IS 6 DAYS AWAY!!!Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
What a weekend
First off, I want to give readers fair warning - there is going to be a fair amount of theater geeking-out in this post, if you're so inclined to not read further, no problem. Alright, you've been warned.
I spent the weekend in NYC with the family which was fun. Saturday we walked all over the city, walked through central park, went shopping on Canal St, and had dinner at Sea in Williamsburg. Sunday we ended up at the Museum of Natural History which was kinda meh - the Rose Center was amazing, but the rest of the museum was just kinda blah. I was also thoroughly disappointed that the climate change exhibit that I'd heard so much about required an additional charge that wasn't listed when we bought the tickets. Whatever. After the AMNH, the family left and I was on my own for the rest of the afternoon.
I had a ticket to the matinee of Next to Normal, a show that I knew nothing about, except that it had pretty good buzz from it's off-Broadway and D.C. I also knew that I did NOT like it's marketing
/advertising. I went in not knowing what to expect, and came out having had a religious experience. I know, a little over dramatic, but seriously, Next to Normal was one of the most unbelievable things I've ever seen. Basic premise: Mom has schizophrenia and her family struggles to cope; drugs, suicide, depression and heartbreak ensue. It was one of the most thought-provoking, difficult and depressing shows I've ever seen, and I loved every minute of it. Everything about the show was incredible, starting with the performances. It's a small cast (6 characters) and each one of them gives a revelatory performance; Alice Ripley (who plays the mother) gives new meaning to "tour-de-force", her performance as Diana is one of the most fantastic things I've ever seen; she has the Best Actress Tony award locked up. The rest of the cast also gives stellar performances and blow the roof off the Booth Theater with an amazing contemporary score by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt. Michael Greif directs his cast with ease around Mark Wendland's great 3 level set, beautifully lit by Kevin Adams. The last 20 or so minutes were heartbreaking, I could hear people crying around me in the theater, I also was almost in tears. Moving doesn't even begin to describe this show. I think that I can honestly say that it's the best new musical (note NEW) I've seen in a long, long, LONG time. I also think it could give Billy Elliot a serious run for its money in several Tony races, not to mention Best Musical, which Billy had presumed sewn up before it started a single preview at the Imperial. Don't get me wrong, Billy Elliot was excellent, and I enjoyed it immensely, but it's nothing like Next to Normal. It's a difficult show to sit through yes, but it is an extremely satisfying evening of theater. Beg, borrow or steal to get tickets, and if you need some one to go with, give me a call, I'll go again. I even pre-ordered the CD that comes out in April. You must see this show.
I also saw the revival of Hair Sunday night, which also was good. While I didn't love it, I liked it quite a bit. The energy and enthusiasm that the cast put forward was wonderful, an
d it was a really fun atmosphere. There was a lot of audience participation, "the tribe" handed out flowers, fliers to go to the "be-in", and performed in the aisles and on the chairs. I wasn't too familiar with Hair either, so the nudity scene, though brief, threw me...they're burning their draft cards one minute and the next minute no one has any clothes on...well ok then! Two minor and one major issue; the minors were sometimes there was TOO much going on at one time and I didn't really know where to look, and there is a 20 minute hallucination scene in Act II that went on a little too long. The major issue? The character of Berger. I didn't really like him nor sympathize with him. I don't really know if it was the actor or the role, but to me, that was the weakest link in the entire production. This revival of a "classic" musical was MUCH more satisfying than West Side Story, and I would be thrilled if it won the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical, because it truly is (well, I haven't seen Guys and Dolls yet, I have tickets for the end of April) the best revival of the year.
I would say that yesterday made up for the last trip to New York which was pretty much a downer, about 10 times over. Seriously. See Next to Normal.
Got tickets to U2 in Foxboro in September, so this has been an all around great 24 hours. I bought 4 tickets, wanna go?
I spent the weekend in NYC with the family which was fun. Saturday we walked all over the city, walked through central park, went shopping on Canal St, and had dinner at Sea in Williamsburg. Sunday we ended up at the Museum of Natural History which was kinda meh - the Rose Center was amazing, but the rest of the museum was just kinda blah. I was also thoroughly disappointed that the climate change exhibit that I'd heard so much about required an additional charge that wasn't listed when we bought the tickets. Whatever. After the AMNH, the family left and I was on my own for the rest of the afternoon.
I had a ticket to the matinee of Next to Normal, a show that I knew nothing about, except that it had pretty good buzz from it's off-Broadway and D.C. I also knew that I did NOT like it's marketing
/advertising. I went in not knowing what to expect, and came out having had a religious experience. I know, a little over dramatic, but seriously, Next to Normal was one of the most unbelievable things I've ever seen. Basic premise: Mom has schizophrenia and her family struggles to cope; drugs, suicide, depression and heartbreak ensue. It was one of the most thought-provoking, difficult and depressing shows I've ever seen, and I loved every minute of it. Everything about the show was incredible, starting with the performances. It's a small cast (6 characters) and each one of them gives a revelatory performance; Alice Ripley (who plays the mother) gives new meaning to "tour-de-force", her performance as Diana is one of the most fantastic things I've ever seen; she has the Best Actress Tony award locked up. The rest of the cast also gives stellar performances and blow the roof off the Booth Theater with an amazing contemporary score by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt. Michael Greif directs his cast with ease around Mark Wendland's great 3 level set, beautifully lit by Kevin Adams. The last 20 or so minutes were heartbreaking, I could hear people crying around me in the theater, I also was almost in tears. Moving doesn't even begin to describe this show. I think that I can honestly say that it's the best new musical (note NEW) I've seen in a long, long, LONG time. I also think it could give Billy Elliot a serious run for its money in several Tony races, not to mention Best Musical, which Billy had presumed sewn up before it started a single preview at the Imperial. Don't get me wrong, Billy Elliot was excellent, and I enjoyed it immensely, but it's nothing like Next to Normal. It's a difficult show to sit through yes, but it is an extremely satisfying evening of theater. Beg, borrow or steal to get tickets, and if you need some one to go with, give me a call, I'll go again. I even pre-ordered the CD that comes out in April. You must see this show.I also saw the revival of Hair Sunday night, which also was good. While I didn't love it, I liked it quite a bit. The energy and enthusiasm that the cast put forward was wonderful, an
d it was a really fun atmosphere. There was a lot of audience participation, "the tribe" handed out flowers, fliers to go to the "be-in", and performed in the aisles and on the chairs. I wasn't too familiar with Hair either, so the nudity scene, though brief, threw me...they're burning their draft cards one minute and the next minute no one has any clothes on...well ok then! Two minor and one major issue; the minors were sometimes there was TOO much going on at one time and I didn't really know where to look, and there is a 20 minute hallucination scene in Act II that went on a little too long. The major issue? The character of Berger. I didn't really like him nor sympathize with him. I don't really know if it was the actor or the role, but to me, that was the weakest link in the entire production. This revival of a "classic" musical was MUCH more satisfying than West Side Story, and I would be thrilled if it won the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical, because it truly is (well, I haven't seen Guys and Dolls yet, I have tickets for the end of April) the best revival of the year.I would say that yesterday made up for the last trip to New York which was pretty much a downer, about 10 times over. Seriously. See Next to Normal.
Got tickets to U2 in Foxboro in September, so this has been an all around great 24 hours. I bought 4 tickets, wanna go?
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Hurrah free wireless!
Greetings from the lobby of the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers! Thanks to the free wireless, I am able to peruse the internet while I wait for everyone else to get here. I lucked out this morning, my flight was at 9:15, and I got to the airport at around 7:35 to check in. When I got to the desk, the ticket agent asked if I was checking in for the 8am flight, I said no, and he was like "well, I can put you on it". He checked me in real quick, then escorted me to the gate; I got to bypass security, and went from ticket counter to gate in less than 10 minutes. Awesome! The new JetBlue terminal at JFK is beautiful, it's designed by David Rockwell and was ultra-futuristic with clean lines and lots of white/silver patterns. I wanted to take pictures, but alas, I did not.
Last night I met up with Kris, Nick, James, Michael, Mulligan, Doug and Matt at the MME conference (or something like that, it's a music educator geek-fest) and we were going to dinner at Morton's. Before dinner, Doug, Nick and I checked out the concert band rehearsal (it's also All-State's, where the best high school musicians in the state come and perform); it was being run by Robert W. Smith (who wrote Oakmont's show last year The Divine Comedy) and he was premiering his new work, The Quest; written in celebration of the 400th anniversary of Cervantes' Don Quixote. It. Was. Excellent. And the kids were ridiculously talented. I couldn't believe that they were only in high school. They're going to premiere the piece this afternoon at Symphony Hall. You can't get tickets though- it's been sold out for weeks.
After the great performance, we had a great meal at Morton's. They were participating in restaurant week, and $33 for dinner at Morton's is a steal. I went to the one in Chicago with dad a couple years ago, and it was easily $150, and I don't even think we drank. The food was outstanding, best steak I've had in a while, and we had their great onion loaf, my favorite part of the meal.
Ok, thats it for now, have a great weekend everyone, full recap of the weekend coming Monday...
Last night I met up with Kris, Nick, James, Michael, Mulligan, Doug and Matt at the MME conference (or something like that, it's a music educator geek-fest) and we were going to dinner at Morton's. Before dinner, Doug, Nick and I checked out the concert band rehearsal (it's also All-State's, where the best high school musicians in the state come and perform); it was being run by Robert W. Smith (who wrote Oakmont's show last year The Divine Comedy) and he was premiering his new work, The Quest; written in celebration of the 400th anniversary of Cervantes' Don Quixote. It. Was. Excellent. And the kids were ridiculously talented. I couldn't believe that they were only in high school. They're going to premiere the piece this afternoon at Symphony Hall. You can't get tickets though- it's been sold out for weeks.
After the great performance, we had a great meal at Morton's. They were participating in restaurant week, and $33 for dinner at Morton's is a steal. I went to the one in Chicago with dad a couple years ago, and it was easily $150, and I don't even think we drank. The food was outstanding, best steak I've had in a while, and we had their great onion loaf, my favorite part of the meal.
Ok, thats it for now, have a great weekend everyone, full recap of the weekend coming Monday...
Friday, March 27, 2009
A confession....
For the past month or so, I've been harboring a secret - I've been watching American Idol...I know, I know, totally awful and how can I bring myself to watch such dreck...but it's so awesome! 90% of the folks on the show are super talented, and I've really only been watching the last 5 minutes or so, so that I can see the recap, and then (and this is the worst) I'll check out itunes and watch the free preview part of their performance the next morning. So far the season has been pretty good. I think the last time I watched a whole season from start to finish was the 2nd one, my freshman year in college when my suitemates and the girls across the hall would watch Idol and then Joe Millionaire (I know, another shameful admission). I have a couple of issues with this season though. They are:
1. Adam Lambert - While I don't disagree that he's an excellent performer my issue is this; he's had professional experience before. He was in the national tour of Wicked and understudied and performed the roles of Boq and Fiyero, the two lead male roles. Isn't Idol supposed to be about discovering new talent? I'm pretty sure they booted someone who played the title role in the revival of Annie about 10 years ago, so why does Adam get a pass?
2. Scott and Megan - Seriously? They're both not good. I get it with Scott, he's legally blind, plays the piano well and sings ok, but are people giving him the pity vote? And isn't that kind of patronizing? And Megan, she's just plain awful. I was sure she'd be gone after her dreadful rendition of "Rockin' Robin". The judges tell her she's awful, but voters seem to turn a blind eye.
I'm going to guess that the top 3 are going to be Adam, Danny and Allison, with, ideally, a showdown between Adam and Danny with Danny for the win. He's great, and has a good presence on stage. And he's got pretty good chops, check out his rendition of "Jesus Take the Wheel" from a couple weeks ago.
1. Adam Lambert - While I don't disagree that he's an excellent performer my issue is this; he's had professional experience before. He was in the national tour of Wicked and understudied and performed the roles of Boq and Fiyero, the two lead male roles. Isn't Idol supposed to be about discovering new talent? I'm pretty sure they booted someone who played the title role in the revival of Annie about 10 years ago, so why does Adam get a pass?
2. Scott and Megan - Seriously? They're both not good. I get it with Scott, he's legally blind, plays the piano well and sings ok, but are people giving him the pity vote? And isn't that kind of patronizing? And Megan, she's just plain awful. I was sure she'd be gone after her dreadful rendition of "Rockin' Robin". The judges tell her she's awful, but voters seem to turn a blind eye.
I'm going to guess that the top 3 are going to be Adam, Danny and Allison, with, ideally, a showdown between Adam and Danny with Danny for the win. He's great, and has a good presence on stage. And he's got pretty good chops, check out his rendition of "Jesus Take the Wheel" from a couple weeks ago.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Long Week...
Greetings readers! Apologies for the lack of updating lately, it's been a crazy week. Let's recap....
Late last week I decided to jump on the bandwagon and joined twitter. I'm not 100% sure if I like it, but it's kinda cool. I figure since I'm a popculture whore, I'd thoroughly enjoy it; that remains to be seen. It kind of creeps me out that people can start following you and you don't even know who they are, so I decided to change my settings so that I approve who follows me. Take that anonymous stalkers. Miss Alison Hay sent me this amazing twitter video, which everyone should watch. tweet! tweet!
The past 2 weeks have been restaurant week in Boston where, in essence, you go to fancy restaurants, and have a great, 3 course meal for half the price. Thursday I pulled double duty, went to L'Espalier for lunch (in the Mandarin Hotel) with some folks from work and Todd English's Kingfish Hall for a bromantic dinner with Nick, Val and Kramer. Friday night, the family came in and we had dinner at Davio's, which was amazing. I've always wanted to go there but the menu is fairly pricey. The food was excellent, and I don't remember what I had for wine, but it too, was excellent. After dinner, mom and Jess went and saw Dirty Dancing (BLECH) and dad and I went and saw Duplicity. Well, we were supposed to see Duplicity, but we also ended up seeing the first reel of Sunshine Cleaning. The projectionist started the wrong movie, and I'm pretty sure someone got fired.
Anyways, I was looking forward to seeing the film, it as written and directed by Tony Gi
lroy, the man behind Michael Clayton, and it had the uber-attractive leads of Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. Basic premise? An incredibly sexy version of Spy vs. Spy, with Ray and Claire working for dueling pharmaceutical companies trying to get their hands on the next revolution in personal cosmetic projects. The script consisted of razor sharp banter (albeit a little predictable), and delivery relied heavily on it's two stars; it would fallen pretty flat if there were other leads. It had a very slick look to it, and in addition to the super high wattage of Roberts and Owen, the supporting players were quite good, among them Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson. The last 20 minutes seemed a little labored, but overall it was a great, fluff of a film and a good way to spend 2 hours. GRADE: B
My uncle Eddie passed away last Thursday, so we ended up going to Baltimore for the weekend. More on that in a second....I'm watching Around the Horn and a geico commercial was just on, and I have to smile every time I see the dollar bill with the google eyes, haha...Sunday we left for Baltimore for Uncle Eddie's wake and funeral. Sunday night we went out to dinner with Aunt Marybeth and Uncle Bill and had great crab cakes (my favorite part of going to Maryland). The only bad part about going to MD was it threw off my training plans for the half-marathon, but I was determined to try and stay on track. Sunday night I checked out the gym at the hotel, but wasn't successful. The equipment was terrible, and I lasted about 2 miles on the treadmill. When I got back to the room, I found out that there was a Planet Fitness about a mile away, so I decided that I would venture there the next morning. And I did. I got up at about 7:30 and paid a visit to Planet Fitness in Lutherville and ran 5 miles on the treadmill. The PF was awesome, a little better than the one in Somerville even! Later, I needed a haircut, so I ventured over to the Towson Town Center and tried to find a SuperCuts or something, but all I could find was Salon Cielo and $35 later I had a haircut...it doesn't really look any different than my normal $12 haircut, but I digress...the funeral was on Tuesday morning and my dad and I were pallbearers, and it was a sobering experience....we had a small gathering at my aunt's house after, and then we hit the road back to MA and I was back in Somerville by 9:30 on Tuesday night. Having those two days off has kind of thrown my week off, I keep forgetting that tomorrow is Friday.
In other news, West Side Story opened to reviews that were all over the place, some pure elation others absolutely dreadful. God of Carnage opened to unanimously positive reviews - hooray for going to see it in May. The Where the Wild Things Are trailer has been released, I ran 2 miles in the rain today, heading to New York City this weekend with the family with tickets to Hair and Next to Normal and I'm going to Morton's for dinner tomorrow night....could this week get any better?!
Late last week I decided to jump on the bandwagon and joined twitter. I'm not 100% sure if I like it, but it's kinda cool. I figure since I'm a popculture whore, I'd thoroughly enjoy it; that remains to be seen. It kind of creeps me out that people can start following you and you don't even know who they are, so I decided to change my settings so that I approve who follows me. Take that anonymous stalkers. Miss Alison Hay sent me this amazing twitter video, which everyone should watch. tweet! tweet!
The past 2 weeks have been restaurant week in Boston where, in essence, you go to fancy restaurants, and have a great, 3 course meal for half the price. Thursday I pulled double duty, went to L'Espalier for lunch (in the Mandarin Hotel) with some folks from work and Todd English's Kingfish Hall for a bromantic dinner with Nick, Val and Kramer. Friday night, the family came in and we had dinner at Davio's, which was amazing. I've always wanted to go there but the menu is fairly pricey. The food was excellent, and I don't remember what I had for wine, but it too, was excellent. After dinner, mom and Jess went and saw Dirty Dancing (BLECH) and dad and I went and saw Duplicity. Well, we were supposed to see Duplicity, but we also ended up seeing the first reel of Sunshine Cleaning. The projectionist started the wrong movie, and I'm pretty sure someone got fired.
Anyways, I was looking forward to seeing the film, it as written and directed by Tony Gi
lroy, the man behind Michael Clayton, and it had the uber-attractive leads of Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. Basic premise? An incredibly sexy version of Spy vs. Spy, with Ray and Claire working for dueling pharmaceutical companies trying to get their hands on the next revolution in personal cosmetic projects. The script consisted of razor sharp banter (albeit a little predictable), and delivery relied heavily on it's two stars; it would fallen pretty flat if there were other leads. It had a very slick look to it, and in addition to the super high wattage of Roberts and Owen, the supporting players were quite good, among them Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson. The last 20 minutes seemed a little labored, but overall it was a great, fluff of a film and a good way to spend 2 hours. GRADE: BMy uncle Eddie passed away last Thursday, so we ended up going to Baltimore for the weekend. More on that in a second....I'm watching Around the Horn and a geico commercial was just on, and I have to smile every time I see the dollar bill with the google eyes, haha...Sunday we left for Baltimore for Uncle Eddie's wake and funeral. Sunday night we went out to dinner with Aunt Marybeth and Uncle Bill and had great crab cakes (my favorite part of going to Maryland). The only bad part about going to MD was it threw off my training plans for the half-marathon, but I was determined to try and stay on track. Sunday night I checked out the gym at the hotel, but wasn't successful. The equipment was terrible, and I lasted about 2 miles on the treadmill. When I got back to the room, I found out that there was a Planet Fitness about a mile away, so I decided that I would venture there the next morning. And I did. I got up at about 7:30 and paid a visit to Planet Fitness in Lutherville and ran 5 miles on the treadmill. The PF was awesome, a little better than the one in Somerville even! Later, I needed a haircut, so I ventured over to the Towson Town Center and tried to find a SuperCuts or something, but all I could find was Salon Cielo and $35 later I had a haircut...it doesn't really look any different than my normal $12 haircut, but I digress...the funeral was on Tuesday morning and my dad and I were pallbearers, and it was a sobering experience....we had a small gathering at my aunt's house after, and then we hit the road back to MA and I was back in Somerville by 9:30 on Tuesday night. Having those two days off has kind of thrown my week off, I keep forgetting that tomorrow is Friday.
In other news, West Side Story opened to reviews that were all over the place, some pure elation others absolutely dreadful. God of Carnage opened to unanimously positive reviews - hooray for going to see it in May. The Where the Wild Things Are trailer has been released, I ran 2 miles in the rain today, heading to New York City this weekend with the family with tickets to Hair and Next to Normal and I'm going to Morton's for dinner tomorrow night....could this week get any better?!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
West Side Story
Frequent readers of this blog will know that at the end of February I saw the revival of West Side Story on Broadway. This was going to be my first exposure to the classic show - I'd never seen a production of it, and I've seen about 15 minutes of the movie. I knew (or was at least somewhat familiar) with most of the score, but I was really excited to see this legendary show live, on Broadway, and be fortunate enough to see a production that was directed by the show's librettist (Arthur Laurents, a living legend) in what he called a "groundbreaking new production". Needless to say my hopes were sky high.
Anyways, I saw the show, and was totally underwhelmed. As I have previously blogged, I enjoyed hearing the the score played by a 35 piece orchestra (the opening saxophone/marimba soli gave me chills), and the choreography was nothing less than extraordinary (especially "Dance at the Gym"), but everything else was kind of meh. I really didn't get what the big deal was with West Side Story.
West Side Story opens tomorrow night, and there is a theater message board that I check out every morning, and there is a guy who posts his reviews on shows usually a day or two before they open. He's usually right on the money, if a bit self-indulgent, and they're pretty thorough. His review of West Side Story hit the nail on the head and much more eloquently describes my thoughts. I 100% agree with all of his observations. It's too bad, I really wanted to like this. Oh well, at least I have God of Carnage to look forward to in may with James Gandolfini.
Anyways, I saw the show, and was totally underwhelmed. As I have previously blogged, I enjoyed hearing the the score played by a 35 piece orchestra (the opening saxophone/marimba soli gave me chills), and the choreography was nothing less than extraordinary (especially "Dance at the Gym"), but everything else was kind of meh. I really didn't get what the big deal was with West Side Story.
West Side Story opens tomorrow night, and there is a theater message board that I check out every morning, and there is a guy who posts his reviews on shows usually a day or two before they open. He's usually right on the money, if a bit self-indulgent, and they're pretty thorough. His review of West Side Story hit the nail on the head and much more eloquently describes my thoughts. I 100% agree with all of his observations. It's too bad, I really wanted to like this. Oh well, at least I have God of Carnage to look forward to in may with James Gandolfini.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Taking Chance
Last month HBO premiered a new film, Taking Chance, about a Marine's experience escorting a soldier who had been killed in action home for burial in Wyoming. It was based on a true story, Taking Chance Home, written by Lt.Col. Michael Strobel. I had been meaning to catch it when HBO showed it in re-runs, but since I didn't have much to do this afternoon, I thought I might as well watch it OnDemand.
It was outstanding. HBO usually puts out quality stuff, and this was no exception. I don't really know what it was about the film that connected with me, but it was fantastic. It told the story of how everyone seemed to be touched by Chance, even though they didn't know him. Everything about the movie worked for me, and knowing that it was true story, made it even more heartbreaking. Maybe it's because he was my age. Maybe it's because it's extremely topical (although there was absolutely ZERO political siding in the film). Maybe it's because it showed something that the American people never get to see (or probably know about, for that matter), but need to. Maybe it 's because it's an extremely ordinary story with an extraordinary outcome. Whatever it was, it had an affect on me. I was totally engrossed throughout the entire movie, and I will freely admit that I shed a few tears by the end. During the credits, the film makers dedicated the film to Chance, and showed photos and home videos of Chance. That's what brought it home for me - the movie wasn't just about any soldier, it was about Chance. You were able to put a face with a name. Extremely powerful.
Kevin Bacon played the Lt.Col. Srobel, and gave, in my opinion, the performance of his career. I sincerely hope that he, the director, the screenwriter and Lt.Col. Strobel (he helped author the screenplay), as well as the film itself is remembered come award season. The film is in re-runs on HBO for a while, and it's also OnDemand for the next week. There is also a DVD release date set for May 19th. Check it out; it's totally worth it.
Also today was the Ras na hEireann 5k in Somerville. There were 5,000 (yes, five THOUSAND) people running, so it was a little crazy. I did well, although I'm not sure of my offical time, I forgot to start my watch when I crossed the starting line. I know i did it in less than 33 minutes, so that was exciting for me. We got these great medals that double as bottle openers. Nice!
It was outstanding. HBO usually puts out quality stuff, and this was no exception. I don't really know what it was about the film that connected with me, but it was fantastic. It told the story of how everyone seemed to be touched by Chance, even though they didn't know him. Everything about the movie worked for me, and knowing that it was true story, made it even more heartbreaking. Maybe it's because he was my age. Maybe it's because it's extremely topical (although there was absolutely ZERO political siding in the film). Maybe it's because it showed something that the American people never get to see (or probably know about, for that matter), but need to. Maybe it 's because it's an extremely ordinary story with an extraordinary outcome. Whatever it was, it had an affect on me. I was totally engrossed throughout the entire movie, and I will freely admit that I shed a few tears by the end. During the credits, the film makers dedicated the film to Chance, and showed photos and home videos of Chance. That's what brought it home for me - the movie wasn't just about any soldier, it was about Chance. You were able to put a face with a name. Extremely powerful.
Kevin Bacon played the Lt.Col. Srobel, and gave, in my opinion, the performance of his career. I sincerely hope that he, the director, the screenwriter and Lt.Col. Strobel (he helped author the screenplay), as well as the film itself is remembered come award season. The film is in re-runs on HBO for a while, and it's also OnDemand for the next week. There is also a DVD release date set for May 19th. Check it out; it's totally worth it.
Also today was the Ras na hEireann 5k in Somerville. There were 5,000 (yes, five THOUSAND) people running, so it was a little crazy. I did well, although I'm not sure of my offical time, I forgot to start my watch when I crossed the starting line. I know i did it in less than 33 minutes, so that was exciting for me. We got these great medals that double as bottle openers. Nice!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Hooray Weekend!
So it's only 3pm, but so far today has been a good day. I slept late, went for a run in my new-ish asics and accomplished the goal I wanted. I hadn't run in a week, I was giving my groin a rest, so I had been going to the gym and using the bike and the eliptical (I don't really understand what either do besides keep up my cardio - any explanation would be welcome). My goal for this morning was to run 4 miles. If I could do that, I could add a mile each week to my "long run" and I would only be about a week behind my schedule. I mapped out a good route thanks to this great site, and I set off. I kept a fairly consistent pace, and I finished 4 miles in 41:38! I had about a 10 minute mile (which is what I'm aming for) and I was tired when I finshed, but not ready to collapse..huzzah! I've decided that I'm going to stick to outside running as much as possible. I feel like running outside is easier/more fun than running on a treadmill (it's a constant change of scenery!). I'm a little sore, but I think that's to be expected.
After my run, I went to go pick up Nick and I's numbers for the 5k tomorrow, and then went to Dunkin Donuts to grab a flatbread, and this kid in front of me was .11 short, so I gave him the money. That was my good deed for the day. Tonight UMass is playing Northeastern in the HockeyEast quarterfinals at Northeastern...was thinking of going (sidenote: watching the Islanders/Bruins game, and the Bruins won (hooray!) but I have issues that "Dirty Water" is played after a Bruins win...that song only feels right at Fenway...anyways) but the game is being broadcast on NESN, so I'll probably watch it on that. UMass won last night 2-1; Northeastern is the #2 seed, UMass is #7. If UMass wins tonight, they're in the Hockey East semi-finals Friday night at the fleetcenter. Will Ferrell's show You're Welcome America: A Final Night with George W. Bush is on HBO tonight, it's a live performance of his show on Broadway. I've heard really good things abut it, and it got pretty good reviews. And, thanks to HBO, I can see his show without paying $120 a ticket. Thanks HBO!
Last night I went to the Celtics game with Greg, Diego, Greta, Meredith and Benett, they beat the Grizzlies 102-92. We went to the Harp after, and saw this great coverband, Joe Bachman & The Crew. It was basically, the dream playlist on my ipod. Lame I know, but they were great.
I think that's it for now, I need to go out to find safety pins somewhere because we didn't get any when I picked up our numbers for tomorrow...peace out! and GO UMASS!
After my run, I went to go pick up Nick and I's numbers for the 5k tomorrow, and then went to Dunkin Donuts to grab a flatbread, and this kid in front of me was .11 short, so I gave him the money. That was my good deed for the day. Tonight UMass is playing Northeastern in the HockeyEast quarterfinals at Northeastern...was thinking of going (sidenote: watching the Islanders/Bruins game, and the Bruins won (hooray!) but I have issues that "Dirty Water" is played after a Bruins win...that song only feels right at Fenway...anyways) but the game is being broadcast on NESN, so I'll probably watch it on that. UMass won last night 2-1; Northeastern is the #2 seed, UMass is #7. If UMass wins tonight, they're in the Hockey East semi-finals Friday night at the fleetcenter. Will Ferrell's show You're Welcome America: A Final Night with George W. Bush is on HBO tonight, it's a live performance of his show on Broadway. I've heard really good things abut it, and it got pretty good reviews. And, thanks to HBO, I can see his show without paying $120 a ticket. Thanks HBO!
Last night I went to the Celtics game with Greg, Diego, Greta, Meredith and Benett, they beat the Grizzlies 102-92. We went to the Harp after, and saw this great coverband, Joe Bachman & The Crew. It was basically, the dream playlist on my ipod. Lame I know, but they were great.
I think that's it for now, I need to go out to find safety pins somewhere because we didn't get any when I picked up our numbers for tomorrow...peace out! and GO UMASS!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Ugh
Today has been awful- I've been plagued with the hiccups since 3:30am. They legit woke me up. They'll go away for an hour or two, and then come right back...wtf?! I have no idea why this is happening. I'm going to bed soon, and hopefully, they'll go away and not come back for a long, long time...blah
Monday, March 9, 2009
24
I'm pretty sure that Kiefer Sutherland just won his second Emmy on tonight's SUPER-intense episode....this is why I love this show....
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Gomorrah
The one hold-over film from 2008 that I couldn't wait to see was the Italian film, Gomorrah. It had tremendous buzz from Cannes last year where it won the special jury Grand Prix prize (basically 2nd place) wasmet with a slew of rapturous reviews. Martin Scorsesse/IFC picked it up for distribution in the States, and it was Italy's entry for Best Foreign Language Film. I couldn't wait to see it, I had heard and read such great things, and I had just finished the book. Basically, the author of the book, Roberto Saviano infiltrated the Comorra, one of the most brutal mob networks in the world that runs Naples. He spent 3 years undercover doing the research, and after he published the explosive exposé, he was put into police custody and constantly had escorts and body guards because of the amount of death threats he received. Clearly, this had the making of greatness written all over it.I'll admit, the book was quite dense and at quite a few times pretty hard to follow. There were a lot of characters, and Saviano had jumed around quite a bit. But, I decided that I would still see the movie. I waited quite a bit of time; it was initally released in NY and LA the last week of December (to qualify for the Oscars) and finally opened at Kendall Square in Boston. In a few quick words, I was not disappointed.
The film weaves five different storylines of Italians whose lives are affected by organized crime. First up is Don Ciro, a middleman who pays families of imprisoned Comorra members. Toto is a 13 year old delivery boy who wants more than anything to join the gang and be accepted. Roberto is a recent college graduate who works for Franco, who is illegally dumping toxic waste in farmlands. Next we meet Pasquale, a haute-couture designer who is secretly doing business with the Chinese and training them on the
creation of high fashion. Finally, Marco and Ciro are cocky wanna be gangsters who often quote Scarface and have an idealized vision of a life in organized crime. The Commora have an incredible amount of power in Italy, and have control over everything from drugs to clothes to food to exporting. Watching the stories unfold and the amount of unflinching violence was incredible (note; this is not for the squeamish). This movie makes The Godfather, Goodfellas and The Sopranos look PG. Everything is done through a deal, and everyone gets paid or wants money for their services. The performances of the mostly unknown Italian cast were outstanding, and the director, Mateo Garrone created, I think, some of the most striking images captured on film (the inspiration for the poster pictured is one of them). Garrone showed a world that almost no one sees but everyone knows about. At multiple times during the film I kept thinking "these people really live like this", and each time, it gave me goosebumps. This is definetly recommened, and has found it's way into my top 10 of 2008. I think it's playing a limited engagement at Kendall, so if you can't see it in theaters, rent it as soon as it's on DVD. There was an interesting epilogue with the film, saying that the Comorra had money invested in the new World Trade Center site in New York. Interesting....
Grade: A
I feel like an old man, everything from my waist down hurts. Today, I re-ran the 5k course, I was a little slower than yesterday (just about 31 minutes, yesterday Nick and I did it in under 30) but I felt a lot better and felt like I had a more consistant pace. My new asics were wonderful, I'm really glad that I took the time to get properly fitted. I think I might have done something to my groin, which was kinda painful, so I got some icy-hot at CVS, we'll see how that works. 11 weeks from today til the big race!
The film weaves five different storylines of Italians whose lives are affected by organized crime. First up is Don Ciro, a middleman who pays families of imprisoned Comorra members. Toto is a 13 year old delivery boy who wants more than anything to join the gang and be accepted. Roberto is a recent college graduate who works for Franco, who is illegally dumping toxic waste in farmlands. Next we meet Pasquale, a haute-couture designer who is secretly doing business with the Chinese and training them on thecreation of high fashion. Finally, Marco and Ciro are cocky wanna be gangsters who often quote Scarface and have an idealized vision of a life in organized crime. The Commora have an incredible amount of power in Italy, and have control over everything from drugs to clothes to food to exporting. Watching the stories unfold and the amount of unflinching violence was incredible (note; this is not for the squeamish). This movie makes The Godfather, Goodfellas and The Sopranos look PG. Everything is done through a deal, and everyone gets paid or wants money for their services. The performances of the mostly unknown Italian cast were outstanding, and the director, Mateo Garrone created, I think, some of the most striking images captured on film (the inspiration for the poster pictured is one of them). Garrone showed a world that almost no one sees but everyone knows about. At multiple times during the film I kept thinking "these people really live like this", and each time, it gave me goosebumps. This is definetly recommened, and has found it's way into my top 10 of 2008. I think it's playing a limited engagement at Kendall, so if you can't see it in theaters, rent it as soon as it's on DVD. There was an interesting epilogue with the film, saying that the Comorra had money invested in the new World Trade Center site in New York. Interesting....
Grade: A
I feel like an old man, everything from my waist down hurts. Today, I re-ran the 5k course, I was a little slower than yesterday (just about 31 minutes, yesterday Nick and I did it in under 30) but I felt a lot better and felt like I had a more consistant pace. My new asics were wonderful, I'm really glad that I took the time to get properly fitted. I think I might have done something to my groin, which was kinda painful, so I got some icy-hot at CVS, we'll see how that works. 11 weeks from today til the big race!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
New Shoes
Today I think that I had my first rite of passage as a runner- I went to Marathon Sports on Boylston and was fitted for running shoes. James hooked me up with a sweet pair of UnderArmours, but I was "fitted" by the guy at Sports Authority. Anyways, I was pretty certain that improper shoes were part of the problem of my plantar fasciits, so I needed to get his problem solved quickly.
I'll admit that I was a little nervous going in there; it seemed like a complete geek-runner store, and I don't really fit that yet. The sales people there were great, they watched me walk, told me what kind of support/shoes that I needed, and had my try on about 6 or 7 pairs. They also had me run outside on Boylston to try them out, and they'd watch me run. After about 25 minutes of trying on and running, a pair was decided on; asicis GT-2140
I'm pretty excited that I have a "real" pair of running shoes that was fit specifically to me. Hooray! Mike Keough came with me, and then we ended up walking from Copley (I tried to get a BPL card, but they were about to close) all the way to Charles/MGH, through the Public Garden. It was an absolutely beautiful day, and most of the snow that was dumped on us Monday is gone. Huzzah!
Earlier in the morning, Nicholas came to Somerville and we did a practice run for the St. Patrick's Day 5K next weekend. It was a pretty good course, and I was glad that Nick was there, he pushed me a little bit. I think that I'm going to run it again tomorrow, this time a little slower and more at my own pace. Mike, Nicholas and I had lunch at this great crepe place in Daivs (Mr. Crepe, I think) and then some J.P. Licks to finish off a great afternoon.
Also! Dunkin Donuts is coming to Powder House Square! There has been quite a bit of activity in the corner store lately, and when Nicholas and I ran by this morning, we saw a sign that said "COMING SOON: POWEDER HOUSE MARKET AND DUNKIN DONUTS" I almost stopped where we were, but I had to keep going.
I signed up for the B.A.A. 5K tonight, it's a 5k race the day before the Boston Marathon that starts and ends in Copley, so I get to cross the Marathon finish line...hooray! I'm glad that I've been able to get back into training, it was a long week at work and this is an opportunity to vent my frustration...
Don't forget to "spring" forward tonight!
I'll admit that I was a little nervous going in there; it seemed like a complete geek-runner store, and I don't really fit that yet. The sales people there were great, they watched me walk, told me what kind of support/shoes that I needed, and had my try on about 6 or 7 pairs. They also had me run outside on Boylston to try them out, and they'd watch me run. After about 25 minutes of trying on and running, a pair was decided on; asicis GT-2140
I'm pretty excited that I have a "real" pair of running shoes that was fit specifically to me. Hooray! Mike Keough came with me, and then we ended up walking from Copley (I tried to get a BPL card, but they were about to close) all the way to Charles/MGH, through the Public Garden. It was an absolutely beautiful day, and most of the snow that was dumped on us Monday is gone. Huzzah!Earlier in the morning, Nicholas came to Somerville and we did a practice run for the St. Patrick's Day 5K next weekend. It was a pretty good course, and I was glad that Nick was there, he pushed me a little bit. I think that I'm going to run it again tomorrow, this time a little slower and more at my own pace. Mike, Nicholas and I had lunch at this great crepe place in Daivs (Mr. Crepe, I think) and then some J.P. Licks to finish off a great afternoon.
Also! Dunkin Donuts is coming to Powder House Square! There has been quite a bit of activity in the corner store lately, and when Nicholas and I ran by this morning, we saw a sign that said "COMING SOON: POWEDER HOUSE MARKET AND DUNKIN DONUTS" I almost stopped where we were, but I had to keep going.
I signed up for the B.A.A. 5K tonight, it's a 5k race the day before the Boston Marathon that starts and ends in Copley, so I get to cross the Marathon finish line...hooray! I'm glad that I've been able to get back into training, it was a long week at work and this is an opportunity to vent my frustration...
Don't forget to "spring" forward tonight!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
The City of Blinding Lights...
U2 IS PLAYING THE SOMERVILLE THEATER! That's right! The location of the uber-secret U2 intimate show has been "announced" and they've chosen the Somerville Theater. Less than a half a mile from my apartment! Next Wednesday, March 11th. Of course, you can't get tickets, but I might go hang out there next week (along with hoards of others, I'm sure) to see if I can catch a glimpse of anything. Also, their tour is coming to Foxboro September 20th or 21st (Sunday/Monday night) and tickets are goig to go on sale soon. Let me know if you want to go
Sunday, March 1, 2009
The good, the bad, the ugly....and the undecided....
I went to New York this weekend with the fam. We were going to see Blithe Spirit and the revival of West Side Story. We headed down to the city Saturday morning, and arrived just before noon. We headed up to Columbus Circle/Time Warner Center and made a visit to The New York Running Company so that I could see if they had anything to help my plantar fasciitis...and! they did! I got these really comfortable inserts that will apparently help me keep my arch and provide the right amount stability. I also go some heel/foot exercises to do to help it heal. I'll admit that I was a little intimidated going into a running store; I feel like I don't quite belong there...yet.
THE GOOD
After our trip to Columbus Circle, we headed back to the theater district for the matinee performance
of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit. The play was about an author, his wife, a medium, and the ghost of his ex-wife. I know, sounds a little ridiculous, but it was really pretty awesome. Angela Lansbury was the medium, Rupert Everett was the author, Jayne Atkinson (she was on 24 a few seasons back) was the wife and Christine Ebersole was the ghost. It was a classic farce, and it had that high-brow British humor- the dialogue was rapid fire, and you had to pay attention to keep up and get the (sometimes extremely funny) jokes. It's definitely not for everyone, but I highly recommend it. It was only the 3rd preview, and the show was in excellent shape. I'm confident that once it opens, it will be met with a slew of excellent reviews and probably quite a few Tony nominations. I wouldn't be surprised if Angela Lansbury is nominated and wins Best Featured Actress.
THE BAD
We stayed at the Milford Plaza. It was an ok hotel, had nice facilities, except, for our room. We had booked 2 double beds, but we ended up with two twin beds. I had to sleep on the floor, and the room was about the size of a double room in Sylvan at UMass. And there were mirrors all over one wall. And the walls were paper thin. Oh well, for one night, and we were there legit to just sleep, it wasn't too bad. And it was $100. Unheard of in New York. The gym was really nice- it had the same equipment as Planet Fitness. I didn't use the treadmill, I ended up doing 10 miles on the stationary bike, which was a little more forgiving on my foot.
THE UGLY
There is 12 - 15 inches of snow in the forecast for the next 12 hours. Seriously. The only possible good thing to come from this? There is a chance that the MOS may be closed tomorrow. Hooray snow day!
THE UNDECIDED
The real purpose of the trip was to see the revival of West Side Story. The show was being billed as a "groundbreaking" rethinking of the original production, and the original librettist, Arthur Laurents, was directing (he's about 90). We bought our tickets in October, the day they went on sale. I had never seen West Side Story (shocking, I know, but sadly 100% true), s
o I was really looking forward to this. Sadly, I was pretty disappointed. The show didn't really do anything for me. There were a couple things I really liked; hearing Bernstein's score played by a 35 piece orchestra, the scenic design, the choreography and the insertion of Spanish into the book and score, "I Feel Pretty" became "Siento Hermosa" and "A Boy Like That" became "Un Hombre Asi", worked well for me. My biggest problem? All of the fighting, for the most part, is done very stylized, Riff and Bernardo do this amazing ballet knife fight dance, so it has this sort of "graceful" feel to it. Then, there is a part towards the end of Act II where Anita goes into the drugstore, and the Jets attempt to rape her. The way it was done was extremely jarring, and borderline gratuitous, and totally took me out of the show. It was portrayed unlike any of the other violence in the show up til then. I understand the stark contrast that Laurents was going for, but this was a bit much. I was kind of thinking "is this really happening?!". I also thought there was ZERO chemistry between Tony and Maria and, correct me if I'm wrong, but that's pretty vital to the show. I don't know if it's the show that I didn't like...I think it might have just been this production. It was still early in previews, so I would entertain the thought of going to see it again in 6 months, to see if anything has changed.
So there you have it friends, the weekend in a nutshell. Hopefully the snow won't be TOO terrible, but if the result is a snow day, all will not be lost. Also, 12 weeks from today til the half marathon...no time to quit now....
THE GOOD
After our trip to Columbus Circle, we headed back to the theater district for the matinee performance
of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit. The play was about an author, his wife, a medium, and the ghost of his ex-wife. I know, sounds a little ridiculous, but it was really pretty awesome. Angela Lansbury was the medium, Rupert Everett was the author, Jayne Atkinson (she was on 24 a few seasons back) was the wife and Christine Ebersole was the ghost. It was a classic farce, and it had that high-brow British humor- the dialogue was rapid fire, and you had to pay attention to keep up and get the (sometimes extremely funny) jokes. It's definitely not for everyone, but I highly recommend it. It was only the 3rd preview, and the show was in excellent shape. I'm confident that once it opens, it will be met with a slew of excellent reviews and probably quite a few Tony nominations. I wouldn't be surprised if Angela Lansbury is nominated and wins Best Featured Actress.THE BAD
We stayed at the Milford Plaza. It was an ok hotel, had nice facilities, except, for our room. We had booked 2 double beds, but we ended up with two twin beds. I had to sleep on the floor, and the room was about the size of a double room in Sylvan at UMass. And there were mirrors all over one wall. And the walls were paper thin. Oh well, for one night, and we were there legit to just sleep, it wasn't too bad. And it was $100. Unheard of in New York. The gym was really nice- it had the same equipment as Planet Fitness. I didn't use the treadmill, I ended up doing 10 miles on the stationary bike, which was a little more forgiving on my foot.
THE UGLY
There is 12 - 15 inches of snow in the forecast for the next 12 hours. Seriously. The only possible good thing to come from this? There is a chance that the MOS may be closed tomorrow. Hooray snow day!
THE UNDECIDED
The real purpose of the trip was to see the revival of West Side Story. The show was being billed as a "groundbreaking" rethinking of the original production, and the original librettist, Arthur Laurents, was directing (he's about 90). We bought our tickets in October, the day they went on sale. I had never seen West Side Story (shocking, I know, but sadly 100% true), s
o I was really looking forward to this. Sadly, I was pretty disappointed. The show didn't really do anything for me. There were a couple things I really liked; hearing Bernstein's score played by a 35 piece orchestra, the scenic design, the choreography and the insertion of Spanish into the book and score, "I Feel Pretty" became "Siento Hermosa" and "A Boy Like That" became "Un Hombre Asi", worked well for me. My biggest problem? All of the fighting, for the most part, is done very stylized, Riff and Bernardo do this amazing ballet knife fight dance, so it has this sort of "graceful" feel to it. Then, there is a part towards the end of Act II where Anita goes into the drugstore, and the Jets attempt to rape her. The way it was done was extremely jarring, and borderline gratuitous, and totally took me out of the show. It was portrayed unlike any of the other violence in the show up til then. I understand the stark contrast that Laurents was going for, but this was a bit much. I was kind of thinking "is this really happening?!". I also thought there was ZERO chemistry between Tony and Maria and, correct me if I'm wrong, but that's pretty vital to the show. I don't know if it's the show that I didn't like...I think it might have just been this production. It was still early in previews, so I would entertain the thought of going to see it again in 6 months, to see if anything has changed.So there you have it friends, the weekend in a nutshell. Hopefully the snow won't be TOO terrible, but if the result is a snow day, all will not be lost. Also, 12 weeks from today til the half marathon...no time to quit now....
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