Reminding Myself

I watched a documentary called "We Were Here" tonight - I have been wanting to see it since it was out in the theaters, but somehow, I couldn't bring myself to watch it in a public place.  It is a film with interviews and footage of the "AIDS years" in San Francisco.

It was a difficult movie to watch, but at the same time, it was such a relief to watch a movie about the things that really formed me as an adult. I was not in San Francisco at that time, but I was in Portland and watching my friends get infected and die.  AIDS was the shaper of my entry into adulthood.

One of the men described this sense of never planning for the future - just paying attention to the now because you didn't know what the future would hold.  I could so relate to that idea. It was so sad and at the same time, so important to watch that film and to know that some of those folks made it through.  I can't even imagine it being worse but I know that it was worse for so many people. I am reminded how lucky I am.

Workshop Today

I went to a workshop on vicarious trauma tonight. I watched an important movie called "Audism Unveiled" which I have seen before.  It is something I plan to take in annually as it has powerful implications for the sign language interpreting field and some important reminders about the generational trauma experienced by Deaf and hard of hearing folks, as well as anyone who belongs to a group that has been persecuted or has experienced oppression. It is often easy to forget all the things privilege brings us.

If you want to know more, here is a link:  Audism Unveiled

World AIDS Day 2011

Remembering Roby, Dan, Chris, Dean, Allan, Lady Elaine Peacock and many others who left this world too soon.

Someday, we will be able to celebrate the eradication of AIDS and HIV on this planet. I can't wait.

Here is the last scene from "Longtime Companion". I think of this scene a lot...

"The Color Purple" 25 Years Later

I was reading the newspaper today and when I came to the TV Listings, I read them (which I don't usually do...).  Oprah had a 25th Anniversary Reunion of  the cast of "The Color Purple" today.  I was so disappointed that I didn't know that until well after it was over - then I remembered that they have a "new" channel (since the change to digital television - meh) that shows the Oprah from that day at 10pm! Yay!

I loved seeing Oprah reunited with Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover. You could see in all the actors this sense of relationship and the memories of doing the movie together. I can only imagine the sense of pride they must have about making one of the most splendid, brilliant movies ever.

I'm pretty sure I've written about "The Color Purple" here before, but I was so moved watching the show, I just had to gush about it again.

I'm pretty sure that Steven Spielberg made this movie as the preliminary movie leading him to "Schindler's List". What I KNOW is that he is responsible for at least two of the most incredible and heart-filled movie movies ever made.  "The Color Purple" is so amazing in terms of visuals, emotional depth, honesty, great acting...I love everything about this film and I always have.  I'm still blown away by the fact that it was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and it didn't win ANY!  I'm sorry, but if that wasn't political, I don't know what is.  I remember watching the Academy Awards for 1993 and thinking, "If Steven Spielberg doesn't win ANYTHING, I'm never watching this show again."  Luckily, the Academy was fair and gave him and "Schindler's List" its due.  "The Color Purple" will just live on in infamy as one of the worst Oscar denials ever.

Anyway, Oprah asked everyone their favorite lines from the film and they were fun to listen to and I remembered one line from a young kid. Mister is in the old, run-down house and the kids are running wild through the house and one of the kids comes in and says, "It's gon' rain on your head!" - my favorite line.  But there are so many favorite moments in the film - I love the end, I love ANY scene with Nettie in it - she was really an amazing actress. When Celie gets her letters.  Shug Avery going back to the church.  Ahh.  I will have to watch the movie this weekend.  I wish they would have this on the big screen again for the 25th Anniversary. I know they won't, but it would be good to see that way again.

Anyway, I'm floating on a little purple cloud right now. :)

Letter to Movie and Theatre Goers

8Dear Movie/Theatre/Event Enthusiast:

Please understand that I mean this in the kindest way possible.

If an event starts at 7:30pm and you are with any more than 2 people and you show up at 7:29pm, please do not expect patrons who showed up ahead of time to accommodate you.  Please do not ask me to skooch over or tell me your sad story of woe about how you want to sit together.  I made arrangements to be there early with my people. You can do it, too.  If you choose not to, please accept the consequences gracefully and quietly.  Come in, find a seat, separate or together and sit down.

If you show up late alone, there might be seats.  Please go to one and sit in it. If you show up late with a group, please assess the situation and then make a quick determination - either sit in the front where there are groups of available seats or sit separately. Do not wander to and fro in front of the screen talking about how full it is and are those 3 seats together in the back taken.  The event has started.

That is all.

Thank you.

Jean

P.S.  Nick Jonas should not have been given the role of Marius. 'Nuff said.

FWWE Day 12: Patience IS a Virtue

So, all my patience was worth it. This was the balm to soothe my weekend woes...


Fathom Events will be showing the footage of the "Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert" on November 17, 2010. The tickets weren't on sale for my location yet, but I am SO GOING. This is like a birthday celebration for Roby and 25 years of fantastic music. It is so much a part of me, I couldn't unwrap "Les Miserables" from Jean, even if I wanted to.

I'm so happy I could burst.

It's the little things, sometimes.

Memorial Day Miscellaneous Stuff

First off, please take a moment to go read this post at 37Days. It made me cry and remember my dad's fierce response to Memorial Day. He remembered being spat on and yelled at and treated poorly when he came home from Vietnam. I know the memory of that was burned in his mind forever and it pained him until he died.

My mom and I went to see "Letters to Juliet" today (thumbs up, by the way). I saw two powerful trailers - totally different kinds of films, but both made me curious. One was just a regular movie with Zac Efron (I know, I know) called "Charlie St. Cloud". I think he has potential - kind of like Ashton Kutcher. The other film, "Waiting for Superman" is a documentary about the Seed School in Washington, D.C. I saw a report about it last week - they hold a lottery drawing to choose the students who will enroll the following year. I'm going to pledge to see it. Below is the trailer I saw today:



I have never made such a smart decision as coming home on Sunday! The airports were quiet in Sacramento and Portland (quieter in Sacramento). The traffic was calm. Today, right around the time I would have been coming home, a tree fell on the freeway and blocked the eastbound lanes. I would not have been a happy camper. Just having the extra time was such a relief and I also felt like I had a day of vacation that didn't involve running around or being "on". For me, it doesn't matter how close you are with people - when you are staying together, there is an element of being "on" to make sure we get along and have a good time. I'm a big believer in "off" time, too. I'm glad I had it.

Yawp! and Gleek!

A couple of weeks ago, I drove through the Vista Ridge tunnel on the freeway and saw the giant "I Love Vera" written out on the tiles of the tunnel. A couple of days later, it was smudged out - the tunnel hadn't been cleaned, someone had just wiped out the lettering. I don't know why, but I thought it was sad. Then sometime last week, right below the place where the lettering had been wiped out, "Love Vera" was written out again. Yesterday, it was erased.

As I was driving through the tunnel today, I remembered that about three years ago, someone had written "YAWP!!!" in the eastbound tunnel and it stayed there for more than a month. Every day, as I drove through the tunnel on the way to work, I would think, "YAWP!!!" as in "I sound my barbaric yawp" from "The Dead Poet's Society" (well, really, Walt Whitman, but you know what I mean...)

I present you with "Yawp":


Also, I decided that I am a Gleek. Yes, in addition to my Buffy affinity, I am a devoted "Glee" fan. Tonight, as I was listening to "Total Eclipse of the Heart", I felt that same fluttering excitement that I feel when I am going to the theatre. There is something so brave to me about singing, I think. Music elicits such an emotional response anyway, then when you add these universal (if exaggerated) themes of fitting in, longing, finding yourself, finding your niche, the price of popularity, etc., it just couldn't really get any better. (I'm sure it could, but I can't think how right now...) So, from now on if you hear a squealing scream on Tuesdsay evenings that sounds like, "GLEEEEEEEK!!!", you will know it is me.

For the record, favorite "Glee" song is still the first one they did - "Don't Stop Believing".

"Where the Wild Things Are" Thoughts **SPOILER ALERT

Kevin invited me to go with him to see "Where the Wild Things Are" yesterday. I thought it was fitting to see the movie with him as he was the first person to find my blog a little over a year ago. I said YES and we went to an afternoon showing, complete with children.

I am unsure what I think at this point...it was enjoyable and the animatronics were pretty cool.  The actors were good, especially Max Records who plays Max. There were moments full of heart and tenderness...but there was something about it that didn't resonate.

I couldn't love Max and I really wanted to...I did love Carol and the other Wild Things, but then they did some really awful things.  I know that the point is that Max is learning from them, but I just couldn't really abide some of it.  The culmination of this was the arm-ripping incident. I won't go into details, but I just couldn't go there. Then when Max came home, I wanted Mom to at least say, "Don't ever do that again!" or "I was worried!"

I'm not certain this is a children's movie - some of the lessons were too subtle. Some of the behavior too dangerous. The two kids behind us were not able to keep their attention on the movie and ended up playing with the leftover popcorn in the bag they had bought as their mother whispered harshly to them, "Shh!  Stop talking! Stop that! Sit down!"

In the aftermath of the so-called "Balloon Boy", this movie just made me realize how much we don't teach our kids. How much our society needs to love and hold and teach kids and how to treat them.  I admire the parents I know who are parents to their kids.  It isn't easy to lead little people to good and right decisions, but it is our job. All of our jobs. And little Max, in the movie version, needed to be sent to his room without supper, like little Max in the book.  He could have had some supper later. The book got it right. I'm not sure the movie did.

I hope I can read Maurice Sendak's perspective on the movie...maybe that will help me digest it more easily.

"The Wizard of Oz" 70th Anniversary

I am treating myself to go see "The Wizard of Oz" on the big screen tomorrow night.  I haven't seen the movie in years - maybe since Roby died. It will be the first Hi-Definition viewing in theatres set to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the film.

I was always a "Wizard of Oz" movie fan.  When I was a kid, they used to show it annually - somewhere around Easter-time, I think.  We would gather around the television and my Dad would groan and moan about having to watch it.  I later found out that he just didn't like Judy Garland and he had read all the books and the movie didn't live up to his imagination.

When I was 6 or 7, we went to see the movie on the big screen in Wiesbaden.  It was showing at the Air Force Base movie theatre.  My sister and I went while my parents went to the commissary.  I knew the story, I knew the movie.  When the Wicked Witch of the West's face appeared full screen, I jumped up out of my chair in horror and ran from the theatre. My sister had to run to the lobby and drag me back in to finish the movie.  I was terrified.  For a little kid, the Wicked Witch is definitely do-able on the small screen (like 19 in), but not on the big enormous movie screen.

Later, I became a fan of many of Judy Garland's songs and movies, particularly, "Meet Me in St. Louis".  Roby and I used to listen to old Judy Garland albums and sing together.  What fun!  We watched "The Wizard of Oz" several times a year until maybe the 1990s...I don't know why we stopped.  We were probably just to busy or distracted or something.

Anyway, the movie is playing in several local theatres.  Go see it. Remember the magic. Celebrate 70 years of being one of the most beloved movies of all time.

Goodnight, Sweet 80s Prince part II

I forgot all about mentioning Ducky from "Pretty in Pink". I LOVED HIM!!

And I'd like to direct you to a post about John Hughes that helped me understand why he was so admired and why his movies resonated with us all so deeply. Get out your hankies...

The Blog is "We'll Know When We Get There" and the post is "Sincerely, John Hughes"

(courtesy of Patti Digh (37Days) from a posting on Facebook.)

Goodnight, Sweet 80's Prince

John Hughes died today at age 59.

You can go anywhere on the web today and read about him and his impact on teen films and anyone who grew up or came of age in the 1980s.

My favorite film by John Hughes is "The Breakfast Club" (I also love "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" and of course, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off").


I can't say that I have a "favorite scene" in "TBC"...I love the whole movie. My favorite line is from John Bender, played by Judd Nelson (I think I still have a crush on him...), "Screws fall out all the time, sir, the world's an imperfect place." My other favorite line from Bender is, "Hey, how come Andrew gets to get up? If he gets up . . . we'll all get up . . . it'll be anarchy!"


I'm not sure, but I think that for anyone who was a teenager in 1985 and probably since then, the essay that Brain wrote for them all at detention is the teenager's manifesto...
"[opening narration immediately after the title sequence]
Brian Johnson: Saturday, March 24,1984. Shermer High School, Shermer, Illinois, 60062. Dear Mr. Vernon, We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did *was* wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. What do you care? You see us as you want to see us - in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. You see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal. Correct? That's the way we saw each other at 7:00 this morning. We were brainwashed."



John Hughes, you will be missed.

"Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller"

Yahoo!! "Yentl" on DVD

I have been waiting for the DVD version of "Yentl" to come out for SO LONG! I kept checking Amazon.com and then I finally signed up for the "Let me know if the DVD makers ever catch a clue and put this incredible movie on DVD" notification. I must have signed up for it 3-4 years ago...maybe longer. And then...last month, it came...an email from Amazon.com. "Your waiting is over. Come buy your copy of "Yentl" on DVD. I don't even know why, but when I first got the notification, I kind of brushed over it...a few days later, I realized what I had read. "Yentl" is FINALLY ON DVD!!  The movie was made in 1983 and it just came out on DVD February 3, 2009.  It was worth the wait.

I know most people haven't even seen this movie...I don't know why. It is another one of those labors of love, as "Schindler's List" is to Steven Spielberg, so "Yentl" is to Barbra Streisand. Perhaps it is the fact that it is a musical that causes people to turn away from it...but ask a Streisand fan if they have seen "Hello, Dolly!" and they will all say yes. This movie is such a masterpiece - she wrote it, directed it, starred in it, sang in it. Ahhh.

I don't think I have waxed poetic on this film in the blog before, but forgive me if I have.  It is one of my all time favorites and I just think everyone should see it.  There are so many reasons to see this film...

See Mandy Patinkin before he got too big for his britches.

The cinemetography is georgeous.  The film was done inPrague, New York and Liverpool.  The scenes in Prague are stunningly beautiful and capture that Eastern European flavor.

This is a great story for girls and women that illustrates how much our world has changed - from a time when the book vendors recommended "Picture books for women" and would not allow girls to study or learn to read.  Here is a quote from the movie:

Yentl: If we don't have to hide my studying from God, then why from the neighbors? 
Yentl's Father: Why? Because I trust God will understand. I'm not so sure about the neighbors.

There is the most stunning scene between Yentl (Barbra Streisand) and Avigdore (Mandy Patinkin) that I think is one of the most perfect love scenes ever filmed - she reveals herself to him as a woman and falls to her knees - the light is pouring in from the window and she looks up at him for this brief moment - perfection. 

The music- if for no other reason than the music..."Where is it Written?", "Papa Can You Hear Me?", "A Piece of Sky"...it doesn't get much better than this.  If you want to give a little listen, you can listen to pieces of the songs here.  People haven't really heard "Papa Can You Hear Me?" if they have never heard the movie version.  People started mocking it and doing parodies, but it is really a beautiful song and a beautifully realized piece of film.

Here are some clips to tempt you.  Meanwhile, I'm going to go watch it!

"Papa Can You Hear Me"

Original 1983 Trailer

Measure in Love

Ok...so anyone who is sick of me talking about "RENT" should just close the browser now. :) I'm sometimes sick of me talking about "RENT", but sometimes it just comes around.

So, this morning, I woke up early and I decided to put in the new DVD of the final performance and watch the Bonus Features. They had some stuff about the last week of the show on Broadway, The Wall people signed to express their feelings about the show, The Lottery, etc. So, I started with the featurette about the last week on Broadway and I kept crying...I know the show CLOSED...I have at least 50 different recordings, I have video clips, I have the movie on DVD, I have this new version...but I still teared up - especially when they showed Jonathan Larson's parents there in the audience - still loving the people who loved their son or loved him via his final work. How rewarding and heartbreaking it must be to watch the end of this show - the final thread of life from their son - so pivotal for him, for them.

Then I watched the final curtain call - many of the Original Broadway Cast came to the final performance and joined the cast onstage to sing "Seasons of Love" for the encore. I had seen this portion before (what was edited into the film), but in this version they panned out and showed audience reaction. That is really what prompted this post today. The camera panned out and I was so moved to watch the rapt attention, the utter joy and despair evident on the faces of so many people - and notably, the men. I was so struck by their absorption- eyes locked onstage, some had tears on their cheeks. It reminded me how much I admire men in the arts, men in theatre.

This may sound sexist- I don't mean it to be...I think women have traditionally had so much more permission to express their feelings, to truly love something and be enthusiastic about it. Listening to men sing, seeing them pour themselves into something as joyful as "RENT" is so moving. I wish I could explain what I mean. I just made my heart hurt in a good way. It made me wish that there was a way for us all to find that kind of rapture more of the time. Obviously, we aren't going to feel that way all the time, but more of the time would be good.

I started thinking about how easy it is for us to forget the lessons that "RENT" carries - "no day but today", "forget regret or life is yours to miss", "la vie boheme". I feel like I live such a divided life. My internal life is much more about joy and love and music and expression and I want to find a way to move my external life in that direction. Who doesn't, right? I know that is why I continue to interpret theatre. There is so much emotion when you pass these intense feelings through your body - whether you are interpreting or singing or acting.

Anyway, I guess it is a pretty good time to re-ignite my "RENT" passion since the show is coming back to town in June and I get to interpret.

If you are at all inclined, see this movie. It is beautifully filmed, the music is great, the show is brilliant (in my opinion). Enjoy. Feel the joy.

Here is a clip of "What You Own" with Adam Kantor as Mark and Will Chase as Roger.

Structure vs. Free-Flow

So, like 4 days without a structure and I fall apart here. I was chomping at the bit to be done with last month, but I really liked having a bunch of possibilities to choose from rather than staring at the white computer screen...maybe I should put a bunch of topics in a hat and pull one out every day. :)

I knew when I saw that February's theme was WANT that I was not going to be writing much (if at all) about that. It isn't a topic that resonates with me, so I am searching for something else to write about.

A few notables:

I have only missed two days of reading since the beginning of the year - one was on January 1 and one was this past Tuesday - I was exhausted from my day with my presentation and driving for so many hours that I just fell asleep.

I am watching Buffy thru in order again (I can't even count how many times it has been). Am on Season 2 - just past Oz becoming a werewolf. Actually, I have been trying to watch that episode for 3 days now. Last night, I put it on and fell asleep. Then, I woke up at like 3:00am and I couldn't go back to sleep. I decided I would put the episode back on and I didn't even see a MINUTE of it before I was snoozing again. Weird that a vampire show would be comforting enough to let me go to sleep.

Speaking of vampires and werewolves, I have completed the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. After a rough first start, I thoroughly enjoyed the books. I saw the movie first with a friend and I thought it was interesting enough to make me want to read the books...it was a little too painful in that awkward, teenagers mooning at each other, way...a few too many longing glances. When I started "Twilight", I found the beginning a little slow, but I think I was impacted by the fact that I had seen the movie, so I was waiting for Bella and Edward to meet. At work, all the women are reading them and have divided firmly into two teams: Team Edward and Team Jacob. I thought I was on Team Jacob, but after completing the final novel, I realized I like both of them and I think the series had it exactly right. (No spoilers here). If you like a good romance, a good vampire story or a combination of the two, you should read these books.

Now that I am done with those books, I am looking at a couple of others that I hope will hold my interest. Tonight I have picked up, "Letter to My Daughter" by Maya Angelou. My mother gave this book to me for Christmas, so I want to dig into that. The other book I'm intrigued by is "Hannah's Dream", which I have added to my list of books I am reading in my sidebar on the blog. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Last, but not least, I am hoping to see a movie or two this weekend. I want to see "The Reader" so badly but it is only playing in about 4 theatres around town...I also want to see "Taken" because I LOVE Liam Neeson. I haven't seen "Benjamin Button" but something holds me back on that one...I'm not sure what it is. Another on the list is "Slumdog Millionaire". Since I have such a love affair with India and want to learn more about Indian culture, etc., I think this is definitely a must-see.

Change Your Destiny: Tony Robbins

"It's in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped." ~ Anthony Robbins 

This post is about a movie, based on a true story, where the people involved made decisions that literally SAVED their lives - their destiny was completely altered (or fulfilled, depending upon your belief system) by the decisions they made. Powerful stuff.

I have been meaning to write something about the movie I saw last Monday. I knew the minute I saw the trailer that I wanted to see "Defiance". I always see movies about the Holocaust...I lived in Germany as a child (what was West Germany at the time) and my father's good friend was an Auschwitz survivor. We visited Dachau and Anne Frank's house and those early experiences sparked something in me that made me want to learn more, to remember the Holocaust and the survivors and work towards educating people in whatever small ways that I can.

I thought the movie was very well cast, well acted and told a unique story about the Holocaust – a story about unlikely heroes, who by happenstance, saved about 1200 Jewish people from the Nazis in Belorussia. Four brothers (Daniel Craig, Liev Schrieber, Jamie Bell and George McKay) escape to the forest to avoid capture by the encroaching Nazis. Their story is unique and true – based on the book, “Defiance: The Bielski Partisans” by Nechama Tec. I have not read the book, so I can’t speak to the film’s adherence to its original text.

I can say that Edward Zwick’s usual beautiful style is present here, but also elements that ring true for me. One thing I hate is when I am watching a movie about the Holocaust (or any movie that takes place outside of the U.S.) and anyone who would normally have an accent (to us) speaks with an English accent OR, half the people in the film speak with an accent and the famous U.S. actors (cough, Tom Cruise) have their usual American accent. This film does not do that. Are the accents authentic – I’m no expert, but they sounded good to me. Hearing an American accent in a film like this just yanks me out of the story.

One line that really stuck with me was said by Tuvia Bielski, Daniel Craig’s character: “Every day of freedom is an act of faith.” How apropos after this week in our country…to just stop and realize that we have SO MUCH…we have so much freedom that we take for granted every day. I like the reminder that freedom isn’t free – and I don’t mean that in the “Join the army” way. I just mean that we are the lucky recipients of hard-won rights and freedoms and it doesn’t hurt to remember that blood was spilled on our behalf – by soldiers, by civilians. We are incredibly lucky and maybe a little faith in humanity wouldn’t go amiss.

Anyway, off my soapbox. I just wanted to share thoughts on a good movie. I cried, I was moved. I became a Daniel Craig fan and I fell in love with Alexa Davalos and Mia Wasikowska (Lilka and Chaya). I have always loved Liev Schrieber. Enjoy the trailer here and there is a second, different one at www.defiancemovie.com.

Goodbye, Love

First - a clip from the 10 year Anniversary of RENT (OBC):

Goodbye, Love


I'll Cover You (no costumes- endears me to Jesse L. Martin all the more)


So, I saw the final performance of RENT on Broadway filmed and presented in the movie theatre. The final performance was Sept. 7, 2008 and they had the show up and ready this week. May I say that I thought it was BRILLIANT from all angles. The filming was beautifully high definition (as compared to some of the video on youtube anyway) with close ups and shots that allowed me to feel connected to the characters on an intimate level that sometimes is impossible in live theatre. It felt like live theatre except for the audience energy - I think people didn't know how to be in a play in a movie...do we clap? do we hoot?

Here's a promo with Will Chase as Roger:



The cast was amazing. I was particularly struck by Mimi played by Renee Elise Goldsberry - she had the sense of wildness, audacity and vulnerability that is sometimes missing from the character. Will Chase was a great Roger - I wasn't sure at first, but I have seen him in other Broadway shows and liked him. Once he sang "Glory", I was onboard for the ride.

I have read some criticism online about the editing and the filming being too close, but I LOVED IT. I loved seeing the tears pouring down Mimi's face and the subtle facial expressions between the characters. I loved the bottled up emotion of Roger in "Another Day" and Mimi's startled reaction when he comes at her. They had great chemistry.

Angel, played by Justin Johnson, was sweet and sassy and lovable. It was just the right touch of playfulness that the production needed.

It was great to have Gwen Stewart back as the SOL Soloist #1 again - no one has done the song justice after her that I have heard. It is always beautiful, but she really marked that territory as hers. I liked Tracy McDowall's portrayal of Mark's mom - very funny with just a few moments on screen and some great facial expressions.

I liked the actor who played Mark - Adam Kantor- he was witty and droll and had a great voice. Occasionally, it seemed like he was trying to make the music his own - singing a little faster or slower or off key or something...I'm not sure. I just liked his presence and most of the choices he made for the character.

Overall, a satisfying viewing. I hope it is released on DVD. This is the perfect venue to introduce people to Broadway as well as a great tool to use for teaching people to interpret musical theatre to interpreters...

Goodbye, love. (until the revival...)

"Blood Diamond", "RENT" Closing, etc.

First off, "RENT" closed on Broadway today. I haven't really taken that in at this point. I will take a look around the blogosphere tomorrow to see how it all went. I wish I could have been there.

Secondly, I just finished watching "Blood Diamond". Amazing movie - great actors. Heartbreaking. It makes me ashamed to be human, to be American, to be white, to be clueless. How can we live in a world where this is happening and we don't know about it while it is happening? I just don't understand how people can be so inhumane. But I liked that it talked about the fact that good people can do bad things and bad people can do good things. Are we what we do or are we more than that? Sigh. I have to think about this more.

I'm not doing well in the Blog365 situation...I'm going to cut myself a break since I started that practically the day I started blogging. I am doing pretty well, but I won't make the 365. Maybe next year...

Anyway, hello again.

Dead Poet's Society - part II

This is my other favorite part...you can see quotes from it on one of the other links I made on homestead.com...I'm not sure which...

carpe diem

Dead Poet's Society

I saw a clip of this on 37days.com and it made me remember how much I loved the movie and in particular the ending.

Dead Poet’s society – ending (inspired by 37 days)


I will be watching the movie in its entirety soon.