While attempting to come up with a brilliant post, I searched the “Latest Headlines” tab on my browser and came up with a link to a strange Guinness Record that a large group of people were trying to set (since it has never been done before). With the assistance of one good samaritan, the group was able to set the record. Also, check out the name of the hero who saved the day (Spelling may be off, but…). I have only one thing to say to this: Some people will do ANYTHING.

Before I begin, I must tell you that I am probably one of the few people who agonize even considering watching yet another production of The Music Man. I saw a high school production of it years ago, I saw it on Broadway during its most recent revival and I have seen the Robert Preston movie so many times that it just makes me want to pull my hair out (someone had the nerve to get it the DVD for me for Christmas years ago). However, I attended a local production of it and I must say that (while still not the world’s biggest proponent of the show) I really enjoyed the production.

All of the fluff and goodness were still present but the performances and entire production was very well done. I had a vested interest because some of my hometown residents were in it and some of the other people involved have been on stage with me before. The lady who played Maude Dunlop was the drama director of my high school’s production of Annie when I played Rooster. The actress portraying Alma Hix is someone I admire greatly and is a joy to know and work with.

I have to say that the gentleman in the role of Marcellus was perhaps the most talented performer on the stage. He was in our theatre’s production of School House Rock last September. He stole every scene he was in with his captivating presence and is a genuine triple threat (able to act, sing, and dance and make it look flawless).

Another scene-stealer was the young boy who stepped into the role of Winthrop. Everything about him just made you want to run up and give him a great big hug. His lisp, his shyness, everything about him was adorable. One of those fluff parts but enjoyable nonetheless.

I would have to say that the real star was the entire ensemble cast in the big production numbers. The routine for “76 Trombones” harkened back to my days in the marching band with precision drills, pinwheels, and straight lines. And yes, there actually was not seventy-six in the pit or on stage as someone sitting next to me pointed out 😀 . After the segment, the applause was so great that you would have thought that it was the show’s finale.

So, everything about the production was very well done. I am still not a fan of the show itself, but maybe in another 10 years I will be able to endure another trip to River City. I would rather watch Mr. Preston as Centauri another great con-man from The Last Starfighter.

Before I get into the meat of my post, I would like to apologize to my new theatre chum whose name I could not remember until tonight. All I have to do is recall the name of a state capitol that shares its name with an omelet… hopefully, it does not come to that. I am terrible.

Anywho, The Dark Knight is an interesting problem. There are pros and cons to the latest caped crusader adventure. As anyone who has access to any type of media knows, this is Heath Ledger’s swan song. His Joker is the highlight of the movie. Everything about him just reeks of sadistic villainy. Just looking at him is enough to send chills up and down one’s spine. But more than that, his entire characterization was evil to the core. I am sure that there will be parallels drawn to the performance (there already have been) and his untimely demise; yet, he was utterly phenomenal and should be remembered for it.

I found one aspect to be both a plus and a negative. I actually liked some of the depth of the key players. However, there was a bit (or A LOT) more than we needed. It seems that we knew the life story of EVERY character who has a name and this made the movie drag at times. Anyone who is remotely familiar with Batman knows that he fights to clean up the corruption within Gotham City… However, it seemed you could only count on one officer to be totally uncorruptable. I will say that it is a case of too much of a good thing. That being said, I believe that Mr. Nolan has gotten the characters and the overall atmosphere right in this film as well as Batman Begins (there are no nipples in the batsuit, and Bruce Wayne IS a playboy millionaire… although it is probably billionaire by now… and who is not above falling asleep in his own board meetings after an evening of “fun”).

So, while it was lengthy and had lots of down time between action pieces I did consider it worthwhile to be among the first to see The Dark Knight. The major action scenes were fun to watch and as I keep commenting, Heath Ledger was phenomenal as the CLown Prince of Crime. The hype about that is totally true. Plus, it was awesome just to be among friends old and new (if I can just remember names). Also, I was the only person brave enough to bring my bucket for BYOB night at the movies. We did arrive before midnight after all 😀 .

I almost forgot to mention my favorite bit. DA Harvey Dent’s line:

You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

Prophetic sentiment.

decidedly not when I have been waiting for this movie for 3 years when Lieutenant James Gordon showed Batman a new villain’s calling card during the last scene of Batman Begins setting the stage for The Dark Knight that I am going to watch at 12:01AM. As I predicted, my day at work could not have gone any slower. However, there was one moment that I am sure many who work with me (and now the readers of my blog) will not let me soon forget.I was completing the transaction of a customer I have known for years. While I was doing this, she asked me a question:

“Does your wife still run the beauty shop up the street?”

I had to ask to have the question repeated, because I knew that I must have heard incorrectly She straight-faced repeated the question. To which I replied…

“Well… my MOTHER owns a beauty salon about a block north of here.”

She apologized about five times in 30 seconds while I was trying not to die from laughing. After the customer departed, I commented to the manager that I was not sure if that was a compliment or not. She just cracked up laughing and could not stop and of course she had to tell everyone she could. I realize that I just turned 35, but please let’s not add 30 years onto that. I think I got the boss to stop laughing when I told her:

“Of course if I were 30 years older, you would be the same age as I.”

For some reason, I heard very little more on the matter from her the rest of the day.Ok… now if I don’t get a nap, at least I can lie in the cool confines of my Fortress of Solitude (oh… sorry… have to wait a few more years for the Man of Steel) and relax.

Rent Batman Begins and other hits at Blockbuster.com

It is extremely interesting to learn that one of  the most recognizable  songs sung at sporting events has had such a long history.  The tune is celebrating its 100th anniversary and has only been officially sung at events since 1976 when Harry Carey (then a Chicago White Sox broadcaster) went from singing it between commercial breaks to himself to initiating the traditional seventh-inning stretch.  Funny how something that he initially frowned upon would become one of his trademarks.  So much so that after his death, celebrities were invited to go up to the box at Wrigley Field and sing to varying degrees of success.  Read the interesting history of the song

Take Me Out to the Ballgame Now 100

Recently while reading an email from playbill.com, I discovered that Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities has been made into a new musical. This is not the first time one of the at least seventeen novels has been musically staged. The Pickwick Papers was staged in London as Pickwick in 1965 and was most notable for the song, “If I Ruled the World.” A Christmas Carol has had several incarnations over the years. Dickens’ unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, also enjoyed success on Broadway in the 1980s. Drood is interesting because, like the novel, it was left unfinished leaving the audience to cast their votes upon whom the murderer is (another possibility for audience participation in theatre productions). Of course, the most popular musical based on a Dickens’ novel is Oliver!

It has been sometime since I have read A Tale of Two Cities. I do remember the character of Madame DeFarge (by name alone but she must be a memorable character). But, like Les Miserables, it is set during the time of the French Revolution. Reading some of the reviews from premiere stagings at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida it sounds like it could enjoy a decent run in New York (if not it will be “the worst of times” for those involved). You can read a synopsis of the show and listen to songs from the show at the website.

You can get tickets to see the new musical or other shows at TicketsNow Homepage

So…ok…I have taken a bit of a hiatus from the AFI list of 10 best in 10 genres. I think almost every major sport is featured in at least one movie. Baseball, basketball, football, bowling, dodgeball, and racing to name a few. Most seem to feature the underdog overcoming insurmountable odds to triumph over the adversary… be it physically or metaphorically. Sometimes the underdog does not always win. But here is the list.

• Jerry Maguire (I REALLY do not understand this inclusion…SHOW ME THE MONEY just does not get my feel good heart going)
• National Velvet
• Breaking Away
• Caddyshack
• The Hustler
• Bull Durham
• Hoosiers
• The Pride of the Yankees
• Rocky (the aforementioned tale of the underdog who does NOT defeat the champion; however, he does do what he set out to do: GO THE DISTANCE)
• Raging Bull

I must admit that I have not seen three of these movies (Raging Bull, National Velvet, nor The Hustler). There are so many better films then Jerry Maguire: A League of Their Own (I only see one movie listed focusing on a female competitor). I also like the Robert Redford baseball tale The Natural. Or Remember the Titans but it seems that cinemas have been bombarded by feel-good or tragic football stories of late.

My personal favorite is Hoosiers. It not only tells the story of a small-town high school basketball program overcoming huge obstacles to get to the state finals, but it also paints a beautiful backdrop of rural farmlife in 1950s Indiana. In true form, most of the folks living in the town of Hickory (Hicks?) live and breathe basketball. When teenage boys are not helping in the fields or at school, they are outside dribbling a basketball or in the gym. Coming from a very small town, I can actually place real, personal hometown characters in the roles When the movie was released in 1986, it was a great sleeper (produced on a minimal budget and went on to surprise everyone at the box office). It also won Oscars for Best Supporting Actor (Dennis Hopper) and Best Original Score. Yes, the music actually sets the tone throughout the entire movie. The great Gene Hackman was unfortunately overlooked.

You can rent all of these and other sports movies with BLOCKBUSTER Total Access – First month $9.99, Rent Online, Exchange In-Store

Superhero comic books can be fickle things. They continuously shift from one interpretation to another I believe to adapt to the times and conditions in the “real world.” One of the greatest villains in all of superhero legend is The Joker . However, it has never been stated definitively how he came to be or even what his backstory is. There have been multiple interpretations involving a vat of chemicals that he falls into that gave him his distorted image with that ever-present maniacal grin, green hair, and pasty-white face. For purposes of plot alone, the 1988 Tim Burton directed Batman suggested that the caped crusader was ultimately responsible for the fiend’s condition. Some comics stories suggest that these interpretations are nothing more than lies concocted by the Clown Prince of Crime himself and that we will probably never know the real story. In fact, in the graphic novel,Batman: The Killing Joke , the villain does not seem to remember just how he came to be. “Sometimes, I remember it one way, sometimes another…if I’m going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice.”

Over the years, the Joker has been the instrument in two major tragedies in The Dark Knight’s history (or three if you are going to follow Tim Burton’s interpretation). In the aforementioned The Killing Joke, he shoots Police Commissioner Gordon’s daughter, Barbara in the back rendering her paralyzed and ending her career as Batgirl. However, Barbara later returned as the heroine Oracle who uses her computer expertise to aide in the fight against crime.

Another incident involved Batman’s closest ally, Robin the Boy Wonder. After Bruce Wayne’s “youthful ward Dick Grayson” matured he became known as Nightwing and left the Batcave. A new Robin was introduced in Jason Todd. In Batman: A Death in the Family, The Joker captures Robin, beats him to a pulp and locks him in a warehouse set to explode minutes before salvation arrives. In a twist, the comic writers allowed the public to determine the new Boy Wonder’s fate. One 900 number would have him be saved; the other would bring his end. Ultimately, reader’s brought the life of the young sidekick to a close. So, the Joker was the catalyst but the public killed him. This incident only intensified Batman’s desire to apprehend his arch-nemesis and put him away for good. Now where is the fun in that?!

On Friday, audiences will see a new, even darker, more sinister Joker as portrayed by the late Heath Ledger. Who knows what interpretation will be presented for the villain. For more on the history of one of the best characters in comic book legend click on the link

The Dark Knight : Enter to win a trip to Hong Kong!

This weekend was for the most part very enjoyable. My shifts over the last two days just dragged by. Friday, I did not have to work and except for a trip to a nearby metropolis to renew my license plate tags, pick up a prize at the radio station,, and stop and pick up a present for a baby, I waited by the phone in anticipation to hear some good news. Finally, around 5.20 PM I get a call from the hospital saying that mother and baby are just fine.. an 8 lb 2oz baby boy. Some nerve wracking episodes but all worked out well for their fourth child and first boy.

Saturday’s shift could not have been slower because I knew that I would have a phone call telling me where to go after I got off… and sure enough. I headed over to the hospital to see the little bundle of joy complete with a green slimy diaper that I watched Daddy change. After visiting with Mom and another visitor, we went and ate Chinese. We then went to the house where we quickly moved a crib from the nursery into the parent’s room. We had to totally disassemble the device and put it back together all while Dad was talking on the phone. Correct me if I am wrong but we had the crib together in half the time that it took to take it apart. We then played a game called Snout in which the object was to roll a pig and try to make it land in random positions. It was fun but frustrating when you kept rolling the same thing over and over again which did neither of us any good. Finally, we ended the game long after it was discovered who had won about 3 rounds after the winner had gotten the 100 points needed to win. But still fun and a great evening once again although we were both tired by 11PM (very unusual but totally understandable). We also played another fun game, but the name escapes me… help me out on this one oh great admin.  But it was just a blast seeing the wee one on his first days in the world and the proud but exhausted parents.

This is definitely going to be the hardest posting I have made… it is just so difficult to put into words what a great friend Chris is.  What he and Lisa thought would be a real downer on my birthday was the greatest present he could give me.  I have always known that you don’t always “get the part”, but to have him tell me what he did just floored me.  I really was touched and wanted to break down not because I was disappointed but because of everything he did when he told me.  He asked me if I was upset by not being cast in the show and if I was he would step down.  He also mentioned that he asked the director to consider double casting the part.  That would be very difficult as she is a first time director.  My Lord what have I done to deserve such an awesome friend.  I was not even tempted to take him up on his offer.  It sounds cliche but I really do mean that if I did not get the role, there is no one else I would rather watch in it.  Plus, I was asked to be the stage manager so I will be a huge part of the show as well.  Just still hoping for that time we get to share the stage in a show as actors only.  Thank you my friend… You have made my 35th birthday one I will never forget.