Wednesday, August 29, 2007

One Wealthy Dog...

Today's news from The Motherland actually concerns a story from The Colonies...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6969648.stm

It's nice to see that someone as (reportedly) vile and mean-spirited as Leona Helmsley can still love a pet.

It's late, and I don't have much to say, so I'll leave my readers (all 4 of you) with this thought...is Leona related to Sherman "George Jefferson" Helmsley?

Well we're movin' on up...

FLT3

Friday, August 24, 2007

Confusion

Today from The Motherland...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/6961980.stm

I must confess to a bit of confusion. I always assumed the C of E and a Champagne Bar would be a perfect match. I especially liked the quote about Champagne Bar patrons not pooping outside. Class will tell... :-)

FLT3

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Good Doggie

In today's news from The Motherland...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/6960750.stm

Short post today...not much new to report. As the saying goes, it has been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon..."Comedy of Errors" continues tonight, and I'm sure we will once again have good, solid performances. I am also in rehearsal for the VST Gala, which runs at Virginia Samford Theatre September 6-9. It is going to be AMAZING. I don't say this very often, but all my readers (all 3 or 4 of you) REALLY need to come and see it. It's going to be one of the better pieces of theatre seen in Bham in a while...tickets are $25 for just the show, or $80 for opening night, which includes the foo-foo reception.

I have been singing "Vindaloo" for the past day, having posted it on my last entry (see song #1 from yesterday's post.) I find myself sitting at the computer or whatever softly singing "Na na na na na na na...we're Eng-a-land...we're gonna scooooore one mooooore than yooooou" over and over. (Yes, I am bizzare...I have accepted that...)

That's all for now...

Cheers!
FLT3

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

A Few More Favorites...

I have been on a YouTube kick, I suppose...after my last posting, I realized that I had several more favorite musical bits to include...

1. Fat Les' "Vindaloo." This was the (un?)official song of the British team during the World Cup of 1998. I spent that summer in Durham (a couple of hours north of London, not far from Newcastle.) You literally could not go anywhere without hearing the song. I, of course, got attached immediately.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T1pXsJp_go&mode=related&search=

2. "Come Dancing" by The Kinks. This is early high-school-era music for me. I always associate it with happy times...I remember I had the song on a mix cassette (yes, I'm that old) and the label said "happy music." Indeed, it was...I can listen to this song, and it's 1985 again...geez...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3awgkHHtQ0

3. Closing credits and chase sequence from The Benny Hill Show. Just because I love the song ("Yakkety Sax" is, I believe, the title.) It's also fun to watch the sped-up film...a gag that never seems to get old...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuiA2j52rP8&mode=related&search=

4. "Upside Down" by Jack Johnson, from the movie Curious George. I love Curious George...always have! :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNzFFvW20G0

5. B-52's "Love Shack." What "Come Dancing" was for high school, "Love Shack" was for college. Oh, the happy Saturday afternoons on the back porch of the fraternity house...beer, music...idyllic times, where have you gone...?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8NhJNpQlsY

6. The Three Stooges "Swingin' The Alphabet." I had this on a videotape when I was a kid and must have watched it a million times...I always thought the "Curly's a dope" line was pretty funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFlDUK7YG6A

Today from The Motherland...who would have ever thought that The Rolling Stones would be banned from smoking onstage? I assumed Keith Richards had a cigarette genetically attached to his lower lip...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6958627.stm

FLT3

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Musical Entertainment

Okay, I know I have a bizzare sense of what is entertaining. That said, here are a few of my favorites from YouTube. Enjoy!

Prologue: "Rule, Britannia." My favorite tune...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5UP5n91-JQ&mode=related&search=

1. "Beebopareebop, Rhubarb Pie" from A Prairie Home Companion. I grew up reading the Garrison Keillor books, and love the radio show, so the movie was a must-see! This little ditty between Keillor and Meryl Streep (who, by the way, is still beautiful at 100) is one of my favorite parts of the movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsdHSGtxOlk

2. "Frankie And Johnny," also from A Prairie Home Companion. A pre-felony Lindsay Lohan sings the classic tune in a new way...in the film, her character is basically thrust in front of the mic and told to sing, with humorous results...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-87HUtpY0xU&mode=related&search=

3. "Liquor And Whores," a slightly ribald but funny song by "Bubbles," from Trailer Park Boys. (If you don't know this hilarious Canadian sitcom, you should check it out...) He is apparently performing the song on a radio show.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=aoOY3_2bmlU

4. "Minnie The Moocher" from the BBC series, Jeeves And Wooster. If the actor playing Bertie looks familiar, that's because he's Hugh Laurie of House Fame. Another of my favorite series of books is the Jeeves collection by PG Wodehouse.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=BWnB0hQWGdI

5. Merv Griffin sings "I've Got A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts." Just because.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Td4uqWTDt9w

6. The "Ascot Gavotte" from the 2002 London revival of My Fair Lady. While I don't condone sneaking a video camera into the theatre, this guy did manage to get a decent shot. I saw this production about six months after it opened, and LOVED it! While I do think the costumes are too dark (I preferred the Cecil Beaton black & white) the number is flawless...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JQ78BpYZS0&mode=related&search=

Epilogue: Stewie Griffin sings "My Fat Baby Loves To Eat." A modern classic...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=PWcOvwcNGaA&mode=related&search=

Those should make everyone's day at work a bit more fun. :-)

And, as always, a bit of news from The Motherland...I can't say that this particular link is to anything all that interesting...just a story about a strike among tube workers...however, just reading about the "Bakerloo Line" made me think about The Underground...mind the gap...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6957825.stm

Cheers!
FLT3

Monday, August 20, 2007

MFL Re-Examined And Other Thoughts...

For anyone who knows me, the fact that My Fair Lady is my favorite musical is hardly new news. I have performed in the show multiple times, seen it in numerous venues (the best of which was at London's Theatre Royal Haymarket) and watched the movie ad infinitum. I would have been willing to bet that there was nothing new I could possibly find in it. While this is true in terms of lines and musical numbers, I have found it to be untrue in terms of theme and character...

I recently watched the movie with someone for the first time. (It wasn't the first time I watched it with another person, but rather the first time the other person in reference had seen it.) As the story progressed, we made occasional comments about the characters and situations. It is interesting to see it (in a way) through fresh eyes, unaffected by 20-plus years of exposure to the story. With this in mind, here are my new thoughts...

1. Higgins is basically an insensitive bastard who softens when he finds himself attracted (on some level) to Eliza. I had always sort of viewed him as a lovable curmudgeon, but when you really break down his lines, they're actually quite hateful. Rex Harrison's charm made Higgins likable in spite of himself, but at least for the first half of the story, he's pretty much a jerk. That said, I remain convinced that the actor playing the role HAS to make him endearing in some way...if you go strictly by the dialogue, the audience would want to kill him before intermission.

2. Eliza's treatment of Freddy seems less capricious when you consider the fact that the two primary men in her life are Higgins (see above) and her father, who is perfectly willing to sell her as a whore to Higgins and Pickering if it means he can get five pounds on which to get drunk. I always wondered WHY she spurned a nice-looking, well-mannered man who obviously adored her. (Okay, that whole hanging out for days on the street where she lives is a bit creepy, but still...) The main problem with Freddy is that he has been raised as a gentleman, and has no concept of anyone ever behaving otherwise. In modern parlance, Eliza has "baggage" and "issues" which Freddy could never begin to comprehend, much less address. When she goes back to Higgins, it's really a classic example of dysfunction meeting dysfunction. Yes, we are led to believe that they will get along and (perhaps) love each other, but it's highly unlikely that there will never be fireworks...conflict is a comfort zone for both.

There are some more "new" ideas rattling around in my brain. Maybe I'll get to them sometime after the long-promised "Harry Potter" discussion...

On other fronts, Comedy Of Errors had a successful opening weekend. I am happy to say that while my lines were certainly not letter-perfect, they were (for the most part) accurate and correctly placed. Last night's performance was our best yet, and I think the entire cast agreed that we have hit our stride. Next weekend should be solid.

Today from the motherland...an adorable baby animal:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/6955014.stm

The heat continues to bake the brain and dry the throat. (People were actually excited last night when it was mentioned that today's high was only 97 degrees.) I have been guzzling water for the past couple of weeks, and despite the heat find myself with a sort of renewed vigour. I suppose there's something to be said for hydration...

Michael Vick has apparently reached a plea agreement on the dog-fighting charges that have been nipping at his heels (pun intended.) As an animal lover, I think he belongs UNDER the jail, but I suppose he will get off with just a couple of years in prison. Oh well, it's something...at least he isn't walking away with a slap on the wrist. How anyone could find the brutal slaughter of innocent animals "entertainment" is beyond me...we (as a society) pride ourselves on our civility, yet some among us seem scarcely removed from the savages.

On a more cheerful note, the various work projects are going well. I have finally finished a script I am writing for the VST gala, and I begin work at BCT next week. In the meantime, there's always subbing...

Not much about which to rant in the political realm. I suppose the departure of Beelzebub Rove has left those among the party faithful (on both sides of the aisle) sort of stunned. My thoughts are chronicled one or two entries below, so I won't bore the reader with repetition. Let's just hope he returns to whatever primordial ooze spawned him...

Signing off for now...

FLT3

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Another Fine Mess...

As always, news from The Motherland...the BBC had this to say about a proposed statue of Laurel & Hardy:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/6949693.stm

I remember watching L&H when I was growing up...somewhere in my early teens I "discovered" them on late-night television, and immediately became a fan. I particularly enjoyed the musical numbers they presented, including "In The Blue Ridge Mountains Of Virginia" and "Shine On, Harvest Moon." My absolute favorite short was "The Music Box," where the boys attempt to move a piano up an extremely steep flight of stairs. (Point of trivia: the same set of stairs was used for a similar film in which The Three Stooges played ice men trying to deliver a huge cube of ice.)

Here's to Stan and Ollie...long may they be remembered!

FLT3

Those randy Brits...

Today from The Motherland...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6947678.stm

One does have to wonder, however, if one of Her Majesty's Finest couldn't have found a more romantic (and sanitary) place for an assignation than the loo...

FLT3

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Don't Let The Door Hit You In The Arse On The Way Out...

Well, well, well... Karl Rove is officially leaving his post at the White House. While I can't shake the image of the rats jumping off the sinking ship, I am a bit concerned as to how the powers that be will replace him. (Is the devil you know better than the devil you don't know...?) I did have to smile at John Edwards' "goodbye and good riddance" comment. While I remain a staunch Hillary supporter, I have to give Edwards points for succinct eloquence.

Rove was (and remains) such a symbol of the malevolent arrogance of this administration. King Georgie II has to have assembled the most mean-spirited group of minions in presidential history. (Imagine Cheney as Emperor Palpatine, snarling "Rise, Lord Vader..." as he conjures the Dark Side of the Force, aka the Republican Party.) What's sad is that my absolute favorite President was a Republican. I have NO DOUBT that Teddy Roosevelt is turning backflips and triple-lindys in his grave as he considers what the party has become.

I may shock my readers (all three of you) when I say this, but I really don't think Dubya is inherently evil. By now he has most likely suffered the taint of those who surround him, but by nature he's probably an affable clod...a good ole boy with whom it may have once been fun to have a beer. One has to wonder how he would have turned out had he become Commissioner of Baseball instead of President of the US. My guess is that he would have been remembered as a good-natured and beloved bumbler. He could mangle the English language with impunity, and his off-the-wall comments would have been endearingly "colorful." The congnoscenti of Major League Baseball may have chuckled at his malaprops, but the Commissioner of Baseball can easily (and harmlessly) be viewed with affectionate condescention. That said, the brainless charm does NOT work when you are the most powerful individual in the political world.

Maybe it's the influence of "Comedy of Errors" (opening Thursday at Aldridge Gardens, by the way) but I see an almost Shakespearian level of tragedy in Dubya's reign. Take the brain-dead son of a former king, raise him in wealth and privilege, and then when Daddy and his cronies decide sonnyboy is ready, stick him on the throne through treachery and deceit...surround him with evil yes-men and give him a malevolent second in command who really runs the show...send the country into an unjust war to vindicate Daddy's ego while the economy goes straight to hell...strengthen the power of the government to almost dictatorial levels...accuse any who disagree of disloyalty...wrap the whole administration in an absurdly transparent package of morality and patriotism...and then sit back and wait for the inevitable crash and burn...

Hillary's arrival on the scene as a flawed but idealistic warrior queen adds an interesting twist...Queen Bodaciea, perhaps? Elizabeth I dueling with the privy council? The imagery can really become interesting when you think about it...

Enough political ranting for today. As usual, something from the Motherland...an otherwise dull story, but the last paragraph is priceless...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6944878.stm

FLT3

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Oh Merv, We Hardly Knew Ye...

A sad passing was reported today...Merv Griffin has died at the age of 82. I suppose just about everyone over the age of 30 or so can recall Merv on television...I remember watching and enjoying "The Merv Griffin Show" at my great-grandmother's house when I was about 3 years old. (I'm not sure the 3-year-old demographic was Merv's target, but there you are...) I think I'll try and download "I've Got A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts" and remember Merv's smiling face...

Today from the BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6943271.stm

Farewell, Merv... may flights of angels guide thee to thy rest...

FLT3

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Simply Absurd

Once again, I find myself shaking my head at some of the atrocities perpetrated in the name of Christianity:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070811/ap_on_re/gay_funeral_4;_ylt=AoJZ8D7gN4KXhrQaZsDf5f8E1vAI

Feel free (anyone) to contradict me, but didn't Jesus himself associate with lepers, whores, and outcasts? (Not that being gay is analagous to any of the above, but you get the point...) Again, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't one of the basic tenets of Christianity supposed to be love for one's fellow man? How about the whole "judge not lest ye be judged" concept? If I may quote from The Book Of Common Prayer:

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. The second is like unto it...thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

(I may have gotten a word or two incorrect, but a lifetime as an Episcopalian has enabled me to pretty much quote verbatim the most often-used sections of the BCP.)

Religion is a complex thing to say the least...I don't pretend to have all the answers, and more often than not, I find myself looking up at God and basically saying "I know you're there, I believe that you are loving and kind, and I am just going to trust you and not try to figure it all out." That may or may not be the right approach, but it works for me, and God & I are just fine. I am not ashamed to admit that He and I talk every day, and I think/hope that I am kind and compassionate to my fellow man. Beyond that, it's all as much a mystery to me as to anyone else. However, I do feel sure that to deny one of God's children the civility and courtesy of a decent church-based Christian funeral is pretty far off from the teachings of Christ.

To paraphrase George Carlin, do you see any of these preachers going out and giving their posessions to some poor unwed mothers, sitting down in a soup kitchen to comfort a homeless man, or adopting an unwanted black crack baby? NO!... That might actually be something that Jesus would do...

Sorry for getting on my soap box, but that's how I feel.

On a more cheerful note, here's today's story from the BBC. :-)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6941611.stm

Closing question: why does my blogspot clock always register posts several hours earlier than they were really written? Of course it makes it look as if I am always up bright and early, but it's a bit unsettling...

FLT3

Friday, August 10, 2007

Yet Another Of The Gazillion Reasons I Love The British...

"Rowdy antics..." For some reason, that just made me smile... I also had to laugh at the thought of "couples copulating on the bonnets of cars." Hee hee hee... we've come a long way since Eliza Doolittle shocked everyone at Ascot by shouting "move your bloomin' arse."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cornwall/6939901.stm

Yesterday I had lunch with a good friend who reminded me of a comment by JK Rowling. (Which reminds me...for all three of my readers, I am planning to post the first HP commentary today or tomorrow and hope a discussion will follow...) Anyway, Rowling mentioned that in England, she met with one very polite request re the Christian imagery in the books. She received a letter from a clergyman who asked most respectfully (and with professed admiration for the series) that she consider not placing Christmas trees at Hogwarts School. Civilized and friendly, it was apparently one of those "please forgive this minor complaint and thank you ever so for your otherwise outstanding product" sort of letters.

In America...death threats and screaming hysterics from absurd fundamentalists. I have another friend whose nephew attends a "Christian" (quotes very much on purpose) school where Harry Potter is banned. The child in question is allowed by his family to read the books and see the movies, but can't talk about them at school for fear of being ostracized. To steal a line from The Man Who Came To Dinner, I may vomit. I personally think God has many more important things on His mind than whether or not a 12-year-old (or anyone else) reads a harmless fairy tale.

Rule Brittania!

FLT3

Thursday, August 09, 2007

His Lordship...?

I suppose stranger things have happened...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6938131.stm

Time to start another day...the gloom I mentioned in yesterday's post seems to be lifting. Depression is a strange thing. In my case, it follows no pattern...I have been in an absolute funk for a week (for no real reason) and today I awoke with a sort of refreshed optimism (again, for no real reason.) Odd, admittedly,, but there it is...

Have not forgotten the intention to start a "Deathly Hallows" discussion...I am still sort of digesting not only the book, but the Harry Potter series as a whole. It is many things, including coming-of-age story, epic adventure, quasi-religious allegory, pop-culture phenomenon...and the list goes on...in a day or two, I should be at a point where I feel comfortable dissecting it with others.

Speaking of Potter...I suppose this means my plans to translate "Deathly Hallows" into Urdu and Sanskrit are now thwarted...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6936979.stm

...and just for a smile, look at the last picture... :-)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/6938759.stm

FLT3

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Shakespeare, The Blues, and BBQ

I suppose that sounds a bit like a country music song from some bizzare offbeat band, but it's actually my life right now. Shakespeare refers to "The Comedy Of Errors," which opens next week. I am playing both Dromio twins, which is a real lark. I am still struggling with the lines, but I will get there. I am infinitely more concerned with the heat index...we perform outdoors, which could open the door to some rather sweaty performances. Hopefully there will be a break in the heat wave by next Thursday.

As for the blues, I am really wrestling with them right now. I have been finding myself either sitting around moping, bursting into tears for no apparent reason, or being ridiculously ill-tempered for the past week or so. I could attribute it to the heat, but this is a pattern I know well. I get this way two or three times a year, and there seems to be precious little I can do about it. I just have to try extra hard not to be short or snappish with people, make every effort to at least appear happy, and just muddle through until it goes away (as capriciously and without cause as it arrived.) Someday when I have health insurance, some shrink will make a fortune off me, I'm sure...

On to happier subjects, I had a really excellent bbq chicken breast for dinner, from Bob Sykes' BBQ out in Bessemer. I grew up eating Sykes', and I still consider it the best (sorry, Dreamland!) It's funny how taste can be so evocative of time and place, but as I was eating it, I recalled countless meals at Sykes' as a kid. I'm sure my family ate there in all seasons, but I always associate it with cold weather...I was thinking while I ate, and actually envisioned sitting with my parents at the restaurant, looking out the window at a cold, dreary, sleet-filled sky. Despite the grim appearance of the outdoors, the feeling was quite cozy and content. When you're 8 or 9 years old, it's Friday night, the weather is gross, but you're with mum & dad inside someplace happy and warm, eating barbeque...well, all is right with the world.

Of course no posting of mine would be complete without a link to the BBC. Here's what's going on in The Motherland today...actually, the news is FROM The Motherland, but the story takes place in the USA. It involves a monkey, so I liked it. :-)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6936533.stm

FLT3

Monday, August 06, 2007

Too Darn Hot...

Is a great number from Kiss Me, Kate, but also a description of the weather in Bham...it's been scorching for a few days and shows no signs of cooling. I love summertime, but this is ridiculous...I'm getting ready for fall...

I helped a friend of mine unload some furniture this afternoon. (He is doing some remodeling and had to move some of his household things into temporary storage.) Anyway, by the time the first box had been lifted, I was sweating like a mule. Now most of you know that I am a pretty free sweater, but I literally looked like I had just been swimming. Yeah, it was just as gross as you think it was...

Today from the BBC, a story out of Asia...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6932801.stm

FLT3