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[TCB]

PAGE FOUR

[TCB]

No review on Radio Wales.

Oh, well. I will listen next week. The day before Halloween!

That is so cool, Ben, that you are an International reviewer!

[John G.]

But when I woke up I could still taste one of the dessert wines. It was brackish, looked sort of like prune juice, smelled like caramels mixed with kerosene, had a gritty texture and tasted like something had crawled into the tank and died.

[John G.]

No review on Radio Wales.

Oh, well. I will listen next week. The day before Halloween!

That is so cool, Ben, that you are an International reviewer!

That is great news.

[TCB]

But when I woke up I could still taste one of the dessert wines. It was brackish, looked sort of like prune juice, smelled like caramels mixed with kerosene, had a gritty texture and tasted like something had crawled into the tank and died.

Gee, I can't understand why they don't hire you as the official spokesperson.

[TCB]

No review on Radio Wales.

Oh, well. I will listen next week. The day before Halloween!

That is so cool, Ben, that you are an International reviewer!

That is great news.

Ben has been doing Broadway reviews for BBC Radio Wales for several years.

[TCB]

Hmmm, vixmom is gone.  Maybe she is working this afternoon?

[John G.]

No review on Radio Wales.

Oh, well. I will listen next week. The day before Halloween!

That is so cool, Ben, that you are an International reviewer!

That is great news.

Ben has been doing Broadway reviews for BBC Radio Wales for several years.

I'll have to find that online and give it a listen.

[John G.]

But when I woke up I could still taste one of the dessert wines. It was brackish, looked sort of like prune juice, smelled like caramels mixed with kerosene, had a gritty texture and tasted like something had crawled into the tank and died.

Gee, I can't understand why they don't hire you as the official spokesperson.

Turned out to be a Port (!) and from a winery I generally like. The people who poured the wine said they were so mystified by its color/appearance that they opened another bottle and it looked exactly the same.

[bk]

Jewish rye as opposed to some other kind of rye?  Did you know that a sardonic Jew is called Jewish wry?

[Michael]

Carnegie Deli
The portions

[td]

For about a year, after college, I was employed by a great deli: Aunt Fanny's Nosheria.  It's defunct, but, while it was around it was the best thing in town as far as deli was concerned.  I worked the line in the evenings - one of the few times I held an evening job other than theater- and it was always packed until closing time.  We had great pastrami, latkes and, my personal favorites of Reubens and Rachels. 
Other than the food, my strongest memory of Aunt Fanny's was that it was there that I found out that Elvis Presley had died.  One of my co-workers, who had also directed me in my first onstage appearance at Pitt, brought me the news.

[elmore3003]

I've been downloading CDs into my iTunes so I can clear out some of these CDs by shipping them off to Miami University Library. I've got to get some dinner, take my meds, and settle down to watch some tv. Last night I watched LEAP YEAR with Amy Adams. I wanted to like it, but I didn't much care for it. I don't know what I'll be watching tonight.

[bk]

I shall now be on my way to sup, after which I shall return.

[elmore3003]

I've eaten a delicious seafood salad and greens, pulled a ton of CDs, and I have the tv on in the background. I'm on Bravo and I keep wondering what language is that ugly supermodel Iman speaking? Half the time it sounds as if she's farting and the other half as  if she's waiting for her next sentence from the prompter.

[Ginny]

We are back from a fun football day in Oxford, OH.  The game was ugly for Miami, not so much because their opponents were that great, but they must have brought their own officials with them.  A beautiful 82-yard Miami TD run was invalidated with a bad call and, at another point, Miami was penalized for roughing the kicker, who must be an acting major.

It was fun, though, to get in on the Football Families' pre-game tailgate and to be there for the homecoming hoopla.  We saw Lauren in action on the field and I'll post some pictures tomorrow.  After the game we went to Lauren's apartment for a soup & salad supper prepared by her Mom.

[Ben]

Hey, John G., here's a little background about BBC Radio Wales.

I listen to LOTS of BBC Radio via the Internet. One show in particular is Showtime on Radio Wales. It's hosted by Beverley Humphreys, a former opera singer. One day in 2003 when I was listening, the show opened with the overture from Gypsy. Bernadette Peters was doing Gypsy here in New York at the time. I sent an e-mail to Beverley just saying that I was about to see the show and how much I loved that overture. She was very excited to hear she had a listener in New York and wrote back asking if the producer could call me and get my thoughts on the show. I said of course. I saw the show on Thursday. That next Monday the producer called from Wales and I talked about Gypsy. That Wednesday Beverley played my clip on her show and that's how it started. I used to be on the air more frequently but it's slowed down recently. I had segments in June, July and September. I haven't been on since then but I just sent her reviews of Memphis and La Cage so I should be on sometime in the next few weeks.

Each segment is 90 seconds so it's hard to write a complete review but I do my best. It's taught me how to write concise pieces. I also record each segment and over the years I put together CDs of my segments so I have a copy of the work.

I also appeared on Beverley's show in 2005 when Anthony and I went to Dublin for Christmas. We took a side trip to Cardiff and I assumed I was just going to meet Beverley and we would have lunch or dinner but she asked me to be on the show. How could I refuse We talked for an hour and I was able to get a copy of the interview. It was quite special to appear on the BBC. I always thought I was born in the wrong era since I love radio and for the most part, radio in the U.S. is not much more than talk and bad music. There are exceptions but it's hard to find the kind of radio they do in England. That's why it's so special to do this for Beverley's show.

Anyway, that's the background and how it's been going on for the past 7 years.

[John G.]

Great story, Ben. And on top of that, i envy you Christmas in Dublin.

[John G.]

TOD: Mort's Vienna Deli in Chicago. The mile-high pastrami on rye. Heaven in a sandwich. Me want. And there are no decent delis in all of San Antonio.

[John G.]

One guest? Welcome.

[John G.]

Nobody else to take us off this blasted page?

[John G.]

Has anybody seen the Red Riding movies from England? They look really good and the title sounds familiar.

[John G.]

A good, creepy Italian movie called "The Girl By the Lake" is shaping up to be a nice mystery for the evening.

[Edisaurus]

Well, I saw and said hey to Garry so he knew I was there, but who knows if he even remembers I did the show - he knows I did Laverne and Shirley, but Happy Days - I was so early in the run (seasons one and two) and maybe it wasn't mentioned to anyone.  It didn't bother me - whenever I see Anson or Donny or Henry they always remember like it was yesterday.  Tom Bosley was that way, too.

When I saw Henry in Marietta last weekend, I wanted to talk to him and mention that I knew you (and maybe that Ron Howard is in our baseball film) but he was so mobbed by people that I didn't...

[Edisaurus]

A beautiful fall day in Manhattan. The sun is shining and it's in the high 60s

Then what are you doing indoors at 1:00 p.m in the afternoon, Bem?

Oh, I know!  Watching college football.

Yeah, right!

I just came in from a couple of errands. I got a haircut and I went to the post office to get a box to mail Christmas presents to my niece and nephew in Minnesota but the box is too small so I will have to go back out or go to a UPS store for another box.

Christmas presents?

The Christmas season lasts a long time in the Benthony household. I have witnessed it!

[Edisaurus]

Amazing that we're in the same apartment and both on line doing different things.

Welcome to my world...

[Edisaurus]

We are excited about our Dear Amy's trip to NY for Jews and Baseball.

We will get to meet her mother!

And it was very nice of you to get a haircut just for the occasion!

[Edisaurus]

But when I woke up I could still taste one of the dessert wines. It was brackish, looked sort of like prune juice, smelled like caramels mixed with kerosene, had a gritty texture and tasted like something had crawled into the tank and died.

Gee, I can't understand why they don't hire you as the official spokesperson.

[Druxy]

Carnegie Deli
The portions

I ate at the Carnegie Deli the last time I was in New York.

The food didn't make that much of an impression.

What did was how close the tables were together.

You couldn't talk to the person across from you without the guy at the next table butting in.

 

[Edisaurus]

Great story, Ben. And on top of that, i envy you Christmas in Dublin.

I love Ben's reviews on Radio Wales, and if anyone hasn't heard Beverly Humphries, they're in for a treat. She has the warmest, most inviting voice and make you feel like she is talking directly to you. It really makes you want to settle in and enjoy the show. She also answers emails and takes requests, and it's fun to hear her say your name on the air and comment on what you wrote. I still have several of her comments on my computer, courtesy of "Ben in NY"!