Birthdays, Comments, England and UAB

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER, RONEE NELSON!!!! She celebrates her special day today, September 27, 2005. No, I won't tell you how old she is. Ask her yourself, if you really want to know. :-)

I'm still smiling over the comment on Sunday's post by Paul McCracken. Apparently it appears that I give excessive and gushy praise to attractive females (ie Connie, Siusan, Ashley, etc.) who write responses to my entries. The implication is that I would somehow give preferential treatment to a reader just because of her beauty and feminine charms...that I could somehow be swayed from total objectivity by a beautiful girl.

Well...yeah.

In all fairness, however, I have to give a shout out to Paul. He's a good guy and a good friend, so thanks, Paul, for reading and commenting. I'm glad to hear that you & Nancy will be going to New Orleans in December. As soon as possible, all of us who love The Crescent City need to start going down and pumping some life and commerce back into the infrastructure.

I made a new friend today via email...the sister of a girl I interviewed for "Tapestry" a few weeks ago. She is studying at Wadham College, Oxford, which is where I spent an AMAZING summer through the "Alabama At Oxford" program when I was an undergraduate at UA. It will be nice to have an e-mail pal in the UK, especially one at Oxford. Anyone who has ever been there knows what a truly magical place it is. I will definitely live in England someday...I have never been as blissfully, completely, soul-fulfillingly happy as I have been on that "Sceptered Isle." It's ironic that even as much as I dislike cold, gloomy weather, I have never found the grey London winters anything but cheerful.

School is going well...in case I have never mentioned it, I have gone back to school to get yet another degree...this time in Education (Secondary/Language Arts.) Pretty soon I will be able to wallpaper my house with diplomas, yet I still seem to have trouble deciding what to be when I grow old. (Having "grown up" years ago, I had to amend the expression! :-) I like my classes, and I think I will enjoy teaching. After this degree, Medical School is about the only option left, and I can say with 100% certainty that this is NOT an option! (I think I finally passed "Biology For Idiots" after the third try!)

FLT3

I Always Thought A Hurricane Was A Drink...

More destruction in New Orleans, now that Rita has made herself known. I don't think I have ever been to the 9th Ward per se, but I do love New Orleans. The irony is that I used to have a t-shirt that said "I love New Orleans for the weather...especially the HURRICANES!" (Obviously in reference to the beyond-potent beverage so often associated with Mardi Gras.) That shirt was donated to Goodwill years ago, but I remember it well.

The good news appears to be that the flooding is not as severe as that experienced with Katrina. Hopefully everything will get back to normal soon.

As usual, church and breakfast with the parents. We had our customary nice visit, which is always one of the bright spots of my week. There is an older couple who sits in front of us every week, and the husband (Walt)& I usually crack a few jokes together. Today there was no priest waiting to greet the congregation at the back of the church (there usually is) so Walt extended his hand and indicated that he would be willing to serve as interim pope, allowing the congregants to kiss his ring as they exited. He's a nice and funny guy. (Although I did have to remind him that we're Anglican...our allegiance would be more to Canterbury than to Rome.) Oh well, it did make a good joke.

PHANTOM OF THE OPRY continues apace, and will be quite a good show. More details as they arise. Happy Sunday!

FLT3

Thursday Returns

Well, once again, it's Thursday...they seem to be coming round more and more frequently. )I wonder if they've added a second Thursday to the week?) The previously discussed feeling of happy anticipation is here as usual. It's kind of nice, and seemingly reliable, having lasted for almost 20 years. Another reliable feeling is the absolute inner peace I always feel in Westminster Abbey...I have even entered it on occasion with some fear that I would NOT feel utter and complete peace, only to find that it is seemingly eternal...(much like what The Abbey represents!) I haven't been to London in a couple of years, and I am eager to get back there soon. The Abbey will most likely be my first stop...

Today has been a long day. The ONB promo went very well, and we managed to put CenterStage brochures in approximately 200 hands. All assembled seemed to have a good time, and in spite of a somewhat befuddled preparation period, we managed to present a quality product. Time will tell if we sold any season tickets.

I am listening to "Coast to Coast" as I write...as usual, the freaks come out at night. (Well, at least they pick up the phone.) Radio really is the one true public medium. (Translation: any idiot with a telephone and a willingness to stay on "hold" for a few hours can have his/her 15 minutes of fame.) God bless 'em, though...they sure are entertaining!

FLT3

The Show Must Go On...

Before anything else, thanks to Ashley for the sweet comment on yesterday's post. It's always nice to know that people are reading what I write. :-)

Now, on to today's subject...

Tomorrow morning at the beyond-ungodly hour of 7:00, our merry little band of performers from last weekend's Bravo Festival will be presenting the same little preview show at a breakfast meeting of ONB (Operation New Birmingham for you out-of-towners.) This group seems to be comprised of largely monied and influential business-types, all with disposable incomes (and presumably at least a passing interest in the performing arts) so we will certainly try and make a good impression. Our contact person is Diane McNaron of "Politically Incorrect Cabaret" fame. She has been dealing with all sorts of headaches from the organizers (some unnamed advertising firm, if I understand correctly), including incorrect performance times, inaccurate directions to the venue, and all around we-don't-have-our-shit-together mistakes. However, all seems to have finally been worked out, and I'm sure we will be warmly received. This is apparently a new "Random Acts Of Art" venture, so one can assume that such mistakes will happen less and less with time.

Initial steps are being taken to record a "Christmas Album" by the members of "Down Home Opry" (aka the cast of The Phantom Of The Opry.) More on this as it develops, but the working title is "Carly's Country Christmas." We plan to record it in time to sell cds at intermission. It should be great fun, and will certainly make a wonderful keepsake as well as a truly nice Christmas album. Fa-la-la-la-la...

Daylight Savings Time is drawing to its' inevitable close, and I feel depression looming on the horizon. I have to tell myself that Spring will return, and that Winter is not inherently evil...please help convince me of that, dear readers. If anyone has cheerful, good winter thoughts, I'd love to hear them. All I can think of is cold, gloomy, desolate months of no sunshine and depressing dead trees. I'm usually OK until after New Year's, and then about a ten-week period of complete lethargy and sadness settles in until mid-March when things warm up and start blooming. Easter is my favorite holiday, and always one of the very last mileposts on the Sprint to Spring. For those who are curious, these include:

.Halloween - The first halfway happy/fun event in the Fall.
.Thanksgiving - The first major holiday of the "Holiday Season."
.Christmas - Usually somewhat happy, despite fleeting moments of depression.
.New Year's Eve - Festive most of the time, provided there's a party. Even if there's not, it's
the end of the "end of the year months" of Winter.
.New Year's Day - Almost always HORRIBLE (hangovers, cold weather, and I don't like
football...this day is beyond bad!)
.Valentine's Day - Can be good, bad, or uneventful...but February is half over.
.March 1st - THE FIRST DAY OF MARCH!!!! No matter how dismal, rainy, or cold it may be,
this day always brings a little lift...a parting of the psychological clouds.
.March 9th - My mother's birthday. Always a landmark. Spring is getting really close
.March 22nd - The First Day of Spring. A sigh of relief is heard. Things are getting green.
.Easter - MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY!!!! "Welcome, Happy Morning" and "Hail Thee, Festival
Day" are heard in church...eggs are colored, jelly beans eaten. Halleluiah!
.Daylight Savings Time returns - Life seems bearable again. Spring is in full bloom.

Someday, I will buy a house on the equator.

FLT3

Thoughts on Wal-Mart

Walking through Wal-Mart at 11:00 at night definitely gives one some insight into the sheer freaking magnitude of consumer culture in Western Society. The Wal-Mart on Lakeshore Drive was one of my frequent haunts during Law School, when I lived at Wildwood Crossings, but after moving to Southside, I haven't been there as much. Tonight I went there with Melissa while she shopped for Alabama and Auburn memorabilia to decorate for her blood drive tomorrow. (I guess they assume people will be more likely to donate blood if there are college football items sitting around.) Anyway, the store was PACKED, not with customers, but with workers stocking shelves, unpacking gigantic boxes, etc. It was almost like watching Santa Claus and the elves making toys for Christmas...a sort of glimpse at the secret creation of what we take for granted.

That's enough deep thought for tonight.

FLT3

Into The Show...

Today was the Bravo Festival, which is an "open house" of sorts for Birmingham performing arts groups. It was hosted by The Virginia Samford Theatre, which is where CenterStage performs. Each group got 15 minutes to perform, and the audience came and went for 4 hours. It was great fun and I think we generated a great deal of interest for Phantom of the Opry.

Short post tonight...I'll write more tomorrow.

FLT3

Thank You Siusan Buie...

It was so wonderful to click on my blog page and see a comment for a change. Siusan Buie left a comment on yesterday's (Thursday) posting. Thank you, Siusan...it's so nice to know that somebody actually reads these musings of mine. Special thanks also to Connie Bridgham, who told me today that she, too, is a reader. Thanks, Connie! :-)

Today was a good day. I was pretty happy with my story on "Tapestry." Tanya Ott, my mentor and friend at WBHM, is teaching me to edit and essentially produce my own stories. I enjoy writing, and I love working in radio, so I am happy that it looks like I will be doing more with "Tapestry."

Just for the record, anyone reading this can visit www.wbhm.org and follow the links to hear tonight's show. My story was aired towards the end of the broadcast, if you'd like to hear it.

The Phantom Of The Opry continues to develop nicely. We're going to have a good show.

I am forcing myself to stay awake to hear "Coast To Coast AM," a radio show I enjoy. It's basically a collection of freaks, weirdos, UFO nuts, conspiracy paranoiacs, and those who find them entertaining. Tonight's show features an expert on Jack The Ripper, who should be interesting. I took a Ripper walking tour out in the Whitechapel section of London, and have been interested in the story ever since. Patricia Cornwell wrote a very compelling book, Portrait Of A Killer, which suggested that an artist named Walter Sickert was The Ripper. Not sure if I agree or not, but her theories are believable.

That's all for today...if you visit, please leave a comment. Thanks!

FLT3

Another Thursday

Once again that left-over feeling of collegiate anticipation is creeping in. I think there will always be something about Thursdays that fills a tiny corner of my psyche with the anticipation of a night filled with loud music, smoky bars, and beautiful drunk sorority girls. Ah, the follies of youth...now Thursday just means back to rehearsal after a night off, but somehow that Pavlovian response developed more than 15 years ago still hangs on..."Thursday Night is party night" seems to have been permanently imprinted. Oh well, I hope the tradition lives on in Tuscaloosa...I'm sure it does! :-)

Today's entry will be short(ish.) I have to head down to WBHM to finish the final edit on a story for tonight's "Tapestry." I am still writing for the show, and still enjoying it. It's nice to actually get paid to do something I enjoy.

Shameless self-promotion as usual...please visit our website at www.centerstage-productions.org

More later...

FLT3

BBQ Plans

Spent a little time tonight at rehearsal talking with Andy (CenterStage Board Prez) and Connie (VP and all-around Public Relations guru chick) about our opening night patron's party for The Phantom Of The Opry. I think we have decided to do a pre-show barbecue dinner and post-show reception with the cast. The playwright, Lloyd J. Schwartz, will be there, so it will be a special event for our patrons to meet him.

I went to a fun event yesterday...the annual parish picnic for my church, Cathedral Church of the Advent (Episcopal.) It was held at the Birmingham zoo, and featured food, a band, etc. The meal was catered by Full Moon BBQ, a local favorite...which actually gave me the idea of investigating them as a possible caterer for the patron's event. I'll have to check into that tomorrow.

Things are very exciting around CenterStage right now...Opry promises to be one of our strongest shows to date, and it looks as if the production, particularly opening night (on 14 October) will be quite an event.

FLT3

A Lovely Day So Far

Well, it's Sunday morning at 11:30, and I have already been to church with my parents (7:30...who says I'm not a dutiful son? I don't even think God is up at that hour.) As per our usual ritual, we went to Original Pancake House for breakfast after the service. I decided to surprise them and go to church one Sunday last May, and somehow I've fallen into the routine of making it a weekly event. Despite the hour, I really do look forward to it. I have always enjoyed church, and Sunday breakfast is the one time every week I regularly see my parents. We always have a nice visit, and today was no exception. There's just a hint of fall in the air, and although I usually get quite depressed at the onset of cooler weather, the hint of a breeze has actually been quite pleasant.

CenterStage board meeting this afternoon, with several administrative tasks to accomplish. Andy Duxbury is our incoming board president, and I am quite sure that he will do an excellent job. We are well into rehearsal for The Phantom Of The Opry, and next week's BRAVO! festival, which is a sort of showcase, featuring excerpts from all the Bham arts groups' upcoming seasons.

So...as Bertie Wooster once said, "The sky is blue, the birds are chirping, and there's optimism in the air." Hopefully the rest of the day will be as pleasant and agreeable as the morning has been.

Today is September 11th. Please remember the victims of the terrorist attacks in whatever way you choose.

FLT3

Alas, New Orleans...

I have been doing my best to deal with the New Orleans tragedy with a degree of detatchment, but the 24-hour news coverage sort of prohibits that approach. So much destruction, and I fear the worst is yet to come.

New Orleans is a very special place. Like millions of others, I have my own set of memories of The Crescent City, and I find myself recalling them more and more these days...my first trip down to New Orleans as a college freshman...numerous weekends going home with a girlfriend whose parents lived there...one or two purely rowdy trips with drinking buddies...enjoying everything from black-tie upper society (Mardi Gras Ball with aforementioned girlfriend and her family) to the basest of diversions offered by the French Quarter (basically every other trip...ha ha!)

...and now there's nothing there but flood waters and chaos.

New Orleans will recover, however. Jazz clubs will reopen. Street performers and psychics will return to Jackson Square. Begniets and Cafe au Lait will flow at Cafe Du Monde, the horse-drawn carriages will again clop through the French Quarter, and the strippers will again writhe and gyrate on Bourbon Street stages. Soul food will be cooked, beads will be thrown, and life will return to what passes for normal in this great city.

Hopefully the citizens who have been displaced will all find a way to return. Let's hope so.

FLT3

Thursday...

Thursday always brings a sense of expectation...when I was a little kid it meant that the weekend and two glorious days from school were almost here. As an older kid and teenager, it meant that Friday and Saturday night, with either a date or an outing with friends, was imminent. In college, Thursday night was the biggest "going out night" of the week, which explained the poor attendance at Friday morning classes. Now, as an adult, Thursday is essentially just another day, but there's still that little feeling of happy anticipation that comes with Thursday afternoon...I think I'll mix myself a bourbon and coke (the official drink of fall) and sit and watch the leaves fall before I go to rehearsal.

And for what am I rehearsing, one may ask? The world premiere of Lloyd J. Schwartz's The Phantom Of The Opry, which opens October 14th. We have a wonderful cast, which includes:

THE PHANTOMOF THE OPRY....................Greg Hagler
CHRISSY............................................................Lindsey Kennedy
RONNIE.............................................................Howard Green
CARLY................................................................Holly Dikeman
DUSTY WHITAKER.........................................Don Everett Garrett
ANDY..................................................................George Scott
PHIL...................................................................Andrew Duxbury
MADAME...........................................................Pam Cooper
MEG....................................................................Kimberly Piazza
SKEFF.................................................................Ron Dometrovich
JOEY BOUQUET...............................................Ryland Byars
THE "DOWN HOME SINGERS".....................Siusan Buie
Ali Fredrick
Chuck Evans
Russell Jones
LIGHTING DESIGNER/SHARPSHOOTER........Jerry Handley
PIANIST/SHARPSHOOTER..................................Dave Crabb
YOUNG CHRISSY....................................................Kendra Bridgham
YOUNG RONNIE.....................................................Reid Watson
GORDY.......................................................................Brent Jones
DARLENE..................................................................Kim Rollins Dometrovich

The show itself follows the traditional "Phantom" story, but places the show at a country-music house. For more information, please visit our website at www.centerstage-productions.org

Not much else to report today. I am going to do my VERY BEST to post something new every day, or at the very least to avoid any more three-month absences!!! :-)

FLT3

Rest In Peace, "Little Buddy."

Wow. It's been months (several of them) since I've posted. It's really too bad that a major loss has prompted me to dust off my blog page and start writing again...

Yesterday brought some very sad news to those of us who are "Gilligan's Island" fans. Bob Denver passed away at the age of 70. This is way too young for anyone to die. For those of us in our mid-30's, Bob Denver and his zany gang of fellow castaways brought hours of after-school joy and laughter as we enjoyed the reruns of the show in syndication.

Many of you have heard my story about Bob Denver...when CenterStage was presenting "Gilligan's Island: The Musical," I tried to get him as our opening night guest. Somehow I got his phone number through his agent's office, and I wound up speaking on the phone with him for a couple of minutes. It would be politically correct to say that he was an absolute angel, but that would not be the truth. Actually, he was quite brisk and let me know rather quickly that he was not interested. I have since been told by a good friend of mine (who also happened to know Bob Denver very well) that Denver really was a nice guy...he just got asked to do SO many appearances that he had developed a sort of gruff manner when handling such requests. Add to this that he was an extremely private person, and it makes the whole thing much more understandable. Who knows? He may have been having a terrible day, he may have had a headache, or who knows what else may have been going on at the exact moment I happened to talk to him?

Bottom line: He was clearly adored by those who knew him, and he created a character that was loved by countless millions. Here's to the memory and good name of Bob Denver...may he rest in peace and always be remembered by the fans and friends whose lives he touched. I am proud to count myself among the many fans he leaves behind. I know that Heaven will be an even happier place with Bob Denver up there.

FLT3

Spring Is In The Air...

Wonderful weather this week...Spring has finally sprung, and the pollen is making me cough and sneeze, but that's okay...I'll gladly deal with it! :-)
42ND STREET is going well. I am having a great time playing the role of Julian Marsh. I am not directing this show, which is also kind of nice for a change.
I have been substitute teaching at Vestavia High School lately. It's not what I would call exciting, but it's a paycheck, and I really enjoy being around teenagers. (I subbed ONE day at Middle School and swore if I got out without strangling a kid, I'd never go back. That age is all about testing limits, and it takes a saint to deal with a room full of 11 and 12 year olds all day.)
I bought a car a week or so ago...a Nissan Altima...it's not brand new by any means, but it's in good shape. I have enjoyed driving it so far.
The new Pope has been elected. Beyond that, there's no real news.
FLT3

Milkshake Rant and 42nd Street

As usual, it has been MUCH too long since my last posting. If anyone actually keeps up with these diatribes, I apologize for the delay and will try to be better about writing.

I am on a rip today about the apparent inability of modern fast-food places to offer a decent milkshake that one can actually DRINK! I went to Sonic yesterday, having long since given up on the "triple thick" crap at McDonald's, and hoped that I could get something thin enough to drink through a straw. I was given what was basically a cup of soft-serve ice cream. When I complained (nicely) the waitress seemed very confused and explained that "that's how they're made. We don't use milk." WE DON'T USE MILK????? She agreed to take it back and add milk and blend it. After her efforts, it had taken on the consistency of a Wendy's "Frosty" dessert...a bit thinner than before, but still basically ice cream in a cup. Now don't get me wrong...I LOVE ice cream. I could eat it every day. However, a milkshake is not ice cream. That would be like handing someone a bag of chocolate chips and calling it "cookies." Oh well, it looks like I'll just have to buy a blender and make them at home...

42nd STREET is cast, and I am very happy to have been cast as Julian Marsh. I am not directing 42nd STREET, but I am directing TWELFTH NIGHT for Park Players this summer, and that should be fun.

Not much else to report. It's finally warm...we got up to 80 degrees yesterday, and I was SO happy to see the sun!

FLT3

Looking Ahead

Well, we put "Whorehouse" to bed today with our final performance. Surprisingly large crowd for a Sunday matinee of a show with such a provocative title. The tepid review by the Bham News seemed only to increase our houses. We won't have the final numbers for a day or two, but it looks like we will cover all expenses, pay for the rights to "42nd Street" and still have a few coins left over when all is said and done. For a non-profit theatre company, that's pretty good :-)

Now it's time to look ahead. "42nd Street" will be our next venture with CenterStage, and it will be directed by Melissa Bailey. I am planning to audition, and also will be auditioning for "The Music Man" with Leeds Arts Council. Add to this a directing gig with Park Players on "Twelfth Night" and I will have a busy summer!

Tonight is Sunday, which meant "Carnivale" on HBO. As always, a wonderfully bizzare show. There are only 2 weeks left in this season, and no official word from the network as to whether this will be the final season. I certainly hope there will be more. I am already counting the days until "The Sopranos" resumes next year. "Six Feet Under" should be back sometime soon. I love the mini-seasons on HBO, which are very much in the style of the British television series system...12 to 15 weeks and then other shows take turns until some time passes and the whole thing starts over from the top.

Anticipation...

I AM SO SICK OF COLD WEATHER!!!!! My mother's birthday was this past Wednesday, and usually her b-day portends the arrival of Spring. I am sick to death of this "high of 58, low of 45 bullshit. It's time for some warm weather, flowers, sunshine, etc.

Three more performances of "Whorehouse" which has been quite well received. Today's paper brought a lukewarm review which should neither really harm nor really help attendance. The audiences have been enjoying it, and they have been fairly large audiences at that, so I'm happy.

It's been quite some time since I posted here. I need to be better about keeping a consistent pattern of entries...

THANKS TO COURTNEY STEVENSON who was the sole respondent to my question about everyone's favorite "Seinfeld" and "Gilligan" episodes!!! C'mon y'all...keep those cards and letters rolling in...hee hee hee.

Looking forward to a good show tonight.

FLT3

Love Me Do...

...was a song by The Beatles.

Last night marked another performance of "Politically Incorrect Cabaret" at The Flying Monkey Arts Center in Huntsville, AL. The crowd was fairly large, but not as lively as one would have hoped. As always, though, the performances were quite good.

WHOREHOUSE continues to progress towards opening night. For the most part, all is well. I anticipate a fun and successful show.

Nada else going on. Now I understand why more people don't keep diaries...frequently, there's really just not anything much to say. :-)

FLT3

Satin Sheets...

...are frequently sold in stores. (Okay, I was running out of creative "song title" intros...:-)

Happy Valentine's Day to one and all. God Bless Us Every One and all that...

Nothing terribly new in my world. WHOREHOUSE keeps getting better and better...I think it will be a great success!

FLT3

Waiting For The Sun...

It's officially as cold as the proverbial witch's titty...I think the temp must be somewhere around 40. This is awful!!!

Not much to say today. For WHOREHOUSE cast bios, check out www.info-smart.com/blw/blwbio.htm

FLT3