Haines His Way

Archives => Archive 2 => Topic started by: bk on July 08, 2004, 12:01:43 AM

Title: PLAN B
Post by: bk on July 08, 2004, 12:01:43 AM: Well, you've read the notes, you know what Plan B is, you know what the topic is, so now it is time to post until the Plan B cows come home. Tell us what you think of Plan B, too.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: bk on July 08, 2004, 12:04:31 AM: For those who guessed The First Nudie Musical - good guess, but it would have been totally impossible to put a show like that together in four weeks. Too big a cast, too big a production for the Hudson space.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Tomovoz on July 08, 2004, 12:07:31 AM: Can we order the DVD and Cd of the show yet? Sounds like a fun time for all.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Ann on July 08, 2004, 12:07:59 AM: Well, I am sorry that it's not Nudie, but it still sounds like a fun project!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: S. Woody White on July 08, 2004, 12:10:12 AM: I'm going to need some time to think about hotels, and hotel rooms that I've been in...uh, stayed in. ::)
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: bk on July 08, 2004, 12:10:57 AM: There might just BE a CD - it would depend on several factors in terms of the songs, especially the What Ifs.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: S. Woody White on July 08, 2004, 12:11:28 AM: I'm wussburgering. Nite.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jrand73 on July 08, 2004, 12:12:47 AM: Wonderful idea is Plan Be....and I only wish I were in LA to be your choreographer! Hehehehe.

DRJOSE....will this be his LA Onstage Debut? :o

All will be revealed in the next post! ;D
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jrand73 on July 08, 2004, 12:13:37 AM: The television actress who wanted to take the place of Miss Dorothy Kilgallen is none other than:

Agent 99 - Miss Barbara Feldon! :-\
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 12:14:28 AM: I'll be there with bells on for opening night! (Might distract the performers, but I always wear bells on opening night.)
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jrand73 on July 08, 2004, 12:17:12 AM: Take Barbara, I hear she is still available for opening nights.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: George on July 08, 2004, 12:17:29 AM: Bruce, it sounds like a WONDERFUL idea! And I REALLY hope you do do at least a CD!! (mainly because I don't think that Ill be able to come to California to see it...as much as I would love to.)

[move=right,scroll,6,transparent,100%]Break (proverbially only) Many Legs!![/move]

Now I must go to sleep...and dream about getting up at 5:30 so that I can be at my friend's house by 6:45 to drive her to the airport. Ugg. :P
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jrand73 on July 08, 2004, 12:17:48 AM: Congratulations on a great decision MRBK. It sounds great!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jrand73 on July 08, 2004, 12:18:40 AM: time for bed!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: bk on July 08, 2004, 12:21:38 AM: Welcome seven GUESTS. We're talkin' about Plan B from outer space.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 12:27:28 AM: Interesting hotel - Morgan's in New York. "Created" by Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager. TINY rooms, but quite unique. I'm trying to remember now if I'm getting it mixed up with the Palladium, also in NY. One of them used to be a flop house -- and some of the flop house denizens still live there, mingling with the Jet Set in the lobby.
I think it was at the Palladium, with its unbelievably small but ever so trendy rooms that I was feeling incredibly depressed for some reason I can't now recall, and said to a friend on the phone, "I'd jump out the window, but it's so tiny I can't fit through."
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: JoseSPiano on July 08, 2004, 12:28:54 AM: OK... The laundry is done! The packing is done! Now I'm just making sure I haven't forgot anything important... So...

I've just been taking it easy tonight while I've been packing. I've been in this type of situation before: "Hey, can you be here tomorrow?" And I was. So...

Needless to say, I'm running more or less on adrenaline right now. However, I'm guessing there was some sort of "reason" for me sleeping in the past few days - even after getting up early - but then deciding to go back to bed. Thankfully, I'm a night owl. So...

OK - Time for me to finish up here.

I'll post my hotel horror stories and happy stories once I'm up in Fairfax - and after I've had a chance to get a few hours of sleep.

Until then...
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 12:29:03 AM: Why can't it be "Plan P" for Panni?
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 12:31:03 AM: To bed, I guess. I'll dream of Plan P and how wonderful "What If..." will be. Must tune my bells.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 12:32:52 AM: Safe trip, Jose!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Tomovoz on July 08, 2004, 01:32:31 AM: Most interesting hotels - quaint ones of the European variety. Narrow staircases and tiny rooms but centures old and delightful. Favourite would be one in Assisi.
Of Hotels somewhat more grand - the Montreaux Palace was luxury with old world charm.

Worst hotel by far - the Rose Court in London (near Marble Arch) Disgusting and the service so very bad . Most interesting in Engladd was one in Yorkshire, We booked in to the Attic room (the John Peel Room) - Colin had to stoop all the time to avoid hitting beams - and he is not tall. We didn't notice until the morning that the hotel was used in many episodes of "All Creatures Great and Small" - the village of Askrigg.

Sometimes it is the service and staff I remember. We stayed at Hotel in Quebec and it seemed to be not usual to have Australians as guests there - all those questions about kangaroos.

Stays in France at old hotels have been wonderful too. Amazing service - well beyond the expected - and very limited French on my part and often even more limited English by the staff.

A family run hotel in Prague was a real delight and we will stay at a private hotel in London later this year, run by a British/Cypriot family. We stayed there last time and my sister has also stayed there.
There are advantages to not being able to afford to stay in upmarket hotels.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jane on July 08, 2004, 04:03:38 AM: Tomovoz-funny dream. I wish I were dreaming right now. I can’t sleep due to my cold. I need to be alert today and sleep would really help.

Lately Echo has been begging for us not to give her all the vitamins and oils we have her on. They seem to be working but tomorrow we will drastically reduce them and hope for the best.

Jennifer, no analyzing dreams like Ann’s, I just enjoy them. :)

SWW if no one here knows for sure I can ask some of my kosher friends, but my first reaction is no. Do you make onion soup as well as onion jam? Did you miss my request for a good recipe?

Bruce Plan B sounds fun and exciting. Best of luck with it!

I’m going to try and get a couple of hours sleep now.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Tomovoz on July 08, 2004, 04:17:21 AM: Good sleep vibes Jane.
Count kangaroos.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Noel on July 08, 2004, 04:46:18 AM: What If sounds SO wonderful, I'm simply consumed with jealousy. Denis Markell just became a father last week. Of the four writers mentioned, one I met in First Grade or thereabouts, one when she was in high school, one at the BMI workshop and the other when she was fresh out of college and looking for a collaborator. And, unlike those three-named songwriters everyone so often names, Goldrich & Heisler and Markell & Bernstein are the real deal. Something, by the latter may be the funniest song ever written. And if Alet sang Taylor, well, it would certainly come from the heart.
But I'm sure you've thought of this. Any chance you'd listen to some submissions?
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Dan-in-Toronto on July 08, 2004, 05:33:05 AM: BK,

It's hard not to be caught up in the excitement of What If - A Musical Revue. I'm already humming the opening number.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: JoseSPiano on July 08, 2004, 05:34:58 AM: Good Morning!

I'm safe and sound in Fairfax, and in about an hour I shall be making my way to Dulles. Hopefully, the afternoon storms will hold off until the afternoon - they had plenty of delays yesterdays due the storms (yesterday).

Best hotel - The Crown Towers in Melbourne, AUS. Truly a luxury hotel. Well, actually the whole Crown complex is a luxury city-within-a-city. What I found most appealing is that even though the hotel is definitely priced for those on expense accounts and with more money than they know what to do with, the service never felt stuffy. I felt very welcomed, and the staff was very easy going. I especially liked the fact that they left a different type of "mint" on my pillow each night I was there - chocolates, nougats, mints, etc. -And the casino wasn't bad either! ;)

Worst hotel - Hmmm.. On my one and only bus and truck there was one horrendous Motel 6 in new Mexico, as well as some ---Lodge place in Michigan - there was a drug bust in the parking lot almost each night we stayed there!!!

OK - I need to check on some other things before heading out....

Next post will be from LA!!!!!

"California here I come..."
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Elan on July 08, 2004, 05:36:18 AM: VERY exciting news! Sorry I'm stuck here on the right coast, but break legs (preferably those of the fershluginner idjits who denied you the rights to your original choices).
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Elan on July 08, 2004, 05:38:30 AM: I'm also gonna start thinking of "What If?" - type songs. Quick batch off the top of my head:

"Second Thoughts" from Is there Life After High School
"It Would Have Been Wonderful" from A Little Night Music
"The Moment Slipped Away" by Christine Lavin
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Dan-in-Toronto on July 08, 2004, 05:54:10 AM: I stayed at New York's Summit Hotel several times. It was designed by Morris (the high priest of high kitsch) Lapidus and the building would have looked more at home in Miami Beach. But the location was perfect - walking distance from everywhere, right at the subway, across the street from the Waldorf Astoria, and relatively quiet at night. I also was able to use a discount coupon found in one of those coupon books you buy from the same coworker who sells you stale chocolate bars for his kid's school. I liked the staff too, and the coffee shop served great cheesecake.

What I remember most, though, is my weekend with Laura, a friend who guilt-tripped me into taking her to New York. (Laura herself has quoted her own mother as saying that Laura is too neurotic to travel with.) Although she was "dying to see the city," Laura was perfectly content to stay in the room and watch TV. One evening after a walk I returned to find that I could not get into the room. The key worked, but the door wouldn't open. A security guard came to my rescue. Laura had pushed every piece of furniture against the door before falling into a deep sleep.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: William E. Lurie on July 08, 2004, 06:16:39 AM: BK - Great idea. But you should also appear in it or at least do a cameo appearance. I've always loved revues and hope there is a CD... at least a "limited edition" sold on this here site.

The hotel that sticks in my mind is the worst hotel I have ever stayed in. When I moved back to NYC about 8 years ago I was travelling with two friends and a dog. We arrived in Atlantic City late on a Saturday afternoon and knew we wouldn't get to NYC in time to finish the paperwork at my new apartment so I could move in, so we decided to stay in AC and finish the trip in the morning. The only problem was that no hotel allowed dogs except one motel on the fringe of town that was not even fit for a dog, let alone a human. We had no choice, and nobody got any sleep. Needless to say we got a very early start on Sunday morning. It's a few people who probably shouldn't have a dog in the first place that spoil it for everyone.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Dan-in-Toronto on July 08, 2004, 06:44:45 AM: Years ago we spent Christmases with Gord's parents in St. Petersburg, FL. The downtown motel we stayed at was pretty tacky, right down to the paper bathmat. What I recall, though, was driving along the beach area's motel strip and seeing so many "English-owned" signs. We later learned that this was code for "white-owned."
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Stuart on July 08, 2004, 06:54:02 AM: Loveliest hotel I ever stayed in was either the Bellagio in Vegas or the Royal York in Toronto.

Crappiest hotel I ever stayed in.....hmmm, unfortunately the choices are many!....a hotel in New Haven (not the Taft or Park Plaza, which is also pretty crappy) which was pretty much a dump, and where I had an equally "dump-y" rendez-vous with someone I was seeing at the time....A Ramada in Ft. Lauderdale that was part of a "We'll send you to Florida and the Bahamas if you come see our time share property" deal (at least we ended up at what was then the Princess in the Bahamas).....There's another crappy one that I can't think of right now. I must have blocked out.......

Coolest hotel I have never stayed in: Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, thanks to a travel tip from my dear brother, DR Jay.

One of the Grandest hotels I have never stayed in, but toured: The Hotel Del in San Diego/Coronado.

I love exploring hotels.....and cruise ships...but hotels that have history always are cool.....and i think an empty hotel/motel is one of the eeriest things (in a cool way), but I chalk that up to both PSYCHO and THE SHINING.

Could I say "cool" any more in this post?
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Dan-in-Toronto on July 08, 2004, 07:01:55 AM: DR Stuart,

The beautiful Royal York is now the Fairmont Royal York. The Fairmont people tried to chop Royal York off the name, but the city protested bigtime.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Stuart on July 08, 2004, 07:10:14 AM: Quote from: Dan-in-Toronto on July 08, 2004, 07:01:55 AM
DR Stuart,

The beautiful Royal York is now the Fairmont Royal York. The Fairmont people tried to chop Royal York off the name, but the city protested bigtime.

Didn't they have a similar problem with all the Princess properties they took over as well?
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Dan-in-Toronto on July 08, 2004, 07:12:41 AM: When we were kids in the late 1950s early 1960s, we'd spend the hottest week in July visiting our grandmother (my dad's mom) in Miami Beach. She lived extremely modestly, to say the least, though I wouldn't be surprised if her place has turned into some trendy South Beach club. We stayed at a rather lowscale hotel but didn't mind because it was on the beach. The year after my dad passed away, my mom decided to continue the tradition - but to brighten our spirits she booked us into the far superior Seville Hotel (which had a social director by the name of Loretta de Young). Immediately, my dad's side (step-brother and step-sister) started speculating about the fortune my mom must have been left.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Dan-in-Toronto on July 08, 2004, 07:19:01 AM: Quote from: Stuart on July 08, 2004, 07:10:14 AM
Didn't they have a similar problem with all the Princess properties they took over as well?

Stuart,

I'm not sure, but wouldn't be surprised. I knew the Royal York as a Canadian Pacific Hotel, but I think there was some kind of merger involved before Fairmont acquired the Canadian properties.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 07:30:12 AM: Jo regelt! The Gellert in Budapest (on the Buda side) is one of the grand old hotels of Europe. Great thermal baths where everyone lounges about naked.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: MBarnum on July 08, 2004, 07:37:25 AM: BK, the What if - The Revue sounds great! If I could afford to fly down there I would, just to see it!!

JRand53, interesting WHAT'S MY LINE story. Barbara F., what a tacky thing to do!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: mrkdl73 on July 08, 2004, 08:08:05 AM: I love the "What If - a musical revue" idea. I'm just bummed that I'm on the east coast (or will be again shortly) and that I won't be able to see it.

I have no interesting hotel stories to share. For which I guess I'm grateful. No, I'm always sorry. No, I'm always grateful. Whatever.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Stuart on July 08, 2004, 08:08:41 AM: Of course some of the greatest hotels/resorts to explore (at least to a Jewish boy from Brooklyn) were the grand ones in those Alps of the eastern US: The Catskills. The "mountains." The "Borscht Belt."

Some with 2 championship golf courses. Olympic sized pools. Nightclubs. Coffee Shops. Sites of weddings from Steve & Eydie to Debbie & Eddie. They were cities. And they are gone.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Matt H. on July 08, 2004, 08:22:41 AM: I think the idea of a revue is wonderful and mjuch more interesting for summer entertainment than any of the three original play choices. Also, by concocting this, it has a chance for much longer life through other productions. Will read with interest over the next weeks as Plan Be germinates.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Matt H. on July 08, 2004, 08:26:23 AM: Best hotel I ever stayed at was the Las Brisas in Acapulco. They were actually individual pink bungalows on the side of a mountain. You were furnished with your own jeep to go up and down the mountain to get to your bungalow which had its own pool if you didn't want to swim in the ocean. Fresh fruit and bread were served every morning, and the entire place a kind of paradise. I'll never forget those carefree days there.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jennifer on July 08, 2004, 08:50:48 AM: Quote from: Jane on July 08, 2004, 04:03:38 AM
Jennifer, no analyzing dreams like Ann’s, I just enjoy them. :)

No, I was asking if you were gonna look in your dream book and tell us what it meant.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jennifer on July 08, 2004, 08:54:23 AM: DR JRand I have not yet tried to grill tomatoes. But I will. I just need to make sure not to grill them too long!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Matt H. on July 08, 2004, 08:57:54 AM: I have ON THE RIVIERA coming on this afternoon, so I'll be back online at a later time than usual. I want to see this "live" to make sure I get all the way through it for once.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jennifer on July 08, 2004, 09:00:16 AM: Spent the night last night at the zoo. Well not a real zoo. But I went over to my sister's new house to see the kids (her 4 yr old nephew and 9 yr old niece and their parents are staying there for a month). And when I got there there were 9 kids! And all their parents were upstairs. So I went downstairs to watch them all. Let me just say that little boys have way too much energy. Oy!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jason on July 08, 2004, 09:14:12 AM: Sounds like a good plan, BK. Break legs with it, and safe travels to DR Jose.

Well, Dear Readers, the saga, it would appear, has come to an end. I broke down today and sent a text message to the person with whom I was smitten and haven't heard anything back, which leads me to believe that it's totally through, which stinks. I thought he was better than that. It was a very simple message--non-threatening. Just, "Hi! Wondering how you were doing. Don't be a stranger..." That was it. And I've heard nothing back. This, from the guy who's text responses came back so quickly that I hardly had enough time to read them, can't even write back to say he's alive, or to tell me to drop dead. What went wrong? I thought we got along so well! We can't even be friends now? How sad...for both of us. I feel very empty right now. I guess that's how I should be feeling...very hollow. I can't really be mad and I don't think I can be sad anymore. I'm hurt and confused and disappointed and embarrassed and very, very hollow.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: bk on July 08, 2004, 09:14:47 AM: Of course, my alternate title for the revue was Plan B. I'll no more about what my song needs are after the next couple of days. Noel, if you have a current number on Marcy or Zina can you shoot it to me in an e or a PM. Both numbers I have are not happening.

And yes, Mr. Denis Markell is a brand spanking new daddy to a brand spanking new baby boy. And yes, we'll be doing "Something", along with Tammy's signature song Joshua Noveck, as well as their brilliant Ninas.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jennifer on July 08, 2004, 09:22:17 AM: Hey BK if you go to their website:
http://www.goldrichandheisler.com/

Click on "contact us". There are email addresses for each of them.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Elan on July 08, 2004, 09:32:00 AM: With Hirschfeld's shuffling off the mortal coil, does "Ninas" still work? I love the song ("David Mamet has a Nina... it's a @#$ piece of !@#$" had the missus rolling on the floor the first time she heard it), and I'd love "to have a Nina," but would it still play (in LA, no less?)
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: bk on July 08, 2004, 09:38:20 AM: Well, our very own Mr. Jason Graae just did the song three weeks ago in his nightclub act, and it did indeed work very well.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jay on July 08, 2004, 09:55:46 AM: OK, OK. I should have held out the extra half hour last night. Do I win any points for guessing Plan B was a revue????

Congrats on this turn of events, Dear BK! I can tell from your tone that you have lots more energy and investment in this revue than you did in any of the properties you were pursuing. I'm thrilled, too, that Dear Reader Jose will be a part of the mix.

Thursday August 12th is marked in red in my calendar and I certainly will be there for the big opening night!

Given the title, will you be using any of your "What if [name of one composer/lyricist or team] wrote [name of show written by a different composer/lyricist or team]" songs?

Once details are set, please share them with me so I can talk up the show with my circle here in Southern California.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: S. Woody White on July 08, 2004, 10:02:01 AM: Quote from: Panni on July 08, 2004, 12:14:28 AM
I'll be there with bells on for opening night! (Might distract the performers, but I always wear bells on opening night.)

Bells come in black?
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jay on July 08, 2004, 10:05:10 AM: Must one have actually stayed at a hotel for it to be included in today's topic of the day? There are several properties I've been to for a meal or just to walk around the grounds that have been mighty awesome:

The Ritz Carlton in Maui
The Four Seasons on the Big Island of Hawaii
The Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park
Blantyre in Lenox, Massachusetts
Wheatleigh in Lenox, Massachusetts
The Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado, California
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Stuart on July 08, 2004, 10:06:04 AM: DR Jason, my heart goes out to you..... I used to hate it when guys I was interested in were, pardon the expression, schmucks.

However, my favorite "gotta get over you, and fast" song to play incessantly at these times is "I Never Want to See You Again" from DANCE A LITTLE CLOSER (aka CLOSE A LITTLE FASTER). Surely you have a similar tune up your sleeve? Any other DR's have suggestions?

But seriously, Jason.....he is worse off for it.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jennifer on July 08, 2004, 10:06:16 AM: Btw, I think that revue idea sounds great. But what happens to all those people you auditioned this weekend?
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: bk on July 08, 2004, 10:07:19 AM: Yes, it's buried somewhere in today's notes - the spine of the show will be the What If parodies, which have never really been performed in public. We'll probably do between five and ten, spread throughout the show.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jay on July 08, 2004, 10:09:39 AM: Quote from: Stuart on July 08, 2004, 10:06:04 AM
Any other DR's have suggestions?

"I Hate Men" from Kiss Me Kate.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jay on July 08, 2004, 10:12:31 AM: Quote from: bk on July 08, 2004, 10:07:19 AM
Yes, it's buried somewhere in today's notes - the spine of the show will be the What If parodies, which have never really been performed in public. We'll probably do between five and ten, spread throughout the show.

Went back and saw it. Sorry. I read the notes hurriedly for all the details, and that one didn't quite register. The show, I predict, will be brilliant!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: S. Woody White on July 08, 2004, 10:18:29 AM: Quote from: Jane on July 08, 2004, 04:03:38 AM
SWW if no one here knows for sure I can ask some of my kosher friends, but my first reaction is no. Do you make onion soup as well as onion jam? Did you miss my request for a good recipe?
I haven't tried making onion soup...yet. My onion jam is based on Alton Brown's onion soup recipe, cut down for time and the amount made. His French Onion Soup recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_156,00.html) is one of the best I've come across. I'm not sure how I'd convert his recipe to pure vegetarian; since he's using both beef consume and chicken broth, switching over to vegetable broth will cut out the natural gelatins and alter the mouth-feel.

Oh, and yes, he does break out the electric skillet for this soup. It gives great temperature control, much better than doing this on the stove top would give.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jason on July 08, 2004, 10:19:23 AM: Stuart: Thanks for the sentiment. I don't have any "I gotta get over you fast" songs because I've never really had anyone that I've wanted to get over. Lately I've been singing a lot to try to let some emotion out--a lot of angry songs and a lot of sappy ones, too.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: S. Woody White on July 08, 2004, 10:31:23 AM: Quote from: Jennifer on July 08, 2004, 09:00:16 AM
...And when I got there there were 9 kids! And all their parents were upstairs. So I went downstairs to watch them all. Let me just say that little boys have way too much energy. Oy!
Little boys do NOT have too much energy! It's the caregivers that never have enough! ;)

Congrats on having the sense to be the caregiver, and shame on the other adults for not bothering.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: S. Woody White on July 08, 2004, 10:44:11 AM: Hotels.

Der Brucer and I have travelled a bit, and I did some of my own back in my scorekeeping days.

Some hotels had great views. There was one atop a major hill in San Francisco, a tall tower overlooking the city, spectacular view. The hotel room we stayed in when we were in Cincinatti had windows looking down on the fountain that was featured in the opening credits for WKRP.

On the other hand, some hotels have great bathrooms. These tend to be the priciest hotel rooms, of course. They have to do something to afford those ultra-plush robes that I'm certain everyone steals. (Drat, I wish I hadn't been so honest.)

And there was the hotel we stayed at once in DC, which had a kitchenette! We figured out fairly quickly that it was normally used by people on business in that city, a semi-residential place, easier for the travellers than renting an apartment.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: MBarnum on July 08, 2004, 10:44:18 AM: DR MattH, did you still happen to have any of the Matt Battaglia QAF episodes taped? Jose's taping went awry :'(

If you happen to have them I would gladly reimburse you for the costs!

Hope you enjoy ON THE RIVIERA....look for Ms. Joi Lansing in a small role!!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: S. Woody White on July 08, 2004, 10:45:54 AM: I'll have to get back before posting about the hotel in Berlin.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jrand73 on July 08, 2004, 10:48:03 AM: Things will certainly be hopping on the West Coast this month! ;D

Worst hotel I ever stayed at: I think it was called the Ford Hotel in Toronto. I doubt that it is still there. Very scary, the elevators were unreliable, the rooms were small, not much hot water. The windows opened directly and DRPANNI could have easily jumped from them. Often times when we got into the elevator, other passengers would switch from speaking English to speaking French. It was scary, and I planned two alternate fire escape routes.

BEST HOTEL: Sheraton Bal Harbour in South Beach. So beautiful, and a view of the ocean, lovely sunrises and sunsets. Private beach, pool, good food, entertainment....everything was very convenient. 8)
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 10:48:12 AM: Off soon to the Humanitas Awards Luncheon.

Hey, SWW - I don't always wear just BLACK. I am right now, for example, wearing off-white slacks and a black silk top.

Keep your chin up, Jason. Your friend may simply be busy. If he truly is simply not going to answer -- then he doesn't deserve you. So there!

Laters!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jrand73 on July 08, 2004, 10:49:14 AM: DR MBARNUM - I have the Battaglia tapes if MATTH doesn't. And I owe you a couple of tapes, I am sure!!!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jrand73 on July 08, 2004, 10:50:36 AM: Bummer, DRJASON. But IF he is having second thoughts....it may have more to do with the distance between two cities than anything personal.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jennifer on July 08, 2004, 11:03:57 AM: Quote from: S. Woody White on July 08, 2004, 10:31:23 AM
Little boys do NOT have too much energy! It's the caregivers that never have enough! ;)

Congrats on having the sense to be the caregiver, and shame on the other adults for not bothering.

It is true, I do not have the energy that they have. I could not believe it. But the 4 yr old boy was still up at midnight when I left. My sis went into his bed with him, and he was telling her stories. She almost fell asleep. And she told me he was like, "um are you listening to me?" :)

I just want to say that the other adults were not "not bothering". They all seem like wonderful and attentive parents. They just sent all the kids to the basement to play.

There was an 11 yr old and a 10 yr old there (the older sisters of two of the other kids).

And I'm pretty sure that the parents were taking turns checking on the younger ones (before I arrived).

It was mostly just the two boys (4 and 5) who were not too good alone.

I like to give the parents a break, because they take care of the kids all the time.

It just amazes me how much energy they all have.

But at least James (who just turned 4, and who is my sister's husband's sister's son) finally called out my name. He ran upstairs screaming, "jennifer come back".

He had accidently changed the channel to his cartoon and needed me to fix it. :)
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jason on July 08, 2004, 11:10:20 AM: OK. So now I feel like a total heel. He wrote back. Said he's busy, but did at least ask how life in the "big city" was. :-\ Now I'm really embarrassed.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jennifer on July 08, 2004, 11:10:40 AM: BK, I think the way you worded the notes confused me. I also didn't really understand what you meant about the "What Ifs". But now that I re-read it (knowing what you meant), I can't believe I didn't clue in the first time!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jennifer on July 08, 2004, 11:14:06 AM: Hey DR Jason: I'm so glad he wrote back!

I'll bet he was busy. But also you probably scared him a bit. Just play it cool. And hopefully things will work out the way you want them to. Good luck.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Sandra on July 08, 2004, 11:16:13 AM: Plan B vibes to BK and Jose! ~~~~~~~~~~~

Feel better soon vibes to Jane! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Relationship vibes to Jason! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jason on July 08, 2004, 11:18:56 AM: Jennifer: Yeah, I know. I don't understand why I'm obsessing so much. Well, I do understand...I'm desperate for someone to connect to me the way that I want to connect to someone else. Geez...when did HHW become a therapy session? Anyway, while I'm obsessing over here, I'm playing it cool and funny in my messages to him. Humour is one of my strongest assets, so I'm trying to keep things light and airy. No rants, no muss, no fuss. I'll save all of that for this here site. LOL
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jane on July 08, 2004, 11:34:42 AM: Stuart Keith and I stayed in the Madonna Suite on our honeymoon.

Panni my boys went to some grand hotel in Buda where they had reasonably priced Turkish baths. I wonder if that is the same place. We stayed at the Meridian on the Pest side. There was a slight mix up with our room so we were upgraded. The suite was gorgeous, even had a powder room. There was a beautiful bathtub and a shower. The décor of all the rooms in the hotel were lovely. The service was great, the dining room beautiful, and the food was excellent. Every afternoon we sat outside while I had tea and the guys had beer.

I’m sorry Jason. There could be a reason he hasn’t responded. He might not be home or he didn’t receive your message. If he is simply ignoring you then he really isn’t the person you thought he was. I see you changed your photo to match your mood. I hope it won't be long before you are ready to change it back.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jrand73 on July 08, 2004, 11:39:26 AM: Yes, new picture please DRJASON!

DRJANE your posts make me want to take a vacation....between you and DRCP - I feel like a shut in!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jrand73 on July 08, 2004, 11:40:11 AM: Does anyone have a picture of Sol Siegel? The only one I can find on the web is from 1962 with Vincente Minnelli....need one from the 1940's if possible.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jane on July 08, 2004, 11:48:27 AM: That’s what I get for posting before reading page three. I basically repeated what Panni said, and now I have good news that Jason heard from him.

Jason don’t be embarrassed, it is understandable you were concerned. I’m glad we can be of help and let you obsess here and play it cool with him.

SWW, thank you for the recipe. I think Keith is going to cheat, the first time anyway, and use chicken broth.

Sandra thank you. I’m feeling a wee bit better today.

JRand now I want to stay home for a long time, but can’t. I still have to go to Portland and then NY.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jane on July 08, 2004, 11:51:37 AM: That didn’t sound right. It’s not that I don’t want to go to Portland or NY, I just don’t want the hassle of going. Portland is fairly easy as we will drive there, but NY is three flights from here, or two flights to Dulles and the train to NY.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Stuart on July 08, 2004, 11:51:47 AM: Quote from: Jason on July 08, 2004, 11:10:20 AM
OK. So now I feel like a total heel. He wrote back. Said he's busy, but did at least ask how life in the "big city" was. :-\ Now I'm really embarrassed.

Well, now you can switch over to "I'll Be Wearing Ribbons Down My Back (This Summer)"
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: George on July 08, 2004, 11:58:58 AM: Okay, I haven't read any posts since I went to bed last night, and I'm just about to leave work to go see "Fahrenheit 9/11" with my family, but I had to share an e-mail that I just got:

"Congratulations! You have been selected to receive two tickets to the upcoming Antiques Roadshow event in Portland, Oregon, at the Oregon Convention Center on Saturday, August 21, 2004."

;D ;D Yea!!! ;D ;D I didn't get tickets to the Seattle Antiques Roadshow a couple of years ago, and I was quite bummed. Maybe we of the Northwest can plan a get-together around that time? Anyway, just had to share. Now I'm off to see "Fahrenheit 9/11" again!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jane on July 08, 2004, 12:11:16 PM: George I might be able to go to Portland then. I can't say for sure now but I will certainly try.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Charles Pogue on July 08, 2004, 12:11:52 PM: Well, I think a revue sounds much more interesting and fun than all those modern playwrights any day. Where do I buy my tickets for opening night?

Best Hotels:

The Duke's Hotel in London. I was put up here my first month in 1982 when I went to do my Sherlock Holmes. It was small but elegant and very quiet right in the heart of London. In a little courtyard cul-de-sac right off Picadilly. The Lovely Wife and I still go there for a drink in their great bar every time we're in London.

I was invited to attend a film conference in my hometown area by the Cincinnati Film Commission. They put in the Netherland Hotel, an elegant old hotel, right downtown. With a view of the Ohio River and Northern Kentucky. You could have slept six people in the bed and the room had a little sitting area as well. There was a five-star restaurant in the hotel with a piano bar that played Gershwin, Porter, et al. A couple of my old high school friends came across the river (all of maybe five minutes away was my Kentucky home from downtown Cincy) and we had one of the best meals I've ever had.

My favourite place is the San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, where your room is your own individual cabin with a fireplace and all the niceties. Their Stone House Restaurant is my favourite restaurant in Southern California and we've had many a great meal there. Ocean breezes, quiet woodsy serenity. The place also has a great history. It was once owned by Ronald Colman and many celebrities have passed through. Olivier and Leigh honeymooned there.

The most unusual place was a Pub/Inn called the Golden Fleece in York, England. Our stunt co-ordinator friend, Paul Weston, had driven us up there to visit with a colleague and friend who was dying of cancer. After our visit, we drove into the town of York and had a great pub meal of traditional Roast Beef and Yorkshire pud and then stayed at rooms in this inn that had been there since Elizabethan days. The stairs and floors rolled and tossed. A giant sheepdog had the run of the place. It was all very quaint. The only drawback to the place was you shared a communal bathroom with other rooms, down the hall. Never my idea of fun. But, of course, worst of all was having to get up in the middle of the night and put your clothes on to go to the loo. But the next morning, they served the best traditional British breakfast I ever had.

Worst Hotel: In Zilinia, Slovakia. It was an old grey blockish structure, built in the communist era -- Architecture was not a communist gift -- one of the ugliest buildings I've ever seen. The beds were hard as rocks. And the floor of the bathroom a bit suspect. It was un-air-conditioned, but when you left the windows opened, your room got infested with little green gnat-like bugs. In addition, there was some sort of road rally/car thingie event staying at the hotel at the same time. So you'd hear the roar of souped-up engines late into the night.

The hotel where we stayed in Cannes had styrofoam mouldings around the ceiling disguised as real mouldings.

And then there was a motel in Weatherford, Texas, just west of Fort Worth, where we stayed on a drive across country, that reminded me of the motel in Touch of Evil. I thought we'd be murdered in our beds.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jennifer on July 08, 2004, 12:52:24 PM: Speaking of "Plan B", is that a real legal term? They used to use the term all the time on The Practice. It was when they ambushed someone to make them look guilty, so the jury would have reasonable doubt for their clients.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: William E. Lurie on July 08, 2004, 01:09:06 PM: BK---
I'm not trying to open a can of works, but do you have to get any rights or permissions to do the what ifs? I know that FORBIDDEN BROADWAY has to get permission to do their parodies although I read that they rarely if ever get turned down. I just don't want to see you getting in any trouble.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jennifer on July 08, 2004, 01:34:55 PM: Wow, with Panni and BK gone there are no posts!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jrand73 on July 08, 2004, 01:40:01 PM: Oh yes there are.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Ann on July 08, 2004, 01:47:31 PM: Quote from: George on July 08, 2004, 11:58:58 AM
Maybe we of the Northwest can plan a get-together around that time? Anyway, just had to share. Now I'm off to see "Fahrenheit 9/11" again!

Yes, I think that sounds simply faboo! A Northwest HHW gathering is long overdue.

Speaking of the local HHW people...has anyone heard from TCB of late? Silly, I know, but I saw an ambulance heading in the direction of his place of residence last night...he only lives a few blocks from me...and I couldn't help but hope he wasn't the cause of the flashing lights. I know, I'm paranoid, but I'll feel better when I see he's back here at HHW, safe and sound.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jane on July 08, 2004, 01:54:06 PM: Do you have his phone number to call if he doesn't post tonight?
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Ann on July 08, 2004, 02:12:34 PM: Nope...just an address from when I sent him the copy of my CD. I'm sure he'd fine...the odds that it was his house that the ambulance was heading to are very small...but I tend to worry :)
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jrand73 on July 08, 2004, 02:20:49 PM: DR ANN - that is a good trait!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: bk on July 08, 2004, 02:23:48 PM: WEL: Not a prob at this point - if it were to move we'd do that. We're sort of treating this as a "cabaret revue" so we can do it for now.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jrand73 on July 08, 2004, 02:29:48 PM: Off to opening night! I wish we were doing a revue!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Robin on July 08, 2004, 03:02:14 PM: What If...?

A wonderful, wistful, wild & wooly title!!!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Robin on July 08, 2004, 03:09:06 PM: Four or five years ago, Michael and I decided to do New York City as cheaply as we could...with the exception of theatre tickets, that is!

We wound up staying at this utter pit called the Manhattan Broadway. The place was filthy, smelled of rotten fish, the elevator only held two people, the room was tiny and grungy, and the place abutted a rehearsal space for a really loud rock band that played until 3 am. And once, on our way out, I stepped on a dead rat on the sidewalk immediately outside. Absolutely the worst place ever.

The next time we did NYC, needless to say, we weren't such tightwads. I love New York and all, but the place is filthy.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: bk on July 08, 2004, 03:15:54 PM: Can one of you good Internet types search this here board, and the column archives and see if you can find the What If that is Sondheim writing Bye Bye Birdie. I obviously skipped it when I went through the 120 or so One From Column A columns, and rather than try to find it, I figure someone here could locate it and cut and paste it into an e-mail.

Also, if you have any favorite male performers in the LA area who you think would be fun, please suggest them.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Matt H. on July 08, 2004, 03:17:12 PM: Quote from: Jennifer on July 08, 2004, 01:34:55 PM
Wow, with Panni and BK gone there are no posts!

I'm sure you didn't mean to be insulting, Jennifer, but for those of us who post consistently at the same general times each day, that seems kind of insensitive to make a comment like that.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Matt H. on July 08, 2004, 03:19:47 PM: Back from ON THE RIVIERA, and I have to say it was not one of Danny Kaye's shining hours though I know it did well at the box-office in 1951. Even at 90 minutes, I found it fairly tedious.

Yes, I did notice Joi Lansing in that quick bit as a movie star and lots of Gwen Verdon as a lead chorus dancer (well, Jack Cole did the choreography for the film, and she was his key dancer then).

Also not of the top mark was the Charlie Chan movie I watched today - THE JADE MASK. Charlie has definjitely solved more baffling cases than this one before.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Matt H. on July 08, 2004, 03:25:01 PM: Also spent part of the afternoon watching LOVE IS THE DEVIL, an artsy and disturbing film biography of painter Francis Bacon. I had never heard of him before, but Derek Jacobi certainly captured a monstrous human being but a gifted artist. What a disturbing movie! Right up there with PRICK UP YOUR EARS.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Dan-in-Toronto on July 08, 2004, 03:25:06 PM: BK, I like both titles, but lean toward "Plan B." And what about a subtitle, as High Spirits had ("An Improbable Muscial Comedy")?

"Plan B, An [xxxxx] Musical Revue."
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 03:40:50 PM: Back from the Humanitas Awards. First of all, Ann, let's hope you're worrying for nothing. I'm sure you are. TCB, call home!

Now for the Awards. What fun! It was the 30th anniversary of Humanitas, so they had pictures of all the past winners. I got to see myself twice -- once 11 years ago, then two years ago. I actually prefer myself two years ago. They had slides going all through lunch, before the awards began. I was sitting with my back to the screen. Suddenly everyone at my table said - there you are! I turned and there was my name covering the entire front of the room behind the head table. (It was a reprint of a congratulatory ad that Wm Morris placed in Variety years ago.) Flattering as it was, I turned so red, I thought I'd explode.
Sitting at my table was the great cinematographer, Haskell Wexler (Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf; Thomas Crown Affair; One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, etc.) and his wife (ex-wife?) actress, Rita Taggart. They were charming. Also, Roma Maffia, the feisty nurse/assitant from Nip/Tuck, a fun lady, and other interesting folks.
The awards and introductions were excellent -- one of the few places you'll see Gene Reynolds and Allan Burns doing stand-up. Same for Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz
There was a wonderful film that was done for the 30th Anniversary, with scenes from winning productions. At the end, all the names of winners ran horizontally across the screen. One of the few times I will share billing with Hume Cronyn and bk's fave, Kenneth Lonergan.
Photos follow...
It was a grand afternoon and I've come home inspired.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Robin on July 08, 2004, 03:45:19 PM: I'm just posting this (taken from the Sci-Fi Channel website) to scare the bejeezus out of everyone:

<< Spidey Musical In The Wings?

Producer Tony Adams and Marvel Comics are looking to fashion Spider-Man into a stage musical, Variety reported. Sources close to the project told the trade paper that Adams and Marvel are in talks with an eclectic group to mount the production, with book writer Neil Jordan (The Crying Game) and songwriters Bono and the Edge of U2. Julie Taymor (the musical The Lion King) is on board to direct, the trade paper reported.

A Spider-Man musical would be Adams' sophomore effort as a producer; with frequent movie partner Blake Edwards, he produced Julie Andrews' Victor/Victoria on Broadway in 1995, the trade paper reported. Marvel Comics did not confirm the project, and Adams could not be reached for comment.>>

So, how's it working???
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: MBarnum on July 08, 2004, 03:45:19 PM: Quote from: bk on July 08, 2004, 03:15:54 PM

Also, if you have any favorite male performers in the LA area who you think would be fun, please suggest them.

I want so much to reply to this...but I think this might be better handled by someone of TCBs stature! LOL!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 03:46:15 PM: With Roma Maffia from Nip/Tuck
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Tomovoz on July 08, 2004, 03:46:56 PM: TCB sent me an email from his place of employment an hour or so ago DR Ann. He is fine - his home computer is not. You are not alone when you worry about him when he is missing!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 03:48:19 PM: Self with picture of self...
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Tomovoz on July 08, 2004, 03:51:05 PM: And another message from TCB. He is fine. He had by coincidence just sent me another note.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: MBarnum on July 08, 2004, 03:51:51 PM: DR Robin, if one wants to be booked as a guest at a Star Trek convention (preferably in Oregon or Washinton) who does one contact?? Do you happen to know (being as how you used to be involved in those conventions).

I know we have had them in Portland before but I have searched and searched but not found any info on anything around here.

I am trying to see if one of the conventions might be interested in booking Cal Bolder. He guest starred in one of the original ST series episodes. Mr. Bolder doesn't really think he contributed enough to the series to be a guest anywhere, but I just thought I would check if one of the conventions would be interested in him so that he could get some promotion for his book!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: MBarnum on July 08, 2004, 03:53:05 PM: Love the pictures Panni! You are so cute!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: bk on July 08, 2004, 03:54:28 PM: Someone please come to the search rescue re Sondheim Bye Bye Birdie.

Re title: Everyone seems to love What If, so I guess we'll stick with that, although I also like Plan B just because it's weird.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 03:58:15 PM: For some reason I can't access the other photos. Will post one more when I figure it out.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 04:00:29 PM: Thanks, MBarnum!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: bk on July 08, 2004, 04:04:50 PM: Never mind, found it.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Dan-in-Toronto on July 08, 2004, 04:09:59 PM: BK,

Is this what you're looking for?

http://www.haineshisway.com/archives/00000030.html
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 04:12:53 PM: The last photo... Looking across the table at Haskell Wexler and Rita Taggart...
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 04:14:17 PM: I feel like I've just done a book report. Sorry about the Cinerama. Let's get on to the next page QUICKLY.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jay on July 08, 2004, 04:14:29 PM: Quote from: Dan-in-Toronto on July 08, 2004, 04:09:59 PM
BK,

Is this what you're looking for?

http://www.haineshisway.com/archives/00000030.html

Twelve posts over the course of an entire day. My, my, my (that is three mys) look how far we've come.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 04:18:08 PM: Oh -- and I had a nice chat with Cary Brokaw, the producer of ANGELS IN AMERICA (with whom I worked some years ago) and finally got to tell him how much the production of AIA meant to me. Tony Kusher couldn't make it, so Cary accepted for him. Yes, it won (dah!) -- You heard it here first.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 04:22:41 PM: Now back to reality -- time to feed and walk wonderdog.
But first -- the Humanitas lunch consisted of a delicious salad with a poppy seed dressing, some kind of chicken dish which was quite tasty and a mocha-chocolate concoction for dessert. I tend to inhale the food at these events - mainly pushing it around my plate - because I get nervous (although I don't look it) so now I'm hungry.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 04:24:12 PM: And one for Kushner!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jane on July 08, 2004, 04:42:59 PM: Robin that was truly a horrible hotel!

Tomovoz thank you for reporting on TCB. Ann had me worried and after that dream who knows what powers she possesses.

Panni, I agree-very cute.

Matt H. and Jennifer I wasn’t insulted. I laughed. :)
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 04:52:38 PM: Thanks, Jane! I'm starting to feel like Annette... My aim now is to become perky and cute.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: bk on July 08, 2004, 05:05:31 PM: Panni gets nervous attending an awards luncheon when she's not up for an award? I'll have to ponder that.

My favorite hotel I've ever stayed in was the Helmsley Palace in NY on Madison, I believe. It was gorgeous, the service was amazing, the rooms were elegant and the food in the hotel was the best. I had a white chocolate mousse in my room every night before going to bed. I can't remember what I was doing in NY at the time, but I do know it was either paid for I was doing well because it was quite pricey. I stayed there on two or three occassions.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Robin on July 08, 2004, 05:11:39 PM: Quote from: MBarnum on July 08, 2004, 03:51:51 PM
DR Robin, if one wants to be booked as a guest at a Star Trek convention (preferably in Oregon or Washinton) who does one contact?? Do you happen to know (being as how you used to be involved in those conventions).

Here's a few ideas:

The two big purveyors of Star Trek conventions these days are Creation Entertainment and Slanted Fedora. You can contact these folks fairly easily via their respective websites, I would imagine.

Additionally, there's also some fan-run conventions. These are usually a lot more fun, but don't pay nearly as much as the folks at Creation or Slanted Fedora. (When I was doing Trek conventions way back when, this was the route I took; then, it started to get all corporate, and the fun got sucked right out of 'em.) If you want to get into that action, you can contact the Star Trek Welcomittee, who will give you the scoop on local SF conventions.

One of the most fun convention guests we booked was Angelique Pettyjohn, who played one of Captain Kirk's romantic conquests in the Star Trek episode "The Gamesters of Triskelion". She loved meeting the fans and signing autographs. Not the brightest bulb on the tree, mind you, but she was fun to be around!

There are still a lot of fans of the original (and best!) Star Trek series, and there's probably a lot of folks who'd be interested in meeting Keel from "Friday's Child".
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Michael on July 08, 2004, 05:24:20 PM: I think my favorite hotel was the The Grand.......People come......Pleople go.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Michael on July 08, 2004, 05:28:33 PM: Been racking my brain what was the nicest hotel I ever stayed in....It would have to be a hotel in NYC and I think it would probably be one of the Hemsley. Although I do like the lobby of the Marriot in Time Square. I can use the washroom and sit down and take a quick nap if I have to.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Danise on July 08, 2004, 05:29:12 PM: Evening all!

I guess I don't have to tell you about which hotel I think was horrible. **chuckle** I've been making jokes about it at work ever since I got back from NYC.

Robin, did you see my questions from last night?

I like the name, Plan B From Outer Space but that might not be such a hot idea.

I'm sorry to hear about TCB and his computer woes. I am an internet board junkie and would go bonkers without my fix.

Only one more day until StarGate, Jane! Whoo Whoo! Can't wait!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Michael on July 08, 2004, 05:32:52 PM: The worst hotel will have to be one I stay in South Beach. Friends were visiting from Atlanta and instead driving back to my home which would have taken an hour I elected to stay. First I am sure that the hotel was breaking the American Disabilities act. The elevator wasn't as bad as the dead rat hotel in NYC, this one could fit three people in it. The room was so small...that you had to go out in the hall to change clothes. Th room was so small that the hotel rat was a hunchback. But seriously folks. The bathroom was smaller than the clothes closet. That when you sat down your knees touched the opposite wall. And to top it off the walls were so thin that at 4am the couple next door were drunk as hell. Fighting. throwing things. threatening murder. That had to be the worst hotel ever!!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Michael on July 08, 2004, 05:42:20 PM: love a revue, but theme ones are like a Mel Brooks movie. The sketches and the songs are hits and misses. For example the only "gay" themed revue that I like of the several that I have on CD happens to be the one that BK produced called The Gay 90's.

http://www.brucekimmel.com/gay90.html.htm (http://www.brucekimmel.com/gay90.html.htm)

It had songs that have been performed by others. Among them are Sweet Dreams, John and Fred, Mirror Image, My Superman, Jonathon Wesley Oliver, Jr., And the Ship Sails On, In This Moment.

A strong cast headed by Tony nominee Bill Hutton, Kirby Tepper and the late Peggy Hewitt (A Day in Hollywood...)

Among the writers are Billy Barnes (BK mentioned him in the notes) Jon Bucchino, Joel Kimmel, (any realtion BK?) Wayne Moore, Holly Near, Lindy Robbins, Gerald Sternbach (Jason Graae musical director on his live album), Kirby Tepper,

If you have listened to it give it a spin
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Michael on July 08, 2004, 05:43:40 PM: DR Robin:

Talking of Star Trek I just read that James Doohan who played Scotty on the original ST series has the early onset of Alzheimer's.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Michael on July 08, 2004, 05:54:13 PM: Topic from the other day; Bad performers. Lauren Bacall in Woman of the Year. Maybe because it was a matinee but she walked through the performance. No excitment. And the entire cast of the Bus and Truck of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Third and Fourth rate performers in awfully stage show and a set that was completely different from the NY production. I know they have to scale down productions for the tour (like Titanic) but this one wasn't even close.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Michael on July 08, 2004, 05:56:05 PM: Over rated performance would have to got to Liza Minnelli in The Act. A glorified nightclub act masquerading as a book musical in which none of the other supporting characters (barry Nelson, Arnold Soboloff among others) sang or dance in the show.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Michael on July 08, 2004, 05:57:18 PM: Almost forgot Doug Henning in Merlin. A non entity on stage if there ever was one. Could sing, dance or act. The show might have been better if he wasn't in it.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 06:02:17 PM: Quote from: bk on July 08, 2004, 05:05:31 PM
Panni gets nervous attending an awards luncheon when she's not up for an award? I'll have to ponder that.

Yes, I get nervous at any public occasion of this kind because I'm basically shy (YES, I AM!) and I have to be "on" -- meeting people, seeing people I know or have worked with, etc. It gets to me and I always come home exhausted but invigorated.
When I'm up for an award I'm not nervous, I'm catatonic.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Michael on July 08, 2004, 06:04:53 PM: The other day DR Dan-in-Toronto said

Kiss of the Spider Woman had its world premiere in Toronto, and I thought Chita Rivera was miscast. She was also poorly costumed - her arms looking awfully flabby. I believe the show had a major renovation before opening in New York

I also saw it in Toronto and the Chita Rivera sequences were overhauled. They brought in Rob Marshall to redo her scenes. From where I was sitting I couldn;t see that her arms were flabby. When CR won the Tony that year she that Rob Marshall but omitted the original choreographer. One of the songs performed in Toronto was dropped and was replaced by a new one in London.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 06:07:42 PM: At Humanitas I ran into the executive I worked with on a Disney Channel film last year. It's more serious than the usual Disney Channel fare -- a 9/11 story. Anyway, she tells me there's going to be a big screen premiere at the DGA on July 27. Must polish my tiara.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Michael on July 08, 2004, 06:27:51 PM: Some of my favorite books about the theater have been the making of. They include Fiddler on the Roof, The Whorehouse Papers, Big and my favorite No No Nanette. There are a couple called The Making of Gypsy and The Making of My Fair Lady that are basically taken from other source and I did not find out anything new. The worst theater bio had to be on Harold Prince where everything was quote from other books. I don't think there was one page of original material in it.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: JoseSPiano on July 08, 2004, 06:38:30 PM: Good Evening!

Good Evening from L.A.!

My flight from Dulles to Long beach was very nice. It was my first JetBlue experience and I had a great time!

So...

I'm waiting for Tammy Minoff to come pick me up, so... Until then... Here are some interesting things from my travels today:

I left from Gate B26 - as in Plan B - and in 26 which is the day of my birthday - which I just realized will occur while I'm out here in LA. Hmmm...

I wore my WICKED t-shirt, and the number of comments and questions from the flight attendants, the security guards and fellow passengers was quite amusing and fun. Most of them had no idea that WICKED is a Broadway show, but they were intrigued with the "defying gravity" on the back of the shirt. It brought up a bunch of diet/if I lost some more weight comments. -Not that I should lose weight, but that they should /would like to lose some weight.

My friend, Chris, has a great place, and it's in a great location too! Grocery store nearby, restaurants, banks, even a few nightclubs. Very neat. And it's soooo nice see Chris again. We've been friends since high school, and he's truly a best friend. He moved out here last summer, and this is the first time I've seen him in a long while. He does film-scoring and composing and such. Very nice stuff. And he's doing very well for himself too! :)

Well, I need to catch up on some other stuff before Tammy gets here. I'll read the rest of today's posts and post some more myself once I'm back tonight.

Laters...
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Robin on July 08, 2004, 06:45:47 PM: Quote from: Danise on July 08, 2004, 05:29:12 PM
Robin, did you see my questions from last night?
I like the name, Plan B From Outer Space but that might not be such a hot idea.

No, I've not heard of either NecronomiCon or Stone Hill. I'm assuming that the former is a horror/HP Lovecraft con. What's Stone Hill?

By the way, the first time I ever saw Plan 9 from Outer Space was at an East Coast SF con; we'd all heard of this "Ed Wood" guy, and were really curious about his movies. As a result, we rented 16mm prints of both it and Glen or Glenda? The rental fees totalled eighty bucks (!), and our audience for the two films was close to six hundred...money very well-spent.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: S. Woody White on July 08, 2004, 07:00:09 PM: Many years ago, der Brucer took me on my first trip to Europe. Three weeks, with stops in London, Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam, and back to London. I had never traveled before, never even flown before, and he had a real adventure planned for me.

London was wonderful, of course, but he’d planned our trip dividing our stay there into two parts, sort of as an acclimatizing cushion for the German leg of the journey. This was back in the days when the Wall still stood, and air access to Berlin was limited to specific corridors and specific airlines. Still, it was a thrill that night as we flew up over London, which looked quite like the animated sequence in Disney’s Peter Pan, only without our stopping to stand on the clock face of Big Ben’s tower.

Landing in Berlin was something else again. The weather had turned grumpy, and the decent was rapid. A part of my stomach didn’t want to make the trip downward. Even when we were on the ground, there were problems with recovering our luggage, due to the late hour. As a result, we caught what must have been the last bus from the airport into Berlin.

This caused our next problem: der Brucer had booked us into a place called “Tom’s Hotel,” gay owned and operated and themed on the drawings of Tom of Finland. (Look him up, if you have to; I’m not going to go into details here.) Unfortunately, by the time we got there, the innkeeper had retired for the night, and there was no way of getting our room. Fortunately, there was a bar downstairs, called “Tom’s Bar” (similarly themed, of course), where der B was able to get some information on where we might find a place for the night. He parked me at the bar, with our luggage, and headed into the drizzle outside to locate the place.

I might not have traveled much, but I had been around a bit. Tom’s Bar had a back room, and I didn’t need Marlene singing to know that her song was wrongly worded. It wasn’t so much what the boys in the back room were having, but whom. I decided it would be better to stay towards the front, where the films being shown on the television were erotic enough. Finally, a couple of hours later, der Brucer re-appeared. “Sorry,” he told me as we gathered up the luggage, “I had a hard time finding the street the hotel is on.” By this time, I was tired enough that I didn’t care. “The hotel should be good enough for just this one night. Besides,” he added, “it’s only the rooms on the same floor as the hotel bar that rent by the hour.”

The hotel room was small, basically habitable, and not quite squalid. The bathroom was down the hall, and mostly functional. We had at least found a place to stay for the night. When I’m tired, and it’s October, I learn to cope. The odd thing was, it really wasn’t too bad, seen in the next morning’s light. We weren’t planning to spend a lot of time in the room, after all, with tourist day trips occupying most of our days. And it was secure enough.

We ended up staying there for the entire three days we were in Berlin. It just wasn’t worth the bother of moving to another hotel. I will say, however, that the room we found in Munich, our next stop, was far more satisfying, aesthetically. I wonder, however, if we were to return to Berlin today, whether that hotel would still be there.

And I also wonder if I’d have the sense, or lack of same, to stay there again.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jane on July 08, 2004, 07:01:43 PM: I tried posting but got this instead:

"Failure in submission of form. Session timeout."
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jane on July 08, 2004, 07:02:48 PM: Quote from: Danise on July 08, 2004, 05:29:12 PM

Only one more day until StarGate, Jane! Whoo Whoo! Can't wait!

And it is two one hour episodes, or two full hours of Star Gate!! :)
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: S. Woody White on July 08, 2004, 07:08:54 PM: Quote from: bk on July 08, 2004, 03:54:28 PM
Someone please come to the search rescue re Sondheim Bye Bye Birdie.

Re title: Everyone seems to love What If, so I guess we'll stick with that, although I also like Plan B just because it's weird.
You could always try WHAT IF...The Plan B Musical.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jane on July 08, 2004, 07:13:11 PM: Panni what won’t you delete?

When will the film make it to the Disney Channel? Please let me know so we can be sure to watch it.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Sandra on July 08, 2004, 07:15:35 PM: BK, I think you should call your show "Plan B: Because our first choice fell through."
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: S. Woody White on July 08, 2004, 07:18:13 PM: Time to get dinner going. We're having sausages, cheese fondue, and salad. Simple, yet yummy.

Excuse me while I grate some cheese.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jane on July 08, 2004, 07:21:28 PM: Keith is busy researching my family roots so I can’t get him to tell his interesting hotel stories. He does recall the hotel in central California when the locust descended. Some even making it into his room

His best story is the small hotel in Moscow. On the lower level of the hotel was a restaurant, without bathroom facilities. His very little hotel room had an even smaller bathroom. So small in fact that the door could not be closed if one was using the bathroom. One night he is in his room when a woman knocked on the door desperate to use his bathroom. He had to stand in the hallway to give her some privacy. Did she speak English, no, but desperate to use a bathroom is a universal language. The next time he went to Moscow he stayed in a Western hotel.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Matt H. on July 08, 2004, 07:24:42 PM: Glad you got to LA safe and sound, DR Jose.

My local CBS affiliate was once again asleep at the switch tonight and didn't flip the high definition switch on during CSI. Incompetence, thy name is WBTV, our local CBS affiliate.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jennifer on July 08, 2004, 07:28:15 PM: Quote from: Danise on July 08, 2004, 05:29:12 PM

I guess I don't have to tell you about which hotel I think was horrible. **chuckle** I've been making jokes about it at work ever since I got back from NYC.

DR Danise, you might not have been happy with the room you had at the Milford. But it is still a nice hotel. It is clean, it is well-located and it has a very nice lobby/decor. The other NYC hotels that people described are filthy, horrible places. Not quite comparable. And I am SO happy you didn't end up at one of those.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jane on July 08, 2004, 07:29:35 PM: All my fellow HHW Northwest friends, wherever you are, Keith and I should be able to go to Portland the weekend of August 21st (providing we get a pet sitter). How about you?

Tomovoz if I email TCB will he be pick up his mail at work?
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 07:37:48 PM: Quote from: Jane on July 08, 2004, 07:13:11 PM
Panni what won’t you delete?

When will the film make it to the Disney Channel? Please let me know so we can be sure to watch it.

I deleted the poster for the movie -- changed my mind. It will be broadcast on the Disney Channel starting August 6, I think.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jane on July 08, 2004, 07:37:59 PM: Quote from: Robin on July 08, 2004, 05:11:39 PM

There are still a lot of fans of the original (and best!) Star Trek series, and there's probably a lot of folks who'd be interested in meeting Keel from "Friday's Child".

Who was Keel in the story-was that the leader & the father?
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jennifer on July 08, 2004, 07:38:27 PM: DR Jose, glad you made it safely.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jane on July 08, 2004, 07:38:50 PM: Panni, and the name of the movie again please. I will TIVO it in right now.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Dan-in-Toronto on July 08, 2004, 07:40:58 PM: Panni,

Thanks for sharing today's events and pictures. I'm sure your tablemates had an equally good time.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jane on July 08, 2004, 07:44:25 PM: Page six dance.

(http://www.gifs.net/animate/dancingrosered.gif)
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Matt H. on July 08, 2004, 07:46:18 PM: I've always thought Wexler's cinematography for VIRGINIA WOOLF contained some of the most striking and evocative black and white images ever captured (the swing sequence between Burton and Segal comes to mind). That was one Oscar that was most definitely deserved.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: George on July 08, 2004, 07:49:56 PM: I had composed this post, but then I stepped away from my computer and forgot to actually post it:

Quote from: JoseSPiano on July 08, 2004, 06:38:30 PM
I wore my WICKED t-shirt, and the number of comments and questions from the flight attendants, the security guards and fellow passengers was quite amusing and fun. Most of them had no idea that WICKED is a Broadway show, but they were intrigued with the "defying gravity" on the back of the shirt.

My friend, whom I drove to the airport this morning (at 6:45 a.m.!) is going to New York City to see Wicked tomorrow night AND Saturday night! Margo (my friend) and her sister were able to get both sets of tickets (the same seats both nights) and they may try to see Avenue Q (I don't know how successful they'll be) and some other show. She'll come back on Sunday.

Well, "Fahrenheit 9/11" was still good. My aunt, mom and sister went off on their own after the movie and I had to drive my niece home so I don't really know how they feel about it, other than none of them are Bush supporters. I've been home ever since, where, not too long ago, my housemate made sauerkraut. :P My mom is German and I grew up smelling this, but I still HATE sauerkraut! I actually have a headache from the smell. :(
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 07:51:02 PM: Jane - The movie is TIGER CRUISE. And even though in some places on the Internet it says that it's based on a book with that title -- it is not. There IS a book by that title, but it has nothing to do with this movie.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: bk on July 08, 2004, 07:51:33 PM: Tammy and Jose are on their way, and then we'll be auditioning one person tonight.

Re Kirby Tepper - I offered him this show first, but his sched is very busy and even though he really wanted to do it, he just couldn't fit it in.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jane on July 08, 2004, 07:59:17 PM: Thanks Panni.

Off to TIVO

Goodnight
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: George on July 08, 2004, 08:04:04 PM: Tonight on "Prime Time" (10:00 p.m. on the West Coast...it just ended on the East Coast), they're doing a segment: " John Quinones takes an undercover look at conditions in hotels across the nation." What a co-inky-dink! It's today's Topic of the Day.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: George on July 08, 2004, 08:11:17 PM: As for my Topic of the Day experience: I have never been to a high quality hotel. I've mostly only been in "just adequate" hotels/motels. The one really bad experience was the first two nights that my sister, niece and I went to England. My sister's boyfriend (he was supposed to go but didn't) booked the hotel over the Internet and it was pretty bad. There was one double bed downstairs and a twin bed upstairs. The "stairs" going up were a glorified ladder. The upstairs was basically a loft...completely open. There wasn't even a bathroom, but an "en suite" with drainage problems. When you took a shower, the water took several minutes to drain...I think you can imagine that. The toilet seat was not attached to the toilet and none of us could close the door if we stood at the sink. We had to stay that first night and our reservations couldn't be cancelled until after the second night (which they were), so we had to endure that for two nights. After those two nights, we went to a Comfort Inn that seemed like they got all their furniture and bathroom fixtures from Ikea. Since my sister loves Ikea, this was a good thing. It was very modern and VERY clean. Actually, this was a very good experience, especially after what we left.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: George on July 08, 2004, 08:13:28 PM: My housemate needs the computer and I'm going to my sister's, so I'll sign off now. Again, Great News, BK! And YES! We want an Original Cast Album!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: MBarnum on July 08, 2004, 08:14:49 PM: Quote from: Jane on July 08, 2004, 07:37:59 PM
Who was Keel in the story-was that the leader & the father?

It has been so long since I saw the episode Jane, I just don't recall. He wore a bizarre purple outfit if I remember correctly, but I don't think he was a major character...just one of the other characters. My memory is fuzzy on that episode, really.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: MBarnum on July 08, 2004, 08:19:04 PM: Dr Robin, thank you very much for the Star Trek convention information! I will check those places/people/corporations out and see what I can find!

Again, Cal doesn't think anyone would really be interested in seeing him, but I think he might be surprised. I am trying to get one of the theaters in Portland to show JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER so that he can make an appearance. That would be fun!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: MBarnum on July 08, 2004, 08:20:21 PM: DR Jane,
Weekend of August 21st may work for me. My sister might be planning a family reunion that weekend, but even so I am sure I can get up to Portland for a get together!! This will be a blast!!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 08:59:04 PM: Hello, TCB!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jason on July 08, 2004, 09:07:23 PM: BK: I know a FABULOUS baritone with great comedic timing and an interpretive style that can leave you weeping in the floor. Of course, I live in New York. Oh! Of course I mean HE lives in New York...
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: TCB on July 08, 2004, 09:16:26 PM: Quote from: Jason on July 08, 2004, 09:07:23 PM
BK: I know a FABULOUS baritone with great comedic timing and an interpretive style that can leave you weeping in the floor. Of course, I live in New York. Oh! Of course I mean HE lives in New York...

No I don't, I live in Washington!

HELLO, PANNI! (an almost Jerry Herman reference)
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: TCB on July 08, 2004, 09:30:43 PM: Forgive me all for being MIA lately. This old computer of mine is in very fragile health. Last night I tried to defragment my machine, but by late this afternoon it still said that 0% had been completed, so I don't think the degragmenter is working any better than the rest of the computer.

Momentarily it is up and running, so I thought I had better check in with all of you while I had the chance.

WHAT IF sounds very exciting.

Jason, perhaps your friend is as worried as you are about saying too much, too soon. Even in this electronic age, a few hours or even a few days is not such a long time to wait for an answer to a message. Take it slow, my friend. Remember, your love is a prize, don't give it away too easily.

Ann, how very sweet of you to be concerned. You are as considerate, as you are talented and lovely.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: TCB on July 08, 2004, 10:02:01 PM: My appearance has apparently thrown everyone into a stunned silence!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Tomovoz on July 08, 2004, 10:04:15 PM: Not me! Hello TCB
Can you send a note to DR Jane?
Good to know that something is working - less will when you reach my age. Perhaps I need defragmenting or whatever.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Tomovoz on July 08, 2004, 10:09:34 PM: Come C "The Real A's Plan B"
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: TCB on July 08, 2004, 10:11:49 PM: Quote from: Tomovoz on July 08, 2004, 10:04:15 PM
Not me! Hello TCB
Can you send a note to DR Jane?
Good to know that something is working - less will when you reach my age. Perhaps I need defragmenting or whatever.

I could help you with that, my friend!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Panni on July 08, 2004, 10:15:23 PM: Nice to see you back, however briefly, TCB. I talked about you today with the producer of ANGELS IN AMERICA.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jrand73 on July 08, 2004, 10:20:37 PM: Back from opening night! ;D

My egress was again the occasion for applause. :D

Hmmmmmmmmmmm......hmmmmmm....what a wonderful thing this Plan Be is going to be....

Of course it lends itself to many permutations:

To B or Not to B

B Here and Now

I B, U B

What Can the Matter B

B, My Baby

And all the others. How exciting....and just think if DRJOSE had gotten the email answer he had been hoping for a couple of weeks ago, he wouldn't have been free to do this great gig. How lucky can he B? I am just sad I don't live closer to LA.....or have lots of $$$$ - but of course we will B there in spirit each performance for five weeks.

It is the BEST choice, always play to your strengths, what great advice!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jay on July 08, 2004, 10:21:39 PM: One of the Reasons Why I Love Living in Pasadena

Or

How I Had A Small Town Experience in the Middle of a Huge Megalopolis
[/size]

In the center of Pasadena, very close by to the Old Town section, is a small park called Memorial Park. In the center of this park is a small bandshell. The good people at the Levitt Foundation saw it fit to provide the funding for the complete refurbishment of the bandshell. They took it a step further and also provided the funding so that over 50 different concerts, covering a wide range of musical styles and bearing no admission charge, could be presented there over the course of this summer.

I made my first foray to this venue this evening, to hear Art Deco and His Society Orchestra. This nine-piece orchestra--with a girl singer--played an eighty-minute program comprised of hit songs from musicals from the '30s (Berlin, Gershwin, and a lot of Porter) and swing hits from the '40s ("Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "Swing, Swing, Swing" and others of that ilk.)

The lawn in front of the bandshell was filled with people of all ages and all colors in all different kinds of combination. Some couples--including parents with their kids--were dancing on a smooth section of pavement off to the side of the stage.

It could have been a scene out of a Capra film.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jrand73 on July 08, 2004, 10:21:44 PM: Great photos, DRPANNI....thanks for sharing!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jrand73 on July 08, 2004, 10:31:49 PM: Here I am, at left, as Mr. Bellamy who has just discovered that 80 people who were church-only have gotten back in the house while his back was turned. Mr Banks is no doubt stunned by my performance! 8)
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jrand73 on July 08, 2004, 10:33:20 PM: Welcome to the

(http://www.gifs.net/animate/1asi059.gif)

Page Seven!!!!
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Jay on July 08, 2004, 10:38:56 PM: Quote from: JRand53 on July 08, 2004, 10:31:49 PM
Here I am, at left, as Mr. Bellamy who has just discovered that 80 people who were church-only have gotten back in the house while his back was turned. Mr Banks is no doubt stunned by my performance! 8)

Whoever did your makeup should be commended. You don't look anything like Annette in the picture.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: bk on July 08, 2004, 11:03:38 PM: Tammy and Jose have left. We ran through all the What Ifs along with a few other parodies. It is very difficult to run through all those in a row, because after four of them nothing is funny anymore. They will be when they're staged, and sprinkled throughout the show - they just need to be chosen very carefully. A friend of Tammy's auditioned and I think we're going to use him - a young man, close to her age - lots of energy, good voice, and funny, with a good look. Must write the notes now, which will be SHORT, as I'm all in.
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: Ann on July 08, 2004, 11:34:04 PM: TCB - So glad to see you back! I am sorry your computer is having problems, but I'd much rather it be the sick one instead of you!

I have returned from my usual late-night workout. I am eating a (very) small bit of sugar-free chocolate mousse. This is not as bad as it sounds. Safeway occasionally has it on sale, and it is simply delish. A perfect compliment to M*A*S*H
Title: Re:PLAN B
Post by: JoseSPiano on July 08, 2004, 11:58:45 PM: I'm back from Bruce courtesy of Tammy's wonderful driving...

I, too, am all in at this point...

And it's soooo strange being on "BK Time" so to speak.

Laters