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[JMK]

I concur that the NW HHW get-together was great!  We need to do it again, soon (maybe if/when BK comes up here for a book-reading/signing).

In family mode, getting to and from Florida safely for a great week in Orlando with the kids was a highlight, though I am still recovering from riding Mission Space.      (They're missing a major market by not having "I survived Mission Space and all I got was this barf bag" engraved barf bags available).

On a personal level, seeing the fruition of long years of tracking down the truth about Frances Farmer.  Thousands of people now have read my web article, I've been contacted by everyone from Leonard Maltin to a Peabody award winning documentarian, not to mention virtually daily emails from folk all over the world.  It's been really heartwarming.

[JoseSPiano]

Good Afternoon!

Boy, did I overlsleep today!  And it wasn't even a matter of sleeping in, I just plaing overslept.  I am feeling a little achy, and I'm hoping that's just from the extra time in the bed and not from something else.  -I may just make a run to the drugstore for some of that oscillococcinum (sp?) stuff.  In any case...

Highlights of 2004 - that I can remember right now:

Two wonderful trips to NYC with my friend, Steve.  One in January, one in November.  We now have a favorite restaurant, Becco, and we found that the ginger snaps from Amy's Breads are addictive.  We saw a bunch of shows between the two trips: Urinetown, Avenue Q, Caroline, or Change, Wicked, Hairspray, Dame Edna: Back with a Vengeance, and The Producers - and all from house seats too!  We also got to sup with DRs elmore and Ben, as well as meeting and knoshing with Dr PennyO.  And one of these days, I'll get some of those trip photos posted.  Most importantly, it's been wonderful being able to spend time with Steve.  Even though we are "technically apart", we're still very close, and like spending time in each other's company.

I was also able to catch Wonderful Town (yes, Donna Murphy was in that night) and Gypsy (yes, Bernadette Peters was in that night), and I had a wonderful time at both shows.

The whole Children of Eden experience.  It was great working with all the Ford's Theatre folks again, and the cast and crew of that show were top-notch - and great to hang out with.  Of course, there were those 40 hours of keyboard programming, but even those were made fun, at least bearable, since my conductor, Brad, was also working on his keyboard at the same time.  -And we didn't notice any ghosts in Ford's the one night we did the all-nighter.

...And meeting DRs SWW and DerB during the run of that show was most definitely a highlight.  Ah, the roses!

[JMK]

Just got a press release emailed to me that the Library of Congress has added The Court Jester to the National Film Registry for 2004 (Seven Brides also was among the inductees this year).

[elmore3003]

I just got, on Skip Kennon's recommendation, ZICAM, which he tells me did wonders for his cold.  So, I went to the pharmacy and there are a zillion types of ZICAM!   I ended up with their Oral Mist Cold Remedy.  We'll see . . .

[vixmom]

I am still recovering from riding Mission Space.      

I LOVED this ride.  DH, Vixter & I were able to preview this ride before it was open to the public and we rode it twice in succession (no lines in previews!!) I wanted to do it all day long, that sensation of weightlessness albeit shortlived , was fantastic.  I must admit tho',  DH's opinion was closer to yours!!

[JoseSPiano]

...and then came What If?...

"Can you come out tomorrow?"

Well, that was a Wednesday, and I flew out Thursday morning.  -Yes, I could come out "tomorrow"!

There were so many moments of serendipity with this whole experience...

-Bemoaning - right here on HHW - my upcoming lack of work... and then BINGO!

-Being able to stay with my, Chris, in Los Feliz for a few weeks.  -And then eventually getting him involved in the project by doing the "Coming Attractions" audio.  The late night hours of fun we had going through foley sound effects to find just the right gun-click and "bouquet throw".  And just being able to spend more time with Chris was just plain wonderful.

-Having DR Jay open his house to me too.  And for playing chauffeur - I still feel guilty for asking him to take the bridge that one night, and then finding that he had a tire blow out.  For playing tour guide - what a fount of knowledge of all things LA.  For playing movie guide - at least he had the good sense not to see "The Brown Bunny".  For playing culinary guide - oh, the food, the Food!  For playing cultural guide - the concerts, the shows, the museums... the piano bars.  It was all just too too.  We had met once last year when I was in LA, but this time round it was also great to make a new friend in the process.  Thank You, Jay.

-All the DRs and friends and contacts who helped me and BK procure music and charts for the show including DR Matthew, Rick at Hollywood Sheet Music, and Michael Lavine in NYC.  -And I guess I better thank FedEx, USPS Priority and Overnight, and the inventors of the cell phone and fax machine too!  

-All the friends old and new I met while I was out in LA.  Some of whom I was literally running into while walking down the street!

-The City of LA.  Especially it's public transportation system.  It served me well.

-The cast: Tammy, Ryan, Alet, Paul and Susanne.  What a true pleasure and privilege to work with them.

-An additional mention for Tammy who as producer had to deal with so much stuff(!) - even stuff from myself and BK.    I don't know how she did it all.

-Last, but certainly not least, I have to thank BK.  He took a chance.  He trusted me.  He entrusted me.  Truly an honor.

[Jay]

Thank you, Dear Reader Jose.  Believe me, the experience was as much fun for me as it was for you!

[Jay]

Last night Dear Reader TCB asked whether I schlepped down to Sandy Eggo to see Jersey Boys.  I did not.

[JoseSPiano]

Other random highlights...

Subbing in for Mamma Mia! and The Producers on the road.

Playing for A Chorus Line in Houston at Theatre Under the Stars.  It was great working with Baayork Lee again.

And Hallelujah, Baby! - warts and all - is turning into a highlight.

WOW!  I guess I did work quite a bit this past year after all!

[JoseSPiano]

And the most recent and most important highlight of 2004 has been having my father have a successful surgery for prostate cancer, and then coming home from the hospital - albeit twice - for some rest and recovery at home.  He's making a speedy recovery, and even those late night karaoke sessions are (almost) bearable...

The whole "cancer" thing with my father has truly affected me in a lot of ways - and probably in more ways then I'll ever truly know.  I've mentioned before here on this site that when it comes to health matters, my parents tend to be "quiet" - I still don't think I've ever heard my Mom or my Dad say the word "cancer".  In fact, the only time I did hear the word cancer was when my brother, Jay, let it slip when he "accidentally" told me back in September.  And, in the realm of "timing is everything", I first heard that news two hours before the final Thursday performance of What If?.  It truly made my last few days in LA "interesting" to say the least.  But the show must go on, and it did.

Now that I think of it, I think my whole "make the move to NYC" mindset is a result of my Dad's cancer scare.  We never know what the future holds for us, and there is truly no time like the present.  Carpe diem!

But I'm very glad that I'm also back up Arena Stage for Hallelujah, Baby! which is allowing me to spend some more time with my family, and play "day nurse" as it were too for my father right now.  Originally, there was not going to be an additional keyboard in the pit, but then I got the call while I was out in LA in August to come on board.  It truly is amazing how things work out and fit together.

[bk]

Yes, I'll add the whole wacky What If show to my highlights.  Looking back on it, we were truly insane - to keep losing the rights to shows, and then to just up and say, "We'll just do a revue" when there was no revue to do.  And five weeks later to open a revue and then actually be a hit with both critics and audiences was something totally unexpected and amazing.  It had been quite some time since I'd directed for the stage and I found the experience so gratifying that I'm actively looking for other projects to direct.  I had to ride herd pretty toughly a few times, but that was only because I knew we had a short period of time to do a lot of intensive work.  Everyone pulled through and we did it.

As to the Horror of Party Beach songs - there are a lot of places notated for songs in the script, but these are going to be real songs by up-and-coming hot bands, just like beach party movies of old.  The only thing I've written, song-wise, is some faux rap lyrics for a young white character I created.

[bk]

The rain has abated for a moment, but apparently we're in for more later.  I've alerted the proper people about the little leak, but they probably won't be able to attend to it until the rain actually stops.

[JoseSPiano]

OK... time for me to get my stuff together and head back up to Fairfax...

Laters...

[JoseSPiano]

Oh... and when I saw today's topic, I immediately thought of the "Cheesy Potatoes" at Taco Bell.  -They're actually not too bad.  But when have salt, fat and carbs ever tasted bad?

[Charles Pogue]

Personal highlight was having my HERCULES mini-series, filmed, being the only writer on it which will mean sole credit, and having two strong and smart executives on it who did their utmost in protecting the script.  It will air during sweeps week of May 2005.

Having a book dedicated to me and The Lovely wife by Harlan Ellison was quite a thrill.

And appearing in the book, A POUND OF PAPER, by John Baxter, along with a lot of other well-known writers and book collectors, responding to the question:  "If your house caught on fire, what book would you save?"

Going back to Dallas, where I lived for about four years early in my acting career, to speak to the Dallas Screenwriters Association, and to visit old haunts was great fun.

It was a privilege to be in the glittering first-night crowd of What If, getting to see the Schmidt/Jones tribute in Pasadena, and travelling to merrie ole London once more for a great round of theatre-going.

[Panni]

I also have a few leaks in my home environment. The roof is new, so that was fine, but the windows are originals from the Stone Age or the twenties. Some of them leaked a bit.

Highlights of 2004:

My trip to Budapest and Rome. Being in Budapest for the first time for and extended period was wonderful. And staying with DD in HER apartment on the very street where my grandfather had owned a store before the war, was a glorious experience.
The trip to the Focolare Media conference in Rome, the people I met there, the talk I gave and the response... And seeing Rome for the first time! Wow!

I was about to talk about my experience of seeing WHAT IF 5 times, but have been interrupted. More later.

[Matthew]

(THERE IS A SLIGHT WRITER'S BLOCK SPOILER BELOW - IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK - PLEASE BEWARE - BK)

Hello all.... the DP and I are back from the Land of Disney.  I won't get into the trip as it was VERY crowded and a little disheartening for this Disneyland fanatic.  I knew it would be crowded, but what I didn't expect was the rude people in the crowds.  It seemed very wrong to me, especially in Disneyland.  What's also sad is that Disneyland is PACKED with people and Disney's California Adventure isn't even close to being full.  

One of the things I did whilst braving the crowds was read (and finish) "Writers Block".  I loved the first half, but it took me to the very end to understand the last half.  The going from present time, back to the story, and then the end.  I won't say anymore for fear of giving anything away.  It was quite confusing.

I did get a lot of the reference's to people, but I was wondering if there are others I didn't get and if someone wanted to enlighten me with a "Writers Block" crib sheet, it would be rather cool.  I'm curious to know if this was based AT ALL on a real show?

[DearReaderLaura]

Good afternoon, fellow dear readers.

The weathermen tell us that the California storms are headed our way to Arizona. My pounding headache confirms.

[JMK]

One of the differences we noticed when we did Disneyland and California Adventure two (three?) years ago is the vast difference in planning the public throughways at the two parks, no doubt based on improved thinking from 1955 to whenever California Adventure opened.  Disneyland's walkways are, for the most part, rather narrow, whereas California Adventure had huge open spaces between the attractions.

[Stuart]

Disney's California Adventure isn't even close to being full.  

DR Matthew, did you actually go to California Adventure?

If so, that ought to answer your question.    I was never so disappointed by a Disney product as that entire park.

[Tomovoz]

90 minutes and a sleep have passed by! Where is everyone. Maybe we can discuss the lows for the year - Shingles shingles shingles!!

[Panni]

Just read that Susan Sontag has died. Such a wonderful essayist. And she delved into such a wide range of topics. "Illness as Metaphor" I want to read again. Ditto "Against Interpretation." Actually, I should reread all her stuff. So many books, so little time...

[Panni]

To briefly get back to the hightlights of the year...
As I was starting to say in my earlier Highllights post, I loved seeing WHAT IF? a number of times, seeing it grow, shift, change.

Meeting some of the terrific people at HHW has also been a highlight. Some in person, some friendships blossoming online. No need for a list. You know who you are.

Some of the writing I did this year was really satisfying - so that certainly was a highlight.

More later...

[Matthew]

DR Stuart, we actually LOVE California Adventure.  It's coming around, finally, but I've always thought it was fun.  It certainly isn't magical, but on its own, it's a great park.  

[Matt H.]

I pulled LOST IN BOSTON off the shelf and enjoyed it thoroughly today. I hadn't listened to it in quite some time, and it was certainly etertaining. Great orchestrations by DR elmore, too.

[elmore3003]

I pulled LOST IN BOSTON off the shelf and enjoyed it thoroughly today. I hadn't listened to it in quite some time, and it was certainly etertaining. Great orchestrations by DR elmore, too.

Thank you, DRMattH!  

[bk]

Matthew, the musical in Writer's Block isn't based on anything but what a typical musical of the era would have been like.  I leave a crib sheet to others.  Interesting that you were so confused by the last half - haven't really gotten that reaction.

[MBarnum]

I am playing hooky from work today...that is a highlight because I am getting all sorts of projects done today!

[MBarnum]

In fact I am just getting one interview together and ready to mail off to the publisher...and then I will start transcribing another.

[JoseSPiano]

Good Afternoon!

-So, I "go away" for almost four hours, and we're still on Page 2?!?!?!