Yea, Dick who's awful idea was it to let the Iraqis take over their own country? Stupid idea guys.

I'm a dork part II

Yep, "friends" with my mayor. You know.

Broadway Monday

Twelfth Night

Mistaken identity, wild characters and unusual courtships are all combined in one of Shakespeare's best-loved comedies. A time-honored story of cross-dressing and mistaken identity, all in the name of love.

This short summer run is part of the Shakespeare in the Park tradition and boasts a stellar and familiar cast. Ann Hathaway (making her public theatre debut), Tony winners Audra McDonald and Julie White, Raul Esparza, and Hamish Linklater are just a few of the cast of 26+ who grace the grassy stage and deliver one of William Shakespeare's most beloved plays. Twelfth Night runs at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park from June 10-July 12, 2009

Tickets are FREE. Yes, FREE. Get thee to the Delacorte Theatre box office for distribution each day at 1pm. Shows are Tuesday-Sunday at 8pm. Ugh, I wish I lived in NYC.

Has anyone noticed that I am failing horribly at my "Trying to Read a Book a Month" venture?
Good. Move along. Nothing to see here.

Thank you, Michael.

Hi Folks!

Wowee Wednesday will be postponed for this week. Having computer difficulties and I just can't manage to wrangle a post out of another computer that's being sassy at the moment. I just decided to give in and come back with a vengeance next week. Thanks for the patience. I'll be tweeting frustratedly if you'd like to follow. Have a good one!

**By the way, does this logo bring back bad memories of having your favorite show interuppted? I can still hear the moans ripple through the house as The Bionic Woman is brought to a screeching halt at a pivotal moment. Gah!

Broadway Monday

Waiting for Godot

Two tramps wait for an enigmatic figure in a world where time, place, and memory are blurred and meaning is where you find it. The masterpiece of existentialism. Waiting for Godot follows two days in the loves of a pair of men as they wait expectantly and unsuccessfully for someone named Godot to arrive. Although they claim him as an acquaintance, in fact they hardly knew him and eventually admit they wouldn't recognize him if he were to come up to them on the street. The pair busy themselves by singing, playing games, dancing, laughing, arguing, and even weighing the option of committing suicide.

Waiting for Godot was written by Samuel Beckett, originally entitled, "En attendant Godot" it was translated to English from French and premiered January 5, 1953. It has graced stages across the world and never fails to garner interpretation and dissection from a psychological and political standpoint. It seems everyone has their own idea of what this play is really about. That is one of the reasons it is also one of the most famous plays in history and can be seen everywhere from regional theatre to the Broadway stage.

Waiting for Godot has currently been revived on Broadway at Studio 54 and stars Nathan Lane, Bill Irwin, John Goodman, and John Glover. This revival opened April 30, 2009 and will close July 12, 2009 with five performances weekly.

Sailing on the Rivership Romance today. Well, I'm thinking there won't be much romance since I will be doing it with my lovely (ok romantic),10 of my family members, and any other elderly church group that could wrangle a carpool to the docks. (waawahh. romance gone.)

It's my grandma's birthday, and most of you may not know this, but I love me some Grandma!!! So it's off to cruise the St. John's River for three hours via the Rivership Romance!

Happy Birthday, Margie! You always make me feel like your favorite, and you're most definitely mine!

Hey! Here's a sneak peak of where my hair color is quickly dashing!

Forgive me for being a couple of days late on this, but it is still in the news and timely nonetheless.

Now, please forgive me for making this face as I read Jake Tapper's CliffsNotes version of all the hubub.

I'm a dork and I'm okay with that!

Do you know anyone else who is more proud and excited that

the Mayor is following her on Twitter?

Pegeen Hanrahan totally made my day yesterday!

Me plus 110 other insightful Gainesvillians. Not too shabby. Madame Mayor is actually a great tweeter! Some funny stuff coming out of that pol brain!

I know it's hard to read...shut up! I don't have the 3GS yet!

Wowee Wednesday

Cristiane Amanpour

I think Cristiane Amanpour is just dandy.

She is poised, smart, confident, and I feel, trustworthy. I know it sounds odd, but I feel a bit smarter having watched any package she delivers, no matter the topic.

Cristiane has been an international correspondent for 18 years. Name a major international crisis and she has been there delivering the in depth facts and information most journalists gloss over or skip all together.

Christiane began as an entry-level assistant at CNN in 1983 and worked her way up to international correspondent in 1990. She has covered wars, famines, genocides, and natural disasters around the world. Her name has become synonymous with exclusive in-depth interviews with leaders from Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Cristiane is a decorated journalist around the world having garnered Emmys, Peabodys, an Edward R. Murrow Award, as well as six honorary degrees from various distinguished universities worldwide. In 2007, Amanpour was made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for her "highly distinguished, innovative contribution" to the field of journalism.

Goody! Been looking forward to getting the skinny on Obama's Plan for Gay Rights.

Broadway Monday

The Philanthropic Hearts on Broadway

Today's feature is a bit different in that I would like to bring attention to the giving and loving hearts of the Broadway community. Any given month it is easy to find a number of benefits being presented for various causes starring Broadway talents devoting and volunteering themselves on their precious one day off. You may remember my post earlier this year when I was fortunate enough to attend "Defying Inequality" a benefit for marriage equality. The spirit that embodied that show is the same attitude of giving that happens many times during the year for a variety of causes and celebrations.

In the next week, the past and present stars of Broadway pull out all the stops in a number of benefits and celebrations throughout the city. Here are just a few:

Nothing Like A Dame at New World Stages
The "all-new" Nothing Like a Dame concert, billed as "an intimate benefit concert event for The Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative," plays Off-Broadway's New World Stages June 15 at 7:30 PM.
The starry "Dames" include Tony Award winners Betty Buckley, Audra McDonald and Bebe Neuwirth; three-time Tony nominee Kelli O'Hara; 9 to 5 star Stephanie J. Block; and original Annie, Andrea McArdle. Guys and Dolls' Nick Adams is also part of the evening.
(I love that our friend Nick is the only guy performing in the "dame" concert!)
For tickets, priced $75, $150 and $250, call (212) 221-7300, ext. 133. Visit www.actorsfund.org for more information. New World Stages is located in Manhattan at 340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues.

Come Rain or Come Shine: Celebrating the Songs of Johnny Mercer
Come Rain or Come Shine: Celebrating the Songs of Johnny Mercer is the title of the June 15 concert to benefit Greenwich House Music School.
The 8 PM concert at Off-Broadway's Cherry Lane Theatre boasts the talents of Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole as well as Klea Blackhurst, Jim Caruso, Billy Stritch and jazz violinist Aaron Weinstein.
All proceeds from the event benefit Greenwich House Music School's music education programs and assist with facility upgrades.
Tickets, priced $75, $100 and $250 (includes post-event champagne reception with the artists), will go on sale May 15 by calling (212) 991-0003, ext. 403. Sponsorships are also available by visiting www.greenwichhouse.org/rainorshine or by calling (212) 991-0003, ext. 400.

Theodore Bikel: The First 85 Years
Theodore Bikel: The First 85 Years celebrates the actor's rich career devoted to art and activism June 15 at Carnegie Hall.
The 7:30 PM concert in the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage boasts the talents of emcee Alan Alda, Arlo Guthrie, Noel Paul Stookey and Peter Yarrow, Tom Paxton, Susan Werner, David Amram, Judy Kaye, Beyond the Pale, Artie Butler, Patricia Conolly, David Krakauer, Hankus Netsky, Sarah Horowitz, Serendipity 4 (Shura Lipovsky, Merima Kljuco, Tamara Brooks and Bikel) and Michael Wex.
Proceeds benefit Juvenile Law Center, which works to protect children's rights and interests in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
For tickets, priced $30-$500, visit www.jlc.org./bikel. Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage is located at 57th Street and Seventh Avenue in New York City.

Broadway Bares 19.0 "CLICK IT!"
Broadway's hottest boiz are grabbing their hard drives and the grlz are ready to play with some brand new software for what is sure to be a Broadway Bares that will fry more than your mother board. BROADWAY BARES 19.0 will have over 200 of Broadway's hottest dancers bringing the information superhighway to life and will surely have all of New York a"twitter."
BROADWAY BARES 19.0 "CLICK IT!" will be held on Sunday, June 21 with two performances only (9:30 PM & Midnight) at Roseland Ballroom (239 West 52nd Street). BROADWAY BARES 19.0 "CLICK IT!" is produced by and benefits Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS.
This organization is probably the best know in the Broadway community for fundraising as they tirelessly work all year round to raise money and awareness for AIDS. It's hard to find an event or feature that isn't connected to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. It's amazing.

We leave for Chicago tonight until Sunday. Taking my lovely on a date to see Topol (original Tevye) in "Fiddler on the Roof" Should be fun and exciting! Second row seats, orchestra! Looking forward to being in that beautiful city again and soak up the wonderful architecture and culture. Will be sending tweets and Twitpics and hopefully will have some real pics to post upon our return! Have a great weekend everybody!

Wowee Wednesday

Alice Ripley I could only think of one person to be this week's Wowee, and what a week this girl has had! Alice Ripley is still fresh off a much deserved Tony win for her portrayal of bipolar Diana Goodman in Broadway's Next to Normal.

Alice's first Tony nomination came in 1997 for her role as Violet Hilton, in Sideshow which told the story of conjoined twins. Take a look at this stunning Tony performance:

I had the opportunity to speak with Alice after a matinee when I was in the city last month. Her performance provided me with an unavoidable urge to thank her for the stunning work she is doing in this show. I walked away amazed at what a wonderfully quirky, talented, devoted, genius, person she is. It's the first time I've been asked by a celebrity to be their friend on Facebook! Weird, but of course I did it anyway because I'm curious like that. Totally worth it too! I'm convinced that Alice's work in Next to Normal is making a difference and touching lives daily.

Alice has also appeared in Tommy, and The Rocky Horror Show, on Broadway as well as dabbling in art, punk rock, standards and solo recordings. Alice's music is featured in today's sidebar but can also be heard in the lobby of our chiropractic office daily!

2009 Tony Awards performance:

And now from the Department of Duh...

There have been so many predictable headlines hitting me in the brain today, I just had to share. Hit the link to see the real absurdity. I made up my own headlines here for fun. What? I'm bored waiting for the thunderstorm to pass.

A Match Made in Heaven

His Middle Name Ain't Humble, It's Kanye If You're Nasty

He Just Didn't Like the Shade

Yawn

and this late entry

gasp!

Broadway Monday

Next to Normal A typical American family deals with love and loss as one of its members struggles with her illness. Having seen this show recently, I'm not sure the synopsis above, found in the promo material, really explains much about the show, but then I have no idea how you explain this show in a complete fashion let alone a couple of sentences. I'm still finding amazing correlations and insights a full month after having been so honored to have been in the Booth Theatre last month.

Diana, Dan, Gabe, and Natalie are the typical American family full of love and hope, fear and dysfunction. This brilliant show rips the blinders off the topic of bipolar disorder and thrusts you headlong into how this family deals with life events that change them forever. Change is hard and not always good.

Brian Yorkey, writer and lyricist and Tom Kitt, composer have been on a 10-year development cycle with this show and have honed it to it's current perfect state. The 11 Tony Awards nominations bestowed on it are proof. The music is catchy, poignant, heartbreaking, and haunting. I couldn't wait to get my copy of the recording and haven't listened to anything else all month. It truly is a work of art.

Silently making it's indelible impression on the audience is the three-tiered stage that houses the orchestra and doubles as the family's home. Absolutely incredible and brilliant use of the small stage in the Booth Theatre. Stunning. The brilliant and quirky Alice Ripley plays mother/wife Diana who is at the heart of the story and tells it with such passion and strength that I honestly don't know how they will replace her when her run is over. She is that good. Tony buzz has her as the favorite for Best Lead Actress in a Musical. My fingers are crossed. I could go on and on...and I most likely will in another post because this show has absolutely changed my understanding and made me think..hard. You can see a great interview and clips from the show here or visit the official site which is what made me rush to get tickets.
Next to Normal opened April 15, 2009 is currently playing at the Booth Theatre on an open-ended run.

____________________________________

This just in!

Next to Normal received three Tony Awards last night! Wins for Best Orchestration and Best Score are being celebrated as well as Best Actress in a Musical for the amazing Alice Ripley! Congrats to all!