Haines His Way
Archives => Archive 2 => Topic started by: bk on September 01, 2004, 12:01:43 AM
-
Well, you've read the notes, you've been on pins and needles whilst reading the notes, and now that you've read the notes, it is time for you to post your most excellent questions for me and for any dear readers you might want to know something from. Be daring, be brave, be Italian, you rapscallion.
-
Well, I tried to post post # 150 yesterday to get to page 6, but I didn't make it. But instead: FIRST POST! HUZZAH!!
-
Late-night denizens UNITE. Welcome five GUESTS. We're talkin' about anything we feel like talkin' about. Are you jiggy with it?
-
My first surprise of September is that it's SEPTEMBER! I thought yesterday was the 30th - making today the 31st. I even posted late last night (or earlier tonight - I'm confused) that there were two days left in the month.
My September movie poster calendar page is THE MALTESE FALCON - so Mr. Humphrey Bogart, holding a smoking gun, and Miss Mary Astor, looking sultry in a red dress, will be staring at me all month. This month, September. (I'm just trying to get used to it.)
-
I have a question for bk... Why do people behave in bizarre ways?
I shall give an example - which is actually what prompted the question.... On Saturday I went to a partay at which I saw people I hadn't seen in many years. I spoke in glowing terms about WHAT IF?... Yesterday, I got a voice mail message from one of the party people - a person I used to know well, but hadn't seen in years. She said she couldn't remember the name of the revue, but wanted to see it. Could I call back with the info. I did, when I got home later. She wasn't home, but her husband, after saying "Darling, it was so good to see you!"... (They're show people - thus the darling.)...Said that she just went to pick up something at the store and would call me right back. She didn't.
So, this morning, thinking he may have forgotten to tell her that I called, I made the call again - this time to her cell phone. She picked up and told me she was just running into the bank and would call me in half an hour. She never called back.
Soooo - I repeat my question: Why do people do such bizarre things??
-
I'll have to wait until the morning to find out the answer to my question. I'm signing off to do some reading.
-
I have a question for bk... Why do people behave in bizarre ways?
I shall give an example - which is actually what prompted the question.... On Saturday I went to a partay at which I saw people I hadn't seen in many years. I spoke in glowing terms about WHAT IF?... Yesterday, I got a voice mail message from one of the party people - a person I used to know well, but hadn't seen in years. She said she couldn't remember the name of the revue, but wanted to see it. Could I call back with the info. I did, when I got home later. She wasn't home, but her husband, after saying "Darling, it was so good to see you!"... (They're show people - thus the darling.)...Said that she just went to pick up something at the store and would call me right back. She didn't.
So, this morning, thinking he may have forgotten to tell her that I called, I made the call again - this time to her cell phone. She picked up and told me she was just running into the bank and would call me in half an hour. She never called back.
Soooo - I repeat my question: Why do people do such bizarre things??
People behave in bizarre ways because they are bizarre. I find that many people are full of hooey, full of baloney and full of themselves, and because of the hooey and baloney and being full of themselves they behave in bizarre ways.
-
Good Evening! Good Morning!
Well, unlike DR Jay, I had quite another culture-event-filled today. First up was "Broadway: The Golden Age"...
What a movie/documentary! I'm still trying to process my feelings about it, but, all in all, I liked it. A lot. It was so moving to see and hear those people on the screen talk so fervently, lovingly and passionately about Life In The Theatre, Theatre in New York City, Broadway. I found myself tearing up every now and then - the emotions were so raw and sincere at times, how could one not be moved? The sequence on Laurette Taylor was particularly touching, as was the one on Kim Stanley.
Most of all, the film made me "sad" that I was not alive during the "Golden Age" to be a part of that scene as either an audience member or someone backstage or in the pit. All those great performers. All those great performances. All those great shows. The great number of shows! Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy living in today, and I've been fortunate enough to see and be a part of some great evenings in the theatre, but... Well, it just seemed like those "great evenings" happened more often back then. And they did.
Needless to say the "Dedicated To" reel at the end of the film brought some more tears to my eyes. The performers who had been interviewed for the documentary, but had died since the original interview. -And I could "hear" that I was not the only one the theater who was getting a little "sniffly". And then the fun stuff running during the closing credits... ;)
I'm very glad that I finally got to see the film, and I'm looking forward to the DVD release of it.
And then I hopped on the 217 bus up to Hollywood and Vine...
-
Fletcher considers GameBoy:
(http://pic8.picturetrail.com/VOL242/891350/1624689/65416499.jpg)
Fletcher considers the camera:
(http://pic8.picturetrail.com/VOL242/891350/1624689/65416528.jpg)
der Brucer (why am I seeing spots before my eyes?)
-
A review of Issue #50 of Scarlet Street uncovered the following:
A letter raving about the virtues of the JEEPERS CREEPERS CD - Predictable
A letter expressing polite appreciation by Charles Edward Pogue – Predictable
A letter from Jack Randall Earles fixating on “Scared Boys In Underpants” – Predictable.
And a collection of “gems”:
In a review of I SAW WHAT YOU DID:
“and where is La Crawford in all this? …She strides into the film with that piled-up hairdo, wearing full war paint, designer clothes, and a necklace any rapper would covet. Why? Well, because she’s Joan freaking Crawford, that’s why!”
In a Debbie Reynolds’ interview (commenting on her selection of the director for WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH HELEN?):
"…(Curtis Harrington is) not at all me and well, you don’t want a you. You don’t go out and hire yourself. You want the very best of the odd. You want a person who thinks differently. You want Hitchcock to think normally? Of course not!
Oh that Liz Taylor could hear that sage advice: “You don’t go out and hire yourself.”
From Ken Hanke’s “The Great Chan Ban”:
...(my) basic distaste for censorship and what appears to be cultural vandalism in an attempt to rewrite history by suppressing it…”
.
From Anthony Dale’s review of “Everything Was Possible”:
“(FOLLIES) like the “horror hag” fright films…showcased veteran film stars and youthful stars-in-waiting, though to a far less blood-drenched conclusion.”
And
“…Fifi D’Orsay in her anecdotage…”
“…blood-drenched conclusion…”, “…anecdotage…” – such a talented tongue!
From Robin Anderson’s review of STAR TREK III:
“There’s also a documentary called
YERRAFORMING AND THE PRIME DIRECTIVE…”
I do so love it when the most glaring typos are in all caps – so much easier for these picky old eyes to spot!
der roving critic Brucer
-
And then I hopped on the 217 bus up to Hollywood and Vine where I de-bussed, and then headed to the box office of the Pantage Theatre. And once at the Box Office, I managed to snag a pretty nice seat for tonight's/last night's performance of Hairspray. I had originally planned to head over to the Arclight to catch a later showing of "Garden State", but, since I had just seen "Broadway: The Golden Age", I decided to finish my day off with some theatre. Live theatre.*
After purchasing my ticket, I walked around to the stage door to see if there was anyone there I knew standing outside, and, lo and behold, there was! I ended up running into Alan Childs, the drummer for the show - who was also the drummer for Aida when I played the D.C. engagement. I had e-mailed him when I got into town, but schedules being what they were/are... In any case, it was just 7:30, so he walked me backstage so I could also catch up with Jodie Moore, another keyboard player and Aida alumnus. It was great seeing both of them again, and I'll most likely be sitting in the pit tomorrow night or this weekend and getting to "see" the show from there. :)
As for the show itself...
This was my first time in the Pantages. Quite a nice theatre - and a nice ceiling. -Does any DR know exactly what style of architecture/decor the Pantages was done in? To me, it was not quite Art Deco, not quite Baroque,... I dunno. Just curious. The only quibble I had with the theatre was that the A/C did not seem to be working properly tonight - it was quite stuffy in there, and when I went down to orchestra level (I had a first row mezzanine seat) at intermission, it actually felt warmer down there. ???
*Oh, and what is the deal with $127 top ticket price for the VIP section (first 12 rows of the orchestra, center)?!?!?!?
I enjoyed the show very much. I missed Marissa Jaret Winokur when she was in New York, and I'm glad I got to see her here. I did miss Harvey Fierstein's Edna Turnblad - Harvey really seemed motherly, Bruce Vilanch just seemed to be "trying" to be motherly, imho. However, Bruce Vilanch's ad libs didn't bother me as much as I thought they would - and there were really only three of them (at least tonight) - and they were very topical and up-to-date. -If any DR would like for me to post said ad libs - to the best of my memory - I will do so.
The rest of the supporting cast was quite good, with the actor playing Seaweed particularly impressing me. The "tour Link" was back in the show since Matthew Morrison has moved onto another show. He was good too, but I wished he was taller. ?? I didn't care too much for the Corny Collins - he came off with a "touch of sleaze" to me, and the little Inez needs to work on her diction!
And speaking of diction... In general, the sound was good, but sometimes, the voices were so over-amplified that there words became unintelligible - or more unintelligible in some cases.
And as I sat there listening to the band... And listening to the singers...
-
And I sat there listening to the band... And listening to the singers...
My mind started reflecting on some of the comments made in "Broadway: The Golden Age".
And as I sat watching the conductor put on his headphones so he could hear the "click track"... And he conducted in order for the camera to pick him up so the singers backstage could follow him...
There were no mics back then. There were no synths. There were no singers backstage singing in a "booth". There was no technology. There were only people.
And as I picked up what was "live" and what was synthed and/or sequenced and/or pre-recorded... And as I listened to a very bad oboe sample from one of the synths...
It was up to the performer to make himself and herself heard all the way to the back row of the balcony. It was up to the conductor to make sure that the orchestra was kept a level soft enough to not overpower the singer, but, at the same time, loud enough in order to sound present and supportive.
Hmmm...
*But it was a good band/orchestra, and the conductor seemed to be having a genuinely good time bopping and dancing along to the music throughout the evening. -And he was/is cute too!
-
Before the movie, I walked around the neighborhood, Fairfax and Beverly Blvd. Well, I mainly walked up and down Fairfax.
I found the falafel stand that DR Jay had mentioned/recommended, and that's where I ended up having a nice late lunch. Very good, although there was a trio sitting right behind me who were talking kind of loud. And they were talking about medical conditions, their symptoms and bodily functions. Of course, they apologized to each other for bringing such subject matter up while eating, but did they apologize to the people sitting at the tables around them?... Ummm.... Noooo. :\
Then I happened to walk by a used bookstore where I noticed a sale rack out front, and sticking out of said sale rack was a cover with "The Most Happy Fella" on it. At first I thought it was a vocal selections book, but upon closer inspection it turned out to be a Souvenir Program from the original Broadway run! And only a $1.00!!! I also found a copy of an oboe piece that I've accompanied a few times that was in pretty good shape - and that was only a $1.00 too! When I went inside to pay, the clerk happened to be asking, "Are you a concert pianist?". Hmmm... Did she see me bringing in some music? Or was it just some random comment? Well, she was asking her co-worker - apparently, in jest, but still it was a strange coincidence. Well, I told her I was a pianist and conductor, and that I was in town playing a show right now. She then told me about their out-of-print and used music collection. I told her I'd have to come back at a later date - and I will - since I had to head to the movie theater.
On the way to the movie theater, I made one more stop into the Diamond Bakery - another recommended stop. Everything looked so good! I ended up walking out of there with a Black & White and a prune Hamentasch. I had the cookie for my intermission snack, and I saved the hamentasch for my walk back from the Metro to the homestead. :) Needless to say, I'll probably be returning there too.
*I also passed Canter's Deli - which also had a very tempting deli and bakery display. And since I was in the area of The Grove... I have a feeling I will be taking the 14 bus to that neighborhood again, and spending a couple of hours checking things out.
-
And thus completes my late night, if somewhat long-winded frenzy.
In short it was a good day.
Tomorrow should be fun too. I have some work to get done in the morning, and then rehearsal in the afternoon. But tomorrow night, I'll either be sitting in the pit of Hairspray, and/or catching up with another conductor/pianist who happends in town right now too, and/or...
Goodnight.
-
OH!
DR Michael Shayne: The Hudson Theatre is indeed at Hudson and Santa Monica (6539 Santa Monica). It's more or less on Santa Monica halfway between Highland and Vine - although it's a block or two closer to Vine. The nearest lighted intersection is either Cole or Wilcox - sorry, can't remember the specifics right now. But if you're coming from Highland, then the nearest lighted intersection would be Las Palmas - there's a 7-11 there. "I have often walked down this street before..." ;)
And as for Palm Springs... I've never been either, but it was 111(!) degrees there today according to the weather reports. And humid! Don't forget the sunscreen!
-
Goodnight, DR Ann.
Goodnight, DR Tomovoz.
Goodnight, John Boy.
-
For DR Readers BK and Jose:
Do you do dinner before or after the show on Friday and would you like to meet for said dinner?
-
This was my first time in the Pantages. Quite a nice theatre - and a nice ceiling. -Does any DR know exactly what style of architecture/decor the Pantages was done in? To me, it was not quite Art Deco, not quite Baroque,... I dunno. Just curious.
Opened on June 4, 1930 as the last and largest of a chain of theaters operated by vaudeville magnate Alexander Pantages, its interior is considered to be the most stunning example of theater architecture in Los Angeles. Architect B. Marcus Priteca and interior decorator Anthony Heinsbergen, designed this highly ornate Art Deco style masterpiece in 1929 when it was the first American movie palace built entirely in the Art Deco style.
Never doubt yourself Jose!
-
Good morning all! Wow, what a storm we had last night! Poor Bear but I had a few scared moments as well. Tampa isn't the lighting capital of the world for nothing!
Jane, I've tried the other food. The dogs won't eat it and at $30-$50 dollars a bag, I can't afford it.
Hurricane update--as I as it can change in a heartbeat. It was going to Jacksonville, now it's moved to further south again. I don't think they will know for sure until it gets much, much closer.
Our emergency operations center is reopening to start to prepare for it as a just-in-case. Lord, do I feel sorry for those poor people in Polk county. I can't imagine how it must feel to think you are under the gun yet again.
I'm very glad you will be out of harms way, Michael. Have a wonderful trip! Take LOTS of pictures. :)
Gotta run for the bus!
Have a very Safe and DRY day! AS they say on all the reports we get at work--THINK SUNSHINE!!
-
Jose - What a treat reading about your adventures around LA! I really enjoy your boundless curiosity and your almost childlike (that's a COMPLIMENT) appreciation of the world.
-
Ask BK:
In "What If", what song(s) are by Rupert Holmes? I am a great fan of his work.
Also, thank you for responding so quickly to my previous "Ask BK" questions. I appreciate it. :)
-
I can't stay on for long, because I'm babysitting in about 20 minutes, but thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu(!!!!!!!!!!!!) to everyone who gave me birthday wishes yesterday! Yes, Bruce, I was on the site yesterday, but it was right before I was going to work, and I had about 3 minutes to read through the posts. But I did see them and I did appreciate them. It's so nice to have a place like this where, no matter how errant and truant you are, they all stil wish you a happy birthday :).
I am updating from my new laptop! I would have updated last night, but The Breakfast Club was calling me.
:)
-
For Ask BK - Not really a question, but I'd like your comments on the problem Decca Broadway seems to be having in getting correct tracks on their CDs the first time around. As I posted yesterday, this week's release of MEXICAN HAYRIDE/MARY MARTIN SINGS COLE PORTER has been recalled because one of the Martin tracks was replaced with a track from her LUTE SONG album. This same type of problem happened with MERRY WIDOW and SONG OF NORWAY as well.
BK, what is your opinion on this and how do you think they can keep it from happening in the future?
Regarding the above comments on "Scarlet Street" - the only issue I have ever seen was the one with the article on recording "Jeepers Creepers" and the interview with a former DR who has requested her name not be mentioned any more on this here site. As for the rest of the issue, I felt it was soft core gay porn pretending to be a magazine on serious horror movies (much in the way "In Touch" claimed it was a magazine about show business but was full of semi-naked men). Many of the ads in "Scarlet Street" seem to bear this out. This is not a criticism of the publication, but I am wondering just what readership they are going for... true fans of horror films or gay men who aren't comfortable with buying full-fledged gay magazines? Both are good target markets, but I found the combination a little strange.
-
LOL WEL!
More good vibes to MR BK.
DRPANNI such lovely photos to compliment those from DRJANE. I love to see the photos. Including of course Fletcher....hehehe he is a STAR of the internet now!
Hmmmmmmmm....my question for ASK BK day - you have heard the recordings made by Miss Patty Duke for United Artists.....if you had been the producer-conductor-arranger, would you have done anything differently? How would you have recorded her particular singing talent? What do you think they did right? What do you think they did wrong?
-
DR derBRUCER actually SS #51 has hit the stands - so you are behind the times.
DRJOSE.....love reading about your LA adventures! What was the audience reaction to the BROADWAY movie?
-
DR Jane: "Wishing" is such a lovely poem, that it is no wonder you up and married DR Keith.
And as for Palm Springs... I've never been either, but it was 111(!) degrees there today according to the weather reports. And humid! Don't forget the sunscreen!
Ah yes, but don't forget, it's not the heat, it's the humidity! ;-) (and besides they have those lovely shpritzing things....
-
Yes, I'd be interested in hearing about the audience's reaction to BROADWAY: THE GOLDEN AGE myself. Since I know this film will NEVER play here, I am desperate to get it on DVD as soon as it's released. Such a shame that a real milestone in the history of theater in this country has to get a "special" booking rather than a general release.
-
Tonight I'll be watching a local production of SOMETHING'S AFOOT taped over 15 years ago.
Didn't this show get a regional taping with Jean Stapleton (or someone like her)? Does anyone have that production on a commercial tape? Seems like it was shown on PBS or Bravo many years ago, but I could be hallucinating.
-
NO DRMATTH - you are not hallucinating, Something's Afoot was shown on some television service....not sure which one...
-
Thanks DR Jose for the review of GOLDEN AGE. It will be playing in Portland very soon and I am going to try to go and see it...we all know it wouldn't hurt for me to have a little Broadway history lesson!
-
DR derBRUCER actually SS #51 has hit the stands - so you are behind the times.
Some might say that as a Conservative I personify "behind the times".
And, as a country bumpkin with no access to "the stands", I must await the arrival of the trusty mail. But when #51 arrives, I shall comment; oh yes, I shall comment.
der Brucer
-
Hehehe, I just read the quote at the bottom of MBARNUM'S posts. Very nice.
-
Thanks, DR JRand, for validating what I thought I remembered seeing many moon ago. Don't know why it doesn't pop up occasionally. The show, while very slight, is a good bit of fun, esecially if you like the old Agatha Christie motif-for-murder scenarios.
-
Hehehe, I just read the quote at the bottom of MBARNUM'S posts. Very nice.
"It is ok to say you don't like apple pie, but isn't it unfair to say that apple pie is bad"
Apple pie can be put to very immaginative uses (A Jason Biggs reference) ::)
-
Ask BK:
In "What If", what song(s) are by Rupert Holmes? I am a great fan of his work.
Also, thank you for responding so quickly to my previous "Ask BK" questions. I appreciate it. :)
The Rupert Holmes song we do is called I Don't Need You.
-
For DR Readers BK and Jose:
Do you do dinner before or after the show on Friday and would you like to meet for said dinner?
I'm sure we can grab a bite to eat.
-
For Ask BK - Not really a question, but I'd like your comments on the problem Decca Broadway seems to be having in getting correct tracks on their CDs the first time around. As I posted yesterday, this week's release of MEXICAN HAYRIDE/MARY MARTIN SINGS COLE PORTER has been recalled because one of the Martin tracks was replaced with a track from her LUTE SONG album. This same type of problem happened with MERRY WIDOW and SONG OF NORWAY as well.
BK, what is your opinion on this and how do you think they can keep it from happening in the future?
Well, these things, of course, do happen, but in this particular instance it seems that somebody doing the QC is not paying attention. My feeling is that if whoever is putting this stuff together, i.e. "producing" the reissue, doesn't know enough about the material, he/she should send a test pressing to someone who does. If the material is coming from a lot of different source tapes then it's understandable if the "producer" isn't at the mastering session. Still, you have to approve the master and, as I said, if they don't know the material they should just send a copy to someone who does. Once is forgivable, of course. Twice is something else again.
-
The Rupert Holmes song we do is called I Don't Need You.
I used to have that 45! Love that song!
-
LOL WEL!
More good vibes to MR BK.
Hmmmmmmmm....my question for ASK BK day - you have heard the recordings made by Miss Patty Duke for United Artists.....if you had been the producer-conductor-arranger, would you have done anything differently? How would you have recorded her particular singing talent? What do you think they did right? What do you think they did wrong?
On her first few albums, they did what they could do - they double tracked her vocals, which always helps. But, in those days, they simply didn't have the tools to do what we do today, i.e. pitch control, comping vocals. If it were today, it would have been better - not perfect, never perfect, but better. The VOTD album seems to be from the end, and by that time they'd stopped the double-tracking for the most part and it's pretty bad. Again, more takes, more comping and it could have been better. There doesn't seem to have been anyone there to help her all that much, in terms of playing the mic and her "acting" of the songs.
-
My thoughts, exactly, MR BK. Where were the people to help her? Especially VOTD, as you say, at the end of her contract...(and of course the unreleased "folk song" tracks)... So today, you could take a lot of takes and get some pitch control? Whew! who knows what we're hearing today? You know....oh well.
Double tracking makes great sound. I know it was used on a lot of girl singers....most notably of course Miss Annette Funicello ...
-
Thank you for answering my question, bk. I shall no longer wonder why people do bizarre things.
-
DRPANNI, as strange as it may seem, some people might think WE are bizarre and do bizarre things....crazy isn't it?
-
And of course there is the Quaker saying:
All the world is crazy except thee and me, and sometimes I wonder about thee!
-
The DVD of "Broadway the Golden Age" is promised by the holidays (and I assume they don't mean next Easter or Memorial Day). It will have a lot of bonus material including a large section of today's Broadway performers talking about the Broadway of yesterday.
-
Regarding the above comments on "Scarlet Street" - the only issue I have ever seen was the one with the article on recording "Jeepers Creepers" and the interview with a former DR who has requested her name not be mentioned any more on this here site. As for the rest of the issue, I felt it was soft core gay porn pretending to be a magazine on serious horror movies (much in the way "In Touch" claimed it was a magazine about show business but was full of semi-naked men). Many of the ads in "Scarlet Street" seem to bear this out.
The Issue (#50) I commented upon has an overwhelming abundance of female bodice cleavage and "Show a Little Leg, Dearie" and only a few male "semi-naked men". The rear cover ad has Misty Mudae popping out of her lacey unmentionable, there is a full page ad to meet Mamie Van Doren, and a half-pager exhorting me to buy the "Wild Girls" in 3D series ("Blonde Emanulle", The Playmates", and "Wildcat Women") - hardly targeted at a prurient gay audience. I am sure you would appreciate the great busty Monroe shot accompanying Tony Dale’s review of "The Marilyn Monroe Diamond Collection" - it balances the one of James Mason (on the same page) in Robin Anderson's review of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". The Book Ends section shows three views Benjamin Kritzer's tightly garbed butt-cheeks balanced by an opposite picture of 4 very scantily clad females "showing their virtues" in "Follies".
Perhaps you would enjoy Issue #31 with a "come-hither" scantily clad MMonroe on the cover, or the fetching damsels in distress covered in Issues #28,29,33,37, and a great garter-shot in #45. Unfortunately, out of 50 issues, there is only one “:boy-toy” on a cover, Issue #23 where the poor lad has to book-end a monster with a cheese-cake pin up blonde damsel.
der “wishing you were right” Brucer
-
Hehehe, I just read the quote at the bottom of MBARNUM'S posts. Very nice.
That's the kind of message that needs to be crammed down the throats of a couple of r.a.t.m.'ers. But it would probably be to no avail...
-
Question for BK--do you have any screenplays kicking around in your head?
-
DRPANNI, as strange as it may seem, some people might think WE are bizarre and do bizarre things....crazy isn't it?
Us? Bizarre? My 8 foot invisible sloth, Leo, and I protest.
-
The DVD of "Broadway the Golden Age" is promised by the holidays (and I assume they don't mean next Easter or Memorial Day).
I am thinking Tu B'Shvat. ;)
-
Regarding the above comments on "Scarlet Street" - the only issue I have ever seen was the one with the article on recording "Jeepers Creepers" and the interview with a former DR who has requested her name not be mentioned any more on this here site. As for the rest of the issue, I felt it was soft core gay porn pretending to be a magazine on serious horror movies (much in the way "In Touch" claimed it was a magazine about show business but was full of semi-naked men). Many of the ads in "Scarlet Street" seem to bear this out. This is not a criticism of the publication, but I am wondering just what readership they are going for... true fans of horror films or gay men who aren't comfortable with buying full-fledged gay magazines? Both are good target markets, but I found the combination a little strange.
DR WEL, there has been no such interview published in Scarlet Street...you may be thinking of a different publication, like FANGORIA.
I don't think that Scarlet Street has any more titillations (male or female) than most other film related magazines around...but that is just the opinion of someone who has read numerous issues of the magazine....albeit there may have been more then the usual shots of semi-undraped actors in the issue (#49 if anyone would like to order a back issue of it! LOL!) that had my 1960s sword and sandal actor interviews in it...but then that is the nature of that type of film. Those actors and actresses just can't seem to keep their clothes on in that humid sandy landscape.
-
Der Brucer... The issue I saw had a lot of gay-oriented material (not a complaint... a comment) but your description of other issues makes it seem like a low budget PLAYBOY. Again I have no problem with that, but isn't it supposed to be a magazine about the horor film genre? Are there not enough potentiial readers for this type of magazine that they need to try and attract them with soft core porn of either gender? Since much of this was in the advertisements, ad agencies must have some idea of the magazine's readership.
By the way, none of the films in the Marilyn Monore Diamond Collection (nor any of her other films) are remotely in the horror genre. So why were these films even reviewed?
-
...those humid sandy landscapes DO inspire shedding of layers, don't they!
LOL
-
M Barnum - There was an article about the recording of "Jeepers Creepers" in the issue of Scarlet Street that came out the same time the CD was issued (they sponsored the CD). In conjunction with this there was also an article about one of the singers on the CD who had been in the film that her song came from. At the time, she was a regular reader and poster on this here site, and one of the reasons that the site was changed to a password-protected site was at her request. The only reason I bought that issue was for this article.
-
Question for BK--do you have any screenplays kicking around in your head?
Yes, and they hurt when they kick. I haven't been thinking about screenplays much - I do have another novel in my head (no mean feat) and at some point in the next few months I hope to start on it.
Now, might I ask where in tarnation IS everyone? It has been very rare the times one can come to this board and not find at least someone here. But, it's been happening a lot lately. Weird. Strange. Spooky.
-
I don't believe I have a question today, nor do I have anything in particular to say today. No walk, because it has become hot again -- 111F today.
-
My question for Ask BK Day. Dear Readers are invited to respond, too.
(By the way (BTW in internet lingo), I've had this question for weeks, but I could never remember it come Wednesday. Today I finally did remember it.)
What are your thoughts about color-blind casting?
Color blind casting has been the norm for some time in opera. (Though Miss Leontyne Price did say for the record that she would never play Desdemona in Verdi's Otello on stage, even though it was perfectly suited for her voice. She did, however, record the Act I duet.)
I have seen productions at the East West Theatre here in L.A. in which most of the parts in standard Western plays and musicals have been taken by Asian-Americans and they worked just fine.
I have seen shows like the Carousel of a few years ago in which the leads were Caucasian and the secondary roles were taken by African-Americans and it worked just fine too.
I saw a production of The Grapes of Wrath recently (at the tiny West Coast Ensemble) in which Ma Joad was African-American and most of the rest of the cast was Caucasian and that worked, too.
If mixed race casting is accepted in opera, and to some degree in smaller theatres, why not in larger and commercial theatres? Film would be an even greater leap for the practice.
Your thoughts?
-
I have no problem with color-blind casting. I like green people and red people and purple people and yellow people and black people and white people and brown people and all other shades, too.
-
I think there are times when it works and times when it is a disaster, clearly anachronistic to the project at hand. And it never seems to be used except in one direction. For example, I have a bass voice which is well suited to "Ol' Man River." I don't think there is a director or casting director in this business who would cast me as Joe in SHOW BOAT.
-
Good Afternoon!
Sorry for not checking in earlier, but I've been working on getting the new number charted. The charting is going well. Unfortunately (there's that pesky word again), I just (duh!) realized that I have no way to print it out here. I was using my Chris' printer when I was staying with him... Oh, Kinko's! :) -Nevermind...
As I was saying...
Thanks, DRs, for all your comments about my comments about L.A. and "Broadway: The Golden Age".
The audience reaction to "Broadway: The Golden Age" seemed to be pretty much how I felt about it - well, that's what I sensed from the relatively sparse audience around me. There were a couple of "oohs and ahhs" when certain people would appear on screen the first time, and there were a couple of "Who is she/he?" - some people weren't identified in their intial clip, so it became kind of a fun guessing game at times.
As I stated before, this is the last week for the movie in L.A., HOWEVER, the guy at the box office said it may hang on for a little bit longer since it's one of the few authorized theatres for the various Academy voters and other awards organizations to see the film. They may just change the time slot. Check the paper tomorrow.
-
RE: The Pantages - Thanks for the info! I guess I had never really come across such ornate - and abundant - Art Deco styling. -I guess it was all the gold leaf that threw me. ;)
-
DR Michael Shayne - I try my best not too eat a "dinner" before the show - it's usually not the best thing to be digesting so much food during the show. Instead I usually have something substantial around 3:00 or 4:00, and then a snack/protein bar/etc. before the show and at intermission. However...
I'm up for heading out after the show for a quick bite somewhere. I know BK likes to sup post-show, so...
:)
-
OK - That got us to Page Three!
And I need to get back to my work...
Laters...
-
Oh! I forgot!
[move=left,scroll,6,transparent,100%]DANCE![/move]
How about a lively Tarantella!!! Nothing like a vigorous dance to get the spider venom out of your body!!!
:o
:)
-
What are the show times right now, Jose? I might try to go after our rehearsal.
-
[sigh] Another day with no DVD, yet at least. After my guests leave tonight, I'll see what time it is and perhaps let Fred and Rita have a twirl around the dance floor before I pirouette off to bed.
-
My question for BK, and everyone:
The song "Meadowlark" seems to be the holy grail for musical theatre women singers to record. Bruce himself has recorded it at least twice. So, what do you consider the definitive version of "Meadowlark?"
-
By the way, none of the films in the Marilyn Monore Diamond Collection (nor any of her other films) are remotely in the horror genre. So why were these films even reviewed?
Sci-Fi, Horror, and other Genre advocates are always interested in special effects when the support wires aren't obvious.
8)
-
I have to confess I've never heard Betty Buckley's version, but so many people seem to love it.
-
Matt - I'll cast you as Joe in SHOWBOAT if we can get Audra and Puffy to play Magnolia and Gaylord
Actually, color blind casting should go both ways, but I doubt if we'll ever see a Caucasian RAISIN, DREAMGIRLS, PORGY & BESS or August Wilson play. Seriously, the majority of plays will work with a cast of any race, but for some plays the race of the character must be as written in order not to invalidate the author's intentions.
-
DR Jose, I also am really enjoying your LA adventures. There is something very wonderful and soothing about the way you write.
-
I liked Betty's when I she sang it at Carnagie Hall, but it never did much for me on disc.
-
My question for BK, and everyone:
The song "Meadowlark" seems to be the holy grail for musical theatre women singers to record. Bruce himself has recorded it at least twice. So, what do you consider the definitive version of "Meadowlark?"
Ooops! I've heard several versions of the song, and I DO NOT LIKE IT!
It's a pretty song, until I get to the last verse, where "she's" using this story she's just retold to us as a justification for leaving her husband. Ptooie! And again, ptooie! It makes me want to hate the wife, and I don't want to hate the wife. (And I think everyone here knows how I don't like using the word "hate" in an offhand manner, too.)
That being said, the two singers I really regret hearing sing this song are Liz Calloway and Susan Egan (both on BK recordings), because I love both of their voices and find myself having to skip the tracks on their respective recordings, simply to avoid this song. Dang, dang them all to heck.
-
My question for BK, and everyone:
The song "Meadowlark" seems to be the holy grail for musical theatre women singers to record. Bruce himself has recorded it at least twice. So, what do you consider the definitive version of "Meadowlark?"
Patti's, followed closely by Liz Callaway's.
The one version I don't care much (oooh, a Kander & Ebb reference!) for is -- sorry, BK! -- Miss Susan Egan's.
-
Re color-blind casting:
The best example I can think of, at least recently, was with the chorus of the Wonderful Town revival, during the act two opener, "My Beautiful Eileen." It's an Irish Cop number, right? And one of the cops is played by a chorus member who is black, right? So, of course, he's the one who caps off the recitation with this pure "Irish" tenor. And it brought cheers from the audience, not just laughter.
Which just goes to show that you CAN play color-blind casting with shows that DO have race-specific moments, if you are clever and have enough hutzpah.
-
In re Danise's repeated question about Fletcher, as to whether or not he already knows American Sign Language:
Uh, no, we don't think he does. He knows what water is (and how it can be found in both the water bowl and toilet bowl :P), but doesn't realize there is a word that means water. And he's got that opposable-thumb problem, in that dew claws just don't make workable substitutes.
OK, enough joking. Since Fletcher is deaf, he obviously won't be responding to our vocal commands. This makes a different form of communications with him necessary. This will mean hand signals, and ASL simply seems the right place to start.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to learn more than we'll need for communicating with Fletcher. I had a group of customers come into the store who were signing to each other, and I had fun trying to communicate with them (particularly since my moustache makes lip reading harder for them). Sometimes, learning the basics is simply the right thing to do.
-
BK - The movie "starts" at 4:40, but after about 15 minutes of previews, it actually started at around 4:55... So.. If rehearsal goes well...
-
And of course ASL is a completely different syntax than signed English.
-
My question for BK, and everyone:
The song "Meadowlark" seems to be the holy grail for musical theatre women singers to record. Bruce himself has recorded it at least twice. So, what do you consider the definitive version of "Meadowlark?"
I don't think that there is a "definitive" version. Most recordings that I've heard (and have) are based on the original Patti version but the four versions that Betty Buckley has recorded are very different even from each other, but I think they are all still very effective (I love the song). I put together my own "Meadowlark" compilation disc with 13 different recordings (Betty recorded it four times, Patti and Liz, twice each...if anyone wants to know what they are, just let me know)! And I had one more version (on MP3) that didn't fit on the 80-minute CD that I made, but it was lost when my computer died :'( ).
-
In the context of The Baker's Wife, Meadowlark is even worse: We love the Baker. He's the character we love, and he gets so much pleasure from Genvieve, his young wife. So, the last thing we want to see is him hurt. And just try to follow that tremendously long story in the theatre. Schwartz never makes clear who the protagonist is, so it's quite a task to then figure out whom the characters represent in the show's real story.
David Merrick pulled it from the pit's music stands, and I can say I can see why.
-
Not wanting to be seen as Mr. Negative, I'll balance out that last post with something positive...
PINS AND NEEDLES
It's a marvelous score, has a great recording with Streisand (of all people) doing some of the songs, and I enjoyed it at the old Roundabout on West 23rd.
I try to take to heart its suggestion "Sing me a song of social significance."
-
well off to rehearsal of the wonderful Act Two....oh my...at least we got through Shoes and Socks last night...so tonight Willem turns into a pig...and the only way to stop it is with hideous pagan ritual...well fairly hideous, anyway.
-
BK: Have you ever taught anything? A whole class? A single lecture?
-
OMG, all Big Brother fans must to go this site:
http://www.fitnesstwins.com
WOW! Adria and Natalie.
-
I will be E & T in the extreme sense until Monday. I'm going to the Jersey shore for the weekend for, IMHO (internet lingo!), some well-deserved relaxation.
So, in advance:
[move=left,scroll,6,transparent,100%]! ! ! ! ! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR RLP ! ! ! ! ![/move]
[move=RIGHT,scroll,6,transparent,100%]! ! ! ! ! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR MATT ! ! ! ! ![/move]
[move=left,scroll,6,transparent,100%]! ! ! ! ! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR JOY ! ! ! ! ![/move]
Keep the home fries burning, people!
-
I directed Tennesse Williams' This Property Is Condemed. The boy was white and the girl I cast was black because she was the best person who auditioned for the role! But the play took on a different nuance to it and I didn't change anything about the text or play the race card.
-
I have been E&T for several weeks and I apologize and please don't b*tch slap me because I have a very low pain tolerance.
Regarding color blind casting, I too think that it is a one way street and having a caucasion Joe, Queenie, Effie, etc would never work. But could you have a causcasion cast for a show such as AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'?
My question of the day regards LUCKY STIFF and I was wondering why the song "A Woman in the Bathroom" is not on the recording? Was the song put in later productions and not part of the original?
-
I'm back to say a quick hello.- but have some phone calls to return. In theory color-blind casting should work. But in reality, anyone who says it makes no difference isn't quite telling the truth. That's not to say I'm against it. I'm just being realistic. For example, I recently saw a wonderful LA Opera production of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC. One of the Quintet was played by a very lovely singer by the name of Joohee Choi. Each time she came on stage I wondered what brought her to Sweden. That wasn't supposed to be what I was thinking about!
-
Could Diahann Carroll have been cast as Madame Armfeldt? Can Audra MacDonald ever hope to play Desiree when she gets a bit older?
-
Markie - "A Woman in the Bathroom" is on the new recording but other than that ands a cut song "Shoes" the new recording is unnecessary as BK's recording was fine. Jay records will release that while holding recordings made years ago and still not released such as Brent Barrett and Melissa Erico in ONE TOUCH OF VENUS and a 2 CD complete ANYONE CAN WHISTLE. However Brent Barrett fans (and this here site is full of them) should not worry, as the recording of BROADWAY BY THE YEAR 1960 in which BB is featured will be available September 10 at Footlight (and Footlight.Com) and elsewhere shortly thereafter.
-
In the context of The Baker's Wife...Schwartz never makes clear who the protagonist is, so it's quite a task to then figure out whom the characters represent in the show's real story.
Let's not give Schwartz the full blame here. Joseph Stein wrote the book, Schwartz was responsible for the music and lyrics. It takes all three to make a musical (or it did back in 1976).
-
The Ashland Shakespeare Festival practices color blind casting. I find it interesting, yet confusing at times. If the parents are Caucasian and the children a variety of races it takes me longer to figure out the relationship of the characters to each other. Sometimes the meaning of a line changes because I’m not color blind. Overall I’m more concerned with the acting and I’m okay with it. I also like the fact that our town is a bit more integrated during the festival season.
-
DerBrucer, darling pics of Fletcher and the Grandlad.
Michael Shayne-have a great time in Los Angeles.
Dan (the Man) enjoy your weekend at the shore.
Thank you Stuart.
-
Color blind casting has never bothered me. I would hope that no matter who is cast or what ethnicity they are, the play itself would make the relationships of the characters very clear. If it doesn't, then it's a problem with the script, not the cast...and that's a different issue.
-
Having been in a production of THE BAKER'S WIFE, I have to agree with Noel. Never have I felt so much hatred from an audience, as I felt every night during that show. The audience felt betrayed by the show, it's authors, and it's cast. Our production was nearly flawless, casting-wise, but that only seemed to make it worse. If the audience hated the Baker's wife at the end of "Medowlark" in the first act; they felt even more disgust for the whole show, when the Baker took her back at the end of the show.
I have heard many beautiful performances of "Medowlark,"but for me that song only brings back bad memories.
-
Could have Diahann Carroll been cast as Madame Armfeldt? Can Audra MacDonald ever hope to play Desiree when she gets a bit older?
Since Desiree was written for an actress of limited vocal means, casting MacDonald in the part would be a terrible waste. Sorry, just an opinion.
The real problem with color blind casting is that, even today, if just one member of the cast is of a different racial background, that cast member is going to stand out. Panni's example of the Quintet member would have been easier to handle if, say, someone else in the cast (another Quintet member?) has also been non-caucasian.
In the production last year or so of Anyone Can Whistle in Los Angeles, there were several members of the chorus who were not white, beyond the obvious casting of Martin during the song "Simple." There were no problems...BUT...
Would this have worked if the actor playing Hapgood were also black, or of any other race other than white? Or any of the other leads?
Another example: No Strings. There is no, I repeat NO mention of the female lead being black at any point in the story...until the very end, when she and her lover have to face the fact that they are not the same, and that others would object. Even then, it is not said, but implied.
This suggests that race really shouldn't matter...unless it is part of what is being discussed. A colorblind Ragtime simply would not work; color is too much what the story is about. A colorblind Hello, Dolly! can and has worked (with Nell Carter as Dolly), because it is nowhere a part of the story.
A black Hapgood would be interesting to try, especially if everyone ignores the fact until he himself makes a point of it in his conversation with Martin. And that could be more subversive than even Arthur Laurents was aiming for!
-
BK: (or anyone, really) When auditioning for a show, is it better to say that you'll accept any role, or to mark the only roles you'd accept? Do you think this has an affect on whether you're cast or not?
And do you believe that it is worth going through however many years of college to get a degree in Musical Theatre? Or should you just take your chances?
-
do you believe that it is worth going through however many years of college to get a degree in Musical Theatre? Or should you just take your chances?
I'm asked this question very frequently, and have watched the number of degree programs in musical theatre grow by leaps and bounds over the past few years. College is a wonderful thing, and I think everybody should go. But a degree in musical theatre is, in my view, a waste of time.
When you look at who's working on Broadway, or anywhere in the musical theatre business, you find that surprisingly few of them have college degrees in musical theatre. Most go to college, and study something else.
That's not to say that I think aspirants shouldn't study acting, voice and dance. I think those sorts of classes are essential. Just don't get your degree in musical theatre - there's hardly a point.
-
SwishySarah, there must be a reason many of the young actors have continued their education when they could have been working. I don’t know about career wise, but if your question is personal I say an education is a good thing.
-
Nell Carter was not the only black Dolly. Pearl Bailey did it on Broadway and toured for several years. However this was not really an an intigrated production. When Pearl took over from Martha Raye (or Betty Grable... I forget the exact order) the whole cast was replaced with a Black cast; when Pearl and the Black cast left to tour, Phyllis Diller was given a new, all Caucasian cast.
A CHORUS LINE would not work with a non-Asian Connie or a non-black Ritchie, but I have seen productions with a non-Hispanic Paul and/or Diana, and I have also seen some of the other roles cast color blind, particularly a black Judy Turner (instead of joking that her real name is Lana Turner she says Tina Turner).
-
BK: (or anyone, really) When auditioning for a show, is it better to say that you'll accept any role, or to mark the only roles you'd accept? Do you think this has an affect on whether you're cast or not?
I've worked with directors who specifically say to mark only the roles that you will accept because if you tell them that you'll take any role and then get cast in the chorus and then decide not to take it because you really wanted a part, the directors (that I've worked with) will hesitate before casting you in the future (especially if you've done it more than once). It's much better for them and for you to say that you'll only accept certain roles, if you really don't want chorus.
I hope that that wasn't too unseemly an explanation.
-
This suggests that race really shouldn't matter...unless it is part of what is being discussed. A colorblind Ragtime simply would not work; color is too much what the story is about. A colorblind Hello, Dolly! can and has worked, because it is nowhere a part of the story.
Probably few people noticed, but I think this lyric should have been altered when Cab Calloway sang it in the all-Black production.
It takes a woman all powdered and pink
To joyously clean out the drain in the sink
And it takes an angel with long golden lashes
And soft dresden fingers
For dumping the ashes
-
Nell Carter was not the only black Dolly. Pearl Bailey did it on Broadway and toured for several years. However this was not really an an intigrated production. When Pearl took over from Martha Raye (or Betty Grable... I forget the exact order) the whole cast was replaced with a Black cast; when Pearl and the Black cast left to tour, Phyllis Diller was given a new, all Caucasian cast.
A CHORUS LINE would not work with a non-Asian Connie or a non-black Ritchie, but I have seen productions with a non-Hispanic Paul and/or Diana, and I have also seen some of the other roles cast color blind, particularly a black Judy Turner (instead of joking that her real name is Lana Turner she says Tina Turner).
Actually there is alternate lyrics and dialogue that was written for a non-asian Connie.
Lyrics: From the time if was five in King and I
was changed to Summer Stock
Dialogue: The year of the chicken joke is omitted and not replaced by a similar joke. She just lies about here birth year and when she slips and tells her real birthage. Some says something to the fact I thought you said 1965 (or whatever year she said)
-
The most recent Cincerella had a mixed cast.
The royal family had a gay white King, a black queen and and oriental son. Cinderella stepsisters: one was white and one was black. There mother was white so maybe one of them was fathered by Cinderella's father.
-
In the first A CHORUS LINE that I did, Connie was played by a black actress with some changes in dialogue. I saw another version of A CHORUS LINE where Ritchie was played by a Puerto Rican male.
-
The most recent Cincerella had a mixed cast.
The royal family had a gay white King, a black queen and and oriental son. Cinderella stepsisters: one was white and one was black. There mother was white so maybe one of them was fathered by Cinderella's father.
And I didn't think it worked at all. But that production, despite HUGE popularity in the ratings and on video, had more problems than mere casting.
-
Didn't get to a DVD for yet another day, but did get the local video of SOMETHING'S AFOOT watched and duped. The men were all fairly weak, but the two leading ladies (Miss Tweed and Hope) were very, very strong and made the show. And the set, of course, is the real star of the show and was actually staged to take the last bow.
-
I suppose I like Liz's Meadowlark (the studio version) best, and I suppose I like Susan's next - I'm fond of the arrangement on Susan's, where we did something completely different to the opening which, I don't think, had ever been done before.
I have never taught anything per se - I have done various "talks" in both high school and college classes, and I enjoy doing that a bunch. I'd do it more if only they'd ask me. Also, I've been asked by singers why I don't offer some sort of intensive Broadway singers in the recording studio workshop. I'd do it, if I though anyone would give a flying Wallenda.
I would only mark the parts you're really interested in playing - it shows focus and direction, at least to me it does.
Now, might I ask where in tarnation IS everyone? It's eight o'clock and I'd say we need a frenzy or two right about now, rather than these proclamations about being errant and truant for the next few weeks.
-
BK,
Have you ever been to Toronto?
-
Nell Carter was not the only black Dolly. Pearl Bailey did it on Broadway and toured for several years. However this was not really an an intigrated production. When Pearl took over from Martha Raye (or Betty Grable... I forget the exact order) the whole cast was replaced with a Black cast; when Pearl and the Black cast left to tour, Phyllis Diller was given a new, all Caucasian cast.
Nell Carter played Dolly for the Long Beach Civic Light Opera. Her Horace was played by Nipsey Russell. The Ermengard and Ambrose were, likewise, black. The Cornelius, Barnaby, Irene and Minnie Fay were white. This is a far cry from the racially segregated HD presented on Broadway and on tour, no matter how wonderful Ms. Bailey may have been in the role.
-
My big news today - I won a dictionary. The Oxford Canadian Dictionary people held a contest to see who could come up with the worst word breaks. (Canadian contests are not known for their thrill factor; or their prizes.)
My submission?
superb-
owl
(should be:
super-
bowl)
(I didn't have the nerve to ask how many entries they actually received.)
-
THE FLETCHER CHRONICLES:
Today he was definately more into the idea that this is his new home. He's had his nose into everything. He also wants so desperately to play with the other dogs, but they're very unsure of him because he is a) so big, and b) doesn't respond to their growls when they don't want to play.
No one said this would be an easy introduction to the household.
I've been considering calling him something other than Fletcher. That name works great as a last name, but it doesn't fall trippingly off the tongue. Not that he's likely to notice.
I'm more inclined now towards calling him Walter. We did have another dog named Walter, about a decade ago, but he died within a week of our getting him from the pound. There is something about Fletcher that strikes me as being Walterish, however. The fact that he farts, quite noticably, also gives a nice link to the children's book about a dog with that name.
How does Walter Windsor Fletcher sound? (No pun intended.)
-
I think there are times when it works and times when it is a disaster, clearly anachronistic to the project at hand. And it never seems to be used except in one direction. For example, I have a bass voice which is well suited to "Ol' Man River." I don't think there is a director or casting director in this business who would cast me as Joe in SHOW BOAT.
I'll cast you as Joe, if someone would cast me as Julie! ;)
-
I have to confess I've never heard Betty Buckley's version, but so many people seem to love it.
Seeing and hearing Betty do it live several times, I'd classify it as being as close to perfection as you can get; then again, I'm kinda biased.
BUT, Betty's pre-song anecdote is funnier, and rings truer than Patti's.
-
Congratulations, Dan-in-TO!
Let me chime in on Swishy's question re a degree in musical theater. I think college is a great idea because if you're an actor you should have a wide general knowledge of the world. But more importantly, you should know how all sorts of people tick, not just other actors. And that's where I agree with Noel - you don't need a degree in Musical Theater. In fact, you'd be wiser to get a degree in some other field. You're probably not going to use it anyway - you're there to gain knowledge, not a future job. Ours is a very insular - even incestuous - profession. If you just hang out with other people doing what you do, that's what your frame of reference will be. The luckiest thing that ever happened to me in terms of what I wound up doing with my life was that I was not accepted by the National Theater School in Montreal (they told me that I was already overtrained and they'd have to spend a year "unteaching" all the wrong things I had learned in the classes I'd been taking since I was 12.) I wound up going to Theater School - but in a unversity, so I lived in the dorms with nuns and hung out with civilians. The nuns taught me more about life than the acting profs (and I'm Jewish!). And it doesn't hurt - in fact it helps - to know languages and math and literature and geography. An actor should be able to enter the mind of anyone - so the more you know about, the easier that will be. End of lecture.
-
I have indeed been to Toronto - it was very clean. That was back in the late eighties.
Now, might I ask where in tarnation IS everyone? Might I ask where in tarnation IS our posting frenzy?
-
Looks like we're just about sold out tomorrow night.
-
DR SWoodyWhite: You are making me want to get a dog.
-
BK: When you see someone who has marked that they'll accept any role, does that look less directed to you? Would you be more likely to cast them in the chorus or not at all than to give them a part at all? Your response was just interesting to me because, what if I were auditioning just to be IN a show, it didn't matter what part. I'd LIKE to be given a role, but I'd accept chorus. Should I still circle roles?
RE: College: Is it worth it, then, to get a degree in Vocal Performance? Or Music Ed? Another question: If I wanted to be a choral teacher, is it worth it to go through the band teacher curriculum as well? Some of the "best" music education colleges require that you certify as a band AND choral director, even if you're interested in just choral.
What is the meaning of life? Why do people say that it's 5 o'clock somewhere, when that point in time can literally only land exactly on the hour? Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways? Why can't I fall asleep? Is life always one big worry? Why do people who have everything abuse it? Why does ANYONE like Paris Hilton? Why doesn't my computer mouse work? Who cares about the history of Virginia? Do you need summer stock or regional theatre to get on Broadway? Why are some people so fortunate while others have nothing?
Why does my mind work like this?!
-
Speaking of "Meadowlark," I know that Swishy just read an interesting take on that song. . . 8)
-
It doesn't look "less" directed, it means to me only that they would like to be in the show in any capacity. If I saw a person who checked only certain roles and who didn't want to be in the ensemble, then I'd assume they were interested in the parts that were going to help them grow as performers, in a way that the ensemble wouldn't. There isn't anything wrong with the ensemble, but you also don't want to get stuck there or "seen" in that light to often.
-
Just went back though the notes to see what exciting news I had missed from DiT. I may drink a toast to your success Dan. Then again, I may wait until breakfast time and just butter to your success. I hope the Canadian dictionary spells mould as mould and not mold!
-
Page 5 . I should instigate a corroboree
-
Page 5 . I should instigate a corroboree
Please do.
-
Fletcher is so cute!!
Right now, I am putting off doing my homework. Don't you just love that?
-
Apparently everyone is off doing their homework or, maybe, just being WUSSBURGERS. We must get back on track - we have been having slow days and nights here at the oasis.
-
I just updated my Final Draft to its newest version. Isn't that grand? It actually worked -- not the way it was supposed to according to the instructions - but it worked.
Other interesting news: This evening I went for an impromptu pedicure. I now have pretty pink toenails. The other customer in the shop was Miss Lainie Kazan. She seemed very nice. I don't know what color her toenails are.
-
I'm thinking of making myself some popcorn.
-
We're all about to wussburger in these parts. It's going to be a crowded bed, with Fletcher, Bonnie, and Buster sharing it with me. And Fletcher is BIG! And he likes to CUDDLE CLOSE!
And, me, I'm working on a headcold.
-
Popcorn - count me out! One of my least favourite smells - a reason not to go to the cinema.
My credit card company just offered me a popcorn maker when I asked to cash in all my points - I took a voucher for a department store instead.
-
One post every five minutes or so will do the trick. Not really in a posting mood or a frenzy mood - have a funeral to attend tomorrow.
-
Any news on the interview situation yet DR Ann?
-
And where is DR Mr Slaughter? He is missed. This should be his time for appearing.
-
Before signing off entirely, I might as well report on a project I've been working on.
Drawing data from Steven Suskin's Opening Nights on Broadway and More Opening Nights on Broadway, I've started charting when the musicals opened and closed, in order to find out what was running concurrently.
(I using the opening date, and an estimated eight shows per week, which may or may not be entirely accurate but it's an estimate. And the data starts with 1943, which is when Suskin started collecting the data for his books.)
There are a lot of shows that open and close like *snap*.
One detail I wasn't expecting was to find that Oklahoma, One Touch of Venus, and On the Town were all running at the same time, during January of '45. I knew the first two shows opened in '43, but I somehow hadn't placed On the Town as being of the same timeframe, since I've always thought of Bernstein as writing, well, "later."
Just a detail I thought I'd share.
-
My credit card company just offered me a popcorn maker when I asked to cash in all my points - I took a voucher for a department store instead.
You're buying a department store? Which one?
::) ;)
-
I'm not in the mood for popcorn right now. Buster loves the stuff, as does Mikey, and Marty and Bonnie enjoy the sharing. Fletcher hasn't had any yet, that I know of.
But finding out how he likes it will have to wait. Wussing.
-
Expected that! Which ever one I can buy for $50.
Clothing will be the purchase I expect. A store I wouldn't normally visit - too upmarket for my pension!
I may only be able to afford a pair of socks (or maybe not a pair!)
-
Of course I am crying poor and about to fly to spend five weeks in France. It 's all relative. And No! I have no relatives in France.
-
I'm having popcorn (sorry, Tom). It's delish. I'm also watching the Republican convention and it's making me ill (sorry, SWW).
-
The good news - tomorrow is a François day.
-
Relax. We're there!
-
We've passed the ATL mark. Wheww!
-
And with excellent postings, too, but it is to wonder where everyone has got to.
-
All alone on the board.... Sigh.... I'll wait for ze Notes, then bed.