Topic: SURPRISE, SURPRISE (Read 32794 times)

Jay · « **Reply #180 on:** May 19, 2004, 08:03:27 PM »

Speaking of Verdi's Falstaff and BK's good friend Stephen Sondheim, here's an interesting item from today's Los Angeles Times:

L.A.'s 'Sweeney' gets the ax
By Chris Pasles
Times Staff Writer

May 19 2004

Los Angeles Opera's plans to present Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd" in May 2005 have been derailed, officials said Tuesday. A film adaptation of "Todd," to be directed by "American Beauty" Oscar winner Sam Mendes, is in pre-production, and all theatrical performance rights to it have been withdrawn.

Bryn Terfel, who was scheduled to sing the title role, will still be here, however. He will instead sing the title role of Verdi's "Falstaff" in a revival of the 1990 L.A. Opera production. The cast will also include Kallen Esperian (Alice Ford), Vassily Gerello (Ford), Jane Henschel (Mistress Quickly), Celena Shafer (Nanetta) and Daniil Shtoda (Fenton).

Stephen Lawless will direct, and music director Kent Nagano will conduct. "Falstaff" tickets go on sale Aug. 1. "Sweeney Todd" ticket-holders will be contacted by Los Angeles Opera Audience Services: (213) 972-8001.

Copyright 2004 Los Angeles Times

Jay · « **Reply #181 on:** May 19, 2004, 08:08:37 PM »

[size=8][move=left,scroll,6,transparent,100%]Double-Double[/move][/size]

bk · « **Reply #182 on:** May 19, 2004, 08:11:39 PM »

5th game: Score - 205,920. Archivist. Highest word score: Blunt - 1800. Who had the highest score here? Don't want to go through all the posts. Pogue, you may as well give in - I didn't want to do it, I didn't want to do it, but tonight old man I did it, I did it, I did it. It's fun, but the games do go on so I will not be addicted as I am to Free Cell.

S. Woody White · « **Reply #183 on:** May 19, 2004, 08:12:37 PM »

Quote from: Charles Pogue on May 19, 2004, 02:13:17 PM

Robin, you brought up something I've noticed just recently. KFC as opposed to Kentucky Fried Chicken...Are they making a conscious effort to phase out the name? Is it the word "fried" in this health-obssessed era that scares them?...Or is the word "Kentucky" just too-rube-hilly-billy oriented and not hip enough? Though the grub there gets a bad rap, I do feel the need to indulge every so often...always original recipe for me.

The info I've been able to dig up, from the KFC website,isn't really clear as to when the name change occurred. There certainly has been a lot of passing the cluck...er, buck, however, as the following quote shows:

By 1964, Colonel Sanders had more than 600 franchised outlets for his chicken in the United States and Canada. That year, he sold his interest in the U.S. company for $2 million to a group of investors including John Y. Brown Jr., who later was governor of Kentucky from 1980 to 1984. The Colonel remained a public spokesman for the company. In 1976, an independent survey ranked the Colonel as the world's second most recognizable celebrity.

Under the new owners, Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation grew rapidly. It went public on March 17, 1966, and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange on January 16, 1969. More than 3,500 franchised and company-owned restaurants were in worldwide operation when Heublein Inc. acquired KFC Corporation on July 8, 1971, for $285 million.

Kentucky Fried Chicken became a subsidiary of R.J. Reynolds Industries, Inc. (now RJR Nabisco, Inc.), when Heublein Inc. was acquired by Reynolds in 1982. KFC was acquired in October 1986 from RJR Nabisco, Inc. by PepsiCo, Inc., for approximately $840 million.

In January 1997, PepsiCo, Inc. announced the spin-off of its quick service restaurants -- KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut -- into an independent restaurant company, Tricon Global Restaurants, Inc. In May 2002, the company announced it received shareholders' approval to change it's corporation name to Yum! Brands, Inc. The company, which owns A&W All-American Food Restaurants, KFC, Long John Silvers, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants, is the world's largest restaurant company in terms of system units with nearly 32,500 in more than 100 countries and territories.

As I recall, the name change didn't take place until after the Colonel's death, circa 1980. The advertising changed from using the actual man as their spokesperson, to using a cartoon image, and now employs a semi-stylized graphic of the Colonel. My hunch (and I could be wrong) is that the name change came about because it is both faster to say, and sounds more hip.

Or is "hip" acceptable jargon these days?

bk · « **Reply #184 on:** May 19, 2004, 08:14:45 PM »

Oh, and a little warning: I have never seen so much virus crap coming in all my life. It's worse than it's ever been, and the fact that no one, no hacker, no computer genius, can figure out how to nail these mofos is sickening. In any case, all these virus e-mails look like they're coming from people you know, so if there's an attachment, ANY attachment, do NOT open it unless you first write the sender and ask him/her if it's safe to do so.

S. Woody White · « **Reply #185 on:** May 19, 2004, 08:16:07 PM »

Quote from: Panni on May 19, 2004, 03:51:54 PM

Thanks for the info, Jane. What she really wants to do is move in with me. I'm the catnip.
I'll get something next time I'm at Petsmart.

A flea collar, perhaps?

Jennifer · « **Reply #186 on:** May 19, 2004, 08:25:52 PM »

DR Danise: Please feel better.

It's very hard to advise you without knowing the details. I think you should do whatever your doctor suggests. But if you want any help, please feel free to email me privately.

Kerry · « **Reply #187 on:** May 19, 2004, 08:29:11 PM »

Joyeux Anniversaire, mon ami Francois!!!!!

Happppppppppppy Day to all the rest of you. My schedule is starting to get back to normal (whatever that is), so I should be around this here site (as we say in the West) more. Now I must dance................

S. Woody White · « **Reply #188 on:** May 19, 2004, 08:37:04 PM »

You are not alone, DR Charles, in wanting to avoid Bookworm.

There's something about playing games on-line that bothers me. I can be doing so many other things on-line, like researching stuff, or catching up on what people I know are doing, or just surfing.

Off-line, I've got my own Solitaire routine. I pull up Hoyle's Card Games, set it to Solitaire, and then play, in order, Four Seasons, La Belle Lucie, Pyramid, and Klondike. Each game has to be played until I win a round. Then I get back to whatever.

Der Brucer is a Free Cell player.

Matt H. · « **Reply #189 on:** May 19, 2004, 08:42:07 PM »

I found the one hour AMERICAN IDOL results show tonight a totally endless affair despite the fact that there were several guests there including the Australian Idol who had a powerful voice but who sang through his nose which irritated me. Thankfully, because I was watching the series finale of ANGEL (wonderful one, BTW), I recorded AI on the DVR, so I could do one minute skips and lose not only all those commercials but most of the extraneous stuff leading up to the announcement of the person going home.

Matt H. · « **Reply #190 on:** May 19, 2004, 08:45:38 PM »

Sorry to read about that cancellation of SWEENEY TODD, DR Jay. I guess it's good news to read there will be a movie version (though I can't imagine a worldwide film audience waiting for this).

Thanks for the info.

S. Woody White · « **Reply #191 on:** May 19, 2004, 08:50:06 PM »

Re: Dreyer's/Edy's, requested yesterday by DRJose.

Picking up various bits and pieces from the Dreyer's Ice Cream website, William Dreyer and Joseph Edy were partners early on in the ice cream business. The partnership disolved in '47, but after the company changed hands a few more times, it was decided to market the ice cream under the name Dreyer's west of the Rockies, and and Edy's east of same, in honor of the two founders.

MBarnum · « **Reply #192 on:** May 19, 2004, 08:57:22 PM »

Quote from: S. Woody White on May 19, 2004, 08:37:04 PM

You are not alone, DR Charles, in wanting to avoid Bookworm.

There's something about playing games on-line that bothers me. I can be doing so many other things on-line, like researching stuff, or catching up on what people I know are doing, or just surfing.

I totally agree with you on that. In fact until now I had never even checked out any on-line or off-line games. It is such a waste of my time when I should be working on my interviews or watching my unwatched dvds. Goodness.

Um....now just one more game of Bookworm before I go to bed! LOL!

S. Woody White · « **Reply #193 on:** May 19, 2004, 09:00:01 PM »

Made chile for dinner tonight. It was pretty good. And it keeps reminding me of how good it was.

bk · « **Reply #194 on:** May 19, 2004, 09:03:22 PM »

I just had me some In and Out Burger and I must say it's the best in town. Never fails.

Charles Pogue · « **Reply #195 on:** May 19, 2004, 09:26:17 PM »

Woody, the only computer game I play is straight Solitaire. I have a computer Boggle version, but I can play it faster writing down words than I can moving a mouse over letters. If I really want to waste time on the computer...I have the complete Mad magazine up to 2001 on the computer.

Jay, I also read that article about the Sweeney Todd cancellation. I could understand canceling it, if the film were about to be released, but if it hasn't even started filming yet...what's the point? Do they really think people are going to say..."Oh, I saw the Opera do it two years ago...I don't need to see the film."?

Nope, BK, I will not give in!

Panni · « **Reply #196 on:** May 19, 2004, 09:58:14 PM »

Danise - sorry to hear about your health problems. Hope it all works out. Good vibes your way!

Finally caught up with GLOOMY SUNDAY tonight.

I haven't kept up with the high score words. Darn! Must start writing them down.

Jrand74 · « **Reply #197 on:** May 19, 2004, 10:17:42 PM »

Thanks for the pics Danise! I can just imagine Michael Ball was wonderful!

DR MB thanks for the word qua!

DRJASON the only proper response at that moment would have been: Now get out of my way - I've got a show to do.

WEL didn't answer my question. 8-(

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #198 on:** May 19, 2004, 10:36:34 PM »

Good Evening!

Hey, these three hour + days are really not sitting well with me.

-More rehearsal this afternoon for the new guy - thankfully, he's a very hard worker - very earnest. Then the show - pretty good show tonight - the orchestra was in a particularly good groove this evening.

DR Danise - I'm so glad you had a great time in Salt Lake City - and that you got a ton of pics of Michael Ball. I hope you won't have to cancel your New York City trip...

[move=left,scroll,6,transparent,100%]~~~~~GOOD HEALTH VIBES~~~~~[/move]

Oh, I don't think I answered my own questions from earlier:
-Ovaltine - I just really like the malt. I also like Quik - but I usually have to put in A LOT before it tastes "good" to me.

-With Almonds - usually. But as for Mounds vs. Almond Joy - always WITH!
-Seeded (meaning with seeds)
-Extra Crispy - Yes, it's bad for you no matter what diet you're on. And I still remember just pulling off the crunchy coating and skin, and not eating the chicken when I was younger! Salt, flour and fat!!!

And I'm 5'8" - It's a good height, but there are times when I wish I was taller, even just an inch more. Of course, my weight is another matter... but I'm making progress on that too.

As for Bookworm... I seemed to have lost my computer game "jones" a few years ago. Just not really interested. But I used to play games like Q-Bert, Free Cell and Tetris for a good chunk of time.

-And on a related note, I've never been able to come close to mastering things like Nintendo, X-box, etc. Or even some standard arcade games from my youth; I never made it past the first screen of Donkey Kong. For some reason, my fingers don't seem to have the coordination for that kind of activity - but put a Bach, Beethoven, Debussy or Sondheim piano score in front of me... piece of cake! -more or less.

PennyO · « **Reply #199 on:** May 19, 2004, 10:55:31 PM »

Just checking in... I had a lovely bath today, even washed my hair -- no easy feat with no running water. Well, that's not entirely correct... I do have running water, just not in the house. But there is the stream, and one can heat buckets of water in the big soup pot on the wood stove, then mix with cold water, and have a bath. A very welcome one, indeed - as I spent the day up on the hill burning the brush pile. Soot everywhere.

Anyhow, I'm off to bed. Maybe a video to sleep to. Probably Happy Gilmore. For some reason, I can always sleep if I put that one on. Good ol' Adam Sandler! Nite, all!

Tomovoz · « **Reply #200 on:** May 19, 2004, 10:59:13 PM »

How could anyone not fall in love with Michael Ball? Thanks for the photos Danise and the very best of good health vibes to you.
Of course Michael Ball came second with the UK entrant for Eurovision some years ago. "One Step out Of time". You need to know that.

Jason · « **Reply #201 on:** May 19, 2004, 11:08:01 PM »

Top score today: 178,510.

And now I must shower and get to bed. Goodnight.

bk · « **Reply #202 on:** May 19, 2004, 11:40:48 PM »

Say, where in tarnation IS everyone? Better not be playing that infernal game. We have noticed that dear reader Panni has been errant and truant for most of this evening, oh, yes, we have noticed and taken note of our noticing.

News:

Author Topic: SURPRISE, SURPRISE (Read 32794 times)

MBarnum