I’m not one that likes change. One expression of that is my Livejournal layout (a modified Component: That Green Superhero), which I’ve had since I could first customize my journal in 2004. I’m beginning to get the urge to redecorate the place, so I would like some opinions. Pay attention to the following figures: there will be a quiz afterwards. Note to those on Facebook: Comment with your opinons, or create a LiveJournal account and vote in the actual poll. You may need to click on through to Livejournal to see the images.

( Clicky here for the figures )

So, given those choices, how do you think I should redecorate the places. Note that if I have the options to change the shade of green, I’ll adjust it to match what is on the California Highways page. (If you didn’t look at the table of figures above, you can click on the link to see the figures)

Poll #1427390 Redecoration
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

So how should I redecorate this journal?

Tags: livejournal
Where I Am: 91324
How I'm Feeling: slightly headachy

Today’s San Francisco Chronicle has an article that dovetails quite well with something I’ve recently been thinking about. The article talks about Facebook, and how its user demographic is aging. The issue is not that Facebook is losing younger users -- they are still flocking to the site. But people 35 to 54 are now the biggest group on the site, and more importantly, are joining the site at a faster rate. For those that want the numbers, people 35 to 54 account for 28.2% of all U.S. users as of July; 24- to 34-year-olds represent 25.2%; 18-to-24 age group are 25.1% of users, down from 40.8% in January; and those 17 and under made up 9.8% of the Web site's users, down from 13.5%. Why are these (ahem) older folks joining Facebook? It’s not to play MyFarm or Lil’ Green Thing. It appears they are joining to network, to find long-lost friends, to build or rebuild relationships from high school or earlier.

This goes to what I’ve been thinking about. As my father aged, I noted he was more curious about, and spent more time and effort researching, what happened to his Navy buddies. Letters were written, visits were made. I’ve noticed I’m doing the same thing as I approach 50: I wanted to go to high school reunions, I wanted to find long lost friends. (However, I’ll note this isn’t common: my wife has expressed no desire to find out what happened to those she knew in high school). This desire has intensified as I have gone through my dad’s albums (70+ condensed to 10; I need to order more binders). I’ve seen people from elementary school and early JHS days, when I lived in Westchester -- and reconnected with a couple. I actually joined Classmates, and have been attempting to reconnect with other folks from JHS and high school (some I have found on Facebook, some I can’t seem to find, and some I’m not sure I was close enough with to friend). I’ve also done some reconnecting at the college level, although surprisingly it appears a lot of the UCLA Computer Club folk aren’t on Facebook (odd, for folks that have been on the Internet since it started). I’ve made a few college connections, and sent some mail out to others I haven’t heard from in ages.

In doing so, something strange is happening. I’m remembering things. For the longest time, I had very few memories of college, high school, jr. high school, and elementary days. One or two incidents. As I reconnect, it’s coming back... and these are the good memories, for folks seem to want to forget any bad times (I certainly do). Thus, I’m happy this is happening. Reestablishing friendships is a good thing, especially for someone like me that didn’t establish a lot of close friendships. I plan to continue reconnecting, as I can find folks... or they find me.

But I’m curious about whether this is a “just me” phenomenon (do do do do do), or whether others do the same. For those of you who are 25 years or more out of high school: are you starting to feel the urge to reconnect? How are you doing it?

Tags: aging, friends
What I'm Listening To: The Pajama Game (Original Soundtrack): Steam Heat

Here are some more articles that just caught my eye during my lunchtime reading:

• CNN has a Mental Floss article on how toilet paper is uniquely American. We’re evidently the leading consumers of the product; we’re the inventors of the product; and of course, we’ve come up with ways to market the product without referring to its specific function. Think of what the “strength”, “softness”, and “absorbancy” are really saying...
  
  
• The San Diego Union-Tribute has a link to an AP article about personality traits of cars. It talks about how the shape and styling of a car often reflect a personality the manufacturer wants to project. Given this, why do so many manufacturers want to reflect the personality: “dull”?
  
  
• USA Today has a piece about something that is going to happen tomorrow morning: the “rare” date/time alignment of 04:05:06am 07/08/09. They are tying to imbue the date with all sorts of meaning, and why it is a good day for this and that. Of course, I read the article on the heels of watching the Penn & Teller Bullshit episode on Astrology, so I’m thinking, “This is news?”
  
  
• The New York Times has an article about the new observation boxes in the Sears Tower in Chicago: the ones made of glass that suspend you ¼ mi above the sidewalk. I’m sorry, but I don’t think you’ll get me in one of those. The article’s take on the boxes is interesting though... it doesn’t look at them from the fear factor -- rather, it looks at the use of glass as a structural building material. Those boxes are laminated tempered glass. Of course, that doesn’t make a difference to your psyche...

Tags: advertising, automobiles, science
What I'm Listening To: Music From The Life (Cy Coleman): The Composer’s Turn

My first installment of lunchtime reading brings a number of articles related to technology and security:

• From the “Up From The Ranks” Department: The Los Angeles Times has a very nice profile on Ron Sugar, CEO of Northrop Grumman. Sugar started in South LA, and worked his way up the engineering ranks to become CEO of one of the largest defense contractors... and is running it very successfully. It is always nice to see engineers succeed like this. It is one of the reaons I admire my employer so -- they made a very good choice for President -- an engineer that worked her way up the ranks at the company.
  
  
• From the “Me First! No Me!” Department: The NY Times has an interesting piece on a security battle going on: Symantec and McAffee are battling for your desktop. Their goal is to get their security suite on your computer. Of course, each suite has its impacts. It’s almost like the old battles between Microsoft, WordPerfect, and AmiPro for Word Processor superiority.
  
  
• From the “Trusting One’s Family” Department: Speaking of security, there was an interesting security breech over the weekend: personal details about the head of MI6 were publically revealed. The interesting part is the how: his wife bragged about her family on Facebook.
  
  
• From the “Book Em” Department: One last item from the NY Times: Yet another idea has emerged from Silicon Valley for these trying times: modelled after Netflix, two young businessmen have started chegg.com, a site that aims to rent textbooks instead of selling them. Some believe it could be quite successful. It is an interesting notion -- after all, you don’t need the text after the class (unless you want it for reference).

Tags: corporate-america, livejournal, security
What I'm Listening To: Taboo (Original Cast): Come On In From The Outside

Well, the feeding frenzy resulting from Michael Jackson and Sarah Palin has calmed down a bit, and a few interesting pieces of lunchtime news chum have surfaced:

• From the “Pico and Sepulveda” Department: Gary Lycan (who has an excellent radio column in the OC Register) is reporting that Dr. Demento is returning to the airwaves as part of a July 10 tribute to KMET -- The Mighty Met -- on KSWD 100.3 FM (there was also a July 4 tribute on KLOS 95.5). The good Dr. will be on at 7pm “playing all the songs that became famous on my show at KMET like 'Fish Heads', 'Another One Rides the Bus', and 'Pico and Sepulveda.” No word yet whether he’ll be followed by “Flo and Eddie”.
  
  The Mighty Met was a radio staple during my high school and early college days. Although I wasn’t into the music they played at the time, I did listen regularly to Dr. Demento and I still remember Flo and Eddie to this day (explanation: right after Dr. D was the Flo and Eddie By The Fireside show). When they became “The Wave” and went to lukewarm jazz, Los Angeles lost one of its best music stations.
  
  (An interesting side note in the article: Merrill Shindler, restaurant critic, is returning to KABC with a new "Feed Your Face" program, 4-7 p.m. Saturdays and 7 p.m. Sundays.)
  
  
• From the “A Bright Idea Department: The NY Times has an interesting article on a new breed of incandescent light bulbs -- bulbs that have been engineered to be significantly more energy efficient and to meet new efficiency requirements. This is good news for those of us with dimmer switches (CFLs don’t work well with dimmers), as well as those sensitive to the CFL “flicker”.
  
  
• From the “Blue Plate Special” Department: The SF Chronicle has an interesting article about the Golden Gate Special Interest Plates, and how they might not be getting enough subscribers to be made. In general, sales of vanity plates dropped about 20% in 2008 from the year before. But vanity plates are still popular, with the “Kids” plate and the “Whale Tale” plate taking the 1st and 2nd sales position. I have a kids plate, in order to get the ♥ symbol, permitting me to say ♥CAHWYS. Alas, the UCLA plate is the least popular.

Tags: automobiles, environment, news-chum, radio
How I'm Feeling: grrrr, my lower back is sore again
What I'm Listening To: Hot Rocks 1964-1971 (The Rolling Stones): Wild Horses

My father died in 2004 (story at grandpa_a). One of the various collections I inherited^* was his collection of photo albums... at least 200 of them. Although my dad had lots of cameras, he wasn’t the best of photographers. There were a fair amount of blurry pictures, which he would dutifully put in albums. He would also go on lots of accounting seminar trips with my mom, and take loads of pictures of scenery and random people (I have a picture from 1977 in front of me labeled “George. George’s Wife” -- I have no idea who George is). There are also a fair number of pictures of clients and people who may have been dear to my parents, but whom have no meaning to me. So I’ve been going through these pictures and condensing the albums. I’ve been tossing pictures that have faded beyond visibility (old color film does this when stored in a garage). I’ve been tossing scenery without meaning. I’ve been tossing pictures of people I don’t know. So far, I’ve condensed 48 albums into 7½ albums, and I’m up to the beginning of 1978. I’m sure things will go even faster after I move out of the house in 1979.

In doing this process, I’ve learned quite a bit about photos and building photo albums. I’ve realized that the albums I’ve assessmbled of my family probably suffer the same problem as my dad’s did. Here’s what I’ve learned; perhaps you will find this advice useful:

• Photo albums serve two audiences: those who were present at the event, and those far in the future. These are distinctly different. My father used the albums to remind him of where he had been and the good times. After he died, those memories went with him. The albums now serve to remind me of the people, and less the places. So I’m focusing on keeping the pictures with people I know. This leads to Lesson #1: Put people in your pictures. Pictures of just scenery age fast, and are meaningful only to those who were there with you. Having people in your pictures, especially family or extended family, make the pictures meaningful and root them.
  
  
• Memories fade. There are loads of pictures in people I don’t recognize, and good number that I do. It really helps me when the pictures are labeled with date and time. Lesson #2: Label the people in your pictures. Now, these are old film prints, so we can label with a pen. For digital pictures, use the metadata.
  
  
• I’m dealing with physical albums. There are loads of blurry pictures, pictures of random strangers, bad angles, bad composition. My dad just put them in the album. I’m sure it would have been even worse if he had gotten into the digital era. Lesson #3: Weed Before, and Weed Again. When you assemble your album, weed the pictures down to the meaningful. Yes, there will be more weeding to do as the years go on, but why keep the drek now?

After my dad died in 2004, I just stopped taking pictures. I don’t know whether it was my film camera dying. I don’t know if it was my workplace getting rid of the convenient developing service. I don’t know if it was never having a decent digital camera, or a printer for what few photos I took (or finding it much harder to keep digital photos organized than my printed film images). Just recently I’ve begun to think about taking pictures again, but I want to go out and get a decent digital camera setup. I’m sure the 15 or so film cameras I inherited from my dad^** are less than useful these days, and my old Canon is dying.

A side note: This process of going through the pictures, especially the pictures of my youth and Jr. and Sr. high school days, has really been bringing back memories. I’ve been exploiting Facebook to reconnect with folks I haven’t spoken to in years (welcome to those reading this), and it is wonderful to reestablish long-lost friendships from that part of my life. I’ve gone to the paid level at Classmates for a year, and I’ll see if that permits me to find more folks to reconnect with. Finding old friends: That’s been an unanticipated side benefit of this process, and perhaps the real gift of this inheritance.

---

^* I also have collections of First Day Covers and Autographs. I’d welcome help on figuring out what to do with those.
^** Yes, I need help figuring out what to do with these as well.

Tags: aging, friends, memories, photography
What I'm Listening To: All Aboard! (Indigo Swing): (Today's The Day) I'm Glad I'm Not Dead

We’re a theatrical house. We go to much more live theatre than filmed cinema. Right now, we’ve doubled our film count from last year, taking advantage of the 4^th of July weekend to finally go see “Up.” Wow. I’m touched. I’m impressed. I’m uplifted.

For those who haven’t taken the time to read reviews or search the web, you can find a summary of the story from Wikipedia. If even that is too much trouble, “Up” basically tells the story of the life of Carl Fredrickson: how he meets and falls in love with the little girl adventurer Ellie; how they grow together and how he promises that one day they will go to Paradise Falls; how life intrudes, and she dies before reaching there; how Carl fulfills that promise... and goes on an adventure of his own... and finds a new lease on life. During that adventure, Carl meets and learns to care for Russell, a Wilderness Scout earning his merit badge for helping the elderly. Assisted by the talking-dog Dug and the bird Kevin, they battle the adventurer Charles Muntz, the man responsible for inspiring the young Carl and Ellie... and the man who would be responsible for Carl breaking a promise.

Normally, I’d start off a film review by commenting on the cinematography -- something I’ve grown to notice when I see a film because I’m so used to theatre. Guess what? I didn’t notice the cinematography or the camera angles in “Up”. That’s a good thing: it means the story overtook the artifice that film creates. Actually, I should take that back: it means the camera angles and positioning were so well chosen they served to enhance the story silently, rather than calling attention to themselves. That’s what good sound design does in the theatre, and that’s what proper cinematography does in film.

“Up” reflects the maturation of Pixar as a studio. Their first foreys were clearly children’s films: Toy Story, A Bugs Life, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles. These were successful because Pixar learned early on that story is what makes a movie (something live theatre has learned: music can’t save a show with a bad book). The stories that Pixar tells over time have become richer and deeper. In “Up”, Pixar tells what I believe is their most touching and most adult story: it is a story of what age does to a person, and what keeps a person going. At its heart, “Up” is a story about Love.

Nowhere is that seen better than in the opening sequence: the almost 10 minute segment where the life of Carl and Elle is told wordlessly. Yes, Wall-E was wordless, but this is a much more touching wordlessness. Kids may not realize what they are seeing, but adults will see their first romance and its playfullness. They will see how love forms and matures into a relationship. They will see how that relationship deepens to the point where words are not necessary, and how the bonds with one’s lover can transcend their death. We can see why Carl does what he does: the unthinking attack on the mailbox is an attack on the relationship, and how moving the house to Paradise Falls allows Carl to keep Ellie alive for him, to share the adventure. We also see how Carl moves Ellie’s spirit to Russell, and how that rejuvination of spirit rejuvinates Carl. If you can keep your eyes dry through this movie, you’re better than I. I truly believe the depth of the acting and the emotions conjured up by the animators would make this a worthy Best Picture candidate.

Pixar excels at characterization, and nowhere is it demonstrated better than this movie. In addition to the touching characterization of Carl (voiced by Ed Asner, the personification of grouchy (and when, oh when, will they release Lou Grant on DVD)), we have the eagerness and naivete of Russell (voiced by newcomer Jordan Nagai). But Russell isn’t just the eager scout -- we learn the reason for that eagerness in pieces over the movie: it is Russell’s quest for approval from a father figure. Dug, the dog (voiced by Bob Peterson), captures a dog’s eagerness to please... and their ADHD (both the words “Squirrel” and “Ball” have new meanings). We see wonderful wordless characterization of Kevin, the tropical bird. About the only characture in the picture is Charles F. Muntz (voiced by Christopher Plummer): we know the surface reason for his maniacal desire to capture the bird, but not the real reason why he feels it is acceptable to disappear for a lifetime to go after it.

Surprisingly, I think “Up” would be a great product for Disney to musicalize. There is so much emotion in this film it cries out to be expressed in music. The scenery wouldn’t be that hard to realize, and the story would be timeless. This could be the first Pixar-to-Broadway transition. Disney Theatricals, can you hear me?

As with any Pixar film, there are also the small moments that delight. There’s the mailbox. The chairs for Carl and Emma. The knocks at the doors. John Ratzenberger having a small voice part (he’s been in every Pixar movie, it seems). There are the animation wonders: the clouds, Carl’s beard, the broken plates, the balloons. This is just a remarkable and touching film. Go see it. It will raise you up.

“Up” was preceded by a Pixar short: “Partly Cloudy”, a cute little piece about clouds making babies of various types, and delivering them by stork. It was imaginative, but predictibly episodic.

As for the previews we had:

• G-Force. Tells the story of a guinea pig spy team put out to pasture in a pet story. Lots of poop jokes. Kids may like it, but I think it is too slight for adult. Then again, look at the business “Transformers” is doing.
  
• Paper Heart. This looks to be a touching movie about a girl who doesn’t know what love is... finding love under the cameras. It has that independent feel, and might be worth seeing.
  
• Shorts. A movie about kids, imagination, and wishing. I might watch it on Showtime, but the preview didn’t draw me in.
  
• Fame. From the first notes, I was taken back to when I saw the original Fame in 1980. Seems to be roughly the same story, with updated music. I’ll remember the name.
  
• The Princess and the Frog. Disney’s forey back into what looks like hand-drawn animation (but likely isn’t) -- a welcome change if done right from the computer drawn stuff. This is also Disney’s first black princess. What will make or break this production is the story and the music: if the story is great and the music is integrated, it will succeed. If the music is background and the story exists to market the characters, it will fail. I’m encouraged by the trailer, but want to see the reviews first.

Upcoming Movies

This year is bringing a surfeit of interesting movies, so we may end up needing a full hand to count what we will be seeing. Our next cinematic trip will be for the new Harry Potter movie (opens 7/15).There are also two musicals of interest: the musical remake of Nine (opens 11/25), and the remaking of Fame (opens 9/25). Although I expect “The Princess and the Frog” (opens 12/11) to be good, I doubt we’ll see it in theatres unless it is our Christmas Day movie. Lastly, there’s a new biopic out on “The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story” (opened 5/22) (Disney’s well-known composer lyricists) that looks interesting, but we’ll probably catch that on the pay channels.

Coming next week: On Sunday, we’re off to Finland the Ahmanson to see “Spamalot”. Until then, as they say, the balcony is closed.

Tags: movies, reviews, reviews-2009
What I'm Listening To: Let Yourself Go (Kristen Chenowith): The Girl in 14G

I posted this last year, but mortuus reminded me again of its awesomeness. For those that don’t see the embedding, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDA9NbPAK8o .



So what are we going to do? What else. Email (post) it for all of our friends.

Tags: special-days, youtube-videos
What I'm Listening To: Stars and Stripes Forever... by the Muppets

Yet another long period between updates. No real excuse other than real life keeping me busy on the weekends. So let's dive in...

( Clicky Here for the Gory Details )

Tags: roadgeeking
What I'm Listening To: One Million Lawyers And Other Disasters (Tom Paxton): Monday Morning In Paradise

In honor of the upcoming holiday...

Narrator: The trouble continued to brew. It was a time for action, a time for words. On a hot July night in 1776, Benjamin Franklin was aroused from his work by the call of destiny.

( A man can't be too careful what he signs these days )

Tags: freberg, special-days
What I'm Listening To: Ben Franklin In Paris (Original Cast): We Sail the Seas

As this afternoon has been quiet, I was checking some sites I check infrequently. I know some of you out there are Tom Paxton fans. According to Tom’s schedule:

• Sat 9/12 @ 8pm: Freight & Salvage, Berkeley CA
  
• Sun 9/13: McCabes, Santa Monica CA

I’ll have to keep an eye out for when the tickets go on sale at McCabes (ETA: They are on sale... I know what I’m doing when I get home). Locals: Let me know if you’re interested in doing a group thing. Tom’s one of those artists that always puts on a great show -- one of the best in folk music.

Tags: mccabes, music, tom-paxton
What I'm Listening To: Gaudi (The Alan Parsons Project): Standing on Higher Ground

Today’s lunchtime news reading has been light, so I’ve been thinking.... always a dangerous thing.... My recent review of history (triggered by going through my dad’s photo albums), combined with friend rediscovery, has reminded me how I am in many ways quite an anomaly in my surroundings:

In my teen years, I went to Jewish summer camp. In this situation, I always felt like the odd person out: I was interested in science, math, and computers, and I was surrounded by future doctors and lawyers. Of course, this has continued in our synagogue memberships. I distinctly remember the new member orientation at our previous congregation: “People would stand up and state their professions. Lawyer, Lawyer, Lawyer, Lawyer, Appelate Lawyer, Social Security Lawyer, Assistant District Attourney, Banker, Doctor, Teacher, Producer, Director, Casting, Production Manager for a Studio, etc. I stand up: ummm, I do computer security for an Aerospace firm. There was one other IT person there, and one other retired engineer.” It’s a little bit better at our current congregation.

Having gotten burned out a few congregations ago when I held a large number of congregational positions, at our new congregation I’m just getting involved with Men’s Club. Of course, I’m an anomaly there, not having one whit of interest in sports (I never really have). Perhaps this is why I’ve never had close friends of the same gender: men bond over shared sporting events, and I can count the number of sporting events I’ve been to... in my entire life... on my physical fingers.

In high school, you would expect a math and computer geek to have close relationships with similar folks. However, my best friend (Karen Pratt) was not a computer person: she was a creative person: an artist, a book lover, a complete imaginative spirit. I still miss her creativity: she was taken from us in a car accident around 2000. I’ve just gotten back in touch with someone (uisna) who was a very close friend in my pre-teen days (a friendship I hope to reestablish). Again, she’s an extremely creative person. Must be a long-delayed application of the law of conservation of creative good friends.

But, you say, you married an engineer (gf_guruilla). True, but if you know her, she is always creating. She had a doll business with the other Karen; she’s into almost any fiber or sewing art. She’s the creative, artistic person. Although I was creative when I was younger (at camp I always did arts and crafts), I’m not that artistic now. Perhaps it is buried.

Most computer folks aren’t into theatre. They are into various fandoms, usually related to science fiction. If they are into art, it is often manga. Their entertainment is typically movies. Although I do enjoy science fiction, I’ve never been the fannish type, and as you know from this blog, my ideal entertainment is live theatre: plays and musicals. A year with more than three movies is an oddity. I will note that some creativity must be rubbing off from my daughter and her theatrical design skills: I’ve begun to see choreography and staging when I listen to music.

I love music: as you know, my iPod has over 18,400 songs on it, spread over a wide variety of genres and artists from cast albums to folk, from rock to Sinatra, from big band to calliope music, from Roger Whittaker to the Austin Lounge Lizards. Yet I can’t play an instrument -- others in my family have the music playing ability.

So I’m an anomaly, and I guess I should just embrace it. Love the creativity around me, and hope it sinks in more, and treasure not being the cookie-cutter doctor or lawyer. Who knows what might happen if I ever have that mid-life crisis (which I’ve had to put off because I’m too busy :-)).

What about you? Are you one of the pack, or anomalous like me? In what ways?

Tags: aging, friends, various-and-sundry
How I'm Feeling: contemplative
What I'm Listening To: The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd (Original Cast): Bea

OK, Folks, you know the drill. Allright everyone, let's gather in front of our large, 13", Black and White TV set, and watch as a tall, lanky man in a all-black uniform strides out, introduces himself as Sheriff John, and says: “Once upon a time, there was a classic Goth group called "The Birthday Massacre", and they sang the following song. This is going out to mortuus” He pulls out his accordion, and attempts to play along to the following:

I think my friend said, "I hear footsteps." I wore my black and white dress to the birthday massacre, birthday massacre, birthday I wore my black and white dress I think my friend said, "Stick it in the back of her head." I think my friend said, "Two of them are sisters." "I'm a murder tramp, birthday boy", I think I said "I'm gonna bash them in, bash them in", I think he said

Then we wished them all a happy birthday We kissed them all goodnight. Now he chases me to my room, chases me to my room, chases me In my black and red dress I think my friend said, "Don't forget the video." I think my friend said, " Don't forget to smile." "You're a murder tramp, murder tramp", I think he said "You're a murder boy, birthday boy", I think I said

He then turns back to the audience, and says, “Our next song is for our good friend, larymotrmn.”

This is your birthday song, it isn't very long

[Yes, it's here. The 5th Annual Birthday Song Poll. So, if you want to make sure that the Sheriff sings the song you want, please fill out the poll. Note that if you want the birdie to be able to inform the Sheriff about your birthday, you need to make sure your birth month and day is in your profile, and it is visible to your friends. If you are a Facebook user and on LJ, please make sure I can connect your Facebook name with your LJ name. If you are a Facebook only user, you can’t vote in the poll until Facebook does OpenID, so get an LJ account!]

Tags: birthdays, birthdays-2009

Not much in the way of news chum today, so I guess I’ll have to report on life...

I’ve begun the process of condensing my father’s photo albums. This means going through the 200-so albums he had, and only keeping the pictures with people that I know in them and that are in focus. So far, I’ve condensed about 38 albums into 6, covering the period from around 1944 through 1975. While doing so, I’ve uncovered a bunch of pictures that are reminding me of my Jr. and Sr. High School days, and of people I’ve lost touch with. I’ve looked a few of them up on the interwebs and found them. For some reason, a lot of folks my age aren’t on Facebook :-). I plan to look up a few more. I’m always amazed where people end up. Still others, however, I can’t find easily. Perhaps that’s a message from nature :-). It is reminding me, though, of how badly I dressed in the early 1970s, and how I wasn’t the party (or even the heavily social) animal.

My daughter is now in high school. She’s a hostess type (meaning she likes being the party host: bringing fudge, food, etc.). We have a pool. Combine these facts, stir, and what conclusion do you get. That’s right. Monday: out to dinner with tech crew. Tuesday, tech crew over to our house to swim. Tonight, they are coming over after the mall. Now, these are good teenagers, and it does mean I know where she is.... but I think this is going take some getting used to.

On tap for tonight: more photo albums (I’ve only got 3 binders before I have to order more). Next up: 1975 moving into 1976, and coming up on my high school graduation. I’m sure once I move out of the house the albums will condense even faster. I feel like a backup compression program: some go fast, some go slow....

Tags: aging, memories, nss-and-f, status

I’m finally coming up for air after a long telecon this morning -- and thus this late lunch break and news perusal:

• From the “Now Where Is That ‘Any’ Key?” Department: For years and years folks have tried to change the layout of a keyboard. Nothing has succeeded. Levono is trying again: with a new keyboard that slightly enlarges the DEL and ESC keys. The research and history behind this change is fascinating.
  
  
• From the “I Bet Your Smile Is Painted On” Department: Air New Zeland has a new marketing campaign touting the fact that they have no hidden fees... and they’ve extended it to their safety videos. Specifically, the campaign features unclothed workers... well, they have their clothes painted on with body paint... and have these workers in their “Bare Essentials of Safety” safety video. The video and commercials are not as revealing as some might think. The realistic body paint makes it look as if the employees — flight attendants, baggage handlers and a pilot — are wearing uniforms. The one person not shown doing his actual job is the company’s buff chief executive, Rob Fyfe, who plays a baggage handler. The commercial is available on YouTube.
  
  
• From the “Associates” Department: Many folks are probably Amazon Associates. I am (for both the SCJ FAQ and California Highways). However, your associate fees may be at risk. Amazon has already cut associates lose in two states because of new sales-tax rules, and may cut off more (including those in California, if a proposed tax-collection scheme is passed). Be forewarned, if you want to keep up your steady supply of Amazon gift certificates!
  
  
• From the “Small Car” Department: The NY Times takes the Tata Nano for a test drive... and actually likes it. This doesn’t appear to be your father’s Yugo, folks.

Tags: advertising, airplanes, automobiles, computers
What I'm Listening To: I Love You Because (Original Cast): We’re Just Friends

Seen via Slashdot: The BBC asked a 13 year old to give up his iPod for a week and use a Walkman instead. Here are some of his reactions:

“So it's not exactly the most aesthetically pleasing choice of music player. If I was browsing in a shop maybe I would have chosen something else.”

“It comes with a handy belt clip screwed on to the back, yet the weight of the unit is enough to haul down a low-slung pair of combats.”

“It took me three days to figure out that there was another side to the tape. That was not the only naive mistake that I made; I mistook the metal/normal switch on the Walkman for a genre-specific equaliser...”

“But I managed to create an impromptu shuffle feature simply by holding down "rewind" and releasing it randomly - effective, if a little laboured.”

“To make the music play, you push the large play button. It engages with a satisfying clunk, unlike the finger tip tap for the iPod.”

“The tapes which I had could only hold around 12 tracks each, a fraction of the capacity of the smallest iPod.”

“The Walkman actually has two headphone sockets, labelled A and B, meaning the little music that I have, I can share with friends. To plug two pairs of headphones in to an iPod, you have to buy a special adapter.”

Ah, the memories. I remember my first car sound system: a portable cassette player (a Zenith or a Craig) that I sat on the seat, and connected via an audio in to something that bypassed the radio speakers. My ham radio friend build me the car power adapter, which attached with a heat sink and magnet under the dash.

Tags: ipod, memories

Today's Daily Breeze brings a story about how Northwest Airlines is moving out of LAX Terminal 2 into Terminal 5 with Delta. This started me thinking...

I grew up in Westchester, as my recent activity of consolidating my father's photo albums has reminded me. We first lived on 90^th St, about two streets over from where the LAX boundary now is (originally, there were houses there all the way over to something like 94th or 96th, which no longer exists). Later we moved to 80^th St in Playa Del Rey, when they first constructed those houses in 1966. Again, I remember vacant lots, and friends living over in the hills next to the beach, all of which have been taken over by the airport. At Elementary School we learned to tell the planes flying overhead.

I mention this because I grew up with the airport, and thus the history of the terminals interests me. Some have been quite stable, such as Terminal 4 and Terminal 7. Others contain the ghosts of airlines past, such as Western at Terminal 5, TWA at Terminal 3, and loads of international folks at Terminal 2. I still miss PSA at Terminal 1. Now, with NW departing 2 for 5, Terminal 2 will be another mostly empty terminal, with a succession of odd renters. Is it destined to become another Terminal 6? Time will tell.

So much at LAX is gone. The long walkways to the satellites. The tunnels between 4-5-6 and 7. The Imperial terminal. The bubble building between Terminals 1 and 2. But I guess that's how LA is.

Tags: airplanes, los-angeles

This afternoon I was feeling a bit better (all the coughing seems to be gone, and I have a bit more energy back), and so joined the rest of the family for the “Mini Musical Fest” at the Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood. I made it through allright, although I’ve got a slight headache, which I attribute to the heat and the high pressure system (it was about 100°F in NoHo; it’s hotter outside here). But you’re not reading this post for that information... you want to know about the show.

The “Mini Musical Fest” was a series of six short musicals, each between 10 to 15 minutes, mostly with distinct casts, directors, composers, lyricists, tech crews, etc. I think there was one actress overlap and one lyricist overlap. It was an interesting way to do a program, and I was suprised at the depth in some of the productions. In general, there were minimal sets and costumes, and there was a shared standard set of lighting. In many ways, it was like one of those sampling buffets: you got to see whose work you liked and whose you didn’t, and weren’t stuck in a 3 hour production that was interminable. Luckily, most of these mini-musicals were quite good, and the weakest of the bunch only dropped to the good level. All productions were produced by Mike Rademaekers.

Musical The First: The Red Bouquet. This musical told the story of what appeared to be a former couple (Daniel and Alice) in a restaurant. After some casual discussion where the Claude the waiter (Kelly J. Roberts) keeps interrupting (and Daniel (Trevor Lissauer) assumes he is gay), they have a fight and he leaves, leaving Alice (Julia Gregory) to realize she only has one reliable thing: nothing. This was reasonably interesting and showed some emotional depth. Only Lissauer and Gregory sang, and they had quite nice voices. The story has music, book, and lyrics by Joshua Fardon, and was directed by Wynn Marlow.

Musical The Second: Change of Plans. This very enjoyable musical told the story of Jimmy (Jordan T. Maxwell), a former enterpreneur, who is about to move in with his girlfriend, Katherine (Kristin Chiles) and go to work for her father. While packing his old place, he discovers his old college journal, and through a series of scenes with his friend, Ethan (Ross Merrick), rediscovers what he wants out of life. I really enjoyed this mini-musical -- the acting and the singing was great, and the story was touching and funny. This musical featured music, book, and lyrics by Michael Gordon Shapiro. The costumes and scenery were designed by Elicia Woerle. It was directed by Derrel Maury, and was co-produced by Kevin Elliot.

Musical The Third: More Precious Than Diamonds. This musical told the story of a Julie (Fay Gauthier), who by her 40^th birthday had given up on ever finding a man who would put a ring on her finger. So she goes with her friend, Michelle (Deborah Ping) to Tiffany’s to buy herself a ring. Of course, the salesman (Marco Antonio Aguilar) who shows her an $88,900 ring falls for her, while the security guard (Steve Walby) watches on. This was a cute and funny musical, and the two leads were very engaging and sang quite well. This musical was written by Stephanie Hutchinson, and directed by Jonathan Levit. Steve Walby also served as stage manager.

Musical The Fourth: The Queen and the Dragon. This was less a musical and more a mini-opera. It takes place in ancient greek times, and tells the story of Queen Cassandra (Christina Linton), who has just reached her age of majority and has been annointed by Hera (Deborah Dey). She can now choose her suitor, and she wants Adon (DeReau K. Farrar). But Adon loves another... Jason (Miguel Vargas), Hera’s son. The law prohibits such unions, unless Cassandra changes the law. Cassandra, not knowing that, directs Zeno (Paul Wong) to create a love potion, which requires obtaining the blood of the Red Dragon, which usually ends up fatal for the person sent. This was a quite well sung and acted mini-opera, and most of the singers were quite strong (Linton, while beautiful, could have been a bit stronger). Of course, its story was timely and went in the direction one would predict, but that wasn’t a problem. The mini-opera featued a libretto by Jan Michael Alejandro and Jonathan Price, with music by Jonathan Price. Musical direction was by Gordon Glor. The production was directed by Kirk Smith.

Musical The Fifth: Something Not Real. This tells the story of two couples (Bill (Dan Wingard) and Mary (Julia Gregory), and Frank (Dan Wiley) and Annie (Rebecca Larsen) [or it could have been Bill & Annie and Frank & Mary]). The men, who were brothers, seem to be going through problematic times. One is out of work. When a former co-worker, Dickey (Derek Houck) arrives, trouble ensues. I found this the weakest of the stories: not due to the acting or the music, which was fine, but due to the muddled story that left me confused as to what was going on. This musical also had music, book and lyrics by Joshua Fardon and was directed by Wynn Marlow -- the same as the first musical.

Musical the Sixth: Myjovi El Musical. This musical tells the story of Carlos Carlos (Christopher Showerman), inventor of the MyJovi energy drink. While celebrating his birthday with his girlfriend Jovina (Christina Jones) and the employees of MyJovi (Patrizia Medrano, Aisha Renee or Abby Bollenbacher (the program wasn’t clear which one we had at this performance), and Lisa Vachon, who had multiple chorus roles) and while receiving an award from the Mayor of East LA (Carla Marie), he receives a cease and desist order. This order comes from the shyster Kir Du Soleil (Ian Federgreen) on behalf of the singer Ben Jovi (Jeff van Hoy). In two mini-acts, we see how Carlos recovers the right to produce his drink. In some ways, they saved the best for last: this had an enjoyable and strong chorus, innovative sets, audience interaction, and strong and charismatic leads... and some silliness. I enjoyed it quite a bit. This musical featured music, book, and lyrics by Jan Michael Alejandro, with choreography by Jebbel Arce. It was directed by Rachel Myles.

The “Mini Musical Fest” continues at the Secret Rose Theatre through July 5. Tickets are available online through Brown Paper Tickets or through Goldstar Events.

Upcoming Theatre: We have no theatre over July 4^th weekend, although we may go see “Up”. Sunday, July 12 @ 1pm we’re off to Finland the Ahmanson to see “Spamalot”. Saturday July 18 @ 8pm is “Fat Pig” at Repertory East Playhouse. July 25/26 is currently open, although I’m considering “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at the Neighborhood Playhouse, in its last weekend. August 1st brings “Cats” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (our last Saturday matinee before our tickets move to Saturday evening), and then we rush to Chatsworth to catch the bus to the Hollywood Bowl to see the 8:30pm performance of the “Guys and Dolls” concert. August 8 brings us back to the Pasadena Playhouse for the musical “Crowns”. We have some vacation after that, but Saturday 8/29 finds us again at the Hollywood Bowl to see Liza Minnelli. As a reminder, I’m also always looking for interesting productions on Goldstar and LA Stage Tix, so if you have a production to recommend, please do so.

Lastly, remember that a recent study showed that it isn’t possessions that are important -- it is shared experiences. So go have one of the best shared experiences there is: go support your local live theatre, and help keep all the people who work at the theatre (from the cast to the technical staff) employed.

Tags: other-theatres, reviews, reviews-2009, theatre, theatre-2009
How I'm Feeling: doing a bit better

I can see it now. First there was “Harper’s Island”. But that didn’t work. No star power.

Imagine the pitch. A mysterious killer. He’s stalking the haunts of the rich and famous. First Ed McMahon. Then Farrah. Then Michael. Now Billy Mays. Someone’s killing our celebrities.

[Actually, I think Michael faked his death, just so he could do it and get away with it. Why do you think he always wears a glove and disguises.....]

Tags: obituaries

mark_evanier wrote: “Everyone seems fascinated with the public demonstrations relating to Michael Jackson's death...and by the way, aren't we about due for a serious round of rumors that he faked his death and is really living on a ranch somewhere with Elvis,...”

Nonsense. I just saw him working at this local restaurant with Elvis.

So where have you seen Michael?

Tags: obituaries

Now that I’m starting to feel a bit better, some chum gathered over the last few days. You might not have seen these, given how Michael Jackson seems to have forced any other articles off the page:

• From the “Dining Car” Department: The LA Times had an interesting piece on today’s train chefs, who still have to prepare food with limited supplies in a narrow galley, and do quite a good job of it.
  
  
• From the “And It Tastes Like... Ummm” Department: Want to know where to get fresh tofu in Los Angeles. Look no further than this article.
  
  
• From the “And It Comes In One Color” Department: LA Biz Observed has a nice summation of a WSJ story about how retailers are quitely cutting back on their variety of choices.
  
  
• From the “Obese America: You Say That Like Its A Bad Thing” Department: The NY Times has an article about how being overweight might not be bad for you, unless, of course, the study was biased by all those meds those fatties take. Sigh.
  
  
• From the “Everyone’s A Little Bit Biased” Department: The NY Times has an interesting piece on how female artistic directors may be biased... against female playwrites.

Tags: advertising, food, fubsy-women, news-chum, theatre
How I'm Feeling: sick, but starting to get better

Yesterday and today have been sick days at home. Bleh. I seem to have come down with a cold or a mild flu (and, quoting the LA Times for those worried about H1N1: the recommendation for those with mild symptoms is to self-medicate at home, which is what I’m doing). Starting to feel a bit better; we’ll see how tomorrow goes. I’m hoping I’m better by Sunday afternoon, when we have theatre tickets to a Mini Musical Fest at the Secret Rose Theatre.

Of course, when it rains, it pours. Yesterday, our kitchen sink was draining really slow, and the toilet on that side of the house was doing the same thing. So we called our rooter folks, and they cleaned out out. However, when augering the toilet... they got mud. Not good. Looks like a flange has slipped under the slab (one reason why I hate slabs). So Monday they are going to jackhammer the slab and repair the connection (which could be what was undermining the slab near the pool), and pressure-wash the lines. All told, about $2K for the repairs. We’ll still have to get some tile work done, but replacing a few tiles is easier than relaying the laminate floor in the room that backs to that bathroom. It all brings back memories of high school when a pipe burst under the slab in our house in Brentwood. We had to rip up the carpet, jackhammer and replace the pipe, and replace the carpet. A big mess.

Hopefully, tomorrow will go better.

Tags: donna, status
How I'm Feeling: sick

OK, Folks, you know the drill. Allright everyone, let's gather in front of our large, 13", Black and White TV set, and watch as a tall, lanky man in a khaki uniform strides out, introduces himself as Sheriff John, and pulls out his accordion, and then starts singing the Birthday Cake Polka for bossjock967:

Put another candle on my birthday cake We're gonna bake a birthday cake Put another candle on my birthday cake I'm another year old today I'm gonna have a party with my birthday cake Come on and take some birthday cake Put another candle on my birthday cake I'm another year old today

We'll have some pie and sandwiches And chocolate ice cream too We'll sing and play the day away And one more thing I'm gonna do I'll blow out the candles on my birthday cake And when I do, a wish I'll make Put another candle on my birthday cake I'm another year old today Happy Birthday to You You're another year old today.

[Yes, it's here. The 5th Annual Birthday Song Poll. So, if you want to make sure that the Sheriff sings the song you want, please fill out the poll. Note that if you want the birdie to be able to inform the Sheriff about your birthday, you need to make sure your birth month and day is in your profile, and it is visible to your friends. If you are a Facebook user and on LJ, please make sure I can connect your Facebook name with your LJ name. If you are a Facebook only user, you can’t vote in the poll until Facebook does OpenID, so get an LJ account!]

Tags: birthdays, birthdays-2009
How I'm Feeling: sick

I’ve been home sick all day (summer cold from hell), so naturally I’ve been listening to the news as well as watching movies. I was going to write about two interesting food articles I’ve seen, but instead I’m going to talk about some recent celebrity deaths, but perhaps not as you might think of them.

By now, we all know of the death of Michael Jackson (the one in the Jackson 5, as opposed to the former KABC radio host). Although I was squarely in the middle of the Jackson 5 and the early Jackson solo era, I was never a Michael Jackson fan. I do remember seeing Captain Eo at Disneyland, but that’s the closest I came. What gets to me more about Jackson’s death is how young he was. I turn 50 next year. He was 50. He died of a sudden heart attack -- sudden death always scares me, for I worry about its impact on my family. I do feel sorry for his family, for they had no time to prepare for this. The shock of a sudden death is an experience.

As for Farrah. This death was expected, so I’m sure her family was prepared. I remember Farrah from the days of Charlie’s Angels (although I always was more the Kate Jackson type), and from her issue of Playboy (it was a December issue, as I recall). Although she went the route of unconventional treatment, that is her choice (and should be anyone’s choice, if the disease isn’t contageous). She was 62.

Folks are talking about the trifecta with Ed McMahon. McMahon’s death, too, was expected: he was up there in years, and in poor health (and poor finances).

Deaths like Michael Jackson’s always make me think back to the moment when I realized I was old. It was in 2003 (when I was 43), and the report came across, two days after my birthday, of the death of Nell Carter. I had always admired Ms. Carter from the time I saw her in Ain’t Misbehavin’. When I heard she was 56, and thought “Gee, that’s young”, I realized I was old.

ETA: I forgot to mention the death of David Carridine, which was also an unexpected death, although he was less of an icon.

So rest in peace Michael, Farrah, David, and Ed. Your suffering is over; your family’s suffering will ease with time. You will be remembered for your talent and tenacity, and the paparazzi will go on to some other person.

Tags: obituaries
How I'm Feeling: sick

Last night, I had the occasion to talk to my broker about building college funds and investing in this economy, and I pointed her to a number of articles I had seen during my lunchtime news reading. So, for today's lunchtime chum, I thought I would share them with you:

• From the “Targeted Marketing” Department: The LA Times has an interesting article on the Kroger chain, which out here in Los Angeles we know as Ralphs (disclaimer: My brother-in-law works for Ralphs as some sort of manager). Oldtimers in Los Angeles will remember Kroger as the one-time owner of the Market Basket chain (and if you are into grocery history, check out this site). Kroger, it seems, is making money through intensive analysis of their customer base, and by silently tiering their stores: the ones with wealthier clientele get more national brand products, the ones with more price-conscious consumers get more private-label products. They individualize coupon book mailings. Now, I’ve never particularly liked Ralphs since Kroger took over -- we still prefer TJs and Gelsons -- but that could be because we’re not going to a correctly-tiered store for our style.
  
  
• From the “There’s A Ford In Your Future” Department: The NY Times has an interesting article on Ford Motors, which you’ll recall is the only US-HQed carmaker to not accept US Govt funds. The article claims that one reason is that the Ford family is still at the helm and actively involved. I should note that the NY Times also has an interesting piece on which autos are actually made in the US. By the way, when you buy that car, expect to see some colors you haven’t seen in a while. USA Today is reporting that carmakers are using colors in lieu of new models to lure buyers.
  
  
• From the “Feeling Squeezed” Department: The LA Times has an interesting piece on the tightening credit squeeze for small business. It notes how the credit cards that small business depends upon to smooth cash flow are disappearing or having rates raised... and that the same companies that are doing this may be going out of providing private-label cards to these stores. This could affect those with private label cards (think Best Buy), or those trying to take advantage of the 0% financing deals (which are often private-label credit).
  
  
• From the “Get A Job” Department: The NY Times has an interesting article on the job market: in particular, how certain skilled professions are begging for people. These include professions such as critical care nurses, welders, licensed civil engineers, special education teachers, geotechnical engineers, and electrical lineman. All are fields that require some aspect of professional experience or training on top of the school experience (making the people harder to come by). Interesting article, especially if you are looking for work, or know someone looking for work.

Tags: automobiles, grocery-markets, money, news-chum
What I'm Listening To: Rambler (The Red Clay Ramblers): Ninety and Nine

Some quick lunchtime items to chew upon, whilst I take a quick break from typing in comments on a document:

• From the “She Did It Again” Department: Patti is at it again, as in Patti LuPone chewing out audience members for using electronics during one of her performances. This time it was in Las Vegas, where she called out an audience member for using a device. Not only that, she called out the NY Times for calling her on it. Of course, she’s right: theatre audiences these days have no manners. Even the Wall Street Journal has commented on it. Perhaps they should follow the Golden Rules of Theatre Etiquitte.
  
  
• From the “I Predicted It” Department: Remember a while back I wrote that the time was ripe for a revival of “How Now Dow Jones”. Well guess what? I predicted it. There will be a revival of the show as part of the New York Fringe Festival.
  
  
• From the “Stage to Screen to Stage” Department: Turning to new productions, Playbill is reporting that “City of Angels” (a wonderful Cy Coleman hard-boiled detective show that was the last production we saw at the LA Shubert) will be made into a movie musical. The musical's Tony-winning lyricist, David Zippel, is attached to the project. Hairspray composer Marc Shaiman will provide additional musical material based on the late Cy Coleman's jazz score and serve as musical director for the film. Going the other direction, the Christmas-classic (?) “Elf” is being turned into a stage musical. The show will feature a book by Tony winners Thomas Meehan (Hairspray, The Producers) and Bob Martin (Drowsy Chaperone) and a score by Wedding Singer collaborators Matt Sklar and Chad Beguelin. Elf is hoping for a 2010 holiday debut. Those who like “The Marvelous Wonderettes” will be pleased to hear the show’s team has developed a related musical, “Life Could Be A Dream” telling the story of the boy group that competed with the Wonderettes. Performances start July 27 at the Hudson Mainstage under the direction of Roger Bean. The cast will comprise Doug Carpenter as Skip, Justin Michael Duval as Wally, Jim Holdridge as Eugene, Daniel Tatar as Denny and Jessica Keenan Wynn as Lois. More details on Dream can be found here.

Tags: theatre, theatre-2009, theatre-2010
What I'm Listening To: The Robber Bridegroom (Original Cast): Love Stolen

Today, while driving the vanpool home, we were listening to “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me”, and they had an item about aliens in space learning about Earth from our TV broadcasts. This raised a whole bunch of questions:

How did they handle the digital transition? Did they write to the FCC to get their converter box coupons, but the US Mail being what it is, they still haven’t arrived at Alpha Centauri? Perhaps they tried to build their own box, but they didn’t have the RFC with the protocol in it? So now they are sitting trying to watch old black and white movies from a low-power analog transmitter, while they curse the FCC for the transition that prevents them from watching American Idol....

Tags: television

As a Father’s Day afternoon treat, the family made this a double-theatre weekend and took in the second performance of a new musical, “Insanity”, at the North Hollywood Arts Center. “Insanity” (music and lyrics by Scott DeTurk, book and additional lyrics by James J. Mellon, based on a concept by Larry Russo) primarily tells the story of Zarek Saxton, a director of slasher movies who is exasperating Ramsey Hawking, studio liasion, with the time he is taking on his current slasher pic, starring Katelyn Keenan. Zarek, you see, has this new vision for the picture, something that will “change the world”. One night, in New Orleans, after partaking in a psychedelic something, he is found naked and in a fetal position, talking strange. Sensing his opportunity to get Zarek off the movie due to an insanity clause in the contract, Zarek is shipped back to a vanity psych clinic in Malibu for a 72-hour psychiatric hold. Hawking presses the hospital psychiatrists (Dr. Megan Goodman and Dr. Hudson) to figure out a way to find him insane before the 72 hours are up. But this patient is a difficult one for Dr. Goodman, as it brings back memories of her crazy actor ex-husband, as well as her daughter who died at age 3 (these two facts come out slowly during the piece). While at the clinic, we see the interactions between Zarek and the other patients: Peter, Monica, Virginia, Raymond, Rex Reynolds, and Hughie. We also learn the real story behind Zarek’s state, courtesy of his brother, Matt. Will Zarek remain at the clinic past the 72 hour hold, or will his “Insanity” take him into a new creative direction... and what will be the effect of this experience on Dr. Goodman, who relates the experience, and her demons from the past?

The storytelling rough edges were remarkably few for the second performance of a new musical. It took a while to figure out the demons of Dr. Goodman (although they made sense as they came out), and as she told the story one began to wonder if this was really her story, or Zarek’s. As for the basis of the story itself, it was an interesting cross between “Next to Normal” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, although with a very different ending. One might wonder, based on the ending, how much of the directorial staff in Hollywood is really sane... and if they are not, whether we could tell it. Along the way, we meet some very interesting characters: a gay young man who can’t come out to his unaccepting parents; an opera singer withdrawn into herself; a nympho-starlet fighting the demons in her head; an ex-Shakespearian actor; a man who thinks he is Jesus; and a man who believes he is carrying an alien baby. As Zarek sings, “You Couldn’t Write This Shit”, meaning the craziness life can bring you is weirder than anything a Hollywood writer can come up with.

The cast for this production was very strong. In the lead roles were Kevin Bailey^æ as Zarek Saxton and Dana Meller^æ as Megan Goodman. Both were strong singers and dancers, and I particularly enjoyed the contrast of the manic insanity of Bailey contrasted to the stoic scientist of Meller. Bob Morrisey^æ, as Ramsey Hawking, was a good dancer but seemed to have trouble being heard -- I don’t know if this was his projection or a technical problem with the opera (hanging) microphones. As Katelyn Keenan, the star, Sabrina Miller portrayed the appropriate air of bubblehead actress whose brains were mostly in her chest. The remaining hospital staff were Tara Lynn Orr^æ as Dr. Hudson and Curtis C.^æ as Freddie, the Attendent (Curtis also played Ovacu, the Shaman). Lastly, Zarek’s straightlaced brother, Matt, was played by Jonathan Zenz^æ.

Rounding out the cast were the patients in the clinic: Peter (Victor Warren^æ), who thought he was Jesus; Monica (Cat Davis^æ), the nympho starlet; Virginia (Clarissa Park), the opera singer; Alex Robert Holmes^æ, the homosexual; Rex Reynolds (Brad Blaisdell^æ), the Shakespearian actor; and Hughie (Arthur Ross), who is an alien baby incubator. Of the patients, I particularly enjoyed Blaisdell and Davis, as well as Holmes. All gave realy interesting portrayals of their characters.
[^æ denotes members of  Actors Equity ]

Turning to the technical... the stage (design by Laura Fine Hawkes) was a multilevel structure, with simple props (by Janet Fontaine) that established the space: tables, chairs, cameras. Providing more location establishment were the costumes by Curtis Jackson: these clearly distinguished the sane from the patients and the doctors from the actors. The sound design by Jonathan Zenz was having problems: actors weren’t miced, but the opera mics weren’t picking things up clearly. The lighting design by Luke Moyer was remarkable in its use of projected images and colors; spotlights were done with moving lights and moving mirror lights, but the actors had difficulty coordinating with the programming. Hair and make-up were by Rique. The production stage manager was Karesa McElheny. Bobby Nafarrete served as musical director for the unseen band, and choreography was by Suzanne Carlton. The production was directed by James J. Mellon.

“Insanity” continues at the North Hollywood Arts Center until August 9, 2009. Tickets are available from the theatre. Discount tickets are available through Goldstar Events and LaStageTix.

Upcoming Theatre: The next two weekends are currently unscheduled, although I am exploring the Mini-Musical Festival at the Secret Rose Theatre. Sunday, July 12 @ 1pm brings “Spamalot” at the Ahmanson. Saturday July 18 @ 8pm is “Fat Pig” at Repertory East Playhouse. July 25/26 is currently open, although I’m considering “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at the Neighborhood Playhouse, in its last weekend. August 1st brings “Cats” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (our last Saturday matinee before our tickets move to Saturday evening). Lastly, August 8 brings us back to the Pasadena Playhouse for the musical “Crowns”. Tuesday gf_guruilla plans to go to the Bowl to ticket the the “Guys and Dolls” concert at the Hollywood Bowl (7/31-8/2/09) and Liza Minelli at the Hollywood Bowl (8/28-8/29/09). Lastly, I’m also always looking for interesting productions on Goldstar and LA Stage Tix, so if you have a production to recommend, please do so.

Tags: noho-arts-center, reviews, reviews-2009, theatre, theatre-2009

Last night, we went out to Pasadena to see the Pasadena Playhouse production of “The Little Foxes”. By we I refer to myself and nsshere, gf_guruilla having been felled by a headache a few hours earlier. It was a delightful father-daughter evening: my daughter is quite the remarkable young woman.

“The Little Foxes” was written by Lillian Hellman back in 1939. It is part of the Pasadena Playhouse’s season subtitled “Women: The Heart and Soul of the Theatre”. It takes places on an Alabama plantation around 1900. Wikipedia synopsizes the play as follows: The focus is on Southern aristocrat Regina Hubbard Giddens, who struggles for wealth and freedom within the confines of an early 20th century society where a father considered only sons as legal heirs. As a result, her avaricious brothers Benjamin and Oscar are independently wealthy, while she must rely upon her sickly husband Horace for financial support. Having married his much-maligned, alcoholic wife Birdie solely to acquire her family's plantation and its cotton fields, Oscar now wants to join forces with Benjamin to construct a cotton mill. They approach their sister with their need for an additional $75,000 to invest in the project. Oscar initially proposes a marriage between his son Leo and Regina's daughter Alexandra - first cousins - as a means of getting Horace's money, but Horace and Alexandra are repulsed by the suggestion. When Regina asks Horace outright for the money, he refuses, so Leo is pressured into stealing Horace's railroad bonds from the family business. In order to acquire a larger share in the mill from her brothers, Regina threatens to report the theft to the police. In retaliation, Horace says he will claim he gave Leo the bonds as a loan, thereby cutting Regina out of the deal completely. When he suffers a heart attack, she makes no effort to give him his medicine, and he dies, having tried to climb the stairs for the help of Regina's maid, without anyone knowing his plan. Regina makes use of this in blackmailing her brothers. The price she ultimately pays for her evil is the loss of Alexandra's love and respect. What is more, Benjamin suggests that he could, in turn, blackmail Regina, commenting it that he found it odd that her husband had died on the stairs.

One of the central focuses of the play is greed, and this is emphasized by the imagery in the Playhouse product, from the money-themed production logo, to the intense green of Regina’s dress. There is also an imagery of decay, both in the set (set in a southern mansion that had seen better days, and which was opened to the back to expose the decaying brick and foundations), as well as in the behavior of the principles, especially that of Birdie Hubbard, once a fine southern lady degenerated into alcoholism and escape. But the emphasis of the play, and one that remains timely today, is in the notion that just as it is wrong to be greedy and exploit others, it is equally wrong to silently let others do it as well. In this case, it is the greed of the Hubbard siblings: Ben, Oscar, and Regina. It is seen in their desire for money, their desire for things, and their desire to exploit others. It is made clear this is why Oscar married Birdie: not out of love, but to acquire her cotton plantation. It is why Regina married Horace: not out of love, but of wanting the things that come from a successful husband. It is seen in the unethical behavior of Oscar in exploiting workers, in Leo in stealing the bonds, and Ben in wanting to exploit his sister. But the positive characters in the play do not have that greed. Horace, Regina’s husband, wants to be away from it all and ethically run his bank. Birdie, when asked what she wanted had she money, dreamed of restoration of the southern aristocratic lifestyle and her plantation of the old days. Alexandra, Regina and Horace’s daughter, just wanted her father. The notion of not-standing-by is emphasized in the end of the story, where Regina kills Horace by standing and doing nothing in his time of need... out of her greed, for had he lived, he would have revised his will. She successfully exploits her greed to extort her brother, but her daughter cannot stand by and profit from it, and indicates she will leave the greed behind.

Under the direction of Damaso Rodriguez, this was a powerfully staged and acted play. In the lead, as Regina Hubbard Giddens, was Kelly McGillis, who developed a wonderful personification of a strong, greedy woman. As portrayed by McGillis, the greed is so strong it comes out angry and forceful: this is a woman you don’t cross lightly. Her husband, Horace Giddens (Geoff Pierson) is unseen in the first act, being away for his health in Baltimore. In the second act we meet him: a much calmer but strong character who stands up against his wife... and for what he believes is right for those whom he cares about: his 17yo daughter Alexandra (Rachel Sondag) and his long-time black housekeeper, Addie (Yvette Cason). Pierson’s portrayal of Giddens is as an affable, but dying man; you feel sorry he wasn’t in better health. The second member of the Hubbard trio is Oscar Hubbard (Marc Singer), an angry exploitive man (who I think was a bit overplayed by Singer), eager to take whatever he can get. He takes from his wife, Birdie (Julia Duffy), driving her to drink (as demonstrated in an excellent scene in the second act). He passes on his greed to his son, Leo (Shawn Lee), encourages him to steal, and engineers to have his son marry his first cousin Alexandra, in order to keep any money in the family. The last Hubbard family member is Benjamin Hubbard (Steve Vinovich), a seemingly affible man who engineered the entire scheme, but who exerts firm control on everything (or tries to). Never married, he exhudes the confidence that all will be his, or in his family, at the end. Rounding out the cast where Cleavant Derricks as Cal, Regina and Horace Giddens driver/butler, and William Marshall (Tom Schmid), the man going in with the Hubbards to build a cotton mill on the plantation. This was just a very powerful and talented acting ensemble, although (as I noted above) I though Singer’s character was a little overplayed.
[All actors are members of  Actors Equity ]

Technically, the Playhouse did their usual excellent production. The stage (designed by Gary Wissmann) consisted of the drawing room and dining room of a southern mansion, with the decay of its foundations visible (serving as a metaphor for the larger story). The costumes by Mary Vogt (who, I should note, did the Pushing Daisies pie-lette) also reflected the characters: Regina’s emerald green dress reflected her greed and jelousy; Birdie’s dress had seen better days; and the businessmen (Benjamin, Oscar, and Leo) were all business in matching suits). The sound design by Michael Hooker) was notable not for any amplification problems but for the way, in the second act, it amplified the drama through well-timed thunder. The lighting design by Dan Jenkins establishes the warmth or coolness of the acts: the first act is warm and sunny, in light yellow and white; the second act is cold and foreboding, in shades of purple. The actor’s southern dialects were coached by Joel Goldes, and the excellent casting was by Michael Donovan. The production was stage-managed by long-time Playhouse stage manager Lea Chazin (her 44^th show!), assisted by Hethyr Verhoef.

“The Little Foxes” continues at the Pasadena Playhouse through June 28, 2009. Tickets are available from the Pasadena Playhouse. Discount tickets are available through Goldstar Events and LA Stage Tix.

Upcoming Theatre: Later this afternoon we are seeing the new musical “Insanity” at the North Hollywood Arts Center. The following two weekends are currently unscheduled, although I am exploring the Mini-Musical Festival at the Secret Rose Theatre. Sunday, July 12 @ 1pm brings “Spamalot” at the Ahmanson. Saturday July 18 @ 8pm is “Fat Pig” at Repertory East Playhouse. July 25/26 is currently open, although I’m considering “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at the Neighborhood Playhouse, in its last weekend. August 1st brings “Cats” at Cabrillo Music Theatre (our last Saturday matinee before our tickets move to Saturday evening). Lastly, August 8 brings us back to the Pasadena Playhouse for the musical “Crowns”. Tuesday gf_guruilla plans to go to the Bowl to ticket the the “Guys and Dolls” concert at the Hollywood Bowl (7/31-8/2/09) and Liza Minelli at the Hollywood Bowl (8/28-8/29/09). Lastly, I’m also always looking for interesting productions on Goldstar and LA Stage Tix, so if you have a production to recommend, please do so.

Tags: pasadena-playhouse, reviews, reviews-2009, theatre, theatre-2009
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