Haines His Way
Archives => Archive 2 => Topic started by: bk on June 07, 2004, 12:02:14 AM
-
Well, you've read the notes, you're ready to go back in time, and thus you are ready to post until the cows come home, so to it, I say, and do not tarry or dally or dally or tarry. In fact, not only do not tarry or dally do not tally or darry. There, I've said it and I'm glad.
-
And, of course, continue the Tony talk right here for those late-night denizens who are still with us. I'm not even tired yet - no WUSSBURGER I.
-
I've finally read all the posts. I have to say that I respectfully disagree with thos DRs who thought Miss Channing to be delightful. I was embarrassed for the poor woman. Someone should introduce her (or her agents) to the word "retire."
-
If I were to see one show on the strength of the selections presented, it would be AVENUE Q.
And I had no interest in it prior to the Tonys.
-
Well, the first three (of six) batches of Otis Spunkmeyer cookies came out of the oven and are perfect! I think that they will all sell tomorrow.
Well, I'm now going to sign off. You can't call me a Wussberger, because I've been here all night and it's now past 1:00 in the morning. Have a happy Monday, everyone!
-
Hey everybody. I'm sorry for being errant and truant, but my mom and I were watching the Tonys in my room and couldn't post because my brother was on the computer in the living room. And then M*A*S*H was on and I can't miss that. But I'm here now!
I am eating a red bell pepper and some Cadbury chocolate left over from Dear Reader Jason's cookies.
-
It's almost 2 AM - so what the hell am I doing posting?? Could someone tell me how it can be that Moises Kaufman didn't win for best director when his show won and his "entire cast" won? Just asking. Now I'm going to bed
-
Good Morning!
Well, what do you do after watching the Tonys? Well, well, well... (that's three "wells")...
Well...
For some totally unknown reason and motivation you decide to head out to the bar. Hey, it's karaoke night! And maybe some other people will be heading there too after the Tony's are over. Well, the crowd was kind of so-so, and the karaoke was atrocious. I ended up leaving after about 30 minutes. *I also did the same thing last night - just wanted to go out and get out. Hopefully, I got the bug out of my system.
Then I came back home and decided to finally rearrange the kitchen, and get some cleaning done in said kitchen. I mainly did it so that when the repair men come - whenever they come - to fix the drooping ceiling, they won't have to deal with my baker's rack in the way. And, hopefully, they won't get too much dust and dirt on my cookware and other kitchen accoutrements. Heck, I even ended up cleaning the floor. By hand. It actually felt good - just a sign that I'm finally back home. Of course, it took me a good hour and a half to get things in order, and, of course, things really aren't all in order, but they're getting there. I have some major cleaning to do around the windows tomorrow.
Then I decided to re-hook up back my DVD player, and in the process I rearranged the other audio-visual equipment on the shelf unit. And I dusted said audio-visual equipment - oh, and I watered the plants in the living room too.
So, now it's about 4:45AM on the East Coast, and I'm finding myself wired. Again?!?!? But feeling very good.
I still have to catch up on the rest of the posts from last night, but..
I am soooo happy for Avenue Q. And, in my opinion, the best show of the season did win. As much, as I liked Wicked, I liked Avenue Q even more. Just the more complete show to me. And I just have to wonder if Hugh Jackman was not on the boards this season...
WARNING: Very catty remark coming up
And even though Wicked did not get the Tony for Best Musical, it was nice to see that Mr. Schwartz had on his "good hair" tonight.
Meow
*Oh, and while I was cleaning and rearranging the kitchen, I put on the OCR of Avenue Q. And to test to make sure I set up all the A/V components correctly, I put in the DVD of Camp. Hmm... So, do I finish the movie?
Hmm...
Goodnight.
-
Jose, I really have to admire someone who uses the word "accoutrements" at 4:45 in the morning. And I'm not just saying that.
-
Ok, finally caught up on all of yesterday's loverly posts. Only the Best Musical award surprised me. I'd predicted that Avenue Q would win for book and score, but lose out on the biggie just as Urinetown did two years ago. I was pleasantly surprised.
I agree with much of what was said last night... Tonya Pinkins made my minimal interest in Caroline, or Change even more minimal... the Fiddler bit sat there like so much fish... Defying Gravity was good, but certainly not great, and clearly not intended for television... Mary J. Blige made me want to vomit on the ground.
One aspect in which I disagree with a few of last night's posts is Phylicia Rashad. By far my least favorite acceptance speech of the night. And as affable a host and fine a performer as Hugh Jackman is, I did find it a bit irksome that not only was his The Boy from Oz performance twice as long as any other performance, but his acceptance speech was also substantially longer than any other. Truly can't remember anything fashion-wise, but I will say that Idina Menzel is one lovely gal, green or otherwise.
-
Good morning, all! My ears still ring from the bitch-slapping from being E&T yesterday, Dear Friend BK, so promise me you'll forgive this extended absence I'm taking today. When I get back, I promise to drop some good CHARLEY? dish.
I finished my New York-Seattle project last night around 7:15 EDT, and then I spent the evening packing, cleaning house, and watching the Tonys. Hugh Jackman is amazing, and I thought he was really wondeful. I'm very happy he won, but I suspect that award's been frozen since the reviews. AVENUE Q was a happy surprise, amd I wish the show a long and happy life; it was also great to see my friend Ann Harada, who's a big talent.
What else? I was sorry my friend Larry Hochman didn't win for orchestrations, but Michael Starobin certainly deserved it. There's been a lot of gossip about the WICKED orchestrations being fussed with by the composer and musicians, so that might have put Brohn out of the running.
For me, the nadir was "What I Did For Love." To quote Lorenz Hart, I like to recognize the tune, and I recognized a few brief shining moments. Too brief shining moments. Overall, I thought it was one of the best recent Tony nights. Goodbye all! I'll check in when I can.
-
DRJASON....do a Google Search for Ad-Aware it is free and can get rid of those pesky spies.
And as I said last night - I agree with DRJED - Rashad's speech was self-aggrandizing, and I was only thankful her sister was in the audience and not choreographing something onstage.....I'm gonna live forever...well those SAME damn steps in every damn dance will.....
Hugh...Hugh...Hugh....front page picture of the Indianapolis Star this morning: Hugh kissing his Tony [award]!
So Happy For Avenue Q & Idina (such a pretty dress), Bernadette looked very good ('cept for her tresses)....LOL DRJOSE who must have seen SS's "bad" hair. All in all very enjoyable - and I think I always allow that I am seeing a performance staged for the stage and television isn't it's medium. Puppet flirting with Hugh made me laugh...and I agree with DRPANNI about Miss C - let's put Muzzy back in the act with the acrobats, shall we?
Okay....I would love to have lunch with Miss Allison Hayes around 1961 or so - just to talk to her about her movies and her life. And be the envy of all the guys in the restaurant. And then have dinner with Ayn Rand and Nathan Branden later that day.
By then I would have gone back to October, 1957, and picked about about 10 first edition copies of ATLAS SHRUGGED and after dinner Ayn would sign them for me!
-
Sorry I couldn't join last night's Tony party. Gord's nephew is staying with us while he takes a course in Toronto, and he sleeps in the computer room.
The nephew, 28 years old, knew nothing about the Tonys - and knows very little about the theatre. ("Is that what you and Dan go to see, Uncle Gord?") But he walked in during Mary Blige, identified her instantly, laughed when he heard we didn't have a clue, and left when he heard the song she was singing (as did I).
I agree with DR Panni that the most embarrassing moment of the evening belonged to Carol Channing. (Did she really scratch herself? I couldn't have imagined that.)
I was sorry Tonya Pinkins did not win - and I think the many predictions that she would probably did her some harm.
Hugh Jackman can do no wrong - a charming, talented host and a brilliant performer. As for his acceptance speech, he shouldn't be faulted for its length. He said upfront that he would give his most important thank you first, lest the music start swelling as he paid tribute to his wife. His acknowledgement of Peter Allen was gracious and poignant, as was Audra's tribute to Lorraine Hansberry.
I expected more from Donna Murphy and thought "Swing" was lame.
And I'm delighted with the Avenue Q win. The short acceptance speech - "Thanks for voting from your heart" - was the best of the evening.
-
BK,
You will enjoy Stones in His Pockets. (Who's starring in it?)
-
Oh..yes...I worked on a production of STONES IN HIS POCKETS last year ... did the short choreography for a "dance sequence"....it's a two-hander, it's about movie-making, it's funny and sad - and I think by all means you should go, MRBK - and I think sooner or later, you should play one of the roles. I am also curious about the cast....
Just don't be confused or expect anything from the row of shoes. My three favorite characters were the director and the leading lady (both played by the same actor) and Mickey (the old guy who had been an extra in THE QUIET MAN)....
-
Ladies and gentlemen: Mr Hugh Jackman! :o
-
From DRJose last night
"I am soooo happy for Avenue Q. And, in my opinion, the best show of the season did win. As much, as I liked Wicked, I liked Avenue Q even more. Just the more complete show to me. And I just have to wonder if Hugh Jackman was not on the boards this season..."
If I could be even more happy I would be. Yes, I was E&T last night, at a small gathering with no computer access but we watched the entire Tony show. It didn't run until 11:04 here in NY. They came in well under the 11:00 deadline. I enjoyed the show with some exceptions. I CHEERED when Idina and Avenue Q won. As much as I enjoyed Wicked, as Jose said, the best show of the season won. And I'm so glad Idina won. She deserved it. All the presented numbers work much, much better in the respective theatres. Even with all the witchcraft and smoke, etc., Defying Gravity is a great Act One closing number. Lot's Wife is/was chilling on stage in the theatre. I was disappointed to hear how rough and tired Pinkin's voice sounded last night. She was "spot on" when I saw the show in early May. One of the things I loved about the Avenue Q crew winning was the obvious and sincere surprise and joy they had at winning. I didn't mind Tony Bennett so much. Mary J. was not as bad as I imagined she would be. She certainly didn't turn me into a fan.
OK, I just spent all this time reading the last of yesterday's posts and now I must get back to work.
Avenue Q!!! Hoo and Ray!!!
-
BTW JR, in which movie does Mr. Jackman appear in such revealing attire? I needs must search out this movie and put it into my computer DVD player or my VCR.
-
LOL....it was a photo from MOVIELINE magazine a while ago and is not credited as being from any particular film....so I guess it's one of those candid shots....LOL.
-
Good Morning!
Well, what do you do after watching the Tonys? Well, well, well... (that's three "wells")...
What I do for the next week or two is drag out and listen to each Best Musical recording by ascending year. I'll spend the day here at work listening to Kiss Me Kate up through Wonderful Town.
I'm glad that Avenue Q won Best Musical, but I'm afraid that it's probably due to the campaigning they did to win over the voters. This could set up an ugly precedent. Future producers with deep pockets and bad taste could potentially get a Tony nom for Pia Zadora, if not the award itself.
BTW (Internet Lingo!), how did everyone do with their Tony picks? I had 16 out of 21 correct.
-
Just a quick note to say I'm still here, I'm reading the posts and that your Tony party was much more fun than mine.
Jason, PM me with exactly what kind of spyware you are noticing and I can try to help. I just managed to get rid of a porno browser hijacker so I'm considering myself an expert in spyware now :)
-
BTW
I was very disappointed with all but Boy from Oz's and Avenue Q's musical numbers yesterday.
Idina sounded like she was trying desperately to catch up during the first verse of DG.
Disappointed = me :(
-
DRs Danise and George: the video I captured of the Tony Pre Show with the SnagIt utility? There's no audio! Picture, but no sound! George, you wanna trade files? Maybe we can find a way to combine them.
-
can you imagine being stuck in a elevator with Heche AND Raquel Welch?
Yes, I have imagined that. Often.
I found it too difficult to post without spoiling while you tape-delay people were watching the show, so I went to bed.
Last night was the most enjoyable awards show I've watched in quite some time, and that's mostly do to the happy surprises of Avenue Q winning the awards it won. There were some good speeches and the usual lame banter - but The Tony Awards still beats all other award shows.
And, in reality, it's an advertisement for Broadway. That's why that swooping shot of Radio City Music Hall (which is not a Broadway theatre) gives the viewing audience a wrong impression. Most Broadway houses are intimate, with no customer too far from the stage. You wouldn't know that from the broadcast.
The person I had dinner with on Tuesday did not win.
Another thing that happens every year: shows shoot themselves in the foot by picking the wrong number to televise. The heavily cut Swing didn't serve Wonderful Town well, and I expect it will close soon. Caroline, I suppose, HAD to show Lot's Wife, but that won't sell a lot of tickets, and I expect it, too, will close soon and we'll go from having two Jeanine Tesori musicals on Broadway to none rather quickly.
I Am Not the Boy Next Door is a terrible piece of songwriting, so, it would seem, the show about a songwriter isn't really about the quality of his songs. Hugh Jackman amused me muchly at several points during the broadcast.
I'm not the first to say it: Tonya Pinkins and Idina Menzel sounded horribly flat, as did Mary J. Blige (what show is she in? I won't attend). Could the problem be a difficulty hearing the orchestra on the Radio City stage? Or, the more likely hypothesis: they've hurt their voices screaming so loudly eight times a week.
Finally, something I say every year: ALL these shows, in the theatre, are nothing like what they're like on television. The ability to entertain a live theatre audience has precious little to do with the ability to look good on the tube. Avenue Q, for censorship's sake, showed one of its less funny numbers. The magic of the personified machines in ... well, I won't say in which show ... you wouldn't know by watching the Tonys. Ripped out of context, the number from Assassins failed to provide chills. And so it goes. (Ooh, a Tony-winning orchestrator reference!)
-
It's almost 2 AM - so what the hell am I doing posting?? Could someone tell me how it can be that Moises Kaufman didn't win for best director when his show won and his "entire cast" won? Just asking. Now I'm going to bed
It has to do with putting the directors for Best Play and Best Revival of a Play up against each other. While I Love Being My Own Wife won for Best Play, Hank Four won for Revival, which also won Best Director.
On the other hand, IAMOW is still running. I found it a stunning piece of stagecraft which defied the odds, turning what could have been a "stunt" into an intriguing few hours of theater. (Thanks again to our E&T Jenny for insisting der B and I see it.)
-
Just found out that I will be attending a training session for Phase II of a newly developed database here at work so I will be E&T all morning. Lucky me.
-
Good Morning!
-YES, I'm still up?!?!?!? :o
But I'm actually feeling pretty good. I'm gonna head out in a little bit and run the two errands I need to run today, and then sleep in the afternoon.
More Tony reactions-
I didn't mind the Tony Bennett and Mary J. Blige selections. But as I wondered in an earlier post, is there a Tony Awards Song Book? (I still haven't checked). From the setup at the top of the show, I thought there were going to be more selections presented.
All the numbers from the musicals suffered from being presented on that cavernous stage - especially Avenue Q. But since Avenue Q is not dependent on it's set... :) But it is essentially a small show, so..
"Swing" is kind of a dull number, and definitely not one of Bernstein's "gems", imho. It's also meant as a "cool" number, so there's no real "bigness" to it. I would have rather seen Ms. Murphy and Ms. Westfeldt perform "Ohio" especially since they were both nominated. Or the policemen's "Kathleen" number.
OK - my laptop's keyboard is starting to freak out again... More later after I run my errands.
-
Okay... Watching the Tony® awards made me realize just how unoriginal Broadway really is these days:
There are currently
*3 shows with Motownstyle girl groups
*2 shows with a woman sitting in the moon
*2 shows where people talk to plants
*2 shows where the Kennedy assasination is included
*3 shows with puppets of some sort
Can anyone come up with any more?
***
I expected this to be the topic of the day, but maybe BK is waiting until later in the week. What is your favorite Ronald Regan movie? Naturally "King's Row" and I liked him opposite Doris Day in "The Winning Team"
-
But as I wondered in an earlier post, is there a Tony Awards Song Book?
Releaded this week:
The Tony Award Songbook
Published by Hal Leonard
Features a song to represent the "Best Musical Award" from every year the award has been presented (1949-2003), plus feature articles and photos and an introduction by Audra McDonald. Also available at MusicDispatch.com
-
S. Woody White: I agree, IAMOW was surprisingly captivating. Mr. Mays' ability to change from one character to another is amazing and he totally deserved that award. That said, I didn't get to see the other actors in his category in their respective shows, but I find it hard to believe that anyone could have eclipsed his magnificent performance...not even the ever-marvelous Kevin Kline or Christopher Plummer.
I'm glad AVENUE Q won. Unfortunately, when someone wins, someone else loses, and unfortunately that someone else was WICKED. I loved WICKED--still do--and in any other season it would have won Best Musical. Oh, the irony...we were saying the very same thing about AVENUE Q just two days ago. AVE. Q deserved to win, but WICKED ain't chopped liver, either.
As so many have pointed out, and I will do again--none of the numbers presented on last night's show came off half as well as they do in their own theatres. Even "Swing!" As for the ladies being a little flat--well, obviously they're all exhausted, but here's something else to consider as well...all of those women felt they had something to prove last night. For the first time in YEARS, there was a real toss-up in the Leading Lady in a Musical category and I think the need to prove that they were the best got the best of all of them--except for Stephanie D'Abruzzo who knew she wasn't going to win anyway. She was the only one who didn't force her performance last night...she did exactly what she does in the theatre every night. And she wasn't flat. Or hammy. Idina, flat though she was in a couple of spots, still sounds incredible after nearly 10 months of screeching out those high notes (she MUST have cords of steel), but I think Ms. Tonya Pinkins should have taken the days off when her stage manager asked her to. I fear that Noel may be correct in his assumption that Tonya tightened the noose on her own show last night. She was incredible in the context of the show and I was sure that I was witnessing a Tony-winning performance, but last night she just couldn't pull it off. I felt bad for her--I know she wasn't near 100%, but a lot of that is her fault. She does too much and doesn't really seem to be focusing on the task at hand. Just two weeks ago she was bragging about having shot a film until four in the morning, getting up at 6:30 to go to the TV studio to shoot her soap and then running to midtown to do the matinee of CAROLINE, OR CHANGE. Now, it's not my business, but I think that's irresponsible. I applaud her work capacity, but she is the lead in a Broadway musical...she has a responsibility to her show and her cast, and she's not serving either of them well by killing herself. Not to mention the strain that it must be putting on her children to never have her around. I'm not making personal judgements--who am I to judge?--I'm simply concerned that she's trying to do too much.
I'm rambling...time to read the posts I've missed since I started typing this novella.
-
Jason,
Hope your computer problem has been cured. If not, you may want to check the following:
Tools
Internet Options
Accessibility
If there is a check mark in "Format Documents Using My Style Sheet," then remove it.
This cured a problem I had awhile back. Good luck.
-
DinT: I don't know what the hell's going on with my computer. I was online for a short time this morning and luckily had no pop-ups. I tried to download a second SpyWare Scanner, but none of the ones I tried would download correctly. I'll be sure to check the Internet Options when I get home tonight. Thanks for the tip! I hope it works...
-
Kaufman's not winning play director didn't bother me at all. There's only one director-play award, and the director of the revival won it this year - in both the play and musical categories.
For those who subscribe to that "they'll cancel each other out" argument, did anyone else notice that in three of the acting categories this year, folks won who had another nominee in the same show with them: Idina Menzel, Michael Cerveris, and Audra McDonald.
Yes, Hugh Jackman's speech did last longer than others, but at that point in the evening (the next to the last award), the producer of the show saw they had time and let him go on. One of the perqs of being in the next-to-last category.
(And I have to say since Jackman seemed a shoo-in and Best Musical Actress was such a toss-up, I thought for sure they'd do that one next to last.)
-
As for today's TOD time travel question, after watching that new version of THE LION IN WINTER, I think I'd like to sit down and talk with Richard the Lionhearted. From all I've read about him, he seems to have been a fascinating enigma of a man.
-
Also have to say that I DESPISED Tony Bennett and Mary Blige being on the show. Not knocking their talent, but they seemed out of place and time killers. Let's face it, no amount of "guest artists" is going to bring non-theater folks to the Tony Awards. They should either let theater folks do it or move it to PBS or some other venue.
Now, if we HAVE to take those interlopers in order to have the show broadcast at all, OK, I can accept that. I certainly want to be able to see the show. But I just don't think there is anything they can do to spike the ratings of a show with such a specialized audience.
-
In today's edition, the Los Angeles Times published a letter to the editor I sent regarding the passing of Ronald Reagan:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-reagan7jun07,1,3390972.story?coll=la-news-comment-letters (http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-reagan7jun07,1,3390972.story?coll=la-news-comment-letters)
(It's the third one down.)
-
Not to beat a dead horse, but.... If anyone needs further proof that the redoubtable Miss Channing is...shall we say slightly "out of it"... I offer this sentence from an article about the Tony Awards in today's LA Times:
...Current events and politics surfaced in other onstage and backstage comments. Presenter Carol Channing remembered Ronald Reagan fondly as "a great president of the Screen Actors Guild."
-
Good letter, Jay!
-
Jay,
Excellent letter.
-
I'm sure it was Bruce Vilanch who came up with Hugh Jackman's line. Regardless, it was a good one: "Carol Channing has just been arrested in a drive-by shooting."
-
Thank you, Dear Readers Panni and Dan-In-Toronto!
-
Not to beat a dead horse, but.... If anyone needs further proof that the redoubtable Miss Channing is...shall we say slightly "out of it"... I offer this sentence from an article about the Tony Awards in today's LA Times:
...Current events and politics surfaced in other onstage and backstage comments. Presenter Carol Channing remembered Ronald Reagan fondly as "a great president of the Screen Actors Guild."
I would say that was one of the wisest comments I have ever heard Miss Channing make.
-
Having read comments made in this forum from those on the east coast, it was easy to identify what was being talked about when I finally watched the Tony show for myself.
The highlight of the evening, for me, was Idina Menzel's much-deserved Tony for best leading actress in a musical.
It prompts me, nay, it moves me to reprint -- right here -- what I wrote about "Wicked" a little more than a year ago after I saw it in San Francisco on May 31, 2003:
I’ve been home a couple of hours.
I spent 3 hours and 10 minutes (including a 15-minute intermission) of my life today totally transported by a f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s musical fantasy. It didn’t seem like more than a couple of hours.
It’s the first time I’ve seen a musical without having been familiar with the music beforehand. The surprise to me was that I fell in love with so many of the songs (21 songs – count ‘em – 21 – with 6 reprises), instantly loved two of the performers and grew quite fond of a third after not having been initially impressed.
This show offers many stunning surprises, plotwise, and the great news is that ALL the cast is not only up to the task, but totally at home in an Oz L. Frank Baum created but never imagined in quite this way.
First, Kristen Chenoweth is adorable as a ditzy blond G(a)-linda who eventually asks folks to call her “Glinda.” She plays the “blond” for all she’s worth and she’s worth a great deal.
Comedy is her forte and they give her some dazzling opportunities to shine. First and foremost is her entrance at the start of the show -- descending in a bubble that spouts bubbles! Total kitsch played to the nth degree.
She has some wonderful songs, “Popular” being one of the best character numbers.
Idina Menzel is glorious as Elphaba (who would become the Wicked Witch of the West) and she has, by far, the very best songs in the show with the Act I closer “Defying Gravity” a house-bringer-downer. It’s chill-inducing and tremendously moving.
Norbert Leo Butz seemed, at first, a bit miscast. Primarily, it’s because his character is introduced in a number called “Which Way’s the Party” which is more of a dance number than a song, and Butz’s dancing moves aren’t up to the par of the company’s (which are MOST impressive). Once the emphasis is on character and song and not trying to be all jazzy and hep with dance, he settles into his character and rises up to the same level as Chenoweth and Menzel. He has an amazing voice!
Stellar support is lent by Carole Shelley as Madame Morrible (imagine a “Mrs. Slocum” type – “Are You Being Served” – without the British accent). The book is filled with wonderful made-up words – some almost malaprops, and Shelley has her share then some and delivers them with delicious aplomb.
Robert Morse’s wizard is a real treat. So, too, is the Throne Room “head” of the wizard with its glowing eyes and it’s stentorian voice. The “old” Bobby Morse is there – with quavering voice and cute expressions – but so, too, is the aging Morse and he fits the wizard extremely well. He has a number with Elphaba called “Wonderful” that is totally that…well, mostly. I’d make a cut in the last verse or so and shorten it a bit. I’d do the same with one of Elphaba’s big numbers – “No Bad Deed” – which is much in the vein as the first act closer, but it went on just a tad too long.
The dancers who performed as the flying monkeys are nothing short of amazing and they were well-rewarded by the audience at curtain call.
Sound was uniformly good, but I have to explain that I was on the second row, right orchestra, and 5 feet from the stage rim. Fortunately, I was treated to a lot of Chenoweth and Menzel as they had quite a few numbers that few feet from me. On the other hand, I was close to some of the speakers and the more powerful numbers are loud, bordering on shrieking. It probably didn’t sound that way five rows further back.
The set design and the lighting were SUPERB. And I thought the costumes a treat. That said, I can understand some folks NOT liking them. They were colorful, and not a little odd. I thought them Oz-like (comparable to costumes in the movie). That said, every character seems to have a full, unique costume and it's too much to take in. Also, with no contrast (simple togs, for instance), it overhwhelms.
The Oz sequences themselves, however, are PHENOMENAL – all that emerald green and lavish costumes and glorious lighting.
This was one of the seminal theatrical events of my life. There haven’t been that many, but I have to tell you that this show – even with a few quibbles (below) – is going to be a major hit.
Quibbles: Awkward moments with set changes; things falling; voices off stage of crew members attempting to get someone’s attention. A few songs that need trimming. A second act that seems to try to continue the story while also tying up many loose ends. There are a lot of songs in the second act and only a couple of them are too long. The others seem almost like set pieces, but they’re wonderful songs. There are some major plot surprises in the second act and they seem a bit hurried (in fact, there is a lot of quick change, no-pause-for-applause after a number). I have a feeling that the show may have been much longer and they've sacrificed some breathing room for pacing. I hate to say it, but they should probably cut a song or two rather than hurry through.
I have a new respect for Stephen Schwartz. This is a great storytelling opportunity and his music is definitely up to the occasion and then some. There’s a bittersweet ballad that both Elphaba and Glinda get to sing called “I’m Not That Girl.”
Oh! And one more thing: This show is Idina Menzel’s vehicle to superstardom.
You read it here first!
Of course, I had to wait more than a year for my feelings about Idina's performance to be completely validated, but it's the power of her presence in the show -- especially in consonance with the magical Kristin Chenoweth -- that gives the show what magic and power it possesses. It's Elphaba's vehicle, and Idina Menzel IS Elphaba.
-
DR Jay, I guess it's lazy of me, but I don't want to have to register for the LA Times to read your letter. Could you or someone reprint it here? I'd love to read what you had to say. But I don't need another cookie on my hard drive, and the chances of going to the site on a regular basis are fairly remote.
Thanks.
-
I'm not disconsolate that WICKED didn't win Best Musical. Lots of wonderful musicals have failed to take the top prize. Just off the top of my head:
OLIVER!
SHE LOVES ME
FUNNY GIRL
GYPSY
THE MOST HAPPY FELLA
WEST SIDE STORY
PETER PAN
PROMISES, PROMISES
FOLLIES
PIPPIN
CHICAGO
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
INTO THE WOODS
THE SECRET GARDEN
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
RAGTIME
-
Wow, I've finally read all the posts!
It was hard last night not to spoil the Tonys. All I wanted to say was "IDINA and AVENUE Q".
I was REALLY surprised that WICKED lost for Best Musical. I really like what I've seen of AVENUE Q (on tv and the cd). But I never thought that a small show like that could beat a touring powerhouse like WICKED.
-
Oops, forgot DREAMGIRLS, CAMELOT.
-
They'll be promoting "Avenue Q" as "the little musical that could" before long.
It's getting to be just a bit TOO precious for my blood.
It's not like "Two Gentlemen from Verona," but...just how good is it? I'm not overwhelmed by the OBC recording.
-
Someone mentioned that they thought the Tonys went past 11pm on the east coast. Nope they were over well before 11pm here.
RE: Hugh Jackman's speech going over.
I don't mind if they let the Best Actor or Actress go over a bit. But again it seemed a bit much that they let Hugh go way over in his speech and in his number.
IMO, his speech going over cut from the Avenue Q people being able to talk longer at the end.
And I didn't really care for Phylicia Rashad's speech. I much preferred the intense emotion of Idina's speech. It was so moving. To me Rashad's seemed rehearsed and almost like she was acting (and she was talking so slowly I thought she wouldn't even finish).
Btw, I loved Nathan Lane and Sarah Jessica Parker's Hugh Jackman banter. Very cute.
-
DinT: I don't know what the hell's going on with my computer. I was online for a short time this morning and luckily had no pop-ups. I tried to download a second SpyWare Scanner, but none of the ones I tried would download correctly. I'll be sure to check the Internet Options when I get home tonight. Thanks for the tip! I hope it works...
Until last weekend, I was riddled with pop-ups I couldn't get rid of. I downloaded Spyware and Spyblaster. One was for cleaning up what had already invaded and the other was for blocking out those which were trying to invade. It helped for about a week or so, and then the ads were back. And then I was being automatically logged on to the internet and then being refused access to anything because none of my logins would work.
By then, it was impossible to download anything else that might be helpful, so i reset to factory settings (used my recovery CD). I then downloaded McAfee's newest/best security that includes a firewall. It cost me $59.95 (promising a $20 rebate, but who knows how to get it?)
So far so good. But I have had a moment or two of anxiety. I visited MSNBC.com and suddenly five ads popped up. I exited and cleaned out my cookies cache pronto. I HATE pop-ups. And the sites that impose them on me.
-
Okay....I would love to have lunch with Miss Allison Hayes around 1961 or so - just to talk to her about her movies and her life. And be the envy of all the guys in the restaurant. And then have dinner with Ayn Rand and Nathan Branden later that day.
Not to quibble but: it is Nathaniel Branden (born Nathan Blumenthal).
It would be more entertaining to have dinner with them a few years earlier (1954-1959) while they were still having their affair.
During dinner would you offer up: "What would you say if I told you that years from now you both would be publically denouncing each other?"
der Brucer (pondering "Atlas Shrugged - the Musical")
-
Michael Riedel's Tony comments:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/06072004/entertainment/25268.htm
-
I thought the speech by the producer of "I Am My Own Wife" should have been shut down much earlier. That poor guy didn't have a clue how to stop talking and was going into "what ifs" on the psyche of Charlotte, for goodness sake.
Phylicia Rashad's acceptance was moving, distinguished and extremely heartfelt, IMO.
Idina was ecstatic...and funny.
I thought Hugh Jackman was a bit full of himself in his acceptance speech, but charming nevertheless.
The "Avenue Q" folks were goofily fun and funny. I felt sorry for their director's getting passed over, but he has a lot to be proud of.
-
DR Jay, I guess it's lazy of me, but I don't want to have to register for the LA Times to read your letter. Could you or someone reprint it here? I'd love to read what you had to say. But I don't need another cookie on my hard drive, and the chances of going to the site on a regular basis are fairly remote.
Thanks.
It irks me that my hometown newspaper and the New York Times force people to register in order to view content on-line. I look at plenty of other newspapers on-line from all around the country without having to register.
Anyway, here's my letter, as it was published today:
While a lot of people seem to be busy beatifying President Reagan, these are the events of his presidency that stick most vividly in my mind: a criminal mishandling of the AIDS crisis, an unprecedented run-up of the federal deficit and handing over the Republican Party agenda to the Christian right. With a legacy like that, for the sake of his family, I hope he can rest in peace.
Jay Soloway
Pasadena
-
One part of the Tonys that made me laugh was when the 2 guys who won for Best Score (for Avenue Q) kept passing the Tony back and forth. I heard that it is tradition to take hold of the award when you are talking up there. But I have never seen any people pass it back and forth like that so many times. Did anyone else find that interesting?
-
I thought the speech by the producer of "I Am My Own Wife" should have been shut down much earlier. That poor guy didn't have a clue how to stop talking and was going into "what ifs" on the psyche of Charlotte, for goodness sake.
Worse and more of it - his comments did the show a great disservice! There are too many people who think the show is about transsexualism when, in fact, the show deals very little with sexual orientation; it's major themes revolve around integrity, loyalty, and efforts at self-preservation.
der Brucer
It is also a love story. While stuck in writers' block, the playwright, Doug Wright, was advised:
"Your passion for her, your dissillusionment - it has all the makings of a romance...whatever you do, don't write a play about history. Write a play about your love affair with Charlotte von Mahlsdorf."
(quote from Doug Wright's intro to the play)
-
Must agree with the limited amount I've read... Tony's were most delightful-- Wicked performance was awful-- and how ever could a network cut off Mr. Hugh Jackman?
-
Now that the Tonys have been dispensed, here is some Information on the upcoming season from Playbill On-Line.
The season for Musicals Tonight has been announced. For those of you unfamiliar, it's similar to the Encores series. Some interesting titles were announced (including one of my favorites, The Apple Tree) although I'm not sure why they are doing the stage version of Meet Me in Saint Louis.
Here is the link to Playbill On-Line
Musicals Tonight
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/86653.html
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels will start in California and then work it's way here to New York, opening on Valentines Day 2005. It's a musical version of the movie and will star John Lithgow and Norbert Leo Butz.
A link to the POL article
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/86650.html
-
Just a quick note to say I'm still here, I'm reading the posts and that your Tony party was much more fun than mine.
Bah! I LOVED our Tony Party-- we read fashion magazines during the long parts, were attentive during the musical parts, and switched to the National Spelling Bee on the commercials-- what's not to love?
-
As much as I adore Avenue Q I am afraid of the overkill problem. It was delightful and funny and fresh and I loved it and am quite happy it won Best Musical. That's not to say it's the greatest musical to come down the pike in the past 10 years and I don't want to build it up to impossible heights. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea (witness BK and and some others who have seen Urinetown. Again, I saw the show early in the run, before it even moved to Broadway and was taken in completely, laughing and loving it) but I hope that if you get to see it that you enjoy it. There are some wonderful things about Wicked, the main thing being Mendel's glorious performance but I wasn't as taken with it as others. I think one of the reasons, for me, was I read the book and think it's wonderful. I know the book and the show are two different animals but the book transported me the way the show transported RP. When I finally saw the show, I think, there was something of a let down for me. I got past it by realizing that to make the show they needed to make changes.
This is turning into a ramble so I'll stop now and go back to work, since I'm back from my morning training session.
-
I agree they should have shut down the producer of I am My Own Wife - I forgot to mention that I was screaming at my television at that point. I also agree that Avenue Q's ad campaign won it the Tony (not saying WHO should have won, just why they won it). You will be seeing more movie-like Tony campaigns in the future.
I slept really late this morning, unusual but needed.
-
Oh, and we do have a topic of the day - we've had one response to it so far, which leads me to believe... No, I will NOT believe it.
-
True DB - but we close personal friends call him Nathan...LOL. And yes, it would have been interesting to talk to them about THAT!
RLP - you are so right, sometimes a download seems to help or be a good idea but instead it is nightmare. If you use Google you might check on the Google toolbar....it is also a pop up stopper and doesn't lead to anything else, although you have the search toolbar at the top. It does a great job, and it's free! So far 4486 popups have been blocked for me!
-
And did no one check out Stairway to the Stars yesterday?
-
I will go for the obvious on the TOD (BTW I did read the notes, I was just so caught up in my own Tony fever that I never answered it).
I will go back and have dinner with Mr. Shakespeare and bring back a pristine copy of the First Folio.
-
Worse and more of it - his comments did the show a great disservice! There are too many people who think the show is about transsexualism when, in fact, the show deals very little with sexual orientation; it's major themes revolve around integrity, loyalty, and efforts at self-preservation.
I have not seen I Am My Own Wife
so I may be wrong that its protagonist lives through a time when homosexuals were forced to wear a pink triangle, and also in a Communist land where homosexuals were second-class citizens.
It's always a white-knuckle moment when anyone says anything remotely political at an awards show, but I can't blame the show's producer for attempting to point out the parallel to our times, when a president wants to legislate second-class status by amending the Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage.
Maybe some citizen was tuning in to hear Tony Bennett and heard this speech and started thinking about the November election. (It could happen!) And if one such person changes his vote from Bush to Kerry, I, for one, will always be glad this speech was there.
-
I read a sweet and funny book this weekend, Almost Like Being in Love. (Disclaimer: the author, Steve Kluger, is a friend.) I do recommend it enthusiastically and feel that it, like Kritzer Time, deserves a place in school libraries. Also like Kritzer Time, it includes some wonderful references to Broadway musicals.
Here's the publisher's summary:
A high-school jock and nerd [a Broadway musical-obsessed nerd] fall in love their senior year, only to part after an amazing summer of discovery to attend their respective colleges. They keep in touch in the beginning, but then slowly drift apart. Flash forward twenty years. Travis and Craig both have great lives, careers and loves. But something is missing - Travis is the first to figure it out. He's still in love with Craig, and come what may, he's going to go after the boy who captured his heart.
-
I read the notes too, BK! I would go back with Ben to meet Shakespeare and beg him not to write King Lear. That would have made things much easier for me a few semesters ago.
But if there's only room for one in our time machine, I would want to meet Houdini and say "Warn the duke!"
-
I just deleted my theory as to why people were ignoring the TOD because they now seem to be responding. BTW - "TOD" in German means "death"... So TOD makes me think of an obit. Just thought I'd throw that in.
-
True DB - but we close personal friends call him Nathan...LOL. And yes, it would have been interesting to talk to them about THAT!
RLP - you are so right, sometimes a download seems to help or be a good idea but instead it is nightmare. If you use Google you might check on the Google toolbar....it is also a pop up stopper and doesn't lead to anything else, although you have the search toolbar at the top. It does a great job, and it's free! So far 4486 popups have been blocked for me!
Jrand, i use the Google toolbar, too--it's almost excellent. I say "almost" because lately it hasn't been blocking pop-ups on Drudgereport.com (but I guess it serves me right for going there, anyway...)
As for spyware removing utilities, I use a combination of Spybot Search and Destroy and SpySweeper, which can be found at webroot.com (http://www.webroot.com/). The only problem with SpySweeper is that it requires that you purchase a subscription for updates, but you can get around that by uninstalling and then downloading a new version. It's worth it, though. AdAware pales in comparison.
-
I enjoyed Stones In His Pocket on Broadway, impressed by the virtuosity of the two Irish actors.
I'm not much on time travel questions.
Real travel: the next two weeks, DW Joy and I will be out of town and, most likely, e & t
-
Time for BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW THEY WERE HUNGARIAN!
Today, for figure skating fans...[DRUM ROLL]
ELVIS STOJKO (b. 3/22/72, Newmarket, grew up in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada) 3-time World Champion, 7-time Canadian National Champion, and 2-time Olympic Silver Medalist.
Elvis' parents are Irene, a dancer from Hungary and Steve, from Slovenia. Has two older siblings, Atilla and Elizabeth. From Time Magazine: "[Elvis] may be the toughest skater ever to enter the rink. Elvis' fortitude is bred in the bones. His mother was the last of eight children in a Hungarian family, his father the first of nine in a Yugoslav household. They fled Communist tanks in the 1950s, landed in Canada, met each other in Toronto and married."
And a bonus for Movie Musical fans [SECOND DRUM ROLL]
MITZI GAYNOR - "Has claimed to be descended from Hungarian nobility; on these occasions, she has stated that her real name is Francesca Mitzi von Gerber. The daughter of a ballerina, Gaynor made her own terpsichorean debut when she was barely a toddler; by age 12, she had joined the dancing chorus of the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera."
-
I will go for the obvious on the TOD (BTW I did read the notes, I was just so caught up in my own Tony fever that I never answered it).
I will go back and have dinner with Mr. Shakespeare and bring back a pristine copy of the First Folio.
D'oh! Beaten to the punch, again! Alright, I'll show you! I just might get in the time machine and go visit Christopher Marlowe at about 1583 and feed him a bunch of interesting ideas for plays ("...and then he kills the old guy, and then he gets into a sword fight with the old guy's son. And then his mother drinks poison that was meant for him, and then he kills his uncle--no--wait--I got it mixed up--are you getting this all down?")
-
But if there's only room for one in our time machine, I would want to meet Houdini
Hungarian.
-
DR Panni,
In my day, the big Bar Mitzvah gift book was: "They Were All Jewish: From Moses to Einstein." (I guess that tells you when my day was.) Do you see a market for "Bet You Didn't Know They Were Hungarian"? And for your subtitle, who'd be the "from" and who'd be the "to"?
-
I, like JRand53, would also go out to lunch with Allison Hayes circa early 1960s...maybe 1964 so that I could ask her about THE CRAWLING HAND and all of her Perry Mason guest shots!
I would also invite Joi Lansing along just because!
As for a first edition...hmmmm...maybe a first edition of one of Johnny Gruelle's Raggedy Ann and Andy books...signed of course!
-
Panni,
You'll no doubt be thrilled to know that when he was a student, my dad had a summer job working for Houdini's brother.
-
DRs Danise and George: the video I captured of the Tony Pre Show with the SnagIt utility? There's no audio! Picture, but no sound! George, you wanna trade files? Maybe we can find a way to combine them.
I would be more than happy to send you what I have! I have no idea how to combine them. I could ask my sister's boyfriend. He's copied DVDs and things like that. Maybe he has some information, or friends who know.
-
... working for Houdini's brother.
Yes, I know. Hungarian.
-
Not to steal any thunder from Panni, but I don't know if she's likely to know about THIS particular Hungarian:
Composer Miklos Rozsa (1907-1995), whose evocative scores enhanced many a film noir and MGM epic, was born in Budapest and studied the violin from the age of five. After creating chamber and symphonic works and composing the ballet Hungaria, he began creating film scores for fellow Hungarian producer Alexander Korda in the late 1930s. While composing the score for The Thief of Bagdad (1940), Rozsa moved to California.
Rozsa won a total of 17 Academy Award® nominations for his scores, including those for such film noirs as Double Indemnity (1944), The Lost Weekend (1945) and The Killers (1946), which introduced the "dum-de-dum-dum" later to be used in the score for TV's Dragnet. Another memorable Rozsa noir score is for the Barbara Stanwyck melodrama The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946). He won Oscars® for the Alfred Hitchcock thriller Spellbound (1945), George Cukor's psychological drama A Double Life (1947) and the remake of Ben-Hur (1959), for which he created some of his most majestic music.
Other epics for which Rozsa was Oscar®-nominated included Quo Vadis? (1951) and Ivanhoe (1952). His MGM period also included scores for the Korean War drama Men of the Fighting Lady (1954) and the sci-fi mystery The Power (1968).
Turner Classic Movies is doing a tribute to Miklos Rozsa featuring Spellbound (1945), Men of the Fighting Lady (1954), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) and The Power (1968). Check your local listings.
-
I interviewed a Hungarian Hercules once.
-
I was going to post about something... But forgot what I was going to post about...
-
Can we move from listing people who are Hungarian
to, simply, people who are hungry?
<raises hand>
Me!
-
Thanks DTM - I am going to check out Webroot! ;D
Oh DRMBARNUM after lunch we could go with Joi to the Scopitone studio while she films the classic "Caught in the Web of Love!"
-
Thank you, DR Jay, for providing a copy of yourt letter. I almost never talk politics, but I must wholeheartedly agree with everything you wrote.
-
Oh DRMBARNUM after lunch we could go with Joi to the Scopitone studio while she films the classic "Caught in the Web of Love!"
We will have to be sure and stand back though while Joi swings her...er...musical notes around (I wonder what it is like to have two large torpedos coming straight for you!)
-
PLEASE let's don't forget Rozsa's magnificent MADAME BOVARY.
I can't forget it because DR RLP made me a fantastic CD-R of the soundtrack. Just love it, and offer him many thanks in this public forum.
-
I am eating a red bell pepper and some Cadbury chocolate left over from Dear Reader Jason's cookies.
Just to clarify: the red bell pepper wasn't left over from the cookies- just the chocolate. I don't want Dear Reader Jason thinking I've put all sorts of weird stuff in his cookies. Besides the beets, of course.
-
Oh, and we do have a topic of the day - we've had one response to it so far, which leads me to believe... No, I will NOT believe it.
Oh, go right ahead: we've all got a Tony Party hangover!
-
I have not seen I Am My Own Wife
so I may be wrong that its protagonist lives through a time when homosexuals were forced to wear a pink triangle, and also in a Communist land where homosexuals were second-class citizens.
No, I Am My Own Wife is NOT about the times it's protagonist lives through. It is about the process by which she survives, about the how and not the what.
-
BK, The Lovely Wife and I saw STONES IN HIS POCKETS in its original run in London and enjoyed it very much. But the two guys who performed it were the replacements for the original guys. I'm not sure, but I think the two actors you'll will be seeing may be the guys who did it originally. If so, the show should be even better. It's very funny.
-
The actors are JD Cullum and Barry McEvoy.
-
...And if one such person changes his vote from Bush to Kerry...
PS: While I've been given lots of good reasons not to vote for Bush, I have yet to be given one good reason to vote for Kerry, other than "He isn't Bush." Stalin wasn't Hitler, either, to continue the analogy of the play's "whats"; we're nowhere near the scale of those two here in this country, but the choices offered are parellel. Personally, I'd rather vote for neither.
-
Just have had a very annoying eBay experience, one of the few I've had as a seller. On Saturday, someone used Buy it Now on a pricey item I had up for sale. I'm always hinky about eBay newbies with only one feedback, but it was "positive" so I sent him an invoice. No response. Sent him an e-mail. No response. Tried to call him - phone "out of service" (an eBay no-no and cause for suspension). I wrote eBay, but you can't file anything for ten days. Then I did a search on this idiot - he registered for eBay on June 5th, and in two days has used Buy it Now on 383 items. I've already contacted the seller who left him a positive and they told me it was in "error". I hate these sorts, and really, eBay ought to not only suspend them quickly but they should bring legal action against them. But we all know how much eBay cares about the sellers and buyers - they care only about fees.
-
One reason to vote for Kerry is, I believe, that he would end this "ego-driven" war in Iraq and prevent more Americans from being needlessly killed in a conflict that should never have taken place.
That, in itself, is more than enough for me.
-
I've changed my posting. I visited eBay and looked up your seller ID.
Those ARE pricey items, and you have every right to be livid at the moron trolling and ruining the auctions.
-
I think Panni & I have had the Rozsa/Hungarian discussion before. RLP you forget three of Rozsa's best Providence, Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, and Moonfleet. He is my favourite composer, bar none.
While I enjoyed the number from Avenue Q, I'm a bit mystified by the reason for the puppets. Especially as their manipulators are right there in plain view singing and acting the role along with the puppet. What is the illusion we're trying to create? What purpose are the puppets serving precisely that can't be served by actors in those roles? Who am I supposed to be watching? The puppet or the actor working it? Is there something in the show that explains this curiosity and its necessity...or is it just some strange device and convention we're just supposed to accept?
I was disappointed that neither Christopher Plummer or Simon Russell Beale won. The only award I really had any invested interest in last night.
-
It was a book, a signed first edition of The Night of the Hunter. Not sure if that interests anyone or not.
What might have interested someone here went unsold, although it had very interesting bidders - I listed one of my signed (to me) Sondheim books (a first edition of Anyone Can Whistle). I just have so much stuff signed by him to me, I thought I'd lighten my load a bit.
-
One reason to vote for Kerry is, I believe, that he would end this "ego-driven" war in Iraq and prevent more Americans from being needlessly killed in a conflict that should never have taken place.
That, in itself, is more than enough for me.
That's not enough for me, sorry. Your own use of quotes for "ego-driven" is a reason not to vote for Bush, but not a reason to vote for Kerry. It is a "He's not Bush" reason, and not one that is going to convince a moderate Republican like myself to switch over.
-
Then they are not the same actors. Still the show is worth an evening at the theatre. It is a real tour de force for the actors if done well.
-
DR CP you didn't even mention the dancing!!
Who were your favorite characters in SIHP?
-
TOD (because BK's question really is interesting, even if it takes a lot of thought):
I think I'd like to have dinner with Oscar Hammerstein II, preferably some time between when he wrote Show Boat and his collaborations with Richard Rodgers. He hit some unsatisfying career spots during that time, particularly in Hollywood, but that's the sort of time when people start coming up with their most interesting ideas, and I'd like to hear him work through how he would like to change writing for the theater. (Beyond his great lyrics, he was a brilliant book writer, after all, probably one of the best there's ever been.)
As for what books I'd bring back, I'm having enough trouble making time for the books I have now! All I really need is another distraction...NOT! :-\
-
JRand, I assume you're talking about the dancing in STONES. I loved it!
-
It was a book, a signed first edition of The Night of the Hunter. Not sure if that interests anyone or not.
What might have interested someone here went unsold, although it had very interesting bidders - I listed one of my signed (to me) Sondheim books (a first edition of Anyone Can Whistle). I just have so much stuff signed by him to me, I thought I'd lighten my load a bit.
Personally, rather than a signed first edition of The Night of the Hunter, I much prefer my copy of the BK produced CD of The Night of the Hunter signed by Stephen Cole.
I would, however, love to get an item signed by Mr Sondheim, although I would prefer a signed photo to go on my wall of photos.
-
DR SWoody: I wouldn't expect any different reaction from any Republican, moderate or otherwise.
It's sufficient for "me."
Bush has taken this country down a ruinous road -- debt so outrageous we may never recover...rampantly rising fuel costs from profiteers who are undoubtedly filling Bush's coffers with generous contributions (the Enron tapes are, to me, far more harmful to the country than any of the Watergate ones).
But that's all right. I'll never understand the "gay Republican." And I daresay there's nothing you could ever state that would make me consider, even for a nanosecond, voting for Bush.
Just writing the words provokes a gag reflex.
:)
-
God, how I hate politics. I feel like today's discussion has been more like the Oscars than a place of respite, only I usually turn the Oscars off when things turn political. But what do I know...
Sandra: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your cookies are fabulous. I am SO very grateful.
Ms. Twyla Tharp is right here in the office. Isn't that exciting? Isn't it just too too? Well, maybe not...
-
Yes it is exciting, DRJASON. Twyla is an Indiana girl you know!
Yes, CP...the dancing in SIHP - it was great fun to choreograph!
-
DR TCB if you write to Mr Stephen Sondheim and request a photograph he will sign one and send it to you.
Email me if you don't have his address.
-
God, how I hate politics. I feel like today's discussion has been more like the Oscars than a place of respite, only I usually turn the Oscars off when things turn political. But what do I know...
Sandra: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your cookies are fabulous. I am SO very grateful.
Ms. Twyla Tharp is right here in the office. Isn't that exciting? Isn't it just too too? Well, maybe not...
Actually, Jason, I think that is very exciting. I am a big fan of Ms. Tharp's work.
-
Jason, thank you. I’m wearing a big smile. :D
Off to do errands, but before that check on the seven baby ducks and their mother I discovered in our pond this morning. :)
-
It would have been more exciting if her partner, Mr. Joel, had actually come with her (as I heard he was supposed to). Oh, well... I guess perhaps he's sleeping off whatever it was that threw him off last night...
-
Thank you, DR Jay, for providing a copy of yourt letter. I almost never talk politics, but I must wholeheartedly agree with everything you wrote.
Thank you, Dear Reader Matt H.
-
Woody, you "moderate" Republicans have been stiffed by Bush and the Far Right. Your party has been co-opted. As long as you "moderate" Republicans allow the Far Right to decide your agenda, the Republican party is not the Republican party of Lincoln nor Teddy Roosevelt (remember the Republican who was actually a trust-buster and broke up monopolies...Bush and his corrupt crew are the antithesis of this concept).
Your party tacitly advocates the suppression of minorities (of gender, race, religion, and lifestyle), it preaches religious intolerance blurring the seperation of church and state, it has eroded what was once a thriving middle class and is rapidly turning this nation into a third-world entity of haves and have-nots, it protects big-business corruption (Why isn't Kenneth Lay...the Prez's pal...in jail?), it has run up the highest deficeit ever when only a few years ago we had a balanced budget. It destroyed the good will, sympathy, and respect of the world that we had in the wake of 9/ll and turned what had begun as a just cause (attacking Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afganistan) into an unjustifible, egomanicial quagmire of an unwinnable war that drains untold billions of dollars and a hundreds of valuable lives from this nation.
It is currently treading on our civil liberties. It is not terrorism that has made me feel insecure, it is the current administration. By all rights, with the income I make, I'm supposed to be one of those The Republican Party is good for. I've never felt more financial, emotional, social, intellectual dread in my life than at this present time.
The Republican Party (and I have voted Republican in the past) has become the party of intolerant demagogues, intellectual bullies, arrogant and unapologetic greedy manipulators, dim-witted red-necked crackers, and apocalyptic bible-beaters. It once was the party that preached less government...but now they are the ones who constantly want to be in my bedroom, living-room, in my computer, controlling my TV remote, checking out what books I want to read...they want to invade my privacy and dictate to me how to live. They want to legislate morality and conscience. They spew hate-filled venom, declare any dissent as treason, and hone divisive extremist politics to a fine art. Strangely enough, the people they oppress the most...the ignorant blue-collar poor... are the ones inexplicably voting for them.
I don't understand people who remain faithful to a label when the meaning of that label has shifted to become something entirely different. Why remain loyal to the Republican Party when it has not remained loyal to you and has become to represent something other than what it was once known to represent? It is not the Republican Party I grew up with.
During the height of the Vietnam War, there was a bumper sticker that said: "America! Love or Leave it!" A friend of mine always wanted to print his own bumper sticker: "America! Why desert a sick friend?" I think America in the hands of this administration has become very sick indeed.
The "evil empire" Ronald Reagan spoke of years ago has become us. You don't need a reason to vote "for" anyone. Voting "against" Bush and all the attendant crap wrought by his term of office is enough of a legitimate reason. Forget party labels, think common sense. Anything would be better than the four years of abject failure we've endured under this regime.
-
A friend of mine introduced me to the wild, wacky world of Scopitone just this past Saturday, before we went off to Connecticut. He has a whole DVD of them. Quite bizarre and fascinating!
-
DRJASON - I hope you have seen Ms Joi Lansing's "vids".
-
The good thing about HHW.com is that we can discuss a variety of topics and generally always find something that is of interest.
It's nice to have something balance other stuff out....at least, IMO.
-
I got a card in the mail today:
-
I can't recall the last presidential election where we did not have to choose between the lesser of two evils. I would like to be able to vote for a specific candidate instead of against one, but that hasn't happened in recent memory and it certainly isn't happening in 2004.
-
A friend of mine introduced me to the wild, wacky world of Scopitone just this past Saturday, before we went off to Connecticut. He has a whole DVD of them. Quite bizarre and fascinating!
Yes, DR Jason, if you have not seen Joi Lansing's WEB OF LOVE scopitone, then you have certainly missed something unusual!
-
PS: While I've been given lots of good reasons not to vote for Bush, I have yet to be given one good reason to vote for Kerry, other than "He isn't Bush." Stalin wasn't Hitler, either, to continue the analogy of the play's "whats"; we're nowhere near the scale of those two here in this country, but the choices offered are parellel. Personally, I'd rather vote for neither.
How about this: It is likely that two or three vacancies will occur on the Supreme Court during the next term. Would you prefer the appointments to be along the lines of Dick Cheney's good ol' boy hunting buddy Antonin Scalia, as likely would be the case if Bush is re-elected? Or would you rather well-qualified and impartial jurists taking on those lifetime appointments?
If the Senate, which must approve those Supreme Court nominations, remains majority Republican, any nominations by Bush would likely be approved.
-
I would like to apologize for being E & T from last night’s Tony Party at this here site. I got home from my matinee yesterday evening at about 6:30, to find the parking lot overrun with police cars. I ended up having to park on the street and walk back to the apartment. There were several handcuffed individuals and a large number of cops standing around the neighbor’s apartment door. After about an hour, the police vans moved in and set up shop in the parking lot. That is when I stopped an officer and asked exactly what was going on next door. He confirmed what I had imagined, that there was a Meth Lab being operated out of the apartment. Fortunately, this was one of, what the officer called, the new Meth Lab, where only one step in the process was completed at each lab before sending on the ingredients to the next. Our lab happened to be where they ground up the ephedrine tablets, so there should not be any direct risk to the other tenants or myself. Still it was well after midnight, before the police finally packed up the vans and let us get some sleep.
-
THANKS RLP!!! Nice.
-
WEL, sad but true. The damage I believe he has done to the environment is why I will vote against Bush.
-
RLP---
Thanks for posting the logo. I understand the reason Marc Kudish is leaving ASSASSINS for NIGHT MUSIC is that they are paying him over five times as much as he is currently making. I also read the rest of the ASSASSINS cast is quite upset that he is leaving them. I have seen him in both shows and he is excellent in both roles. It's not like he is leaving ASSASSINS before the originally announced closing date, so he honored his committment.
-
We saw Ms. Gale Garnett's "Small Potatos," Ms. Debbie Reynolds "If I Had A Hammer" (truly bizzare), and January Jones' "Lazy River," "That Old Gang of Mine," and "I Love Being Here With You." He has so many more, but we skipped most of them.
-
TCB-what a night you had.
Off to do my errands now.
-
I wanted to post this larger, but it's too large and I don't want to be fussed at. It's half of the back of the flyer I received. An attractive cast, I think:
-
I got a card in the mail today:
So? Will you be coming down to see it, Dear Reader RLP?
-
Photo ID, left to right:
Jessica Boevers, Petra
Laura Benanti, Anne
Zoe Caldwell, Madame Armfeldt
Victor Garber, Fredrik
Danny Gurwin, Henrik
Judith Ivey, Desiree
Marc Kudisch, Carl-Magnus
Michele Pawk, Charlotte
Hank Stratton, Frid
-
I wish I could come down, DR Jay, but I have a geriatric cat who must be dosed with medicine twice a day and receive a subcutaneous saline injection daily.
Kennels charge more for doing those things than they do for a day's kennel stay.
I'm going to have to pass.
-
A gigantic, humongous spider just crawled across my desk here at work and scared 3 lives out of me!
If felt as if I were in a Bert I. Gordon movie!
-
No. 1: I hate spiders. DESPISE THEM! I feel your pain, Shakalaka...rahlly, ah doo...
No. 2: My friend tells me that Joi Lansing's number is the first track on his DVD, so I'm sure I'll be seeing it soon. I can't wait.
No. 3: It's time for me to go home!!
No. 4: Danny Gurwin, besides being incredibly handsome, is incredibly talented. He's Sondheim's favorite Henrik...I've seen him do the role twice. I also saw him as Malcolm in THE FULL MONTY in Chicago. He's a sweet, sweet guy and I highly recommend you go see him.
-
I can't recall the last presidential election where we did not have to choose between the lesser of two evils. I would like to be able to vote for a specific candidate instead of against one, but that hasn't happened in recent memory and it certainly isn't happening in 2004.
Not that I was voting then, or even alive for the 1952 race, but my guess would be the Stevenson-Eisenhower match-ups and possibly the Kennedy-Nixon race. I'm thinking that voters in those races probably felt positive about their candidate and voted for him, as opposed to against the other candidate.
It certainly has not happened since then.
-
Here is a copy of the photo like the one SS sent to me....mine is in a frame and hard to scan...too lazy.
But it is a nice face. ;D
-
For those among us who rather talk about nothing about the Arts and are bored by political discussions, I used to be the same way. Unfortunately, politics affects the Arts. I have seen my own business become a victim of the big business conglomerate mentality that Republican politics fosters and nurtures, where quarterly stockholders reports and profits are all that matter and where a few nabobs at the top of the corporation make hundreds of millions a year as salary and everyone lower down the food chain is squeezed.
The middle class writer, actor, technician is eroding in our business just like the middle class is in every business in America with less health and pension security and less job security. I'd hate to be a writer starting out in this business today. The chances of most of them having a twenty-odd year career like I've had are very slim. To the actors and others out there, how much is your deductible on your medical insurance, before they start to cover you? And what will they cover?
And as for what the corporate mentality has done to the quality of Art? Hate the bloated, big-budget lumbering, mindless pieces of crap floating across your movie screen these days? No one out here running the show cares...and worse, most of them don't know...money's the bottom line, not making a good movie.
-
Shall I just say that occasionally I can come on very strong? I've been in contact with eBay since this morning, getting those silly form responses. I finally wrote them and told them that if this creep's eBay account wasn't suspended by the end of today, that I would personally contact the close to four hundred sellers that he's bilked and file a class action lawsuit against eBay for allowing a known buyer with bogus contact info to keep bilking people. Fifteen minutes after sending that missive his account was suspended.
-
It looked exactly like this...maybe larger...and it is still roaming my cubicle!
-
First off, spiders don't alarm me. Not even slightly. I even had a pet tarantula once.
-
Well, Robin, you will be happy to know that I did not kill the beastie...it was too darn fast and scurried away...carrying half the town with it! It was one big mother-Sam!
-
Yikes! MBARNUM don't get your skirt caught in your Buick!!!
-
Second off...I was planning to be merely another attendee at a friend's Tony party, but you know...shit happens, and the Significant Other and myself spent most of the day running about like chickens with our heads cut off, helping poor Terry get everything back up to snuff.
The party went off swimmingly. Especially since there was a pool, and some of us actually did swim at some point in the evening.
Oh, and there was seafood. Lots of yummy shimp, and scallops, and mussels, and clams. It was a lot like Howard Johnson's, but without the indigestion afterward.
I was pretty much the only person predicting that Avenue Q would win Best Musical. And, of course, I was right, and gloated about it insufferably. I like Wicked just fine, but The Boy from Oz should be re-titled The Boy from Hunger...listening to the CD is painful. (Is there a CD of Caroline, or Change out, or planned?)
-
As for Tony predictions, I got all but 3 correct: Best Musical (predicted Wicked), Best Director of a Play (predicted Moises Kaufman), and Best Actress in a Musical (thought it was a toss-up, and guessed Tonya Pinkins). Got all the rest right, causing my mother to repeatedly ask, "How did you know that?"
-
I re-watched the Tony Awards this afternoon paying particular attention to Idina Menzel's wonderfully heartfelt, astonished acceptance speech. I was on the phone during this last night as I was ecstatic that she had won, especially given that her chances weren't great, and had missed it. The best speech of the night because she was so thrilled, so aghast at winning, and so honored to have been selected. I had tears in my eyes listening to her.
-
Photo ID, left to right:
Jessica Boevers, Petra
Laura Benanti, Anne
Zoe Caldwell, Madame Armfeldt
Victor Garber, Fredrik
Danny Gurwin, Henrik
Judith Ivey, Desiree
Marc Kudisch, Carl-Magnus
Michele Pawk, Charlotte
Hank Stratton, Frid
I saw the original Broadway company, and I honestly think this might match it in star quality and talent. Wish I could see it.
-
Third off...my opinion of Ronald Reagan is not even vaguely positive one. I agree wholeheartedly with Jay's letter.
Between Reagan and the two Bush thugs, the Republican party has lost any chance they'll get a vote from moi anytime soon, unless they start kicking Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and the cretins of the religious right the heck out. (Besides, anyone who believes that evolution is "just a theory" and that creationism should be taught is schools, like Our Selected Leader, is just plain nuts. And I refuse, out of principle, to vote for someone I believe just may be insane.)
And Bill Clinton, for all of his faults, has more integrity in his little finger than George W. Bush has in his entire family.
When Dubya came into office, he mouthed platitudes about "elevating the dialogue" and such. And every campaign ad I've seen from the Shrub has been used to trash John Kerry. Some "elevation", eh? I guess it's easier to try to tarnish the reputation of someone who actually didn't try to dodge service in Viet-Nam that to actually try to make himself look good in comparison.
-
Wow BK that ebay story is crazy! Glad you got a response from them.
I'm curious, can you just relist the item today?
And for Dr Jason, what is scopitone?
-
It looked exactly like this...maybe larger...and it is still roaming my cubicle!
Well, the good news, Michael, is that he will eat you alive. Of course, I suppose that is also the bad news!
-
Fourth off...about the time machine.
I'd like to have lunch with Stephen Sondhiem and Arthur Laurents, at some point during the rehearsals (or the run of) Anyone Can Whistle, a show I find endlessly fascinating, for all of it's flaws. Providing, of course, they'd be willing to share what the heck they were thinking.
And about that first edition....I'm going to go with a mint copy of Edgar Rice Burrough's Tarzan of the Apes.
-
Fifth off...if the spider is still bugging you (bugging you...get it???), just get it to crawl onto a newspaper, and release it back into the wild.
It'll do your heart good.
-
Sixth off...am I in a posting frenzy or what???
-
Congratulations on your EBAY victory...Mr BK! It is almost impossible to contact them....their system is a Catch-22 of click this and that. It takes forever....and you hardly ever GET through to anyone who can really help you. DAMN THEM!!!
-
Jennifer: Yes, I relisted the item.
Further news in the unfolding eBay drama: Another seller contacted me and somehow he has a good address and phone number for the guy. I just left him a rather strong message saying if I didn't have an e-mail from him with an explanation by the end of the day, that I'd be contacting the police in his city. Now, his city: El Mirage, Arizona. Are any of our dear Arizonians in that neck of the woods?
-
El Mirage is on the very outer outskirts of Phoenix.
-
I must actually try to learn lines today for this little movie I'm shooting on Thursday, although I've asked them to prepare cue cards so I don't have to fret too much. It makes sense anyway, since I play a newscaster. We're shooting in some place called Irvine and I refused to drive down there myself, so I'm being driven.
More details, BK?
I think you'll like Stones in His Pockets. It's a marvelous play, but it needs the right performers. I'm quite sure I saw your cast - or at least one of the two - in the Toronto production, which was superb. It's a tight and funny play, but it's not all funny.
-
Just read that the ratings were slightly down overall for the Tonys last night from last season. With an NBA basketball championship game and THE SOPRANOS (which I really enjoyed, BTW) opposite it, the Tonys once again are victims of scheduling.
-
Robin, I'd probably go back for that mint Tarzan of the Apes too. I've actually got a copy of the book in a xeroxed dj (not from a great original dj)...but Mint would be worth a...mint!
-
Scopitone: The precursors to modern-day music videos, these filmed, sung videos were available on what was the visual equivalent to a jukebox. The catch was--most of the videos were pretty risque...lots of girls throwing their skirts up to reveal their dance trunks (read "panties") and boys in tight swim trunks. Della Reese didn't show her bloomers, but her dancers did. Same for Debbie Reynolds. But BOY! January Jones was a hippy, curvy woman and she showed off those hips in those tiny 60's-style bikinis.
-
Is that near you, dear reader Laura?
-
Scopitone: The precursors to modern-day music videos, these filmed, sung videos were available on what was the visual equivalent to a jukebox. The catch was--most of the videos were pretty risque...lots of girls throwing their skirts up to reveal their dance trunks (read "panties") and boys in tight swim trunks. Della Reese didn't show her bloomers, but her dancers did. Same for Debbie Reynolds. But BOY! January Jones was a hippy, curvy woman and she showed off those hips in those tiny 60's-style bikinis.
Lots of tight swim trunks on the guys in the Scopitone for THE NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES! Woohoo!
-
Is that near you, dear reader Laura?
No -- about 30 miles away. I haven't had reason to go that way for years.
-
Yikes! MBARNUM don't get your skirt caught in your Buick!!!
LOL! And believe you me I won't be going into any caves looking for lost jewelry, either!!
-
Got my TARZAN collection today (a day earlier than available in many stores). Will watch the documentary since I missed it on TCM and then probably TARZAN'S SECRET TREASURE.
-
Not to steal any thunder from Panni, but I don't know if she's likely to know about THIS particular Hungarian:
Composer Miklos Rozsa (1907-1995),
I do know. Yes, indeed. I wasn't going to include him on my list because anyone on this site who DOESN'T know should go sit in the Skammen Korner.
-
Got my TARZAN collection today (a day earlier than available in many stores). Will watch the documentary since I missed it on TCM and then probably TARZAN'S SECRET TREASURE.
Hmmmm....I got mine today, too.
But I'm off to a concert tonight, so I won't have time to watch anything.
-
Got my TARZAN collection today (a day earlier than available in many stores). Will watch the documentary since I missed it on TCM and then probably TARZAN'S SECRET TREASURE.
Cool! Do report on the documentary, I am curious as to it's content.
I haven't decided if I will get the set or not but I am quite fond of the first two films, TARZAN THE APE MAN and TARZAN AND HIS MATE.
-
Chat in a mere two hours.
-
Panni,
You'll no doubt be thrilled to know that when he was a student, my dad had a summer job working for Houdini's brother.
I actually am thrilled. I once started to work on a Houdini/Arthur Conan Doyle mystery which was great fun. The project died, but my interest in Houdini didn't.
(And of course we all know that Houdini was portrayed in a film by yet another Hungarian - Tony Curtis. Mr. Curtis speaks pretty decent Hungarian. Not fluent - but okay. With an accent. Just like he speaks English.)
-
I am eating a red bell pepper and some Cadbury chocolate left over from Dear Reader Jason's cookies.
Just to clarify: the red bell pepper wasn't left over from the cookies- just the chocolate. I don't want Dear Reader Jason thinking I've put all sorts of weird stuff in his cookies. Besides the beets, of course.
Here at work, we're having a bake sale. Someone brought in "mystery" cookies...actually, oatmeal raisin cookies from a recipe from a mystery novel. Anyway, there is a "mystery ingredient" in the recipe and I was told (I don't like raisins, so I didn't have any) that the mystery ingredient was/is tomato soup! Someone else did have some of the cookies and said that she could not taste any tomato at all. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing??
-
TOD: 1st dinner with Adam & Eve; last supper with 12 disciples.
-
Wow! 3 DRs all got their TARZAN sets today, and only one of the can watch it tonight. . .Lucky DR MattH!
-
Finally caught up with all the posts. I've been having computer probs which I hope are now solved.
FS Pogue - Re the Republican party... YES. Very well said! Couldn't agree with you more. I'd love to be able to vote in this election.
-
MBarnum - Who was the Hungarian Hercules you interviewed?
-
DR TCB if you write to Mr Stephen Sondheim and request a photograph he will sign one and send it to you.
Email me if you don't have his address.
I thought that he didn't sign autographs at all...or didn't like to...or avoided it whenever he could. I would love to have his autograph, myself!
-
I actually am thrilled. I once started to work on a Houdini/Arthur Conan Doyle mystery which was great fun. The project died, but my interest in Houdini didn't.
(And of course we all know that Houdini was portrayed in a film by yet another Hungarian - Tony Curtis. Mr. Curtis speaks pretty decent Hungarian. Not fluent - but okay. With an accent. Just like he speaks English.)
Houdini's brother, I believe, was a dentist. As a student, my dad ran errands for him. He talked about what a nice experience the job was - and I think he met Houdini (Ehrich Weiss) a couple of times.
-
Houdini's brother, I believe, was a dentist. As a student, my dad ran errands for him. He talked about what a nice experience the job was - and I think he met Houdini (Ehrich Weiss) a couple of times.
That is way cool.
-
I expect the Hungarian Herc was Mickey Hargitay, the ex-Mr. Jayne Mansfield.
-
I'm still thinking of who I'd like to have supper with in the past. Last time this was asked, I answered my father. In all honesty, that's still my answer. I have no idea what he was like, other than what I've been told - so I'm pretty curious. On the other hand, if it turned out to be a disappointing experience, I'd have to pay thousands to a shrink to undo the damage. So maybe I should pick somebody else. Shakespeare needs to go on a diet he's been invited by so many, so I gues he's out. Could I have a little dinner party? Leonard Bernstein, Dylan Thomas, Mozart and Truffaut. I'd serve chicken paprikas.
-
Oh - and I'd like to come back with a Gutenberg Bible.
-
...You don't need a reason to vote "for" anyone. Voting "against" Bush and all the attendant crap wrought by his term of office is enough of a legitimate reason. Forget party labels, think common sense. Anything would be better than the four years of abject failure we've endured under this regime.
No, Charles, voting against candidates isn't good enough, not in my book. The only time I have ever voted against a candidate was in the recall of California Governor Gray Davis, where we were specifically asked whether or not we, as voters, wanted him recalled.
And no, I do not believe that "anything" would be better than the last four years. I believe that we should watch and listen carefully to each and every candidate, and weigh our choices. As it is, right now, I believe we are facing a choice between two extremes, and I don't like either one.
-
It's terrible that I can't think of a woman to invite...
-
I expect the Hungarian Herc was Mickey Hargitay, the ex-Mr. Jayne Mansfield.
...and father of Mariska.
-
PAGE SEVEN! (http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0304/auto/car-smiley-004.gif)
-
Looks like I'm a posting frenzy. Time to feed and walk the hound, so someone else will have to take over the frenzy,
-
MBarnum-LOL & LOL. I’m glad you didn’t kill it. It sounds as if you had a wolf spider on you. We caught a good number of those in one of our homes and then released them outside, where they belong.
Robin I did let a tarantula crawl on me one. It was at the county fair here. I was very proud of myself.
RLP how old is your cat? Traveling when the babies are sick is difficult.
Good for you Bruce!
-
Here at work, we're having a bake sale. Someone brought in "mystery" cookies...actually, oatmeal raisin cookies from a recipe from a mystery novel. Anyway, there is a "mystery ingredient" in the recipe and I was told (I don't like raisins, so I didn't have any) that the mystery ingredient was/is tomato soup! Someone else did have some of the cookies and said that she could not taste any tomato at all. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing??
I haven't heard of tomato soup in cookies, but it's amazing what you can put in cake! In just one chapter of 365 Great Cakes and Pies, I've found references to "Mystery Spice Cake," which includes tomato soup, "Sweet Potato Cocoa Cake," "Fudgy Marbled Mayo Cake," "Southwest Chocolate Chili Cake," "Dark Chocolate Cola Cake," and "Can't Be Beet Sheet Cake."
And I still don't get the appeal of carrot cake!
-
It's terrible that I can't think of a woman to invite...
I can! Dorothy Fields!
-
I actually am thrilled. I once started to work on a Houdini/Arthur Conan Doyle mystery which was great fun. The project died, but my interest in Houdini didn't.
(And of course we all know that Houdini was portrayed in a film by yet another Hungarian - Tony Curtis. Mr. Curtis speaks pretty decent Hungarian. Not fluent - but okay. With an accent. Just like he speaks English.)
You mean like this?
Yonda lies da castle of my fodda.
-
I'd bring back ten primo copies of To Kill a Mockingbird. That would keep me in breadcrumbs for about five years.
-
What? No chat? I was planning to waste some time trying to get in again tonight.
-
Wassup wid dis? One night I can chat and the room is locked!
-
I thought I was running late for chat! Did I miss it again?
-
You're not the only one, DiT :(
-
Hey we've got Dan, Dan and Danise in da house!
-
I can! Dorothy Fields!
Which reminds me of another Dorothy to inivite - Parker. The conversation would be sparkling!
-
Hey we've got Dan, Dan and Danise in da house!
Dah-dah, dah, dah!
-
Sing it, Dan! I studder! Da, Da Da....
-
Did someone not say there was Chat tonight?
-
...and father of Mariska.
Yes, Mr. Miklos Harigaty himself...one of the nicest Hungarian's I have had the delight to meet! He lives in a big Spanish castle up above Hollywood Blvd. He took me on a tour of it and it was mighty grand...and he is very proud of his daughter Mariska!
His son Miklos Hargitay Jr. runs a nice plant shop in Los Angeles.
-
Question of the day seems to about authors only. I know I sound like I have limited interests but I still would have to pick Frank Herbert.
Unless it was Jules Vern. (Did I spell that right?) Two of my all time favorite authors. Except for Bruce. But your living so you don't count in this. Unless your a "ghost writer". :D
Sorry, had to fix that. I didn't realize I had done a run on.
-
Chat in a mere two hours.
Not according to BK's earlier post.
-
Did someone not say there was Chat tonight?
Panni, I suggest that someone be bitch slapped from here to eternity! LOL!
-
Chat is open. Sorry, I'm just hopelessly senile or hopelessly devoted to you.
-
Chat is open!
-
I'd invite Shakespeare to dinner just to see if he really wrote those plays.
I'd invite Richard III to dinner and find out who murdered the Princes in the Tower (I don't believe it was him).
I'd invite all the Jack the Ripper victims and find out who Jack the Ripper really was.
I'd invite Richard Burbage, David Garrick, Edmund Kean, Edwin Booth, John Barrymore, Larry Olivier, and John Gielgud to dinner and talk Shakespeare. With all that talent and all those egos, it would be a fascinating evening.
-
I have to post this before I go--
Today is my dog, Bears, 8th Birthday!
I don't know how old Brandi is so we'll make it hers as well.
Night all!
-
I'd invite Richard Burbage, David Garrick, Edmund Kean, Edwin Booth, John Barrymore, Larry Olivier, and John Gielgud to dinner and talk Shakespeare. With all that talent and all those egos, it would be a fascinating evening.
Your "Dinner With" post reminds me of that Steve Allen show that was on PBS years ago--Meeting of the Minds I think it was called. I didn't see all of them, but the ones i did see were pretty good. Jayne Meadows was actually very good as i recall.
-
Woody, I think the valid question everyone can ask themselves at election time is: "Are you better off now than you were four years ago." The answer to that for me...and I suspect most Americans...is "no." As I said earlier, I feel less financially, emotionally, intellectually, and physically secure than I did four years ago. I attribute all of that insecurity to the policies of the Bush Adminstration. 9/11 did not make me as insecure as Bush's policies have since then.
-
Echo wishes Bear and Brandi a very happy birthday! :) :D
-
Which reminds me of another Dorothy to inivite - Parker. The conversation would be sparkling!
Absolutely!
-
Woody, I think the valid question everyone can ask themselves at election time is: "Are you better off now than you were four years ago." The answer to that for me...and I suspect most Americans...is "no." As I said earlier, I feel less financially, emotionally, intellectually, and physically secure than I did four years ago. I attribute all of that insecurity to the policies of the Bush Adminstration. 9/11 did not make me as insecure as Bush's policies have since then.
Now, for me the answer to the question is quite different. I do feel more secure emotionally, intellectually, and physically now. Financially, no, but moving cross country does that, regardless of the political climate. And I've been able to get work again, which is heartening. So, on an individual level, yes, I am better off now than I was.
All the same, I feel betrayed by the Bush admin, and by my party, and have felt so for some time. But this just leaves me without the party I grew up with, that my family raised me to believe in. What has not happened is finding a reason to switch parties to the Democrat, or to any other at this time.
Let's reduce this to a single issue, just for reason of arguement: gay rights. Yes, I feel betrayed because of Bush's support for the anti-marriage amendment. I find that foul. But Bush is not the first President to head in this direction. Clinton was the President who signed the Defense of Marriage Act. He was also the President who approved Don't Ask Don't Tell. And Kerry has said that he is opposed to gay marriage. On this one issue, I have no reason to believe that my situation will improve if Kerry is elected. It's very difficult for me to tell who represents the frying pan, and who represents the fire.
Which leaves me in a quandry. Yes, I can vote against Bush. But I have no reason to vote for anyone else!
And I need a reason, something positive. No one has yet given me that reason.
Don't give up trying, of course. November is several months away, lots of time for change.
-
You are very welcome, Dear Reader Jason.
I fell asleep about four hours ago and I just woke up.
You don't want to get me started on politics.
I think spiders are cute but my mom would never let me have one for a pet.
I am eating pudding.
The end.
-
I wish I had something positive to report about the TARZAN movies, but the fact is I didn't get to them tonight.
Whatever I ate at lunch that didn't agree with me has kept me pretty busy all day long. I did re-watch the TOnys as reported earlier, but really haven't been able to focus on much of anything since early evening. A good night's sleep is definitely the order of the day.
So, a fat lot of good it did me to get those movies early. I did so want to see one today. Ah well, tomorrow I plan to stay inside all day and recuperate.
-
Good Evening!
I've been in zombie-land for the for the past few hours... Still haven't slept today - again - but I'm very tired right now, so that's good. I hope to be in bed soon...
Topic of the day: J.D. Salinger, "Catcher in the Rye", and Alan Paton, "Too Late the Phalarope" (I remember reading this book in high school)... oh, and C.S. Lewis, any of the Narnia Books, but also "Mere Christianity", and a copy of "The Wasteland" with annotations.
So...
Sorry I missed chat - if it happened...
As for whether or not the AVENUE Q campaigning really made that much of a difference.... Heck, all shows campaign in one form or another... There were a few WICKED parties being held in the past couple of weeks.
As for E-bay - I've only bought one thing off of E-bay, and it was a positive experience. However, I'm thinking of selling a bunch of stuff I currently have (some CDs (mainly OOP classical ones), some collectible teddy bears, etc.) So... Should I?
OK - I'm starting to shut down... and my laptop is starting to act up again... *I'm really hoping my body clock gets back to some sense of normalcy soon, tonight. Two all-nighters in three days is not a good thing.
Oh..
DR SWW - I do like those brownie recipes with chile powder in them. And there are those recipes for chocolate cake that contain vinegar, mayonnaise, etc. And those very Southern Coca-Cola cakes are a true indulgence - and cavity-inducer!
Goodnight.
-
I have made chocolate cake with Cherry Coke and it is very good.
I have bought a LOT of stuff on eBay. Only recently have I had a problem. I won something from this foodus and then he didn't answer my emails for ten days.
-
Several weeks ago, VARIETY did a special edition on WICKED. (This was before awards season began in NYC.) I've wondered today if possibly there wasn't some backlash against the show because of that show being chosen for a special edition, almost like annointing it as the season's best before being awarded any prizes.
-
Just received this e-mail - is this true? If so, another reason to abhor this administration.
I received a copy of this email today and am passing it along for your
perusal. Copies of the bills, HR 163 and S 89, may be viewed at
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c108:1:./temp/~c1088XX89i (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c108:1:./temp/~c1088XX89i)
Twin bills HR 163 and S 89 "Universal National Service Act of 2003" -
the administration is quietly trying to get these bills passed now while
the public's attention is on the election. Right now they are in
committee. However a friend of mine told me that people in NYC were
already being asked to work on the draft boards. In fact, there is a
quiet campaign to fill all 10,350 draft board positions and 11,070
appeals board slots nationwide.
$28 million has been added to the 2004 selective service system
budget to prepare for a military draft that could start as early as June
15, 2005.
This act would "provide for the common defense by REQUIRING THAT
ALL YOUNG PERSONS 18-26 IN THE U.S.. INCLUDING WOMEN PERFORM A PERIOD OF
MILITARY SERVICE". This includes women.
Dodging the draft will be more difficult. College and Canada
will not be options. In Dec. 2001, Canada and the U.S. signed a 'smart
border declaration, which could be used to keep would-be draft dodgers
in. Signed by Canada's minister of foreign affairs, John Manley, and
U.S. Homeland Security director, Tom Ridge, the declaration involves a
30 point plan which implements, among other things, a 'pre-clearance
agreement' of people entering and departing each country. HIGHER
EDUCATION IS ELIMINATED AS A SHELTER. Underclassmen would only be able
to postpone service until the end of their current semester. Seniors
would have until the end of the academic year.
WRITE YOUR SENATORS AND CONGRESSPERSON THAT YOU OPPOSE THESE
BILLS.
SEND THIS E-MAIL TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS ESPECIALLY THOSE IN OTHER
STATES.
E-MAIL YOUR NEWSPAPERS.
The bill is 12 pages long.
DON'T WAIT. We don't want this bill passed in the middle of the
night like they did the prescription drug bill.
-
Well, the link doesn't work, so maybe it's a hoax. Anyone?
-
I got the same email from a reliable source last week. It's been going around for some time. I have lots of correspondence about it.
-
Well, the link doesn't work, so maybe it's a hoax. Anyone?
Snopes.com doesn't come right out and say that this is a hoax but they generally blow it off.
-
Well, Snopes.com will only say "Probably Not" to the story, which is not as definitive as they usually are on these things.
Oh well, the link is below, but Dan beat me to the punch!
-
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/draft.asp
-
I left work at about 4:15 with an upset tummy, a head ache and my eyes hurt from my contact lenses. I know not why. Anyway, I came home after eating, since I hadn't had much of anything to eat all day (which is probably why I had the upset tummy) and went to sleep. I didn't get up until about 8:00 tonight. I didn't even think about chat. I hope it went well.
-
Feel better vibes, George!
-
Feel better vibes, George!
Thanks, Panni! Actually, the food and the nap have helped. I am feeling much better.
Which reminds me of another Dorothy to inivite - Parker. The conversation would be sparkling!
That's who I'd like to visit in the past...the real "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle!" I, of course, would only be able to sit and listen. There's no way that I could keep up with that bunch. ::)
As for first editions, I already have the Kritzer trilogy, so that's not necessary. But when I was in high school, I loved the science fiction and short stories (actually, I still do, but I haven't read any in quite a while) of Fredric [sic] Brown. A couple of his stories were the basis of Star Trek episodes (the original series). Anyway, when I was in college (in 1988) and studying to be a high school choir teacher (which I didn't actually become), I had an assignment in one of my music classes to read beautifully out loud in the class, a song lyric or poem. I wanted to read "Imagine," which was in "The Best of Fredric Brown," but I lost the book! I couldn't find another copy until about four years ago. It was one of the first things that I bought on eBay. Anyway, "Imagine" was written in 1955, years before John Lennon's song of the same title.
So, along with Mrs Parker and the gang, I would to meet Fredric Brown and I would want some of his first editions...nothing specific, though. He wrote a lot of pulp fiction in the 40s and 50s. I really enjoyed what I read of his, especially his science fiction and his short stories and his science fiction short stories. And if anyone's interested, here's "Imagine" by Fredric Brown:
IMAGINE
Imagine ghosts, gods and devils.
Imagine hells and heavens, cities floating in the sky and cities sunken in the sea
Unicorns and centaurs. Witches, warlocks, jinns and banshees.
Angels and harpies. Charms and incantations. Elementals, familiars, demons.
Easy to imagine all of those things: mankind has been imagining them for thousands of years.
Imagine spaceships and the future.
Easy to imagine; the future is really coming and there'll be spaceships in it.
Is there then anything that's really hard to imagine?
Of course there is.
Imagine a piece of matter and yourself inside it, yourself, aware, thinking and therefore knowing you exist, able to move that piece of matter that you're in," to make it sleep or wake, make love or walk uphill.
Imagine a universe-infinite or not, as you wish to picture it- with a billion, billion, billion suns in it.
Imagine a blob of mud whirling madly around one of those suns.
Imagine yourself standing on that blob of mud, whirling with it, whirling through time and space to an unknown destination.
Imagine!
-
In other words - crap. If the bills have been languishing without support, why are people so gullible to get these e-mails and then send them out AGAIN in bulk. All you have to do is read from the link posted here, which is why I posted the e-mail in the first place. I knew it could be debunked as a hoax (or urban legend), and thanks to those who were quick to respond with the truth.
-
Let's see: I posted the above at nine fifty-nine. I then wrote tomorrow's notes. And in that time there has not been one single post? Oh, people, I am disappointed. I didn't think we had that many WUSSBURGERS. I mean, I see people looking at the board, just sitting there like so much fish. Skammen.
-
I did not mean to be a wussburger. I was trying to catch up on some of the DVDs der B and I have added to our collection over the last few days. (I will say more on Friday, rest assured.)
Now, however, I fully intend to wussburger. I am tired, and need to catch up on my average-countenance sleep. (I did get another chapter of Kritzer Time read today.)
-
Here is an e-mail I got from a very politically knowledgeable friend when I asked him last week about the Draft rumor:
"I'm really not sure what to make of this. Charlie Rangell (Dem. NY, Harlem) is one of my favorite Congressmen of all time, and I've heard him pull for this for some months now. His point is that if rich kids are subject to being sent off to war, there'd be less of it. I can't see Bush getting behind it; I mean, these are his friends' kids! I've been hearing that it has no chance of flying for that reason, but that Charlie is pushing it to make the point of just who these valiant kids are who fight our optional wars. So the alarm, which sounds like it's fear of a secret Bush coup, may be mistaking the thrust of this. "
-
S. Woody: Now THAT (KT) is good news indeed - best I've had this whole miserable day.
-
Hate to wuss out on the wild goings on here - but I'm going to turn off the old computer and read.
-
George, I love and collect Fredric Brown. I have a great deal of his sf/fantasy, but really love his mysteries the most.
I was really hoping someone would answer my question earlier about the necessity of the theatrical conceit of the puppets in Avenue Q.
-
I, too, adore Fredric Brown - have read almost all the mysteries at one time or another. Especially fond of Screaming Mimi.
-
I was really hoping someone would answer my question earlier about the necessity of the theatrical conceit of the puppets in Avenue Q.
I didn't question this conceit, just as I didn't question the casting of a man as Edna in the stage version of Hairspray just because Divine played the role in the move.
But then, I haven't actually seen the show, so I can't really say.
-
Screaming Mimi is great. My fav: THE FAR CRY.