Sunday, February 24, 2008

A New Treasure...

Paul Lynde on what appears to be a variety show circa mid-60's singing "Kids" from Bye Bye Birdie. This role (Mr. MacAfee) is one I have played numerous times and loved...don't pretend to be Lynde's comedic equal, but the role is a blast!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TChlGm9oXI

In today's News From The Motherland...an Irish Turkey (puppet) does well for himself...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7261164.stm

HILLARY IN 08!!!

FLT3

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Correcting An Oversight

...I just realized that in my last posting, I neglected to include the "News From The Motherland." I must have been tired...

At any rate, here we are with yet another installment of News From The Motherland...a man is jailed for theft. (Okay, it isn't that thrilling...)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7257579.stm

HILLARY IN '08!!!

FLT3

Friday, February 15, 2008

Successful Opening...

Last night was opening night for I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. The audience was very enthusiastic, and a good time was had by all. I have really enjoyed working on this production. I will miss it when it's over. We have this weekend and next to perform, though, so maybe I will have had my fill of it by Sunday next...

Now that I Love You... has opened, I have got to turn my attention to Into The Woods, which I have woefully neglected as of late. I am playing Cinderella's Prince, which is a great role, but fortunately not TOO line-heavy. A few days of woodshedding the script should bring me up to pace.

Today is also our last in-house day for Tom Sawyer. Next week we take it "on the road" to small-town school auditoriums all over The Great State Of Alabama. Woo hoo!

HILLARY IN '08!!!

FLT3

Thursday, February 14, 2008

VIVA NEW MEXICO!!!!

A small prize has just been awarded...after more than a week of counting votes, Hillary has been declared the winner in the New Mexico caucas. We still have work to do, but our girl appears to be getting a second wind. Early polls in Pennsylvania and Ohio also favor Hillary by a fair margin.

One more YouTube nugget of joy...from "Celebrate Oliver!," a semi-concert apparently done by the BBC, another rendition of "Oom Pah Pah."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRZARYlpDmI&feature=related

In today's News From The Motherland, a very celebrated piece of real estate...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7245274.stm

HILLARY IN '08!!!

FLT3

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

YouTube, Take Me Away...

Okay, today is going to be a slight recap of yesterday...my girl Hillary had a rough (but not unexpected) series of defeats yesterday, and while my hopes are still high, it may be too depressing to get political today. I think another YouTube day is in order...today's subtitle could be "Songs That Make Me Smile." Most (well, all) of them have an anglophiliac bent, but that should come as no big shock to anyone who knows me...

1. From Oliver!, "Oom-Pah-Pah"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQjtMJ14gzc&feature=related
and "It's A Fine Life."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg4Pjd6GbYQ&feature=related
Both of these numbers are performed in the "Three Cripples" pub by Nancy and the ensemble. Each is cheerful in the stage version, but the film uses "Oom-Pah-Pah" as a device for helping Oliver escape the clutches of Bill Sykes. Still, the number itself is fun and happy.

2. From My Fair Lady, "Why Can't The English"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHEN20RB8UM&feature=related
This clip includes a snippet of the scene leading up to the song (which begins at 2:55.) This has always been my favorite number in my favorite show...I remember getting the record (yes, I'm that old...) for Christmas when I was in the 7th or 8th grade. I think I had worn it smooth by Twelfth Night... Also from My Fair Lady, "The Rain In Spain." By George she's got it!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMRFKFHi8V8&feature=related

3. From Mary Poppins, "Supercalafragilisticexpialidocious."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4Mn5ANWTyQ&feature=related
This clip is obviously from a BBC fund-raiser, featuring the London cast. I saw this production a couple of months ago and left the theatre grinning from ear-to-ear. It was, in a word, joyful. :-)
Another favorite is "Chim Chim Cher-ee." The video was obviously bootlegged by someone with a hand-held camera, but what a gem!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWvUxBenSdY&feature=related

Okay... enough of that...time to head down to BCT and perform Tom Sawyer for legions of attentive kids...

HILLARY IN 08!!!!

FLT3

Monday, February 11, 2008

A Break From Politics...

Just for those readers who have recently observed that my blog is "All About Hillary," I am taking a break from politics today...yes, it's time for another "Favorites From YouTube" installment...

1. "A Little Priest" from the Patti Lupone/George Hearn concert version of Sweeney Todd. I think I posted this recently, but it deserves another look...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxKLqvsw0zs

2. The great Etta James singing "Roll With Me Henry" (aka "The Wallflower.") Who among my demographic can hear this song without thinking of George McFly in Back To The Future ? "Gimmie a milk, Lou...CHOCOLATE!!!" Grand stuff here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKqLNZ4BxzQ

3. Frente! Sings "Labour Of Love." This was a huge favorite in summer of '95...living at the beach, getting paid to be an actor, driving a raggedy red convertible...ah, life was idyllic...and this song was always, it seemed, in the background...late nights on the patio at Lance's or Dock Of The Bay...ah, memories...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFvWOyFNNXI

4. I suppose no trip down sentimental lane would be complete without another previously-posted song... Fat Les sings "Vindaloo," which was the World Cup song when England competed in '98...I spent that summer in Durham, with the occasional sojurn down to London...this song was EVERYWHERE...I still love it! ("Me and me mum and me dad and me gran went out to Waterloo...")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuAyAeOZlTo

5. Mama Cass sings one of my favorite songs in the world... "Dream A Little Dream Of Me." Admittedly, this was not a beautiful woman by any conventional standards, but God, that voice... if I ever get married, I want this sung at my wedding...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9La73DAKqoA

6. "New Orleans Ladies" is another favorite...if there was ever background music for a lazy, romantic afternoon, this would be it. I love this song...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsRZ_O8AW9w

7. The Cranberries' "Linger." No real reason...I just like it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPLXJAWUnwI

8. Tasmin Archer's "Sleeping Satellite." Ditto.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuhDDx49TTw

That should provide some afternoon entertainment...and a break from politics for a day. ;-)

Finally, in today's News From The Motherland... Sir Paul and Lady Heather continue the kerfuffle over their divorce...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7236073.stm

HILLARY IN '08!!!

FLT3

Thursday, February 07, 2008

The Battle Continues...

As predicted, "Super Tuesday" did not produce a clear winner in either camp, with even greater uncertainty on our side. Hillary remains ahead in delegate count, with a fairly-comfortable 85-delegate lead. After doing the math and exploring the likely results of several upcoming contests, I think she will persevere, but it will definitely be close.

I am urging all of my readers (all 6 or 7) to consider making a contribution of any size to the Hillary Clinton campaign. Obama is rolling with a substantial money machine behind him, and our girl needs some assistance in keeping up pace. I have made my donation (small though it was...those of us who choose careers in the arts are seldom kingmakers if we move below the Broadway/Hollywood level.) Click on the link below for information on how you can help take Hillary all the way to The White House. Even something as seemingly insignificant as 10 or 20 dollars seems formidable when you consider what the results will be if a thousand or ten thousand people make a similar contribution...

https://contribute.hillaryclinton.com/form.html?sc=2337

The delegates committed to John Edwards continue to hang in the balance. If those votes are thrown Hillary's way via Edwards' endorsement, we should have clear sailing ahead. So far Edwards has not made a commitment, but perhaps one will come soon... a Clinton/Edwards ticket would be formidable, so perhaps such a deal can be struck. I would be perfectly fine with a Clinton/Obama ticket, but for the moment the senator from Illinois remains the challenger...a friendly enemy, as it were. Once Hillary has the required delegates for nomination, Obama can then be considered an ally against the Republicans.

McCain would be the greatest gift Hillary could receive. If (when?) the race comes down to Clinton v. McCain, I will begin to relax a bit.

Onward, onward... our girl seems to be proceeding at a measured pace, but with consistently solid results. New Mexico remains undeclared, which virtually assures a statistical tie between Hillary and Obama in terms of delegate allocation.

Today from The Motherland... HAIRSPRAY sweeps the Olivier nominations...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7231345.stm

HILLARY IN '08!!!

FLT3

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Super Tuesday!!!

Well, today is "Super Tuesday" and those of us with a political bent will be closely watching the exit polls, etc. I think my girl Hillary is going to win more states than Obama, but it's going to be close. California is looking perilous, but this campaign has proven that anything can happen. We shall see...

I am finally crawling out from under a nasty head cold that pretty much wiped me out over the weekend. Two days of doing very little beyond sipping TheraFlu and sleeping seems to have worked. Yesterday I was much better, if not 100%, and today is starting off well. Hopefully I am done with it. Today's newspaper has a front-page story about the widespread flu epedimic in Birmingham. A few pages back is the weather forecast, which predicts a high today of 76 with much cooler temps tomorrow. Alabama in February is a perfect breeding ground for all sorts of seasonal illness...

Next Thursday is opening night of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. The show is going to be amazing, despite my continually fumbling attempts to master even the most basic of choreography. Last night was a full run-through, and while I definitely have work to do between now and next week, I can see the finish line, and I know that I will make it. Vocally, it's a wonderful show, but with some intricate harmonies that are still giving me fits. As fun and rewarding as it is, this is one of the most difficult shows I have done in a long time.

On a paralell track, Into The Woods continues towards an early March opening. As soon as I Love You... is up and running, I am going to have to really start working it hard to catch up with my castmates. Into The Woods may truly be one of the best shows CenterStage has ever produced. The cast is top-notch, the director and production staff are outstanding, and it's one of the most good-natured casts I have ever encountered.

I suppose I am in a Sondheim state of mind, as I have really enjoyed checking out the following links on You Tube to the Patti Lupone/George Hearn "Sweeney Todd" concert. Both numbers are hilarious and well-performed. "A Little Priest" is ghoulish fun, and "The Worst Pies In London" show Mrs. Lovett at her most delightfully self-effacing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxKLqvsw0zs ("A Little Priest")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwzqz9ImmH8 ("The Worst Pies In London")

That's about all for now. Got to start the day early today by voting before going to BCT for two performances of Tom Sawyer.

Today from The Motherland... one last glance at Super Tuesday...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7227637.stm

HILLARY IN '08!!!!

FLT3