I suppose this is the first time in many years that I really didn't care that much about the Oscars to even bother commenting on them. Here's my views, now that they're over:
Chris Rock was funny as host. Probably pissed a few people off along the way (was it just me or did Halle Berry look a bit miffed at the Catwoman 2 comment).
The show felt long, but didn't actually run long.
The awards given from the aisles were actually pretty well handled.
Jeremy Irons is a comic genius.
Paul Giamatti was robbed of even being nominated.
Martin Scorsese will never win.
That's pretty much it.
I did have a chance to see Constantine last week and enjoyed it quite a bit. It's not exactly a perfect adaptation of the comic book "John Constantine, Hellblazer" but I thought it worked pretty well. Keanu Reeves does a decent job in the title role (and I'm not gonna bitch and moan about how the character's supposed to be British and look like Sting...the captured the essence of the personality well enough). The film feels a bit long but is pretty fun. All in all it's probably on par with other "second string" comic book movies like Hulk and Daredevil. Maybe I'll do a more in depth review at a later date.
Not much else for today. I'm still working on a number of things in regards to getting my backlog of Fugues into this blog (it's gonna be slow going) as well as sprucing up the web site (even slower going). But I do hope to have some photos of the house renovation up within the next two weeks.
On that front right now we're in a race to see if what we've termed as "Phase One" (everything that was started before we knew about the pregnancy) will be finished before we have to start "Phase Two" (which is prepping the house for the baby...moving my office into the storage area and turning the current office into the baby's room). It means the current contractor will have to be finished by the end of March. I'm currently betting against him.
Anyway...I've been up to my eyeballs in sound design for a wonderful production of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest over at Curtain call as well as doing some administrative stuff for The Darien Players production of Biography...so it may be a week before there's anything subtsantial from me again.
Be seeing you.
Monday, February 28, 2005
Monday, February 21, 2005
Badly Going Where They've Gone Before
Okay...I've been rather quiet for a while about Star Trek as an entity of late. I stopped watching Voyager much later than I should have and I gave Enterprise about 3 episodes before deciding I had enough of the "been there, done that" syndrome of stories the various series had been churning out for a number of years. I've been saying for a while that the best thing for the franchise was a break (in my mind 5 years at least) and now that we're getting the needed break to revive the franchise at a later date, the effing Trekkies are going to screw it up. There's an old saying about the inmates running the asylum and Trekkos are living proff. They'd rather have bad Trek than no Trek.
This is a mentality I don't quite understand. There are plenty of franchises that I've been enamoured of over the years, but I realize when they get tired and need a break it's usually for the better. Look at the gap between Licence to Kill and Goldeneye. It took six years to revive the Bond franchise (not that it needed it in my mind, but look at the box office numbers and you'll see there were problems).
Anyway...if you haven't heard, the Trekkos are trying to raise 32 million dollars to fund a new season of Enterprise. Good luck with that one.
Wish I had more for today, but I'm a bit beat and need to get to a rehearsal which I'm doing Sound Design for (and not having much fun...I tend to throw myself 110% into a job and I was exhausted before I got involved in this show...it'll be a good show and while I don't think anyone will notice potential goofs with the sound, I will because I'm insane...the show is One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by the way, which doesn't help with the insanity aspect).
Be seeing you when I have more to say and more time to say it in.
This is a mentality I don't quite understand. There are plenty of franchises that I've been enamoured of over the years, but I realize when they get tired and need a break it's usually for the better. Look at the gap between Licence to Kill and Goldeneye. It took six years to revive the Bond franchise (not that it needed it in my mind, but look at the box office numbers and you'll see there were problems).
Anyway...if you haven't heard, the Trekkos are trying to raise 32 million dollars to fund a new season of Enterprise. Good luck with that one.
Wish I had more for today, but I'm a bit beat and need to get to a rehearsal which I'm doing Sound Design for (and not having much fun...I tend to throw myself 110% into a job and I was exhausted before I got involved in this show...it'll be a good show and while I don't think anyone will notice potential goofs with the sound, I will because I'm insane...the show is One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by the way, which doesn't help with the insanity aspect).
Be seeing you when I have more to say and more time to say it in.
Sunday, February 20, 2005
The start of something big
Okay...so I'm finally getting my act together and taking it on the road. I've been very slowly in the process of learning how to build a website and today we're ready to test the damn thing out. It's not fancy. It's not flashy. Heck, it's not even finished (it's barely there). But it's now live and in my control (G-d help us all).
Over the next few weeks expect it to get a bit fancier and more complex as I add photos of the wedding, the house renovation, the baby and anything else I feel the need to (yes...a photo of me as Agatha Christie will also eventually show up).
But please be patient folks. My time management is lacking these days and I'm all over the place. So don't hold me to the fire if it's taking a bit longer than you'd like to see some of this stuff.
In setting this up there were several possible ways to go about getting Fenster's Toccata and Fugue online (instead of e-mailing it). This is now the way it's going to go. You'll be able to check it out here whenever I update it. And slowly but surely you'll be able to access all of my "back issues" as I slowly but surely get them up and into this blog.
If there are any suggestions or comments, please feel free to speak up. This whole endeavour is made of baby steps for me and any feedback will be appreciated (as long as it's constructive...anyone looking to just bitch, moan or complain can keep it to themselves).
So that's all for today. Nothing too complicated or extreme. Just a brief declaration that I'm joining the 21st Century finally...
Be seeing you
Over the next few weeks expect it to get a bit fancier and more complex as I add photos of the wedding, the house renovation, the baby and anything else I feel the need to (yes...a photo of me as Agatha Christie will also eventually show up).
But please be patient folks. My time management is lacking these days and I'm all over the place. So don't hold me to the fire if it's taking a bit longer than you'd like to see some of this stuff.
In setting this up there were several possible ways to go about getting Fenster's Toccata and Fugue online (instead of e-mailing it). This is now the way it's going to go. You'll be able to check it out here whenever I update it. And slowly but surely you'll be able to access all of my "back issues" as I slowly but surely get them up and into this blog.
If there are any suggestions or comments, please feel free to speak up. This whole endeavour is made of baby steps for me and any feedback will be appreciated (as long as it's constructive...anyone looking to just bitch, moan or complain can keep it to themselves).
So that's all for today. Nothing too complicated or extreme. Just a brief declaration that I'm joining the 21st Century finally...
Be seeing you
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
We start off today with a bunch of TV reviews before moving onto to some musicals and then some other stuff…but first a quick and loud “Boo!!!!!” to HBO Home Video. They are releasing the first season of their wonderful western “Deadwood” on DVD. It comes in a beautiful box set with about 90 minutes of extras. The problem is it’s not only pricey, but a big space waster. All 13 episodes are spread across SIX DISCS!!!! (This in the same week they release “Oz” Season 4 which is 16 episodes on 3 double sided discs at almost half the price and definitely half the space). So the bad move of the week goes to them.
Anyway…on to our reviews…
Medium – well…we’re several episodes into this show’s first season (yes…it’s been renewed for a second) and producer Glenn Gordon Caron reminds us why he’s so good at creating great TV. The show stars Patricia Arquette as a clairvoyant who works for the District Attorney and helps them solve crimes. The “crime” aspect of the show is balanced with her personal life with her husband and three daughters. The show contains a great mix of several genres (like all the other Caron shows) and knows how to keep us invested in the characters. We get plenty of suspense, humor, romance and surprise all balanced out perfectly in the correct amounts (just like life…only without the parapsychology). If you’re not watching you should be.
Justice League Unlimited – just ended its third season and started its fourth. The 3rd season ender was a fun, but slightly befuddled two part geek-gasm that brought a lesser DC villain (Chronos) into his own by giving him a better spin and threw a whole bunch of DC Western characters (like Bat Lash, Jonah Hex, El Diablo and Pow Wow Smith) and WB Animation characters (mostly from “Batman Beyond”) into this weird time travel story. The best bit of all: Hal Jordan makes a brief appearance as Green Lantern in the second part as time starts to shift and flux (he replaces John Stewart). The third season spent a very long and slow time setting up the new League as most of the episodes featured mostly the five members from the first two seasons coupled with one or two new heroes. A slow boil back-story involving a government conspiracy against the Justice League didn’t get enough airtime either.
Season four started off on a completely different foot. The first episode featured none of the BIG members and concentrated on Black Canary getting Green Arrow to help her rescue Wildcat from a self-imposed downward spiral in what had to have easily been one of the most violent half hours of animated fare on TV in recent history (Wildcat’s involved in an underground Ultimate Fight-like venue).Great story. Next up? Flash and Mister Miracle team up against some of Darkseid’s minions. And we get to see Black Canary and Green Arrow on a double date with Huntress and The Question. Cool. Also look for Doomsday to return to battle Superman and Batman to uncover some info about the government conspiracy.
Teen Titans – Like “Justice League” this show finished one season and immediately started its next. With Season Three focusing on Cyborg’s battles with Brother Blood, it looks like Season Four will be focusing on Raven’s past with appearances by Trigon and a resurrected Slade. The show’s more kid-friendly than “Justice League”, but still well written and a lot of fun.
Committed – Not sure what it is about this show, but it makes me laugh out loud all the time (maybe it’s just Tom Poston’s dead-pan wit as the Clown living in Marnie’s closet). And it looks like it may be returning for a second season. The show’s run ends March 15 when it will be replaced by the American version of the hit BBC comedy “The Office: An American Workplace” (subtitled, I assume, because we’re too stupid to know the difference between this and the original).
Grounded For Life – The WB ended this show’s fifth season after only 13 episodes. Luckily, we got something of a wrap-up for storylines that had been started (like Claudia’s pregnancy). The show had essentially “jumped-the-shark” on moving to the network (Sean & Eddie buying the bar) and the loss of the youngest child Henry (due to the actor moving to NY) was disappointing as he tended to be the funniest of the kids (and rather surreal). The show had a good run for three seasons and then kind of dipped in quality, but it was always enjoyable. I’ll miss it, but I’ve already moved on.
And now two musicals…one on stage, one on screen…
Fiddler on the Roof – As Tash & I head into the back half of the pregnancy, we’re trying to cram in as much “fun” as we can. While we haven’t had much time to hit the movie theaters due to shows and such, we are making time for theatrical jaunts. Aside from seeing various shows locally that involve friends, there are at least three Broadway musicals on our list. We just crossed the first one off.
Personally, I’m a big fan of the film version of “Fiddler on the Roof”. I think Norman Jewison got it perfect and that’s the end of that story. When the show returned to Broadway with Alfred Molina, my first thought was “good choice, but I don’t need to see it”. Molina’s left the role and he’s been replaced by Harvey Fierstein. Yes…you heard me…Harvey Fierstein. My little to no interest in this show became an “I’ve gotta see this”.
Before we get to Harvey’s performance as Tevye, let me comment on the production itself. The orchestra is on stage (something I normally dislike). It doesn’t seem to add much to the show by being on stage. The sets are very organic in that we’re looking at a wooded area with movable furniture and a ramshackle roof that descends from the rafters. It works well for the show and suggests the various spaces needed to make Anatevka a real town. It gives the show a very sad and wistful atmosphere and while I’m not sure the show should look that way, it does work.
All of the actors do their parts well, but the real stars are Fierstein and Andrea Martin as Tevye and Golde. In my opinion, both are adequate at best. Golde isn’t a big enough part for Martin’s comedic abilities to really shine and her singing voice is serviceable. She seems to be a bit too restrained for her own good most of the time. Fierstein seems like an inspired choice of casting, albeit weird. He puts his all into the role and you can tell he’s having fun with it (he does bring out more humor in the role than what you normally get), which does pass along to the audience. But that’s only when you can understand him. His very distinctive voice not only mangles and garbles some of the song lyrics, but he chooses a number of vocal inflections for lines of dialogue that also get drowned out (this was not a problem in “Hairspray”). It’s an interesting performance that needs to be seen to be believed, but it won’t come close to replacing Topol’s (assuming that the number of people who actually saw Zero Mostel in the role has dwindled considerably over the years). If you can, see it before Harvey leaves…but don’t expect too much.
De-Lovely – Taking it’s cue from “All That Jazz”, this musical about the life of Cole Porter weaves together an amazing story (even if somewhat inaccurate) in which Porter views a rehearsal of a show based on his life. The film is well made and propelled by the two wonderful performances of Kevin Kline as Porter (who gets some of the best old age make up I’ve seen on film in a long time) and Ashley Judd as his wife Linda. It is their relationship, interspersed with various musical numbers, that keeps this show flowing from start to finish. If there’s one thing that doesn’t quite work it’s the stunt casting. Most of Porter’s songs are performed by famous singers like Elvis Costello, Alanis Morisette and Robbie Williams with no real motivation or explanation. They pretty much appear, sing and leave. The other numbers that are part of the story work much better.
Lastly, on an update front…
If you’re in the area I’d like to recommend the following shows to see:
The Philadelphia Story at Curtain Call – Now Playing – we know some people in the show
Proof at Westport Community Theater – Now Playing – we know some people who worked on the show
Biography at the DAC Weatherstone in Darien – March 4 thru 19 – I’m VP of the Players, so that alone forces me to push the show, but it’s got a great cast and is the last show to be directed by Catherine Lindsey who unfortunately passed away last week.
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest at Curtain Call – March 4 thru March 19 – we know one of the actors as well as the stage manager and I’m helping set up the sound effects for the show
The Sorcerer – Trouper’s Light Opera Company – April 1 thru 9 – Tash is in the chorus and I’m helping with some magic effects for the show
Tale of the Allergist’s Wife – Pound Ridge – April (don’t have the exact dates in front of me, but as we get closer I’ll post ‘em) – we know most of the cast and the director (it should be a great show)
Book of Days – Darien – May 6 thru 21 – It’s my last hurrah for this season…I’m in the casting process right now…so you’ll hear all about it next week once it’s been finalized…It’s a great play…very different from anything I’ve done to date…
As we’ve been going through all the information that exists for expectant parents (let me just say that researching new kitchen appliances was easier than researching strollers and cribs), one of the things we’ve discussed ad nauseum is when to discover what we’re having. There are pros and cons to knowing both in advance of the birth and being surprised on delivery day. After sorting through it all, we decided we wanted to know as soon as possible just so we could stop referring to the child as “baby face” and call it by the name we plan on using while it’s still in utero in an attempt to bond with it more before it arrives.
So I’d like to announce the arrival of Malcolm Steven Fenster sometime in mid-June (due date’s Father’s Day June 19). He hasn’t been too co-operative during the sonograms, but I suppose that’s to be expected. After all, he’s a combination of Tash & I and all our family genetics…stubbornness runs on both sides. Of course, more importantly he’s healthy and, I suppose, happy where he currently is and we can’t wait until he gets here (actually, first we can’t wait for the house to be finished and ready for him to live in it…we’re almost to the point where it may be a close race).
Anyway…
That’s all for today.
Be seeing you
Spleenless Joel
Anyway…on to our reviews…
Medium – well…we’re several episodes into this show’s first season (yes…it’s been renewed for a second) and producer Glenn Gordon Caron reminds us why he’s so good at creating great TV. The show stars Patricia Arquette as a clairvoyant who works for the District Attorney and helps them solve crimes. The “crime” aspect of the show is balanced with her personal life with her husband and three daughters. The show contains a great mix of several genres (like all the other Caron shows) and knows how to keep us invested in the characters. We get plenty of suspense, humor, romance and surprise all balanced out perfectly in the correct amounts (just like life…only without the parapsychology). If you’re not watching you should be.
Justice League Unlimited – just ended its third season and started its fourth. The 3rd season ender was a fun, but slightly befuddled two part geek-gasm that brought a lesser DC villain (Chronos) into his own by giving him a better spin and threw a whole bunch of DC Western characters (like Bat Lash, Jonah Hex, El Diablo and Pow Wow Smith) and WB Animation characters (mostly from “Batman Beyond”) into this weird time travel story. The best bit of all: Hal Jordan makes a brief appearance as Green Lantern in the second part as time starts to shift and flux (he replaces John Stewart). The third season spent a very long and slow time setting up the new League as most of the episodes featured mostly the five members from the first two seasons coupled with one or two new heroes. A slow boil back-story involving a government conspiracy against the Justice League didn’t get enough airtime either.
Season four started off on a completely different foot. The first episode featured none of the BIG members and concentrated on Black Canary getting Green Arrow to help her rescue Wildcat from a self-imposed downward spiral in what had to have easily been one of the most violent half hours of animated fare on TV in recent history (Wildcat’s involved in an underground Ultimate Fight-like venue).Great story. Next up? Flash and Mister Miracle team up against some of Darkseid’s minions. And we get to see Black Canary and Green Arrow on a double date with Huntress and The Question. Cool. Also look for Doomsday to return to battle Superman and Batman to uncover some info about the government conspiracy.
Teen Titans – Like “Justice League” this show finished one season and immediately started its next. With Season Three focusing on Cyborg’s battles with Brother Blood, it looks like Season Four will be focusing on Raven’s past with appearances by Trigon and a resurrected Slade. The show’s more kid-friendly than “Justice League”, but still well written and a lot of fun.
Committed – Not sure what it is about this show, but it makes me laugh out loud all the time (maybe it’s just Tom Poston’s dead-pan wit as the Clown living in Marnie’s closet). And it looks like it may be returning for a second season. The show’s run ends March 15 when it will be replaced by the American version of the hit BBC comedy “The Office: An American Workplace” (subtitled, I assume, because we’re too stupid to know the difference between this and the original).
Grounded For Life – The WB ended this show’s fifth season after only 13 episodes. Luckily, we got something of a wrap-up for storylines that had been started (like Claudia’s pregnancy). The show had essentially “jumped-the-shark” on moving to the network (Sean & Eddie buying the bar) and the loss of the youngest child Henry (due to the actor moving to NY) was disappointing as he tended to be the funniest of the kids (and rather surreal). The show had a good run for three seasons and then kind of dipped in quality, but it was always enjoyable. I’ll miss it, but I’ve already moved on.
And now two musicals…one on stage, one on screen…
Fiddler on the Roof – As Tash & I head into the back half of the pregnancy, we’re trying to cram in as much “fun” as we can. While we haven’t had much time to hit the movie theaters due to shows and such, we are making time for theatrical jaunts. Aside from seeing various shows locally that involve friends, there are at least three Broadway musicals on our list. We just crossed the first one off.
Personally, I’m a big fan of the film version of “Fiddler on the Roof”. I think Norman Jewison got it perfect and that’s the end of that story. When the show returned to Broadway with Alfred Molina, my first thought was “good choice, but I don’t need to see it”. Molina’s left the role and he’s been replaced by Harvey Fierstein. Yes…you heard me…Harvey Fierstein. My little to no interest in this show became an “I’ve gotta see this”.
Before we get to Harvey’s performance as Tevye, let me comment on the production itself. The orchestra is on stage (something I normally dislike). It doesn’t seem to add much to the show by being on stage. The sets are very organic in that we’re looking at a wooded area with movable furniture and a ramshackle roof that descends from the rafters. It works well for the show and suggests the various spaces needed to make Anatevka a real town. It gives the show a very sad and wistful atmosphere and while I’m not sure the show should look that way, it does work.
All of the actors do their parts well, but the real stars are Fierstein and Andrea Martin as Tevye and Golde. In my opinion, both are adequate at best. Golde isn’t a big enough part for Martin’s comedic abilities to really shine and her singing voice is serviceable. She seems to be a bit too restrained for her own good most of the time. Fierstein seems like an inspired choice of casting, albeit weird. He puts his all into the role and you can tell he’s having fun with it (he does bring out more humor in the role than what you normally get), which does pass along to the audience. But that’s only when you can understand him. His very distinctive voice not only mangles and garbles some of the song lyrics, but he chooses a number of vocal inflections for lines of dialogue that also get drowned out (this was not a problem in “Hairspray”). It’s an interesting performance that needs to be seen to be believed, but it won’t come close to replacing Topol’s (assuming that the number of people who actually saw Zero Mostel in the role has dwindled considerably over the years). If you can, see it before Harvey leaves…but don’t expect too much.
De-Lovely – Taking it’s cue from “All That Jazz”, this musical about the life of Cole Porter weaves together an amazing story (even if somewhat inaccurate) in which Porter views a rehearsal of a show based on his life. The film is well made and propelled by the two wonderful performances of Kevin Kline as Porter (who gets some of the best old age make up I’ve seen on film in a long time) and Ashley Judd as his wife Linda. It is their relationship, interspersed with various musical numbers, that keeps this show flowing from start to finish. If there’s one thing that doesn’t quite work it’s the stunt casting. Most of Porter’s songs are performed by famous singers like Elvis Costello, Alanis Morisette and Robbie Williams with no real motivation or explanation. They pretty much appear, sing and leave. The other numbers that are part of the story work much better.
Lastly, on an update front…
If you’re in the area I’d like to recommend the following shows to see:
The Philadelphia Story at Curtain Call – Now Playing – we know some people in the show
Proof at Westport Community Theater – Now Playing – we know some people who worked on the show
Biography at the DAC Weatherstone in Darien – March 4 thru 19 – I’m VP of the Players, so that alone forces me to push the show, but it’s got a great cast and is the last show to be directed by Catherine Lindsey who unfortunately passed away last week.
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest at Curtain Call – March 4 thru March 19 – we know one of the actors as well as the stage manager and I’m helping set up the sound effects for the show
The Sorcerer – Trouper’s Light Opera Company – April 1 thru 9 – Tash is in the chorus and I’m helping with some magic effects for the show
Tale of the Allergist’s Wife – Pound Ridge – April (don’t have the exact dates in front of me, but as we get closer I’ll post ‘em) – we know most of the cast and the director (it should be a great show)
Book of Days – Darien – May 6 thru 21 – It’s my last hurrah for this season…I’m in the casting process right now…so you’ll hear all about it next week once it’s been finalized…It’s a great play…very different from anything I’ve done to date…
As we’ve been going through all the information that exists for expectant parents (let me just say that researching new kitchen appliances was easier than researching strollers and cribs), one of the things we’ve discussed ad nauseum is when to discover what we’re having. There are pros and cons to knowing both in advance of the birth and being surprised on delivery day. After sorting through it all, we decided we wanted to know as soon as possible just so we could stop referring to the child as “baby face” and call it by the name we plan on using while it’s still in utero in an attempt to bond with it more before it arrives.
So I’d like to announce the arrival of Malcolm Steven Fenster sometime in mid-June (due date’s Father’s Day June 19). He hasn’t been too co-operative during the sonograms, but I suppose that’s to be expected. After all, he’s a combination of Tash & I and all our family genetics…stubbornness runs on both sides. Of course, more importantly he’s healthy and, I suppose, happy where he currently is and we can’t wait until he gets here (actually, first we can’t wait for the house to be finished and ready for him to live in it…we’re almost to the point where it may be a close race).
Anyway…
That’s all for today.
Be seeing you
Spleenless Joel
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