Glee Live!

It's strange to think that it was almost exactly one year ago that Glee debuted on Fox. I remember watching it and then downloading it from itunes because I loved it. Despite my own lack of musical talent, I love musicals. Whether it be a stage production, a movie, or a television show, if there is singing and dancing I can almost guarantee that I will enjoy it.

Friday, May 21, Angel and I went to Gibson Amphitheater to see Glee in concert. As a forethought I tried to decide how I would judge this performance. It's not like any other show I've seen in concert, do I compare it to the show? Do I expect it to be like watching an episode of TV? No, that'd be silly. I don't want the concert to add any additional storyline, especially since many characters will be absent. Do I compare it to a musical concert? Maybe, I mean they are performing sets from albums, but there is still the issue of storyline and how that measures into the performance. Lastly, do I compare it to the Broadway musical? Well, no. Although the concert will be a musical rendition of a story written (scripted) and the actors/singers will be playing characters, I do not hold these performers to the level I hold a Broadway performer. Lea Michele, yes, but none of the others on the cast have Broadway experience and to be fair Cory Monteith has never blown me away with his singing so I don't expect great things from a live performance (ie an unfiltered version). So I was quite uncertain of what to expect and how I would receive the performance. But, as stated, if there is music and dancing I will mostly likely enjoy it.

Since I'm not sure what base to use to measure the performance, I've decided just to tell you what I liked and/or didn't like.

The opening act, TheLXD, is AMAZING. It is The League of Extraordinary Dancers, and they are some neat to watch. Also, "The other Asian" is in the dance group. I wanted to show you a video so you can see for yourself how awesome they are.


Now for Glee.
Liked: EVERYTHING! Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration, but seriously the show was great. Here are some pictures of what I liked.

Since the concert is only featuring the Glee club, notably teachers are absent from the line-up :( BUT, the show did feature videos of Will and Sue encouraging the club and introducing performances (Will) and criticizing the Glee club (Sue).
Right before the show started, some Cheerios were going around the auditorium and passing out barf bags. I got one! And when the show started Sue explained

I love the free WMHS barf bag I have.

Now for some of the performances.
Sweet Caroline


Defying Gravity


Boy is Mine


Bad Romance


Beautiful


Bust Your Windows


Dancing With Myself


Jump


A performance by Vocal Adrenaline


A nice duet of Jesse and Rachel


And that is probably enough photos. There were tons more songs, the 70 minute show was jam packed. If I could describe the experience, I'd say it was liking watching New Directions put on a concert. For a couple numbers the cast even walked around the audience. When Rachel (Lea Michele) performs Don't Rain on My Parade, it was very much like the original show performance which had her start from the back of the auditorium and make her way to the stage. Finn (Cory Monteith) actually performed better than I expected. And I'm so excited to hear Santana (Naya Rivera) sing more. Brittany (Heather Morris) provided her usual dumb blonde comedy between sets. Overall, Angel and I were both very impressed with the show.

Disliked: I kept hoping that Matthew Morrison and/or Jane Lynch would surprise the audience with a guest appearance, and that hope was wasted.
Additionally, sometimes the singers did go off key a bit, but in a live performance that is expected to some degree, so I don't at all hold that against them. I merely mention it to for your sake.

To conclude, here is a picture of a message Angel sent to me during intermisssion via jumbo TV screen

You can tell she sent it because the words are all spelt correctly and the proper punctuation is used.

Mayflowers

Reasons why I love May:
-Conan O'Brien in Las Vegas
-The Magic Castle twice yearly event
-The Sound of Music production
-Glee at Gibson May 21
-My birthday May 24
-Flight of the Conchords at the bowl May 30

I think that it is genetically engrained (I know that doesn't make sense) in me that May be a wonderful month.
April showers bring Mayflowers, and the Mayflower(s) brought me (pun intended).

Stay stunned friends, it's about to get better than ever before.

The Sound of Music

Chaffey High School performed The Sound of Music as the spring musical this year. Kimm was a nun in it, so yay for seeing her on stage.

I don't want to front with y'all, I'm all about honesty, so here is the truth, I have never seen a production of The Sound of Music before this. No Julie Andrews movie. Additionally, I didn't know the von Trapp's were a real family and that the movie is based on Maria von Trapp's memoirs until very recently. Phew, it feels good to get that off my chest.

That being said, I can confess that this was the best performance I have ever seen of The Sound of Music. Chaffey High School drama is pretty great. I'm all about bragging, and the truth is that the department has won national recognition. They were the first to perform a musical version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, ever! Masterson had to get special permission from Roald Dahl's estate to make that happen. They also won USA Weekend's Showstoppers award, which brought them to the High School Musical 2 premiere. Additionally, Dreamworks asked them to be the first school to perform Shrek the Musical, but when that bombed on Broadway they decided against it. More recently however, Disney has asked Masterson (the drama director) if the school would do the first ever stage production of Camp Rock 2. Camp Rock 2 debuts late this summer on Disney Channel, and Disney would like Chaffey to put together a production this summer to promote the movie. And, there is talk of the JoBros and Demi Lovato stopping by. Whaaaaaaaaaa? True story, like I said I am all about honesty (and bragging).

So anyways, now that I've discussed all the non-TSOM stuff, let's get back to what this entry is really about. The show was great. The cast is comprised of a variety of people, non-students and students, but the cast as a whole was strong. Masterson is all about creating an experience for the audience, so before the show the German soldiers actually walk the corridor with stern disapproving looks. There is barbed wire set up out front the amazingly beautiful Gardiner W. Spring Auditorium* where the shows are, and a siren is set off. It is so fun. But, instead of me trying to explain how marvelous it was, you should watch the video below. It is the megamix the cast performed.

And here is a link to a trailer for the show.
Gardiner W. Spring Auditorium is so beautiful.

It is the auditorium on campus, so I have spent many hours there and it never ceases to amaze me. It is a big auditorium, and the shows can be pretty crowded at times, which is kind of insane. Also insane, this is the auditorium where the von Trapp's performed their first American concert way back in 1942.

Oh, and John Stamos was there Friday night
*gasp*
I missed Uncle Jesse!

Ok, enough already. Since the show is now over, my suggestion to you all is to make it down this summer for the Camp Rock 2 premiere!!!

Magic Castle

Susan and I sent another lovely Saturday night at the Magic Castle, thank you very much Susan's dad.

I went dress shopping for the event. I love dress shopping. Man, being in a sorority really changes a person. I suppose I should consider it a blessing in disguise that we only go twice a year to the Magic Castle, otherwise I might go dress shopping a lot more often.

Anyways, back to the Magic Castle. No celebrity sitings this time around, but there was some great entertainment. The host in the Palace, David Deeble, was hilarious. We also saw a mentalist in the Hat and Hare Lounge. Susan seemed unimpressed by his ability to guess the card she had in her hand, but I ate it up. If I try and think about it logically, I'll just be disappointed and/or confused.

So, I have been noticing that the performers in the Palace are getting younger, or rather we have seen a lot of young performers in that room. Remember that Mickey Mouse magician, he was like 18 years old! So yeah, I feel highly underaccomplished in my life. Also, I'm thinking how can I seduce one of these magicians (not the 18 year old, that would be weird) because I'd like to marry a member of the Magic Castle so I can go there all the time. And then I could go dress shopping all the time! Ah! I like this dream.

Pushing Daisies

Pushing Daisies is one of my favorite shows. I could watch it over again and not grow bored of it. Bryan Fuller has this way of creating shows that I love. However, Pushing Daisies is different than Dead Like Me and Wonderfalls, it is more fairytale and dreamy.

Ned is a pie maker who owns The Pie Hole. His own mother loved to make pies, after she died when Ned was 10 years old Ned was sent to a boarding school by his father. Ned would sneak into the kitchen at night to bake himself a pie to remind him of his mother, and so his love for pie making begins. However, pie making is only his day job, he works with a private investigator, Emerson Cod, solving murders.

Ned has a secret.

The reason his pies taste so good and the reason he is good at solving murders is because he can bring life to dead things. Bad fruit becomes ripe and murder victims come back to life when he touches them. Two conditions exist.
- The first is that first touch means life, second touch means dead again, forever.
- The second is that if Ned keeps someone alive for more than 60 seconds, someone else dies in his/her place.

Ned has only kept three living things alive longing than 60 seconds.
1) his dog, Digby. When Ned is 10, Digby is hit by a semi, and when Ned goes to see him he touches him and discovers he has brought his dog back to life.
2) his mother. After she died suddenly in their kitchen, Ned brings his mother back with his newly discovered ability. In her place, his neighbor dies. Later that day, Ned discovers the first condition when his mom kisses him good night only to be made dead again when she touches him.
3) Chuck, aka Charlotte Charles, Ned's childhood friend and sweetheart. After her father died the same day Ned's mother died (Chuck doesn't know Ned killed her father), they are torn apart when Ned is sent to boarding school. They are reunited as adults at a mortuary after Chuck is killed on a cruise. Ned can't bring himself to make her dead again because he selfishly wishes for her to be with him. So begins a story of two people who love each other but are unable to physically touch.

The series follows Ned, Emerson Cod, and Chuck as they investigate murders of bizarre proportions. Season 1 examples include death by crash test dummy and death by scratch 'n sniff. Additional characters include Olive Snook, played by Kristen Chenoweth, the waitress at The Pie Hole who is hopelessly in love with Ned. Lily and Vivian Charles, Chuck's hermit aunts who take her in when her father dies, in earlier days they were a popular synchronized swimming duo known as the Darling Mermaid Darlings.

The show is narrated by Jim Dale. Between his audiobook recordings of the Harry Potter series and this show I have basically fallen in love with this man's voice.

I also find Ned very dreamy. And I would like to have Chuck's closet.

One of my favorite quotes from the show, from episode Girth:
Olive: "How do you know I'm still single?"
Mamma Jacobs: "Well, you wouldn't need all that bait if your belly was full, dear."

Unfortunately, Pushing Daises only survived two half-length seasons on ABC. Since TGIF ended, well more like since Boy Meets World ended because ABC tried to make TGIF last after that but I can't remember any show from that line-up worth recalling. Anyways, since Boy Meets World ended I have not been a fan of ABC series. Pushing Daisies could have been the start of a wonderful round two for me and ABC, but then ABC went and destroyed the show I love. ABC, you and I may be through for good this time.
The only saving grace is that the episodes were sold to the WB and are available online for viewing here so I can recommend it to all of the people I love. I've already sucked AJ and Steph S. into the show...Have you watched it?

b-a-n-a-n-a-s

Today is a warm day here in Fontucky, a day perfect for banana ice cream and a Summer 2010 mix. Thank you friends :)

I have kept a distance from the kitchen for quite some time now. I am not entirely sure why, but I speculate that the absence of friends who love cooking is partially to blame. In college it was always "let's make dinner!" and now it's like "where should we go for dinner?" My sister loves to bake, so there are always sweets in the house. It actually feels like college all over again, in that regard. However, even in college I was never big on baking.

So, what can get me back into the kitchen? A recipe so simple that I am challenged to take it up and succeed. Failure is not a good starting point for me in the kitchen, so I needed something so easy I couldn't fail. Big thanks to i ate everything for providing the recipe.

Step 1: cut a banana into slices
Step 2: place banana slices on plate, and place plate in freezer for an hour
Step 3: place frozen banana slices in food processor

Step 4: process that stuff up
Step 5: add any additional ingredients for bonus flavor

I added some marshmallow creme (leftover from my sweet potato fries) and peanut butter.
Step 6: eat


The marshmallow creme didn't mix up very smoothly, but other than that little snag things went very well for me today. As I said to Steph, it is blade licking delicious. Just be careful not to hurt yourself if you do lick the blades. I can't imagine there being anything worse than a cut tongue.

On a related note, on Sunday I thought about making gnocchi. It will be done soon, my friends. Diana comes into town around my birthday, so maybe there is a nice, homemade Italian dinner in our future

Conan the legally prohibited from being funny on television tour

Angel and I embark on the greatest Vegas trip to date.


Break from food. Just when I started to delve into the actual content this blog promises...I know you'll forgive me. And, I already have plans to try this, so stay tuned.

Remember that time I gripped about not seeing Conan when he hosted the Tonight Show because my tickets became void when the show was cancelled?

Yesterday, all was made right.


As luck would have it, Angel and I were able to see him last night at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas at no cost to us. True story, I am truly basking in the Vegas hook-ups.

dinner at Dal Toro Ristorante: $0
floor seats to see Conan live: $0

Yes, life is good for the unemployed college graduate every so often. Spontaneity has become a way of life.

So how was the show? In a word: awesome.

The opening act, Reggie Watts, was hilarious. He has a kind of Flight of the Conchords vibe to him with his musical comedy.

The band was energetic and lively, they are so musically talented. I kind of wish they played another song before Conan came out because they are so good.

Conan was better than expected. The individual who acquired the free tickets for us is not a Conan fan and actually had no intentions of going to the show. We convinced him to stay and he left with new respect for Conan. The musical offerings of Conan were very enjoyable and the banter between him and Andy Richter is always comedic. The costume changes allowed him to break out of the primetime TV mold, and the videos scattered throughout poked fun at his termination, unemployment, and the unnamed network execs responsible without being too over the top.

And finally, Deon Cole, the mid-show performer, was hilarious. I was laughing so hard.

The part I most enjoyed? The Walker Texas clips. My favorite segment from Late Night, I was so sad this segment did not make it to the Tonight Show, but am most appreciative of it being on the tour. That Walker, so funny.

So here are some pictures:
La Bamba being licked by Conan


Mike Tyson makes a cameo


I stared at him long enough, I am certain the guy on the right is Lonny Ross.


I feel like someone should pinch me just to make sure I am not dreaming.