Bridge to Terabithia

Disney's made a movie version of Bridge to Terabithia. that opens next week I just saw the trailer and couldn't believe it was the book I remembered reading, and being completely traumatized by, years ago. Somehow I carried around one memory from it all these years, and it wasn't the kind of thing they show on the trailers... I guess I'll have to go see it though and find out...

Miss America!

Mom just called to let me know that Miss America is on tonight!! How'd I manage to miss that news???

8pm on CMT

8:20 update - my net connection is down (i'm blogging from my phone) but sitting here in my tiara of course. my early money was on tn and wv...and of course i'll cheer for ca, ct, and wa and the 3 emily's. we'll see if they even make the top 10

8:40 update - the net's back up and there were nice emails from Mom and Lisa (who of course got to see the whole thing 3 hours ahead of me...) So I got a few home states to root for and 1 of the Emily's... Mom has promised a tap dancer for later as well...

Tonight on KTEH

Somehow we've made it to Friday, mostly by trying to keep pretty busy (book sorting Wednesday night for the book drive, wrapping presents for the adopt-a-family drive yesterday and letting my hairdresser do whatever she wanted to try to cheer me up -- nothing radical, but a slight "chocolate cherry" reddish tint, etc.) Tonight I'm back at KTEH for another pledge shift. Here's what will be on:

7: An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
8: New Tricks
9: Cadfael

The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines

Yeah, its probably no surprise what I'll be watching tonight -- TNT's The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines.

Apparently, "The Librarian: Quest for the Spear" was basic cable's most-watched movie in 2004, making a sequel all but inevitable.

And apparently in this one we add a character named Emily Davenport who can match Flynn degree for degree (actually she's supposed to have one more PhD than he does) -- probably still all those degrees and not an MLIS (sheesh).

Tonight on KTEH

KTEH pledge time still -- another shift tonight, 6-10. Looks like I'll be on Camera 3 (which usually means lots of opportunities to get shots of the phone volunteers, and which doesn't require me to stand on a box like camera 1 sometimes does...) Here's what will be showing:

Country Pop Legends
Roy Clark hosts this mix of current and archival footage of country stars performing their hits of the 1950s, '60s and '70s. Included: Bill Anderson; the Bellamy Brothers; Glen Campbell; Crystal Gayle, Hank Locklin, B.J. Thomas; and the Browns.

6:30: Johnny Mathis: Wonderful, Wonderful! A Gold 50th Anniversary Celebration
In celebration of his 50th year as a recording artist, Johnny Mathis performs many of his hits in an October 2006 concert in Atlantic City, including “Wonderful, Wonderful,” “Chances Are,” “The Twelfth of Never” and “Misty.”

8: Celtic Woman: A New Journey
The vocal group Celtic Woman and classical singer Hayley Westenra perform a concert at Slane Castle near Dublin, Ireland.

(but Friday night I'll be back there for Mystery night, which is always fun)

KTEH This Morning

Its pledge time again -- we're into the November-December pledge at KTEH. I'll be there today from 9-1:30 and then back again Saturday 12/2 and Friday 12/8 for shifts. Here's what's on this morning if you're flipping through the channels:

9-10: Yoga for the Rest of Us
10-1: America's Home Cooking: Appetizers (Recipes for hors d'oeuvres, canapés, dips and tapas items. Included: miniature egg rolls, chicken on a stick, layered Mexican dips and roasted ravioli.)

Flushed Away

We went to see the very silly new animated movie Flushed Away, complete with very funny singing slugs. Voiced by Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet as rats.

Blue Man Group

I've always wanted to see the Blue Man Group perform, but didn't really appreciate how amazingly cool they were. We just saw their How to Be a MegaStar Tour 2.0 here in San Jose (tickets through a contribution to KTEH) and I was totally blown away. It was the most multi-media theatrical experience I've seen -- the songs were illustrated with beautiful animations (complete with all the lyrics) -- and they even sent text messages to the audience (if you signed up and paid $1.99) throughout the show. One of the instructions in the text messages was to hold up your phone like a lighter when they put question marks on the screen on the stage -- the photo below with all the little lights shows how many people were following along.

Live and Become

We saw the film Live and Become this afternoon as part of the San Jose Jewish Film Festival. It was a really interesting tale of a young Ethiopian Christian boy sent by his mother with the airlift of Jewish Ethiopians to Israel in 1984 and who spends his whole life pretending to be Jewish and trying to fit into that society and his new adoptive family. I felt it was a bit slow at times, but really engaging and definitely worth seeing -- both for the story of the boy and his family and for the history it portrays. I don't think we'll be able to make any of the other films of the festival, but hopefully they'll be available on NetFlicks eventually.

Man of the Year

We went to see Man of the Year tonight at the local movie theater and I loved it. The reviews seem pretty bad, and maybe its not as good as it could have been or the best of the political movies out there (I'm partial to American President, Dave and Wag the Dog among others of course), but tons of laugh and great political campaign digs and all my political friends and family really should go and see it...

Now playing...

I wish I had more time... look what's playing locally!

Tick, Tick....Boom!
Bus Barn Stage Company
September 6-September 30, 2006
A musical look at the courage it takes to follow your dreams, TICK, TICK... BOOM! is Jonathan Larson's autobiographical tale of a young composer on the brink of turning 30 and falling into oblivion. His girlfriend wants to get married and move out of the city, his best friend is making big bucks on Madison Avenue, yet Jon is still waiting on tables and trying to write the great American musical.
Saw this one years ago and loved it -- and I think it's one of Eduard's all time favorites.

Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches
City Lights Theater Company
September 14-October 15, 2006
Set against the AIDS crisis in the mid-80's, this award winning epic tale of heaven and earth takes aim at many of humankind's most immediate and troubling issues. It exposes our weaknesses, extolls our strengths, and weaves a magical, inspiring tale of suffering and survival.
I've never actually seen this on stage -- just the HBO version which I was totally engrossed by.

But this weekend is booked up with services and the Taste of Morgan Hill (come by Sunday and say hello to me at the Friends of the Library booth from 10-12)

And of course I still want to get to the Renaissance Fair before it leaves...

Studio 60... and other tv shows

Lisa called to say it was worth watching Studio 60, so I'm staying up for it (rather than just letting Tivo get it and watching it tomorrow) so that I can compare notes with her, Mom, and anyone else who watched it tonight...

Here's my current (if slightly random) collection of must-see (or at least Tivo) shows:
Veronica Mars (we're almost up to date on DVD and ready for the new season!)
Daily Show -- sometimes its the only way to face the news
Extreme Makeover Home Edition - a guilty Sunday night pleasure... Busdriver, move that bus!
Project Runway - Brian convinced me to watch the episodes I had storing up on Tivo and now I'm up to date and ready to find out what the next challenge will be!
various HGTV shows (just can't resist... even if I'm completely DIY-impaired)

If there are other must-see new shows this Fall that I'm missing, feel free to clue me in... thanks... its been a while since i had so many to look forward to!

Little Miss Sunshine

Another lovely Saturday here. We rode our bikes to the farmers market again, did some other errands, took a nap, and then went to see Little Miss Sunshine late this afternoon. Its a very funny family road trip movie with a pretty crazy family of characters.

The movie's web site is great and takes advantage of YouTube, MySpace page, Wikipedia, 43 Things and all sorts of other good social networking features.

Chris Botti

I'm not usually so easily star struck, but I think I'm going to be a big-time fan of Chris Botti after watching him in the studio tonight at KTEH (I was on camera one tonight for the live shoot, 7-9). It was an amazing concert (with guests like Sting) and the guy was really wonderful in the studio -- he even played happy birthday on his trumpet when someone called in with a pledge and told us it was her birthday. (And yes, he's a total heart throb in person)

Renaissance Fair Phone Ops

Its pledge time again at KTEH. I worked Camera 2 on the 6:30-11pm shift tonight and had a great time. The volunteers answering the phone were all players from the Northern California Renaissance Fair and they all came in full costume. The fair runs weekends from September 9th-October 15th (10am-6pm). I've always wanted to go and this year I'm definitely going to make a bigger effort to get there! They must have so much fun doing it -- though I could see how it could be a hobby that would eat your entirely life.

The queen (shown here at the fair) was one of the volunteers answering phones:

Harry and the Potters!

I finally got to see Harry and the Potters perform (plus Draco and the Malfoys of course). I've been hearing about them for ages (kinda hard not to in library-land). The concert was at the Milpitas Library and was SO much fun -- I was the oldest person in the t-shirt line but that didn't stop me from screaming and dancing along with all the crazy Harry Potter fans as they seriously rocked the library! And of course there were other librarians there... a few photos from the night -- librarians, Dracos, a true fan, the librarians who made this all possible, Harry & Harry, and lots of dancing fans...

Veronica Mars Marathon

Since its clearly too hot to do much of anything, we indulged in an afternoon long Veronica Mars Marathon (since the DVD of Season One is available from the library...)

For those of you tuning in late, here's the show's synopsis:

In the wealthy, seaside community of Neptune, California, the rich and powerful make the rules. Unfortunately for them, there's Veronica Mars, a smart, fearless 17-year-old apprentice private investigator dedicated to solving the town's toughest mysteries. Veronica used to be one of the popular girls, but it all came crumbling down around her after her best friend, Lilly, was murdered, and her then-sheriff father, Keith, was removed from office for naming Lilly's rich father as the lead suspect. During the day, Veronica must negotiate high school like any average teenage girl. But at night, she helps with her father's struggling, new private investigator business--and what she finds may tear the town of Neptune apart at the seams.

Now available for the first time, this 6-disc collection includes all 24 episodes from the first season of the hit UPN show.

Of course we're only 1 dvd through the 6-dvd set but I'm loving it. I've only caught a few of the episodes here and there so I really wanted to start back at the beginning and get the whole experience. I hate it when I'm so many years behind the curve -- why didn't anyone make me watch back in '04 when it started! Sheesh.

7 Brides for 7 Brothers

We headed over to Hollister last night to see S's colleague John in the San Benito Stage Company's production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. We had gone to see him in Man of La Mancha in Oct 04. He played Mr. Bixby, one of the townsmen who go after the stolen brides. He also was very involved behind the scenes, so much so that the company awarded him the "Gypsy Robe", awarded to a cast member who has made a special contribution of time and energy to benefit the production. Congrats John!

Cars

We finally saw Cars, the new Pixar movie, and absolutely loved it. I wasn't expecting much given the luke warm reviews, but it was fantastic. The landscapes are so realistic and it's hard not to get excited for the big race even if you don't usually care much about cars... The riffs on their other movies during the credits had us all rolling in the aisles.

It was a lovely 3rd of July -- I did some work in the morning and then we all went searching for civil war costumes for the party Mom and Bill are going to next weekend. Then the movie, dinner, and we walked around the amazing street party the town was having to celebrate the 4th of July. Tomorrow's the parade, and a BBQ.

Word Play

Mom and Bill are here visiting for a couple of days, so what better thing to do than see Word Play, the fantastic new documentary about crossword puzzlers. Its like Spellbound with grownups and has great cameos from people like Bill Clinton, Jon Stewart, and the Indigo Girls -- all doing the NY Times Crossword. The sound track is great too (especially the song about "If You Don't Come Across, I'll Be Down")

And, one of the coolest things was that the Indigo Girls are sitting at the Montalvo concert venue where we saw them last July! Other sites also noted that it was in fact their July concert there in Saratoga. Super cool!

Great movie -- especially if you're a crossword fan. I'm a crossword wannabe... I can only get through Monday and occasionally Tuesdays, but I appreciate a good puzzler when I see one.

Hairspray

Saw the matinee of Hairspray today. I thought it was the best of the shows we've seen this season at AMTSJ. Its one of my favorite movies and I thought they did a great job turning it into a musical.

An Inconvenient Truth

We saw the much-talked about new documentary from Al Gore today, An Inconvenient Truth. If you haven't seen it already, go out and see it. I thought it was really well done, gripping, and ultimately extremely disturbing (although a lot of it did feel like an extended advertisement for Apple Powerbooks and Keynote :))

I filled out the Carbon Calculator on the web site and was very dismayed to see that I have a larger than average person impact - the result of a long commute (though relatively decent gas mileage) and a lot of cross country flights. We do take a lot of the steps they recommend -- our light bulbs are energy efficient, we bought energy-efficient appliances, we recycle heavily, we try to choose products with less packing when we can, we try to turn off the lights when we're not in the room, etc. but its hard not to feel overwhelmed by the scope of the problems and how we each contribute to it.

There was a lot in the movie to make me mad... and worried. Hopefully it will get more people to sit up and take notice of this important issue.

June Plege, part 2

One more shift this pledge season. I'll be there 9-1:30 today getting camera shots of the volunteers answering the phones.

What's on:

Magic Moments: The Best of 50s Pop
Saturday, June 10, 9:30am
CHANNEL 54 (KTEH)
Performers include Mel Carter, the Four Aces, the Chordettes, the Four Lads, Patti Page, Don Cherry and the Crew Cuts. Hosts: Pat Boone, Phyllis McGuire, Mary Lou Metzker, Patti Page and Debbie Reynolds.

Andre Rieu in Concert: The North America I Love
Saturday, June 10, 12:00pm
CHANNEL 54 (KTEH)
Dutch violinist-conductor Andre Rieu leads the Johannn Strauss Orchestra in a program ranging from Viennese waltzes to music of the Big Band era, including tributes to Glenn Miller and the Andrews Sisters. The 1997 concert was taped in Detroit.

Over the Hedge

Saw Over the Hedge, the new Dream Works animated flick this afternoon. Gorgeous animation and very funny. The tie-ins everywhere are a bit much, but we enjoyed the movie.

Tonight on KTEH

Its pledge time again at our local public television station. I have a shift tonight from 8-11:30pm. I love doing the Fridays because they show Mystery! Here's what's on tonight:

Mystery!
Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw
Friday, June 2, 8:00pm
Part 1 of two. “What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw,” an old friend of Miss Marple's, Mrs. McGillicuddy (Pam Ferris), sees a young woman being strangled aboard a train. Trouble is, she saw it through her window on another train, and no body was found.

and then part two is on at 9:15.

I haven't been there since they announced on May 2 that KQED, Inc and the KTEH Foundation intend to merge and create Northern California Public Broadcasting (NCPB), in a significant move to consolidate the strengths of public broadcasting in the Bay Area.

Israeli Film Fest

Saw 39 Pounds of Love (documentary) and Sliding Flora (12 min short) tonight as part of the The Second Silicon Valley Israeli Film Festival in San Jose (we went last year too). Interesting films -- I loved the short, the documentary was good but pretty heartbreaking.

I'm definitely going to have to go visit the monster (Mifletzet) slide (where the short film takes place -- they turned it into a restaurant!) when we finally get to visit Jerusalem.

Last West Wing

For the last 7 seasons, The West Wing has been my favorite show on television (even when the plot got way off track when Zoe's kidnapping and when it lost its nice Wed night time slot). Its really sad to see it go!

Sisters Rosensweig

Tina and I saw an excellent production of The Sisters Rosensweig at TheatreWorks. Its a very funny, wordy play about three sisters who meet up for the eldest's 54th birthday in London. The actors were excellent, the set fantastic and I laughed through the whole play.

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown

We hadn't been to the movies in ages, so we took a break from unpacking and saw Ice Age 2: The Meltdown at the theater down the street. Very cute -- we had liked the first one a lot and this was fun as well. Very satisfying movie going.

On the Verge

Just got back from an excellent matinee performance of On the Verge at The Westport Country Playhouse. The description reads, "This delightful comedy takes us on an exploration of Terra Incognita with three sister sojourners who hearken from 1888. These ladies yearn for and experience the future encountering modern marvels such as Mr. Coffee, Cool Whip, egg beaters and trousers!" It is great fun and full of intereting words and cultural references. The production was great and such fun to watch!

If you happen to be in Westport for... oh, perhaps another event next weekend, the play runs from March 9 – 25, 2006 and would be a fun thing to do if you're in town early (there's a Saturday matinee on April 18th at 4pm)

Mom and I saw it a million years ago somewhere (we think perhaps 1985/1986 at Empty Space in Seattle?) and always remembered really liking it (what's not to like about a time traveling set of women explorers with eggbeaters and cool whip!!!)

This morning on KTEH

I have a 9-1:30 shift today at the tv station for pledge. Here's the shows we'll be pledging during:

Rich Dad, Poor Dad With Robert Kiyosaki
Rich Dad's Guide to Wealth with Robert Kiyosaki
Andre Rieu: Live in Tuscany

Number One Song

The number one song on the day I was born?

"Angie Baby" by Helen Reddy

For S, it was:
"Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin

via pop watch

The Clean House

Saw TheatreWorks production of The Clean House

Here's the official description from the web site:

There's a Brazilian maid who hates to clean but loves a good joke. There's a tidy house and a chaotic marriage, a brace of battling sisters, and a desperate doctor snowshoeing the Yukon in search of cures. And there's a unique wit illuminating this infectious dark comedy, offering laughter as an antidote for the mess we inevitably make of love. A boldly original tale of loss, change, and redemption, it features a gallery of beguiling characters learning to connect in the stress test of daily life.

Somehow I thought it would be funnier, but it was interesting and different and, as always, they do a really good job on the production design. I'm sorry I missed the discussion Wednesday (had to change all my tix because of my wednesday Hebrew class) because that often helps to make the weirder productions a bit more enjoyable.

The Ads

In case you missed all the ads yesterday, you can watch them all on Google Videos. I love the new Ford one with Kermit!

Ehud Banai

After work we drove up to SF for an awesome concert at the Eugene & Elinor Friend Center for the Arts at the JCC of SF. Ehud Banai gave an amazing, sold out concert with people dancing in the aisles. At the Israeli music awards in 2004, Ehud Banai made a clean sweep, winning best singer, best lyricist and best album of the year for his latest release, Aneh Li (Answer Me), which we've been listening to in the car. Lots of Hebrew overheard in the audience (with a word or two actually sounding familiar).

Survivor

It turns out that Survivor is pretty much mandatory watching on my team at work (they're all participating in a pool even). I only was paying a little attention because I saw on am'erst that one of my classmates from college Bobby Mason is a contestant. So maybe I'll try to watch tonight and see what this season has in store, if only so I can participate in the inevitable staff meeting conversations on the subject...

Wendy Wasserstein

Wendy Wasserstein, Chronicler of Women's Identity Crises, Dies
(NY Times, 1/30)

Playwright Wendy Wasserstein Dies
(AP)

I only learned about Wendy Wasserstein's illness a few weeks ago from a mailing from Theatre Works informing ticket holders that they were postponing the world premiere of her musical Pamela’s First Musical, scheduled in April (they will be performing The Sisters Rosensweig April 5-30 instead)

Last November, Mom shared the stage with Wendy Wasserstein to announce the Americans for the Arts Action Fund

Our library owns 9 of her works

ALA Award

In a cross of family, movie and library news, apparently my step-sister-in-law Laurel’s film “Busting Out” received an award from the ALA! Congrats!

Video Round Table Announces 2006 Notable Videos for Adults
The ALA Video Round Table Notable Videos Committee has compiled its 2006 list of Notable Videos for Adults. The selections were made during the American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting in San Antonio.

Hopefully that will mean my library will buy a copy!

(thanks Jane for sending the word along)

Lion King

Saw the matinee of Disney's The Lion King at AMTSJ this afternoon. Amazing costumes and sets -- definitely a theater experience.

On the way we got to see a bit of the Vietnamese Spring Festival and Parade downtown and went out for pretty decent falafel.

Hoot - Coming Soon

Ooh! They've made a movie of Hoot! There's no date on the preview, but I'll definitely be adding it to my list. I really enjoyed the audio book version.

No more West Wing

Apparently, "NBC will end two of its most successful series of recent years, "The West Wing" and "Will & Grace," at the conclusion of the current season" (NY Times) According to the Seattle PI, "Sunday morning, NBC entertainment president Kevin Reilly officially announced the show would end Sunday, May 14, with a hourlong retrospective from 7 to 8 p.m., followed by the last episode at 8."

The next new one isn't until March 12th (post Olympics) and currently the election is too close to call...

Cirque

As we had hoped and expected, Cirque's new show Corteo was awesome last night. Its pretty hard to describe if you've never seen them live, but the combination of amazing feats of acrobatics and contortion and with the art of the thing -- images like an upside down trapeze walker, a flying bed, angels everywhere, the spinning stage, etc -- is just breathtaking.

Its in San Jose until Mar. 5, so there's still time to go! Its going to New York, Boston and DC too...

Miss America

They're showing Miss America at 5pm pacific (8 eastern) on Country Music Television. I thought I was going to have to miss it since we're see Circque Tonight (yay!!!!) but at least I'll get to watch some. Poor Mom is apparently going to miss it, but I'll be calling Lisa at the first commercial to check her picks (a long time tradition).

Update 5:10pm: Here are my top ten picks: AL, HI, LA, MD, MS, NV, OK, TX, VA, WY
There seems to be an awful lot of business majors this year. And I just found out that Lisa won't be home until 9 so we can't compare notes :(

Update 5:27: Here are the actual top 10: DC [Lisa!?!?!?!!? You get a home team, choice to vote for! What fun!], SC, OK, VA, GA, TX, AR, PA, AL, FL.
(last year only one of my picks made the top 15, but she won!)
Already the host is SOOOO much better than last year's (not that that would be hard at all)

Update, the next morning: Yay! One of my top picks won!

Fun with Dick and Jane

And of course we had to go see the traditional Christmas movie (though we did vary from tradition by doing the bbq thing instead of Chinese afterwards). We saw Fun with Dick & Jane (since Tomer is a big Jim Carrey fan). It's a fun, silly anti-Enron caper with Jim Carrey and Téa Leoni as a great comedy pair driven to desperation. Not steller, but light and funny and enjoyable, imo.

Nutcracker

Tina and I saw a matinee of Ballet San Jose's Nutcracker today (conveniently showing directly across the street from my office). Mom used to take me and my friends to the Nutcracker each year for my birthday, especially when we were all taking ballet lessons at the Pacific Northwest Ballet school. I was awful at ballet (despite having Linda as a teacher one year) but my friend Anne lasted long enough to be a soldier or a mouse or something in the production. I was definitely spoiled by the Seattle production complete with Maurice Sendak sets and costumes, but this was a nice, classic production with some amazing highlights like the snowflake dance scene and the Chinese Performing Artists of America doing a fantastic ribbon dance.

Nice review from SF Gate.

Into the Woods

BobbiLynn and I saw TheatreWorks' production of Into the Woods, which I had remembered seeing and loving in NY a million years ago (1987 I guess?) It was a great production and just as much fun as I remembered it being. Sadly, we were too tired to stay afterwards for the discussion, which is usually great (it was easier to stay up for them when the drive home wasn't as long).

Miki

S and I went to see Miki Gavrielov in concert tonight at the Bayside Performing Arts Center in San Mateo. He's apparently one of Israel's most influential songwriters, known for songs like Ani V'Ata, Uf Gozal, Ima Adama, Cafe Turki and many others. The music was lovely and the crowd enthusiastic (though no crowd beats the one for Rita the Diva when she performed around here).

Narnia

We managed to sneak in a showing of the new Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. I had meant to reread the book(s) before hand, but never got around to it. I thought the movie was fantastic and would definitely recommend it. I'm going to have to flip through my copy of Companion to Narnia since most of the talked about religious imagery flies right over me.

Last night we had watched BBC's 1990 version of The Silver Chair on DVD to get into the right frame of mind.

White Barn/Playhouse Partnership

Congrats to Mom for facilitating this fantastic agreement!

Here's a bit from today's press release:

White Barn Theatre Legacy Continues at Westport Country Playhouse

Westport Country Playhouse announced today that it has been awarded a $2 million capital grant from the Lucille Lortel Foundation to name in perpetuity the building adjacent to the theatre as "The Lucille Lortel White Barn Center." In addition, the Lucille Lortel Foundation will provide a $500,000 operating grant, over 10 years, to create The White Barn Theatre Program at the Playhouse for continuing the legacy of The White Barn Theatre mission.

Update: Westport Now coverage. Interesting camera angle there...

Rent (The Movie)

We went to the morning showing of the new movie version of Rent. Overall I liked it and was singing along to most of it, but I was disappointed that they turned a lot of the dialog into regular spoken word instead of song (like the answering machine messages, which was always some of my favorite parts of the musical -- and Alexi Darling doesn't even go "ker-ching ker-ching") Roger in New Mexico looked like a bad Van Halen music video, but otherwise the real gritty NY locations worked and it was wonderfully familiar yet adapted into a movie well. Anyone else see it (can't wait to hear what BobbiLynn thought...)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

In one word, awesome.

S stopped by our local theater after work and picked up 2 tix to the 8pm show. I got home from the library around 7, gobbled up dinner, and off we went!

It was SOOOOO good. Go out and see it. Right now.

Now I just need to find a time to go see it again on the imax at The Tech...

Auction Again

Live TV can be quite stressful.

No spin

I thought tonight's live (for those of you on the East Coast anyway) debate was great fun, but missed getting the spin afterwards. Is that sad? But I went to the web site and saw that currently 70% of the voting viewers thought Santos won ;) The site could use some help -- I like that they have blogs for the candidates, but they're lame. And usually I love Ellen, but was not impressed with her extended Amex ads.

I was just telling Jean how much I wish r.l. politics were more like WW (especially when our Supreme Court picks are so depressing, and the ones from last year's episode were so inspiring...) Even though the show isn't as sparky as it used to be, it still sure beats r.l. politics these days. Sigh.

Auction!

It's auction time again at KTEH! This weekend is the Art & Wine Auction. I'll be on Camera 2 this afternoon from 3pm-midnight (well, every other hour of that). And then back Wednesday night for some of the holiday auction.

I want Groovelily at my library!

I was telling Mom about how awesome Groovelily is, and I just realized that they're playing at the Greenwich Library tomorrow. How cool is that!

Little Women

S and I saw Little Women the Broadway Musical today. Jo was played by an understudy, but it was a good production and fun to see the book come to life in this way.

The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Since everyone has been talking about it, after a day of working on my paper and S's upcoming presentation, we treated ourself to a night out seeing Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. I think it was a bit silly for S's taste, but I laughed through the whole thing. Love those bunnies!

Baby Taj

Emy and I saw another wonderful production at Theatre Works, Baby Taj. Here's the blurb:

The romantic Taj Mahal is the next assignment for Rachel, an American travel writer whose failed romances have led her to ask: Why not have the baby she craves - on her own? She finds an unexpected answer among the glittering legacies of India's past, discovering new truths about love, family, and commitment. Alive with the vivid sounds and vibrant colors of a remarkable country, this comic tale of mischievous matchmaking is by the author of the Bay Area hit Let My Enemy Live Long.

Leslie Fera (who I thought I had recognized -- and it must be from CSI) was great as the American travel writer visiting India. The scenes swept from the present into tales of the past with great sets and style. I loved it!

Commander in Chief

Don't forget to watch Commander in Chief tonight at 9pm on ABC. (of course I forgot to set my tivo to catch it and work until 9, but hopefully S will start the recording for me --- thank you thank you)

I was so glad I caught West Wing on the plane on the way back Sunday night (I LOVE Jet Blue!)

Selected Shorts

After having dinner with Aunt Susan, S and I went to the Playhouse for Selected Shorts being taped for NPR. It was a collaboration between the Playhouse and the Westport Arts Center (that's so cool that they are doing programming together!)

You've heard it on the radio, now see it in person! Selected Shorts features some of the finest artists of the American theatre, reading contemporary and classic short fiction - the most distinguished works from a broad array of literary talents. Join host Isaiah Sheffer as he brings the renowned Symphony Space program, as heard on NPR, to the stage of the Playhouse. The reading will be taped for broadcast nationally on public radio, and will feature some of the Playhouse's favorite actors.

We heard:

Pie Dance by Molly Giles, read by Kate Burton
Learn a Trade by John Updike, read by Paul Hecht
and
Towel Season by Ron Carlson, read by James Naughton

They were all great stories and really wonderful to listen to. After intermission, there was a sing-along-quiz where Isaiah Sheffer (no relation) sang the first line of an old song (on the theme of transportation) and the audience had to all sing the next line.

Change of Venue

I clearly haven't been paying attention, which makes the article's comments about no one missing it all too clear ("Today, America should miss Miss America, but we'll hardly notice she's gone."), but I was looking back over my September blog archives to see if there were any anniversaries or anything coming up, and realized that we should be crowning Miss America right about now (a long time tradition among my family/friends). So I just noticed that they've not only moved out of Atlantic City, but moved the pageant to January? Did everyone else notice this (Lisa?) and I just missed it?

By the Boards: Miss America Has Gone Away And Atlantic City Is on the Rebound, With Some Big High Heels To Fill (Washington Post)

So I guess we'll be tuning in to Country Music Television in January.

Miss America Pageant Two-Steps Over to CMT (Washington Post)

Intimate Apparel

BobbiLynn and I saw Theatre Works production of Intimate Apparel. I have to say I didn't love it -- and we were too tired to stay for the discussion afterwards (which often redeems the plays I am unsure of). We rewrote some of it on the way home in the car though. The set and staging were wonderful, the actors impressive... but we just wanted it to all turn out a bit differently (which I guess isn't a bad reaction to have to a play, at least we left thinking about it).

There's a nice review here.

Penguins!

We finally got to see March of the Penguins at the local movie theater. What an amazing documentary! It was heartbreaking though.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

As I was waiting for Julia to walk over from The Tech for lunch, I realized that today was really my last day of summer vacation from school since we get those research paper topics tomorrow and I'll have to use any free time from work writing those. So, to take advantage of this relatively carefree state (and instead of driving home and back for the meetup tonight), I ducked out of work for a bit this afternoon and walked over to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on the imax screen.

I liked it -- but boy is he weird.

Harold and Maude

Tina and I popped up to Palo Alto to see TheatreWorks' excellent production of Harold and Maude. I have to admit that I've never seen the 1971 movie that it was based on, but the musical was wonderful and fun and funny and the audience just loved it.

Book and Lyrics by Tom Jones
Music by Joseph Thalken
Based on the screenplay by Colin Higgins
WEST COAST PREMIERE
July 20 - August 21, 2005
Lucie Stern Theatre, Palo Alto

"From the author of The Fantasticks comes another offbeat and altogether charming musical full of life, death, love, and laughter. Based on the 1971 cult film shot here on the Peninsula, this wacky black comedy captures the sweet but unconventional relationship between a sedate and self-destructive teen named Harold and a vivaciously original octogenarian named Maude as they set about to defy a world gone mad. A quirky love story for anyone even remotely eccentric, this is one life-affirming musical gem."

There are some great photos of the production here. The scene when they're driving around in the stolen truck with the tree in the back was just fabulous and Sunshine had us all rolling in the aisles.

Bruce Hornsby

Thank you to Emy & Ray for a fantastic summer concert outting to see Bruce Hornsby at the Mountain Winery, a wonderful venue in Saratoga.

Here's the view of the valley from the parking lot -- it was even more amazing on the way out with the orange moon over all the city lights.

There was a "chocolate bar" giving "shots" of really yummy chocolates.

The stage:

Emy (in the pink shirt) went up to make a request:

A big crowd got up on stage to dance at the end:

Higglytown Heroes

While we were visiting Seth, we got to watch some of his favorite cartoons with him before bed. I was completely enchanted by the Higglytown Heroes

We watched one with a Tow Truck Driver Hero) [oddly prescient of my encounter with a variety of helpful tow-truck types today when I got a flat on the way to work) and "Great Un-Expectations", where a librarian (voiced by Tim Curry) helps the kids learn about interesting creatures in their backyard.

Paul had told me that the hero was always played by some cool guest star, but I didn't realize that the theme song was sung by They Might Be Giants! v. cool

The Next Food TV Star

Ok, I'm completely caught up in The Next Food TV Star, a new reality show on the Food Network. I watched the first two episodes (1 hour each) on the plane last week (gotta love Jet Blue) and am watching the next one tonight. I love Dan and Steve and would totally watch Hans if he gets a show (posting this pretty much assures that some of them will be eliminated before I finish watching my tivo'ed episode).

(and yes, it's hard to miss those Food Network Caters Your Vegas Wedding contest ads.)

Any of the rest of you watching?

Update: Phew, my top picks lasted another week! But I'm slightly bitter that the login and play and home thing on the web site doesn't support Macs. Boo.

KTEH tonight

Yes, it's pledge time again on KTEH. Tonight I'll be the shader, so you won't catch any glimpses of me on camera. Tonight they'll be showing "Andre Rieu: Royal Albert Hall" (8-9:30) and then "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin" (9:30-11)

Tomorrow I'll be there for "Andre Rieu: Royal Albert Hall" (again), "Amici Forever: In Concert" and "60's Experience", but it's a "virtual" shoot so I'll be the only camera person (so no shots of me).

I try to sign up for Friday nights so I can be there for Mystery, but this Friday I'll be in CT for Eduard's graduation weekend!

Empire Falls

Don't forget to watch or TIVO Empire Falls tonight on HBO!

(I have TIVO set to get it since I'll be out, but someone just asked for the book here at the library which reminded me)

Mad Hot Ballroom

When Lisa saw this movie a couple of weeks ago in movie-church (aka Sunday morning Talk Cinema), she said that I HAD to go see it. So when it finally opened here I moved it to the top of my list.

The review for Mad Hot Ballroom says its "a kind of Spellbound crossed with Strickly Ballroom" -- two of my all time favorite movies. I'm a sucker for good dance movies, and boy does this one make you want to leave the theater and go dancing!

Points for Emy for being spontaneous and available on very short notice (and for braving downtown!)

I just wish I could find the soundtrack on iTunes, but they don't seem to have it there yet [boo]

You know... there are lots of places to dance around here....

Outdoor Summer Movies

It's starting to feel like summer (what with Memorial Day around the corner and all). I saw an article about some of the outdoor movies being shown around here and thought I'd blog it so I can find it later since I think it'd be a lot of fun to go:

In Campbell
Every Friday begining June 17th at sundown (around 7:30pm). Series will end in September. Presented in the parking lot of “The Kensington Art Center” and “Orchard Valley Coffee Roasting Co.” in downtown Campbell, CA. FREE, just bring a chair, and a cozy blanket.

Movies & Dates:
06/17/05 - "Grease" (1978)
06/24/05 - "Love Story" (1970)
07/01/05 - "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966)
07/08/05 - "Once Upon a Time in the West" (1969)
07/15/05 - "To Catch a Thief" (1955)
07/22/05 - "The Seven Year Itch" (1955)
07/29/05 - "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" (1971)
08/05/05 - "Yellow Submarine" (1968)
08/12/05 - "Giant" (1956)
08/19/05 - "The Magnificent Seven" (1960)
08/26/05 - "Singing in the Rain" (1951)
September - "Popular Demand" - The audience gets to decide!

In San Jose
All Wednesdays, June, July and August. San Pedro Street between St. John and Santa Clara streets. Concessions are available starting at 7:30 p.m., pre-show begins at 8:00 p.m. and the films begin at dusk. All screenings are FREE.

Wednesday, June 1 - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) G
Wednesday, June 8 - The Philadelphia Story (1940) G
Wednesday, June 15 - Young Frankenstein (1974) PG
Wednesday, June 22 - Grease (1978) PG
Wednesday, June 29 - Psycho (1960) R
Wednesday, July 6 - All About Eve (1950) G
Wednesday, July 13 - Animal House (1978) R
Wednesday, July 20 - Top Gun (1986) PG
Wednesday, July 27 - The Road Warrior (1981) R and Super Speedway (1997) G
Grand Prix Night at Cinema San Pedro!
Wednesday, August 3 - Dirty Harry (1971) R
Wednesday, August 10 - Moonstruck (1987) PG
Wednesday, August 17 - This is Spinal Tap (1984) R
Wednesday, August 24 - Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) G
Wednesday, August 31 - Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) PG-13

Film Fest

Saw two really good Israeli movies today as part of the Bay Area Israeli Film Festival: "Something Sweet" and "Turn Left at the End of the World"

A heart warming romantic tale of inopportune love between Tamar, a witty, beautiful pastry baker and the oldest of three daughters in a Jewish-Moroccan family, and… her youngest sister’s fiancée. Set against the backdrop of a small MOSHAV (agricultural village) in northern Israel, on the day of the middle-sister’s wedding. Maya (Avital Abrajill), the youngest, arrives to the celebration with Alon, a sharp Israeli businessman living in London. Alon’s enchantment with the close-knit family, the simplicity of village life and serene landscape, opens his heart to an almost unattainable closeness with Tamar, and re-acquaintance with his alienated father.

and

Commencing just after the Six-Day War and amidst the turbulent climate of social change and post-colonialism in the '60s, "Turn Left at the End of the World" chronicles the relations between two communities -- Indian and Moroccan Jews -- in a remote Israeli desert town through the eyes of two girls coming of age. Nicole (Netta Garti) is a mouthy, flirty, but also naïve Moroccan teenager, and Sarah (Liraz Charhi) is thoughtful, intelligent, if quieter and more removed, whose family has just moved in next door.

I'll definitely want to see their main film fest, October 23 through November 20.

Star Wars!

Heather and Jared are here visiting (yay!) and we all went to a special showing of Star Wars this morning (work had rented out the place) and then sat around at lunch trying to decide what we thought of it. Overall I liked it -- we all agreed it was better than the last two, and we're trying to figure out what it will be like for the next generation to see them in this order rather than in the order we were introduced to them... It is crazy to think that this movie saga has been going on for my entire life and it is now come full circle. I thought that the NY Times Review raised some interesting points but that this one nailed it. Any of the rest of you see it yet?

Muppet Alert

The Muppets' Wonderful Wizard of Oz is on tonight (ABC, 8pm)

... and speaking of puppets, check out StoreWars [grin]

Missed out

So I was supposed to get a sneak preview of some tv show tonight and then get to give my opinion about it (I mean really, how could I resist an offer like that?) So I carefully made sure I was sitting here at 9pm (I was sitting here anyway since I'm desperately trying to work on my two big final projects before the semester ends), they called over and over again over the last few days to remind me to watch... and then ... nothing! The channel that it was supposed to be on continued to play QVC instead. They called at about 9:05 to say they were having technical difficulties, that I should hang on and they would get back to me. No one got back to me, so I just muted it and went back to work on my paper. At 9:45 they called to get my opinion of the show and I had to explain again why I hadn't been watching. Sigh.

Sing Along

This just makes me smile: So Long and Thanks For All the Fish

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Shachar and I saw the new Hitchhiker's movie tonight. I loved it, now want to reread all the books again, and definitely want to get the "So Long and Thanks For All the Fish" theme song!

Lots of changes from the original, but it was nicely done -- I'll definitely want to see it again...

Crowns

BobbiLynn and I saw Crowns at TheatreWorks tonight.

The description explains it better than I can:

Hats. Fabulous, flamboyant, and fantastical, the church-going "crowns" of black women proclaim their heritage, identity, and joyous way of life in this exuberant, soul-stirring celebration of family and fortitude. Part revival meeting, part fashion show with a sassy "hattitude" - that's one part faith and five parts hallelujah! - it fills the stage with stories of struggle and triumph, raising the roof and the temperature with glorious gospel songs cried, stomped, and testified from the heart.

It was an excellent production and, as always, a great discussion following the show. It is based on the book by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry called Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats. It apparently got its start through the McCarter Theater (where Carrie H is now the dramaturg) and one of the first productions was at the Arena Stage in DC (where Carrie also used to work -- it's going back there this summer if any of you DC folks want to see it). I'll have to write to Carrie and see if she's seen it, since it seems to be following her around (hmmm, now that it has had its Northern CA premiere, maybe Carrie will come visit!) There was a great deal of imagery that I missed, so it was great getting some clues afterwards and I'll definitely have to read up on Orishas and some of the other elements used.

KTEH Travel Auction

KTEH TRAVEL & LEISURE AUCTION
LIVE ON TV AND ONLINE
APRIL 14-17, 2005

Going live April 14-17, 2005, the KTEH Travel & Leisure Auction will offer a variety of exciting adventures spanning all over the world! Whether it’s a beautiful trip to a tropical island, a breathtaking mountain ski resort or a leisurely road trip to a local bed & breakfast, the KTEH Travel & Leisure Auction has something for everyone’s budget and interests! Keep checking back as items will soon be up for viewing and bidding online prior to the televised event.

I'll be there doing camera tomorrow night (friday) from 5:30-11:30 (we do hour shifts and then switch with another tech crew) If they're short-handed I may be answering phones on my off hours, so be sure to call and bid! (or you can bid online)

Great TV

I hope you all watched West Wing!

Ice Princess

Julia and I saw Ice Princess, the new Disney movie we've been anxiously awaiting. An excellent skating movie (Lisa, you're going to have to go) with a smart lead character, good mother-daughter issues and resolution, and a great cast. Michelle Trachtenberg (from Buffy) is Casey, Joan Cusack plays her Mom, and Kim Cattrall is her coach.

Tonight on KTEH

This is my last shift of this pledge drive. The Travel & Leisure Auction is coming up in a couple of weeks which should be a lot of fun.

Tonight we have:

Mystery!
For Love Nor Money
Friday, March 18, 8:00pm
CHANNEL 54 (KTEH/Channel 54)
A schoolmarm disappears from a Victorian living-history museum. Hetty (Patricia Routledge) and company don period garb to investigate. Oddly enough, the solution involves a passion for cheese. In other action, Geoffrey (Dominic Monaghan) proposes to Janet (Suzanne Maddock). But does he really mean it?

13 Gantry Row
Friday, March 18, 9:09pm
CHANNEL 54 (KTEH/Channel 54)
A couple get some nasty shocks after moving into a mass killer's former home.
(An Australian horror movie that sounds a bit too scary for my taste)

Tonight on KTEH

Tonight I'm the shader (this time on my own). Here's what's on:

Mystery: Mind over Muscle
Friday, March 11, 8:00pm
CHANNEL 54 (KTEH/Channel 54)
Posing as Hetty's (Patricia Routledge) weakling nephew, Geoffrey (Dominic Monaghan) enrolls in a gym to investigate a muscleman with an illegal steroid scam. Seems the tough guy is blackmailing the husband of Hetty's hairdresser. In the climactic chase scene, Janet (Suzanne Maddock) comes to the rescue with a forklift. Meanwhile, Robert (Derek Benfield) gets hired as an opinionated newspaper columnist.

Jonathan Creek
The Wrestler's Tomb
Friday, March 11, 9:09pm
CHANNEL 54 (KTEH/Channel 54)
The wife of a philandering artist is suspected in his murder, and Creek and Magellan team up to figure out how she could have done it. Creek: Alan Davies.

(which is very exciting because Hanna introduced me to the show when I was in London last time and its v.v. fun)

Shader

Tonight I'm off to KTEH to learn how to be the shader. According to the web site, this is what the position entails:

Video Shader The Video Shader sits at a Camera Control Unit (CCU) console, located behind the Production Control room. The "shader" prepares each of the three studio cameras, before the Director needs that camera on-line, by adjusting the peak-video level and black level controls. The level of preparation is moderate.

Tonight on KTEH is Mystery!

Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Diana Rigg does a quick change from Mystery! host to heroine as she plays crime-solving psychologist Adela Bradley in The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries, based on the delightful whodunits by author Gladys Mitchell. Set in the 1920s, Bradley and her chauffeur, George Moody (Neil Dudgeon), go wherever their Rolls Royce carries them to investigate murders that people are too embarrassed to report to the police.

Tonight's episodes are:

The Rising of the Moon
A slasher slaying at the circus gets pinned on Castries the knife thrower (Francis Magee). But then Archie the clown (Ken Collie) is implicated. Mrs. Bradley (Diana Rigg) probes the murderous resentment within the troupe and in the town where the circus has arrived.

Laurels Are Poison
The Ghost of the Soldier haunts the estate of Mrs. Bradley's (Diana Rigg) old friend Lady Isabel Marchmont (Phyllida Law); first the cook and then the gardener are poisoned. Mrs. Bradley probes the paternity of Isabel's grandchild, which may hold a clue to the killings. Meanwhile, George (Neil Dudgeon) quizzes the man who may know the details of his brother's death in the war.

Update: The phone volunteers were from the Mystery Writers of America group, and only two brought teenage daughters so I didn't get to make any observations for class. It was fun to be in the control room but I think I miss being out where all the people are. Sunday I'll be on camera again though.

Oscar Night

So what was up with making all the nominees for art director all come up on stage? And the makeup folks accepting from the back of the theater? Our guess was so that it saves time (since no one has to walk up to the stage) but its a little strange?

Teen TV, part II

Ok, so I sat through the TIVOed TRL Awards. The show is certainly filled with screaming teenagers (in the studio and out on Times Square hoping for a chance to peak at their favorite stars), so it seemed like a good choice, but boy was every moment of it painful to watch.

TRL's 1ST LADY AWARD: Lindsay Lohan
BEST NEW ARTIST AWARD: Kanye West
ROC THE MIC AWARD (Best performance): "What You Gonna Do" Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz
QUIT YOUR DAY JOB AWARD (Best Guest Host): Mischa Barton
BEST MALE ARTIST AWARD: Usher
WALK THIS WAY AWARD (Best Entrance): Destiny's Child by Helicopter
FAKE ID AWARD (Best Guest Under 21): Jesse McCartney
BEST BAND THAT ACTUALLY PLAYS INSTRUMENTS AWARD: Good Charlotte
WET YOUR PANTS AWARD (Funniest Guest): Will Ferrell
MOMENT OF THE YEAR AWARD: Ciara & Vanessa's Limbo contest
and a Lifetime Achievement Award for Eminem (and they showed his Mockingbird video which features home videos of his daughter and niece growing up.)

There was even a "Just Lose It" award where they featured fans who totally flipped out when they won a chance to interact with one of the stars.

Ah! The official word from my brother is that TRL is more middle school -- and that it used to be passible but has gone downhill. That's quite reassuring since it was so awful to watch.

April 29

Oh so very exciting! Hitchiker's opens April 29th (Amazon's doing a big promotion with the new trailer). I must say it's going to take some getting used to the new look since I love the old BBC one so dearly (and what's up with Zaphod's 2nd head?) but I'll definitely be waiting in line for it opening weekend with the other geeks! (and then there's Star Wars on the IMAX May 19th...)

Million Dollar Baby

I thought I would get out of the house for a few hours and see a movie (since obsessively reloading the center page of the conference or checking how many people are logged in every few minutes is not really healthy.) Million Dollar Baby, the new Clint Eastwood/Hilary Swank/Morgan Freeman flick was playing down the street and I've been eyeing it for a few days now (but talking myself out of going and staying home and working instead). But at 6:30 I IM'ed Emy and asked her advice about whether I should go. Her comment that Rush & crew were protesting the film decided it for me and I ran down there for the 6:45 showing.

It was NOT what I expected (since I hadn't actually bothered to read any of the buzz, just knew that there was buzz) but it's a good movie worth seeing. Only had to hide for a few scenes. I'd recommend it (not to you Mom) but its not the escapist sports-flick rah-rah thing I was expecting at all.

Shakespeare in Hollywood

Just got back from a fun production of Shakespeare in Hollywood at TheatreWorks.

The story surrounds the filming of the 1935 movie version of A Midsummer's Night Dream, complicated by a bit of magic that has Oberon and Puck playing themselves (or, as one review puts it, "Puck goes to Hollywood, wreaks havoc.") It draws heavily on Shakespeare quotes (apparently drawing from at least eight different plays or more) while twisting and turning them.

I'd agree with Spinnity's comment below (posted before I had a chance to write anything more than a placeholder here), that there were moments of genius but also some weak points. It fits nicely though into my favorite literary genre of characters from books having adventures outside of their stories and was a lot of fun to watch.

The best part, as usual, was the discussion with the cast afterwards. Its always fun to see them out of character and they had some great insights into how the different audiences on different nights really play a role in how each performance goes (we were apparently a particularly good audience of course).

Hotel Rwanda

Shachar and I went to see the movie Hotel Rwanda tonight in Monterey. Its an amazing, powerful, important, tough film. Its hard to watch but I think everyone needs to go and see it. The description explains that, "Don Cheadle stars in the true-life story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who housed over a thousand Tutsis refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda." Don Cheadle was amazing and deserves his award nominations for this (he's up for best actor), and Sophie Okonedo who played his wife, received a supporting actress nomination.

Foul Play

Today Tivo found an old goofy movie on TNT with Goldie Hawn as a San Francisco librarian, Foul Play (1978). Its on this list of movie librarians, but I hadn't ever seen it (or even heard of it). She even knits -- and defends herself against one would-be assasin with a pair of knitting needles! Chevy Chase and Brian Dennehy are cops, Dudley Moore is a hysterical swinger with a majorly tripped out bachelor pad. Apparently it has a bunch of Hitchcock references, but they were lost on me. Its fun in a creepy 70s mystery movie way and was a good way to decompress after a day of work and committee meetings.

Sideways

So after that book, I decided I needed to get out of the house for a bit and since I've been meaning to go see Sideways for ages, I finally went out and saw it. Of course just as I was leaving the house I got email from Mom who just saw it and thought it was pretty awful, so I didn't go in with very high expectations -- besides, the posters all promote it as being from the director of Election and About Schmidt, neither of which I particularly liked. The place was packed (apparently I'm the only person who didn't watch it win 2 Golden Globes last night) and it was a good crowd that laughed all the way through it. I actually really enjoyed it -- especially since I was just visiting vineyards this weekend too.

Hmm, looks like Carrie saw it this past weekend as well!

Chicago

BobbiLynn and I saw the AMTSJ touring production of Chicago tonight (thank you BLA!!!) It was a great production and we left singing and tapping our toes...

Way Behind

Dad and Jane, who have the excuse of having been out of the country for the last few months, called to ask me to fill them in on some of the things that have been happening on West Wing and I realized that I completely forgot to watch the last 2 episodes (which is not at all like me to do!) But it makes another great opportunity to thank my Tivo for having automatically saved and stored the episodes. So much for getting to bed early tonight!

In case anyone else is behind, there are summaries from 12/15, 1/5, etc.

Ice Princess

I love a good skating movie (The Cutting Edge, anyone?) and so I was really excited to see the preview for Disney's upcoming "Ice Princess" which comes out on March 18th. One description is that, "An ugly duckling tries to follow her dream to become a champion figure skater with the help of a disgraced coach and the cute boy who drives the Zamboni." It stars Michelle Trachtenberg from Buffy, Joan Cusack as her Mom, and Kim Cattrall as her coach! And the story is by Meg Cabot who wrote the Princess Diaries. The main character is also super-smart, and uses her knowledge of physics to figure out the amazing turns and things.

EOS in the Times

Another EOS news alert today to an article in PlayBillArts that references today's NY Times piece:

Eos Orchestra Folds

The Eos Orchestra, an acclaimed New York ensemble that put on unusual and theatrical concerts like stripped-down versions of Wagner operas and the nonfilm music of Bernard Herrmann, has shut down, its artistic director and conductor, Jonathan Sheffer, said yesterday. Mr. Sheffer cited financial problems as the main reason. The group, which was founded by Mr. Sheffer in 1995, had about four productions a year with up to 20 performances, and "at its peak" had an annual operating budget of about $2.5 million, he said. It had eight full-time employees including Mr. Sheffer and used 14 to 60 musicians per concert. Mr. Sheffer said he would continue to perform with another orchestra, Red, in Cleveland. BEN SISARIO

End of Eos

PlayBillArts has a piece today on EOS which quotes from the orchestra's 12/17 announcement that it will be ending its 10 year run.

New York's Eos Orchestra Shuts Down
By Ben Mattison
20 Dec 2004

"The Eos Orchestra, which has presented new music and unusual stagings of older works in New York for the last ten years, has played its last concert."

I only made it to one concert and a benefit gala (one of the problems with living 3000 miles from things) but it has been wonderful following the adventures of the orchestra from afar. I'm sure Jonathan will be up to all sorts of other cool things in the future, and I'll keep you posted...

Hostess with the Mostes'

I've heard the phrase "hostess with the mostess" a million times, but never thought about where it came from. A patron today asked for information on Perle Mesta to prepare to introduce someone who is also a super-hostess type.

Mesta, Perle Reid Skirvin (Oct. 12, 1889 - Mar. 16, 1975), political hostess, diplomat, and advocate of women's rights

I learned that:

Because of her special style and prominence, Mesta, who was called "Madam Minister" by her staff, became the inspiration for the successful 1950 Broadway musical comedy, "Call Me Madam," a story about an American woman ambassador. The phrase "The Hostess with the Mostes'," from an Irving Berlin song in the show, provided a sobriquet that Mesta carried for the rest of her life. ("Perle Reid Skirvin Mesta."Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement 9: 1971-1975. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1994.)

According to Women in American History, "During the 1950s Mesta remained Washington's premier hostess, as the informal charm and gaiety of her entertaining attracted the cream of international society."

Here she is on the cover of Time magazine, Mar. 14, 1949.

The lyrics to the Berlin song are here.

She sounds like someone Mom would have heard of, but it was fun to discover her today and learn a bit about what she's known for.

Striking 12

BobbiLynn and I saw the Theatre Works production of Striking 12: The GrooveLily Holiday Show tonight at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto -- and loved it!

GrooveLily totally rocks (hey! if you live in the places they're going to tour to, I'd definitely recommend going -- including the Greenwich Public Library, October 29, 2005.) Thank you to BobbiLynn for the amazing CD to I can now listen to them again and again!

It was part retelling of The Little Match Girl, part rock concert, part behind-the-music documentary... felt a little like Re