Haines His Way
Archives => Archive 4 => Topic started by: bk on October 15, 2005, 12:07:53 AM
-
Well, you've read the notes, you haven't procrastinated or procreated, and now it is time for you to post until the cows come home - they're currently procrastinating. What else is new?
-
And the word of the day is: LACKADAISICAL!
-
Ritzy bashes. Been to a few. The most fun was going to the British Stunt Ball in London at the Grovesner House (I'm sure that's not spelt right) in 1995, when I was invited by my friend, Paul Weston, the stunt co-ordinator on Dragonheart. Though very posh and formal (tuxedos and ball gowns), what a wild and wooly time this was. The Brits know how to party. Julieanne won 200 hundred pounds. Half she donated back to the charity; she kept the rest. Spike Milligan was there. It went on till four in the morning!
We went again a few years after but it didn't match the first.
I've been to the WGA Awards three times and sometimes those were fun and sometimes just a chore. It was fun the year that Jon Voight was at our table.
I been to several premieres and screenings of movies. Disney used to throw great parties on their lot for new releases of movies. Every April, we attend a French film festival that occurs out here...and which can be star-studded (it was where I first saw Le Bossou and met Vincent Perez).
We were invited to Cannes and went to several of the events and screenings there. Through my pal, actor Jason Isaacs, I managed to get a temporary membership to London's Soho Club while in Cannes; they had a yacht there and so we had lunch and drinks there frequently.
I also attended a lovely conference in Beaune, France, which had many ritzy bashes.
I love putting on a tux and stepping out.
-
As the self-proclaimed KING OF THE PROCRASTINATORS, I'm going to procrastinate by not discussing today's Topic of the Day...yet. ;) I'm going to be real LACKADAISICAL about it all and go to sleep.
So smoke on your pipe and put that in!
-
LACKADAISICAL, baby, LACKADAISICAL!
-
And now - Dino at the piano.
-
Oh ritzy bashes.
The last one was probably the Theater Fund Raiser I was part of last February. I love opening nights, and big parties, but don't get an invite to many of them....I am sure they are held regularly here in Indiana, I see them in the paper. Just not part of the crowd, I guess.
-
ritzy bashes?
The world premiere of Kramer vs Kramer in which Dustin Hoffman or Meryl Streep did not attend. But a gaggle of other film actors who were doing movies in Montreal at the time.
-
Amazon, Barnes and Noble.....Are there any other places to post a review?
-
Must go and see PROOF this weekend as I am sure it will no longer be playing by next weekend. Wanted to also see Serenity but I think it has already disappeared. These #1 movies start off with a bang and by week 3 & 4 there are out of here.
I remember when movies would play for months and moths and sometime years in a single theater. Those days are long gone.
-
Good morning, all! Yes, DRJose, I did delete as post last night, and life will go on. I was all caught up in REWIND, and I decided that I was taking the book too seriously.
So, I was up too late finishing the book and the alarm went off too early. I will shortly be terrifying and annoying the denizens of 14th Street.
TOD: One party: the celebration of the first anniversary of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. The show opened in May 1984, won the Pulitzer in May 1985, and my memory is that I came back from Ohio - mother's quadrupal bipass surgery - to find the invitation to the party in the mail. I don't remember the date, but it was at Sondheim's home in either late May or early June. And a fantastic event it was!
-
From yesterday
Pert Kelton was discussed.
Did you know the reason why she didn't not continue as Alice was that she was blacklisted? Gleason wanted to keep her on, but the network said no.
Years later she returned to the Honeymooners as Alice's Mother!
And did you know Elaine Stritch was part of The Honeymooners? She played Trixie.
-
'morning!
TOD - the ritziest event I ever attended was the gala grand opening of the Power Center for Performing Arts at The University of Michigan, October 5, 1971. At the dedication ceremony, honorary degrees were bestowed upon Nancy Hanks, Helen Hayes, James Earl Jones (class of '53), Walter Kerr, Jo Mielziner, and Julius Rudel. Then followed the premier production of The Grass Harp and a lavish reception in the lobby. Truman Capote was there, too.
-
Here I sit working feverishly (well, not right at this moment, I've taken a break) to finish before our deadline of next Saturday.
We are going to another birthday party tonight. This one in Brooklyn Heights. I have to make sure my passport is in order. Then next week we have to go to Astoria for a housewarming party. A friend of Ant's from the Forum cast has moved into new digs and we will venture out to see them and help to warm their new house (apartment).
Later, gaters.
-
I haven't read the notes yet (on my way there now), but I couldn't wait to post a personal ARGH! for going to bed last night and not getting to take part in the Popeye's - Po' Folks - Sambo's discussion.
The Sambo's here eventually turned into Denny's before the chain left the area. I ate there many times. It was decent run-of-the-mill food.
Po' Folks - oh, for the nights I spent there with their all you can eat chicken nights. (Seems like it was Sunday here when they did that.) But they closed in the late 1980s.
I think there are one or two Popeye's restaurants in Charlotte but on the other side of the city and not convenient to me. I haven't had any Popeye's chicken in a long time.
-
OK, headed to read the notes now and to other internet sites, too, but
WBBL.
-
Back now and ready to say good morning!
We have another beautiful day here with a high supposed to be around 80 and a low tonight of 50. That's QUITE a wide range of temperatures for a single day.
I'm feeling somewhat better today but clearly not quite 100% yet. Hopefully, as the day goes on and I continue to doctor myself, I will be fit enough to not only attend SEUSSICAL tonight but also enjoy it.
-
As much as Charles Pogue loves donning a tux and stepping out, that's how much I LOATHE doing that. I've had to do it a few times for award show bashes here in town, but I really try to resist any party where the dress is formal.
The gala premiere of STAR! that I've often talked about here was a formal affair back in 1968. It was a champagne buffet held at the Carolina Theater as a benefit for some charity which I have now quite forgotten. At any rate, my father secured me an invitation, and I felt almost like Cinderfella at the ball amid all the swells in the city. I am quite sure I was the youngest member of that audience that night, but no one questioned my age as I drank a couple of champagne cocktails.
And the movie, of course, was wonderful even with cuts that had been made since its London premiere. Julie in my eyes then could do NO wrong.
-
The other movie from last year that's now making appearances on pay-cable is SIDEWAYS which I recorded last night.
So, tomorrow I will have both FINDING NEVERLAND and SIDEWAYS to watch. Both got lots of Oscar nominations and each won something at the ceremony (though not the big prizes - SIDEWAYS did win for screenplay as I recall and NEVERLAND for its score).
I'll probably start with NEVERLAND tomorrow.
-
Good Morning!
Ah, sleep.
Ah, the sound of rain NOT falling outside my window right now. HOO and RAY! -I haven't looked at today's forecast yet, but it's nice for now.
:)
-
And now - Dino at the piano.
Playing slowly, no doubt. He's been getting lackadaisical lately.
-
As for Ritzy Bashes...
The Helen Hayes Awards in DC are usually very nice affairs. It's basically one big cast party for the DC area theatrical community. My favorite one was my the first one I attended when the awards were still held at the National Theatre. Lots of notables - Lynn Redgrave, Robert Prosky, Kelly McGillis... And there was that great moment when the elevator opened up on the ballroom level of the Marriott next door, and there was Richard Kiley belting out "I, Don Quixote". He was still THE Man of La Mancha.
Oh, and I guess the Opening and Closing nights of the Kennedy Center's Sondheim Celebration. My favorite quote from one of those nights, "Where's the bar?" - Stephen Sondheim.
;)
-
Well, I'm off to an event, neither ritzy nor a bash, but special nonetheless. It's the 80th anniversary luncheon for the Middletown branch of the American Association of University Women, of which I've been a member for 25 years. Today, I'm the official representative of the state board, so have to make a little speech. Wish me luck - bye for now.
-
Playing slowly, no doubt. He's been getting lackadaisical lately.
And speaking of playing slowly... I got a good hour of practice in on the Joseph keyboard book yesterday. It's not exactly hard, it's just tricky in some places. It's one of those parts that I know will make sense once I get with the rest of the orchestra - especially a drummer and bass player. I'm playing in "spaces" a bunch of times - I just need to hear my bookends.
We get three hours Tuesday morning (ugh) to run through the show, then sound check at 5:30, then show at 8:00 with Mr. Cassidy, Ms. Adams and company. -And I just remembered that I had played some of the final callbacks for this tour - it will be interesting to see who got cast.
-
Well, I cannot afford to be LACKADAISICAL right now. I need to organize some things around the apartment before heading out in a few. We're starting the "big shift" - Nick, my friend I'm subletting from, will be bringing over some of his larger furniture. Thankfully, most of my stuff is currently contained to six storage boxes and two big suitcases. I just need to move stuff around so that he has room to set things down. And then I just need to figure out if I'm going to head down to DC tomorrow or Monday. Decisions, decisions.
Well...
Laters...
-
Not being in show business or politics I have not really been to anything ritzy here in Orygun.
-
I must soon head up the freeway to West Linn where I will spend a good chunk of the day helping my buddies Mark and James paint the inside of their new house, getting it ready for them to move in to.
-
I thought I remembered seeing DR MBarnum in a tux in some of those NYC pictures.
Maybe not . . . .
:D
-
I have some things to take care of around the house now, but should be back later before I head out to SEUSSICAL tonight.
-
TOD:
There have been many political bashes that der Brucer has dragged taken me to. The most memorable was one where Ms. Jeanne Kirkpatrick was the keynote speaker. Her speach was particularly interesting, focusing on Nazi Germany and the mindset of the public that allowed the atrocities to take place during WWII. About half-way through her speach, however, right at the point where she would have connected her observations of the past with the present, she either lost her way or lost her nerve. The speech became a hopeless muddle, which I found both hilarious and sad at the same time. After all, if anyone in her audience had followed her thinking to it's logical conclusion, they would have realized that she was about to accuse them of the hateful thinking that had dominated the '30s and '40s. Fortunately (or unfortunately), few of her target was on track enough to make the connection.
The other ritziest party I've been to was a fundraiser for the International City Theater Company, in Long Beach, CA. We wore our tuxes (neither der B nor I does justice to a fine ball gown), and dined and mingled with celebs and pols. Nell Carter was at our table, and a fine and warm person she was, discussing her sons and child-raising with the others at the table. Jodi Benson was the featured entertainer, and was in fine voice that night. Plus, der B walked away with several prizes from the silent auction.
-
NEWSFLASH!!!!
THE SUN HAS COME OUT OVER NEW YORK CITY!!!!!
HOO and RAY!!!!
-
Ritziest Event! Other than standing outside of the Gerswhin the night of the Tony Awards for the year which saw BLOOD BROTHERS and KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN. . .well, that was rizty in that Rob Marshall would keep running back and forth between the theater and the press room across the street and keep me informed of the winners, introduce me to Chita Rivera and generally be quite charming. . .
BUT the ritziest event by far was the $500 a plate dinner and concert given by (and for) The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on the stage at Pgh's Benedum Center.
Trust me when I say that I did not pay $1000 for my then-pastor Judy and I to see and hear Ms. Betty Buckley perform, oh no, not at all! Rather, Judy and I went down town to drop some stuff off for Betty - I had a copy or two of some CARRIE sheet music which Betty had told me on our first meeting that she didn't have, as well as the pictures taken at The Bottom Line the previous Halloween; and Judy had some stampning stuff to present her with - our plan was to get there early, greet Betty (either wlaking or getting out of her limo) and give her the items, take a picture or two, and go home.
When Betty did arrive, via limo, she took the time to look over our gifts, pose for a photo and INVITE US TO THE CONCERT! (Betty also slyly turned to her p.a. (Shawn) and asked, "I CAN have guests at my own concert, can't I?")
Shawn and Betty escorted us to her dressing room where Betty made us feel at ease while she sent Shawn up to the stage to set up seating for us. When Shawn took us to that seating, we were stunned!
The stage of the Benedum was filled with linen-clothed tables, all filled with the elite of Pittsburgh society, bedecked with candelabra, champagne on ice, the works. . .Judy and my "seats" were flush up agains the stage, with enough leg room to spread out, still, right there, stage right of where Betty would be performing.
A classy-looking event all the way around.
And most assuredly, the ritziest event I ever attended.
(an honorable mention would go to the opening night of Pittsburgh's Civic Light Opera's production of PORGY AND BESS, of which I was a cast member, which brought in several of the remaining Gershwin heirs).
(and I must'nt forget that I second-acted Barbara Cook's "It's Better with a Band" concert at Carnegie Hall. Something which had recently come back to haunt me when Barbara inquired of me, through a mutual friend, if I happened to have a bootleg recording of that concert).
And finally, a side-note on the Buckley concert - one of the big-wigs from Carnegie Mellon University (Head of Student Affairs, as a matter of fact) approached me at the intermission and complimented me on the food and drink. She was aghast when I informed her that I had nothing to do with the catering, and was Ms. Buckley's "guest" for the event. It's times like that which make you believe in the graciousness, and humaness, of our so-called "divas."
On another note, D-flat minor, the wierdness going on between Tim (I'll publish a book whenever I feel like it) Lucas, dear esteemed BK and the Scarlet Street regulars is providing much-needed entertainment this weekend. . .
I've been out of it most of the week due to antibiotics, but I'm feeling up to par now.
-
Now that's a way to start Page Two... Just makes you want to DANCE, DANCE, DANCE!!!
*Oh, and DR JRand - Yes, I was very happy with the outcome of "So You Think You Can Dance?" -And the rumor is that both Nick and Melody will move into the penthouse in New York City - this way Nick can audition for projects as a solo dancer as well as part of a couple. -And Fox gets more free publicity due the happy coincidence that they are best friends.
-
PAGE TWO DANCE:
(http://img.theatermania.com/news/images/3688b.jpg)
-
Good Afternoon!
-Just checking in before being errant and truant for the next couple of hours....
DR td - Hope those antibiotics do the trick. Continued Get Well Vibes to You. -And a great story too.
Well, to step out into the sunshine!
Laters...
-
I'm up, I'm up - barely. Must now run out and do something, and then I shall return before being on my way to rehearse for an hour or two.
-
Well, even though it's after noon here, I'll say:
GOOD MORNING BK!
(and all you other west coasters, too!)
-
10:30 and I'm the only one in the jernt? What is it, fish? This will NOT do - no more wire procrastinating, EVER.
This is just
LACKADAISICAL, baby, LACKADAISICAL!
-
I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on THE ESCAPE ARTIST.
-
Went to the Dodgers Stages Tony Awards party, my first real dress-up date with TPunk, and it was quite a romantic evening.
This was the night 42nd Street won the Tony and so there was real happiness in the air, the giant screen kept replaying the show opening which featured the 42nd Street cast tapping through subways and Times Square into Radio City Music Hall. Cast members watching would start tapping along while watching on the ballroom floor. One of them slipped and fell right on her arse, But she bounced right back up.
A great night.
-
Vixmom I will try to be in NY the first week of October. It will be a long time before I get my NIH date.
Hope the skies have cleared and you have a nice time at the wedding.
Matt H we have stopped watching MY NAME IS EARL, just don’t find it funny. I do agree with you that MEDIUM is better this season than last. The episode with Natalie Wood’s daughter was superb.
-
RTodzinski, I remember Sambo’s well. I think the architect of the buildings owns a restaurant/lodge near us. Jose, Keith liked their pancakes but I don’t remember being impressed.
Matt H I believe he had also been an architect for Denny’s. Maybe there is a connection between them. Glad you are improving.
-
Ginny, GOOD LUCK! I can’t imagine you won’t be a hit.
I need to take a break from the computer. I haven’t been sleeping well since I returned home so my eyes are finding it more difficult to read at the computer than they usually do. I’m sorry td I missed that you have been sick-GOOD HEALT VIBES.
So, before my eyes give out completely I need to catch up on paperwork.
-
Thank you, Jane. The luncheon was lovely and now I'm back briefly before DH Richard and I go out to my mom's to join her and my aunt to watch today's Michigan Wolverine embarrassment.
Tomorrow we're going for lunch to the other retirement community to have lunch with Richard's mother.
For all 3 old ladies, I have goodie bags from my trip, containing Bloomingdale's Double Dip Chocolate Mint Sticks and cute tins of Butterfields' Peach Buds ("Petite hard candy with a peachy tang").
-
Oh, I also wanted to mention that it's a gloriously beautiful fall day here in SW Ohio. And I'm so glad it has stopped raining in NYC!
-
Well, the damned mail has arrived and neither check I was expecting showed up. How do we say pissed politely? Faith says her check was mailed last Saturday, and Shauna mailed hers from the Bronx on the 13th. I did get, however, in an apologetic US post plastic envelope a small envelope completely soaked through and destroyed by the rain since the US Post Office is incapable of providing for their carriers any sort of waterproof mailbags. Am I unhappy? Am I concerned? Am I broke? Fucking A!
-
DR elmore - I'm sorry for your postal difficulties.
-
DR elmore - I'm sorry for your postal difficulties.
I don't believe either Faith or Shauna is lying about posting the checks, but God knows the damned post office will do nothing on their end, from providing waterproof carrier bags to providing even adequate service in every station. My post office is the most pathetic in the city. I have a couple of great carriers, but the service in the station is beyond lousy. If the checks don't show on Monday, in deposit condition, I may go postal. I'm angry enough to kill at this moment.
If the checks are destroyed, it means at least another week of waiting for them. No, I am not happy.
I had to cancel IN MY LIFE last night, and I just cancelled a movie with my friend Matthew tonight. Self-employment often sucks. The only thing I'm sure of is a depost from the recording project on Wednesday or Thursday, and often they screw up.
-
Good check vibes for Monday for DRELMORE.
I am enjoying the ritzy stories very much. Vicarious is a way of life!
-
Larry...
-
;)
-
The only real ritzy event that I ever went to is when Harlequin Productions (http://www.harlequinproductions.org/), a local semi-professional theater group bought their own theater, The State Theatre. I was in that first show that played there (and several before and since) and after the opening night performance, there was a huge gala. They had local TV coverage, very expensive tickets, black tie (fortunately, one of my costumes was a tux, otherwise I wouldn't have been let in!) and lots of food and alcohol...and too many people that drank all that alcohol. :P But it was a very special evening and a great time was had by all. They are really the best theater group in Olympia.
-
I must be off. I have to go to work for a couple of hours. And I'm starving.
Right now, it's raining here in Olympia...actually, it's just drizzling. Not quite a full-blown "rain," but I like it. :) Later!
-
I'm back from the little rehearsal. We brought in a choreographer to help with two numbers - we both felt that they needed a little zotz, and he was very helpful.
We are still on page two. There is no one here but Jed and I. This is NOT a holiday weekend. This is cause for a major group bitch-slapping and believe me, baby, it will be coming.
-
Apparently, everyone took the word of the day and is running with it.
-
I was expecting an Amazon package which did not come today either! Rats!
Ah, well, I still have the soundtracks to IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER and LOVELY TO LOOK AT to accompany me on my 40 miles drive to the theater tonight to see SEUSSICAL.
-
Looked at another episode of KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER today. This was the one with a creature who sucked bone marrow from zoo animals and humans, and it turned out to simply be an alien making a pit stop on Earth.
Entertaining as always (Mary Wickes was a guest star; always reliably superb).
I just do NOT understand those folks at Amazon who are ragging on these transfers. They are excellent, and a darn sight better than those BBC transfers of the Poirot, Marple, and Holmes shows
-
Read something very interesting this morning about early Universal DVD transfers that are now suddenly going bad and are unplayable in newer players. Hundreds of people have written in complaining that their early copies of VERTIGO, PSYCHO, APOLLO 13, and others now won't play on their DVD players.
I had the same thing happen to me last week when I tried to play the Universal version of SPARTACUS. My players all over the house refused to read the disc and said it was faulty. That's when I ordered the Criterion SPARTACUS.
So, for those who got into collecting DVDs relatively early (1997-99), check your Universal DVDs to make sure they still play.
Universal thus far has had no comment on this.
-
BTW, my PSYCHO still plays fine but VERTIGO would not play. I haven't tried my old TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD yet, but I have been meaning to upgrade it anyway.
-
OK, I'm going to have to head out of here in a few moments to get on the road. Ordinarily I wouldn't have to leave so early, but in order to get to the theater where SEUSSICAL is playing, I have to go past the NASCAR speedway where they are having this week's NASCAR 500 mile race tonight. Have no idea how crowded the roads will be at this time of day, but I'm afraid it may delay me by half an hour if I don't get going.
I will be back (much) later tonight.
-
Hmmmm..... no one else in the place.
BK will not be pleased.
-
Before I go . . . .
[move=left,scroll,6,transparent,100%]Page 3 Dance!!![/move]
-
I spy a Cillaliz, so all is not lost. I hate when all is lost, but all is very absentminded in that regard.
-
Yes, I have mowed the yard, cleaned out the gutters and gotten some other stuff done around the yard. Stuff I hate to do, but it must be done while the sun is shining
-
I finished REWIND last night and really enjoyed it. I don't have much to add to the comments I've already read and wouldn't want to give anything away. So I'll just say it was great.
-
We will be leaving soon for another birthday. I will be gone for the evening. I will post later.
P.S. It's not a formal, ritzy affair.
-
I don't know from ritzy.
I'd never heard of Po' Folks until reading yesterday's posts. I've never eaten at Popeye's, but there is one right next to the Olive Garden that DG Ann and I had dinner at last night, so I will definitely give it a try sometime. There was a Sambo's in my hometown that I vaguely recall, but closed when I was a wee sprig of a twig of a lad. The building later became a Godfather's Pizza and is now a bank.
Ann and I are about to head out the door and across the state to see a dear friend of mine in The Last Five Years. Will return tomorrow!
-
Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to get ready to go to the symphony. I'll post more later.
-
Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to get ready to go to the symphony. I'll post more later.
That's ritzy!
-
I missed "The Last Five Years" when it was performed in Melbourne a few months ago. As I did not care for the music of "Parade" maybe that's not such a bad thing.
I get to see a production of "Steel Pier" today and watched "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" last night. Such a fun show - I've not seen the film
-
elmore GOOD CHECK VIBES!!![/size]
-
DR Elmore. Should we send food parcels? Can you auction off MBarnum's underwear remaining on the premises? Has you rent money gone on postage to OZ?
Hope the checks arrive very quickly.
-
Okay, this is officially now bordering on nauseating. At this rate, we shall undoubtedly achieve a new low here at haineshisway.com.
Is this some sort of holiday that no one told me about?
-
TOTD: I attended a Wedding bash at 10 Downing Street when I was about 14 years old.
-
Of course it was reception centre in Melbourne but it's a real address.
-
There is td on the Board who shall no doubt post lots.
A defence of "Blood Brothers" perhaps. A show he mentioned in the same sentence as the brilliant "Kiss Of The Spider Woman".
-
I am now listening to the OC of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels". More enjoyable after watching the show. I found "Spamalot's" score the most accessible of this year's shows. I've not attempted to listen to "Jane Eyre" yet.
-
Ten post an hour is not really a big ask!
I'll be off dancing on a Steel Pier for much of that time so I can't contribute.
-
Hopefully there will be a "Seussical" report and a "Last Five Years" review to read when I return late this afternoon (Oz Time)
-
OK, I'm going to have to head out of here in a few moments to get on the road. Ordinarily I wouldn't have to leave so early, but in order to get to the theater where SEUSSICAL is playing, I have to go past the NASCAR speedway where they are having this week's NASCAR 500 mile race tonight. Have no idea how crowded the roads will be at this time of day, but I'm afraid it may delay me by half an hour if I don't get going.
I wouldn't worry so much about the crowded roads. It's the guys who get "inspired" and try to copy what they've just seen out there on the highways.
Safe travels.
-
I shall shortly be on my way to the ritzy partay. I do hope that we have a little rally here, or, upon my returning your cheeks will be burning because the bitch-slapping machine is coming out of the closet, if you get my drift.
-
...I hate when all is lost, but all is very absentminded in that regard.
All is not lost. All is on aisle sixteen, with the rest of the laundry detergent.
If you need to use the rest room, just take aisle twenty to the back of the store.
-
Topic of the day:
I'm going to have to say my brother's wedding was the most elegant affair I'd ever been to. They opted to go small (about 100 people) so that they could really class it up. They offended a number of people who couldn't be invited, so my parents had to throw a second party the following week for the overflow, but the wedding reception itself was a wonderful experience. They also threw a really fine bar-mitzvah for my nephew four years ago, extremely elegant, and not quite so intimate. So I'd say my brother and sister-in-law really know how to throw a party.
A firm I worked for in the 1980's threw a Tax Department party at the Tavern on the Green that was so elaborately themed and varied in its food and drink that - while not ritzy in the apparel of the guests - I'd have to rank it high on my list of tastefully ostentatious affairs. Actually bigger and more elaborate than a typical Broadway opening, making some of the employees wonder why the money wan't put into bonuses and raises. :)
-
One thing that always amazes me is how, at these ritzy events where dinner is served, they manage to get all those plates out together. I have enough trouble getting two plates out at the same time (one for der B, one for myself), but I've been to events where there have been over a thousand people served all at once.
All right, the only course that's a real hassle is the main course. Salads are easy to compose in advance, as are the desserts, but getting out a thousand main courses out at the same time is a real trick.
Whoever figured out squeeze bottles can help with the plating of sauces was a genius.
-
A firm I worked for in the 1980's threw a Tax Department party at the Tavern on the Green that was so elaborately themed and varied in its food and drink that - while not ritzy in the apparel of the guests - I'd have to rank it high on my list of tastefully ostentatious affairs. Actually bigger and more elaborate than a typical Broadway opening, making some of the employees wonder why the money wan't put into bonuses and raises. :)
Believe it or not, the cost per employee of such a dinner is far less than a bonus or raise would have been. While their website (http://69.0.173.64/tg1003/newsite/index.asp?headinfo=home) isn't forthcoming with the prices they charge, they do note that for events held at Tavern On the Green they throw in the floor-length table linens at no extra cost...which suggests that they have these events often enough to amortize the costs and pass on the savings to their clients.
-
Back from watching one exciting quarter of football (and 3 pretty dull ones) - Michigan 27, Penn State 25 - quite a finish. I'm glad we were there to watch it with my mom.
-
Too pooped to post in detail but today was a ritzy affair and I have been to a few in Twxas when my multimillionare Uncle's only daughter (my cousin Sue) got married.
We mixed with people like Ann Richards and John Hightower
and the CEO's of several airlines at her wedding....
Lord knows who we mixed with at this wedding m, but I personally ate enough food for all the people currenty living in NYC ....
-
One thing that always amazes me is how, at these ritzy events where dinner is served, they manage to get all those plates out together. I have enough trouble getting two plates out at the same time (one for der B, one for myself), but I've been to events where there have been over a thousand people served all at once.
Having worked in catering at Carnegie-Mellon for several of fifteen years, I can say that I have happily and efficiently served up to 600 people in one room at the same time (The President's Ball) and well over two thousand scattered all about the campus (Graduation). All I can say is it takes tons of careful planning and the best staffs money can buy. . .
-
We mixed with people like Ann Richards and John Hightower
and the CEO's of several airlines at her wedding....
You had me very scared there for a minute! My ex, last seen heading towards TCB's Tacoma is named John Hightower. . . . :o
-
Sad
-
to
-
be
-
all
-
alone
-
in
-
the
-
world.
-
(http://www.magazine.tcu.edu/images/2003-02/betty%20buckley%20thumb%20up.gif)
Page Four's Thumbs' Up Dance
-
I'm about to run a marathon.
-
Dance a marathon?
-
Make off with a Knight of the Realm?
-
Steal a Peer.
-
"Steel Pier" in 90 minutes.
I have readiness to do.
I have passengers to collect..
-
Just remember DR Tomovoz, "I'm Everybody's Girl." ;D
-
Wet is good, too.
-
Just remember DR Tomovoz, "I'm Everybody's Girl." ;D
How could I forget?
-
(http://wesleylake.homestead.com/files/Steel_Pier_1963_R.jpg)
-
Paul Anka AND two motion pictures?
Whew! That place was hoppin'!
-
Nada on television. Poker games and Nascar and College Football have taken over the airwaves. Of course there is still the Miss Soul Train 2005 Music Awards, but I don't think I am much interested in that either.
-
Klinton Spilsbury works as a movie sound technician and produces new age CD's. He enjoys spending quiet evenings with his partner of ten years, Frank Prather, star of the movie LETHAL FORCE, which I doubt even DR RODSZINSKI is familar with.
-
Good evening!
I made it back in one piece, but am glad to be out of that speedway traffic. Thankfully, the left lane on the interstate was clear and I was able to zoom right past the packed-to-the-gills exits going to the Lowe's Speedway.
After I got past that, it was smooth sailing all the way to my friend's house. He showed me some changes he and his partner had made to the property in that last month and a half and then we headed to the theater.
-
I am jealous of DR Tom getting to see STEEL PIER. One of my greatest regrets was that show closing before I could get to NYC to see it. I loved the OCR.
-
As for SEUSSICAL the MUSICAL, it's a pure charm show. Delightful music, imaginative costumes, reed-thin story that requires some overly expressive character acting to achieve its goals. With community theater, of course, you don't always get that in every role and thus the show has peaks and valleys.
I also think it's lacking in real humor to keep adults fully engaged, too. As I said, loaded with charm and some invention, but the humor that's present is of the mild sort perfect for Dr. Seuss but not something that's going to go over big for a long run.
-
I saw immediately what the director/music director would think of for me in SEUSSICAL: the Grinch/General Schmitz: the bass roles in the show.
However, for that much of a commute, I wouldn't even consider doing it. I think SEUSSICAL will have to get along without my participation.
-
My television has been on today for about 45 minutes (watching that episode of KOLCHAK)! And that's it!!!
I'm sure it's grateful for the rest, but I'd have to think back a long time to remember a similar day when I was home and watched so little TV.
I'll make up for it tomorrow.
-
Thanks for the info on Klinton Spilbury, DR JRand. I didn't know this and was glad to add this to my fountain of information about "Where Are They Now" celebrities.
-
I wore a long sleeved shirt out today for the first time this season. It got up to 80 earlier in the day, but tonight is supposed to be 50, so I thought long sleeves would work. They did. I was very comfortable in the theater, and driving home I didn't have to run either heat or A/C.
-
Well, I'm headed for bed now.
It's been a long day (a HOW TO SUCCEED reference).
Good night!
-
This morning I went to northern Arizona to see autumn leaves, and this is what I saw:
-
It was a "bad sky day," but I thought this was an interesting sight:
-
So I guess I tuned in just that tad too late... well, I got a song file from jason two days ago - wow, beautiful voice, lots of pizzazz... I'm encouraging him to put together a club act, and I hope y'all will do likewise!
Ritziest bash - Queen Juliana's (Netherlands) birthday partay at her daughter the royal Princess Caroline's apartment in NY. I was the entertainment, with my pianist at the time (this was more than 25 years ago, I think... Caroline was still married to the South American guy, I think his name was Jorge Guillermo). Yowza.
-
Woods! Matt! Whattaya doin' up so late??? It's not quite 6 pm, dinnertime, here in Maui... Sund is setting in the west...
-
Having worked in catering at Carnegie-Mellon for several of fifteen years, I can say that I have happily and efficiently served up to 600 people in one room at the same time (The President's Ball) and well over two thousand scattered all about the campus (Graduation). All I can say is it takes tons of careful planning and the best staffs money can buy. . .
Actually, some details/war stories would probably be appreciated by one and all!
-
Woods! Matt! Whattaya doin' up so late??? It's not quite 6 pm, dinnertime, here in Maui... Sund is setting in the west...
I've got to beddibye soon, but wanted to do one last check. And der B and I dine late, in any case. (Tonight was pork loin chops baked with sauerkraut and onion and carroway, with pan-fried taters. Simple, but yummy.)
-
Speaking of yummy, I tried a new flavor of ice cream today: Gingerbread Man! A gingery-vanilla base, with swirls of brown sugar and little bits of gingerbread cookie mixed in. Another yummerlicious!
-
Der Brucer is helping himself to a bowl of Gingerbread Man and Chocolate. Decadent, huh? ;D
-
On a less appetizing note, check out the Company Cookbook. (http://www.amalah.com/photos/the_company_cookbook/index.html) Der Brucer says it looks like stuff his daughter would serve...if she could cook.
-
The West Coast crew has less than three hours to keep this from becoming the low post record. I've done what I can.
-
Back from the delightful ritzy affair, about which more later. Well, I think we'll just make it past having our worst posting day, but not by much, unless we have a sudden flurry.
-
One of the reasons I like to put on the dog and get dressed in the old penguin suit is that I think Americans to not show enough respect for dress occassion...notably the theatre. I still always wear a jacket to the theatre, usually a tie.
-
Just finishing dinner: a lovely stir-fry with lots of fresh mushrooms, celery, pea pods, water chestnuts, fresh broccolli, bits of leftover chicken - all mixed with bits of garlic, pepper, cilantro, parsley, oregano, a little marjorammmmmm...
I ate a baby coconut today - very different. The fluid is very clear and sweet (sidebar: during WWII they used this fluid for transfusions!!), and the flesh is almost like pudding, so soft and sweet, hasn't yet developed the characteristic chewy-ness. It was a golden coconut, plucked from a five-foot high tree just yesterday. Ohhhh, don't we just LOVE Hawai'i...
-
I see I'm alone here, jabbering to myself... well, it's only 7:30. The lights are twinkling on below in Kahului and Wailuku. New street lights I see along the highway to Kihei...
Speaking of which, tomorrow morning I go to Kihei to play Renaissance and early Baroque music with my early music geeks. Oh, boy! I've been so looking forward to this!
-
Jason!
-
You're up late...
-
I'm gonna crash early - up crack o' dawn tomorrow to grease up the ol' recorder for mah session...
-
Toddling off to my bed, with my computer and a DVD to sleep to. That's really all it takes: someone ELSE talking, to shut up the jibbering going on in my skull. Especially if it's not too interesting, or if it's a film I've seen several times. I just nod off. Trouble is, now that I've taken to DVD's instead of sleeping pills, I can't go to a movie at night - $10 thrown away, because I just nod off as soon as the credits start to roll. Good nap. How'd ya like the film, Pen? What film?
-
And so, good night.
-
Sheesh, I'm procrastinating, waiting for Jason to show up... <yawn> off I go... Nitey-nite, night owls...
-
Well, I think that quote about Klinton Spilsbury is actually just a joke. If you look at the website for LETHAL FORCE or the Frank Prather's website, you will see that it is mostly a lot of joking around...and Frank is definitley NOT gay, which you will discover while persuing his site further.
-
Aloha, Penny!!!
-
I'm just getting in from a loverly day of musical theatre. A friend of mine had a couple of spare tickets to Michael John LaChuisa's SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (yes, the one with Rosie and Harvey), so DR Jose and I joined him. Well...that's not ENTIRELY true...
-
DR Jose and I joined him for SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE, but he only had one spare for FIDDLER tonight. I've seen this production WAY too many times (five, to be exact), so I let Jose have the ticket. In the meantime, we managed to get me a last minute ticket to SWEENEY TODD. It ended up being a house seat, center orchestra - eighth row. PERFECT!
After our respective evening shows, I met up with my friend and Jose at the Minskoff and we tottled up to Becco for a late night snack/meal/dessert. :)
-
so DR Jose and I joined him.
Why, was he coming apart? ;D
-
I wasn't quite sure what to expect out of SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE. I'm no great fan of Michael John's previous endeavours - I think he tries to be too "smart," which alienates his audience. Well, I really enjoyed this show. The cast was fantastic (Idina Menzel was VERY subdued for a change - no pop screaming - which was lovely) and Mary Testa made Jose and me cry with her second act solo. Quite moving. Yes, Michael John can, apparently, be moving and musically accessible. Who knew!?!
-
Got another Bollywood movie in for the weekend...HANAN (2004) starring Manoj Bajpai (who for some reason has become very popular with gay film fans in India).
(http://216.247.121.93/dvdImages/b8065.jpg)
Started out with a very unique storyline...but during the last half hour it plunged quickly into a typical action film.
-
SWEENEY TODD. Oh, Sweeney. I wasn't at all sure what to expect out of this production. The cast plays their own instruments and Patti LuPone is Mrs. Lovett. That just made me squirm just a little, so I had to see it to satisfy my curiosity, and I am SO glad I did. What an incredibly different, simple and effective production! The orchestration for 10 pieces works beautifully. The voices are wonderful. The scenic design and use of props is great. Even Patti was wonderful. I'll admit to not being a big fan of her Mrs. Lovett in concert, but she has really grown in the role (and had better direction [Sorry, Lonny!]). She plays Lovett as a cold, mean, coniving bitch who uses Toby from the get-go to get what she wants. Mr. Cerveris is very good, too, but the standouts to me were the guy playing Toby (Manuel Felicano) and Ms. Donna Lynn Champlin, who plays Signor Pirelli as well as the accordian, piano and flute. The rest of the cast was great, too. I really can't say enough good things about their performances. I had issues with a few of the directorial choices - someone who's never seen or heard SWEENEY might have been confused by this production - but overall I thought it was a brilliant reconception of Mr. Sondheim's masterpiece.
In the audience tonight: Mr. Hal Prince, the director of the original Broadway production as well as Ms. LuPone's director in EVITA, which she does not list in her bio. In fact, she doesn't mention SUNSET BLVD. or LES MISERABLES in it, either. Curious...
SWEENEY purists will not like this production. But honestly - who wants to pay $100 to see a reproduction of the original show when you can get it on DVD for $25 with the original cast!?! This is one of the most original pieces of theatre I've seen since I moved here and I applaud it. So did the rest of the crowd. The second the lights went out a roar went through the theatre - the excitement was palpable. And the lights had barely gone out after the finale before the entire audience (and I mean THE ENTIRE AUDIENCE) were on their feet. The cast - especially Patti and Donna Lynn - were very moved by the audience reaction. I've rarely heard/seen an ovation like the one I was part of tonight. And it was well-deserved.
I just wonder how the critics will enjoy it...
-
Freddy has again fallen asleep before me, so it must be time to hie myself to bed. Night all.
-
Good Evening!
What DR Jason said.
:)
-
Just read on Broadway.com that SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE has already extended their booking at the Public through 12/04/05. Not bad for a show that's just now in previews...
I need to head to bed. I'm suffering through...um...seeing IN MY LIFE tomorrow afternoon.
Pray for me. :)
-
BTW, DR PennyO: My musical director and I have already been chatting about the cabaret act. I believe we have the second half all worked out. :D
-
As for Michael John La Chiusa's See What I Wanna See...
I'm still sort of digesting it all - as I'm pretty sure Jason is too. But, overall, it was a surprisingly gripping and moving at time piece of theatre. There is a framing device that is very "cool" - for lack of a better word right now - that opens each of the acts, but I feel it could be dropped with no ill effect to the mini-musicals that make up each act.
And as for each of those mini-musicals... Well, they both take place in Central Park. And they both center around "truth", "beliefs" and "believing". And that's really all I feel can say about them without spoiling anything. I knew what the first half was about, but the second half caught me off guard, and I was already getting teary-eyed within the first five minutes. And then Mary Testa came on for her second number, and she was just so grounded, solid, grave... A very moving moment.
-And I love the explanation for the shows original title "R shomon". ;)
-And that's when I found myself thinking, "Who'd of thunk I'd ever be genuinely moved by a Michael John La Chiusa show?" But I was.
Although there are some standout performances/moments, it truly is an ensemble show. Henry Stram, Idina Menzel, Aaron Lohr, Mary Testa and Marc Kudisch. Not a weak link in the bunch.
Even the technical elements surprised me. For such a "small" show, the lighting design was quite intricate at times. And the very spare set was effective. And the orchestrations were handled admirably by the seven-piece band.
Yes, there are some intricate and thorny passages here and there, but they didn't distract or stick out like that have in past MJL shows. And it truly was - to use the "A-word" - accessible.
All in all, a very satisfying evening (afternoon) of theatre.
-
The DVD of Sweeney is not quite the original cast - it's missing the original cast's key ingredient - Len Cariou, who was, in a word, brilliant.
-
Well, I think that quote about Klinton Spilsbury is actually just a joke. If you look at the website for LETHAL FORCE or the Frank Prather's website, you will see that it is mostly a lot of joking around...and Frank is definitley NOT gay, which you will discover while persuing his site further.
But it was on the INTERNET and everything on the INTERNET is true!
-
Interesting to read about shows that I might see in Indiana in 10 or 12 years.
-
Yesterday was Penny Marshall's birthday, too. Did anyone send a card?
-
Waiting for a scary Snowman movie to come on TCM. At least I hope it's scary. There is no description.