Monday, November 28, 2005

Early Day Tomorrow

Not looking forward to getting up at the crack of dawn tomorrow, but we have a wonderful publicity opportunity for Cinderella. We are being interviewed for three different stations, all in the same complex, and all part of the ClearChannel Group. Thursday morning brings another painfully early day with Good Day Alabama, featuring a live segment from VST at 7:00am...oh, the things we do to sell tickets! :-)

FLT3

Thursday, November 24, 2005

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

I would say something along the lines of "God Bless Us Every One," but that's for the next holiday, about a month down the road. Having pretty much spent the day eating and sleeping, I am most thankful for the Alka-Seltzer in the bathroom cabinet...

Andy Rooney once said (wrote?) that we need a good, quiet, low-key holiday once in a while, and that's just what Thanksgiving is. When I was a kid, I always thought of Thanksgiving as a sort of dress rehearsal for Christmas. We tend to eat practically identical meals with pretty much the same group of people, and the days themselves are usually the same with respect to weather and temperature. At my parents' house, the Christmas trees are already up on Thanksgiving, so the decor is identical on both holidays, and the radio stations are playing the same Christmas songs that will have become well-worn by December 25th.

So, Happy Thanksgiving to all. I hope yours was nice.

FLT3

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Accept No Substitute...

...other than yours truly, because I need the money!

I am substituting today at Vestavia High School. So far, so good...the kids are pretty much well-behaved, and they seem to be enjoying the combination of sub, watching a movie, and the general day-before-a-long-holiday relaxing of the rules. I will say, however, that after three viewings, the documentary on German soccer players is getting a bit dull. Did I mention that I'm subbing for the German teacher? As my only foreign language in school was French, I can (at best) mumble a passabe danke and bitte, and the occasional achtung, baby! (Yes, I am a child of the '80s, for those who caught the reference.) :-)

Cinderella moved into the theatre last night, and shows all signs of being an entertaining show. It's a little syrupy for my taste, but Melissa has thrown in some nice comedic slapstick moments with the stepsisters, which seem to cut the sugar down to a not-quite-diabetic level. I am looking ahead to The King & I, which I will be directing next Spring. My good friend Brent Jones is playing the role of The King, so it will be fun for us to do another show together.

An interesting job offer came round this week, and I accepted. I am organizing a group of carolers to entertain at the Brasfield & Gorrie Christmas party. Fairly low impact rehearsal-wise, and a very nice compensation offer made that one a no-brainer. It will be a good opportunity to show off some of our better singers, too.

It's almost time for the bell to ring...*sigh* and time for another showing of the soccer documentary. Only three more to go...

FLT3

Thursday, November 17, 2005

It's too freakin' cold!!!!

The thermometer dipped below freezing last night, and promises to do the same tonight. There is a reason many of us live in the South, and it isn't for the open-minded people, the opportunities in the performing arts, the healthy fat-free cooking, or the snow skiing...no, it's SUPPOSED TO BE WARM HERE!!!!

Snarl. Growl. Rant.

How many days till Spring? 126. And counting...

Here are a few things to which we can all look forward:

.The smell of freshly-cut grass.

.Easter. Glorious Easter. Pastels...easter eggs...chocolate bunnies..."Welcome, Happy Morning"... the sun shining through the church windows...ham, rolls, and potato salad, the beautiful taste of springtime's holiday...mimosas...(I really REALLY like Easter!)

. Baseball season (not that I really watch baseball, but just knowing it's there is a good thing. If baseball is on television, the weather is probably nice.)

.Leaving the doors and windows open when the first warm night breezes start to blow.

.Spring thunderstorms...the smell, the sound of thunder, the wind...marvelous.

.A cold beer on a balcony, with pollen in the air (so what? I'll sneeze and smile.)

. The days get longer, and blessed Daylight Saving Time comes back. Suddenly 5:00 doesn't mean "dark" anymore.

. The smell of grilling food.

. Wearing shorts outside without getting frostbite.

. Flowers in bloom...and dogwood trees...and magnolias...

.The optimism that comes with Spring. The newness and renewal of life.

. That first weekend at the beach...not too crowded, but just enough people to feel festive.

I love the Spring. Please, God...make it come soon!

FLT3

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Coast To Coast AM musings

I have been listening to my favorite radio show, Coast To Coast AM, for the past few nights. It's a myriad of freaks, wierdoes, UFO enthusiasts, conspiracy theorists, and general assorted nuts who call in to a midnight-to-4:00am radio show devoted to mysteries, occult phenomenon, and the like. The hours of the show necessitate an afternoon nap, and essentially split an eight-hour sleep into two installments of four hours, but I have always liked to sleep in shifts, anyway.

Coast To Coast is lots of guilty fun. It's the aural equivalent of cotton candy...pretty much free of substance, but enjoyable. Last night had a guest who managed to speak with authority and seemingly substantial intelligence on the subject of "pet ghosts and animal miracles." Actually, I think this was one of the more "normal" of topics.

Friday night is usually "open line" night, in which the phone lines are opened up and any lunatic with the capacity to press the buttons on the phone is invited to call in. Needless to say, it gets interesting...the usual callers include "Oscar The Demon," "Dr. Morgus, the Whacked-Out Scientist," and "Richard C. Hoagland, the expert on wierd things." I strongly recommend the show to anyone who wants a fun reality break.

FLT3

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Final Dress Tonight

Tonight was final dress rehearsal for The 1940's Radio Hour at Hoover Library Theatre. It went very well, and the cast seems excited about tomorrow night's opening. This is my first show with this company, and I hope it will not be the last. The rest of the cast has been fun to work with, and we've all gotten along very well.

Tomorrow I am performing in a skit for the Birmingham Business Community's annual meeting. Jan Hunter and Kristi Higginbotham are singing a couple of numbers, and I am appearing as Donald Trump, bad wig and all...it should be fun, and we get paid for it, so I'm excited.

The Silence Of The Lambs is on television right now...I had forgotten how damn creepy that movie is. I enjoy Thomas Harris' books, and have always been impressed at how well they translate to film. The same thing has amazed me about the Harry Potter series. I love the books, and have really enjoyed the movies. The Goblet Of Fire comes out in a couple of weeks, and I can't wait to see it.

Enough pointless rambling for tonight...:-)

FLT3

Sunday, November 06, 2005

Relief concert and 1940's

This afternoon is the Katrina Relief Benefit at John Carroll High School. We are doing the CenterStage preview show from the Bravo Festival. By now it has settled into a comfortable reliability, having been performed several times. The cast continues to gently rotate, with multiple Cinderellae and Annae coming in and out. It should come off well and hopefully promote some interest in the upcoming shows.

The 1940's Radio Hour is shaping up into a very good production. We are coming together into a cohesive group, finding the characters where they are in what is essentially a musical revue with some very thing connecting dialogue. The music is wonderful, and the audiences should have a good time.

Went to church and breakfast avec mes parents as usual today. As always, it was very nice. As much as I dislike the onset of cold weather, I must confess that this morning was comfortably cool and pleasant. The falling leaves were a nice touch, too.

FLT3