Superman Was an Actor?

So I started working on Summer Showcase - the show I am directing at Imagination Stage - last week. I got there today with all of my baggage - yes I do look like a little hermit - but I need a lot of crap for rehearsal. (Working on condensing...) I was also wearing my usual director/choreographer comfy attire of dance pants, t-shirt and baseball cap (nothing out of the ordinary).

Just in the front of the building I stopped and was talking on my cell to Kierstie and a woman pulled up in car, rolling down the window and tried to get my attention. Once I had ended the call, she asked me "Can you get me a program for THE NEVERENDING STORY?" (NES is the show currently showing on the mainstage at IS).

First of all I though it was funny she assumed that I worked there to begin with, and I replied, "Well, I don't really work here on staff, I am just contracted."

Apparently, she was bringing her children to see the show Friday and wanted a program to review with them before bringing them. (Not sure how much a program was going to help, a book might be a better idea...but I obliged).

Seeing as no one was in the Box Office window at the time, I told her I would ask the receptionist, but if she didn't have one I couldn't really help her out. Luckily, Ronni (the receptionist) had one and the woman was very grateful when I returned with one in hand.

Then she said, "I just thought you might be able to help me. I figured you were an actor because of your Superman shirt."

Really? I mean...
a) to assume Superman shirt wearers are actors and
b) to assume I was an actor working on this show...

Interesting how the minds of people work. Guess if I want to get work as an actor I should just wear my Superman shirt for auditions.

"That's the plan, rule the world, you and me, any day.."

Ok - so now my true colors and inner-geekiness are going to show a little bit. I don't think I have mentionned my obsession with the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but it is definitely one of my obessessions despite the fact it is no longer on the air. If want to see me "geek out" (as Kevin might say) this would be the topic. Well some of you might be familiar with the musical episode that they did on Buffy called "Once More with Feeling." I am sure you can imagine what it is like when two of your favorite things in the world collide - in that case it was Buffy and musical theatre.

Joss Whedon (whom you might know from Firefly or from writing X-men comic books) is the brilliant man behind Buffy and he is actually quite brilliant as a composer and as a lyricist. So during the writer's strike back in the winter he got bored and decided to do a project to see if the internet was a financially viable option for entertainmnent. Thus he developed Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. I must say that yet again Joss Whedon (and family) has demonstrated his brilliance. I cannot wait until he actually decides to start writing actual musicals for the theatre (which I hope is inevitable). If you like comic book superheroes and villians and/or musicals you will definitely enjoy this 45-min mini-musical event.

Besides the wonderful musical selections, with many tributes to Sondheim, Whedon and clan are particularly good at making at you laugh and then tearing at your heart strings. As he always accomplished with Buffy, there are plenty of snappy lyrics and witty lines.

Some of my favorites being:

"These are not the hammer... The hammer is my penis."

"I've got a PHD in horribleness."

"A lot of guys ignore the laugh, and that's about standards. I mean, if you're gonna get into the Evil League of Evil, you have to have a memorable laugh. What, do you think Bad Horse didn't work on his whinny? His terrible death-whinny?"

Without spoiling anymore I would say go watch it while you can.

Free viewing ends at midnight on Sunday, July 20th. Then you have to buy it off of I-tunes for $2 an episode/act (it's three acts). It is an extremely worthy cause and well worth the $6, so if you miss it I would say go buy it.

I've seen it at least 3 times at this point and am still planning to I-tunes it and then buy the DVD with musical commentary when it comes out.

The cast includes Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, How I Met Your Mother), Nathan Fillion (Buffy-Season 7, Desperate Housewives, Firefly) and Felicia Day (Buffy-Season 7).

Check out the three act musical blog for free (until July 21st) here: http://www.drhorrible.com/
Follow this link to check out the backstory and interviews about the project:
http://doctorhorrible.net/

Enjoy!

Playing Catch-up

I haven't posted a lot this week so I am going to play catch up, first of all I am going to retract two of my previous statements. We went to see Wall - e on Tuesday night. I recommend that everyone see it. As was said by the critics, "Pixar has outdone itself again." It is amazing how they can give human emotion to inanimate/non-organic objects and really make you care about them.

Anyway, in Wall-e a rubix cube is quite a predominant prop, which could account for it becoming a more popular toy I guess. Also, while we were there I saw the Star Wars poster for the upcoming animated feature. So MAYBE that accounts for the expected popularity of the toys...I know I won't be seeing it though, and I am sure there are atleast 100 million other people who won't be seeing it either...

Christmas in July

On my pleasant drive down to DC today for my meeting for my upcoming show, I was listening to my favorite station Mix 107.3 (home of Jack Diamond). I don't get to listen to it much during the school year anymore since I have to be at work so freakin' early and I also live 10 minutes away from school which doesn't leave a lot of commute listening.

Anyway, Carson (the afternoon guy) put on Christmas music and talked about how they are already advertising the most popular toys of 2008. Really? Wait until you here what they are...


1) Rubix cube
What? I mean even if you make it electronic isn't it a little outdated. I think once you have solved it with your eyes closed using your tongue and feet and put it on You Tube it kind of loses some of the glamour.

2) Indiana Jones and Star Wars toys
Okay--Indiana Jones I get, but Star Wars??? Did a new movie come out that I am not aware of (maybe it really did and I am just that oblivious). I think George Lucas is just trying to ride on the coattails. The monkeys and prairie dogs were NOT a good idea George. Bad choice...

3) The Pen that Reads Books to Your Kids
I agree with Chili Amar on this one - let's give parents even less bonding time with their kids. I mean I think there are many merits to reading to your child, even it means reading "Go Dog Go" until your blue in the face. But technology has found yet another way to bond with your child and cut out the middle man.

4) Indiana Jones Whip
Ok this is my favorite. I know it looks plush and all, but all I see is an older brother pounding the sh*t out of his younger siblings with it for fun. I am not pro corporeal punishment, but I think the parents should buy it for themselves INSTEAD to use on their kids....::Sigh:: yet another Christmas weapon to go in the stocking for fun battles Christmas morning.

You know what - I got my Christmas in July today. Working at my high school minus announcements, bells, crazy kids and slews of distribution list emails was a nice gift to me. I LOVE the quiet and peace of the halls. I did see SOME kids today though, just enough dosage to satisfy my missing them.

Ahhh, who could ask for anything more....I am satisfied until December....

Heath Ledger and Method Acting

So I was working this morning on gathering song material for the show I am directing in July/August. Since our theme for this year's show is "identity" we have to do a little more research than last year when our theme was "love" (which practically every musical has a song with this topic). This primarily meant looking up the lyrics to songs from every musical known to man and them some...and there are some interesting ones out there. While looking I happened upon PARADE (a Jason Robert Brown piece that several area theatres have recently discovered), and then I discovered on the site that Christy Carlson Romano was the original Mary in the piece. Now I am sure most of you don't know who she is; I wouldn't expect you to as my knowledge of her only comes from my tendency to watch the Disney channel at 2am in college when I was supposed to be writing papers. Anyway, seeing as I am in the process of becoming a "Carlson" with a double name as well, I felt intrigued and decided to check out her IMDB, which had an interesting comment about her thoughts on method acting and Heath Ledger.

Just last week, Kevin and I had seen the previews for THE DARK KNIGHT again during GET SMART. We are both really looking forward to it (as I know many people are) and we made the same remarks as usual about how brilliant Heath Ledger looks as the Joker in the previews. And how it was a shame that he was at the peak of his career when he died accidentally. But this time we got into a conversation about acting methods. I do think it was an accident and I do attribute it partially to method acting, which is why Ms. Carlson Romano's blog interested me. I hadn't heard anyone else at this point really attribute it point blank to the acting. I had just been having the conversation with Kevin about the differences in acting techniques.

Method acting in some cases means that instead of studying the actions and behaviors of a drug addict, for example, an actor decides to take drugs to have the "real" experience. I had been saying to Kevin that I thought the acting methods Heath Ledger was using to get into character were probably ultimately to blame for his death. This is why we don't teach method acting to high school students (which is a whole other tirade I will spare you), because it can be dangerous. I am not against method acting as a whole - because heck, if someone wants to go wait tables to get inspiration to play a waitress, I'm not gonna stop them, that's good character work. However, it just shows that there are dangers to delving into certain places in yourself to play characters or to taking certain actions to play a character.

So here is her thoughts on the situation:
"Heath Ledger died today. That's real. That is not a movie. Though it may feel like a movie to many of us who never knew this person. I saw him in a bar once - sitting quietly next to Michelle Williams. When I heard that this talent fell victim to his own madness, I was deeply saddened. This world can be so cruel. Especially when everywhere you look there is the promotion of negativity and violence as a recreation.

I'll do you one more (for those who think celebrity blogging is pointless). Heath Ledger - a representative of the motion picture industry - recently did a movie where he played a man responsible for unloading terrorism on Chicago/Gotham/New York (The Black Knight). Now, I believe Ledger was a "method actor" - someone who put his entire self into his work for art's sake. In order to play this character, he was put in a place so dark, that he began the downward spiral to his demise. In short, I feel this current obsession with negativity is infectious and mid-evil. And it is claiming lives.

I feel that people need to be loved while they are on this earth and celebrate life! Not celebrate different ways to kill each other. I do not condone this trend of violence in movies. And I hope it stops soon."

Now, I do agree that Heath Ledger was probably a "method actor" which led him to a troubled time; however, I am not quite agreeing with her random attack on society's current obsession with violence and killing each other. There has always been entertainment, even back in Greek times, that was about violence and people killing. Really - I don't think making all fuzzy bunny movies is going to save lives. In fact, I think an actor could go equally mad trying to play a fuzzy, fluffy purple dinosaur or such.

Anyway, I know this blog was completely random, but thought I would share my opinions on acting...Heath Ledger your brilliance will be missed and you are ranking right up there with Johnny Depp in my books. Can't wait to see DARK KNIGHT!