jgesteve

Via an old high school friend on Facebook:


Via gnumoose:

In honor of Neil Patrick Harris being selected to host the Tony Awards, an internet video retrospective:

Stayed home from work today 'cause I was feeling like crap. I just saw that Heroes has definitely been picked up by NBC for renewal while Chuck still remains in limbo, and I'm sorry but that's bullshit. I swear NBC is like a battered wife or something when it comes to Heroes. It consistently lets them down but they stick with it. Anyway, I was watching the season finale of Chuck and realizing that while Morgan Fairchild is excellent as Awesome's mom, I'm realy wishing they'd cast Kate Jackson in her role so that Awesome's parents would have been Scarecrow and Mrs. King.

In other news, I am so over this rainy crappy weather, for serious. Also, I saw Wolverine over the weekend with fafou and M. Overall, not bad. Plenty of sexy Hugh Jackman to watch. Not enough sexy Ryan Reynolds. Some issues: ( spoilers )

Hey, darthfox, did you see this: Chess in Concert, with Menzel, Pascal and Groban, to Air on PBS in June. I'm fairly certain that you were a fan of Chess, or am I just getting you confused with Nick.

In other random bits from the day so far:

This is kinda fun in a vaguely NSFW sort of way.

Star Wars MacGyver:


For reference, the original opening:

My addition to the Amazon Rank hullabaloo.
( Amazon Email )

76 Ho-mos led the big parade...

So, what the heck, you're welcome,
Glad to have you with us.
Even though we may not ever mention it again.

Ok, enough with the Music Man references, Iowa court upholds gay marriage! Yay!

Producers Want to Move Encores! Finian's Rainbow to Broadway: I was bummed I hadn't a chance to see it during it's run recently. I'd be happy to see it for both the Cheyenne-y goodness and because it holds a special place in my theatrical upbringing: My high school theatre director, Mr. "Duck" Donald, told us at least once per production the story of how he played Og, the Leprechaun, and was violently ill during one performance of the show. So, he had buckets off-stage left and right and would dance across the stage, puke, dance back across the stage, puke, etc.

Thanks, brewergnome, this really brightened my day:


Also, last night I finished Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical Follies a wonderful book by Ted Chapin, current president of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, past Production Assistant on the musical, chronicling the entire development cycle of the original production of Hal Prince and Stephen Sondheim's musical Follies. If you have any interest in the musical theatre, Stephen Sondheim, or just want a better understanding of how Broadway has changed from the era of Rodgers & Hammerstein standards through the Prince & Sondheim innovations to the current Lloyd-Webber & Disney marketable commodities, this is the book for you.

So, over the weekend my mother, sister (neato72), and I went to see a couple shows:
Blithe Spirit
Angela Lansbury stole the show as eccentric Madame Arcati, though I will say she had some stiff competition from Susan Louise O'Connor making her Broadway debut as the maid, Edith. Jayne Atkinson and Christine Ebersole were wonderful in the roles of Charles' duelling wives living (mostly) and dead (mostly) respectively. Rupert Everett was excellent as Charles, though by now he's played that same basic role in a variety of historical periods: Elizabethan, Victorian, post-World War, post-Cold War, etc. Overall, I would say the only problems with the productions was the perhaps too long gap between scenes (the use of the Noel Coward songs sung by Ms. Ebersole, was nice, but seemed to force extra time onto the show where none was truly needed) and the fact that the major plot device was never truly well explained (I shan't spoil it here).

South Pacific
I've never been a huge fan of South Pacific (or Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals in general), but this production converted me. Firstly, let me say that, for her sake, I hope that this production removes any lingering taint Laura Osnes' name has as a result of having been cast in Grease via a reality show. Ms. Osnes' did an admirable job in the role of Knucklehead Nellie Forbush deftly balancing the "corny" and the "cock-eyed" with the conflicted. Opera singer David Pittsinger was a moving Emile in glorious voice (if a little bit too stiff at some points, specifically the final lines of "This Nearly was Mine"). Loretta Ables Sayre was an alternatingly amusing and menacing Bloody Mary. One, I hesitate to say low, maybe odd, point was Andrew Samonsky's portrayal of Lt. Joe Cable. He seemed to be affecting a voice and bravado in his book scenes that didn't fully work for me, and seemed at odds with his singing voice (beautiful) and the scenes of him on the radio. And, of course, one can't discount the most important cast member, the sumptuous 30-piece orchestra which truly deserved the attention that was lavished upon it.

Via The New Gay (they're useful for some things):

Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, the brains behind Ab Fab, will always crack me up. Their sketch comedy is just as funny as Ab Fab in its prime and this one is my favorite (opera nerd alert!). My roomie Josh and I just about died the first time we saw it at JRs on showtunes night and, thankfully, he found it online a short time later.

French and Saunders deliver perfect operatic send-ups, but what makes this music spoof so great is the details. First off, “I Should Be So Lucky” is a Kylie Minogue song from 1987 (this to the Brits is our “Like a Virgin”). Second off, that third singer, the one that can actually sing, is famous British opera singer Sarah Walker.

Via email from B:


Also, I'm quite glad that darthfox drives to work and therefore does not likely read the Washington Post Express which today featured a sidebar with questions from the Going Out Gurus' chat one of which stated that "dinner alludes us." I like to have friends with heads in a non-exploded state ;-)

OMG, my love for Neil Gaiman just went up another notch... he, too, disliked Tom Bombadil in Lord of the Rings... I've always felt like such an outsider when it came to LotR because I was ecstatic that TB was left out of the movies!

So, last night B had gotten us tickets to see The Heavens are Hung with Black at Ford's Theatre. This was a world premier piece commissioned for the reopening of the theatre and Lincoln's Bicentennial. It chronicles the months between the death of his son William and his writing of the Emancipation Proclamation. It was certainly different than I was expecting. This is no Shakespeare history play by any means (though the Henry's are mentioned at one point). It was very bizarre both textually and in presentation at times. Overall, it was an enjoyable evening of theatre in a historically apropos setting, but I can't see this ever being produced elsewhere with any regularity. David Selby is an excellent Lincoln playing him with an almost Mark Twain-like wit. The actors playing John Hay, Secretary of State Seward, and the ghost of Stephen Douglas were also quite good. Among the other ghosts making an appearance, because apparently Lincoln "sees dead people": John Brown, Dred Scott, Willie Lincoln, Uncle Tom, and a dream-time visit with Jefferson Davis.

Some of these spectral visits work well (as in the scene with John Brown, Stephen Douglas, and Dred Scott all verbally sparring with Lincoln) some of these not so well (The whole scene with Uncle Tom was a bit confusing). Also, given the tiny nature of the Ford's Theatre's stage, I think some of the staging choices were a bit bad. For instance, for the opening of the second act, the "Oval Office" set's walls fly out showing a river of light (the Potomac that McClelland was taking his sweet time crossing to attack Richmond) separating the sleeping forms of Abe and Jeff Davis, as the scene transitions back to the Oval Office, the rear wall comes only about halfway back down. My immediate thought was that the set malfunctioned. It remained that way for a goodly sum of time and only was explained when Dred Scott entered from upstage center. It just seemed weird and unnecessary to have this wall half flown in for a good 20 minutes just to facilitate this one entrance.

Another thing that didn't quite make sense was the use of Walt Whitman as a Greek chorus/narrator/commentator. For those that know Ragtime, think of the way that Emma, Henry Ford, Harry Houdini, et al. were used, but way less effective.

Long and the short of it, if you've got a yen for Lincolnalia, or want to see a show at the historic theatre, go see it. If you're looking for good theatre, take a pass.

...as an FYI and a minor request, having been bitten one too many times by the Fox Network Execs, I'm holding off on watching Dollhouse's episode 1 until such time as I know that it will be around for a bit. I did my duty by buying the episode on iTunes (voting with my dollars), but until it makes it past like episode 3, I'm asking that people be kind on my flist and cut any major spoilers ;-)

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO! is all I have to say!

So, the Helen Hayes Awards (DC Theatre's Tonys) nominations have been announced. I was happy to see some people on the list, not so happy about others. Though it was nice to see that I wasn't the only one who didn't care for Javert in Signature's Les Miserables as he was the only major male role who DIDN'T get a nom (Valjean got an undeserved, I feel, nod in the lead category, while Thenardier, Enjolras, and my boy Marius got supporting nods). I agree with Will Chase getting a nod for Kiss of the Spiderwoman, disagree with Hunter Foster's same nod. Also, not sure that Ace deserved a nod as Best Resident Musical, then again most of my issues were with the lyrics. Signature Theatre is bound to walk away with at least one win since all the noms for Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Musical are from Signature shows. And wouldn't it suck for Eric Schaeffer to lose the directing award because he split his own vote three ways.

Listening to the Equus kick-line number from this past year's Gypsy of the Year makes me glad that Harry Potter is not a musical. Daniel, you're pretty, but don't sing dear ;-)

This story on DCist:

The Washington Post's Paul Schwartzman reports from the Old Georgetown Board meeting today, and says that the board has indeed rejected Apple's storefront design for a fourth time. While insisting they are eager for the store to open on Wisconsin Ave., the board expressed frustration with Apple for again submitting a design that included a wide, all-glass entryway. Deputy mayor for planning and economic development Neil Albert didn't mince words: "We're extremely disappointed with today's decision." For it's part, Apple says it is still committed to making the Georgetown location work and will once again go back to the drawing board.

drew this comment which is utterly pricelss:

For its part, Apple says it is still committed to making the Georgetown location work and will once again go back to the drawing board.

Christ, Apple, you dweebs! Let me make this clear to you: the Old Georgetown Board is committed to not having Apple in this location. If you travel back in time to 1800 and get Pierre L'Enfant to design your building for you, they will still not approve it. If during your time travel, you get George Washington to change his farewell address to include the passage "I dream of a day, as all Americans so dream, when in Georgetowne shall open a store that sells marvelous inventions of a most clever nature, by which one may communicate at a distance without aid of post or signal-flag, whilst moving freely about one's business unencumbered, and by means of which one can both fix one's longitude and latitude within an accuracy of several feet and watch moving images of one Miss Feist, a comely young lady singer from Nova Scotia," they'll argue that she moved to Alberta before she hit it big.

Stop acting like a battered spouse and move on. Go to Penn Quarter or Dupont Circle or Chinatown; they'd be glad to have you, they're just as hoity as Georgetown while being much less toity, and unlike Georgetown your District-based customers will easily be able to get there. (Seriously -- if you open a store in Georgetown, I for one will be looking forward to still having to schlep out to Pentagon City or Clarendon to get my iPhone fix.)

Returned home safely from Miami and have now filed my taxes (getting back about $700 total from state and Fed).

Have a good weekend y'all. I'm off to DCA to catch a flight to Miami. Talk to y'all when I get back!

So obviously the Judicial and the Executive branch are separate, however, I would think that the military court system is a function of the Executive branch, not the Judicial. Therefore, when the head of the Executive branch orders you to stay a proceeding, shouldn't that ya know, be a direct order that you can't say "No" to?

Yay! The Middleman is going to be getting a DVD set this summer!