Weill-ing away the hours...

On Saturday, summer finally decided to put in an appearance. Well geez, it only took until August... It was hot, sticky, and humid. Naturally, on such an evening, I had tickets for Ravinia, to see Ms. LuPone singing an evening of Kurt Weill music.


First stop - gift shop! The evening called for jelly rings, and I procured several in rapid succession. Just the thing for a Weill concert, yes?? This one flashes white, but I also got a pink one AND a red, white and blue one. (Not to worry, I silenced them during the show!)

Patti, Patti everywhere...

After taking several turns around the lawn, we settled down for a pre-concert snack - Ravinia sells cupcakes now! So we got one of their giant carrot ones. I am not usually one for vegetables in my pastry, but this carrot cupcake was quite tasty. And then it was time to head into the pavillion. I had actually managed to snag some pretty decent seats - row AA, in the center, and right behind one of the boxes. Even though I like to be closer, it was really kind of perfect because the sightlines were great and we had some legroom. I had no huge idea what the 7 Deadly Sins would be like so I just sat back and waited. I had experienced Weill before, since I'd seen Mahagonny (twice!) in LA.

First, Maestro James Conlon led the CSO in the Symphonic Nocturne from Lady in the Dark which was really lovely. I don't know what other people think of the big screens in the pavilion now, but I love them. It's fun to be able to watch the orchestra and soloists up close & personal. As I was watching though, I felt bad that the maestro had to be sweating up there in full regalia. I mean, I know he wouldn't come out and conduct this prestigious orchestra in bermuda shorts and a t-shirt, but I wouldn't have blamed him one bit if he had. He could have lost the jacket, at least. I wouldn't have minded.

So, anyway. The Maestro gave us a brief introduction on the 7 Deadly Sins, which didn't really help me a whole lot. I decided to wait and see. He brought out the Diva and her backup chorus of 4 guys (two of whom were Anna's parents. And they were both guys. You see?). It was... yeah, fine, I guess. Patti sounded great. I think I would need to listen to it again to really fully grasp what it was saying to me. Weill and Brecht were not subtle in their messaging, which I suppose makes it doubly sad that I wasn't exactly grasping it. It was the same with Mahagonny - I had the feeling I should be getting more out of it than I actually did. John von Rhein's review in the Tribune says something about the chorus decrying capitalist whateverism, and I sure as hell was not getting that. I think I shall blame the heat....

Intermission - the usual dash to the (air conditioned) facilities and then a trip to find a bottle of cold water. Back to our seats. The second half of the program featured better known songs of Weill, Broadway songs, like "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" and "September Song" "Surabuya Johnny" and "Mack the Knife." Patti strolled back out onto the stage, looking much cooler in a shorter dress (for the 7 Deadlies, she was wearing a longer black ensemble. I swear, I was hot just watching her on the big screen. No change, sadly, for the maestro.) and greeted us conversationally with a big, happy "Hi!" She proceeded to give us a little introduction to each song, including the name of the show, some background, who performed it, etc. Like our very own little walking Sicilian program notes. I enjoyed this half a lot better than the first half. And then, suddenly, it seemed over. But wait - Patti and Maestro Conlon reappeared on the stage, and he started saying something - which none of us could hear, and so members of the audience started telling him so. The Diva, who was mic'd, took over - she told us that "Jimmy" and the orchestra were going to the bar for a drink, and that she was gonna sing an encore, while "your CEO" (the multitalented Mr. Welz Kauffman) accompanied her on the piano. She sang two additional Weill songs - including "Lost in the Stars" and I nearly melted into a contented (and sticky) pile of goo. I love that song. Sigh...

Then it was really and truly over. Another beautiful summer evening at Ravinia...

vampires & shfiters & weres (oh my!)

You may recall that my commute of late has been marked by my peering over the shoulders of businessmen to gaze at their headlines and puzzle quietly to myself over the varied punctution of their newspapers (by the way, WSJ also has a "Weekend Journal." section, again with the stupid period!) and one particularly memorable incident where I nearly fell off my seat as I was oggling a pic of Gerry Butler in someone's Red Eye (I was on the train's upper deck at the time, Gerry's hot likeness was on the lower deck). To avoid possible embarassment, my friend Heidi (who is in the great land of Oz as we speak on MY 30th birthday trip - hello? Jealous!) loaned me her great stash of Charlaine Harris novels. Ms. Harris, as you may know, writes the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire mystery series, and this series is the inspiration for the show True Blood. Being without cable at the moment, I only catch fleeting glimpses of the series. I will have to start relying on the kindness of Netflix. The great thing about books though, is that I can take them anywhere.

So I started reading last week and I've been taking books back and forth with me as I commute each day. They are quick and entertaining reads, and I've been enjoying them very much. I'm reading - oh, crap, I don't remember which one, I just started it, it's got "Dead" in the title (hahahaha - little joke there - they ALL have 'dead' in the title!) it has a (were) tiger on the cover. At first I was not sure about a heroine named "Sookie" but I like her a lot. She's got a lot more oomph to her than Bella Swan of the Twilight series - and plus she's not a total moron like Bella is. And these vamps? Don't sparkle. I think I'd much rather have Eric and Pam and Bill in my corner than that Cullen crew (except maybe for Alice. She's awesome.) And one of them is Elvis - whoops, I mean, Bubba. Does it get any better than that? I really think not.

but will she think it's a flash bulb?

Ravinia has a whole page on their blog dedicated to that most singular of sensations - the jelly ring at their gift shop. Last time I was there, for the ABBA show, you may recall that I picked up a kickass glitter lantern. Which, by the way, is still glowing. It is awesome, and possibly the best 8 bucks I have spent in my life. I had planned to get another one this Saturday, when I am seeing (the) Patti, (so I can have one for each hand!! Yesss!) but I might invest in one of these jelly rings instead. Nothing says classy night listening to some Weil like sitting in the pavilion waving a big glowing jelly ring.

I can't wait!!

bjorn says, "it's a crazy world"

And he is not wrong. Happy Abba Tuesday!

just the perfect blend-ship...

This picture, from a J. Crew catalog, makes me wish I knew some little girls that I could dress up... and braid their hair together, etc. I don't want any of my own, mind you, just some that I could borrow and play with and send back to their mommies. I also get this way when I look at school supplies. I could pimp their lockers, yo.

Patti Mail... 5 Questions

Brought to my mailbox by Ravinia... can't wait to see Patti next weekend!

maybe i could nap under the desk?

I am so tired this morning, and I have no idea why, as I slept fairly well. Maybe I could find some dude to install a little nap nook under my desk, just like George's on Seinfeld. We are in cubicles, but I do have a lot of room under there... huh...

o, really?

Today's Yahoo! Horoscope.
"Dreams give you a great deal of comfort and insight, especially in the coming days."

I had a dream recently where Patti was a DWTS contestant. Anybody want to give me the comfort/insight into that one?

merce cunningham

Over a career of nearly seven decades, Mr. Cunningham went on posing “But” and “What if?” questions, making people rethink the essence of dance and choreography.

He went on doing so almost to the last.

Merce Cunningham died on Sunday, July 26 - he was 90 years old.

accidentally unhelpful

Have you ever had that thing where someone asks you a question and you go totally blank? Then you stutter out a stupid, unhelpful answer? And the person then thinks you are a total bitch/moron?

So, yes. I was on the train yesterday, ready to go home. I was early, so I settled into my seat, thinking my thoughts, untangling my ipod cord, etc. This chick comes onto the train and asks me "Does this train go to Fox Lake?" And I blanked. I was a) surprised that someone was talking to me, because it just doesn't happen very often on the train (this is metra, not the cta) and b) I honestly didn't remember. I get different trains sometimes, depending on when I leave the office. One of them goes to Deerfield, one goes to Grayslake, one to Fox Lake, and I could not, for the life of me recall if this one did or not. All I knew was, it went to the MG, and where it goes after that really is not of much concern to me. Naturally, I stuttered out a stupid answer (I think I said "I think so" or "I guess so" or something) and she gave me a hard look, and said "I think it does." To which I said nothing, but was thinking "OK, great, why did you ask me then?" And PS - wouldn't you think to, I don't know, look at the great big giant neon signs posted at either end of the platform? You know, the ones that list all of the stops - like, BEFORE you got on the train? Why is your destination suddenly my problem??

People ask me directions and stuff like that all the time. I have no idea why. Do I look nice? Or knowledgeable? Or maybe because I Walk with Authority/look like I know what I'm doing? Maybe I just look like Rand Flippin McNally?

One time, I was in New York, and someone stopped me for directions. It was my second time there, or something, and I felt very very smug that I seemed to fit in so well. Of course, she had no way of knowing that I'd actually just turned myself around as I had gone for many blocks in the wrong direction and only just realized it! I remember this very clearly - I was on Lex trying to find the subway. After this encounter, and empowered by my apparent nativeness, I crossed the street brazenly (if you've seen New Yorkers cross the street, you will know what I mean here) and promptly twisted my ankle. After that I limped down Lex for as far as I could make it and then hailed a cab back to my friend's apartment downtown.

Also fairly recently someone on the train asked me how much it cost to get to some stop or other - I have a monthly pass and genuinely had no idea. But look, I don't LIKE to be intentionally unhelpful, it just sometimes happens that way. In the case of the fare question, I busted out my schedule where there is a fare table and helped her work it out that way (see? Sometimes I am such a nice person!). But yesterday.... yeah. I didn't have a schedule on me, even. I was totally deer in the headlights. So, Lost Train Lady from yesterday, I apologize. Next time, I endeavor to be much more helpful. Or something. Now if you will please excuse me, I've just noticed a picture of Gerry Butler in the copy of the Red Eye that some other dude is reading, and I must check it out over his shoulder.

i do, i do, i do, i do, i do

Did I mention I am gonna be a bridesmaid? Jane, one of my besties from high school, is planning her wedding for next June. This weekend, a bunch of us went with her to try on dresses and stuff. The perfect ABBA Tuesday tie-in, yes?

With Amy, in super cute dresses.

Amy & Heidi, in another contender for bridesmaid dress. Not in the colors we would actually be in, mind you. I don't think we want to be seen from space in that orange thing...

"i'm just a sweet guy who can't dance"

There's a really cute interview with Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl from Sunday's Sun Times And speaking of cute...

the ugly truth

Had a good time this weekend - one of the (many) highlights was seeing "The Ugly Truth" with Heidi (and we also managed to work out a time share plan with our favorite leading man...HA.). We went up to Woodfield, shopped for her immediately forthcoming Antipodean Adventure and went to the theater there.

I had posted previously about being rather on the fence about seeing this one, and if my great love for Mr. Butler would outweigh my irritation with Ms. Heigl. Well, like the house (and Patti), Gerard always wins, and I have to tell you, I think I am over my Heigl issues. I think I just really really hate her Grey's Anatomy character, Izzie. She was delightful in the movie, cute and funny, and he was adorable (even though his character was kind of an ass. Funny as hell though). Yes it was a bit formulaic, but I laughed. A lot.

the lion at world's end

So I'd gotten this little video a while ago - a lion, raised in London by two Australian blokes in the early 70s, was brought back to Africa to be introduced into the wild. They wrote a book about it in the 70s, "A Lion Called Christian" and curious, I decided to read it. The blokes, Ace and John, bought him at Harrods and decided to call him Christian. Christian lived in a rather hip part of London known as "World's End." While in London, Christian lived with these two guys, played with them, hung out in the furniture shop above the basement flat where he lived, and was sort of like a really big family pet, gentle, affectionate, and playful. It's funny too, that these days people would be all like "What? You can't have a lion as a pet, that's ridiculous, that is!" etc. but back then, people seemed really relaxed and groovy about it like "Hey man, neat lion!" You can see from the early footage that Christian liked to play with Ace and John, and specifically, jump up into their arms, not in an "I'm going to rip UR face off" kind of way but a friendly "I love U! Let's play!" kind of way.

Fast forward to Kenya - after staying with Christian to help acclimate him to his new life, Ace and John left him in the care of a professional lion rehabilitator George Adamson (who worked with the lions in "Born Free") who was going to create a new pride of lions for Christian to belong to. They came back for a visit, and were told that it was possible that Christian would not remember them. Their reunion is so sweet and Whitney adds a lovely (if incredibly cheesy) soundtrack. Made me cry, it did.

what's up with that, businessmen?

So. While reading the newspaper (the Wall Street Journal, the paper of choice for Metra businessmen) over people's shoulders on the train, I've noticed something that bothers me deeply. If anyone reads the WSJ on purpose (rather than peering nosily at the headlines over someone's shoulder in the seat in front of them on their way home from work. And shut up, okay? It's a half hour ride and sometimes I get bored.) can you explain to me why one of the sections is called "Personal Journal." Note the punctuation. None of the other sections are punctuated, but "Personal Journal" has that period at the end. Why isn't it "Marketplace." (or, I suppose "Marketplace*#!&@!") or "Finance & Investing." or perhaps "Finance & Investing!" ? Why that one section and not the others? Even the name of the paper isn't punctuated - it's not "The Wall Street Journal period"

I noticed it again this morning and puzzled over it for the whole ride (I finished my Harry Potter book last night and so had nothing to occupy me.) Does anybody know?

Billy has a new home!

From today's Chicago Sun Times....
Sir Elton boosts 'Elliot'
THEATER Rocker's star power adds to luster of musical announcement

July 22, 2009

BY HEDY WEISS Theater Critic/hweiss@suntimes.com
Sir Elton John was on hand to help herald the latest Chicago theater news Tuesday afternoon, just hours before he was slated to join his musical buddy Billy Joel for their second arena concert at Wrigley Field. And his message was this: Put away your boxing gloves and pull on your ballet slippers.

"Billy Elliot," the smash-hit London-bred musical that won 10 Tony Awards this spring for its Broadway production -- including the one for best musical -- will arrive at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts/Oriental Theatre for an extended run beginning in March 2010. The Chicago production, which will remain here for as long as the box office supports it, marks the first national touring stop for the show that opened in London in 2005, in Australia in 2007 and on Broadway in 2008.

Based on the popular 2000 film, the show spins the story of an 11-year-old working-class English boy who upends all expectations by pursuing a life in ballet, and who does so at the very moment that a ferocious labor strike by British miners gets under way in the Thatcherite period of 1984. Driven by an emotionally rich (yet very English) score by Elton John, with book and lyrics by Lee Hall (who wrote the screenplay), the musical will once again be directed by Stephen Daldry and choreographed by Peter Darling, both of whom also were responsible for the film.

"Funny I should be here," quipped an ebullient John as he arrived for a news conference dressed in a warmup suit and shades. His devotion to this musical is palpable.

"The show has become such a cornerstone in my life now," said the musician, who recounted how moved he was after seeing the film version of "Billy Elliot" for the first time at the Cannes Film Festival. "In many ways it reflects my own life and my relationship with my dad, who didn't give me much encouragement in music. He was a strict, conservative man who wanted me to be in the military, or a banker.

"But I played piano from the age of 3, listening to Frank Sinatra and Kay Starr [an American jazz star of the 1950s], and then my life was changed by hearing Elvis Presley and Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis.

"The sad thing is that my dad never got to see me perform at the height of my success in the 1970s, and that's why seeing the scene of Billy Elliot in 'Swan Lake' is so affecting. This is not a show about ballet. It's about saying, 'Please give me the chance to do what I really want to do.' And in this story Billy wins, while the miners realize they have lost."

John's fourth musical
This is John's fourth musical in 12 years -- after "Aida" (which had its pre-Broadway tryout in Chicago), "The Lion King" and the ill-fated "Lestat."

"I'm just beginning to learn how to make musicals," said the composer. "I love the process, especially the collaboration. And I think the more I write, the better I get at it."

Eric Fellner, a producer of both the film and musical, confessed that when he first read the screenplay it had all the elements of a commercial disaster.

"It stars a kid, so that means no big-name star; it's set in the north of England, and it's about a boy who wants to become a ballet dancer," he said, smiling. "But it also had heart spilling out of it."

Another producer, John Finn, confessed that if they'd really known how hard it would be to cast the role of Billy, they might have had second thoughts.

"The kid playing that role is never off stage. He must sing, dance and act, and in addition to all that he also must master the northern England accent," Finn noted. "In New York we looked at 2,000 lads over a period of six months. We cast three, and needed to have a fourth as understudy."

Chicago a good starter
Chicago undoubtedly got the nod for the first national touring production for several reasons -- the excellent track record for such shows as "Wicked" and "Jersey Boys" not the least of them.

"Well, we weren't going to start it in Alabama," John said. "And of course this is a very sophisticated city with a great theater audience. The film did well here, I've always enjoyed performing here, and this is where I first got sober 19 years ago."

Casting for the Chicago production will begin in August.

"The training period for the boys varies, depending on how much ballet they've had," Finn said. "I knew nothing about dance until I worked on 'Billy Elliot,' but I've gained so much respect for dancers in the process."

Tickets are currently on sale for groups of 20 or more at (312) 977-1710. The Broadway in Chicago 2010 spring-summer subscription series, which includes "Billy Elliot," will go on sale in September, with single tickets ($28-$100) becoming available in November.

Playbill News: Ravinia Sondheim Celebration Concert to Feature LuPone, McDonald, Hearn and Cerveris

Already looking forward to next summer!!
Playbill News: Ravinia Sondheim Celebration Concert to Feature LuPone, McDonald, Hearn and Cerveris

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sing a new song, chicken tikka...

Welcome to ABBA Tuesday! Today, for your listening pleasure/amusement, I give you "Chiquitita." There is a much more amusing video on YouTube, where the Swedish Fab Four are singing this with a snowman (!?) in the background, apparently for a Christmas special, but I couldn't embed it here. There is also a brilliant Mamma Mia! movie parody by the wonderful & fabulous Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders that features a great take on this song, but I can't embed that either, but it's worth a poke around on YouTube to find it. Hillarious. Almost as funny as that Xmas special footage. Seriously.



ABBA recognized that this song was not like the other pop music that they had so far been doing (this one comes from January 1979, I was a little over a month old!) but Benny Andersson notes, in the book "Mamma Mia! How Can I Resist You" "You should never be afraid of trying out weird stuff because that's when it becomes music & something worth listening to, rather than always following the mainstream."

An interview with WonWon

Interview with Rupert Grint in Time Out New York:

Having played second fiddle to Daniel Radcliffe in the Harry Potter films for all of these years, Rupert Grint (who portrays Ron Weasley) finally seems to be coming into his own. In the franchise’s sixth installment, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Ron gets to be a Quidditch star, continues his awkward teen romance with Hermione (Emma Watson) and otherwise has a pretty nice time doing magic and stuff. As the series winds down (the final book is still being filmed), we spoke to Grint from the U.K. about his Hogwarts legacy.

Still filming the last Potter?
Yeah, we’re nearly halfway there. We’re sort of filming in the forest at the moment. It’s going really well. It’s a lot to include, because it’s two films. We’re doing part one and part two. I’m enjoying it.

Excited to be just plain old Rupe again, as opposed to Ron Weasley?
Yeah, I mean, I think it’s going to be quite weird when it’s all over, because it has been such a massive part of my life. I think I’ll miss it, in a way, but I am looking forward to freedom, really, when it’s all over.

What will you do to celebrate?
I don’t know, really. I haven’t thought about it too much, but I’m expecting Warner Bros. might have some kind of celebration. It’s gonna be good.

Oh really? I pictured all of you Hogwarts grads smoking cigars and setting money on fire.
[Laughs] Yeah.

Getting any good souvenirs from the set?
I got a few things over the years. I have a tie. The Gryffindor tie. I’ve never really been given anything, but maybe at the end of this one we’ll get to keep a wand or something.

I guess all the best swag is CGI.
Oh, yeah, yeah. But there’s some really good props. But they don’t really like giving stuff away, because there’s been a few cases where people have stolen stuff and sold it on eBay. They don’t really like that.

Hagrid’s beard?
That could be quite good. Yeah. I don’t know what I’d do with it.

That’d be awesome, though, walking around like you were Moses.
Well, it’s kind of made for Robbie [Coltrane]’s face; unless you have that size head, it really wouldn’t look right.

How much do you want for it?
[Laughs nervously] Really? I don’t know, those beards are worth a lot, because they’re real hair and all handmade and stuff. So I expect they’re quite a lot.

You know, you could slay women here with your accent and soft-spoken ways.
Yeah, you say that, but people tend to think I’m Australian over there. But I guess the English accent is quite popular there as well.

Australian or no, you’re Rolling Stone’s hottest sidekick. You could rule this city!
Well, we’ll be going there in a couple of weeks, in July, for the Half-Blood Prince promotional tour.

Would you rather be the hero or the sidekick, generally speaking?
I’ve always liked the character of Ron. He was my favorite when I was reading the books. I’ve always felt a kind of connection to him, because I’ve found certain similarities between us. Just little things, like us both being ginger, and I have a few brothers and sisters as well. I thought he was funny in the books as well. So, yeah, it doesn’t bother me.

What’s the best way to duck a mob of screaming young girls?
I don’t know, really. It doesn’t happen much here. It’s mainly when we’re in America when they’re much more crazy and forward. Mainly it’s just people staring. It took me a while to adjust to that, because it is sort of a strange experience, being known when you go out.

There’s an online quiz that sorts you into Harry Potter houses, and my brother’s friend—a big, burly dude—became distraught after he was put in Hufflepuff. Didn’t come out of his room all weekend. Overreaction?
No way! [Laughs] That really affected him? That is so weird. I probably wouldn’t mind.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens Wed 15.

"a grim mood has gripped the country..."

From Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince...

"The Prime Minister felt it himself; people really did seem more miserable than usual. Even the weather was dismal; all this chilly mist in the middle of July...It wasn't right, it wasn't normal..." (emphasis mine!)

The book goes on to say that the chilly mist surrounding the country has to do with the escaped dementors, breeding. It all makes some sense now, doesn't it??? Everyone start working on your Patronus charms, or else the Dementors will suck all the joy out of our summer. Oh, wait...

I just found the Sorting Hat Quiz
and I took it again, for old times' sake. I am in Gryffindor!

(still) wild about harry...

Before I start talking about my trip to Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince I want to know: WHERE THE HELL IS SUMMER??? I should be wearing shorts and a tank top, and running inside chilly air conditioned buildings to avoid the scorching heat & humidity & naturally whining my butt off about it the entire time. Instead, I am wearing sweats (!) and sitting inside talking to y'all. I WANT MY MONEY BACK.

Ok, sorry. So the 6th installment of the Harry Potter saga was released last week. I was really tempted to go to a midnight screening, but I abstained because I would have been completely wrecked the following day at work, and bitchy government grant forms are complicated enough to fill out without my being exhaustedly tired on top of it. Anyway- decided to absolutely and definitely take in the movie (I refuse to call them "flicks" as in "I took in a flick this weekend." Blerg, yucky! That should be illegal.) this weekend. Yesterday was the perfect Saturday in that I did absolutely nothing. This morning, after the gym and breakfast, it was off to Old Orchard for an 11:15 show (only $5!).

I went into this movie a little bit unprepared. I have read the books - several times, actually. Before the 7th one came out, I re-read the series again so I'd be prepared. But the 7th one was so depressing, I have sort of blocked it out of my mind, and have not read any of them since then. So for a while I was sitting there going "wait - what's happening now? what's with that cabinet? What's the deal with Jim Broadbent (aka Prof. Slughorn)? I didn't even recall who exactly the titular half blood prince was right away. This allowed me though to watch the movie without doing a lot of nitpicking about how it was different from the book.

And... I really enjoyed it. It was very dark - death eaters and dark marks all over the place and Helena Bonham Carter cackling wildly as the wickedly creepy Bellatrix LeStrange (still love that name though!). Alan Rickman is still the most inspired casting choice EVER as Serverus "is-he-good-or-is-he-evil" Snape. He didn't have a LOT to do in this movie (except, obviously for a rather big happening at the end...) but glower menacingly, and he did that with delicious leering creepiness, all stringy black greasy hair and crazy eyes and looming evil(ness). The other prize for best casting goes to whoever put Kenneth Branagh in as Gilderoy Lockheart. As Ron might say "Brilliant!"

Moving on. It wasn't ALL doom and gloom and Lord Voldything - Harry, Ron and Hermione are all teenagers, after all, and are still totally full of raging hormones. There was a great scene where Ron had come under a love spell intended for Harry, and some other good stuff exploring Harry's budding relationship with Ginny. The Weasley twins, Fred and George, last seen escaping Imelda Staunton's (whoops, I mean, Professor Umbrage's) Hogwarts regime, also have a brief cameo here, as we see inside their new magical joke shop. Ron also gets a moment to shine as a Quidditch hero. We also learn that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has split his soul into seven pieces, into objects called Horcruxes that play a huge part in the 7th and final book, as the only way to destroy old Voldy is to destroy all of these things.

As we near the end of the film, Harry realizes that it is up to him to finish what has been started. He's The Chosen One, after all. The 7th film will actually be split into two films - a lovely way to tell the whole story while prolonging the series and increasing their merchandising $$. Well played, Warner Brothers. Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to go and re-read the book.

who you callin' ahoy?

A rather enigmatic Yahoo horoscope today...

Quickie
Pick up the phone and say hi or salut or ahoy. Any language works! Just call! (Interestingly, this does not tell me who I am supposed to be calling...)

Overview
It's a good time for you to drill down and forget about the big picture for now -- you've got to make the trains run on time before you can think about laying down any new tracks! (Now I am apparently working for Metra? What does this even mean?)

help!

I am totally obsessed with the Cirque du Soleil show The Beatles "Love" that I saw when I was in Vegas. I bought the album "Love" full of the re-mixed songs and I well, really love it. Check out the clip I found on YouTube of "Help!" Which was incedible live. I want to go back and see it again, who's coming with me?

la question c'est voulez-vous...

Bonjour and happy bastille day, mes amies! Here is your petit ABBA video for this Tuesday - mais oui, it is Voulez-Vous! A bientot! ("A bien-WHAT?")

"make no little plans..."

So, I've been thinking (yes, that IS what that sound was!) - my recent trip to Vegas has left me a little light in the wallet, but fortunately, daydreaming is free! Anyway, I had this idea, and it came to me after a day of wandering the Strip. Aside from the Second City comedy revue, there is nothing Chicago-themed in Vegas. There's Paris, there's Venice, there's Rome. There's a big, freaky circus, and a jungle, and pirate-hookers (whoops, I mean, Sirens). When I was walking around, I was like, well, you know, Chicagoans are hearty and hard-working, and other stuff like that. Not at all Vegasy. But then I got to thinking - Why the hell not? We could be Vegasy if we wanted to - what do all of those other places got that we ain't got (except, perhaps, a better grasp of grammar)? We have a lake! We have Oprah! We have sports teams! We have gangsters and good pizza and lots of great landmarks. When I was taking my gondola ride at the Venetian, my gondolier asked where I was from. When I told her, she, and about 5 of her fellow gondoliers burst into an impromptu rendition of "Chicago (that toddlin' town)" especially for me (it was kind of a slow afternoon.) As I am rather fond of saying - when you say "Chicago" everyone knows what you're talking about. You don't have to name it twice.

So - ladies and gentlemen (and Steve Wynn, if you're listening!) may I proudly present my as-yet-unnamed (but taking suggestions) Chicago-themed Vegas resort! Think of it! A giant ferris wheel out front, a White City themed lobby, and a casino area called "the Midway" - a pool shaped like Lake Michigan, with lovely non-polluted sand beaches, an inside "El train" roller coaster that people could ride, a luxe shopping area called the "Magnificent Mile" and mini-versions of the Sears Tower that people could go up in, the Hancock building, and the Adventures in Babysitting building (you know what I mean!) and the Picasso statue. Our hotel towers would be named after our sports teams (the Cubs wing! the Sox wing!) or our former mayors. We could have a theater with a marquee that look like the iconic Chicago Theater's. We'd have a permanently running Broadway musical in the house (Chicago naturally) And best of all, we'd have restaurants serving the best food in Vegas - Chicago deep dish pizza, hot dogs, an outpost of the Kielbasa King, etc. We could have a Western branch of the Art Institute with glitzed up lions sitting at the entrance, and exhibitions making their way through (who says only the Bellagio can have art?). We'd have to Vegas up the Buckingham Fountain, too - make it bigger, put some flashing colored lights in there, add some music and voila! Instant Vegas attraction. I am loving this!

Oh, it would be great. So who's with me? Oprah? Steve? Anybody?

get yer disco (back) on!

ABBA Tuesdays are BACK! I would miss them too much otherwise, so I've decided to make this The Summer of ABBA Tuesday and will be posting videos, tidbits, pictures, etc. from now until the end of the summer, or until I get tired of it, whichever comes first. Woohoo! Today's selection is "Summer Night City" which, incidentally, was the original working title of the musical - even though this song does not appear to be in the musical. Maybe that's why they decided to go with the much snappier "Mamma Mia!" This song is so weirdly hypnotic, just listen to it for two seconds and you will have the refrain of "Summer Night Citaaayyyy" in your head the rest of the day. You're welcome.

the proposal

Saw "The Proposal" on Friday night, after a delicious, delicious meal at Mykonos. Oh, how I love Greek food. But anyway. I really really liked the movie. It was not rocket science, you know, but it was light and funny and happy and sometimes that is all I really look for in a movie. Sandra Bullock has to be one of the most adorable, likeable actresses around today. Her character, Margaret Tate is not a nice person - I mean, come on, she bribes her assistant to marry her so she doesn't get deported! After a wild eagle snatches her phone, on their trip to Palin-land she offers it a fluffy white puppy instead! Not nice! But Sandra made her seem - well, not so bad. Human. Relatable.

And can we talk about Ryan Reynolds for just a moment? Lovely! {sighhhhh}

Sorry, she said, wiping drool from her keyboard, what were we talking about? Oh, right. The movie. Focus. Deep breaths. Anyway, the plot was a little predictable, but the movie made me laugh. I had a great time. There were some great supporting players too, including Betty White's "Gammy" and Oscar Nunez's exotic dancing "Ramon."

So go and see it with your girlfriends and have a good time. Stay for the end credits. Maybe if you are lucky, some idiot will be setting off fireworks in the Chasers parking lot. Fun for the whole family!

Palin's speech sends bizarre meter atwitter :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Richard Roeper

As much as I would like her to go away, I can't help but wonder if she'd be a better governor than Blagojevich... then again, this pair of scissors would probably be a better governor than Blagojevich... Huh. Better for her to just go away, then.

Palin's speech sends bizarre meter atwitter :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Richard Roeper

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there's STILL gonna be bbq, dammit!

Just got back from the MG's (rather soggy!) parade. Mom and I huddled in the shelter of an overhang (thank goodness there are still a few surviving businesses on dempster st.!) and so we were dry, but had to stand for the entire affair. As the parade went on, it rained harder and harder - the Shriners on their mini-motorcycles had plastic bags on over their stupid fez hats, which kinda made it look like they had lampshades on their heads...

Otherwise it was a pretty standard parade, it opened with local cops, firemen, and tow trucks from LinMar. Some people were throwing candy. One year, the LinMar truck was distributing hot dogs to the crowd. There were a variety of marching bands (only one of them was actually from Illinois, and that one was from some place called "New Lenox") which might have been good, but since we were standing pretty close to the start of the parade route, we didn't hear them do a lot of playing. They just walked by, twiddling their flags, so to speak, and looking wet. The Jesse White tumblers were on hand, but since it was raining, they just drove by us in a minivan, their mats and trampoline secured to the roof. Blerg. There were some folks from the Action Party (who I did not vote for - their shirts said "Leading the Way" - "to what?" I asked, but none of them answered me.) The (6) marching Girl Scouts did not have any cookies on them. They must have extras, so why not hurl a box or two of thin mints our way, ladies? There were some assorted Republicans floating around too, as well as a tribe of Bolivian folk dancers, a whole bunch of Shriners, clowns (doing the same jokes every year. I mean, really? No new material?) and a group identifying themselves as "Freinds of the Morton Grove Forest Preserve" - yes, they misspelled "Friends" on the sign they were carrying - whoops! Guess they weren't "freinds" of the spell checker, eh?

All this might sound as though I did not enjoy myself - I did! For nearly every year that I can remember, I've celebrated the 4th of July the exact same way - the parade, bbq with my family, including our legendary ice cream pudding cake, the carnival, and then the fireworks. When I was young, my parents and I would drive the el camino (my first car) to the parking lot of my elementary school where they had the fireworks, and watch from the back of the car (cozy!). As I've gotten older, I started going to the fireworks with my friends (my extended family) . And every year, we'd wish for a firework to go astray and tragically set our school alight so that we would have an extended summer vacation!

I also used to love the carnival as a kid, although I've since become wary of rides that can be assembled and taken down in one day, and the carnies are always invariably the creepiest, skeeziest, most leacherous guys on the planet. Gross, gross, gross. When I was younger I had an unlimited capacity to go on the Tilt-a-whirl (Heidi told me that in the UK they call it the "waltzer" - can this be true? Anyone?) and that crazy roller coaster that went in reallyreally fast circles, but now my old lady stomach won't let me do that, or eat funnel cakes, either, which is just more proof that getting older really sucks. But, on the bright side, we are now (more than) old enough to enter the mythical beer garden, so it's all good.

But anyway, it wouldn't be the 4th without doing these things. It is, as I mentioned earlier, my favorite holiday. Maybe it's because my birthday is in November, and I've always wished that I could have a big party outside without needing a winter jacket. I am SO jealous of people with summer birthdays. I mean, seriously. Pool parties! BBQs! My birthday is in November so we could stay inside or... yeah. Stay inside. The 4th has all the things I love the most - the weather is pretty (usually), we can eat my favorite food, people are outside, there are fireworks, it's patriotic and I'm a big sucker for that stuff. Rah, rah, go us and all that. I love singing "Proud to be an American" in Harrer Park and waving a glowstick and going "Oooooh" "Ahhhhhh" and "It's a shoe!" while watching the fireworks.

So the fact that it is raining is a big huge drag. Sigh. Ah well.

Happy Fourth!

Have fun, be safe and don't do anything I wouldn't do!

hey chicago - who told you you're allowed to rain on my parade?

Today is the 4th of July (my favorite holiday!), although you would not know it by our gray, gloomy, rainy and COLD (60!) weather. It might as well be Easter around here, gee whiz. One bright spot in my morning was my trip to Dunkin Donuts - I was getting a cup of water when I heard a voice behind me say "Hello!" So I turned around and there was a guy there, with balloons. "Can I make a balloon for you?" he asked me. I said okay and he gave me one already made and ohmygosh, it's so cute and totally made my morning. So thanks, Balloon Man!

Our parade is at 2:30 today and the fireworks are later. There WILL be barbecuing, dammit. I better see some sun and some 70s, Chicago.

LXTV - Can't Live WIthout: Harold Ramis

Yeah! I can't live without this stuff, either! Ballet, flowers, and Italian food...

LXTV - Can't Live WIthout: Harold Ramis

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glammed out miss granger

Emma Watson in August's Teen Vogue

let the countdown begin to the new Harry Potter movie!

"a little bit wicked"

I was boredly scanning the shelves at Morton Grove Public Library last week while I was off. I've been doing that thing where I've run out of stuff to read and so I start reading stuff I've already read. I do this a lot, and thus have a collection of stuff that I will grab when I am looking for something to (re) read - for instance, I re-read all of Bill Bryson's books that I own (and one that I didn't) and I've even been meandering through my Vegas guidebooks again (in case I missed something, maybe?) which let me know that I had to get to the library and fast - only a matter of time before I start on my favorite re-read books - the tales of Ms. Georgia Nicholson in Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging and all of its many sequels. So I could save myself and my loved ones from me gabbing in teenage English girl "Cor! It's nippy noodles outside today!" "I'm away laughing on a fast camel, toodle pip!" for the next week, I hit the biblioteca.

I picked up Kristin Chenoweth's A Little Bit Wicked. I started it Saturday night and finished it Sunday morning. A very quick and fun read, and she is so gosh darned cute (plus we have the same initials!) . I liked her very much, even forgiving her for saying that You're A Good Man Charlie Brown was in "Skokee" Illinois (Right down the darned street from me, too, and I MISSED IT.) It made me want to crack out my Wicked cd and become a Glitter Girl - now I have the perfect accessory for it - my glitter lamp from Ravinia...

having the time of your life...

So - last night was by far the most fun I've ever had at Ravinia. Ever. The place was PACKED, there was dancing in the aisles and the music of ABBA as played by the fantastic Arrival from Sweden. They were adorable - decked out in authentic ABBA costumes, happy to be there singing for us, happy to be alive and apparently happy to be Swedish. The Ravinia gift shop has outdone themselves this year with fantastic tchotchkes (well, how do YOU spell it?) and I got myself this awesome little glittery trinket that lights up and changes color. No joke, I am obsessed with this thing. The best 8 bucks I've spent this summer, I think.

The only thing that was not entirely agreeable - two things actually - the weather and the annoying people in our aisle. The weather had turned cold - by the time the concert rolled around it was in the 60s! I had to swap my adorable ABBAriffic dress and sandals for a pair of jeans, a long sleeved t-shirt, a sweater AND a jacket. Fortunately I warmed up by dancing! Ah and the people in our aisle. Apparently these people bought 4 pavilion tickets and were trading them around with the rest of their party on the lawn. So. One group would come in, sit for maybe 10 minutes, leave and shortly another group would come in, totally different people, getting up and sitting down, traipsing right IN FRONT OF ME for the entire first half of the show. It annoyed me and it annoyed my mom who I am proud to say "went Sicilian" on them and so did the guy next to us who complained to the usher. Who couldn't very well do anything, since they had tickets after all. Grrr. The second half, four people (that we'd never seen before - how big was this group, anyway?) sat down and stayed there, which was good.

The show was rocking, starting from their first song "Ring Ring" in Swedish and ending with "Dancing Queen." I loved it. LOVED IT and I can't wait to get back to Ravinia for another show and some warmer weather.

one for the road

This had me, literally, rolling in the aisles...

it's today!

Our final ABBA Tuesday is upon us. I know you are all SO SAD. What better song than "Thank you for the Music"? The concert is tonight and I.Can't.Wait. See y'all on the dance floor. I am wearing my ABBA-riffic and totally psychedelic H&M dress, just for YOU, Arrival from Sweden.

leaving las vegas

Sunday - my last full day in the Vegas. Quick(ish) breakfast in the hotel restaurant (a rather soggy strawberry waffle - I keep expecting one to rival the Nice Matin waffle, but so far, none have come close) and then off to the Orleans shuttle that would bring me in air conditioned comfort to the Strip - free! Since I had taken the shuttle before, that made me something of an expert, and everyone who walked up asked me questions (namely "Is this where the shuttle stops?" No, I'm just standing under this green canopy for fun. "Where does it let you off?" Bill's Gamblin' Hall and Saloon, for those of you keeping score at home.). I'd set off in the hopes of finding the "World's Largest Gift Shop" because I had heard the call of tacky souvenirs. At some point the previous night or earlier that morning, I'd consulted my little guidebook and compared the address of the gift shop with the addresses of the big hotels at that end of the Strip, and for some reason, I had imagined it to be closer than it really was. I walked from Bill's (which is next to the Flamingo) all the way down to the Encore when I saw a street sign - I was at 3100 LV Blvd and the shop was all the way out at 2600. My feet were killing me already, and I decided eventually that no tacky souvenirs could possibly be worth such a trek. So I turned around, promptly found another gift shop simply teeming with tack, and so I was happy. I suppose I will have to wait until next time to find the big shop.

Well, it was a beautiful day so I wandered with no particular destination in mind. I stopped at the Fashion Show Mall to get out of the heat for a while and grab some water (and a pair of more comfy shoes!) but then I was back out in the sunshine. I walked past TI (I missed the Sirens of TI pirate show, another dream deferred until my next trip to Vegas) and back to the Mirage. I had so loved watching the lions and tigers I decided to give Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden another visit. It was just wonderful. Past the glorious Mirage pool, the wildlife area included a dolphin pool and habitats for two white lions, a herd of alpaca, white and gold tigers, and a 7 month old leopard cub. On Friday when I had gone there, most of the animals had been asleep. I have way too many pictures of slumbering big cats - eventually, the trainers woke up the tigers and so I got to see them close up.

This time, it was sleepy time again for the big cats, but happily, Java, the little leopard cub was awake and playing.

I spent a bunch of time there, and then a bunch more time inside the Mirage at the Love gift shop, where I could not help but obtain some Beatles themed parphenalia. From there was a rather accidental lunch at the Venetian. I had wandered into the shopping area there, and found a cute little "sidewalk" cafe. I went to what I thought was the entrance and ended up in a different (more expensive) restaurant. By the time I realized my mistake, I was too embarassed to tell the waiter I'd been a moron, so I stayed and had a plate of pasta, when I'd really been looking for something much lighter and less tomato-y. After that, I took another stroll back to Bill's to be collected back to the Orleans. I had packing to do, and a Diva to see, after all...

Monday morning - up at the crack of 6:00 for a shuttle pick up of 7:15 for a 10:00 flight. I always get edgy about traveling - I worry about getting up on time, I tend to think it will take me longer to pack than it actually does, I worry about missing the shuttle etc etc. This time I had nothing to fear - although the shuttle showed up at 7:00 rather than 7:15 (so good thing I was sitting outside waiting for it - I am early for everything, so I was prepared) and it took about 2 minutes to get to the airport. No joke. Even after checking my bag and passing through the sluggish security line, I was in the terminal by 7:30. Of course, being Vegas, there was a bank of slot machines in the terminal, in case waiting passengers felt like trying their luck one last time (I did not).

oh, patti...

You all know what happened last Sunday, and yes I will talk about that, but nobody's really talking about the show, so I'm going to tell you about that. First - a bit of background. At the start of June, I learned that I had 12 PTO days to take before the end of the month (which is the end of our fiscal year). We aren't allowed to carry any over with us this year, which meant that I had to use those puppies or lose them. I knew I wanted to take a trip, since I hadn't been out of town since December, and I was itching to travel. Where to? I considered a few options - back to New York for cupcakes and Broadway? London (expired passport foiled overseas plans)? but what I really wanted to do was see the divine Ms. Patti LuPone in her newest one woman show. At first, I didn't want to brave Vegas on my own but in the end I decided to hell with it. I'd had my heart set on seeing Patti and as an added bonus, I'd get to explore a new city.

So that's how I ended up in Vegas last Saturday, sitting in the Orleans Showroom WAY too early, waiting for the show to start. Did I mention I am early to everything? I have this pathological fear of missing curtain and so I am always in place for these events ridiculously early. Once, I was with my friends on our way to something, and we were running late and I almost had a stroke in the car. Seriously. Being late makes me nervous. So I'm in the Showroom more than half an hour early with nothing to do. I couldn't even kill time by reading the program because there wasn't one. Oh brother. I checked my phone about a million times to make sure it was off - I was in the front row and so every caution was necessary. I wouldn't even have brought it, but I was using it as a timepiece. Anyway. I was there, I was ready to go and after what seemed like an eternity, the show started! Ms. Patti sailed out, a vision in black, and started to sing "The Gypsy in my Soul" complete with soaring, belted notes. Good lord, but she can sing her face off. She welcomed us happily to the Orleans Showroom or, as she called it "One step closer to the strip!" And I totally started imagining her image on the side of one of the major hotels, a la Donny and Marie on the side of the Flamingo ("Dammit, I'm a little bit country too, bitches!)

Can't you just see it? Maybe the eyes from the City Center Gypsy logo? Right on the side of the hotel? Brilliant, I think. AND I think that she should hold out for her own gift shop, like Bette and Cher have over at Caesar's. All kinds of Patti trinkets. And programs for early birds like me who get to the show too early.

The show was actually a blend of some of her previously recorded material - a lot from "The Lady with the Torch" which I adore, including "Do it Again" "I Wanna Be Around" (otherwise known as the Sicilian national anthem. Ha) "Frankie and Johnny" "C'est Magnifique" "Make it another old fashioned" (or whatever the real name of that song is) and "So in Love." She also sang "I never do anything twice" "I regret everything" and "Hello, Young Lovers" from her Matters of the Heart days, and even some stuff from PLP Live "The Supermarket in Old Peking" "Calling you/Get Here" (I nearly fell off my chair, I love those two so much), "Looking for Love on Broadway" into "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" "I get a kick out of you" "As long as he needs me" "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" and "Everything's Coming Up Roses." She sang her West Side Story duet with herself, "My Way" and "The Way You Look Tonight" (I seriously wonder what she does with those cameras afterwards??) and she closed with some disco. She is fabulous and I love watching her on stage. I left the showroom happy.

Sunday - I learned my lesson! After dinner I went up to my room and didn't allow myself to leave until the time was appropriate. I did not want to be down there again, sitting around staring into space before the show started. And yes, I went to both shows. What if it was different from night to night? How could I be expected to choose? I don't have that kind of decision making power, so I didn't bother to choose. I just went to both. My seat was better on Sunday, second row and a little more center of the house. The show rolled along, the same as the night before. Same Patti, same gorgeous voice. I had been worried that the audience would be full of people just there to see a show, not really knowing who she is, but they were really responsive and wonderful (with one notable exception, as you will see). Very unlike the audience at the show in Naperville that I saw last. I was basically in heaven. Honestly, I could listen to her sing forever.

She sang "Looking for Love on Broadway" and the distinctive opening strains of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" began. She struck the famous pose, the crowd went wild, etc. She started to sing... and then stopped the show. She had spotted someone (not near me, fortunately) texting (maybe?) went over to the edge of the stage and let them have it. The rest of the crowd was supportive of her action, with a few people giving her a standing ovation. She went back to the piano, the mood clearly ruined and wondered where they should resume the show. "How about... from the beginning of the show?" she joked and the pianist obligingly started playing the opening strains of "The Gypsy in my Soul." She laughed, resumed her place at the mic, striking the Evita pose again. The show went on and although I noticed her looking in that direction several times, there was no further activity from the errant texter. I spotted an usher over in that direction, and I had heard that two people left the show, but I am not sure what happened there.

So, look, there's been a lot of conversation about this, about Patti stopping the show. All I can say is good for you, Patti, and thank you. I've been in audiences with horrible behavior (seriously - the last time I was at Lyric, a couple in front of us were making out during the opera. A few rows ahead of us, some guy was stretched out, arms folded on top of his head like he was at Wrigley. The people at Lyric behave appallingly, which is why I am not subscribing this year. So please stop calling me! And there was that one incident when I was at Sunday in the Park with George when some idiot's phone went off during the few lines of the show "White - a blank screen or canvas. His favorite. So many RIIIIIIING possibilities" which totally ruined the moment for me and also kind of ruined the feeling of the show for me as well.) and I am GLAD that finally someone is taking a stand and making it known that it won't be tolerated. I am only sorry that that someone is a performer on the stage. She should not have to worry about taking it upon herself to police audience activity because we should all know better. I only hope that this kind of behavior doesn't spoil the experience for her up there. Although it enlivened the show a bit, it did not spoil the experience for me. The rest of the crowd was extremely supportive after that point and very well behaved which proves that Patti was doing what she does best - she goes out there and forges a real bond with the audience. You can't experience that if you're not sitting there, in the moment.

It was over all too soon. Although I waited around with some other fans afterwards, Ms. Patti proved elusive (which is really too bad, because I'd hunted down a cute Orleans postcard that I was going to ask her to sign in lieu of a program.) So I went back upstairs to my room to pack and do some other last minute things.

The next time I see her will be at Ravinia in August. If you're going, please don't use your phone or your camera or prepare to face The Wrath.

what happened in vegas part 2

Day 2 Saturday Got bling?
I woke up at the crack of 6:00 (still on Chicago time, I thought it was 8:00 am!) and naturally, went back to sleep for a while. Breakfast down at the hotel's restaurant where I ate my food on top of a Patti placemat (there she is, right next to Wingiebert Slapdeback. Zenglebert Bembledack. Jerry Dorsey. Slapbumwalla. Oh, but he's dead now.) Both of her shows took place at the Orleans and so her benignly smiling visage was everywhere.

I had big plans, my friends, to journey to... the Liberace Museum. I didn't know a lot about him except for his fondness for rhinestones, but it seemed so quintessentially Vegas that I just had to go. The little museum did not disappoint. I took the guided tour (after some urging from a friendly dosent in the gift shop) and it was excellent. The museum was spread out through two buildings - one containing some of his cars and his pianos, and the other containing many of his costumes, the World's Largest Rhinestone, and some of his jewelry. I was dazzled. My favorites were his legendary rhinestone piano and his famous red white and blue hot pants outfit (with matching boots!)

Now really, does it get any more Vegas than that?

From there, it was back to the Strip. I made for the Bellagio to see the fountains, and the art gallery, and how the Other Half Lives, really. It was stunning - the gorgeous Chihuly glass ceiling in the lobby, the colorful flowers in the conservatory, the gelato bar, the fountains. It seems funny, to gush over fountains, but it was really a spectacular sight. I caught the "water ballet" twice - once standing at the Bellagio, and then again, later in the afternoon, I was across at Paris, and heard Andrea Bocelli wailing away as the fountains exploded heavenward. Stunning.

Then I just walked. I went all the way down to New York New York and had lunch in a Broadway themed burger place where our favorite Diva was well represented.

I crossed the Strip (after getting lost in NY's casino) and happily poked around wherever the mood struck. Since it was so hot, I started popping into shops and places just to get out of the heat, step into a mister, or buy some water.

I ran out of steam once I hit Paris, which is too bad, since I've never been to France, and this was sort of like being there but without the French people (bonus!) I stopped in to use the restroom and brush up on my French phrases (particularly useful - "That dress is hot. It would look even hotter on my floor.")

Late in the afternoon, I started getting tired and headed back to where the Orleans shuttle would collect me. Had some ice cream to revive (the joys of staying in a hotel with a food court! Classy!) and started getting ready for the first of The Diva's two shows...

what happened in vegas...

I survived my first trip to the Vegas! I didn't go broke! I didn't pass out from the heat and I didn't get sunburned! You all know I went to see the Diva (note the capital D there) - don't worry, she's getting her own post. There will be details.

But the rest of the trip was pretty much awesome and here's the way it went down.

Day 1 - Friday
I was terrified that the blazing thunderstorms would keep my flight on the ground. Happily though, we took off on time (!) thus restoring my faith in United Airlines (somewhat) and I was on the ground in Las Vegas at 10:00 am. My jaw hit the ground as soon as I stepped off the plane. Looking out the window, I could see mountains! And a pyramid! I felt very "toto we're not in kansas anymore." The airport itself was gawk-worthy - ginormous posters advertising shows, shows, shows, and the ubiquitous slot machines that seemed to be everywhere. I stayed at the Orleans and upon arrival, promptly got lost in the casino. Could they make it any harder to find hotel check-in? Yes, I realize they do this on purpose, so you are lured into the games in a vague "Room? What room? I can sleep when I'm dead" kind of way but all I wanted to do was get up to my room, dump my stuff and hit the Strip.

And hit the Strip I did! My jaw hit the ground again when I got there - massive hotels, palm trees, margarita stands... I started off at Caesar's Palace, went to Madame Toussaud's (lookie! I met the President!) and got a gondola ride at the Venetian, and saw Sigfried and Roy's gorgeous lions and tigers, hit the buffet and saw my first Cirque du Soleil show, Love, at the Mirage.

I loved Love by the way. I was not sure what to expect from Cirque, and I chose this show over the others playing in Vegas because of the music. It was a great show. There was a bit of a technical glitch at the beginning that stopped the show for maybe 10 minutes, but after that it was smooth sailing. It was wonderful fun, combining dance, daredevil acrobatics and aerial stunts with the familiar and beloved music of the Beatles.

vegas, here i come!

Does it really surprise you that I'm going to Vegas essentially to see Ms. Patti? Because if it does, you really don't know me all that well. She's like the house, she always wins... Found this article online this morning, courtesy of the Las Vegas Sun. Needless to say, I will not be bringing my cell phone to the concerts (yes, both of them. Shut up.)Patti's actually my ringtone, though, "Downtown" from Les Mouches - I'd be curious to see her reaction to her show being interrupted by her own voice. I'm not going to try it, mind you, but still, it would be interesting.

...all the things i could do...

You keep hoping I will forget about ABBA tuesdays, don't you? This one is in honor of my upcoming trip to Vegas...

is vegging out too passe?

Dear People Style Watch:
You know that I love you - I eagerly await your monthly appearance on the newsstand, and I page happily through your issues, drinking in every word. How else would I know to wear cute flat sandals and flowy tops in the summer?? Or how much Nicole Richie loves her vintage clutch or Gabrielle Union her glam LV bag? I have to say, in this recent issue there is much to love - and being me, I have already purchased two items that I saw in the issue. I am a marketing person's dream come true, yes?

But there is one teeny tiny thing that I think you might have, oh, I don't know - made up. Your What's In What's Out section, while useful, seems maybe a little ridiculous this time. For instance, the first "IN" is something called "cupcaking" defined in the magazine as such (if you think I am making this junk up, I'm not - page 98)

Cupcaking: "It's a new expression. Cupcakes are hot in general, and this trend is about getting back to basics and being joyful, enjoying the simpler things in life. You can stay home and cupcake with your boyfriend or hang out cupcaking with your friends."

Really, Style Watch, really? A new expression? Does anyone actually say that? I will tell you now that the only reason I would ever say I was "cupcaking" was if I was eating (or making) cupcakes and that is questionable, at best. What do they actually have to do with "getting back to basics and being joyful"? Particularly since the new hot cupcake trend involves plunking down like 5 bucks for a cupcake? Simpler things in life? I think not. Your telling me that this is a new expression does not make it so. Catchphrases come about more organically than that, I think, and this one is pretty dumb, so my prediction is that it won't catch on.

The other crap in the What's In What's Out is pretty stupid also, so I suggest that you dump the page all together.

Many thanks!

PS If you really want to do some "cupcaking" - come on over next week! I have vacation and I'm going to be baking!

Playbill News: Little Night Music Revival to Play a Jujamcyn Theatre

Playbill News: Little Night Music Revival to Play a Jujamcyn Theatre

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Another reason to start planning a trip to NYC... so I can start using "Jujamcyn" in sentences...

hmmm.

today's yahoo horoscope:

Speak out! By being direct, you'll get the time you need and the answers you want.
Your cultural side is active today, and you're more in tune with art and music than usual. It's a good time to look for hidden meanings in your favorite works and to seek out new creators to admire.

Maybe if I play my Gypsy recording backwards, Patti will tell me the secret of the universe?

bono + edge + julie taymor = broadway magic?

According to U2.com who are so beside themselves excited that they emailed me this info twice, Bono and the Edge have teamed with Julie Taymor for the Broadway production of 'SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark.'The new production, staged by award-winning director Julie Taymor (The Lion King, Across the Universe), begins at Broadway's Hilton Theatre on January 16, 2010.

Drawing on over 40 years of comics, co-book writers Taymor and Glen Berger spin a spectacular new take on the mythic adventure that's familiar and fresh yet filled with unexpected twists and turns. Highlighted by visual effects, flying, stunts and breathtaking designs from an international team of artists from Broadway, Cirque du Soleil, the Beijing Olympics and the Spider-Man films. It also marks the Broadway debut of Bono and The Edge who have composed the music and written the lyrics for 'SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark'.

Okay now - Seriously? A Spider-Man musical?? I am intrigued and also a little bit afraid. I have to get myself to NYC (hopefully sooner than January) and I am not sure this will make the top of my must see list. But hey, maybe Bono & The Edge will get invited to next year's Tony's which would be kind of fun. I think every event needs a little excitement in the form of hip Irish rockers. I was also emailed some ticket pre-sale information (so clearly they think this thing will catch on - if it is anything like the Lion King, maybe it will) and if you are nice to me I will tell you how to get tickets this much. Thrilling, yes?

aww... meet pipo!

Rare White Tiger Cub @ Yahoo! Video

mixing it up on abba tuesday...

...Kylie Minogue singing "Dancing Queen" from the Sydney Olympics...

tony's last night!

So I watched the show last night in my pjs in the kitchen. I'd been looking forward to it - and I nearly had a stroke when my family mentioned possible dinner plans with family friends that night. Uh hello, people? It's time for the Tony's! I really need to find some theater people in this town!

Anyway - the show was - shall I be polite?? Interesting. Lots of technical problems that you think they would have worked out by now. Some unfortunate camera angles - like during the memorial piece and a bunch of sound issues too. Get it together here already!

So yeah - stuff I liked:
1. NPH! I loved the sushi joke... Jeremy Piven probably didn't...
2. The Billys - aw, so cute.
3. Constantine Maroulis - surprisingly. But Rock of Ages looks like so much fun. Ah, the 80s.
4. Crazy hippies from Hair - I was wondering if this show tours, if it will come to Chicago. We have some sort of ridiculous Puritanical law around here about stage nudity and stage smoking, etc.
5. Angela Lansbury - what a classy lady
6. Alice Ripley's voice (and her gorgeous blue dress. And by the way, is David Hyde Pierce the official "Best Actress in a Musical" designated award giver? Didn't he present that category last year, too?)
7. Billy Elliot wins best musical! YAY! It's the only one I saw, so I am a little biased...
8. Liza. So crazy. But I love her, begging the question - Why do I have a thing for slightly crazy people (Italian-American divas, in particular?? Is it because I am a paesana myself?)??
9. Geoffrey Rush!
10. the 11th hour closing number - did he make that song up, or what? How did they know the winners??? Mystery!

Stuff I didn't like:
1. Extremely crappy In Memoriam piece, apparently directed by someone who was asleep and shot by someone who was drunk. The angles would wander off away from the screen so you either couldn't see the picture or read the name and sometimes both. Yeah. Way to honor those people.
2. Extremely random best play excerpts which were - well, extremely random and brief. I had to bust out my trusty Time Out New York stash to figure out what some of the plays were about
3. Also sort of random musical numbers that didn't do a lot for the show represented. The West Side Story one? Kind of sucked. And the Billy Elliot one - arrrgh. Show "Electricity" or even "Solidarity Forever" - that was the only show I saw and I bawled my face off when I saw it, but based on that excerpt, yowch.
4. The touring show interludes. I mean, I get it. The show is targeted towards mainstream America who wouldn't know "Next to Normal" from a hole in the ground. They do know "Mamma Mia" though and "Jersey Boys." So instead of giving the award recipients some extra time to talk, let's have a Jersey Boys medley! Oh yes, that will do great things for the ratings, except for people like ME in the audience who wants Jersey Boys to die a slow painful death. And the Legally Blonde bit sucked a little too.
5. Is anyone else trembling in fear at the thought of John Stamos in Bye Bye Birdie? I remember in grade school we did our little musical thing "Dream a Little Musical Dream" and I wore a poodle skirt and was in the Bye Bye Birdie numbers...

Playbill News: Ravinia Festival Will Salute Sondheim in 2010

Playbill News: Ravinia Festival Will Salute Sondheim in 2010

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Vague, yet kind of exciting!

It's time to party in the park: Ravinia's back! :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Weekend

It's time to party in the park: Ravinia's back! :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Weekend

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I recently had a conversation with someone who told me he "picnics free" at Millennium Park and that in his view, Ravinia isn't even in Chicago's top 10 of good stuff. I love him mucho, but I have to disagree - I love Ravinia - to me, it IS summer. I've had lots of happy memories there. I've met some great friends there, and once I got hit on by a 12 year old - and honestly? Where else can you see the CSO, Carrie Underwood, the music of ABBA, and Divas from the operatic and broadway stage, all within days of each other? Nowhere, that's where. So welcome back, Ravinia. I'll see you at the end of the month.

'splain, please!

This has been bugging me since yesterday - I had a Stouffer's mac and cheese for lunch yesterday. To pass time waiting for it to cook, I was reading the box, you know, like you do. Microwave cooking takes 6 minutes but I was interested to note that you can, if you so choose, pop the thing into the oven and let it cook for 50 minutes. I swear that's what it said. So here's my question. Why on earth would you not just break out the velveeta shells and make those instead - that takes maybe 10 minutes. Seriously, I will come over and cook you a plate of mac and cheese in under 50 minutes. In most places I think you could have a whole sit down meal in 50 minutes. Doesn't that sort of miss the point of convenient microwave cooking?

Yesterday was just a wealth of new food experiences - I stopped in at Starbucks before my physical therapy appointment (don't ask). I was early. Like ridiculously early. I'm always early, to everything, all the time. I was born several weeks early, which I think explains a lot. Anyway, I didn't want any coffee (fool!) but opted instead for a bottle of Naked brand juice called "Peach Mangosteen Bliss" and I thought they were just being cute, but it turns out there actually is a fruit called a "mangosteen" (don't believe me? go here to read about it.) - I had never heard of this fruit before, but it sure does make some tasty juice.

One more thing - does anyone else find it puzzling/annoying/vexing/whatever that former IL first lady Patti Blago is on "I'm a Celebrity - Get Me Out of Here!" because a. she's not a celebrity and b. oh, wait, that's pretty much it. She's not a celebrity. She's eating bugs on tv for money (that's 'classy' with a capital k, baby) and telling members of the nation who watch this crap (and no I am not one of them, thank you!) that G-Rod was falsely accused. Here's an idea - why don't you both move to another state and GET A JOB, dears! I would be hiding in my house with the shades drawn if I were either of them. Oh and I read this morning that the children's cancer charity that she offered to give the show money to turned her down.

My goodness, where did that all come from? Sorry for the babbling, I didn't sleep so well last night. When I did sleep, I had a really bizarre dream about a series of earthquakes here in IL. We were watching the progress of one (!) on tv and were like, oh, it's going to miss us. But then there was an aftershock or something, and it brought the tree in our front yard crashing to the ground. Scary bananas. I woke up with my heart pounding, but figured, hey, at least my teeth weren't falling out, so... progress?

Keep on Rockin', Baby...

Welcome to ABBA Tuesdays - Let the countdown begin to the Music of ABBA concert at Ravinia on June 30! Every Tuesday until then, I will be finding some little videos so you can start your day with some 70s (you're welcome!) Today's selection - on & on & on...