Best Invention Ever

You may have noticed that I've been neglecting my blog of late (if you're one of the few people that actually reads it). I've been out of the country in Argentina, having a wonderful time with my family and eating lots of food. I have a lot to post about and I'm not sure where to begin, so I think I'll start with a short novelty post to ease back into it.

I was visiting my cousin's university (she studies architecture at UBA, the University of Buenos Aires) and I was amazed to find that the soda machines had convenient straw dispensers. I've always found it annoying how if I'm are really thirsty and the only drinks to be had are a from a soda machine, I'm forced to drink it from the can with no straw or cup. Apparently, these straw dispensers are quite common in Buenos Aires as nobody could understand why I was so fascinated.

Here's a photo:

This Post has Nothing to do with Harry Potter

My last gURL.com story is up:
Confessions of a Shy Girl

Partying Like They do at Hogwarts

A photo diary of the Grand Hallows Ball at Border's in Torrance, California (supposedly the biggest Harry Potter party in the South Bay). I wanted to take more pictures, but my sister had the camera in her purse and I kept losing her. There were a lot of Hermiones and Harrys, but I also saw Tonks, Snape, random Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students, but I think my two favorites were a girl dressed as Ron and Hermione's child from the future and a woman wearing a Save Lupin and Tonks shirt. This is the culmination of Harry Potter month. After attending the premiere, the midnight showing of the movie, a John Williams concert, and the midnight book party, I've been observing the different levels of Harry Potter mania from the perspective of a fellow fan. I was happy to see that the book caused much more excitement than the movies. It may seem a little scary to see fans dressed up as wizards, but I still think it's amazing that all this was started by a book.



We pre-ordered our book, but Borders started giving out wristbands when it opened at 9 a.m. They organize the lines according to colors. I got there a little before 9 and there was a short line which went really slowly, but I got orange, which was the first group. Three thousand people ordered books from the Torrance Borders and the store ordered about 1,000 more than that for those who did not pre-order.



The entrance to the Grand Hallows Ball (yes, that's me, dressed as Hermione, it's more fun when you get into the spirit).



Wizards and muggles milling around Borders. Many more activities were advertised than there ended up being, but it was still quite an amusing evening. There was a dance floor, face painting, and wizard hat making. The spelling bee and Snape debate never happened, although there was a costume contest.



There were giveaways, such as these glow-in-the-dark "wands"



and stickers



The snake cake.



The books,covered in a grey packaging of some kind. When the Borders employees started wheeling these out, the excitement really started to build.



The books out of the grey packaging and now only in boxes.

My brother messed up taking a picture of us buying the book, but the line went very fast and we were out by 12:14 a.m.

This gURL's Life: Remy Zaken

Check out my interview with Spring Awakening's Remy Zaken on gURL.com. For this piece I set up and conducted the interview, did some of the photography (she gave me the other pictures), and edited down the quotes.

Deconstructing Harry

For a film called "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," very little screen time is given to the members of the Order, or to anyone who is not, well, Harry Potter. New director David Yates and new screenwriter Michael Goldenberg chose to take the almost 900 pages of the book and focus mainly on Harry's inner battle. For fans of Daniel Radcliffe, this might not be a problem, but when there are so many interesting characters (who are not whiny and annoying as Potter is throughout the fifth book) played by so many talented British actors, some of the subplots are missed.

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" opened in theatres across America at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, July 11. Fans waiting to be first to catch the film wore their best wizard robes or favorite Hot Topic outfits and will most likely repeat this process in a week and a half when the final book is released.

Most fans already know the story going into the movie. The Ministry of Magic turns against Harry Potter and refuses to acknowledge that Voldemort is back. The papers make it look as though Potter is an attention-seeking problem child (which isn't far off, although he is telling the truth about Voldemort). Dumbledore and several others who believe Potter form the Order of the Phoenix to prepare to fight the Death Eaters. Potter and his friends follow suit by forming Dumbledore's Army in secret at school.

Somehow the longest book in the series, at almost 900 pages, became the shortest film so far, at two hours and 18 minutes. David Yates could have slowed down the film a tiny bit by taking out those montages. There are many entertaining and brilliantly acted scenes, but the film as a whole feels disjointed because so much is left underdeveloped. Percy Weasley shows up with the the Minister of Magic in one scene, but without reading the book, the audience wouldn't know that he turned against his family. The famous kiss with Cho Chang is in the film, but the relationship is dropped at some point in the film and never dealt with again. Gone from Hogwarts are quidditch (and with it some of the best subplots), the ghosts roaming the hallways, even most of the moving pictures. There is very little "magic" in this film except for the spells that Harry teaches the other students.

The acting, as always, is the strongest aspect of the film. Flashbacks show how much Daniel Radcliffe has grown since the first film. He certainly seems more confident as an actor. Rupert Grint always seems to fall most naturally into his role as Ron, but even Emma Watson, who continues to look less and less like the bushy Hermione, has matured as an actress and is able to play more emotions than just angry. Newcomer Evanna Lynch is sweetly eccentric as Luna Lovegood. But of the teenagers, Matthew Lewis stands out as the loveable Neville Longbottom, whose past is perhaps even more troubled than Harry's.

Imelda Staunton steps in as the new headmaster of Hogwarts. She is deceptively pink, but scarier than a Death Eater. Sirius Black is a favorite character among many Harry Potter fans, and Gary Oldman captures his childlike impulsive nature to perfection. Alan Rickman is brilliant as usual as the much debated Severus Snape and has some of the best one-liners this go around.

The biggest problem with the film is that there is not enough--not enough of the story and not enough of some of these brilliant actors. But if what is there leaves you wanting more, then it must be pretty good. Yates will have another go at pleasing Harry Potter maniacs with movie number six.

My First Red Carpet

Yesterday, hundreds of Harry Potter fans, both casual and obsessive, gathered at the Chinese Grauman's Theatre hoping to catch a glimpse of the young stars of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." I was one of them. Sort of.

My sister had read that the US premiere of the fifth Harry Potter film would be in Los Angeles this year and she wanted to go in the hopes of meeting Rupert Grint. I'm a Harry Potter fan as well, and would enjoy seeing Alan Rickman or Gary Oldman up close, but not enough to deal with all the psychotic fans. So we debated whether it would be worth it, ultimately deciding that it would be too crazy and many fans would probably camp out overnight, which I was not about to do. But the morning of the premiere, we decided to go check it out at the last minute. She had to at least try to meet Rupert Grint and I figured I would have something to write about after. We arrived at around 10 a.m. and there was already a huge line. I was expecting that everyone would just find a spot along the red carpet so was confused about what the line was for. I asked an unfriendly security guard who would only give vague responses, but what I took from the conversation was that the line was for the bleachers and standing room on the side of the red carpet and the only way to see anything was to stand in line and wait. Those in the front of the line had, sure enough, waited overnight. We made our way to the back of the line, behind 500 or so people, and waited in the sun for a few hours, not even knowing whether we would get in. At first it was fun to see how many people were dressed up and to read the crazy signs like "Marry me, Daniel." Plus, it's nice how everybody starts to mingle and discuss topics such as how miscast Sir Michael Gambon is as Dumbledore and how we miss Richard Harris. After spotting a young man wearing a Wicked cap, my sister and I started discussing the probability of a Harry Potter musical and thinking of possible songs.

Eventually, the line started moving slowly. Every ten or twenty minutes, we would move up a few feet. The bleachers seats were long gone by the time we got to the front, but we did get a standing spot. The first row was completely full, predictably, by the time we got there, but we stood next to this nice woman from Wisconsin and her daughter. She let us go in front of her because of our height, but there were still tall people in front of us. We decided to take our chances with that spot because it was right across from the red carpet. It was only 1 or 1:30 so we still had a good two hours before anyone was scheduled to show up. A woman with a very small child was also in front of us and her daughter couldn't take the heat, so we told her we'd save her spot. At this point everyone was still fairly kind to each other and just seemed happy to be there. The woman and her daughter eventually came back so there was more shifting around and there was a good spot next to them in the second row, so I told my sister to take it. Some of the people around us had arrived at 7 a.m., so it was comforting to know that even if we showed up earlier, it wouldn't have made too much of a difference. I couldn't see a thing from where I was, but I didn't really care at that point. Probably around 2 or 3 p.m., I would hear screams every five minutes, but it always turned out to be a camerman shooting for some local news station (or so I was told, I couldn't really see to confirm this). Also the guy who created Mugglenet was running around, handing out stickers and filming. At around 3:30, the Harry Potter music started playing and the fans were really going crazy. This is about when everyone who had been so friendly before started to turn on each other. Why is it that events like this always bring out both the best and worst in people? This one family from Chicago was the worst. The parents seemed more into it than the daughter. The dad, who was huge, had no regard for the children behind him and was pushing to get closer and closer. You'd think he would go to the back since he'd be able to see from anywhere. Then he had the nerve to yell at others for pushing, including an 8-year-old girl. He also yelled at a girl for hitting his daughter with her hair (which I'm sure was an accident), when his wife had been doing that to me the whole time. I don't mean to sound spiteful, but I'm just amazed at how many adults were acting like children just to meet some teenage actors.

So the first star to show up was Rupert Grint at about 4:00. People were yelling something about Cho Chang before that, but I'm not sure if she was really there. Rupert Grint came up right to where we were. And there were a few moments when I could spot his ginger hair, but my sister got a great look at him, and although he stopped doing autographs by the time he got to her, she yelled "Weasley is my king," and he waved at her or at least in her direction. She got what she wanted, to see Rupert Grint up close, so that made it worth it. Next was Emma Watson who also came up to where we were. I saw her face for about a second, but couldn't really see her outfit. Again my sister got a good look. She was wearing a white dress. And then, nobody came for a long time. I was getting reports of actors on the red carpet who didn't go up to the fans, but these were Disney Channel stars and someone from "Heroes" and Melissa Joan Hart. Pretty weak for a movie of this magnitude. I was ready to leave, but I figured maybe Dan Radcliffe would come and everyone would leave and then if anyone else came after we could have a better look. Rupert Grint hadn't gone inside yet and I didn't want my sister to miss an opportunity for an autograph in case he came back. We waited for so long anyway, so I figured we might as well stick around. At one point, my sister shouted that the actor who played Cedric in the fourth film was there (I'm not sure why, he's not even in the fifth), so that was another highlight for her. Daniel did not show up until about 5:00 and he did not approach the fans at all. I was told this because I did not see him at all.

And then it was all over. The actors went in. I'm not sure if anybody else from the film was there, but if so, nobody on my side saw them. I almost feel like I wasn't there (I don't even have pictures, I brought a camera, but I figured it would be futile to even try), but although I was sunburnt, thirsty, and ready to faint, I'm glad I went. I know what to expect for future premieres (not that I would ever go to a premiere again without a press pass), I didn't have to camp out or wake up at a ridicuously early hour, and my sister still left happy.

All About Me

Raquel Laneri at Electric Warrior tagged me with this meme. I've never done one of these before, and although it feels a little like a chain letter, I'll give it a go.

THE RULES

1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

So here are eight random facts that you may or may not know about me:

I've been in an academy award winning film.

OK. So I was an extra in American Beauty, but if you pause the scene at the basketball game in just the right spot, you can see me. I was also on TRL and appeared on camera twice in that episode. Combined, that probably makes up about 5 of my 15 minutes of fame.

I once wrote a juke-box musical of what else, Beatles music.

I took a class during my sophomore year of undergrad called "The American Musical." We had to do a creative final project. Most people did performances, but I did not want to subject my classmates or professor to my singing voice. So instead I wrote a musical using Beatles music. I got an A plus on it (probably the only A plus in my college career).

I've been published in Rolling Stone.

Technically. I had a letter to the editor published in response to a profile on Johnny Depp that I thought was particularly well-written.

I played the flute for eight years.

My elementary school started band in fourth grade and anybody who wanted to could choose an instrument. I chose the flute and loved it at the time, but I started to hate it in high school and haven't even touched a flute since then.

I'm old-fashioned and fearful of new technology.

I resisted CD and DVD players for a long time. I didn't have a cell phone until after undergrad. I don't have an iPod. And I still think it's weird that I have a blog.

I sometimes pretend to be younger than I am.

Since people always assume that I'm a lot younger than I am (I'm talking high school student), I sometimes lie just so I won't have to deal with the shock on their faces when I say I'm 24. This usually happens when I'm out with my family.

I went through a pick-up line phase.

Not that I constantly used them, I was just really fascinated by them and was always trying to learn new ones. My away messages in early college used to be a pick-up line of the day.

I have lots of collections.

A few items that I hoarde: buttons, keychains (I don't do this so much anymore, buttons replaced keychains, they're less noisy), shopping bags from stores around the world, postcards, playbills, and ticket stubs, but I think most people save their ticket stubs.

Now I'm supposed to tag eight other bloggers. I'm not sure if I know eight other bloggers who read my blog who haven't already been tagged.
Liney at Legally Committed
Carl at snarl_
Susie at the New F-Word
Jon at Syracuse Noise Forest
Suzanne at Meet You at the Crossroads
James at Last Exit Before the End
Jenna at Project Culture
Dave at Sincere Syllables

Why don't I live in the UK?

Yet another reason why the UK is superior--better theatre reality television.* I recently discovered that the BBC's How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria, a reality show talent competition to find a Maria to star in the West End's The Sound of Music, has been followed up by Any Dream Will Do, in which Andrew Lloyd Webber and co. are searching for a new Joseph for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. My study breaks have become watching clips from the show. Thank goodness for YouTube, otherwise I would be deprived of reality television at its finest.

I saw a highly entertaining revival of Joseph on the West End in 2003, so I'm not sure it's begging to be revived again, but, and mock if you like, I'm just going to say it right now, I love Joseph. I love Andrew Lloyd Weber's eclectic score, plus it's always been my favorite Torah story. I'm still on the fence about this new casting method, although I got sucked into Grease You're the One That I Want. But if any musical was made to be cast this way, it's Joseph. The character is sort of a pop idol anyway (and he's usually played by one).

Obviously, I can't watch full episodes, but from what I've seen on YouTube, this show is much better produced than its American counterpart and the competitors are much more talented. They have more chances to showcase their talents, having to perform in trios, duets, as a group, solo, and facing various acting challenges. Also the singoffs are much more elaborate and intense. The competitors perform a whole song rather than little snippets as they did on Grease. It does seem cruel to have the losers sing "Close Every Door To Me" when they give back their coats, but that's reality television for you.

There are only three boys left in the competition--Lewis, Lee, and Keith. I'm rooting for Lee who has the best voice and stage presence. Keith has also given some knockout performances (and I'm not just saying that because he's Scottish), but he looks too young for the role and would make a better Benjamin. Come to think of it, since there were originally twelve in the competition, they should cast everyone else as the brothers. Anyway, you can bet I'll be checking BBC.co.uk for the results of the final, which is this Saturday.

Here's a clip of my favorite, Lee, singing "Paint it Black." This wasn't necessarily his best performance, but I like the bit at the beginning with the guys speaking in their charming accents:


*I realize my blog has been very theatre heavy of late. I'm spending most of my time writing about rock and pop music for my capstone, so I like to change it up a bit here.

It was 40 years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play...

I know, terribly unoriginal. I felt it necessary to take a break from my capstone to commemorate the 40th anniversary of one of the most important rock 'n' roll albums of all time. I've always been more of a "White Album" girl myself, and I also consider "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" to be stronger albums as a whole, but "Sgt. Pepper's" did give us the concept album, the Summer of Love, and "A Day in the Life."

It's a little strange to comment on the anniversary because I obviously wasn't around at the time. I never had the experience of going to the record store as soon as it came out, running home and sitting down next to the record player, and listening to it all the way through, completely mesmorized. I have no recollections of my first time listening to any of the Beatles albums because they were always there.

I do remember spending hours looking at the album cover, trying to figure out who all those famous people were. I would sing along to every song, lyrics in hand. I didn't know or care about hidden drug references, but I was intrigued by the lyrics, even then. I was fascinated by the contradictions in "Getting Better," both within the lyrics and the juxtaposition of the upbeat, sing-song melody with the darker words. I cried for the girl in "She's Leaving Home" as well as her parents. I loved the silly phrases in "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite." I was jealous of Rita, who Paul McCartney wanted to have tea with. And I was stunned by "A Day in the Life."

It depresses me to think that 40 years have passed since Paul McCartney wrote "When I'm 64" and that he's on the verge of turning 65. I always thought of the four of them as those young boys from Liverpool even though they were in their 40s when I was born and John Lennon was no longer alive.

But Paul McCartney has moved on, at least in part. On Tuesday, he will release "Memory Almost Full," which promises to be an amazing album despite the label on which it's being released (Hear Music). He is focused on promoting the album rather than celebrating the anniversary of one of his proudest achievements (on the Anthology, he seems much more eager to take credit for "Sgt. Pepper's" than say, "Magical Mystery Tour," which is a very underappreciated album, but that's a story for another day). Still, his new album, as he's stated in interviews, is retrospective, with songs that look back on his childhood and his relationship with Linda. The first single "My Ever Present Past," which rivals the best songs on most McCartney solo albums (with the possible exceptions of "Ram" and "McCartney"), reminds us that Paul McCartney never can escape his past. I wonder if he realized that he would be releasing the album at a time when so many would be reliving the glory days of "Sgt. Pepper's." It must be hard to have your work held up to such high standards, but it looks like Paul is up for the challenge.

It was only a matter of time...

Who wouldn't want to spend some time at Hogwarts or have a cup of butter beer in Hogsmeade? Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Universal Orlando Resort exploited this desire within Harry Potter fans by announcing the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2009. As much as I love all things Harry Potter, it makes me a little sad that it has come to this. It started out as a really good book series that got kids to read and use their imaginations and now it's become a multi-million dollar franchise. Still, as long as people are still reading the books I guess it's OK. Plus, this could be a fun theme park, although I'm guessing it will cost a pretty penny to get in (plus airfare to Orlando). I guess I have a few years to save up.
Read the article here.

Tony, Tony

The Tony nominations were announced today. There were few surprises. "Spring Awakening" leads with 11 nominations. "The Coast of Utopia" was the most nominated play with 10. Here's the complete list of winners (taken from www.tonyawards.com) and some early predictions (I may update these as we get closer).

Best Play
The Coast of Utopia (author: Tom Stoppard)
Frost/Nixon (author: Peter Morgan)
The Little Dog Laughed (author: Douglas Carter Beane)
Radio Golf (author: August Wilson)
Early Prediction: "The Coast of Utopia." It did get the most nominations of a play, but then you never know. I wouldn't be surprised if "Frost/Nixon" walked away with the Tony.

Best Musical
Curtains
Grey Gardens
Mary Poppins
Spring Awakening
Early Prediction: Do I need to say it? Is there any way that "Spring Awakening" won't win?

Best Book of a Musical
Curtains (Rupert Holmes and Peter Stone)
Grey Gardens (Doug Wright)
Legally Blonde The Musical (Heather Halch)
Spring Awakening (Steven Sater)
Early Prediction: I'm torn between "Gardens" and "Awakening," but I'll go with "Spring Awakening" for now.

Best Original Score
Curtains (Music: John Kander, Lyrics: Fred Ebb, John Kander, and Rupert Holmes)
Grey Gardens (Music: Scott Frankel, Lyrics: Michael Korie)
Legally Blonde the Musical (Music and Lyrics: Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin)
Spring Awakening (Music: Duncan Sheik, Lyrics: Steven Sater)
Early Prediction: "Spring Awakening" has the most exciting new score I've heard in a lont time and Sheik and Sater deserve to win this category. I'm guessing that they will.

Best Revival of a Play:
Inherit the Wind
Journey's End
Talk Radio
Translations
Early Prediction: I've only seen "Inherit the Wind," which I really enjoyed, but I don't think it will win. Based on what I've read and heard, I think "Journey's End" has a good chance.

Best Revival of a Musical:
The Apple Tree
A Chorus Line
Company
110 in the Shade
Early Prediction: This is a tough category this year. I've seen all of them and I think they all have their merits. I think the overall strongest are "Company" and "110 in the Shade." I'd like to see "110" win, but I think "Company" has the best chance.

Best Special Theatrical Event:
Jay Johnson: The Two and Only
Kiki & Herb Alive on Broadway
Early Prediction: I guess I have a 50% chance of getting it right. I'll go with "Kiki & Herb Alive on Broadway."

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play:
Boyd Gaines (Journey's End)
Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon)
Brian F. O'Byrne (The Coast of Utopia)
Christopher Plummer (Inherit the Wind)
Liev Schrieber (Talk Radio)
Early Prediction: Another tough category, considering all five of these actors already have Tony awards. I only saw Christopher Plummer's performance which is definitely Tony-worthy, but Frank Langella might edge them all out.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play:
Eve Best (A Moon for the Misbegotten)
Swoosie Kurtz (Heartbreak House)
Angela Lansbury (Deuce)
Vanessa Redgrave (The Year of Magical Thinking)
Julie White (The Little Dog Laughed)
Early Prediction: Julie White had positive buzz for her performance in "The Little Dog Laughed," so I think she'll take it, even if she is up against Lansbury and Redgrave.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical:
Michael Cerveris (LoveMusik)
Raul Esparza (Company)
Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening)
Gavin Lee (Mary Poppins)
David Hyde Pierce (Curtains)
Early Prediction: My favorite category. I haven't seen the performances of Pierce and Cerveris, but I loved the other three. I was happy to see that Gavin Lee was recognized, even though he doesn't have a chance. Although I haven't seen "LoveMusik" yet, Cerveris is one of the most talented actors and singers on Broadway, but it's not his year, it's Esparza's. I said it when I saw the show in November and I'm going to stick to it. As much as I would like to see it go to the talented young Groff, I think Esparza deserves it for his rendition of "Being Alive" alone.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical:
Laura Bell Bundy (Legally Blonde The Musical)
Christine Ebersole (Grey Gardens)
Audra McDonald (110 in the Shade)
Debra Monk (Curtains)
Donna Murphy (LoveMusik)
Early Prediction: Christine Ebersole has it in the bag. It's unfortunate that Lea Michele was snubbed for "Spring Awakening" since she's been with the show from the beginning. She's young, though, and I'm sure she'll get her Tony yet.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play:
Anthony Chisholm (Radio Golf)
Billy Crudup (The Coast of Utopia)
Ethan Hawke (The Coast of Utopia)
John Earl Jelks (Radio Golf)
Stark Sands (Journey's End)
Early Prediction: I'd like to see Crudup win, and based on what I saw in "Voyage," I think he has a good chance.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play:
Jennifer Ehle (The Coast of Utopia)
Xanthe Elbrick (Coram Boy)
Dana Ivey (Butley)
Jan Maxwell (Coram Boy)
Martha Plimpton (The Coast of Utopia)
Early Prediction: Jennifer Ehle for same reason as above.

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical:
Brooks Ashmanskas (Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me)
Christian Borle (Legally Blonde The Musical)
John Cullum (110 in the Shade)
John Gallagher, Jr. (Spring Awakening)
David Pittu (LoveMusik)
Early Prediction: John Gallagher, Jr.! If you've seen "Spring Awakening," you'll understand why this kid deserves a Tony.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical:
Charlotte d'Amboise (A Chorus Line)
Rebecca Luker (Mary Poppins)
Orfeh (Legally Blonde the Musical)
Mary Louise Wilson (Grey Gardens)
Karen Ziemba (Curtains)
Early Prediction: First of all, how did Charlotte d'Amboise get nominated? Her performance as Cassie was the weakest in the "A Chorus Line" revival, yet she was the only one to get nominated. At least she won't win, Mary Louise Wilson will.

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Bob Crowley & Scott Pask (The Coast of Utopia)
Jonathan Fensom (Journey's End)
David Gallo (Radio Golf)
Ti Green and Melly Still (Coram Boy)
Early Prediction: Bob Crowley and Scott Pask for "The Coast of Utopia."

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Bob Crowley (Mary Poppins)
Christine Jones (Spring Awakening)
Anna Louizos (High Fidelity)
Allen Moyer (Grey Gardens)
Early Prediction: Bob Crowley again for "Mary Poppins."

Best Costume Design of a Play
Ti Green and Melly Still (Coram Boy)
Jane Greenwood (Heartbreak House)
Santo Loquasto (Inherit the Wind)
Catherine Zuber (The Coast of Utopia)
Early Prediction: Catherine Zuber for "The Coast of Utopia."

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes (Legally Blonde The Musical)
Bob Crowley (Mary Poppins)
Susan Hilferty (Spring Awakening)
William Ivey Long (Grey Gardens)
Early Prediction: Bob Crowley for "Mary Poppins." Disney productions are always tend to be strongest in scenic, costume, and lighting design.

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable (Coram Boy)
Brian MacDevitt (Inherit the Wind)
Brian MacDevitt, Kenneth Posner and Natasha Katz (The Coast of Utopia)
Jason Taylor (Journey's End)
Early Prediction: Brina MacDevitt, Kenneth Posner, and Natasha Katz for "The Coast of Utopia."

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams (Spring Awakening)
Christopher Akerlind (110 in the Shade)
Howard Harrison (Mary Poppins)
Peter Kaczorowski (Grey Gardens)
Early Prediction: Kevin Adams for "Spring Awakening."

Best Direction of a Play
Michael Grandage (Frost/Nixon)
David Grindley (Journey's End)
Jack O'Brien (The Coast of Utopia)
Melly Still (Coram Boy)
Early Prediction: I'm still thinking about this one, but probably Jack O'Brien for "The Coast of Utopia."

Best Direction of a Musical
John Doyle (Company)
Scott Ellis (Curtains)
Michael Greif (Grey Gardens)
Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening)
Early Prediction: I don't think Doyle will win again, since "Sweeney Todd" was largely considered to be stronger than "Company." It stands to reason that Michael Mayer will win, since I'm assuming his show will win best musical.

Best Choreography
Rob Ashford (Curtains)
Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear (Mary Poppins)
Bill T. Jones (Spring Awakening)
Jerry Mitchell (Legally Blonde The Musical)
Early Prediction: I'll go out on a limb and say Jerry Mitchell for "Legally Blonde the Musical." If that show wins anything, it will be for this category.

Best Orchestrations
Bruce Coughlin (Grey Gardens)
Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening)
Jonathan Tunick (LoveMusik)
Jonathan Tunick (110 in the Shade)
Early Prediction: Duncan Sheik for "Spring Awakening" just because I want him to win.

The 61st Tony Awards will air at 8 p.m. on Sunday, June 10 on CBS.

Just Rocket!

Alexis Finc and I interviewed the girls in Rocket for an awesome new slideshow. We put the slideshow together, picking which photos to use and matching quotes with the photos, etc. I love the way it turned out. It's really fun, as are the Rocket girls. Check them out.

Happiness is...

gURL.com had users write in 10 things that make them happy. It turned out really cute. I had trouble narrowing it down to 10, so I cheated and made two lists (which still wasn't enough). You can view them
here and here.
What makes you happy?

4 Shows in 3 Days

In my family, we know how to do theatre. My mom and my sister, Amy, came to Syracuse to visit me last week and they came to New York with me when I went for my internship. We arrived Thursday morning and were there until Sunday afternoon. We each saw four shows (not the same four shows) and only paid full price for one. What follows is an explanation of the different ways in which we purchased our tickets, but you can always skip ahead to the reviews.

On Thursday, they were going to get tickets for "Beauty and the Beast" at TKTS (the 50% off ticket booth in Times Square). "Beauty and the Beast" does not have student rush, so the only way to get cheap tickets is at TKTS. My sister really wanted to see "Beauty and the Beast" before it closed. Also, John Tartaglia is in it and she's never seen him live. I will admit, I was a little curious about the show, having seen every other Disney production. Before they went to get tickets, they stopped at the theatre to make sure JT was in it, only to find out that such information is not posted until an hour and a half before show-time and that JT had an understudy the night before. They decided not to risk getting tickets in case he wasn't in it, so they stood in line for "Tarzan" student rush tickets I met them there after my internship at around 6 pm. Having seen "Tarzan," I was going to just chill at the hotel, but I decided to stop by "Grey Gardens" and try my luck. I strolled up to the box office, asked the nice woman if she had student rush, she said sure and gave me a fourth row seat for $26.

The next day, my mom and sister went to Studio 54 to see if they had rush tickets for "110 in the Shade" (I knew from previous experience that they tend to have general rush tickets in the mezzanine for $26 and more expensive student rush tickets closer to the stage, but every seat in Studio 54 is great). So they got general rush tickets for the three of us. Before the show, we stopped by the "Beauty and the Beast" theatre to find out that John Tartaglia was in it, so we thought it would be a safe bet that he would be in it on Saturday as well. We made a plan that my sister and I would go stand in line to get student rush tickets for "Spring Awakening" the next morning for the evening show and my mom would go to TKTS for the matinee of "Beauty and the Beast" (you can get up to two student rush tickets per I.D. and however many tickets at TKTS as you want).

We went to our respective lines at 8:30 am Saturday morning (this may seem crazy to some, but theatre isn't cheap, so these kinds of sacrifices are worth it if it means getting to see more shows). Unfortunately, they didn't happen to have any "Beauty and the Beast" tickets at TKTS, but we did have luck at "Spring Awakening," even though there were quite a few people in front of us. When we left the box office, we went to the "Beauty and the Beast" box office and found out that they did have seats available for $85. Because Amy was so desperate to see it, I decided to get a ticket for myself and for her. My mom was not curious enough for that kind of money, so we went to the "Chorus Line" lottery so maybe she could see a show as well. There was nobody there compared to how it was when I went and everyone won. So my mom got a front row center seat for $21. Had I known that before buying the other tickets, I would have made my sister go see "A Chorus Line."

So here is what I thought about the shows that I saw:

"Grey Gardens"- The story of Jackie O's cousin and aunt, Little Edie Beale and Edith Bouvier Beale, former socialites who became recluses in the 70s, is an unusual subject matter for a musical, and it might have worked better as a play. The songs didn't add much to the story except that the two women were singers (there are plays in which the characters sing without it being an actual musical). It's an interesting story, but you could always watch the documentary or read about them in a book. The only reason to see this show is for the performances of Christine Ebersole and Mary Louise Wilson. Ebersole plays the domineering Edith in 1941 and the childlike Edie in 1973 and Wilson plays Edith in 1973. The scenes in 1973 are the most entertaining, as the women play off each other in a manner both hilarious and tragic. I'm glad I saw this show, but it is the type of show I would see once. I appreciated it from a distance, but it didn't really move me.

"110 in the Shade"- The Roundabout Theatre Company has done it again. I've never been disappointed by any of its productions and "110 in the Shade" is no exception. The show is a revival of the 1963 musical with music and lyrics by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones (the team behind the music of "The Fantasticks"). The story takes place during a heat wave in the 1930s in Texas. Audra McDonald plays Lizzie Curry, who is in danger of becoming an old maid. Her father and brothers are desperately trying to marry her off. It's a sweet and entertaining story, expertly acted by the ensemble. It's easy to see why many flock to the theatre to see McDonald. Her singing is effortless, but she did not outshine the rest of the cast. Most notable was Steve Kazee as the mysterious rainmaker Starbuck (that name has such a loaded meaning nowadays). If the show was that near flawless the first night of previews, I can't imagine how good it will be once it opens. The show will have a short run and closes on July 15.

"Beauty and the Beast"- This is by far the worst of the Disney productions, even worse than "Tarzan." I'm hoping that the show was better when it opened in 1994 and that it's just grown tired. This is proof that it is time for it to close. I felt like I was watching children's theatre. Of course, this show is intended for children, but the other Disney shows didn't feel like they could only be enjoyed by children. Every joke was uttered so slowly. It didn't help that they were all taken directly from the movie so I got to the punchlines about 5 minutes before the actors did. The acting was pretty amateurish as well. The saving grace was Stephen Buntrock as Gaston whose scenes were by far the most enjoyable and pleasing to the ear (especially a song not in the movie, the delightfully wicked "Maison Des Lunes"). John Tartaglia was as charming and adorable as ever and although he did a good job with the French accent and Lumiere's characteristic voice, it did seem hard on his voice. I'm sorry I spent so much money on the show (especially when I can have a much better time watching the movie for free), but at least I've seen it and don't have to wonder anymore.

"Spring Awakening"- It should come as a surprise to no one who reads my blog or knows me that I love "Spring Awakening." It can be anti-climactic seeing a show for the second time no matter how good it is, but it was just as amazing as I remembered it. Plus, I loved being able to introduce my sister to a show that totally moved her. I'm looking forward to the Tony nominations. If it doesn't win best musical, I'll be shocked.

Whatcha gonna do with all that junk?

This is the best cover I've heard in a long time. It's almost better than Will Ferrell's version in "Blades of Glory."

More gURL-y Stuff

This isn't as exciting as the sensitive boy game, but I wrote a Fast Facts on cervical cancer that is on the site now. If you're interested, check out the What gURLS Think: Emo because I think the responses were really fascinating.

Excuse me, wha?

According to Entertainment Weekly, Aaron Sorkin will be writing the script to a new musical based on the Flaming Lips album, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. I'm too confused to comment right now.

If You're Ever in Ireland...

As part of the arts journalism program, we got a free trip to Ireland for spring break. We stayed at the Forster Court Hotel in Galway from Saturday, March 10 to Tuesday, March 13 and then went on to Dublin until March 18, where we stayed in self-catered apartments. We saw four shows--"Leaves" at the Druid, "Julius Caesar" at the Abbey, "Salome" at the Gate, and "Don Carlos" at the Project Arts Centre. Not a bad deal. Anyway, here are some highlights and recommendations (I apologize in advance that I don't have pictures to post yet as I don't have a digital camera):

Roisin Dubh- A drunk man on the street told us that the Roisin Dubh was a touristy bar, but we went there anyway, and I didn't get that impression. It's located on Dominick Street in Galway and always has live music. There was no cover (at least at the time we went) and we got to see two decent bands, the Gorgeous Colours and The Cheerfuls (I love how happy those names are). There's nothing like getting to see a free concert when you're not expecting it.

Dun Aonghasa in Inis Mor- Inis Mor (Inishmore), the largest of the Aran Islands, is just a short bus and ferry ride from Galway. Although many of my classmates did not enjoy the ferry ride, I had a blast getting my "sea legs." I recommend sitting on the top level.

Once we arrived on the island, we took a mini-coach tour, stopping at various locations along the way. Inis Mor is very touristy over the summer, but it was still fairly quiet at the time we were there. It seems like it would be such a peaceful place to live, but the islanders work hard as well (Especially this one very nice woman who sells sweaters, hats, gloves, and socks. We sort of invaded her tiny shop). Gaelic is still the primary language, but everyone speaks English as well.

Our main stop on the tour was Dun Aonghasa, a stone fort atop a cliff that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. The view was absolutely breathtaking (although I wasn't brave enough to lie down over the edge of the cliff) and I can't really do justice describing it.

Coole Park- Coole Park used to be the home of Lady Augusta Gregory (writer and co-founder of the Abbey Theatre). Her home was the center if the Irish Literary Renaissance in the early 20th Century and authors like Yeats, Synge, and Shaw used to frequent there. Not only is the park a lovely place to explore and collects your thoughts, there is an autograph tree signed autographed by the likes of Yeats, Shaw, and others. Needless to say, the literary nerd in me was quite impressed. My only disappointment was that I didn't get to see any wild swans at Coole.

Coole Park is located about an hour outside of the Galway city centre (we stopped there en route to Dubin).

Butler's Chocolate Cafe- The hot chocolate at this cafe is so worth it (even when you convert the price to dollars). There are various locations of Butler's throughout the city of Dublin, but both times we went to the Grafton Street location. The first time I had marshmallow hot chocolate. The marshmallows melt to the bottom, so when you get to the there, you have a treat of gooey marshmallow and chocolate deliciousness. The second time I had the cookie hot chocolate, which has either Oreos or Oreo imitations, which also melt at the bottom and the effect is just as delicious. Each hot chocolate also comes with a Butler's handmade chocolate. Yummy.

Nude- I was afraid I would have difficulty finding tasty vegetarian food in Ireland and was fully prepared to live off Cadbury's chocolate for a week, but I was very well-fed. I was so enamored with Nude in particular that I ate there twice, and I would have gone there a third time at the airport for a smoothie had it not been for stupid customs.*

Nude offers tasty wraps, paninis, soups, and smoothies. I had a toasted broccoli and goat cheese wrap which had just the right proportions of brocolli, cheese, and spinach. I also had a berry smoothie which was better than anything at Jamba Juice (and I'm a Jamba Juice fan). I also had a taste of the funky monkey (banana and chocolate). What I loved about the smoothies was the consistency--they aren't too thicked, but they aren't too liquidy either. On the second day, I had a mozzarella panini (because they were out of the jumping bean toasted wrap for the second day in a row and I still really want to try that). The paninis are really long and thin, and at first I wasn't sure if it would be enough, but again, it turned out to be the perfect size.

Nude is located on Suffolk Street, in the Grafton Street area.

Octagon Bar- I couldn't go to Bono's brother's cafe and not to go to Bono's hotel, The Clarence. The bar is called the Octagon Bar because, as you might guess, it's shaped like an octagon. It's a really good idea to have a bar shaped that way, because it allows for these little nooks. The bar is very expensive (8 euro for Bailey's and coffee) but it's worth it just to go for one drink and check it out. Plus, it has the nicest bathrooms in Dublin.

The Front Lounge- After the Octagon Bar, some of us went to the Front Lounge, located on Parliament Street. The combination of these two places was my favorite of the nightlife that we experienced.

The Front Lounge has a mix of gay and straight clientele. Drinks are pretty pricey as well (I asked how much a black Russian would cost, and the bartender said 5 euro, which I thought was reasonable so I went ahead and ordered it. When she rang me up, she said, "Sorry. It's actually ten.") I was still in a good mood, though, because I got to dance, and I had been looking for some dancing in Dublin. When I was getting my drink and I heard "Sexy Back" come on, I knew I was in the right place.

Project Arts Theatre- I loved all the theatre spaces that we saw. They were all pretty small, even the Abbey and the Gate, but especially the Druid and the Project Arts Theatre. It allows for such an intimate theatre experience. I think the Project Arts Theatre was my favorite space. It was a thrust theatre, with only a few rows of seating on each side. I was already pretty invested in the story of "Don Carlos," but being so close to the action heightened the experience.

Bewley's Cafe Theatre- Bewley's is a multi-level all-in-one cafe, bar, restaurant, and theatre space located on Grafton Street. On the top floor, it offers lunchtime theatre for the bargain price of 13 euro (15 if you're not a student). This includes a play and lunch (soup and bread).

We saw the play, "Living With Johnny Depp," which I was attracted to by the title. It was a one-woman show starring Joanne Mitchell and directed by Miceala Miranda, who played a 15-year-old student, her 60-year-old English teacher, and her 35-year-old principal, all obsessed with Johnny Depp for different reasons. Mitchell was fully committed to each role, and it was an entertaining and at times hilarious show.

Odessa- This is where we ate on the last night (fortunately, it was paid for by SU abroad because I probably wouldn't be able to afford it). As you can see from the picture, it's pretty fancy schmancy. For my starter, I couldn't decide between the butternut squash soup (my favorite) and the selection of dips with pesto, hummus, and harissa. I went for the dip, which turned out to be a wise choice, but I did taste the soup, which would have been an equally wise choice. The highlight of the meal, though, was the creme brulee with strawberries and rhubarb (I was also tempted to go for the chocolate marmalade torte). I wasn't sure what to expect, but there were pieces of strawberry and rhubarb in the creme brulee. I was about to burst, but I forced myself to finish it.

*In all my years of traveling, I've never had an experience like this. We had to go through American customs in Ireland (which I guess makes some sense, so they don't have to send people away once they get to the US), but the gates closed at 9:15 and we had to wait for such a long time behind this marching band that by the time we checked in and went through security it was 9. The Dublin airport is nice and I wanted to do some shopping and go to Nude, but we had to go through customs before it closed, only to find out our plane was delayed. We had to wait in this cramped room with tons of coughing people (which may explain why I'm sick now) and only one very very small cafe. Our plane was not scheduled to leave until 10:30 anyway, so I don't understand why we had to be there so early, and they should have extended the time once the plane was delayed. OK. That's my rant on that.

Oh Sir Paul, You Can't Do That

According to MSN.com, Sir Paul McCartney is the first artist signed to Starbucks new record label. On the one hand, as a Starbucks barista, this should put me at one degree of seperation from my idol, but seriously, why does one of the most successful artists in the world need a coffee company to produce his records? As much as I love Paul, I'm not quite sure about his decision making processes ("Give My Regards to Broadstreet" anyone?).

Cry Me A River

Are you dying to know who your ideal sensitive boy musician is? The wait is over. The sensitive boy musician selector (which I wrote) is up on gURL.com.

Maybe I could work for New York Magazine...

I totally had this idea.

I've been talking about it for a month or so. I've been really fascinated by the young cast of "Spring Awakening" because the show is about sexual awakening and adolescence, and the cast members have all either just gone through that or are still going through that. Also, the fans of the show are teenagers themselves, so there's another interesting dynamic there. I'm pretty bummed that New York Magazine beat me to the punch, but I can take comfort in the fact that I had an idea worthy of New York Magazine.

And I'm not going to be bitter, I applaud Brian Keith Jackson on his article. He gets to the heart of what I think is really interesting right in the first paragraph:
"There’s a real sweetness on that stage (not to mention one real coupling), and now the young actors are effectively pop stars. Among a generation not exactly known for flocking to musicals, they’ve set off a whole new wave of swooning, YouTubing fandom. Brian Keith Jackson spoke with them about the show, their lives, and what they listen to when they’re not singing 'The Bitch of Living.'”

Although "Spring Awakening" is based on an 1891 German play, it is essentially a musical for the YouTube generation. The scenes are fairly short, broken up by musical numbers, which are basically mini-rock shows, perfect for those with short attention spans. "Spring Awakening" is the only show I've ever seen with it's own MySpace page and the line between fan and friend is becoming increasingly smaller.

Jackson asks what I would have asked--What do they do when they go out, what do they listen to, what is it like to date a co-star, and what the fans are like. His individual profiles of the actors are fairly short, but each one gives a sense of who these teenagers are.

Even though I couldn't write the article, I'm glad somebody did, so please read it and if you have a chance, see "Spring Awakening."

gURL power

This semester, I'm interning at gURL.com, a website for teenage girls thirteen and older. My first piece is on the website, a guide to therapy. And after you're done reading that, tell us what you think "emo" means.

With Love...

Hilary Duff's latest single is shamelessly titled "With Love." I say shameless because earlier this year, Duff launched her perfume, also called With Love. When I first saw the music video, I thought it seemed like a blatant advertisement for the fragrance, only to find out that part of it is actually used in a commercial.

"With Love" is the first single off her new album, "Dignity," to be released April 3. Hilary's music has always been bubble-gum fare, but lately she's been moving away from her cookie-cutter image. She seems to be following some of her peers/rivals, going for an electronic dance sound similar to Lindsay Lohan's "Rumors." She is also going for a more mature look. While the short black wig doesn't really suit her, it's refreshing to see her with a little more meat on her bones (she could still stand to gain a few pounds though, and while she's add it she could dye her hair blonde again).

Although I miss the old Hilary, the more I listen to this song, the more addictive it becomes. I've been a fan of hers since "Lizzie McGuire," and I've enjoyed her music since she sang the words, "It doesn't matter where I go with my boy shoes and my rock star phone," in her first single, "I Can't Wait." I like "With Love" for the same reason I liked that and everything she's done since-- it's fun and entertaining and it makes me want to do a crazy dance.

Click here to watch the video.

"Bridge to Terabithia"- Save Yourself Some Money and Read the Book Instead

It's hard for me to look at a film like "Bridge to Terabithia" objectively. I love the book by Katherine Paterson and consider it one of the most beautiful children stories I've ever read. While the film version is a fairly accurate interpretation of the novel, a passive viewing of a film cannot compare to reading a story that is all about the powers of imagination.

"Bridge to Terabithia," directed by Gabor Csupo, was released nationwide on Friday. Disney and Walden Media, producers of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe," teamed together again, far more unsuccessfully, to produce this film.

Jesse Aarons (Josh Hutcherson) is a boy from a poor family. The middle child in between four sisters, he works hard at his chores, wants to be the fastest runner in his class, and is a talented artist. When Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb) moves in next door, she teaches him how to escape the bullies and pressures of his home life by imagining a secret land called Terabithia.

The film was marketed as another "Narnia," which was a mistake. Although the book does make reference to the Narnia stories, Narnia is a real place, whereas Terabithia exists only in the minds of Jesse and Leslie. In the book, the world of Terabithia is never really explained, leaving it up to each child to imagine it. The creatures that appear in the film are never mentioned in the book.

The misleading preview for Terabithia shows the children battling giants, vultures, and strange animals that look like porcupines. At least the film itself stays away from making those scenes the central part of the story. From what I've read, viewers are surprised that these creatures did not take up more time in the film, but the story is not about that. What happens in Terabithia is not as important as what its existence means to the children.

Katherine Paterson is an expert in the way children and adolescents think and express themselves. Hutcherson and Robb are believable in their roles, but I was more moved by their characters reading Paterson's words than watching them on the screen. Of all the actors, 7-year-old Bailee Madison, who plays Jesse's younger sister May Belle, is the talent to watch for. She captures May Belle's stubborness, innocence, and idolization of her older brother in some truly heartbreaking scenes.

The book was published in the '70s, and although the story is timeless, the film was placed in the present time with a quick reference to the internet. This would be less of an issue, if it wasn't for a crucial scene in which a teacher (the always enjoyable Zooey Deschanel) calls Jesse and a Saturday and takes him to a museum. Call me cynical, but it seems very unlikely that such an event, however innocent the intentions, could occur in today's society.

This is not why the film doesn't work. There is nothing awful about the film, but it doesn't work because it just isn't that memorable. It's an interesting companion piece to the book, but it would be a disservice to see the film without having read the book.

Michael J. Fox was Alex P. Keaton

I just wanted to share some exciting news. "Family Ties" is finally coming out on DVD on February 20. How did I not know about this? Of course, this leads to the dilemma, do I buy the first season when it comes out or do I wait for the inevitable complete box set? I believe there were 7 seasons, so I could be waiting a while. Either way, that was a nice pick-me-up from those winter blues.

Words are fun

I'm going a little stir-crazy. I've been locked in my apartment for two days after the snow storm. So I've been thinking about random things. And today I was thinking about the word "blog." I don't really like the sound of the word, it sounds like something really unpleasant, but I like multi-purpose words.

I used to work at the dining hall while I was at Tufts (they had the best white pizza ever) and we had to wear these shirts that said TUDS, which stood for Tufts University Dining Services. But we would call ourselves TUDS, as in people who work for dining service. The singular form is TUD, as in, "Who is that sexy TUD playing 'It Wasn't Me' in the dishroom?" (Sexy TUD can also be abbreviated to STUD). The great thing about the word is that it can also be a verb, as in, "I'm tudding tonight," or, "I can't go out tonight, I have to go tud."

Blog operates the same way. A blog is a noun, but blogging is a verb. And I have no doubt that it will soon be used as an adjective, as in "Have you ever noticed so-and-so has an inherent bloginess to him?"

This is what happens when it snows.

This Book Will Change Your Life

For one of my classes this semester, "Arts and Arts Criticism," each student has to read a book by a critic in his field. I chose "Love is a Mix Tape" by Rob Sheffield.

I devoured this book. I would have finished it sooner if it wasn't for silly things like classes and an internship. I found myself taking the local instead of express subway just to have more time to read. As I told somebody the other day, I loved this book so much that it is hard for me to talk about it. But since I'm presenting about it on Wednesday, I better figure out how.

Rob Sheffield is a contributing editor at "Rolling Stone." He has written for various publications including "Spin" and "The Village Voice." When he was 23-years-old (in 1989), he met a girl named Renee. He married her in 1991 and she died unexpectedly of a pulmonary embolism in 1997. In "Love is a Mix Tape," he explores his grief using 15 mix tapes. This is the bravest work by a music critic that I ever read.

Although I am reading this book for a criticism class, this is in many ways the opposite of criticism. Criticism, in the strictest terms, is supposed to be objective. Sheffield looks at every piece of music in the most personal way. And he doesn't write about it in terms of whether it is "good" or "bad," but what it means to him. The very idea of creating a mix tape is a way to make a piece of music belong to you, by fashioning a new way to listen to the songs.

There is one particular tape that he made over a year after Renee died. "This is a classic example of a tape that tries to ruin a bunch of great songs by reminding you of a time you would rather forget," he writes, "Sometimes great tunes happen to bad times, and when the bad times is over, not all the tunes get to move on with you... Individually, all the songs on this tape make me smile, but lined up in this order, they make me shudder..."

Almost as much as this book is about Renee, it's about the music of the '90s, and Sheffield is also dealing with the grief of the end of the '90s:
"I get sentimental over the music of the '90s. Deplorable really. But I love it all. As far as I'm concerned, the '90s was the best era for music ever, even the stuff I loathed at the time, even the stuff that gave me stomach cramps. Every note from those years is charged with life for me now. For instance, I hated Pearl Jam at the time. I thought they were pompous blowhards. Now whenever a Pearl Jam song comes on the car radio, I find myself pounding my fist on the dashboard, screaming, 'Pearl JAM! Pearl JAM! Now this is rock and roll! Jeremy's SPO-ken! But he's stil al-LIIIIIIIVE!'"

This book is just as funny (as you can see from the previous passage) as it is heartbreaking. Sheffield knows how to write funny without being obvious or over-the-top, and he writes beautifully about loss without being manipulative.

Perhaps what I love most about this book is that Sheffield doesn't discriminate when discussing music. He admits to loving top 40 radio, he even admits to loving "MMMBop," and he devotes equal time to these as to Nirvana or the Beatles. While there are some jabs at bands like Cheap Trick, he doesn't resort to snark.

I'll leave you with one line that pretty much sums up the book. It's a line for anybody who has had to deal with the pain that comes along with listening to music that is reminiscent of someone or something that is no longer around. "I knew I would have to relearn music, and that some of the music we'd love together I'd never be able to hear again."

Spring Fever

I finally saw "Spring Awakening" (oh how I love student rush) and I am happy to report that the hype was founded. I haven't seen every new Broadway production this year, but so far, I will have to agree with every critic who named it the best musical of the year.

If you're unfamiliar with the show, "Spring Awakening" is based on an 1891 German play by Frank Wedekind. The controversial play deals with adolescents trying to understand their sexuality in a world where they are taught to fear their desires. The musical is also set in 19th century Germany, but the musical numbers bridge the past and the present. Actors sing into microphones, turning each scene into a rock concert. There are seats for the audience on either side of the stage and ensemble members sing from there, dressed in jeans and t-shirts.

So much has been written about the show already, so I will let "Spring Awakening" speak for itself. Here is a video of the song that has been stuck in my head since Thursday, the adrenaline-pumping "The Bitch of Living" (music by Duncan Sheik, lyrics by Steven Sater). Pay attention to John Gallagher Jr.'s (he's the first one you see in the video) electrifying vocals.

A Few Good Dannys Without a Suitable Sandy

Last night 14 potential Dannys and Sandys had a chance to wow America at the first live show of "Grease: You're The One That I Want." After the airing, viewers voted for their favorites and at the next show in two weeks, one Danny and one Sandy will be eliminated. After two hours of being entertained by the guys and horrified by the women, my hopes for the Broadway production are waning (and they weren't very high to begin with).

Twelve finalists had been chosen, but no reality show would be complete without a twist, so producer David Ian brought back the two contestants that they were the most sorry to lose, Matt Nolan and Ashley Anderson. This means that next week we will still be stuck with 12 competitors and the end remains nowhere in sight.

Nolan is a sweet boy who really wants the part and the audience loves him. I love him too; I mean he cried when he was eliminated, but he has no training and he is always going out of tune. There is no way he will be ready to star on Broadway, no matter how much he practices. And if I hear Ian call him "green" one more time, well I probably won't do anything other than get annoyed, but can someone please give him a thesaurus.

I can sort of understand bringing Nolan back, but Anderson is atrocious. I know "Grease" co-creator Jim Jacobs loves her because she looks like his image of Sandy, but her lack of talent was obvious at the first audition when her voice cracked three times. I have a feeling she won't make it to the next round, so hopefully we can be rid of her for good.

Other than Nolan, I think any of the Dannys would be decent, but I'm rooting for Austin Miller, Derek Keeling, or Max Crumm. From the beginning, Miller seemed like the most obvious choice. He is the only one with any real experience, and he has already paid his touring company dues. He might have benefited from singing a different song last night, as "Mony Mony" did not really showcase his vocal abilities.

Derek Keeling's rendition of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," on the other hand, proved that he has the looks, the moves, and the voice to be a real threat to Miller.

Crumm is the wild card that almost got eliminated because he doesn't look like Danny Zucko, but the judges seem to like him and it would be nice if America went with the anti-Danny. After he rocked "Summer of '69," he just may be my favorite.

While I would pay (as long as they were student rush prices) to see any of those three Dannys, I could not see myself sitting through a 2 hour show with any of the girls. They have nasally pop voices that seem more suited to American Idol. Kate Rockwell has the biggest potential and I agree with the judges that she has the best voice, but considering who she is competing against, that is not saying much. She is from Blue Ash, though, and since I live there until I was 3, I feel like I should root for her.

My biggest problem with the show is that the judges are too nice. The only one that is somewhat brutal is David Ian, the token British judge, but even he seemed to be holding back. Olivia Newton John seemed to think that everybody was wonderful and had great personalities. The next guest judge is Andrew Lloyd Webber, and one can only hope that he is less diplomatic and that by then the girls will have stepped it up a notch.

*I would also like to note that "You're The One That I Want" is a song from the film, not the Broadway production. I'm wondering if they are going to add it in to this revival, considering everybody will be expecting it. I just find it odd that everybody keeps referring to the film version, which is very different than the stage version.*

How Can it Be 30 Degrees in LA?

Some quick notes on the Golden Globes:

It was fairly predictable. I got 18 out of 25 (I was most surprised by "Babel," "Ugly Betty," and America Ferrera). I haven't seen any of those, but how can "Babel" be the best movie if it didn't win anything else? Something doesn't add up there. But the "Ugly Betty" people and Ferrera were so excited, so I'm happy for them. That's how you're supposed to react when you win an award.

I knew Meryl Streep was going to win, but I just have to say, and I know this is an unpopular opinion (although I know some who will back me up on this), she is a terrible actress. She overacts in EVERYTHING she does. I don't care how long she has been doing this, she's always the same. Her speech wasn't bad, though, except she can't pronounce volver.

Yeah Eddie Murphy! He deserved to win, but his speech was so boring.

Not to be mean, but ha ha Leo. You got nominated twice and you still didn't win.

I'm all for Warren Beatty getting recognized, but Tom Hanks said "balls" and "1962" too many times. He could have saved about 10 minutes. Still, I am a sucker for career montages.

I miss Ludacris. He was at every award show last year. The Golden Globes needed more Ludacris.

I really need to see "The Queen" and "The Last King of Scotland," but they're not playing in Syracuse right now.

I've been watching too much E! today...

Grease is the Word, Rolling Stone is Not

Tonight I had the opportunity to catch up on some reality television. Last week, I missed the premieres of "You're the One That I Want" and "I'm From Rolling Stone," but because I love musical theatre and because I want to be a music journalist, I had to check these shows out.

"You're The One That I Want":
It was only a matter of time before somebody had the bright idea to capitalize on the success of BBC's "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria." In that show, hopefuls auditioned for the role of Maria Von Trapp in a new West End production of "The Sound of Music." If an American counterpart to the show had to be made, "Grease" was the right choice. It's campy and just as loved as it is hated, perfect for reality television.

Theatre producer David Ian, "Grease" co-writer Jim Jacobs, and director and choreographer Kathleen Marshall are looking for a Sandy and a Danny for their new production of "Grease," scheduled to open in June 2007.

Last week, auditions were held in Los Angeles and Chicago and tonight the final auditions were held in New York. There were some decent talents, but you have to wonder why people who can't sing or who are obviously wrong for the parts would humiliate themselves by auditioning. Also, the audition process is really unrealistic. I was suprised, however, at how nice the judges were. They were willing to give some of the "singers" second chances, even ones who did not deserve it.

Overall, the show is enjoyable, but I could do without the behind-the-scenes drama. Still, for a Sunday night guilty pleasure, it ranks up there with "Desperate Housewives."

"You're the One That I Want" airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on NBC

"I'm From Rolling Stone":
There are people who want to work for "Rolling Stone" or a successful magazine like it, and who work hard to try to get there. But MTV and "Rolling Stone" have partnered to give six slackers the chance of a lifetime--the chance to write for "Rolling Stone" (the winner gets a staff writer position). I missed the first episode, but what I saw tonight was enough to disgust me.

The episode focused on three of the six: Colin, Krishtine, and Russell. Colin's assignment was to interview We Are Scientists. He went in completely unprepared and had no idea what to ask. He even told them that they had a concert that night, as if they didn't know. It was painful to watch. Somehow he managed to write a blog entry and was the first one of the group to publish on the website, setting the standard pretty low.

Russell is, according to MTV's website and himself, the best writer in the group. He did seem to be the most capable of completing a successful interview. I'd put my money on him, except the preview for next week shows him coming in late to work. It wouldn't be MTV without a little drama.

Krishtine interviewed El-P and when she finished her assignment, her editor asked her to rewrite and to ask him some follow-up questions because she was missing some important facts. Krishtine whined about how annoying it was to rewrite something and also said she never does follow up interviews. She's going to be a great journalist.

Thank you MTV for turning rock journalism into another excuse for drunk twenty-somethings to make fools of themselves on national television (not that drinking has never been a part of rock journalism, but at least many of those journalists had talent).

"I'm From Rolling Stone" airs Sunday nights at 10 p.m. on MTV

Here's Johnny (and the Sprites)

Really good children's television, programs that children and adults can enjoy together and are educational as well as entertaining, is hard to come by nowadays. Even "Sesame Street" has lost some of its wit and replaced it with boring segments like "Elmo's World." So, it's a relief that Disney had the good sense to bring back John Tartaglia's "Johnny and the Sprites."


"Johnny and the Sprites" began as short segments in between Playhouse Disney programs in 2005. The segments were successful enough to convert into half-hour shows. The new "Johnny and the Sprites" premiered on Saturday and it airs every Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m.

"Avenue Q's" John Tartaglia created the show. He plays Johnny, who moves to the woods to work on his music. There he meets the Sprites, colorful puppets who only he can see. Moms will surely enjoy "Johnny and the Sprites" for Tartaglia's adorable facial expressions and boyish charms and children will love him because he doesn't talk down to them. If that isn't enough, Tartaglia enlisted the help of some of the best musical composers currently working on Broadway to create memorable songs.

Stephen Schwartz ("Wicked") wrote the catchy theme song that would fit perfectly in "Avenue Q" with raunchier lyrics. Mark Hollman ("Urinetown"), Robert Lopez ("Avenue Q"), and Michael Patrick Walter ("Altar Boyz") also contributed. In one episode, the characters try to spot a rare bird, a Nospotalotacus. The clever song with its nonsense lyrics like "Give it a shotocus" could fit right in with Cole Porter and Ira Gershwin phrases, except this song also teaches children about team work.

Tartaglia's costars, the Sprites have personalities that children can relate to-- Basil is bookish, Ginger is stubborn, and Lily is serene. Tartaglia also voices Sage, known as the oldest and wisest Sprite, although he is actually forgetful and likely to fall asleep in the middle of conversations.

Another Avenue Q alum, Natalie Venetia Belcon (she played Gary Coleman), plays the only other human, Johnny's friend who has about as many jobs as he has songs.

Whether he's playing off puppets or humans, Tartaglia makes every scene believable. Not since Jim Henson has the bar for children's television been set this high.

Corbin Bleu and KeKe Palmer Push Disney Channel to the Limit

If the advertisements for "Jump In!" are any indication, Disney Channel is hoping for another "High School Musical" success. Although it remains to be seen whether the film will become the phenomenon of its predecessor, inspiring concerts and merchandise, "Jump In" has at least two things going for it-- it is far more entertaining and the characters are far less annoying.

The movie, which premiered on Friday, January 12 (and will probably be playing every weekend until "High School Musical 2" premieres), stars Corbin Bleu (the only tolerable actor from "High School Musical") and KeKe Palmer ("Akeelah and the Bee"). Bleu plays Izzy, a boxer trying to make his father (David Reivers, Bleu's real life dad) proud. When Mary (Palmer) and her double-dutch team lose one of their members, they ask Izzy to step in, and he learns that not only is he as talented with the jump ropes as he is in the boxing ring, but he loves it as well.

The story is not unfamiliar territory for the Disney Channel. A boy interested in "girly" activities and being teased for it was the subject of "Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off." But "Jump In" is making baby steps toward breaking ground. First of all, the film features an inter-racial couple, one of whom is a female boxer. Also, for perhaps the first time in Disney Channel film, the bully is multi-dimensional. The audience gets to see how his troubled home life affects his personality. He even redeems himself in the end.

What really sets "Jump In!" apart from the most recent Disney Channel films and places it in a class with the highlights of years past is co-stars who you can care about (i.e. who you don't want to punch in the face). Bleu plays Izzy's arrogance with charm that doesn't feel fake. Plus he has great hair. Palmer is a perfect match for Bleu, playing her Mary with equal parts attitude and vulnerability.

For a movie about musicals, the singing and dancing in "High School Musical" was vomit-enducing. In "Jump In!," the jumping is captivating and professional. The actors had to master tricks such as push ups and flips while jumping rope. The soundtrack, featuring adrenaline-pumping sports-arena style songs by Bleu and Palmer (Disney Channel never misses a chance for future recording stars), adds to the excitement in those scenes.

"Jump In!" is not a masterpiece, but compared to the recent disappointments, it is a big step for the Disney Channel. Now if only I can convince them to cancel "High School Musical 2."

All About Eve...and Adam and the Snake

Last review for NYC immersion, also workshopped with Alex Ross:

“The Apple Tree” could be renamed “All About Kristin.” Kristin Chenoweth plays four roles in the revival of this 1966 musical comedy, and makes full use of her shtick as a diminutive yet curvaceous diva with a big voice. It is her name on the marquee, but the show wouldn’t be successful without two dynamic male co-stars, Brian d’Arcy James and Marc Kudisch, whose comedic timing and vocal prowess match hers.

“The Apple Tree” opened on Dec. 14 and is playing at Studio 54 until March 11. Aside from a 2005 Encores! concert production, this is the first revival of the Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick musical because the right cast has finally come along to reprise the roles originated by Barbara Harris, Alan Alda, and Larry Blyden.

The three-part show is based on short stories that explore the relationship between man and woman—“The Diary of Adam and Eve” by Mark Twain, “The Lady or the Tiger?” by Frank R. Stockton, and “Passionella” by Jules Feiffer. The Twain episode is by far the most compelling of the three. Chenoweth and James are hilarious as the first humans trying to make sense of the world and their feelings for each other. There are also moments of tenderness as when Chenoweth sings “What Makes Me Love Him,” a moving song about the illogical nature of love. But it is Kudisch who does the most with his one scene. As the Snake in Eden, he combines slithery mannerisms with sex appeal as he tempts Eve.

The tacky and over the top “The Lady or the Tiger?,” a tale about a doomed romance with a choose-your-own ending, feels the most dated, especially with Jess Goldstein’s turquoise and gold-encrusted costumes and John Lee Beatty’s bright colored sets, equally hideous.

“Passionella,” a Cinderella story set in Hollywood in the ‘60s, would also feel stale were it not for acting choices, such as a dead-on Liverpudlian accent by James as rock star, Flip the Prince Charming.

Bock and Harnick’s score is catchy, but it does not challenge the actors. Chenoweth, famed for her high notes, has only one high D and James is also restricted to his middle register.

The trio may work together again in the upcoming “Young Frankenstein.” Perhaps Mel Brooks will write some songs that will better showcase their undeniable talents.

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan Revisited

Review #2 from NYC immersion (my first review on an exhibit). This one was workshopped with Alex Ross of the New Yorker.

On July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan electrified the Newport Folk Festival with his backup rock band, where he alienated fans and gained new ones by switching from acoustic to electric. Bob Dylan’s American Journey, 1956-1966 offers new insights on his progression towards that change. Using a wide range of artifacts and memorabilia, including typed song lyrics, handwritten letters, and video clips, the interactive exhibition chronicles Dylan’s early career.

The exhibit, organized by Seattle’s Experience Music Project, is on display at the Morgan Library and Museum from Sept. 29 to Jan. 6.

Large crowds were drawn by the name “Dylan,” and the room at the Morgan was a tight squeeze. However, the small space was utilized to the fullest extent. The material was displayed in chronological order, starting with his formative high school years. A 1959 Hibbing High School Yearbook signed from Dylan (then Robert Zimmerman) offered clues into his enigmatic personality with his barely legible handwriting and bad spelling.

A picture of Zimmerman from the same yearbook shows a chubby-faced young man as opposed to the gaunt Dylan we’ve come to recognize. A member of the Latin and Social Studies Clubs, his goal was to “join Little Richard,” which may come as a shock to those who thought he was betraying his folk roots when he went electric. He was clearly influenced by rock and roll even in those early years.

Another influence on Dylan and the folk tradition was “The Grapes of Wrath.” In a 1958 essay on the novel, the high school junior received a B. The first page of the paper is displayed with comments from the teacher saying that he could have done more with the topic, showing yet another side of Dylan—the lazy student.

It is impossible to understand Dylan’s development as an artist without the music. Listening stations for the seven albums from the time period include useful information such as date of release, key tracks, and why it matters. These provide context for even the most casual fans, but even the takeaway value of the exhibit is high, no matter how much prior knowledge one has or how many times one has heard the albums.

If I Can Make it There, I'll Make it Anywhere

I just spent over a week in New York City as part of my arts journalism studies. We each had to write three overnight 350-word reviews which we workshopped with some big names in the business. This is my first review, which I workshopped with Eric Grode of the New York Sun.

I Love the '20s

Shows like VH1’s “I Love the ‘80s” offer nostalgia and sarcasm for the price of one. The new musical comedy “The Drowsy Chaperone” operates on a similar principle. A character known as Man in Chair (Jay Douglas) invites the audience to listen to his favorite musical, also titled “The Drowsy Chaperone.” Man in Chair comments throughout the show, recognizing the faults in a show he clearly worships, proving that you can have reverence for the Broadway musical and deride it too.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” that the audience is watching opened last May at the Marquis Theatre. The show, directed by Casey Nicholaw, is a clever commentary on musical theatre with depressing undertones about a lonely man whose only companions are old records.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” that Man in Chair is listening to opened in 1928 and is an over the top musical with two-dimensional characters. Janet Van De Graaf (Sutton Foster), is an actress who is about to get married and leave the limelight for good. Shakespearean mixups ensue, while the necessary “B-plot” involves a producer, Feldzieg (a play on Ziegfeld for the theatre buffs), and a pun-happy gangster duo recalling the literate gangsters of “Kiss Me Kate” (another show within a show). Man in Chair always makes sure the audience is as ultra-aware as he is. A scene involving numerous spit-takes is only funny because the Man in Chair tells us it isn’t.

The two shows come together in Man in Chair’s living room with a charming set design by David Gallo. The staircases and romantic gardens of the scenery seamlessly take over Man in Chair’s space so the audience is just as transported as he is.

For a show about musicals, it’s odd that its biggest flaw is the absence of memorable songs—the central ingredient of a musical. The bland score written by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison is barely made interesting even with help from Foster’s commanding voice and fancy footwork. Still, it’s hard to argue when Man in Chair says, “The Drowsy Chaperone” does “what a musical is supposed to do.”