Theatre, TV, Movies, Books, Music, and More: My Need to Be Entertained

It's Just Not a Homework Night

2011-02-09T00:07:00.003-05:00

I've been having a hard time getting into my homework this evening. Not that this is very different from other evenings, except that apparently the feeling is so bad tonight, that I'm willing to blog for the first time in months. I've been thinking about starting posting with a bit more regularity for a while now, a lot of my friends (oh yes, I have friends now! It's really been that long since a substantial update, I think) have tumblrs or wordpresses or some such things. Those are great, I'm sure, I tend to check my friends' pages every day, but I really don't want to go through the trouble of setting up a new account and finding people to friend or follow or whatnot, so I figure I'll write here, even though my 10th grade venting posts are only a page or two deep. That might be good motivation, actually. The more I write, the further down those embarrassing things sink, yes? Note to past self: Arrested Development was canceled, but there's still hope for a movie! Keep the dream alive, high school Andy!

I suppose I could use this space to help hone my critical voice. I consume a lot of entertainment, always have, as the title of the blog suggests, and I tend to have thoughts jumbled in my head afterwords. Always good to have a space to force me to articulate the problems I had with this week's Glee or why I think The Scottsboro Boys should find a wider audience, but can't. Plus, bloggers who gain influence sometimes get free stuff, and isn't that why people do anything? It's half the reason I joined Twitter! (That hasn't payed off yet, although I have won several things in Facebook contests). At any rate, it's clear that a lot of "This is what I did today" posts won't be interesting to anyone, not even me (hence, my dropping of regular posting after a week in 9th grade), so perhaps I need a goal or a deadline or something to strive towards? I'm not sure. I should probably come up with something if I don't want this particular post to sit at the top for another 17 months like my last post.

Well, this was ramble-y and disconnected, apologies on that front. I've successfully killed a bit of time, at least, so that's good. Y'all don't be strangers, y'hear? (Not sure why I do the weird southern thing sometimes. I hope it's not condescending.)

Susan Blackwell: Is she the greatest person ever?

2009-09-17T20:32:00.001-04:00

Watch this and tell me SB isn't the coolest, most awesome person ever. I love it.

Return to NYC

2009-09-03T22:26:00.002-04:00

So I'm back in NYC, have been for a few days now. It's been a really nice transition, especially since I have no roommate and all. I'm easing back into most things school related, although not theatre-going. No, siree. I did see some stuff in Rochester while I was home, but boy did I miss the variety and quality that NYC has to offer. Since I've been back, I've seen 2 plays and a movie of a play, and that's in 5 days. Yeah. Here's my thoughts:

The Bacchae (Shakespeare in the Park)

Well, it was certainly an experience. This is my first time seeing a show at the Delacorte, and although I had my difficulties getting there (it was quite an adventure relearning the subway system on my first day back, and THEN figuring out how to navigate Central Park. Can you believe I never went all last year?!) I had won the virtual line, but had gotten there to late to claim them, but I waited in the standby line and ended up getting tickets, and probably would have no matter what time I had gotten there, since there were still empty seats behind me. The experience of it all was very nice, the weather was beautiful and the park created a very nice ambiance to help me ease myself back into city life and theatregoing.

The show itself was a mixed bag. The Bacchae is very Greek, and I knew that going in, so I was expecting the minimal action and long monologues. And most of the individual performances were very good, especially Rocco Sisto and Andre DeShields, who each had a brief part, but really sold it well. Jonathan Groff was servicable and played much of the material uniquely, but overall, did not make that much of an impression. But the real problems with the show lay in the Chorus and its use of music. This version featured a brand new score by well known experimental composer Phillip Glass, and while there were some moments of transcendence (I really loved the exit music's use of changing time signatures), much of the music sounded repetitive and dull, often seeming weird for the sake of being weird. And because of this, it was very difficult to concentrate on whatever the chorus was saying, you really couldn't catch the words underneath the music, and therefore lost much of the reflection and meaning in the play.

Also, on a slightly unrelated note, there was some commotion in the audience, which may or may not have been related to the famous group of raccoons that live around the Delacorte, that fell during a crucial moment of the play which caused the whole audience to lose focus. There was no regaining it for the last 10 minutes or so, and I think the overall play suffered from this distraction, through no fault of its own.

9 to 5

Tuesday I won the lotto to go see 9 to 5 at the Marquis on Broadway. It was certainly a lot of fun, and had some great musical moments, but I found the book to be very lacking, and while it was humorous, the plot was kind of a mess. There were some great performances, though, particularly the 2 Tony nominees, Allison Janney and Marc Kudisch. They really know how to get the laughs going, and made the show much better than it should've been. Sorry to see this one closing so early, it deserved to run at least a full year.

Passing Strange

And then, this evening, I had the pleasure of going to the IFC Center and viewing Spike Lee's filming of the musical Passing Strange, the experimental rock musical written by musician's Stew and Heidi Rodewald. And boy, is it an experience. It's basically about what it is to grow up wanting to be an artist, and the power that one can make art have. And it is brilliant. I really do think that this is the first rock musical that I have seen that is actually grown up and adult with mature and difficult themes and a complex sensibility. It's a show that I can't wait to see again (probably when it airs on PBS in the next year or so) and it's a show that you want to share with your friends. It's truly an extraordinary achievement in terms of writing, definitely earning that Best Book Tony last year, and then the amazing performances from the tight ensemble just elevate it to a nearly perfect level. It's totally challenging and self-reflecting and just gives you something to THINK about, which is always so great to see in a musical.

The filming itself is beautiful, and Spike Lee really understood the message of the piece. The fact that most of it (I think) was from the final performance just means that the crowd was totally with the show and the performers are really giving it all (if you have any doubt just look at the sweat coming off of Coleman Domingo). There's a moment right after the curtain call where Stew, who's been narrating the show and providing commentary throughout, steps forward toward the cheering crowd, and the band's going crazy and he just takes it all in, and it really shows you the humbling power that you have when you make great art that really says something about the world. He goes on to kiss and embrace every person who's on that stage with them, and you can just feel the power of the collaboration. If you get a chance to see this taping, please do so without any hesitation. Just go in with an open mind and you will be thinking about it for hours afterwords, at least.

Well, that covers my entertainment news since I've been back in NYC. Hope you enjoyed reading it, and I do look forward to blogging more as I see more stuff throughout the year, hopefully writing here fairly regularly, assuming school doesn't get too much in the way. And I'm also tossing around the idea of doing entries on here that have to do with my exciting new vlogging project that's coming soon, so I'll keep you updated on that!

Tony Wrap Up: How'd I Do?

2009-06-10T22:41:00.002-04:00

Well, the main event has come and passed. The performances have taken place and the winners have collected their trophies (but I think they have to send them back to be engraved with their name, so it may not be in their immediate possession). So before I get to a review and thoughts on the telecast, here's how I did in my predictions.

Overall Production Categories: 5/5

Told you they were very predictable.

Performances: 7/8

The only one I missed was Featured Actor in a Musical, which I thought would go to Christopher Sieber. He had to settle for a shout out in the closing number. My dark horse, Greg Jbara, actually pulled off the award, so I'll give myself half credit for that, for a real total of 7.5/8.

Craft: 8.5/14

That darn tie in orchestrations threw me for a loop, so that's what the .5 up there is for.
I thought Blithe Spirit would get costumes, but my dark horse with Victorian dresses AND a concept, Mary Stuart, won out, so half credit there.
I was completely off on lighting design, as I guessed the Equus win in this category, not sound where it actually won, and my dark horse of 33 Variations didn't get the nod either over Joe Turner.
I underestimated the power of Billy, and didn't think he would get Lighting, so no points there.
Half credit for sound design since Equus was my dark horse over Exit the King.
I pulled the wrong Warchus for play direction, in a very surprising move on the part of the voters, so no credit for me there, since I thought it would be Norman or nothing.
My dark horse in orchestrations was Shrek since they have the biggest orchestra and a varied score, but the scrappy rock stylings of N2N pulled out the tie with Billy.
This makes my real score (with all the half credits added in) 9.5/14. Not bad, especially for my first time out, eh?

And now for the telecast. In a word: WHY? I mean, most of the ideas were good in theory, but if you're going to execute your telecast like that, why even bother trying? I sincerely hope the sound guy had a good excuse for the horrible mixing, because it seems he deprived us of a truly transcendent, thrilling opening number. I even liked the mash ups (and I liked the rock underscored "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" a surprising amount. I'd buy that track!) and got really excited in parts where everyone was all singing together. But I wasn't truly taken away because of the awful, awful sound mixing. I do also wish we could have gotten a clearer picture of more people when they were all on stage at the end, and that people behind the front row could be properly identified.

Neil Patrick Harris did a good job smoothly piloting, and was often barely noticeable, giving the shows and awards a chance to shine before killing with his hilarious closing number. But all the talented people in the world on that stage could not have saved the telecast from the stranger choices of the directors (swooshing on the memorials? really?) and the strange places where mics were turned up too much or not enough.

Seriously, if you are going to turn the awards into a giant commercial while sacrificing some very important awards (Best Book? Choreography?) to the preshow (hosted by the hilarious Laura Benanti and smooth Brian Stokes Mitchell) please do a good job selling your product. I'm ok with featuring touring companies a bit, to draw in those who may not ever get to NYC, but are interested in the shows in their neck of the woods, but maybe you can feature a bunch of them in their own big medley instead of spreading it out to three performances. That would also save us from having to suffer through 3 verses of Dancing Queen for the umpteenth time, which I would very much support and appreciate.

The Tony Awards have the potential to put on a great show and sell some tickets at the same time. But do please remember that this is about honoring the great work of the past year, so relegating important awards to the preshow and having Jersey Boys perform for the third time in four years isn't always sending the right message. Hopefully you'll get back on track next year. I know I'll be there watching, but if other people don't because of the quality of the telecast this year, I certainly can't blame them.

Tony Predictions Part 3- The Main Events!

2009-06-05T18:40:00.003-04:00

So it all comes down to this. The Tonys are days away. All the votes are in (I think, I can't imagine them being due any later than today, since they have to be tabulated before Sunday night), and all that are left for me to predict and complain about are the biggies. The Best productions of the year. In many ways, these are the easiest to predict this year, so this'll probably be a mercifully short post, with little commentary. I'll post a wrap up after the ceremonies to see how I did, and with my thoughts on the show itself, including the talented host Neil Patrick Harris.

Best Play

Dividing the Estate (0 Predicting)
God of Carnage (14 Predicting) W
Reasons to Be Pretty (0 Predicting) S, DH
33 Variations (0 Predicting)

Commentary: The star-studded, sold-out, physical feat that is God of Carnage, written by French author Yasmina Razbek, is definitely the front-runner here. It's a bit of a slight play, but the excellent direction and performances pick it up to make it a reported great deal of fun, and audiences are flocking to it. Reasons is definitely the underdog, but a lot of people feel it is more deserving and the producers are pushing its American author and production team as a plus. Dividing could conceivably pull it out as the last play of Horton Foote, but the show has been closed for a while and is likely out of the voters minds. 33 Variations had a lot of problems and doesn't have the momentum to take it out. I am happy with this batch of nominees, I don't think any other original plays were strong enough this season to take out the nominees.

Best Musical

Billy Elliot, The Musical (14 Predicting) W
Next to Normal (0 Predicting) DH
Rock of Ages (0 Predicting)
Shrek The Musical (0 Predicting) S

Commentary: Billy's had this in the bag from day one. It's the perfect combination of artistic merit and crowd-pleasing tourist-drawing spectacle that there's little opportunity for anyone to sneak in from behind. N2N has all the artistic snobs on its side and would be an upset similar to Avenue Q over Wicked, but Billy does have enough quality in it to appeal to a wide-ranging crowd of voters. Rock of Ages isn't ambitious enough, and Shrek's perceived as too corporate and uneven. I've almost gotten over Rock of Ages being included over [title of show], which just doesn't make sense in terms of artistic merit, but I guess it does on a business level. Heck, I would've been happy to see 9 to 5 or maybe even 13 over Rock of Ages, who is pretty much only on Broadway so that the upcoming film will have a better pedigree. Can you tell I'm bitter?

Best Revival of a Play

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (1 Predicting) DH
Mary Stuart (0 Predicting)
The Norman Conquests (13 Predicting) W
Waiting for Godot (0 Predicting) S

Commentary: This is by far the years toughest category in terms of coming up with a nomination list. The category could've been twice as big and still left worthy competitors out of the running. Equus, The Seagull, Blithe Spirit, All My Sons, Exit the King, Speed-the-Plow, and Desire Under the Elms all would have been worthy of being in the running, but sadly there's only 4 slots. My picks would have put Exit the King, Godot, All My Sons and (if I had seen it, likely) Norman Conquests, but I have little to complain about in terms of unworthy pieces being in those spots. As far as winning goes, though, it's not much of a contest. Norman is not only impressive on a technical standpoint, artistically it's one of the best productions of the year, and it got unanimous raves from every critic ever, even a few of the dead ones. I personally was not as touched by any show this year more than Godot, but I didn't get to see Norman, so it seems that it will have to be happy as a nominee.

Best Revival of a Musical

Guys and Dolls (0 Predicting)
Hair (14 Predicting) W, S
Pal Joey (0 Predicting)
West Side Story (0 Predicting) DH

Commentary: This is an easy one to call. No other musical this season has been received as joyfully as Hair, and the audiences have been going crazy for the revival of the classic 60s rock musical. Pal Joey and especially Guys and Dolls were only nominated by default, since only 4 musical revivals opened this season, and West Side Story has its detractors, so the sun shines on the talented group behind Hair.

Best Special Theatrical Event

Liza’s at The Palace (11 Predicting) W, S
Slava’s Snowshow (1 Predicting)
Soul of Shaolin (0 Predicting)
You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush (0 Predicting) DH

Commentary: Liza's got this one in the bag, since she's got the hardest work ethic on Broadway and certainly knows how to please all the big theatre fans. Will Ferrell's one man show has a slim chance of overtaking her since it was so successful, but I really don't think that anyone can top Liza in a theatre award, no matter how many times she gets called a communist. (Side note: how awesome would a Liza/Will Ferrell hosted telecast have been? I mean, I love NPH, but that would have been must see TV, right there!)

Well, that about does it for the predictions. I hope you enjoyed my take on things, and that you feel at least a bit better informed about what's going to happen on Sunday night. And I REALLY hope you'll be watching the awards. They could use all the support they can get!

Tony Predictions Part 2- Performances!

2009-06-04T21:04:00.003-04:00

Here we are again, time for more fun filled, Tony predicting, knee slapping good times! Today's categories are all the leading and supporting acting categories, and there are eight in total. (4 for plays, 4 for musicals). Some of the categories are pretty clear cut, others are a crap shoot, but all are filled with the potential for high quality entertainment!

Check out yesterday's post for the format of my predictions and what everything means. As a reminder, check out the sites posted in that blog for other detailed predictions from those much older and wiser than myself.

That's about it, here we go!

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

Jeff Daniels; God of Carnage (0 Predicting)
Raúl Esparza; Speed-the-Plow (0 Predicting) DH
James Gandolfini; God of Carnage (0 Predicting)
Geoffrey Rush; Exit the King (13 Predicting) W, S
Thomas Sadoski; Reasons to Be Pretty (0 Predicting)

Commentary: This is an easy call. Rush's delicious, delirious, over the top performance is the stuff Tonys are made of, and he is magnificent in Exit the King. Kudos to him, by the way, for bringing attention to a little known Ionesco play which isn't something the average tourist would jump to go see right away. Esparza's going to have to wait at least one more year for his shiny statue, but he should be happy to join Boyd Gaines in the 4 timer nomination club, one in each of the male acting categories, which is quite a feat in itself (sidenote: how awesome is it to picture Raul and Boyd hanging out and actually forming a club over their accomplishments? Methinks it would make a great sitcom!). Sadoski is too new and unknown, and I think the Carnage men will split their vote, so even if they had the momentum, they couldn't make it. Missing in this category: Daniel Radcliffe for his amazing breakthrough performance in Equus, who drew me in and didn't let me go, and Bill Irwin's alternately haunting and hilarious performance as Vladimir in Waiting for Godot, who is in the same lane as Rush, making an absurdist character full and real.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Hope Davis; God of Carnage (0 Predicting)
Jane Fonda; 33 Variations (0 Predicting) S, DH
Marcia Gay Harden; God of Carnage (12 Predicting) W
Janet McTeer; Mary Stuart (1 Predicting)
Harriet Walter; Mary Stuart (0 Predicting)

Commentary: Don't let the predictions up there fool you, this is one category that's wide open and full of deserving nominees. I wouldn't be surprised if Fonda took it after the other four each split with their partners from each play, and she's so excited to be nominated (see Broadway.com's Nominee Survey question 2 for her awesome declaration of competitiveness), plus she was really very good in 33 Variations (heck, she got me to cry). Supposedly Harden has the bigger role of Carnage (despite Davis's projectile vomiting), so she's the favorite, but I think this race is wide open for anyone to take the lead. I do wish the amazing and heartbreaking Diane Wiest had been nominated for her role in All My Sons, and I also think Kristin Scott Thomas deserved a nomination for her great work in The Seagull (a revival I otherwise wasn't that enchanted by), but they have been forgotten since their shows are no longer running.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish; Billy Elliot, The Musical (12 Predicting) W
Gavin Creel; Hair (0 Predicting)
Brian d’Arcy James; Shrek The Musical (1 Predicting) S, DH
Constantine Maroulis; Rock of Ages (0 Predicting)
J. Robert Spencer; Next to Normal (1 Predicting)

Commentary: I disagree with the committee's decision to nominate all 3 Billy boys as one, but unfortunately that is the cards we have been dealt, and their amazing dancing, along with competent acting and singing seem poised to grant them the victory. James is the heart of Shrek, and if there's any backlash among voter for the fact that the role of Billy was nominated and not the actor, the votes will likely go to him for a surprising, beautifully quiet performance underneath mounds of prosthetics and makeup. American Idol reject Maroulis is very lucky to be nominated, but the other 2 are fairly deserving of their slots, even if they have little chance of winning. I think Jame Barbour, who was reportedly excellent in A Tale of Two Cities, probably deserves a nomination, but I didn't see it, so I can't vouch for it myself.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

Stockard Channing; Pal Joey (0 Predicting)
Sutton Foster; Shrek The Musical (0 Predicting) S
Allison Janney; 9 to 5: The Musical (0 Predicting) DH
Alice Ripley; Next to Normal (14 Predicting) W
Josefina Scaglione; West Side Story (0 Predicting)

Commentary: Ripley is the anchor of N2N and is the talk of the town, to boot. The only thing standing between her and a win for her powerhouse of a performance is overhyping, but I don't think it'll be too great to give the award to Janney for her light comedic showing. I was totally charmed by Foster, who managed to carry off farts and belches surprisingly well, and who wins me over more and more with every interview I see of her, but she doesn't stand a chance against the Rip.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play

John Glover; Waiting for Godot (1 Predicting) S, DH
Zach Grenier; 33 Variations (0 Predicting)
Stephen Mangan; The Norman Conquests (1 Predicting)
Paul Ritter; The Norman Conquests (0 Predicting)
Roger Robinson; Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (12 Predicting) W

Commentary: Glover's quiet magnificence in his 3 page monologue and physical performance were transcendent and illuminating, offering many possibilities for audience interpretation and contemplation. He and Grenier are the only 2 of the lot that I've actually seen, and while Grenier did a fine job as an increasingly frustrated Beethoven, it wasn't enough of a role to put him over the top. Robinson will likely take the prize as a representative of Turner's finely tuned ensemble. I would've hoped for a John Goodman nomination as well, but unfortunately he was not recognized for his excellent work in Godot.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

Hallie Foote; Dividing the Estate (0 Predicting) DH
Jessica Hynes; The Norman Conquests (0 Predicting)
Marin Ireland; Reasons to Be Pretty (0 Predicting)
Angela Lansbury; Blithe Spirit (14 Predicting) W, S
Amanda Root; The Norman Conquests (0 Predicting)

Commentary: Angela is simply dotty to perfection in Blithe, injecting a great deal of manic energy that would be impressive for somebody much younger than herself. Hallie Foot has a slight chance for her interpretation of her recently deceased father's latest play, but Angela is so beloved and showy that it's hard to see her not being called to get her latest trophy.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

David Bologna; Billy Elliot, The Musical (0 Predicting)
Gregory Jbara; Billy Elliot, The Musical (10 Predicting) DH
Marc Kudisch; 9 to 5: The Musical (1 Predicting)
Christopher Sieber; Shrek The Musical (1 Predicting) W, S
Will Swenson; Hair (2 Predicting)

Commentary: Sieber's role is liked even by detractors of Shrek, and it is one that certainly calls attention to itself. Playing the whole show on his knees, while still managing to bring down the house, his performance as Farquaad is one of the best parts of Shrek. Jbara does have a lot of support for his performance and goodwill due to his solid, steady career (this is surprisingly his first nomination), but many feel his role is too one dimensional. He may be caught up in the Billy sweep, and I wouldn't be disappointed if he won (he seems like a really cool guy in his Broadway.com backstage video diaries). Kudisch and Swenson do both have a shot, but I think the Tony will ultimately be awarded to the little scene stealer.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

Jennifer Damiano; Next to Normal (0 Predicting)
Haydn Gwynne; Billy Elliot, The Musical (4 Predicting)
Karen Olivo; West Side Story (10 Predicting) W, S
Martha Plimpton; Pal Joey (0 Predicting) DH
Carole Shelley; Billy Elliot, The Musical (0 Predicting)

Commentary: Gwynne is certainly good, but I don't think that her role is strong enough to take the award unless voter just automatically check off anything Billy. Olivo is reportedly the best thing about WSS, and everybody loves a great Anita, so she will likely easily walk off with the statue. Plimpton was also reportedly the best thing about and otherwise mediocre production, and she also has the benefit of surprising all the voters with a breakthrough into musicals. I wish the [tos] ladies had been nominated, particularly Susan, since she isn't exactly the type to get cast in a big Broadway musical and Heidi will likely have many nominations down the road, but for some reason the nominators wanted to include Carole Shelley for her inconsequential character in Billy Elliot.

Tony Predictions Part 1

2009-06-03T22:56:00.008-04:00

Ok, so here's the deal. The TonyAwards.com website splits the Tony Nominations into 3 separate categories, Overall Production, Performance, and Craft. So, I figured I'd tackle one of those categories a night, starting with Craft, and moving up to the bigger, flashier categories each day. In order to help give you some balance, I'm going to be presenting my opinion of:

Who WILL win (W)
Who's the DARK HORSE (DH)
Who SHOULD win (S)
Who's missing off of the list

In addition to that, I'm also going to be pulling from several different websites which feature their own Tony predictions, and I'll show you how many predict each nominee in each category as well. For example:

Category
Nominee A (5 Predicting)
Nominee B (2 Predicting)
Nominee C (6 Predicting)
Nominee D (0 Predicting)

The websites I'm pulling alternate predictions from are:

GoldDerby.com Pundits (found here): Melissa Bernardo (contributor, Entertainment Weekly) Martin Denton (NYTheatre.com), Robert Diamond (BroadwayWorld.com), Susan Haskins (Theater Talk), Leonard Jacobs (ClydeFitchReport.com), Brian LiptonTheaterMania.com), Tom O'Neil (TheEnvelope.com), David Sheward (Back Stage), Matt Windman (AMNewYork), Wayman Wong (New York Daily News)

NY Times Critics Picks (found here): Ben Brantley (Chief Drama Critic), Charles Isherwood (Secondary Drama Critic)

Time Out New York Tony Awards Preview (found here): David Cote and Adam Feldman

I urge you to check out those links if you want any more detail or thoughts on their picks. They all have more detail on the sites than I'm including here.

So without further ado, here's tonight's predictions:

Best Book of a Musical

Billy Elliot, The Musical; Lee Hall (12 Predicting) W
Next to Normal; Brian Yorkey (1 Predicting)
Shrek The Musical; David Lindsay-Abaire (1 Predicting)
[Title of Show]; Hunter Bell (0 Predicting) S, DH

Commentary: This is a tough category. I found N2N's book to be incredibly overrated and spotty, so I don't think it really deserves the spot, but I can't think of anything I saw that deserves to be there in its place. Perhaps 9 to 5? I never saw it, but Patricia Resnick adapted it from her own script to the original movie. This is the only category [tos] ever had a chance to win in, and it's its only nomination, so if the Tony voters want to show it any support, it'll be in this category.

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Billy Elliot, The Musical; Music: Elton John, Lyrics: Lee Hall (9 Predicting) DH
Next to Normal; Music: Tom Kitt Lyrics: Brian Yorkey (4 Predicting) W
9 to 5: The Musical; Music & Lyrics: Dolly Parton (0 Predicting)
Shrek The Musical; Music: Jeanine Tesori, Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire (0 Predicting) S

Commentary: My favorite score of the season is the surprisingly clever and varied Shrek, but it is a bit uneven and it's probably got the least chance of winning, unfortunately. N2N has a great rock score, but the poor lyrics from Brian Yorkey pull it down, but many voters and critics seem to disagree with me on that fact, so it's definitely got the edge, plus this is a category that likes to honor offbeat or smaller shows. Billy's score is its weakest aspect, but it could ride the sweep to victory. 9 to 5 has a chance, since it's Dolly, but the whole show was largely snubbed by the Nominating Committee, and the entire show was poorly received by critics, so it doesn't have much momentum. I do wish Jeff Bowen's heartfelt and wide ranging score (and with only a keyboard and four singers!) had been recognized, but I never got my hopes up too much, so I'm not incredibly disappointed.

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Dale Ferguson; Exit the King (0 Predicting) DH
Rob Howell; The Norman Conquests (2 Predicting)
Derek McLane; 33 Variations (9 Predicting) W, S
Michael Yeargan; Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (0 Predicting)

Commentary: Not much to say in this one. 33 Variations had a really cool music motif with its set, and really tied itself in with the theme of the show. Exit the King had a very haunting background and really set the mood of absurdity. Haven't seen the others, but from photos I've seen they're fairly standard, nothing too exciting. I would have liked to see Godot in there, but I don't know which I would take out, so I'm not too devastated.

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Robert Brill; Guys and Dolls (0 Predicting) DH
Ian MacNeil; Billy Elliot, The Musical (11 Predicting) W, S
Scott Pask; Pal Joey (0 Predicting)
Mark Wendland; Next to Normal (0 Predicting)

Commentary: Billy's is the most impressive of the lot, with its rising bedroom from underneath the stage, and it certainly has the widest range of locations to show off. Nobody else really has the support, although Guys and Dolls certainly has flash and glitz on their side. The real puzzle, though, is the absence of Shrek, who could have WON the category with its impressive scenery.

Best Costume Design of a Play

Dale Ferguson; Exit the King (1 Predicting)
Jane Greenwood; Waiting for Godot (0 Predicting)
Martin Pakledinaz; Blithe Spirit (2 Predicting) W, S
Anthony Ward; Mary Stuart (7 Predicting) DH

Commentary: Mary Stuart's got a concept on its side (all the men wear modern business attire, the women wear period dress), but I think the daffy costumes of Madame Arcarti and the sleek ghost stylings of Elvira have the edge.

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Gregory Gale; Rock of Ages (0 Predicting)
Nicky Gillibrand; Billy Elliot, The Musical (0 Predicting) DH
Tim Hatley; Shrek The Musical (11 Predicting) W, S
Michael McDonald; Hair (0 Predicting)

Commentary: Shrek's varied and fun fairy tale creatures, plus the fantastic transformation of Brian D'Arcy James mean that Shrek's got this one in the bag, unless for some reason voters REALLY want a total Billy sweep.

Best Lighting Design of a Play

David Hersey; Equus (8 Predicting) W
David Lander; 33 Variations (2 Predicting) S, DH
Brian MacDevitt; Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (1 Predicting)
Hugh Vanstone; Mary Stuart (0 Predicting)

Commentary: Lighting and Scenic often go hand in hand, so 33's interesting dramatic lighting has a chance, but likely the striking and dramatic Equus, who was otherwise overlooked in many categories, will pull of a win (and yes, I do see the irony of Equus not being the dark HORSE, but the favorite). Missing: the cool Exit the King, which featured bare light bulbs above the audience in several locations, effectively pulling the audience into the world of King Berenger.

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Kevin Adams; Hair (1 Predicting) W, S
Kevin Adams; Next to Normal (0 Predicting) DH
Howell Binkley; West Side Story (0 Predicting)
Rick Fisher; Billy Elliot, The Musical (10 Predicting)

Commentary: I'm surprised I split so much from the other pundits, but I suppose they just figure it will go along with the Billy sweep. I think, though, that the bright and snazzy Hair lighting, or the dark and moody N2N will take it.

Best Sound Design of a Play

Paul Arditti; Mary Stuart (0 Predicting)
Gregory Clarke; Equus (0 Predicting) DH
Russell Goldsmith; Exit the King (10 Predicting) W, S
Scott Lehrer and Leon Rothenberg; Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (1 Predicting)

Commentary: There was a lot of good sound design in Exit the King, since there was a haunting single trumpet, and a cool reel to reel recorder turning in one of the boxes to provide a great background. Equus was also very evocative, with a lot of dark underscore, but it's probably to old to be remembered.

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Acme Sound Partners; Hair (2 Predicting)
Paul Arditti; Billy Elliot, The Musical (8 Predicting) W, S
Peter Hylenski; Rock of Ages (1 Predicting)
Brian Ronan; Next to Normal (0 Predicting) DH

Commentary: Billy's sweep is likely to include this new (it's its second year) category, as voters may be unfamiliar with what exactly the sound design includes in a musical. N2N may have an edge for its critics darling aspect, but I don't think that it will overcome the Billy juggernaut.

Best Direction of a Play

Phyllida Lloyd; Mary Stuart (0 Predicting)
Bartlett Sher; Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (0 Predicting) DH
Matthew Warchus; God of Carnage (4 Predicting)
Matthew Warchus; The Norman Conquests (9 Predicting) W

Commentary: Warchus definitely had his work cut out for him with Norman, what with it actually being three full length plays. If he splits the votes for himself too much, look for Sher, last years musical director winner for South Pacific, to get it for his lauded take on Joe Turner. I do with both Exit the King and Godot had been nominated, as the direction was part of what made those absurdist comedies so accessible, but I unfortunately haven't seen any of the nominees here, so I can't say what I would lose.

Best Direction of a Musical

Stephen Daldry; Billy Elliot, The Musical (12 Predicting) W, S
Michael Greif; Next to Normal (0 Predicting)
Kristin Hanggi; Rock of Ages (0 Predicting)
Diane Paulus; Hair (1 Predicting) DH

Commentary: Hair can certainly be difficult, and by all accounts Paulus is the main reason the current incarnation is so successful, but Billy's Daldry has a great pedigree, the power of the Billy behemoth, and the fact that he has directed a LOT of kids to give such great performances behind him. Would have liked to see Shrek's Moore recognized for tying so many elements together in place of Hanggi, but that's a small complaint.

Best Choreography

Karole Armitage; Hair (0 Predicting)
Andy Blankenbuehler; 9 to 5: The Musical (0 Predicting) DH
Peter Darling; Billy Elliot, The Musical (11 Predicting) W, S
Randy Skinner; Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (0 Predicting)

Commentary: This is the one category which Billy has pretty much had from day 1, and I doubt even last year's darling Blankenbuehler can defeat him. Billy's choreography is painfully evocative and at the forefront of the story. It could win even without the magnificent miners and police in "Solidarity" based on the power of the Act 1 closer, "Angry Dance", but it has a lot of dance going for it and it really cannot be stopped.

Best Orchestrations

Larry Blank; Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (0 Predicting)
Martin Koch; Billy Elliot, The Musical (10 Predicting)W
Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt; Next to Normal (1 Predicting)
Danny Troob and John Clancy; Shrek The Musical (0 Predicting) S, DH

Commentary: Shrek's got the biggest orchestra and the widest range of sound from jaunty ukulele filled tunes, to heavy guitar infused anthems, while Billy has to compensate for a somewhat lackluster score and has a great deal of majesty and power. The Billy tidal wave will take another one here, although a dark dark horse of N2N's evocative 6 person band could take it away from both of them. I actually would have liked to see Jason Robert Brown's 13 here instead of White Christmas, since it was impressively played by an all teenager band, and was the best part of the otherwise inconsequential show, but it's no big complaint.

Back in Time for the Tonys!

2009-06-02T20:29:00.006-04:00

Alright, so I've been on a bit of a hiatus. But I think I'm gonna start up Blogging again, especially since this summer it seems I'm gonna have a lot of free time. And I think next year during school this will be a great place for me to post reviews and thoughts about various things, in addition to starting to chronicle some of the exciting things that happen to me in my time at NYU's Educational Theatre department. After all, I always hear how great it is to journal, and I should actually start trying to do some of that, and who doesn't want to read all about my inner troubles and outer triumphs, right? (Seriously, let me know if anything gets too boring or annoying, and I'll cut it out ASAP).

Anyways, it's June, and to me, that means just one thing. TONY TIME! Yes, that's right, the 2009 Tony Awards are going to be announced this Sunday in what is sure to be an exciting show filled with fabulous performances, and unlike previous years, I actually have opinions about what should win, thanks to my first year at NYU. So, over the next few days, I'll be posting predictions and opinions about what should and will win and why, and share my overall thoughts about this past theatre season in general. To get me started, tonight, I'm going to post a list of all shows that got a nomination and then I'll include whether I've seen it or not, and what degree of familiarity I have with each, so you'll know which opinions of mine to take with a grain of salt and which to take stock in. I've seen a lot of the major ones, but unfortunately didn't make a ton of the late season openers due to lack of time and funds. So, without further ado, here's a brief update of my experience with all the shows which opened this year, in order of most nominations recieved:

Billy Elliot, The Musical - 15
I saw this one once towards the end of January/middle of February. The Billy I saw was David Alvarez, and I did not see the nominated David Bologna in the roll of Michael, but instead Frank Dolce, who alternates the show with David (and for some reason was not petitioned to be nominated with David like all the Billys were). I have not really listened to the music much since I saw it, although I am thinking about getting the Original London Cast Recording. It was a very enjoyable show with some spectacular dancing.

Next to Normal - 11
Saw this one a month and a half ago on the Saturday after it opened. I have not bought the album and probably would not get the music unless I could for free (library, maybe?). This is one where I split wildly from all the critical opinion, although I did enjoy a lot of Tom Kitt's score and orchestrations.

Hair - 8
I unfortunately haven't had a chance to see Hair yet, although it's pretty much on the top of my list for when I get back to NYC. I've seen a bunch of clips and media apperences from this production, and I do have both the OBCR and the Soundtrack to the film in my iTunes Library, so I know a lot of the music. I do not really know the storyline to the show very well, but I have seen about half of the movie, which has a very different plot, apparently.

Shrek The Musical - 8
I saw this show twice, once by myself with the complete cast in, and once with my Mom while she was visiting, with an understudy on for Christopher Sieber's Lord Farquaad. I own the OBCR, and have listened to certain tracks much more than is healthy.

Mary Stuart - 7
Have not seen, know very very little about it other than the basic premise and look of the production.

The Norman Conquests - 7
REALLY wanted to make it to this one, but unfortunately with it opening late and being a trilogy, I didn't get a chance. I've seen a few clips and know what the premise is, but I tried to keep myself fairly clean in case it extends out until when I can make it to see it.

God of Carnage - 6
Have not seen, and probably couldn't get tickets if I wanted to. I know they're closing for a few weeks and then reopening, so I'll probably try to get a standing room ticket this fall after they reopen. I know the premise and have seen most of the publicity clips out there.

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone - 6
Have not seen it, and have seen very little of it in terms of clips. I have read other August Wilson, but I've never seen him performed.

Rock of Ages - 5
Have not seen it, and refuse to see it due to my general dislike and loose boycott of jukebox musicals. I am familiar with some of the songs used in the show.

33 Variations - 5
Saw it with the entire cast in. Wasn't expecting much, and ended up crying my eyes out by the end of it, although there were certainly many things I could criticize.

Exit the King - 4
Saw it the weekend after it opened, with the entire cast in. Laughed the whole way through until it got serious.

9 to 5: The Musical - 4
I have not seen it, but I have seen a few of the clips and heard some of the songs available on the website.

Pal Joey - 4
Didn't get a chance to see this, and I'm only familiar with a few songs and the very basic premise.

West Side Story - 4
Didn't see this production, although I've heard a few tracks off the cast album, and I am, of course, very familiar with the show having been in it in 10th grade.

Reasons to Be Pretty - 3
Did not see this one yet, and I hope it doesn't close before fall. I have seen one other LaBute play in a completely student-run production and enjoyed it very much.

Waiting for Godot - 3
I saw a Wednesday matinee the week before I left, and loved every minute of it. I have read one other Beckett play.

Blithe Spirit - 2
Saw this one towards the early/middle part of previews. I understand that there were a few cuts after I saw it, but nothing that really changed the show much.

Dividing the Estate - 2
Saw this in December before I came home, and enjoyed it.

Equus - 2
Saw this shortly after it opened in the fall with the complete cast in fine form. Didn't love the play, but there were things I liked about it.

Guys and Dolls - 2
Saw this one (although I couldn't see much from my rush seat all the way to the right in the front row) a few months ago. Didn't really like the production. I do have cast albums from 2 other productions of the show, both of which I enjoy.

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas - 2
Did not get to see this one, and I know very little about it other than that it is based on a movie and has a lot of Irving Berlin songs.

Liza’s at The Palace - 1
Didn't see it, although I am familiar with a lot of Liza's work, and greatly admire her work ethic, if not her voice.

Slava’s Snowshow - 1
Did not see, and all I know is that it's Russian clowns and a whole lot of stuff dumped on the audience before the end.

Soul of Shaolin - 1
Did not see, know very little about other than that it was done by the some Chinese who were involved with the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony.

Speed-the-Plow - 1
Saw this shortly after William H. Macy joined the cast, and enjoyed it a lot. Defintely the Raul Esparza show.

[Title of Show] - 1
Saw this one four times (including closing night), and I have listened to the cast album more times then I would like to admit. I also have seen the cast give a talkback about the creative process, and I was featured in their 9PFT music video (seven!). I guess you could call me a [tos]ser ;).

You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush - 1
Saw a video of the HBO Broadcast fairly recently. I'm a pretty big Will Ferrell fan, so I enjoyed it a lot.

One Reason I'm Happy 30 Rock is Back

2008-04-12T17:34:00.003-04:00

Hilarious clip from this week's 30 Rock, the most hilarious show since Arrested Development:

Comedy GENIUS!!

Lots of Random Thoughts

2007-03-09T08:39:00.000-05:00

Okay, I've been working on this post for like a month. Here Goes:

We worked really hard on Our Town the past few weeks. After Beauty and the Beast (which was amazing to do, by the way) we started right up, and we didn't really looked back. By the end of it, we were having 5 hour rehearsals, and barely getting any homework done. But I think it was worth it. The show went so well, and everybody loved it. The entire cast did wonderful jobs, and the leads were all dead on. The Geva cast being there was really special, and getting to talk with my brilliant counterpart, John Pribyl, and having him tell me he was stealing a few things from me was totally a surreal dream. I sent him a letter and a BN gift card, and he sent me a hand made pot he made while he was in Rochester. It is beautiful, and I'll try to put some pictures of it up (if I can find a digital camera). Plus now we have each other's address, and we can be pen pals or something. I'm really excited, he's such a cool guy and a brilliant actor.

Last week was Easter and holy week, AKA Andy goes to church everyday week, and I really think I got closer to God. Not to offend any non-religious, but this year, having gone to confession, and having the looming college (more on that later) vision ahead, I'm starting to get closer to God as I know I'm going to be having lots of changes. Holy Thursday was good, I sang with the Choir and we did alright, and Good Friday was the usual depression-fest, and Sunday was fun, we sang again, I got a great basket (I got the Little Miss Sunshine DVD, hilarious), and had a good brunch. But what really got to me was the Vigil on Holy Saturday. I sat next to Vince T., who recently lost his wife, and has been going to the church since before I was born, I'm sure. We were on Parish Council together, and we don't really know each other that well, but we can say hello. And watching him sing out in his throaty, well-aged voice during the Lord's Prayer and the closing really made me happy. And during the sign of peace he called me "Big Guy" again, which he used to always do, but hasn't done since his wife died. It just really strengthened my faith in God and Jesus.

Alright, I'm done with my God-pushing. During break I went to DC to see my uncle and visit a couple of colleges. I saw Catholic University of America and American University. They were very different, and I liked them both, but the tour guide we had at Catholic wasn't pushing very hard and didn't have much of a personality. I'll probably apply to both, but I'm not sure if they were my only two choices which I would go to. Well, only time will tell, I guess. I'll probably take an OH/PA tour over the summer, maybe a few places in NYC, and maybe some further south in Virginia. I want someplace warmer than here. Someplace that doesn't snow in April. Ugh.

My schedule next year is turning into a nightmare. I've got a bunch of AP's already, but now they don't want to offer music theory because 11 people signed up. Strooz, however, is determined to teach it anyway he can, whether it be us taking regular theory and doing our own thing in class, or teaching the class 11 different times during the cycle. They should just let him offer it, it offers more AP's and bumps us up on the Newsweek top 100, and it makes 11 students have a very good senior (and one junior) year. the class was going to be awesome too. Oh well, I'm sure we'll figure it out, and senior year will be saved. That lass is going to be my chance to get a breath and a laugh during the day. So much stuff going on next year, I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Wow. Long post. Well, I should go do the outline due Tuesday. And the Spring Fling I haven't started, and can't find. Oh boy, I'm going to kill myself. Eh, maybe we'll have a snow day tomorrow. I can pray, can't I?

White & Nerdy

2006-11-16T19:15:00.001-05:00


"Weird Al" Yankovic's music video from his new album "Straight Outta Lynwood." It's brilliant and hilarious as usual.

Casted

2006-11-16T18:56:00.001-05:00

Whoooo!!!! I’m so excited! I made both Beauty and the Beast and Our Town! I’m Maurice (Belle’s father) in BatB, and I get to sing in a duet, and then solo in a reprise! And, in OT I’m Editor Webb, whose part I was looking over and it looks like it has got some good stuff in it. We went out on a sort of celebratory dinner last night, and the first meetings for both shows are on Monday. I’m so glad that I’m a guy, because I can get all these awesome parts, without as much competition (and they usually are bigger/better parts). I guess guys are just easier to write for than women because they’re less complex, and are a little easier to typecast. So, I’m basically playing the same part in all three shows this year (the loving father), but it’s a fun role, so who am I to complain?

I’m not really sure how vigorous my rehearsal schedule will be, I hope it’s not too bad, because I have got a ton of schoolwork now. Everyday I’ve usually got at least 3 hours, more if there is an AP American outline due the next day, like right now, what I’m supposed to be working on. Right, I’d better get back to work, I just had to spread the good news! Whooooooo!!

"She Stoops" and Music Theory

2006-10-23T11:43:00.000-04:00

All right- I'm back. And I'm not going to even try to promise to update, more because everyone knows that it won't happen. Anyway, I'm really excited for She Stoops to Conquer! We are in the middle of our first run-through off-book (no script for you theatre newbees) and I am having a great time with my role. I play Hardcastle, who is the master of the house, and I get an awesome breakdown scene in the fourth act, and the last line of the show! I'm working on being off-book, and am not doing too terribly, but you never know as the show is in two weeks(!!!!). We have a tech on Saturday, and the show is the following Friday. You should come, I think it's going to be really funny.

As for music theory, it started out as first period, but then the class was stuffed, and Strooz didn't want to turn people away, so he opened up another section period 4, which I had free everyday. He asked for volunteers, and I loved my schedule, so I didn't say anything. Then a couple of days later, I got called down to see Mr. Hanna my counselor, who said I had to change. Since it would go in my free period, and I didn't want to lose lunch, I said I didn't want to. But, we had to, so I had to change my AP Language class to first period, with a different teacher, who I've heard bad things about, but seems okay to me.

That about raps it up for now. I've got to go to the first day of orienteering in Gym. Place your bets on how long you have to wait for me to update again.

Quick Vent

2006-09-19T12:00:00.000-04:00

Ugh. The school year is off and running. I'm in 2 AP's and 2 ES's and I got a huge part in She Stoops to Conquer (128 lines. I counted) and I think it may kill me, especially if I start working on the weekend. Okay. Other people have done it, and I'll get through it, I just need to focus and organize. My Spanish teacher made me feel terrible today. We were supposed to take notes in the margins of this article on Pablo Neruda, and I did it, but apparently we needed to rewrite the whole article or something so I got a 0 for doing quite a bit of work. And then I found out we were supposed to write definitions, not synonyms of the two words in the vocab. Plus we were doing hard subjunctive translations. Ugh. I'll update more later (including info on She Stoops and my other classes, plus my adventures in Music Theory scheduling).

Ricky Bobby is a Driver!

2006-08-13T23:30:00.000-04:00

Just got back from my wonderful week-long vacation to the Finger Lakes. Among other things I saw Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby the new Will Farrell movie, and I must say it was hilarious. Many good jokes, and I was laughing throughout. So, visiting the website, I had this made, with Will Farrell and John C. Reilly (a very overlooked actor, who I recognize from Chicago, showing a delightful comedic touch as Ricky's best friend).
Google "Talladega Nights" and visit the official website for your own, and to add your face to a poster or play games and watch clips.

I'm Having a Really Good Day. . .

2006-06-30T15:21:00.000-04:00

This is such a good day for me I just have to share it with the world. I slept in until about 10:00 AM this morning, and then I got up and checked my email. After that I had an excellent breakfast, and called BJ's to schedule a job interview (they said they would call me next week to schedule one for the following week). I mowed the lawn, and ate a great lunch. Then my report card came. I was kind of nervous, but I ended up with A's as a final grade in everything except for Spanish, which I got a B+ in. And, ot top that all off, all of my final exam grades were A's. Later tonight I am going to see Superman Returns at the IMAX. I'lll update afterwords with my thoughts. Later.

Harry Potter: Will He Survive?

2006-06-27T21:43:00.000-04:00

Just thought I'd post this poll I found over at HPANA.com (my favorite Potter fansite for the latest news). I personally think, yes, he will die, but if you think otherwise, explain yourself in the comments. Here's the poll:

Harry Potter: Wanted dead or alive
Vote now!

More Later.

What Is Going On?

2006-04-26T16:58:00.000-04:00

Sorry it's been so long. I have not even been particularly busy. I really have no idea what is so important in my life that I can't update this thing more often. Okay, rant over . . . On to the good stuff!

It's TV Turn-off Week. And I hate it. My family is forcing me into it. But it's only one week. I imagine I'll be better for it, but how can I be expected to miss quality programming like Great Performance's South Pacific Concert featuring Reba McEntire and Alec Baldwin (Wednesday at 9)? How? How? I suppose I'll survive, with or without Alec Baldwin doing Rogers and Hammerstein, but I am certainly missing some quality entertainment. And a lot of advertisements. A lot a lot of advertisements. I need to know the specials this week at McDonalds! Especially since I never go there! Sorry. I just hate commercials.

I have not seen any good movies lately. Over my brothers birthday I went to see The Benchwarmers which was a terrible movie that really doesn't deserve the italics formation I just gave it. It was pretty much the same few jokes over and over and over again. How many times can Jon Heder throw a bat and have it be funny? (Answer: zero) The only funny person in the whole movie was Jon Lovitz (What do you know, to Jon's with no h's in one movie!), who is always a stitch, and he had a fairly interesting character to work with. Avoid this movie at all costs. You know you are in for a bad time when the first joke involves a kid farting into another kids nose, and that the best actor of the 3 leads is (shudder) Rob Schneider. My brother, however, greatly enjoyed it, and it was his birthday after all. I suppose the movie is just targeted towards 14 year olds.

Wow. I just had 2 more rants when I promised my first one was over. All right, now I promise to move onto good news.

I am in a staged reading of The Crucible by Arthur Miller this Friday. And I am extremely excited. I play Giles Corey and we are being (extremely well) directed by EJ (last name left off to protect the innocent), as her Independent Study Project. It is this Friday at 7:30 at Brighton High School. And it is free. If you are in the Rochester area you should come see it. Its going to be awesome. However, it is very untraditional, as it is just us standing on stage, reading from music stands and acting from there with very little action. While it is still interesting and very good don't come expecting a full on production with scripts in our hands.

I saw The Lion King at the Auditorium Theater a couple of weeks ago. I really enjoyed it and I think it is one of the best shows I have ever seen. Not that I have seen many. It's really expensive to go see a live show, so we only go if we can get some kind of discount, or even better for free. I really love being in the audience and seeing something happening on stage. I am not sure whether I like performing or watching more, but they are very different experiences and it is really hard to compare them. One you are participating as a creator, and with the other you are only an observer. Both are important. You need both people to do a show and people to watch a show. One without the other feels really stupid. Anyway, I had great seats at the performance (first row balcony) and it was a wonderful evening, even if I did have to get up for school the next day.

The only other thing I've seen recently is Working: The Musical at the high school. It was okay. Excellent performances all around, but the material was not the best. Nobody really learned anything or developed as a character, as it was just a bunch of shorts taken from real interviews from Studs Terkel's book. It was definitely the worst production of the year, but both Razzle and WSS were outstanding and they set the bar really high.

A ton of stuff today! Wow, I can write a lot if I wait months in between posts! Well, I'll try to give shorter, more frequent posts. Whenever I do something remotely interesting, I am going to work on thinking "I should blog that." Not that I'll actually do it, mind you, but it's a start.

Peace to All (And Happy Belated Easter!)
Andy

Live Action Simpsons

2006-03-12T19:44:00.000-05:00

You've probably seen or heard about this if you frequent pretty much any website at all:

It's pretty good, the only obvious error being the drivers side with Marge and Maggie. I think they found pretty good actors to represent eveybody, adn this is supposedly going to advertise, which I think could work.

February Break

2006-02-22T17:21:00.000-05:00

So right now I'm on February break, then it's six straight weeks of school. Uninterrupted. Wish me luck (and a snowday or two). I am taking a break from my homework right now, thought I'd update all 0-1 of you who read this. WSS was brilliant. We got a standing ovation every night, and at the end we could hear people crying. Dugan (the director) was really proud, and he was having trouble figuring out how to follow up what many are calling the best musical performed in at Brighton High School. Everybody was top notch, and we all felt we did a wonderful service to the work that is West Side Story. I am so luck to have been a part of two wonderful productions this school year, and hope that my next two years will be just as good. Working: The Musical is being rehearsed now, although I am not involved in it, I am looking forward to seeing it. Other than Art of Acting II, which I am taking now, I will not have anything big until the 24 Hour Plays in June. These are performances that are written, staged, rehearsed, and performed all within 24 hours. Last year was great, and I hope that I do as well this year as then. I have been recently thinking about why I love acting. I have quite a few on a list so far. I should finish it, and post it later on this for the whole world to see.

In other news, I selected my courses for next year. I am taking three advanced classes, AP American History, AP English Language and Composition, and Spanish 4ES. In addition, I am taking Music Theory, and all my regular classes. It's going to be a tough year, and I will have to work hard, but I'll manage. Also, I'm applying to work at the Rochester Museum and Science Center over the summer, which could hopefully transition into more paid work during the year. I'll see what happens.

As for what this blog is really supposed to be about, Entertainment, let's get back on track. The season finale of Arrested was pure genius. I cannot imagine a better end to thes overlooked show. Maybe it will continue on another network, but I am content with what we have now if nothing comes out of the talks. I am excited for Monty Python's Personal Best on tonight, next week, and the week after at 9 for two hours each night on PBS. As a fan of the Pythons who has not seen much of the original show, this will be a great experience for me. I can't wait. Other shows doing great right now House, Scrubs, The Office, and all the usuals have kept me watching for sure. Also, I have been semi-illegally downloading The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. They are so hilarious, which is what we really need in the world today. I have not really had the chance to see any movies lately, not even a rental, so nothing to report on that end. I have become semi-addicted to EW's popwatch, and check it frequently. Also, broadway.com has been a recent haunt for my browser, mostly for the videos, and news of stuff I can see, not so much for tickets and the like.

Well, that's all I have. Quite a bit today. I am trying to work on posting more frequently, and hopefully I'll work on that in the coming days and weeks.

Until Next Time,
Andy

Happy New Year

2006-01-01T23:28:00.000-05:00

Same old, same old going on around here. Christmas was great. I got some really great stuff, like Arrested Season 2, Simpsons Season 7, and some CDs, Movies, a new MP3 player, a CD burner for my computer, and a cell phone. A got some good presents for my family and all seemed much appreciated. About what I got my mom for her birthday, it was a nice Celtic Cross from the Irish Imports store, and my brother was mad at spending that much money without permission from him. Good news for Arrested that ABC or Showtime might pick it up. My vote goes for ABC, because A. I don’t get Showtime, and B. ABC needs some good comedies to increase their reputation a little bit. WSS is moving along well. I have (almost) all my lines memorized, I just have to keep refreshing, and full scale rehearsals are beginning. We are just running and running the show over and over again. School is great, I just got my progress report, and I currently have A’s in everything, so I just have to maintain for 4 more weeks, which shouldn’t be too hard. Then we have midterms, which will be good. I am not sure how well I’ll do on Living Environment, but if I study well enough, it should be fine. School starts after tomorrow, and our next break is MLK Jr. day. Happy 2006 everybody, see you soon.

Excited

2005-11-20T18:51:00.000-05:00

Nothing much to discuss. I am really excited for West Side Story. I was cast as Doc, and its an excellent part. I really look forward to rehearsing and performing this excellent show. The director is really excited, and I think that this will be a very memorable experience. I don't have a lot going on right now. I'm probably going to watch TV in about 10 minutes, other than that, this is a short week, since Thanksgiving is Thursday. Then I'll be able to recognize the fact that we have to get ready for Christmas, as opposed to before Halloween. Also, tomorrow is my Mom's birthday. I got her a very nice gift with my brother, which I'll tell you after she opens in case she reads this, (which I doubt she will, since she does not know about it). Nothing else to report, have a good night.

PS Sorry for the double post last time. I would fix it if I knew how.

Catch up

2005-11-12T10:16:00.001-05:00

Sorry I havent' posted in several months. Not that anybody reads this, but it is still nice to keep it updated. Anyway, the Emmys were good, but I don't think Raymond should have won for comedy, but that's just me.
Have you heard about Arrested? (Link to EW Arrested story). This is not good, its practically canceled. I still hold out hope, as no one from Fox has said anything about cancellation yet, but 22 to 13 is not a good sign, and neither is being cut from November Sweeps. Kitchen Confidential, another hilarious show, is also being put on hiatus, and is as good as cancelled. So I'm calling out to all 0 of you to please watch both shows, write to advertisers, Fox, etc., and overall promote it. We can't let something this hilarious die. PLEASE!!
In other news, auditions for West Side Story are at my school this afternoon. I will be singing Maria, and should do alright in that part. I am worried about the dancing, but if I am cast it will probably be as an adult (I am almost always somebody older in the plays at school), which is okay, because I will still be part of the cast, and won't really have to dance.
I was just in a hilarious play called On the Razzle by Tom Stoppard. I played the Constable. I only had 9 lines, but everybody in the play was great, and I had an awesome time being part of the cast. It was what some are calling the funniest show ever to come to my school, and I am so lucky to have been a part of it.
That's all for now bloggers, I'll (hopefully) write to you soon!

Emmy Noms!

2005-07-29T16:47:00.000-04:00

Yay for the people who decide the emmy nominations. 3/5 of writing to Arrested Development, and 3 acting noms! (check http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=3781 for season 2 box set artwork and http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=3771 for episode info). Yay 2 noms for Scrubs, another show that does not get the success it deserves, and is not nearly critically acclaimed enough. Yay Hugh Laurie, who makes House so delightful to watch. Yay Lost, although I was too busy to get into it, the few episodes I saw were fantastic, and I'll try to get the DVD to catch up for season 2. Boo to Desparate Housewives as a comedy, when it should be in a category of its own, from what I hear anyway. Maybe there should be a whole new dramadey category for shows like that. I can't think of any others at the moment, but if you can post them for me. Boo to no noms for The Office, a show that caused me to laugh out loud every episode, for the better part of the 22 minutes. Huh? for Huff, which from what I have heard is not that brilliant (although I love Hank Azaria), and Patricia Arquette, whose breathy high-pitched voice in Medium distracted me from enjoying it.

2005-05-12T17:45:00.000-04:00

This is a picture I took on my recent trip to Washington DC. Doesn't it just look like a postcard? Well, except for the thing in the corner. Beautiful!

Article

2005-05-03T13:49:00.000-04:00

There is a really good article in my school newspaper, Trapezoid about online blogs and journals. It is not up on the web yet, but will be. Visit http://www.bcsd.org/ and click on Brighton High School. Then click on publications and forms, and then on the lefthand side there should be a link to trapezoid. Click on that, and then on In-depth. It should be up soon, a month at the most. Check it out! It's very well written.

Still Here

2005-03-29T12:05:00.000-05:00

Just letting everybody know that I'm still here and alive. By the way, I LOVE to read, if you can't tell. I mean, it's the first in the list in my title. And if you can never choose a book, have someone do it for you. Sign up for the online book club at http://www.dearreader.com/. This is an awesome site. You choose the type of book you like, enter your email address, and your location and they find a library near you that supports it. You sign up and they send you little snipets everyday, and you never have to leave your computer. I have found many books that I want to borrow or buy by using this service. There is something for everyone, so try it today! Other than that, nothing to report. Good luck with your life until next time!

Columnists : Dave Barry -- Herald.com

2005-03-07T06:47:00.000-05:00

Columnists : Dave Barry -- Herald.com Sorry for not having posted for a while. Internet has been down. Anyway, check out the site above if you have been missing Dave Barry since he has been taking a break. I always used to really enjoy his columns, and now you can read classic ones online, and even sign up to get a reminder to do so. Check it out if you need a laugh.

Sorry

2005-02-16T16:49:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't been able to post for a while. Been Kind of busy. The play went great, and we did a great job. I was kind of sad it was over, but I feel better now. Today we got out of school to see Coach Carter with Samuel L. Jackson. It has to do with something we have called TAG group, and it was about Academic Elligibility. I thought the movie was okay, a little long, but it was pretty interesting. Anyway, I am supposed to be doing homework now, so I'd better get to work.

Back to School

2005-01-31T11:42:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm back. I got an A on Math, a 91 in Social Studies, and an 86 in Science. Not bad. So today I have to stay after for a headshot, then run home, do homework, eat dinner, work some more on my lines for the play, and then rush back out. I have rehearsal from 5-9:15, which is an extremely tiring schedule. I am going to be pooped the next couple of days, and quite possibly cranky. Anyway, last nights Arrested was awesome, I loved the "Car Trouble" line at the end of act 2. I laughed a ton. Simpsons was good too, as was Malcolm. I had a good night. And next week is the Superbowl, which means the awesome new commercials, the only reason I watch. (Well, that and the food). AND a new Simpsons and the premier of American Dad, Seth MacFarlane's new show with a political twist. Boy, what a great time to be alive. Okay, I should go start reading Of Mice and Men for English, since it is due Friday, along with 10 questions. Peace!

Science + Math

2005-01-26T07:37:00.000-05:00

I'm about 10 minutes away from going to take my science midterm. After that, I have a little while until it is time for math. I don't know what I'll do in between, but I'll figure something out. I feel like these will be fairly easy, I'll probably get at least upper B's in both of them. So in English class we are starting Of Mice and Men. We have to read it all and answer 10 questions by next Thursday. I'll probably start tomorrow. Also, the play I'm in, Rhinoceros, has a rehearsal tomorrow from 3-5, and I have to be memorized and off book by then. I'm getting close, but I'll work on it a lot today. Anyway, I should think about heading over to the test area, I'll write in a couple of hours.

1 Midterm Down!

2005-01-25T09:24:00.000-05:00

I just took my Social Studies midterm. It was pretty easy, even though it was the one I was most worried about. (Kudos to you who got that right, if there are any of you!) Anyway, I knew most of the multiple choice, my worst was probably Africa. Current Events was pretty easy, and Intro and South Asia were fairly easy as well. The essay I didn't like though. It was to write about the Geography of one of the countries on a list. I chose India, and wrote about isolation, Kashmir, and all that. I think I did pretty well, anyway I have Math and Science tomorrow, and those should be pretty easy. See ya!

Back to School

2005-01-18T13:05:00.000-05:00

Well, I had to go back to school today, after yesterday off. So far I've had 2 tests, and went over two different ones. I have midterms next week, but otherwise it is working as usual. I only have three midterms this year, in Social Stuides, Science, and Math, 2 of which are going to be easy. Guess which one in the comments section. Gotta go, time for English.

Golden Globes

2005-01-17T12:18:00.000-05:00

So I watched most of the GG's last night. Pretty good stuff. No really big surprises, I don't think. Congrats to Jason Bateman on Best Actor in a Comedy, the show really needs it. Too bad the show was on as he won. I don't think I've really seen any of the movies that were nominated, so I didn't have any strong feelings. Although, Sideways is the critical darling of the year. So, if you would like to comment on what you thought about the Globes, just hit the button below. I will respect your opinion, even if it is totally different than mine.

Another Day

2005-01-11T15:32:00.000-05:00

Well, today I went to the principals office for the first time ever. Actually, it was the vice-principal, but it doesn't matter. We have this group that we meet with in school once every six days, and I had mine yesterday. I completely forgot about it! It was the first one since after holiday recess, and I wasn't completely back in the groove. So I got a call at home yesterday, and they asked me if I was in school 5th period. I said yes, and then they asked me if I went to class. I had realized earlier that I had missed the class, and I said no that I wasn't there. Then they said I had to go to the principals office today. So I did, she asked me why, I told her I forgot, and she let me off with a warning. But, if I ever miss a class again, then I will get a detention. So, all that worrying for nothing. Well, it makes a good story!

One Day Down

2005-01-10T21:24:00.000-05:00

The rest of my life to go! Wow! This is really easy, I can't believe how simple it is to share my thoughts with the world. I'll tell you a little more about myself. I am very out there for my age. I like classical music and showtunes, which is not normal, and I do not like sports at all, with Phys. Ed. being my least favorite class, but I still like the teacher. That is an important distinction I've made, Gym teachers are some of the nicest teachers you'll ever have, I just don't like the subject. Umm. . . I play the violin, and I enjoy singing. I sing with my church choir, and do many other activities at my church. I am a Roman Catholic, and my family is mostly Irish. That about raps it up for now, see you tomorrow!

I'm Back

2005-01-10T16:19:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm back. Just got home from school a little while ago. I think I'll start off with my first book review tomorrow, but today I'll just name some stuff about me. I am fairly young, still in High School, and really enjoy my school. I like to act, read, watch TV, etc. I am fat, but am working on loosing weight, and have a workout program that I do on Tuesdays, Thursdays and on the weekends. My favorite TV show is Arrested Development 8:30 Sundays on FOX. You should watch it, it is the most hilarious show I have ever seen. I also am a huge Simpsons fan, and I watch The Apprentice, Still Standing, Malcolm in the Middle, Joey, and many other things I occasinally watch. Well, that seems like enough for now, so I'll work on my homework, and check back later tonight.

Hello, World

2005-01-10T14:20:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my source to talk with you. Yep, all one of you who will probably come to this by accident. Well, I'm a little rushed now, but I'll post more later, and be sure to look out for reviews, thoughts, and more! This has got a lot of potential.