Friday Five

1. I LOVE the fact that This is Us received so many Emmy nominations.  If it were up to me, everyone would have been nominated from that show.  However, it was good to see that 4 of the stars and 2 of the guest stars were nominated, and the show itself.  Now here's hoping they all win - even the guys nominated in the same category.  A tie could totally happen!

2. I know it's being burned off, but I really do enjoy the show Doubt.  The cast is awesome, and I'm pretty sure it would have done a little better with slightly better writing.  It's even got a pretty compelling storyline, that I'm hopeful we'll get to see the conclusion of.  

3. I'm fairly certain that the books on my nightstand have this conversation with my lamp each night.  Too funny!

Loving this #SummerReads cartoon from the ever-excellent @tomgauld pic.twitter.com/tf60ArWFGx

— Gutter Bookshop (@gutterbookshop) July 14, 2017

4. While I was in England, I fell in love with Ham4All.  These videos of people singing songs from Hamilton were our nightly fun.  After each day of seeing the sights, we'd come back to the hotel, and go on Twitter just to see who had posted what that day.  Such a fun and easy idea!  My personal favorite was Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

5. I'm loving scrapbooking my England photos.  In a Creative Bubble is my favorite designer and all of her fun designs are really making the book super simple and super adorable!  Now if my darn ink would just arrive from Amazon, I could finish printing my photos...

Friday Five

1. I love Brandon Uranowitz.  I love his personality and his talent. I even wrote about how much I love him (even though I'm a starstruck weirdo).  He's super talented and I think he's been my favorite discovery of this season.  So I was pretty happy when this video came out this week of him singing his 3 bucket list songs.  His Marriage Proposal is always fabulous, and I've never heard Parade before, so while that was lovely, I wasn't fascinated.  What I adored was his take on the song from Company.  He absolutely nailed it.  I have no idea how he sang it so well and so quickly.  I'd be tongue tied after the first few notes.  Amazing!  (If you just want to see that song, it starts about 2:30)
           

2. This is the best possible news!  I am hooked on Miranda.  It's about the funniest show I've ever seen, and it may have everything to do with the fact Miranda reminds me a lot of me - without the adorable Gary to fall in love with.  I'd love for it to come back.  I'd even take a 15 minute Children in Need special!

3. I don't tend to share a lot of the hometown love.  But this program in conjunction with the Orioles and BARCS, is truly awesome!  Teaching kids to read and promoting animal adoption - what's not to love!?

4. I love scrapbooking freebies - especially when they involve National Donut Day!  Speaking of, Happy National Donut Day.  If you're ever in Maryland and need the best donut ever, head over to the Donut Shack in Severna Park. So yummy!!!

Happy #NationalDonutDay - celebrating with a free donut printable for newsletter subscribers. Sign up to receive it: https://t.co/zeuLe0Pzgc pic.twitter.com/09uOtjnJeS

— Kelly Purkey (@kellypurkey) June 2, 2017

5. I discovered the show The New Normal this week. I mean, I knew about it 5 years ago when it was on, but I finally started to watch it courtesy of iTunes this week and I loved it!  It's sweet and funny and the leads were amazing.  I can't believe it only lasted a season.  Based on the story line and the current times, it would be a perfect fit these days.  If you need something to binge and make you smile, I'd definitely recommend it!

Too True Crime

I have a friend who's obsessed with true crime podcasts and Netflix documentaries.  It's pretty much all she watches.  I on the other hand prefer my entertainment fake.  Real life is scary and sometimes cases aren't solved.  At least with the fake stuff I can watch handsome actors solve the crimes and get the bad guys.

However, in the last few weeks I've listened to an admittedly strange podcast called S-Town about a real life case and started watching The Keepers on Netflix.  And I gotta say, while they're still creepy as anything, they're pretty compelling.  Don't get me wrong, the fact that these cases really happened is just such an odd thing.  In the keepers, the murders of 2 women have gone completely unsolved for 40 years. How does something like that happen? It's terrifying to think what living with that - for their families and their murderer(s)? - could do to a person.

But nonetheless, I'm hooked.  I don't plan on turning completely to the true crime dark side though.  At the end of these shows, I still have no idea who or what did the crime.  That just doesn't work for me.  Like I said, at the end of my fake shows, the bad guys are behind bars. That's the way I like my entertainment, tied up with a bow.  But a little unknowing should keep me busy for the summer, until the cute detectives are back in the fall.

Friday Five

1. After 4 shows at 54 Below over the last year and just as many awkward encounters there, I've decided that it's my very favorite concert venue.  I'm planning to avoid all other venues now in favor of this beautiful supper club : )  So fun!

2. Usually Melissa McCarthy doesn't really make me laugh.  I'm sure she's a lovely person, but her brand of comedy isn't my thing. However, when does "Spicey", she makes me howl with laughter.  It cracks me up!  So when I saw that she was "casually driving around Midtown on a motorized podium dressed as Spicey" I could not stop laughing.  Every time I see the little Instagram video, I start giggling.  

3. I may sound like a broken record, but I've told everyone I know to watch the show Speechless because I'm just in awe of it.  It's funny and sweet and most of all it handles disabilities respectfully.  But they also realize that living with loved ones with issues is just a part of everyday life.  Everything about this show is perfect and to see it get a second season, was such a happy surprise.  It was the only new show I was worried about.  None of the others have the same heart so I'm so happy that it'll be around for at least another year - though I have a suspicion it might be a bit longer.

4. Netflix is doing a 10 episode prequel of The Dark Crystal!! This is not a drill, people!  I cannot wait to have more Froudian creatures on my screens.  Now, once this show amazes and astounds, they'll just have to do a follow-up to Labyrinth, right?

5. Now that I've got the AC on and it's working well, I can finally say that I'm happy to see the sunshine and the super hot temps back again in Maryland.  I hate the winter, and the 45 degree "spring" days were not my cup of tea.  I'm liking the 80-90 degree days because it means summer is just around the corner.  Thank goodness for that!

Friday Five

1. Defiant Girl on Wall Street is pretty amazing!  I loved getting the chance to see her and I loved that she's still standing tall in face of adversity - by the bull or from her critics!

2. First off, I respect the heck out of Jimmy Kimmel for coming forward and saying what he did about his son and the new healthcare bill.  He's been through so much this past few weeks, but he was still able to be funny and impassioned.  Secondly, I love that they booked Shaun White because of his ties to this same issue that Jimmy's son.  Shaun White hasn't been in the news in a while, so I'm sure he wasn't earning Jimmy any ratings, but what a great way to reach out and have Shaun calm some of their fears!       
        

3. I had the chance to see the songs of Lewis Flynn last night at 54 Below.  Obviously, Andrew Rannells was the big draw. However, they premiered 3 songs from their new musical Robin Hood, and I'm hooked! The music and the cast are truly stellar.  The show is premiering in Dallas but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it does so well, it reaches Broadway, because this really is some beautiful music!
         

4. A few weeks ago, ex-Raven Todd Heap had a personal tragedy in his life when he accidentally hit his daughter (whom he didn't realize had followed him into the driveway) with his truck, and killed her.  It's an awful story and I keep thinking about him and how truly tragic this is.  However, this week his family and friends joined in to celebrate her life with #HugsforHolly day.  Everyone was asked to wear pink (her favorite color) and do random acts of kindness.  To see so many people get involved was amazing!  Just look up the hashtag on Twitter, thousands of people joined in from ex-teammates to whole NFL organizations.  It was a beautiful way for a little good to come out of this tragedy.

5. This makes me laugh because I'm pretty sure this would happen to me if I ever met Stephanie Block : )

When @StephanieJBlock met @Sally_Field at @TheTonyAwards junket
vs. After @StephanieJBlock met @sally_field at @TheTonyAwards junket pic.twitter.com/1kF7SP4W0H

— TheaterMania (@theatermania) May 3, 2017

Met Gala: I Have Questions

Each year, I watch the Met Gala from afar and each year I ponder what in the world these people are thinking.  It's a great concept for creativity - dress up based on a theme and then party the night away.  I get it.  Dressing up is fun, and raising money for the Met is a fabulous idea.  This all sounds rather simple in theory.  But when you see the outfits these A-listers where, it all sort of falls apart.

Now, I have to say, I have no idea what this year's theme actually is.  I haven't been able to find that helpful piece of information yet. But based on what I'm seeing, the theme is based somewhere between fishnets and enormous outfits.  Honestly, I see nothing tying these women's dresses together except the sheer size of the dresses themselves. The dresses are enormous - super long trains, big poofy sleeves, extra fabric everywhere.  I'd first like to know how you're supposed to walk around and dance at a party with a train that's 4 feet long.  I'd then like to know how these women even attempt to use the restroom without dunking that 4 foot train in the toilet.

It's a conundrum!  I seem to only be picking on the girls, but I've seen a few of the guys get into the mix of craziness too.  To them, I'd like to say what's wrong with a simple tuxedo?  No man can go wrong in a tux.  Pharrell Williams - I love you, but ripped jeans at a gala?! 

After seeing the initial style of the red carpet, I'm quite curious to know how the couples decide on what to wear.  Because it seems like a matching affair.  I'm guessing the women are in charge of that particular aspect of the evening.  And if it were me, I would rather just give my guy a nice tuxedo so I can be the star of the show in my giant dress.  Doesn't that make sense?  Or does that make me a bad person?

And lastly, my biggest question of the night.  When all the dresses are made to be insane - how are some websites judging the best and worst looks of the night?  They're all pretty cuckoo - it's impossible to have a bad look when the point is to be the most outrageous!

He's Still Got It

Just got home after a delightful evening seeing Billy Crystal with Bonnie Hunt at the MGM Casino National Harbor.  After a 2.5 hour chat, I have to say he's still at the top of his game! He touched on everything under the sun from the current white house, to Robin Williams, to his friendship with Muhammad Ali and Sammy Davis Jr.  He even chatted about his work hosting the Oscars and gave some great backstage stories from some of his movies.  I just love the guy and I'm so happy that in person, he's just as genuine and funny as he's been for the last 30 years from afar.  Such a gifted comedian!

Friday Five

1. The rave reviews that Hello Dolly! is getting is making my wait until next month seem that much longer.  It sounds like Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce are positively delightful - and really, was there ever any doubt?  I cannot wait to see it in all its glory!

2. This guy has some serious determination.  Andy Karl is a Maryland guy which makes me love him even more than I already did.  And his work in Groundhog day is gaining some rave reviews as well.  But when he hurt his knee 2 days before opening, everyone thought he'd never make opening night.  But somehow - knee brace, torn ACL and all - he managed to sing and dance his way to a standing ovation when the curtain came up. Love it! 

3. Saw someone post a quote on Twitter this week that perfectly sums up my very existence: "I'm sorry for the things I said when it was Winter!" : )

4. Ok, I've been holding on to this one for the last few weeks.  I'm sure everyone's seen it by now, but at the time it premiered, I may have gushed just a little too much and thought that blogging about it would be overkill.  Andrew Rannells singing Smash on Girls.  Seriously. The song is fabulous.  However, what I loved about this episode was the 10 minutes after this when he had to prove that he could not only dance (he can) but dance with basketballs (he can't).  I've honestly never laughed so hard at 3 minutes of television in my life, but I can't seem to find it anywhere online.  So if you have HBO, do yourself a favor and watch it (Excuse the language though, it is HBO not CBS...).  If not, this 40 second snippet of his beautiful voice will just have to tide you over.

5. I sort of love having the chance to learn way cool things about Social Media.  There's something in the works that's pushed me to learn, and I've been having a lot of fun with it.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not Lin Manuel Miranda yet but I'm at least getting a wee bit better!

Social Caterpillar

I just spent a good portion of my evening setting up a portfolio for myself online.  In this portfolio I added a few of my favorite articles that I've written.  I also retyped a few things so that I could create PDFs to add to the site - however, I can't seem to find a font pairing that I like so they haven't been uploaded yet. (I spent entirely too much time looking at fonts on Pinterest...)  I've also linked it to my Twitter account so that anyone who visits it can see my Twitter.  I also took the time to change my photo on my Twitter and Instagram accounts so that they all match and look the same.  I also spent a good deal of time trying to decide on a Biography that I could use for my portfolio, Twitter and Instagram so that they would all look and feel cohesive.  This is how I spent my evening.  But in the words of my friend Kevin - I have questions.

Do I now have to be clever on all of these platforms every day?  Must I write long in depth articles on theater or books or travel then figure out a way to make them sound clever in 140 characters or less than add a photo to Instagram that instantly tells my followers exactly what the article is about?  Must I share all of my daily musings on these 3 platforms while also telling close family and friends on Facebook?  And most importantly, how am I supposed to find time to do anything at all exciting to write about if I'm spending my entire day updating various social media platforms?

These are the ideas that keep me up at night and that keep me from sounding the least bit clever on social media.  I try, I really do, but I've decided I'm much more interesting in more than 140 characters....

Podcasts for Dummies

I've never been a huge fan of podcasts.  I'd much rather see action than just hear it.  I never got into the Serial craze.  I knew what it was about but I didn't really care.  My friend on the other hand loves them and feels the need to stock up on dozens of them so she always has something to listen to in the car.  It's so not my thing but she's been trying to get me to listen to a few of them for months, to no effect.

Anyway, that's why it was a bit surprising for me to get sort of semi interested in S-Town after seeing it pop up on Twitter a few times this weekend.  The worst part is that I hadn't even heard of this particular podcast until I saw it on Twitter.  For something with huge following, I definitely should have heard about it before now.  Anyway, because my friend is the queen of all podcasts, I decided to ask her opinion.

It was not what I expected.  She stated that this particular podcast was beyond bizarre.  It started out as a murder mystery - her particular cup of tea - but by the end of the first hour, there turns out to not be a murder, just an Southern dude with lots of strange mannerisms and problems.  Her verdict was "nobody cares and avoid it at all costs."  For some reason, her play by play peaked my interest and I decided to listen to it.

Luckily, all 7 episodes were out on line and I was able to finish them all pretty quickly in one day.  It's good when your Monday includes mindless formatting - it leaves perfect time to listen to the craziness that is S-Town.  So how did I feel after my first podcast trial?  I have to say - I'm not entirely sure.

It was pretty interesting.  The gentleman was such an enigma that I found myself dying to know exactly what he would say or do next.  However, in the end, nothing really happened.  Also, the reviews that originally peaked my interest stated that it was so moving and handled with such class.  The presenter was very good at telling the story and trying to connect but I'm not sure the story itself was moving.  Sad - yes.  Moving - not so much.  In the end, I really should have listened to my friendly podcast expert and avoided it.  But at least I'm now more in the know than I was yesterday.  If only my podcast friend was into it too so we could discuss...

Friday Five

1. I just love this statue that went up on Wall Street this week in honor of International Women's Day.  I only wish it was going to be there just a bit longer so I could see it in person, but I don't think I'd rock my visit as hard as this little girl is.  She's totally celebrating Women's Day the right way!  You go girl!

2. Since this summer will mark my 4th trip to London, we're hoping to branch out a bit and do some new things.  This article from Lonely Planet on Underground (literally!) sites to see is pretty awesome!  I'm hooked on the idea of seeing art in the tunnels.  Such a cool new way to experience a city I just love to pieces! 

3. By now, everyone and their brother has seen this video, but it's too darn adorable not to share!
            

4. I've pretty much gushed all I can about Come From Away on Broadway to anyone that will listen. And if that bothers you, I'm sorry.  You're in for some more.  Their cast album came out today on iTunes and I'm telling you it's just fantastic!  If you've seen the show or want to see the show, buy the album.  It will give you all the feels!

5. Blake on Madam Secretary is my favorite!  And this photo Erich Bergen shared to his Twitter this week of "Blake" acting like Kelly Anne Conway is hilarious!  

pic.twitter.com/rSZ7FIIRIJ

— Erich Bergen (@erichbergen) March 7, 2017

Movie Times

On January 1, I pronounced that my word for the year would be Open.  I decided I wanted to be open to new experiences and not just say no to things.  I would try new things and see new sights.  So far I haven't done much of that.  I mean, I've taken a few trips to NYC by myself to see things that I really wanted to see so I suppose that's being a little open.  But for the most part, winter in Maryland has found me in a bit of a rut.

However, spring is so close we can taste it - it was about 65 and sunny today! - so things are starting to look up as far as new stuff goes.  Everyone knows nothing fun happens when it's cold.  Fun activities are planned for when it's warm and sunny.  At least that's what I'm telling myself anyway.

So that's why I recently found myself signing up to be a volunteer at the Annapolis Film Festival.  I'm actually quite excited about it even though there's nothing in this activity that sounds remotely like me.  I mean, if it was a theatre fest, that would make more sense.  But I don't see movies.  I have the attention span of a gnat when it comes to movies so I tend to stick to television.

But my thought is that this event will be chock-full of creative and crafty people.  And being around creative and crafty people is never a bad thing.  Also, I'm thinking that meeting these people may lead to other fun happenings that I can be open to trying, or at the very least, maybe Prince Charming is a movie buff...

Yay for new fun!

Things That Make Me Go Hmmm...

It's only Monday.  I should not already be perplexed my as many things as I am.  And yet, here we are...

~ Trump tweeting that President Obama wire-tapped Trump Tower.  Either Trump actually thinks that all that's needed to get a wire tap is a Presidential signature, or he's lying to take our attention from something else. Neither is good.  In one instance, he's terribly unintelligent and in the other he's terribly evil.  I'm going to say I think they're both true...

~ The movie Get Out is being touted as the best movie of the year so far, and the best horror movie ever made.  I have an general idea of what it's about, but I'm completely confused as to the main idea.  However, it's a horror movie so I'm probably not going to be seeing it ever. What I really need is for someone I know to watch it for me, and either tell me what it's about or tell me it's not going to scare me so I can watch it.

~ Why, why, why would Ben Carson say that Africans brought to America on slave ships were "immigrants?"  I mean, I sort of get slipping up in conversation on trivial matters, but when you're giving a speech about race relations - that's not a trivial matter. Also, it's completely un-true. 

~ Who would be perfect to play Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins in the newly announced My Fair Lady?  My current thoughts are Phillipa Soo and Steven Pasquale.  Though, I'm also sort of leaning towards Kara Lindsay and Josh Groban.

~ Will the Baltimore Ravens pick up Torrey Smith again since he was dropped by the 49ers today?  I vote yes!

~ And lastly, and most importantly - how can the Republicans watch the footage of the Syrian refugees walking miles to escape the militants in their country and still sign a ban on giving these poor souls a better place to live?  It's heartless.

Case of the Century

I was about 11 when the OJ Simpson trial happened.  I knew pretty much nothing of it at the time.  I had much better things to watch on television than a trial where I understood nothing of what was happening.  Of course, that didn't stop me from having an opinion on the outcome - like pretty much every other person on earth at that time.  I do remember it being a media frenzy.  I remember grownups talking about it 24/7 and I remember it being on the cover of every single magazine at the grocery story.

When it finally ended, I remember lots of people being angry about the outcome.  Pretty much every adult in my life at the time thought he was guilty, so I thought he was guilty. And when he was found not-guilty I just assumed that was something that happened sometimes, and went about my business.  Over the years, of course I've learned other details. But I still wouldn't call myself an expert on the case.

However, all of that changed this week when I started watching (late to the game again!) The People vs. OJ Simpson. This show, created by Ryan Murphy is just so, so good.  And educational too!  I'm learning so much more about the case than the little I knew at the time.  And what I find so fascinating is the amount of evidence the state had against OJ.  Like I said, I was too young to grasp everything that was happening in the court.  And I suppose, over the years I just assumed the state's case wasn't as strong as the defense's case, and that's why they lost. 

Nope! The State of California had what, in any other case, would have been called an air tight case.  They  presented mounds of evidence and witnesses.  They had a timeline and previous reports of violence against the victim committed by OJ.  And yet, the defense was able to squash just about everything with ridiculous rebuttals. Nothing stuck - they were like teflon.  It had to be fascinating - if not completely disheartening - to watch. 

Now, 20 years on it's still fascinating.  I try to think about what would happen if something like this had happened today.  Would the media circus be just as insane, or would it go barely noticed?  I'm not sure what scenario is more telling about the world we're living in today....

Winter Doldrums

There are 3 things that I haven't been able to get off my mind all day.  Neither of these three things are particularly interesting, however because it's the dog days of winter and not much else is happening, these are the three things I'm planning to write about this evening.

1. How exactly does a presenter that's paid to read a piece of paper announce the wrong name at the Academy Awards?  I mean, how does that happen?  With all the technology today, we haven't figured out a way around handing 2 giant movie stars the wrong envelope. I feel as this has never been an issue before, but for some reason in the last few years it just started happening.  

However, I must hand it to the poor La La Land people for handling all of the awkwardness with grace and class.  

2. The People vs. OJ Simpson is so good, that I'm literally angry at myself for not turning it on sooner.  I was 10 when the whole OJ thing happened, so I remember bits and pieces - how could I not?  It was on every station at every time of the day for months. But I definitely wasn't aware of details.  So not only is The People vs. OJ Simpson entertaining but it's also enlightening.  And the cast couldn't be any better.  Ryan Murphy is super skillful at placing the right people in the right roles.  You cannot take your eyes off of anyone. They're all so talented!  I'm only 4 episodes in and I'm already sad that it will end in 6 episodes.  I'm now trying to pace myself just to make it last.

3. I love living in the future.  Somehow we haven't mastered the art of handing people the correct envelopes, but I can click a few buttons and watch an amazing show on British television from the comfort of my American sofa.  I'm so happy Broadchurch is back on my television screen.  Talk about talented casts.  This is another show where you can't pull your eyes away for a second because of the uber-talented cast and the intriguing story.  This year's story line - revolving around the sexual assault of a woman in town - has been handled with so much respect and grace.  Everyone involved seems to have made the decision that awareness and treatment of this epidemic is extremely important which is nice to see.  Such great television, that I'm so happy I don't have to wait the 10 weeks for that I usually do.

Oscar Sunday

The Oscars are definitely not my favorite awards show, but it's one of those things you just have to watch. If for no other reason than to stay in the know for tomorrow when everyone will be talking about it.

After an hour in, I'd say that Jimmy Kimmel is doing a pretty good job.  I'm not his biggest fan, but he's pretty funny.  His shtick with Meryl Streep was sweet and even though she looked like she'd rather not be the center of attention, it was a nice way to honor her.  I'm also a big fan of the shower of candy via parachutes.  Too cute!  And what I'm loving is that the focus isn't solely on race this year - because it doesn't have to be.  There are so many people of color nominated this year, which is fabulous to see.  After last year's disappointing whitewashed ceremony, this year's ceremony is a sight to see!

I have no stock in who wins however, since I haven't seen a single movie nominated.  I've only heard of about 3 of the movies.  But based on what I've heard, Mahershala Ali definitely deserved his award and his speech was heartfelt, which always gets me.  However, since we've only had an hour of awards so far, that's the only big award I've seen so far, so I can't say yay or nay to any other award yet.

The biggest excitement was Lin Manuel Miranda performing which he did beautifully.  The young woman that sang his song was super talented and did a beautiful job with the song. And I have to give it to her, even after getting struck in the head with "waves" behind her, she kept singing so go her!

So that's my analysis so far!  Cutting edge material if I do say so myself : )

Wrecked...

As I've said multiple times, I avoid things that make are going to make me cry, like the plague.  Any book or television show or theater piece that may have something just ever so slightly tear-inducing and I'm out. It's not fun for me.  Whenever I talk to friends about this, they don't understand.  To them, crying about something entertaining is cathartic.  They feel much better after letting it all out in a crying session.  This is not the case for me.  

This evening, because This is Us is the best show on television, I watched last night's heart-wrenching episode.  I knew full well that it was going to kill me.  I read some things today to prepare myself, because had I not, it would have made the whole experience so much worse. Not that it wasn't bad enough already.  I cried for a good 2/3 of the episode.  It was so moving and so heartbreaking.  I love those characters so much that it's just so difficult to watch sometimes.  

Now, if I were my friends, I'd be feeling great right now.  But I'm not. I'm me and I feel awful.  My eyes are puffy.  All they want to do is close and sleep even though my brain wants to read.  My nose is stuffy.  And I'm still thinking about all the sad things I watched 3 hours ago and still feeling sad about them. Why exactly would anyone want to do this on purpose? 

I'll stick with comedy instead if no body minds. At least laughing from crying doesn't create the same puffy, stuffy and weepy effects.

Mortified Baltimore!

Last year, right around Valentine's Day I discovered Mortified! Baltimore.  This group gets together to share their most mortifying and embarassing stories about love, family, friends, and just about anything else you can think of. Last Valentine's Day the theme of the night was love, and I had never laughed so hard in all my life.  It was so funny, that I just knew I had to go again.  Unfortunately, every few months something would come up and I'd miss their engagement.

However, this year at Valentine's time again, I was able to make it work with my schedule and finally see these amazing people again.  And again, it was a night full of laughter and some cringing.  This year's theme again was love so all of the participants read from letters, or journals or book reports that they had written when they were little about being in love with first boyfriends or girlfriends, about first kisses or just about what they shouldn't be doing at camp.

What blows me away is the fact that these are just regular people that choose to try out and go through this process of sharing their most embarassing stories with the world.  I wouldn't even be able to read something I had written now in front of an audience, let alone something as cringe-worthy as a journal entry from 20 years ago.  But these people are gutsy and very funny and pretty darn awesome!  And maybe by watching them, a little of their gutsiness will rub off on me!

Musically Weird

I'm always up for a good award show.  From the dresses to the inspiring speeches, they're a great way to spend an evening.  Each year I look forward to the Emmys, and the Oscars and especially the Tonys.  But, never the Grammys.  I know next to nothing about music - and chances are the music I do like, is most definitely not nominated.  So missing the madness is nothing really new for me.

However, after seeing a few hundred reports on all that happened last night, I've never been so happy to miss it in all my life.  The very first thing I saw when I woke up this morning, was Cee Lo Green covered in a gold with some creepy mask.  Then there was a pregnant Beyonce covered in more gold - apparently being amazing.  I'm a little confused as to why this is considered amazing, but apparently it is.

Adele was the only thing I would have liked to have seen but even she had some issues - broken grammy's and false starts. Then there were the dresses - what in the world was happening in fashion land?  These dresses were huge and not so beautiful - a few were even a bit trashy.  Call me a prude, but what's wrong with pretty dresses that cover more than a quarter of your body parts? 

And of course there was the music.  I heard the show opened with Hello by Adele.  I'm fairly certain that would have been the only song I would have ever heard before. Like I said, I know next to nothing about music.  But even I know that most of it sounds all the same.  But music is super objective, so I'm willing to give the music a pass.  

But I'm sticking to my guns on the outfits.  Get a mirror people!

Snowy Days

Like I said yesterday, I was lucky enough to see 2 shows and one live taping while I was snowed in in New York.  Some of these things were better than others.

First up was Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.  Here's the thing.  I'm the one person in my theater friend group that's been promoting this show.  I'm the only one that actually wanted to see it.  I mean, it's based on War and Peace, so I was assuming it was going to be a hard sell.  But I thought Josh Groban would tip the scales for them.  Unfortunately, he didn't so that's why I bought one ticket for me. 

Of course, Josh Groban just happened to get a cold the day I finally would get to see it.  But understudies are usually fabulous too, so I was still positive.  Based on the stage alone, I would enjoy the show.  Have you seen a more beautiful Broadway stage ever?'

But even the wonderful understudy and the beautiful stage couldn't make me like this show. I hate to say it, but I hated it! I think it may have had something to do with it being just too giant.  There were actors everywhere - dancing on the stage, in the audience, on tables in people's faces.  There was so much going on, I never knew where to look.  Also, the music was so loud, I couldn't understand what anyone was saying. Every other review I've read has said this show was amazing, so I'm not sure what it was exactly that made it so terrible to me but I'm not willing to spend the money to try it again, just to see if Josh Groban would make it better.  

That was Wednesday - luckily, my fabulous experience at 54 Below erased most of the Great Comet disaster of that day.  On Thursday, the snows came which was no good since I had a ticket to see a Live with Kelly taping.  So after trudging through the snow, I finally arrived at the studio where I was ushered to my seat to see Jeffrey Dean Morgan co-host.  Of course, Kelly Ripa was there too.  But let's be honest, I was there to see JDM.  Anyway, aside from the frozen feet that were snow-logged, I had a blast.  It's so weird to see the behind the scenes action up close.  But for the most part, it all looks like it does on television.

I thought it was a little weird that the producers would instruct us when to clap and how loudly to clap.  Also, during commercial breaks I assumed the hosts would just chat to each other, but no.  They would chat with the audience and take pictures with people who asked.  It was all very interactive.  I had a blast and I would definitely do it again - hopefully on a day when it's not snowing 3 inches per hour...

After retreating to my hotel room to beat the cold, I bravely made a decision to go back out in the mess to see if could snag tickets to some show that evening for cheap.  It seemed a waste to just watch tv in Manhattan when Broadway was a block away.  The show I got luck with was In Transit.  This was something that I sort of wanted to see because a friend had seen it and said it was "kinda cute."  But it wasn't anything that I just had to get tickets too.  However, after seeing it, I'm totally in love with it!  It was fantastic and so much better than the Great Comet.  It's a musical that's totally sung Acapella - no band whatsoever, which is impressive enough. But add to that the sweet story and the great jokes, and you have a great little musical.  This was definitely one that I would see again.

Thank goodness I liked it, because after all that snow I think I was owed at least one win... : )