous sunglasses walks by us, stops & turns around, and conspiratorily says to us: "I've been there, right where you are now, I've stood in those lines and let me tell you something: It never gets any easier. You always have to work for it, you always have to keep auditioning, you're always on trial for your job." She nodded sagely (or rosemarily) and smiled, then tottered off to the bathroom. It wasn't until she walked away that I realized: We had just been given a pep talk from Elaine Stritch.
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PennyO -
I can sing Mezzo Soprano, I'm five feet four inches in socks, and I live in New York. Why?
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DR Joy - I think someone answered DR Noel's question. From the information we found out yesterday....the war between 45 rpm's and 33 1/3 rpm's really began in the very early 1950's with Columbia producing players for LP's and RCA Victor producing players for 45's. The 78's were still being played on the then-current machines. Multi speed players were not available until around....1952 or so - although this still hasn't been completely established. And the 16 2/3 speed was used for the spoken word rather than music.
Or have I made another mistake? der Brucer I think posted the most complete article about the situation.
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We were in Kensington (SW7) right on the border of Earl's Court (that was our tube stop). Both the stores are on Cromwell Road. The Sainsbury was just around the corner from us (two blocks). We were on a small street called Knaresborough Place. The Tesco was about 8 blocks away near Earls Court Road.
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Oh.
The vile epithets will now cease.
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The hardest part for me right now is feeling like I'm starting all over again. I had built up all this momentum, was getting a great percentage of callbacks, and then I walked away for a year and a half...and now I have to build that up again, but I feel so unpolished and amateurish now. I know that I just have to be patient and work hard and I'll get back up there again. But there is still a part of me that feels like I'm 21 and ignorant again, walking into auditions with no clue and no experience. Ack.
Ditto, kiddo. Try it after a 20-year lay-off... oy. I have clothes older than you...
I'll be in NYC for a week after my Bristol PA gig - Feb. 23-March 1. Maybe we have a coffee and some chat.
Hey, Jay! I just spoke to your pinaist friend Lori - I'll be working out with her this Sunday. Thanks, Lad!
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A wise old sage (or maybe it was a wise old tarragon) once said that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
While researching the name of the wise old herb, I stumbled over this quote:
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, or gives you severe diarrhea"
Curious, I went to the referenced site ( OGI (http://www.cse.ogi.edu/~jsnow/indo/jogja.html)which was a personal journal posted by a student on a trip to Indonesia. (OGI School of Science & Engineering is one of four schools of Oregon Health & Science University.)
The journal has lots of interesting, somewhat quirky, descriptions of his sojourns into the Indonesian hinterlands. (He even found an Indonesian Monument to the Republican Party):
(http://www.cse.ogi.edu/~jsnow/indo/jo_ganesh.jpg)
der Brucer (Oh, the wise old herb was Nietzsche writing in "Twilight of the Idols ')
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Auditioning is a rough trip. ;D I try to have something else to do afterwards, meet friends, go to a movie, so I don't have to think about it.
If it's a two-day audition I usually go the first day and watch, make sure I've read the play, and know that the role I am auditioning for is not only one I want, but one that I could logically physically play - within reason of course. :D
If we are all sitting in the space, and they ask for a volunteer to read something, I always hold up my hand - and if I write down a part and they read me two or three times for another part, I don't usually insist on reading for the part I originally chose because they obviously have other ideas. ???
I get very nervous - and of course we mostly remember the auditions when we didn't get the part, but it's all subjective. Actually auditioning gives me a great feeling of release. It is in someone else's hands. I did my best, I am there because I want to be part of the project, I'm right for it .... the rest is up to them. And if they don't want to use me, they are saving us both six weeks of hell. I can go on with my life....this show or another one.... Today or tomorrow... ;D
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Hey, Jay! I just spoke to your pianist friend Lori - I'll be working out with her this Sunday. Thanks, Lad!
Excellent!!! She is extremely talented and one of the sweetest human beings I have ever met. I truly hope this works out for both of you!
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Oh, the things you can learn here!
I saw the
Message by Tomovoz
1952 - Victor brought out a new 3 speed record player that could 78, 45 & 33 rpm discs
but still want to know whether a multi-speed player may have been NOT commercially available but still in existance as early as 1950. Pretty obscure question, I know.
But I've learned so much. For instance, this Oz place where Tom is from is so incredibly violent, you'll want to avert your eyes, and yet there are moments of genuine tenderness between men.
I'm confused about so much, but I'm very glad to see TCB is alive and well and posting. An earlier post had given me quite a scare!
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Brucer, is that Shiva?
PennyO, you make me laugh with your "I have clothes older than you" line. Yet another thing to look forward to when I get older, that I get to use that line! I'd love to have coffee with you when you come here. Sounds like fun.
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You know, DR Noel - just from what we all read...I would say no...because the patents for the different speeds were held by different corporations. If a broadcaster wanted to play both speeds he would need two turntables. But that is a guess...or rather another guess.
DRS PennyO & Joy - sounds like the ya ya sisterhood to me.
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Okay, in my CD player at work: the OBC recording of Sugar Babies with Ann Miller and Mickey Rooney...after that will be the Paper Mill Follies, then the soundtrack to "Easter Parade." My Mini-Miller-Memorial.
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One of the really hard things about all the trials of this biz is that Civilians don't get it - that includes most family members and lovers, too - the other day, my own sister Tami said I was probably pinching myself over my "good luck" in getting these two upcoming gigs... for one of which I've been haranguing the producer to put on, for 16 months; and the other I've been campaigning for during the last 5 months... it looks to the Regular Folk like we just fall into these "Good Luck" jobs. Selling a product or service -- ours, included -- is Marketing, just like in the Real World. But cuz it looks so fun and easy, "They" can't know what we go through to be allowed up there in the light when the curtain opens...
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Oh yeah, I forgot to weigh in on the OZ discussion...
My roommate on My Fair Lady decided to have OZ night in our room, where people could come over and watch. I had never seen it before, and it sounded interesting, so I watched it.
Now. I am not squeamish about violence - at least, I didn't think I was. I mean, I loved every drop of "Kill Bill - Vol. 1" (pun intended). But I was so violated and horrified by what I saw that night in our hotel room that I had to leave. From then on, when it was OZ night, I was outta there. I don't judge it, I completely understand how necessary it is to the show, but I just can't deal with it. I gave it another chance months later but I'm sorry I did. The images I saw are still burned in my mind and I have a really hard time trying to keep them out. Even the beginning of last season's "24" was a little too much for me.
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Oh, the things you can learn here!
I saw the
Message by Tomovoz
but still want to know whether a multi-speed player may have been NOT commercially available but still in existance as early as 1950. Pretty obscure question, I know.
But I've learned so much. For instance, this Oz place where Tom is from is so incredibly violent, you'll want to avert your eyes, and yet there are moments of genuine tenderness between men.
ROTFLMAO
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That light...don't you have anything....softer?
(Name that show!)
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Brucer, is that Shiva?
Nope, it's Shiva's boy, Ganesh - who sometimes has more interesting depictions:
(http://perso.club-internet.fr/ganapati/catalog/imgreg/109715.jpg)
Here's Daddy:
(http://www.muktinath.org/images/hinduismfolder/Shiva05small.jpg)
der Brucer (thinking a "ganesh" belongs on a recipe page)
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RIP Captain Kangaroo :( :'(
(http://www.tvacres.com/captain_kangaroo2.jpg)
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I forget which DR mentioned the lack of plot summary in the booklet with the WICKED CD, but I think the reason is that they didn't want to give away the surprise ending (which I will not give away either).
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Uh.....A Chorus Line....anyone?
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DERBRUCER, thanks for the photos. Ah yes, I remember now, Ganesh. I first learned about Shiva from Indiana Jones.
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Uh.....A Chorus Line....anyone?
You win!
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That light...don't you have anything....softer?
(Name that show!)
It's either Blanche DuBois in Streetcar Named Desire or Barbra Streisand at a post-Academy Awards ceremony bash.
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[Loud obnoxious buzzer.]
I lose.
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By the way, many people don't know this, but before Bob Keeshan created the role of Captain Kangaroo, he was the original Clarabelle on Howdy Doody.
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I forget which DR mentioned the lack of plot summary in the booklet with the WICKED CD, but I think the reason is that they didn't want to give away the surprise ending (which I will not give away either).
I'm not going to be able to see this in New York...I want to know. Care to privately e-mail me with the "surprise ending?"
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RE: AUDITIONING
Like many of you, my attitude towards auditioning has evolved from experience. I now approach them as an opportunity to perform and share my particular vision. For me, the best antidote to de- or re- jection after an audition is to schedule some appointment or event right after. That way I don't have time to dwell on it wondering what I did wrong, why I didn't do this instead of that, why he or she said that, etc. Later, after the appointment is over, I find I've gained some perspective because my focus had shifted.
One time, after I gave what I thought was an excellent audition, I wrote a letter to the producer asking why I didn't at least get called back (I know. I know. A stupid thing to do). Lo and behold, he wrote me a very kind letter with some valuable feedback. Of course, this is an exception but I think the reason he did it was because before he was a producer, he was an actor.
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That light...
Norma Desmond in SUNSET BOULEVARD?
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RE: Bob Keeshan, I used to watch Capt. Kangeroo every morning as a wee twig of a sprig of a lad. I think I enjoyed that show so much because he had those hand puppets...MR. Moose, Bunny Rabbit, and this lady frog puppet with long stringy hair that no one seems to remember except for me.
Being the creative child that I was I loved it when the Capt. would do the occasional crafts on his show and one that stands out was a puppet theater he made out of an old kleenex box or shoe box which I copied and took to show and tell in in the 1st grade. It was quite a hit, I am sure. I also made a special puppet theater for Santa Claus which I put under the Christmas tree in 1970. I think he enjoyed it because I really got some great presents that year! LOL!
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Sheila: That light...don't you have anything... softer?
Zach: Come closer.
Sheila: Can I sit on your lap?
Zach: Do you always come on this strong?
Sheila: No. Sometimes I'm agressive.
I'll have to check on all that later for accuracy, as well as the spelling of Zack/Zach.
Speaking of auditions, eh? The audition musical!
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Fascinating posts today. As one who sticks to community theatre (and has no plans to go the "bigger and better" route), it is interesting to hear the thoughts of those of you who strive to do this crazy stuff for a living! Sorry to hear about this result, Jason (although, a pretty nice reason to not get a job :)), but very glad to hear you're not fretting over it. How I look forward to the day I can come to NYC and see DRs Jason and Joy starring in some new hit show by that Noel Katz fellow.
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I forget which DR mentioned the lack of plot summary in the booklet with the WICKED CD, but I think the reason is that they didn't want to give away the surprise ending (which I will not give away either).
I'll have to weigh in onthat, since part of the so-called surprise ending is given away in the opening number. Listen carefully. It's there. IF they really wanted to keep THAT a surprise, then someone else should have sung the lines i'm referring to. . .to wit, the elixir.
And that surprise ending, which they believe they are cloaking, is not a surprise to anyone who has read the book.
Also, why not give us the Nessarose/Byk duet from Act Two? ? ?
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Did any other DR's have a stuffed monkey made out of brown and white work socks?
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Well, I'm off to dance. Speaking of ACL. Later!
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Interesting trivia...
In reading Annie Miller's various obits, I realized the following: four of the leading actresses in "Stage Door" played either Dolly or Mame later in their careers. Annie was a replacement Broadway Mame of course, plus she played Dolly in stock; Ginger Rodgers was the 1st replacement Dolly on Broadway and the first London Mame; Eve Arden played Dolly during much of the 1st National Company's Chicago run; and of course Lucy Ball was the movie's Mame! The fifth co-star --- Kate Hepburn --- never played either of Jerry's girls but she did star on Broadway as Coco. Only Andrea Leeds never played a musical leading lady.
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Dear reader George - - You have a WICKED synopsis. Check your mail.
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Any dear readers wishing to have a marvelous WICKED synopsis, please email me. . .i'll be happy to oblige.
Tomovoz got one a while ago. 8)
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Did any other DR's have a stuffed monkey made out of brown and white work socks?
My father owned a store that sold men's clothing and he sold the socks. They came complete with instructions on how to turn the socks into monkeys.
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WEL - those monkeys were soooooooo scary...and I got one for Christmas four years in a row before I was in school.
Interesting Stage Door-Mame-Dolly connection....interesting!
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Wonderful postings. Just running out to lunch (been going over the book again all morning) but will be back and posting up a storm.
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For those of you with a really tin-ear, a very strong stomach, or a really bizarre sense of humor -
Go to Wing's (http://www.wingmusic.co.nz/listen.html) web site and listen to her rendition of "Close To You" - poor Karen is turning, and turning...
der Brucer (she does homage to ALW also)
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Wow. All I can say is... wow.
Thanks for the link, der Brucer!
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Leave it to the Scots to take all the fun out of it:
(extracts from The New Scotsman (http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm%3Fid=2430458)
Mystery Deepens over 'Churchill's Parrot'
By John Bingham, PA News
The mystery of whether a foul-mouthed 104-year-old parrot really was wartime prime minister Winston Churchill’s feathered friend deepened today as experts threw doubt on the claims.
Charlie, a blue and yellow macaw thought by his owner to be the oldest bird in Britain, has long since retired from public life and is living out his days in a garden centre in Reigate, Surrey.
His owner, Peter Oram, claims his father-in-law Percy Dabner sold Charlie to the future war leader at his Croydon pet shop in 1937 and later took the bird back after Sir Winston’s death in 1965.
He says Charlie may have picked up his repertoire of swear words from the wartime leader, who was voted the Greatest Briton in a BBC poll last year.
But the Churchill family has questioned the story and experts doubt whether or not the former prime minister, ever owned a parrot.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Another story about the efficacy of the British Medical system, and the severity of their justice:
Kidney Blunder Surgeons Suspended
By Tony Jones and Tim Moynihan PA News
Two surgeons who wrongly removed a patient’s only functioning kidney were today found guilty of serious professional misconduct by the General Medical Council in London.
The Committee ordered that consultant urologist John Gethin Roberts, who supervised the operation on 69-year-old John Graham Reeves, and medical registrar Mahesh Goel, who carried out the procedure, should be suspended for 12 months.
Korean War veteran Mr Reeves had his good left kidney removed by the two surgeons instead of his chronically-diseased right one.
der Brucer (Yes, it's still running :(http://ads.scotsman.com/news/2002/12/haggishunt2.jpg)
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Any dear readers wishing to have a marvelous WICKED synopsis, please email me. . .i'll be happy to oblige.
Tomovoz got one a while ago. 8)
I may be 58 but it was not that long ago td. Oh! You meant the synopsis,
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Michael - My Annie 2 recording doesn't feature Miss Loudon. Is the one that you have commercially available?
You have Annie Warbucks. I was talking about Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Revenge. Miss Hannigan does not appear in Annie Warbucks. And no the recording is not commercially available and neither is the score that good that it should be.
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Fascinating posts today. As one who sticks to community theatre (and has no plans to go the "bigger and better" route), it is interesting to hear the thoughts of those of you who strive to do this crazy stuff for a living! Sorry to hear about this result, Jason (although, a pretty nice reason to not get a job :)), but very glad to hear you're not fretting over it. How I look forward to the day I can come to NYC and see DRs Jason and Joy starring in some new hit show by that Noel Katz fellow.
.........with a script by Charles Pogue
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Dear reader George - - You have a WICKED synopsis.
Well, td, your synopsis ain't bad neither!
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DR Joy - I am sorry, but no court in the world, no power under heaven (a Clifton Webb reference) could force me to watch a movie called 'Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood.'
LOL That is why I didn't read the book. ;D
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Well, td, your synopsis ain't bad neither!
Now what have I told you, time and again, about perusing my synopsis!?!?!
I've you're gonna look. . .you've gotta take a sample. . .
BTW, TCB's synopsis is quite marvelous, too! ;)
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bUT, if you really want to know TCB, check out his SYNTAX! !
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And td doesn't have to "click here" to enlarge I gather. Or was that a different conversation.
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DR tomovoz. . .now you KNOW that YOU don't have to click me to enlarge. . .
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They're taxing everything these days. (Someone had to write it)
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bUT, if you really want to know TCB, check out his SYNTAX! !
Thank God there isn't a tax on sin!
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Well, someone also has to play the straight man every now and then, Gracie.
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Well, I saw YA YA SISTERHOOD. It was no STEEL MAGNOLIAS.
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Some of us would be thankful for that Matt.
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DR George: I have a synopsis for Wicked as well. If you want more than one, send me your email and I will forward it to you.
Btw, when you guys originally were talking about Bob Keeshan nobody said he was Captain Kangeroo. I didn't know his real name :(
Now I'm sad. TCB must be sad too :(
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As to today's topics:
In the deeveedee player:
Spider-Man: Season One. The MTV cartoon is surprisingly well-done.
Teenagers from Outer Space. A great piece of Z-grade trash from the fifties. Inexplicably (David Love)-able.
In the CD player:
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre by Max Steiner. Not the Marco Polo re-recording (though that's superb, too), but the Rhino Handmade release.
A Summer Place by Max Steiner.
Predator by Alan Silvestri.
The books I've been reading:
Al Capp's Li'l Abner: The Frazetta Years, Volume Two. Whatever happened to this "Frazetta" guy, anyway?
The Plastic Man Archives, Volume Five.
Yes. I admit it. I'm a big comic book geek. There. I've said it, and I'm glad.
Swallow by H. Rider Haggard.
For Us, the Living by Robert A. Heinlein. If you're a Heinlein fan, it's facinating. If you're not, this book will bore you to tears.
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I briefly glanced at Robin's post, and thought that it said "I SWALLOW THE LIVING." I need a nap.
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About the auditioning process...
When I first started acting in college and in community theater, I got everything I auditioned for. And I do mean everything. I batted a thousand for three darned years. And I thought I was pretty hot shit.
Then, it all turned 180 degrees. Couldn't get anything. I was stunned, and more than a little depressed about it. I second-guessed myself constantly, worried that my talent and ability had mysteriously dried up. But what I was really getting a taste of was reality.
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I briefly glanced at Robin's post, and thought that it said "I SWALLOW THE LIVING." I need a nap.
Well, I do swallow the living from time to time.
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DR RobinAnderson - have you read the TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE issue of Scarlet Street? ;D
It is tres informative!!! ;)
Syntax? Syntax? SYN Tax??!!! There goes my refund! :-\
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DR George: I have a synopsis for Wicked as well. If you want more than one, send me your email and I will forward it to you.
Btw, when you guys originally were talking about Bob Keeshan nobody said he was Captain Kangeroo. I didn't know his real name :(
Now I'm sad. TCB must be sad too :(
Actually no, Jennifer, because maybe now people will stop saying that I look like him. Except you, of course, because I don't mind when you say that about me. What I really hate is when people say I look like Captain Kangaroo's father!!!
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DR RobinAnderson - have you read the TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE issue of Scarlet Street?
You betcha.
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oooooh...I started page six!
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One of the really hard things about all the trials of this biz is that Civilians don't get it - that includes most family members and lovers, too - the other day, my own sister Tami said I was probably pinching myself over my "good luck" in getting these two upcoming gigs
I was excluded from that statement-yes?
Have you been telling Tami the same stories you have been telling me? If so, I can't comprehend how she doesn't get it. ::)
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Wow. All I can say is... wow.
Thanks for the link, der Brucer!
Yea! LOL
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Back from luncheon. Ready for ACTION.
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Tomovoz we just received a beautiful post card from Melbourne. It was sent by my mother’s cousin who is visiting her sister in Australia. Twice I have stayed at my cousin’s house on the Isle of Man but have never met her sister. One of these days I hope to make it to your part of the world.
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One of the really hard things about all the trials of this biz is that Civilians don't get it - that includes most family members and lovers, too - the other day, my own sister Tami said I was probably pinching myself over my "good luck" in getting these two upcoming gigs... for one of which I've been haranguing the producer to put on, for 16 months; and the other I've been campaigning for during the last 5 months... it looks to the Regular Folk like we just fall into these "Good Luck" jobs. Selling a product or service -- ours, included -- is Marketing, just like in the Real World. But cuz it looks so fun and easy, "They" can't know what we go through to be allowed up there in the light when the curtain opens...
I don't think those "civilians" are so terribly off-base in congratulating you on your good luck.
It's certainly true that landing a gig takes a lot of hard work, work that "regular folk" might not be aware of.
But go watch a celebrity interview (as regular folk often do) and you're very likely to see some star attribute his success to luck, in some measure.
I believe that, in auditioning (as in poker), there is always a certain element of luck involve. You can give the greatest audition ever given and, if you don't match the director's vision of what the actor playing the part should be, you won't be cast.
That's why there's nothing wrong in saying that Jason had bad luck -- being too small for the role he tried out for. If he got the role, we'd congratulate him on his good luck (of being the right size).
Of course, you have hard work to do, perfecting your audition, and marketing yourself for a gig, but there's an element of luck in every aspect of show business, and I don't blame "civilians" for acknowledging it.
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Thank you for the compliment. No, she "retired" when we moved to Colorado. She had done a series (Shari Lewis) and an Equity play, as well as several non-Equity productions, by the time she was 11. Said she wanted to be a regular kid - which was just fine with me.
By any chance was that Lamb Chop's Play-Along" that my friend Bernard Rothman produced, directred and co-wrote?
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Thanks td and WEL for the info regarding Wicked. It was quite informative! I never knew! Anyway, I checked my library (where I work) and it turns out that I had requested the novel by Gregory Maguire about a month ago, and I still haven't gotten it. I'm next on the list and one of the copies is overdue, so I should get it fairly soon.
So thanks (also) Jennifer for the offer, but WEL sent me the "surprise ending" info and td sent a very complete synopsis.
I must listen to this CD again this weekend. It's at home, otherwise I'd get it out right now!
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Bernie Rothman? I believe I lunched with him last week. Didn't I?
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Apparently all degrees of separation end at HHW.
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Click and play! ;D
http://veepers02.budlight.com/service/RetrieveCard?id=DCF4705C-4DF3-11D8-A765-B3EE4054966E (http://veepers02.budlight.com/service/RetrieveCard?id=DCF4705C-4DF3-11D8-A765-B3EE4054966E)
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I am one chapter away from finishing BLACK NOTICE and then I go right into WICKED. Can't wait!
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Yes Noel, luck is often part of most good things. But it can be demeaning when those close to you only acknowledge the "luck" and not the hard work. That goes for any aspect of life where you have worked hard to achieve a goal and are only told you have been lucky.
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Bernie Rothman? I believe I lunched with him last week. Didn't I?
Wasn't it Mark Rothman? (No relation BTW)
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By any chance was that Lamb Chop's Play-Along" that my friend Bernard Rothman produced, directred and co-wrote?
Yes it was. Bernie is now a good friend - back then was just the producer. I hardly ever went on set - my then husband did that. Since that time we have reconnected through work and, as I said, become friends. He's a dear man. bk and I had lunch with him just last week. Small world.
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Tomovoz we just received a beautiful post card from Melbourne. It was sent by my mother’s cousin who is visiting her sister in Australia. Twice I have stayed at my cousin’s house on the Isle of Man but have never met her sister. One of these days I hope to make it to your part of the world.
I wonder if your mother's cousin is now addicted to Oz Chocolate like DR Jose. Is this a cousin by marriage or is the Melbourne connection a cousin of your mother's as well.
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Yes it was. Bernie is now a good friend - back then was just the producer. I hardly ever went on set - my then husband did that. Since that time we have reconnected through work and, as I said, become friends. He's a dear man. bk and I had lunch with him just last week. Small world.
Wow! The three of you had lunch together last week, and you didn't even know it.
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Be it in show business or just plain business or life, I am of the belief that people in large measure create their own luck. If someone is in the right place at the right time, that means that person dragged himself or herself from bed to be in that place. (Unless, of course, the right place in my hypothetical example is in bed, but that's not the kind of lucky I'm talking about.)
If people network/audition/make connections/gently or aggressively nudge potential casting agents or prospective employers or people who know a casting agent or employer, they are likely to be much, much "luckier" than those who wait at home for fortune to arrive at their doorstep. Creating that "luck" is HARD WORK! But to someone who did not witness said hard work, but just the outcome of it, he or she could be easily led to believe that the person was "lucky."
This is a mantra that I used with my clients in all the years I did career counseling, one that I use on myself, and clearly one that is at play with all you denizens of the theatuh.
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Small world.
Ooh, ooh! A Styne/Sondheim reference.
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To add my bit to the auditioning process... When I was acting, most of my work was in the theater for not great money. So getting commercials seemed like a life-saver. When I first started auditioning for them, I wasn't terribly successful and finally thought, "Screw it, it's never gonna happen." So I totally gave up on the idea of commercials. Right after I made this mental leap, my agent sent me for a commercial audition. As I didn't care, I was totallly loose. I walked in and faced the long table of suits and read my three lines. They said thank you and dismissed me. At which point I said "What? That's it? Don't you want me to sparkle?" They looked up like I'd just awakened them from some deep audition slumber and actually smiled. I smiled back and left, thinking, that's that. Well, you guessed it - I got the job. And about five in a row after that one.
Having been on the other side of the table for many years now, I know that when the auditioners smell desperation (and by that I mean just WANTING it so much) it works against the person auditioning.
So there's the dilemma -- how do you not care about something that means more to you than almost anything in the world? I have no answer to that one.
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I wonder if your mother's cousin is now addicted to Oz Chocolate like DR Jose. Is this a cousin by marriage or is the Melbourne connection a cousin of your mother's as well.
I will have to ask about the chocolate. The Melbourne cousin was born on the Isle of Man. I’m not sure how she ended up in Australia. My mother knew both of her cousins as they were the children of her favorite aunt. My mother missed England very much and would take long trips by herself to visit her family. I seem to recall she stayed a month on the island, but that is a story for another day.
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Been meaning all day to comment on Ann Miller's tap number "It" in DEEP IN MY HEART. It's a lot of fun, but then all of the guest star numbers in this and all the other MGM fictitious composer biofilms were wonderful. The plots may be from hunger, but they sure had the performing talent or knew where to go to get it. My favorite other number in DEEP IN MY HEART is the rapturous dance that Cyd Charisse and James Mitchell do to "One Alone."
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DR Jane: I think we had some convicts arrive from the Isle Of Man. I know some of their cats try not to mention the tail.
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Did any other DR's have a stuffed monkey made out of brown and white work socks?
A sock monkey, yes! Well, no...my neighbor in Medford, Scott Adams, had one, but I never had one myself.
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Hmmm...the mailman just brought some goodies, the best of which was a nice collection of John Saxon magazine clippings from that mid-west DR JRand53! Some very nice shots of our favorite Brookly born hottie! But boy, those fan magazines were sure trying to get Mr. Saxon married off in a hurry!
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Ain't it the truth!
I am watching "Burn Witch Burn" with Janet Blair!
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Jane, I TIVOd The Caretakers this morning - I meant to remind you of it. The entire opening sequence was shot in front of and then inside the Bruin.
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With Polly Bergen in a bra!
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Just reading of a review of the Kismet revival in LA..........
Ouch!!
Except for our own Jason Graae
From the LA Daily News
But with the notable exceptions of Jason Graae and Jennifer Leigh Warren, nobody seems to be having much fun in Seidelman's production. This cast of beggars, thieves, slaves and princes certainly seem to be working their guts out. And given the generous display of flesh -- male and female -- afforded by Helen Butler and Jeff Transki's costumes, I suspect many of them are also freezing.
Graae plays a corrupt police chief, the Wazier, in 11th-century Baghdad and has the pitch-perfect eyebrow raise to land a zinger like "Baghdad is the symbol of happiness on earth." His rendition of the comic torture song "Was I Wazier?" is delivered with breezy brio. Honestly, this production could use about 10 Jason Graaes -- five of each gender.
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Has anyone seen the film YOSSI AND JAGGER? Cinema 21 in Portland is having a Jewish film festival and this is one of the films playing. Sounds good. About two soldiers in the Israeli army who fall in love.
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Don't you mean Starski and Hutchstein?
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Jane, I TIVOd The Caretakers this morning - I meant to remind you of it. The entire opening sequence was shot in front of and then inside the Bruin.
What channel? It didn't come up so I put it in our wish list.
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Tomovoz-very funny. :D
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Just reading of a review of the Kismet revival in LA..........
Ouch!!
Except for our own Jason Graae
From the LA Daily News
But with the notable exceptions of Jason Graae and Jennifer Leigh Warren, nobody seems to be having much fun in Seidelman's production. This cast of beggars, thieves, slaves and princes certainly seem to be working their guts out. And given the generous display of flesh -- male and female -- afforded by Helen Butler and Jeff Transki's costumes, I suspect many of them are also freezing.
Graae plays a corrupt police chief, the Wazier, in 11th-century Baghdad and has the pitch-perfect eyebrow raise to land a zinger like "Baghdad is the symbol of happiness on earth." His rendition of the comic torture song "Was I Wazier?" is delivered with breezy brio. Honestly, this production could use about 10 Jason Graaes -- five of each gender.
The L.A. Times review was considerably more positive:
http://www.calendarlive.com/stage/cl-et-kendt23jan23,2,2237221.story?coll=cl-stage-util (http://www.calendarlive.com/stage/cl-et-kendt23jan23,2,2237221.story?coll=cl-stage-util)
I see this Kismet tomorrow night and will file a report.
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Has anyone seen the film YOSSI AND JAGGER? Cinema 21 in Portland is having a Jewish film festival and this is one of the films playing. Sounds good. About two soldiers in the Israeli army who fall in love.
Don't you mean Starski and Hutchstein?
You mean Starsky and Hutch were lovers?? ;D
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Has anyone seen the film YOSSI AND JAGGER? Cinema 21 in Portland is having a Jewish film festival and this is one of the films playing. Sounds good. About two soldiers in the Israeli army who fall in love.
It's definitely worthwhile, Dear Reader MBarnum. The story plays out very efficiently (I believe the film runs all of 65 minutes) and it is told in very touching fashion. There's some grittiness associated with the life of the Israeli soldier (service is mandatory for all, female and male, in Israel), and a sweet love story between two men, one more comfortable with his sexual identity than the other.
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DR Jay, your link is for members only :o
Lord knows, I clicked and I clicked and I clicked: nothing enlarged, and I didn't find myself in Kansas, either. . .
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I think it was on The Movie Channel (TMC - as opposed to TCM)
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DR Jay, your link is for members only :o
Lord knows, I clicked and I clicked and I clicked: nothing enlarged, and I didn't find myself in Kansas, either. . .
Do I hear Peggy Lee singing Is That All There Is?
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DR Jay, your link is for members only :o
Lord knows, I clicked and I clicked and I clicked: nothing enlarged, and I didn't find myself in Kansas, either. . .
Try going to www.latimes.com (http://www.latimes.com) and see if you can get to the Calendar section that way. You may need to register to get to the review.
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Do I hear Peggy Lee singing Is That All There Is?
I thought it was Mary Hopkins singing "Those Were The Days (My Friend)"
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Pedantic Tom would let you know that it is Mary Hopkin. Same reasoning as Cliff Richard. No "s" so that it will be corrected all the time. It works!
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DR Jane: I think we had some convicts arrive from the Isle Of Man. I know some of their cats try not to mention the tail.
Boy, are you luckey there is no "groaning allowed" at HHW - that has got to be the lowest, worst...my God, I'm speechless!
der Brucer (trying to be his catty best)
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Try going to www.latimes.com (http://www.latimes.com) and see if you can get to the Calendar section that way. You may need to register to get to the review.
Or hope some immoral soul will post something like:
THEATER REVIEW
It's Vegas on the Gulf, it's 'Kismet'
The airy fairy tale set in old Baghdad may be a guilty pleasure during wartime, but a knockout Reprise! cast and band are able to pull it off.
By Rob Kendt, Special to The Times
January 23 2004
How guilty a pleasure is the glitteringly absurd, lushly Orientalist 1950s musical "Kismet"? That will depend on your stomach for a backdated vision of Arab culture in hoochie-coochie Western drag — set in the heart of ancient Baghdad, no less.
Yes, this is a virtual Vegas on the Gulf where, as the saucy wife of the town's top cop sings, "Our palaces are gaudier/ Our alleyways are bawdier," where décolletage is de rigueur and where said local enforcer gets to mince through a bouncy number celebrating his reputation for torture and dismemberment on the slightest whim.
It's not quite "Springtime for Hitler," but it's safe to say that "Kismet" is unlikely to get a politically correct makeover à la David Henry Hwang's revised "Flower Drum Song" any time soon.
The new short-run concert revival by Reprise! wisely doesn't bother with such tweaking; instead it's an unabashed time capsule with the temerity to take this stuff straight and keep it gay, so to speak. And it has the knockout cast and band to pull it off.
As usual with Reprise!, director Arthur Allan Seidelman has mounted something just shy of a fully staged and costumed production, with a lithe, rippling cast shimmying winningly through Rob Barron's brassy, jiggly choreography and music director Gerald Sternbach leading a flawless ensemble of players and singers through the paces of Robert Wright and George Forrest's Borodin-based score. (The hit was "Stranger in Paradise.")
As the scheming, slick-talking poet Hajj, Broadway veteran Len Cariou sweats a bit to keep up, and his still-recognizable baritone has lost some of its traction, but give him a stage and a spot and this guy can still work magic, as in his soliloquy "The Olive Tree" or his tent-revival pitch "Gesticulate."
As his scampering daughter Marsinah, who has the good fortune to find love in high places, Caryn E. Kaplan is almost impossibly sunny and earnestly cute, like an animated Disney heroine come to life, and she beautifully nails her role's operetta-like vocal demands.
Similarly suggesting a live cartoon, though in his case something closer to a bottle imp, is Jason Graae as the petulant potentate, the Wazir. Few performers can ooze irony with so little winking, as when he praises "subtlety, always subtlety," or when he registers a bottomless deadpan after delivering the line "Why, Baghdad is the symbol of happiness on earth!"
As the lovesick Caliph, Anthony Crivello is effortlessly sweet and sincere, with a light touch on both his big moments and his high notes that's all the more effectively suave.
But surely the best reason to see this "Kismet" is Jennifer Leigh Warren's gimlet-eyed Lalume, the Wazir's "wife of wives," who has little to do but sashay about and offer occasional odes to the pleasures of the city and its signature dish, the aphrodisiac "Rahadlakum." She's a woman of luxury, and Warren luxuriates in her deliciously. In an eye-scarring green costume that fairly glows under Tom Ruzika's lights, Warren is given the show's creakiest, flimsiest material (admittedly, there's stiff competition), and she milks it for all its worth.
Just how much is that, exactly? Does this faux-Arabian warhorse really deserve another run around the track? Perhaps such exoticism is bound to feel a little guilty in a time of war, particularly when we've got boots on the very ground where this airy fairy tale purports to take place.
But when our ingénue emerges near play's end in a bejeweled bridal bikini and not even the cover of a veil, and the chorus smilingly lauds such nuptial necessities as "peacocks and monkeys and purple adornings," we've gone well past escapism into an alternate universe of kitsch so thick it's almost pointless to take offense.
If Iraq-with-a-rack sounds like your cup of Rahadlakum, this "Kismet" will have you drunk with joy.
der Brucer (s**t, if kids can pirate whole films, why can't an old man pirate one review)
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As to today's topics:
Whatever happened to this "Frazetta" guy, anyway?
The Frazetta Gallery (http://frazettaartgallery.com/ff/hp/FAQ.html) reports:
Believe it or not, Franks health is quite stable at the present time. He still enjoys every breath that life has to offer even though he has had a number of strokes. He still draws but with his left hand and amazingly well. They only difference now is that it takes 2 to 3 times longer than before. As most of you know, Franks speed was legendary, painting many of your favorite masterpieces in less than one evening and now it would take as long as 3 days.
The site Home Page (http://frazettaartgallery.com/ff/index.html) contains an extensive biography and lots of art images (which they were clever enough to lock up so sneaks like me can't post them for wonderful folks like you).
der Brucer ( a long time fan- loved the calendars)
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Quote from: Jay on Today at 08:02:20pm
Try going to www.latimes.com and see if you can get to the Calendar section that way. You may need to register to get to the review.
Or hope some immoral soul will post something like:
from the fast fingered, der Brucer.
I'm hitting both of you with my VIRTUAL karmaliscious thunderbolt.
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Oh, the media check shows that RETURN OF THE JEDI is in the laserdisc player.
KISS ME, KATE is in the dvd player.
The vcr holds SMALL TOWN GIRL.
The cd player in the car has THE ULTIMATE DOLLY PARTON.
The home cd player has WICKED (surprise!), Davis Gaines' AGAINST THE TIDE and six or seven Janis Ian cds as well as the soundtrack of ZERO PATIENCE.
And, DR Tomovoz, thanks for the dropped "s."
I could be mean-spirited and go back and edit my post, but, since you're such a swell guy, I shan't. ;) ;)
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In my CD player, I have been listening to the soundtrack to "An Ideal Husband." I have also been playing "Bergen Sings Morgan" (specifically "Why Was I Born?")
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They're taxing everything these days. (Someone had to write it)
Someone did:
"All the good things in life are immoral, illegal or heavily taxed." - Oscar Wilde
der Brucer
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I was excluded from that statement-yes?
Have you been telling Tami the same stories you have been telling me? If so, I can't comprehend how she doesn't get it. ::)
Yes - you were excluded from the statement;somehow, I never think of you as a Civilian... remember, I knew you when... :-*
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When oh when will PennyO be calling me?
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I didn't know about Frank Frazetta's health problems . . . . . but it's reassuring to know he's still capable of doing what he loves.
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For the last few months, the Significant Other and myself have been acquiring deeveedees, and not finding the time to actually sit down and watch them.
Well, we've finally started to get into watching the unwatched discs, and started with Hammer's Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter, which I'd seen during it's theatrical run, and never again. What a delightful surprise! Very, very fun movie.
I've never actually seen an episode of Green Acres until earlier tonight, and had my second surprise of the evening, enjoying the first three episodes of the series. I hear it gets stranger and stranger as the series progresses.
Finally, The Astounding She Monster. If I didn't know better, I'd swear Ed Wood had something to do with this one. Pretty entertaining, in a cheap, tasteless way.
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Oh, and just for laughs, here's a picture of what just might be Burt Lahr's kid.
Yes, I know it's sideways...sorry!
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Oh, and just for laughs, here's a picture of what just might be Burt Lahr's kid.
Yes, I know it's sideways...sorry!
Well, turn it around:
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DVD player: THE BIG GUNDOWN with Lee Van Cleef, which we are about to watch now, unless we decide to watch RIO GRNADE.
I’m going to say good night now and turn off the computer. That way Keith can let Echo out in the rain tonight instead of me. The door to her dog run is located in the room next to the office. If I turn off the computer now I won’t have a reason to return to this side of the house tonight and he will let her out. Doesn’t worry, Echo always comes back in for the night to sleep with us.
Good night
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Does Keith usually let you out in the rain alone Jane? I guess he keeps Echo inside for company.
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Anyone out there ever seen the Showtime Series "Dead Like Me"? If so what do you think of it?
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Was this the production with Len Cariou as Hajj?
I'm modifying this question with a comment I said some weeks ago when I read of the casting. Len Cariou's voice is not what it was and I feared for the music. The reviewer seemed to be going easy on his present tendency to go off pitch and fail to sustain. But, I didn't see the show, so perhaps that's unfair.
And to be honest, I think I'd rather have had Anthony Crivello playing the Wazir and Jason Graae as the Caliph. I think Jason has a much more lyrical and beautiful voice.
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Ah, a quiet Friday night at home, huddled under a blanket to combat a rather rainy cold night. Rented a few movies for tonight. One, Swimming Pool, I've heard good things about. Has anyone seen it? Any thoughts?
Now I must decide whether or not to brave the cold for some ice cream...
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Yay, I started page 8! :)
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Very anxious to see Swimming Pool - it's by the director who did 8 Femmes.
Awaiting the arrival of the Late-Night Denizens.
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Really enjoyed John Turturro playing Tony Shaloub's even more dysfunctional brother on MONK tonight. They were hilarious and touching together with a neat little mystery they were involved in. Sweet show.
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good night all. Repeated listenings to "Why Was I Born?" and "Is That All There Is?" are taking their toll.
Tomorrow will be a brighter day.
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Very anxious to see Swimming Pool - it's by the director who did 8 Femmes.
Awaiting the arrival of the Late-Night Denizens.
This late night denizen has a ten o'clock call tomorrow morning. . .must go and be "dr. carl white."
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...You're lucky if you get callbacks for 1/4 of all your auditions, so what's your life going to be like if you beat your breast after the other 75%?...
Flat chested?
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This late-night denzien is here, for one. Very cold, but here. Where is everyone else? Don't tell me everyone went out and got social lives on me...
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This late-night denzien is here, for one. Very cold, but here. Where is everyone else? Don't tell me everyone went out and got social lives on me...
Now wait a minute, Ann, what am I? Chopped liver?
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Flat chested?
LOL
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Oh I didn't see you there, TCB! You most certainly are not chopped liver. Chopped celery perhaps, but not chopper liver :)
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Now wait a minute, Ann, what am I? Chopped liver?
maybe not chopped liver, but you are a tasty dish. ;)
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And just where in tarnation is MusicGuy, Kerry?
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Just wanted to make sure the dear readers are remembering to vote for JEEPERS CREEPERS as the Best CD of the year . . .nominated for its very own Rondo Award!
http://rondoaward.com/ (http://rondoaward.com/)
If I'm not mistaken, the awards themselves are presented right here (in Pennsylvania) at the Monster Bash.
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And just where in tarnation is MusicGuy, Kerry?
Kerry signed off enigmatically on the previous page. . . :-\
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Well, just checkin' in, before checkin' out. Nitey-nite, gang.
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G'night, Miss Penny!
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td, reprint that link on Monday so everyone can see it again, early in the day if possible.
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Do you ever go to the Monster Bash TD? It sounds like it would be fun, and they sometimes have some cool guests.
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Do you ever go to the Monster Bash TD? It sounds like it would be fun, and they sometimes have some cool guests.
I adore MONSTER BASH! I've been going for the last three or four years. . .
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td, reprint that link on Monday so everyone can see it again, early in the day if possible.
Remind me on Sunday night, and I will! ! !
Did you vote? ? ?
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I think DR MBarnum should leave Salem and hit Butler, PA for Monster Bash 2004!
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Jay, you said it brilliantly in your post about luck. Create your own luck; I totally agree.
I had the BEST time in dance classes tonight! For Theatre Dance, the teacher mentioned Ann Miller and then, since she couldn't find an Ann Miller quote, posted a Gene Kelly quote:
"Because that's what we do up there:
We dance love,
We dance joy,
We dance dreams"
We have to memorize the quote and then speak it out loud during our warmup. Then we did a Fosse/Bennet-esque dance to "Le Jazz Hot". It was hot. We're doing it again tomorrow.
In the subsequent tap class (same teacher) we had a visitor: a girl who will be appearing on the VH1 (?)show "Made", where they take an ordinary person with a dream and help them make their dream come true. This particular girl wants to be in 42nd Street, so she is on her third week of tapping. Accompanying her was a cameraman, who shot the class for the show. So look for me on VH1 (or is it MTV?). I'll be the goofy one in the pink pants.
Off to bed. My body is wiped, but happy.
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Of course I voted.
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Oh I didn't see you there, TCB! You most certainly are not chopped liver. Chopped celery perhaps, but not chopper liver :)
Or, more likely, chopped ham?
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As it happens I have been chopping celery today. I certainly was not thinking of TCB at the time. I suspect my dogs would prefer the liver or the ham - they shall be getting celery and carrots with their meat. (Never like to ask what the meat is in case it is kangaroo).
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Among our errands today, der Brucer and I stopped at a pet grooming shop called "Wag and Wash," to check on what their deal is with a rabies shots clinic tomorrow. We were greeted by the owner and her current "rescue," a white pit bull named Angel. Both were friendly as can be, but particularly Angel, who gave us a thorough sniff-over and licks, her tail constantly wagging to beat the band.
Angel doesn't have much left to her ears, and her lips have been torn off. Whoever had her before was using her as a training dog, a target for teaching other pit bulls how to be monsters. She is scarred physically, but has responded well to love and affection.
As it is, the woman running the store also runs a small kennel. If der Brucer and I have to leave town for any reason, I think we've found a good person to take care of our pack.
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As it happens I have been chopping celery today. I certainly was not thinking of TCB at the time. I suspect my dogs would prefer the liver or the ham - they shall be getting celery and carrots with their meat. (Never like to ask what the meat is in case it is kangaroo).
........and hopefully not Koala meat!
Just sitting here watching 20/20. John Stossel is still a hunk!
SWW -- Your story of Angel the pit bull is heartbreaking. How can there be such cruelty in people? It just breaks my heart.
I think it is bed time. Good night.
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Anyone else heard the rumor that there might be a blizzard in NYC Sunday night? I heard it from a couple of people, but I'm not sure if they were reliable sources. Any info would be useful...
Long night at the Met tonight. Damn those Russian operas. But, it's good money, so it was worth it. I have to work a double tomorrow, so again--long day. At least my best friend will be working with me.
I bought some new shampoo last night. Pantene Pro-V with conditioner. I haven't "conditioned" my hair in so long that I forgot how nice it feels...I feel pretty...oh, so pretty...I feel pretty and skinny and bright!
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I hope you didn't buy the shampoo to give you more body Jason. I think that is what I have been doing over the past few years - I thought it only worked for the hair but I was obviously wrong.
Another reason to live on the far side of the world - a rabies free continent.
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Just wanted to make sure the dear readers are remembering to vote for JEEPERS CREEPERS as the Best CD of the year . . .nominated for its very own Rondo Award!
http://rondoaward.com/ (http://rondoaward.com/)
If I'm not mistaken, the awards themselves are presented right here (in Pennsylvania) at the Monster Bash.
I just voted! What do I win??
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Page 9!
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Tom: Perhaps if I had shampoo that gave me more body, I'd be packing my bags to go on tour!! Haha!
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Anyone else heard the rumor that there might be a blizzard in NYC Sunday night? I heard it from a couple of people, but I'm not sure if they were reliable sources. Any info would be useful...
Yes, there is a storm front due to hit the entire northeast coast.
Of course, I'm still fascinated by this strange thing called snow! :D Just last week, there were a few flakes falling while we were over at the Purple Parrot for dinner, and I was at the window, watching with eyes as saucered as any kid's! (But it wasn't cold enough, and it didn't stick, so my first snow angels will have to wait. :-\)
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Jason - this may be a stupid question - like "You're Canadian - do you know X in Montreal?" ...but do you by any chance know my friend Szilvia Schranz. She's a young opera singer who works sometimes as an usher at the Met.
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Oh good! I've been thinking for the last bit that it's almost midnight. The clock on my coffee maker says "11:58"... But I just looked at another clock - and it's 10:58. I was wondering why I hadn't noticed the time passing so quickly!
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We got us a few Late-Night Denizens. I've been finishing the Anthony Newley bio - almost done with it. Sloppy writing, though, and some silly bits, but it's still fun, nonetheless.
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Speaking of operas, a co-worker and I are going to see "Carmen" on Monday at the Seatle Opera. When I was in college, I was in concert choir and the Music and Drama departments were putting on a joint production of "Carmen." The concert choir became the chorus of "Carmen" and it was my very first theatrical stage experience ever. The director was pretty much a tyrant, yelling at everyone, making us sight-read the score at the first rehearsal with no marking...and for the first few rehearsals, we had to sing as if we were in performance (although, that changed very quickly). But as hectic as it was and as "unfriendly" as the director was, I loved every moment of it. For some reason, I had a great time. Since I also was only "just a chorus member," individually, I was pretty much not noticed by the director. Two years after that, I was in Angus McGuffie in their Brigadoon and fell in love with performing.
It's been a couple of years since I've been in a show (Charlie Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown), but I still love musicals and will someday audition again for something local. The real problem is that the two main theater groups here have only one group audition for their seasons, so I can't gear my audition for a particular show if I want to be in more than one. I hate that.
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Just watched The Pianist again. What an outstanding piece of film. I've seen it probably 5 times now, but still find myself thoroughly engrossed.
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I'm off for the night. Goodnight all.
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Congrats on the Rondo nomination. I don't know the award, but I just did my bit and voted. Oh... just got an email from them asking for my name. ...Replied. Just got another email. My vote has now officially been counted.
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Ahh yes, I am also looking forward to seeing Swimming Pool. It's on top of my must-rent list.
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Just watched The Pianist again. What an outstanding piece of film. I've seen it probably 5 times
5 times! I had trouble sitting through it once. By that I'm not saying it wasn't good. It was just really painful to watch. At the end of the movie I felt horrible... Just sat in my car in the theater parking lot for about half an hour.
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I didn't know that SWIMMING POOL was out to rent. Want to see it. Although I've read an analysis of the ending - so I know it - which I hate. Still, I want to see it. Maybe this weekend.
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"Epiteth" is really hard (for a Hungarian) to say. Even harder is "Vile epiteth"... If I don't watch it, it comes out "Weil epitit"...shades of Lili von Stupp.
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What is this? A late-night monologue? What am I, David Letterman? I'm going to brush my teeth and hope there are some fascinating posts other than mine when I come back.
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I'm am dazzled by the sparkle of freshly brushed teeth.
Good night all.
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In the car cd player: Pete n Keely -- it sounds like it must have been great fun to record!
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I'm am dazzled by the sparkle of freshly brushed teeth.
It's good to know I still have star quality, Tomovoz.