Topic: THE DANCE OF DECEMBER (Read 22113 times)

Matt H. · « **Reply #210 on:** December 01, 2009, 07:04:13 PM »

I had a pretty fun evening of both old and new presentations.

I began by getting the rest of the inside of the house decorated. Not that I do THAT much, but I decided after the awful ordeal this past summer that I'd take the opportunity to make the house festive this year. I haven't decorated for athe last couple of years.

John G. · « **Reply #211 on:** December 01, 2009, 07:09:23 PM »

Can anybody tell me why "Sun Valley Serenade" hasn't been released on DVD yet? Glenn Miller and Orchestra playing some great tunes, the Nicholas Brothers with Dorothy Dandridge bringing down the house with "Chatanooga Choo-Choo" and even Sonja Henie skating. Stereo sound on the music, too. But I have to rely every Christmas on a bad VCR copy from the library to watch this fave.

Matt H. · « **Reply #212 on:** December 01, 2009, 07:09:35 PM »

Once I was ready to settle in with a movie, I chose the latest Dreamworks animated film MONSTERS VS. ALIENS. It was not as big a hit as most Dreamworks animated films usually are (though it did quite well), and I could see why. The story really wasn't all that much fun. I did love Seth Rogan's B.O.B., Hugh Laurie using his own naturally accented voice as a professorial cockroach, and, best of all, Keifer Sutherland as a gung-ho Army general.

Matt H. · « **Reply #213 on:** December 01, 2009, 07:10:47 PM »

Quote from: John G. on December 01, 2009, 07:09:23 PM

Can anybody tell me why "Sun Valley Serenade" hasn't been released on DVD yet? Glenn Miller and Orchestra playing some great tunes, the Nicholas Brothers with Dorothy Dandridge bringing down the house with "Chatanooga Choo-Choo" and even Sonja Henie skating. Stereo sound on the music, too. But I have to rely every Christmas on a bad VCR copy from the library to watch this fave.

It was going to be in the next wave of Fox Studio Classics, and then Fox dropped the line from their release schedules. Now, they don't seem to be issuing much of anything on DVD in a classic vein any more.

John G. · « **Reply #214 on:** December 01, 2009, 07:13:48 PM »

They released "Orchestra Wives," which is quite good, too, and for many of the same reasons -- Glenn Miller, Nicholas Brothers, stereo sound on the music. But I want both!

Matt H. · « **Reply #215 on:** December 01, 2009, 07:14:27 PM »

Next, I watched A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS. No, not on TV (thought it was broadcast tonight). Amazon reduced the price on the Blu-ray for a few days last week, and I snapped it up. It has been considerably cleaned up and the colors are truer and more appealing than the old DVD I had, but they've tricked out the music and sound effects into a 5.1 audio track (the only one available), and much of that just doesn't work very well (when Lucy shakes the cash can with the nickels in it, for example, why should that sound be in the front left channel?). So the picture was good but the sound was distracting.

Matt H. · « **Reply #216 on:** December 01, 2009, 07:14:51 PM »

Quote from: John G. on December 01, 2009, 07:13:48 PM

They released "Orchestra Wives," which is quite good, too, and for many of the same reasons -- Glenn Miller, Nicholas Brothers, stereo sound on the music. But I want both!

Many of us do!

Matt H. · « **Reply #217 on:** December 01, 2009, 07:16:26 PM »

Next, I watched my old DVD copy of HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS. I've never bothered to upgrade this old copy. It was the original release with awful color timing and a picture loaded with noisy color, but unlike CHARLIE BROWN, I watch this once a year only, and I just haven't been willing to spend any more on it.

Matt H. · « **Reply #218 on:** December 01, 2009, 07:17:54 PM »

I ended my evening watching an episode of CASTLE from the first season box set. I chose the one with the frozen lady's body found melting in a tree. This was the episode where Castle first got the idea of seeking out the killer of Beckett's mother. Made a nice pairing with the second season premiere which I watched today during lunch.

Matt H. · « **Reply #219 on:** December 01, 2009, 07:19:45 PM »

Once again, it looks like I will have tomorrow off since I got no review discs today. So, I'll likely watch GLADIATOR on Blu-ray tomorrow. This has gotten very negative reviews for the transfer, but at $10, I couldn't pass it up when Amazon had it on sale last week. (I easily passed up BRAVEHEART. I'll NEVER sit through that again.) If I have time tomorrow, I'll do my own A/B comparison with the DVD to compare the transfers.

Jane · « **Reply #220 on:** December 01, 2009, 07:38:16 PM »

Quote from: Julie on December 01, 2009, 06:54:01 PM

Sherlock must be so happy that Jane is home. He must have been so scared through Jane's whole ordeal.

Continued healing vibes to DR Jane.

he was and thank you.

Jane · « **Reply #221 on:** December 01, 2009, 07:39:27 PM »

'night

Matt H. · « **Reply #222 on:** December 01, 2009, 07:39:53 PM »

The internet was very quiet tonight, so I guess I'll head downstairs and get ready for bed. Yes, I did remember to turn off the Christmas tree lights. But I'm sure over the course of this month, I'll forget to do this once or twice at least.

Good night!

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #223 on:** December 01, 2009, 07:50:27 PM »

Good Evening!

I have to say the combination of an early curtain time (7:00pm), a 90+ minute play, plus the "remnants" of Daylight Savings Time, really sort of fooled me into thinking it was much, much later when I left the Schoenfeld about two hours ago. But at least I can catch up on most of tonight's DVR viewing before midnight instead of after.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #224 on:** December 01, 2009, 08:01:04 PM »

As for A Steady Rain...

It's a very well-written play, very smartly constructed; a good play, not a great one. It sort of seemed like a very amped-up combo of "Hill Street Blues", "The Shield" and "The Wire". Again, I thought it was a good play, but I also thought the "formula" was just a bit too obvious (which is a very picky criticism). Anyhoo...

The performances by Mssrs. Craig and Jackman were very good, but I'd have to give the acting - and accent(!) - honors to Daniel Craig. What really impressed me about both of them was how they really were able to come across as "regular Joe's". Yes, they are "Stars" starring in a play (that probably would not have been produced on Broadway without their participation), but there was no sense of "Hollywood" - which was a good thing. -Even during their curtain speech after the show, they were very personable, funny and humble. -Oh, and sexy, of course.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #225 on:** December 01, 2009, 08:10:23 PM »

Quote from: Julie on December 01, 2009, 06:55:41 PM

DR Jose - how much money did they auction the shirts for tonight?

The top bid was $5000. However, Hugh Jackman offered a compromise of sorts. He asked the person who had bid $4000 if he would come up to $4500, and if the person who bid $5000 would then match that for a grand total of $9000. Each winning bidder would get a shirt signed by both actors. -And that was in addition to those willing to donate $1000 for a picture backstage with both actors.

*Apparently, they've already broken the BC/EFA fund-raising record for any single show. My friend, Lane, who accompanied me tonight, has been helping out with the post-show collections over the past couple of weeks, and as of this past Sunday, A Steady Rain had already raised just over $1.1 MILLION!!! -Not bad for a show with a cast of TWO!

**I think the highest bid for the shirts has been $11,000; and there have been many nights where they've had 50 audience members line up for the post-show pics - at $1000 each - with Mr. Craig and Mr. Jackman.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #226 on:** December 01, 2009, 08:15:42 PM »

One very interesting thing about the tickets I won for tonight's show...

I was expecting the tickets to be marked "comp" when I picked them up at the box office. Instead, they were marked with their full price. From what I could tell, they were probably set aside for a ticket broker, but were turned in for re-sale, re-distribution. Consequently, I had very nice seats for tonight's performance: center mezzanine, third row, on the aisle.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #227 on:** December 01, 2009, 08:18:52 PM »

DR Jane - Thanks for the updates. Rest and sleep well.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #228 on:** December 01, 2009, 08:20:38 PM »

Quote from: DAW on December 01, 2009, 05:03:34 PM

Are pearls after Labor Day gauche?

At least they go with my red shoes.

And my magical underwear.

Just because your underwear can "walk" from the laundry basket to the laundry machine all on their own, doesn't necessarily make them "magical".

Cillaliz · « **Reply #229 on:** December 01, 2009, 08:22:06 PM »

DR Jose, sounds like a fun night on free tickets!

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #230 on:** December 01, 2009, 08:34:00 PM »

Quote from: Cillaliz on December 01, 2009, 05:41:32 PM

Hmmmm another President announcing a surge of troops to fight a foreign war....sounds familiar

At least there was no "Mission Accomplished" banner set up behind him.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #231 on:** December 01, 2009, 08:35:40 PM »

Quote from: Cillaliz on December 01, 2009, 08:22:06 PM

DR Jose, sounds like a fun night on free tickets!

Yep!

And the Freebie Fun continues on Friday with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

*Oh, and I also won a jazz Christmas CD from NaxosDirect today too!

**And now it's time to check my lottery tickets...

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #232 on:** December 01, 2009, 08:42:21 PM »

And it was nice to see that Fox went ahead and showed "SYTYCD" in its entirety, and actually delayed the 10pm news - at least here in NYC.

*And it was nice to see that my DVR adjusted accordingly.

bk · « **Reply #233 on:** December 01, 2009, 08:42:30 PM »

Anyone seen FJL?

bk · « **Reply #234 on:** December 01, 2009, 08:43:19 PM »

I went to Amoeba with more trade stuff, got a lot of credit and got some new Blu-Rays - for some reason they'd gotten copies of several region B Blu-Rays I'd wanted, so this was an easy breezy way to get them.

Laura · « **Reply #235 on:** December 01, 2009, 08:47:10 PM »

I think FJL is bogged down with taxes.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #236 on:** December 01, 2009, 08:48:14 PM »

Quote from: bk on December 01, 2009, 08:42:30 PM

Anyone seen FJL?

DR FJL has been popping in every now and then. -And, as DR Laura just pointed out, I believe he's caught up in some late-season tax work.

Cillaliz · « **Reply #237 on:** December 01, 2009, 08:49:34 PM »

Quote from: JoseSPiano on December 01, 2009, 08:34:00 PM

Quote from: Cillaliz on December 01, 2009, 05:41:32 PM
Hmmmm another President announcing a surge of troops to fight a foreign war....sounds familiar

At least there was no "Mission Accomplished" banner set up behind him.

You have a point there!

bk · « **Reply #238 on:** December 01, 2009, 08:50:29 PM »

I'll give him late season tax work.

MBarnum · « **Reply #239 on:** December 01, 2009, 09:16:00 PM »

Quote from: JRand59 on December 01, 2009, 05:24:37 PM

Uh Oh.....Donna Reed just declared "I am Sacajawea."

Reading that just now caused me to spit out the cereal I was eating, due to laughter.

News:

Author Topic: THE DANCE OF DECEMBER (Read 22113 times)

Cillaliz

Cillaliz

MBarnum