Notes from my Notebooks is an eclectic blog of anything, everything, and nothing. My life, reviews, quotes, comments on grammar, travelogs, commentary on pop culture, and maybe even a little about the weather.
Matt Smith is on the cover of the latest Entertainment Weekly, and it has a great article on the British series. There is an excerpt from the article online. You can read more in the magazine.
I love that Doctor Who has become so popular in America. So many more people are learning what I've known for years, that Doctor Who is a outstanding series with great characters and extraordinary scripts.
One of my favorite quotes from the article is on my quotes blog: What People Are Saying.
And now, a trailer for next season. I can sense your excitement - can you sense mine?
I just returned from my annual trip to the Utah Shakespeare Festival. This was one of the best seasons I can remember. I've probably said that about past seasons, because I'm very seldom disappointed in any shows; however, this really was a great season. I saw six productions in three days, and it's definitely one of my favorite ways to spend my vacation.
I will post reviews of the plays, but until then, here is a sneak peek at The Merry Wives of Windsor.
I just got home from the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and I missed the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics, but I heard about this when searching to see who lit the Olympic Torch (I was rooting for David Tennant), and I laughed:
I'm so glad that Queen Elizabeth has a sense of humor. And I'm sure Daniel Craig is glad too. What an opportunity for him!
In my previous post about this season of Design Star I said that my favorite designer was Britany Simon, and predicted she would win. Tuesday was the season finale and the winner was announced. Britany and Danielle Colding were the two finalists.
Britany and Danielle made short pilots based on what their show would be if they won. Britany's pilot was called Picture Perfect Space, and she brought her love of photography into the pilot. I thought she did a great job listening to what the clients wanted, and her final design was beautiful. I would like her to design a room for me. Danielle's pilot was good, but I didn't like her design as much as I liked Britany's. However, her clients liked her design, and that's what matters. Both were very comfortable in front of the camera, and you could see how much their skills in being able to host a show had grown over the course of the season.
And the winner was Danielle. I was shocked!
Well at least Britany came close. So I was almost right. Oh well.
I watched parts of the premiere of this season’s episode of Bachelor Pad during commercial breaks of Bunheads, and it was like watching a train wreck. Fortunately, I did “look away” by changing the channel because I was more interested in Bunheads. However, what little I saw really made me wonder about these people and what makes them behave the way they do.
It makes me sad that just the thought of being able to win $250,000 makes people mean, vindictive, and general jerks. Not only that, but they do it on national television! Why would people want to be seen that way? If I were these people’s parents I would be so embarrassed, especially if their parents taught them to be better than that. Our actions not only affect us, but they also affect and reflect on our family. If their parents taught them better than that, then why didn’t they listen?
I am mostly disgusted with Ed. I watched Jillian’s season, and I, along with many viewers, liked Ed. After last night I am glad that Jillian escaped from that drunken mess. I can’t understand how people are willing to guzzle down the booze when they are being filmed for the world to (literally) see everything. Who would want to make a fool of themselves in front of millions?
Finally, I’d like to say something to the contestants on Bachelor Pad who were on The Bachelor/ette and who were bad mouthing the super fans:
You were once a “nobody” too, until being on The Bachelor/ette made you think you were somehow more important that the people you call “nobodies.” Did you ever stop to think that it’s because of these super fans that you have even become what you think is “somebody”?
End of rant.
I do not plan on watching any more of this train wreck.
Many choreographers on So You Think You Can Dance like to use set pieces and props. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they just overshadow the routine.
There were two routines on Wednesday's episode that used sets that I felt detracted from the dances. One was in a dentist office, and the other was in a bath tub. My question is - why? I mean, a bath tub?
And speaking of the routine in the dentist office, I wonder why every routine has to have a story. I can understand Broadway routines having a story, but I think too often the stories get in the way of the dance.
By the way, my favorite routine of the night didn't have a set, props, or a story. It was just a fun Bollywood number with Witney and Chehon.
This week's favorite routine from a past season is also a Bollywood routine featuring Joshua and Katee. In fact, it's the first Bollywood routine from any season of So You Think You Can Dance. It's a great routine, even if it does have a story. *wink*
I first heard of Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins when she appeared on the Doctor Who Christmas special in 2010. I didn't know at the time that she was one of the most popular singers in Great Britain. I next heard of her when she joined the cast of Dancing with the Stars for their 12th season. She came in second in the competition.
This weekend I was able to attend the second night of a two night concert where Katherine Jenkins sang with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I knew that she was an great singer from buying some of her songs, but now I know first hand that she really has an incredible voice. She has a lovely mezzo-soprano range. I was also impressed with how genuine she seems. Katherine seemed excited to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and she had no trouble holding her own with that large choir behind her.
The theme of the concert was the joy of music, and it truly did celebrate how music can make us feel joy, and so many other emotions. It is amazing how music can create emotions that mere words cannot. Many of the songs performed were from musicals, and if you have read many of my posts you know how much I love musical theatre. One of my favorite musicals is Kismet. Many of the songs from the musical are based on the music by classical composer Alexander Borodin. Katherine sang one of my favorite pieces from the musical, "And This is My Beloved." It is such a beautiful song, and Katherine's rendition was so moving.
Katherine sang "The Prayer" written by Carole Bayer Sager and David Foster. The song has been sung by many famous singers, including Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli, and Charlotte Church and Josh Groban. Katherine sang it with the men in the choir, and her part was beautiful. I didn't like the choir's part of the song as much as I like it when it's sung by just a single voice, but it was still beautiful. Prior to the song, there was a video segment that featured David Foster. He talked about writing the song and what it means to him. I love one thing he said: "The best songs come through you, not from you."
Katherine mentioned that many of the first members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir were from Wales, and when Katherine asked the choir how many of them had ancestors from Wales, the majority of the members raised their hands. Then she introduced her next song, a Welsh patriotic hymn, and she asked her "cousins" to join her. The hymn was very moving, and you could tell that she is proud of her heritage.
Another highlight of the evening was Katherine's rendition of "Habanera" from the opera Carmen. Following the piece, Katherine informed us that a special guest joined her after that song the night before. Mark Ballas, Katherine's partner on Dancing with the Stars, joined her to dance the Paso Doble they performed on the reality competition show. She said that Mark had a family wedding to attend so he wouldn't be performing for us. However, they did play a video of the performance from the night before. It was fun to see the performance.
The concert ended with Rodgers and Hammerstein's "You'll Never Walk Alone." It's such a beautiful song, and it's one that really makes the tears well up for me. Carousel isn't one my favorite musicals, even though I've been in it, but I think this piece is one of the most beautiful songs ever written, and it has such a great message. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful concert.
There is a lot that happened during Comic-Con this last weekend. I am a fan of many of the TV shows/movies/directors/actors who participated this year, and I'm excited by a lot of the news that came out of the event. So, here's the news that came out of Comic-Con that makes me smile.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Dr. Horrible is coming to the CW.
When I first heard this news, I thought that Dr. Horrible would be a series. Alas, no. But the web series, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, that Joss Whedon created during the writer’s strike in 2007-2008, will air on CW in the near future. It has never appeared on TV before. If you have not seen it, watch for when it will air, and then watch it. I will try to post on my blog when I hear the date.
It is so funny, it’s a musical, and it stars Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion. And it was written by Joss Whedon(along with his brothers Zack and Jed, as well as Jed's wife, Maurissa Tancharoen). And Joss directed it. What more can you ask for?
Whedon also said he has been thinking about a "Dr. Horrible 2" but did not say whether that would appear on TV.
Yes, please.
Once Upon a Time
I’ve already mentioned that along with Mulan and Sleeping Beauty, Captain Hook will appear in season 2 of Once Upon a Time.
There was more news about season 2 at Comic-Con. The identity of Henry’s father will be revealed. I was thinking Baelfire, but that may be too obvious (what do you think?). And Jack, a.k.a. climber of the beanstalk, will also make an appearance.
Firefly
Firefly is one of my favorite television series of all time. Click here to read my review of the series.
Many of the cast members reunited at Comic-Con, and they were one of the biggest hits of the event.
There will be a one-hour 10th anniversary special that chronicles Firefly’s cast reunion at this year’s Comic-Con. The special will include footage from the reunion panel at Comic-Con, and a behind-the-scenes roundtable interview. The special will air on the cable network, Science, on November 11, 2012.
Yay!
Doctor Who
Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and Arthur Darvill attended this year’s Comic-Con and appeared on Live From Nerd HQ.
There are many fun panels from Live From Nerd HQ on this website. I'm sure you'll find others you'll enjoy there. The panels are hosted by Zachary Levi. Cute boy.
Matt, Karen, and Arthur were also interviewed by John Barrowman during weekend. It was fun to see Captain Jack interview the “new” Doctor.
Oz: The Great and Powerful
I love how the trailer starts in black and white and in the old full screen, and then changes to widescreen in color. I am assuming the film will have the same conceit.
Merlin
I have watched Merlin, a BBC series based on the Arthurian legend, since the first season came out on DVD in England. There are many people who don't like it because it doesn't follow the legend faithfully (for example, Merlin and Arthur are around the same age). I love it. It's just another retelling of the legend, of which there have been many. And how many great movies are based on real fact and are not faithful to the true story? This is fiction, so it's open game. I think they do a good job of making the show character-centric, which I prefer to plot-centric. Although, they have had some great plots too. I especially love Colin Morgan as Merlin. He has taken on such an iconic character and plays him with such humor and emotion.
To read about what is coming in season 5, click here.
With all of the exciting things that came out of Comic-Con, I'm tempted to try to go next year. It's something I've never thought about doing before, but now, who knows.
It took me a while after watching the show to notice that the opening sequence of each episode was a preview of what the episode was about. This video shows all of the opening sequences. See if you can guess which episode each sequence is for.
This has been a good year for Superheroes. At least for me. I didn't see Thor or Captain America in the theaters last year, I saw them this year on video. Then came Avengers. I saw it twice in the theater. Great movie. And The Dark Knight Rises opens soon.
Even though I didn't particularly like the last two Spider-Man movies as much as I liked the first Spider-Man, I was looking forward to seeing The Amazing Spider-Man, particularly because I liked Andrew Garfield in The Social Network, and I like Emma Stone. It's interesting how the actors in a movie can determine whether or not you will want to see a film.
The plot is very simple. Peter loses his parents. Peter is bitten by a radioactive spider. Peter discovers his spidey abilities. A villain threatens New York. Peter uses his spidey strength to fight the villain.
The strength of the film is in the development of the characters. Many action movies dwell most on the action and CGI. I was impressed with how much I felt for the struggles that Peter went through, as well as the struggles of the other characters, even the villain. I liked how the majority of the film was spent in developing Peter's character and exploring his relationships with those around him. The film had a great balance of action, suspense, humor, and emotional scenes.
Andrew Garfield has a perfect combination of nerdiness, boyish charm, and spidery strength. He brings an innocence to Peter Parker that I never felt with Tobey Maguire. I also like how Andrew brings a vulnerability to Spider-Man. He shows that Spider-Man is not indestructible. The relationship we see with Peter and his Aunt and Uncle tells us a lot about Peter and the struggles he is going through, as a high school teenager, a boy who grew up without his parents, and as a boy whose new powers have forced him to place great responsibilities on himself.
I don't know what is is about Emma Stone that makes me like her so much. People talk about star power and having "it". Emma has "it" in spades. She brings a humor and quirkiness to her roles that is so endearing. I've never read the Spider-Man comics, so I don't know much about Gwen Stacy or how well Emma portrays her. However, I have to say I'll take Gwen Stacy over Mary Jane any day.
Rhys Ifans is well cast as Dr. Connors (a.k.a. The Lizard). His motivation to do what he does that causes him to turn into The Lizard is believable. My only question is if he was a good man to begin with, why does his transformation turn him into a bad lizard? Peter's transformation doesn't change his personality, so why do everybody else's transformations change their personalities and turn them into villains?
On a side note: It's hard sometimes to remember that Rhys was Hugh Grant's crazy roommate in Notting Hill. Now, that's great acting.
I have to say that I did like Rosemary Harris and Cliff Robertson as Aunt May and Uncle Ben in Sam Raimi's version of Spider-Man better. However, Sally Field and Martin Sheen fill those roles well in The Amazing Spider-Man. They seem more age-appropriate for the roles than Rosemary and Cliff did, simply because it's more believable that Martin could be Peter's father's brother more than Cliff (Cliff just felt a little too old). Sally is a great actress, and I liked her relationship with Andrew.
The special effects were very good. Watching spidey swinging through the myriad of skyscrapers in New York was quintessential Spider-Man, and it was done well. I especially enjoyed the climax of the movie and seeing how an act of heroism on Spidey's part earlier in the film resulted in his being able to go on and save the day when he is at his weakest.
Stan Lee has had cameos in many of the Marvel superhero films, and his cameo in this film is Hi. Larry. Us. I won't give it away; I'll just say one word. Headphones.
I would like to see The Amazing Spider-Man, again, and I have to say I'm looking forward to the sequel, because we know there will be one or two.
I'd like to spout off the merits of Travis Wall, dancer and choreographer.
Travis almost won the title of "America's favorite dancer" on season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance. It wasn't because Benji Schwimmer was a better dancer necessarily that he won instead of Travis. It was only because Benji won more viewers' hearts. Travis is now one of the choreographers on So You Think You Can Dance, and he has proven that not only is he an excellent dancer, but he is also an excellent choreographer. His routines are so heartfelt, filled with emotion, and a joy to watch.
This week's routine by Travis was performed by Audrey and Matt. The routine was based on the scene in Titanic where Jack draws a portrait of Rose. Now, Titanic is not my favorite movie, and when they said that Jack and Rose's story is one of the greatest love stories, I laughed out loud. (I'm sorry if I offend you Rose and Jack lovers out there. I'm just voicing my opinion.) I won't go into the reasons I don't like the film, but I will say that this routine, like most Travis Wall routines, was beautiful. It was set to "Unchained Melody," and the dance centered around a chaise lounge. Audrey's kicks were incredible, and when she ran across the chaise and into Matt's arms at a crescendo in the music, I thought this is choreography perfection. She stumbled a bit when she started the sprint across the chaise, but that landing as Matt caught her made up for it. The ending was a little clunky, but this is only week one of the competition itself. Matt and Audrey will find their groove in the weeks to come, I'm sure. Matt and Audrey are now my favorite dancers. It might be because they were lucky enough the get a Travis Wall routine. *wink*
Unfortunately, I can't find the routine on YouTube. When, and if, it becomes available I will post it. I do, however, have a few photos.
Travis Wall is young, and he has an incredible career ahead of him. In fact, he has started his own dance company, and a new reality TV show, All the Right Moves, will chronicle its beginnings. The show premieres July 31 on the Oxygen cable network. I hope he and his dancers are successful.
As promised, I am including another one of my all time favorite routines from So You think You Can Dance. This routine is from season 2, and features Heidi Groskreutz and, you guessed it, Travis Wall. It is considered by many fans to be the best routine of all time from the show. It was choreographed by Mia Michaels, another choreographer who fills her dances with heart and emotion. It's a beautiful piece. All you have to do is mention "the bench," and SYTYCD fans know exactly which routine you're talking about.
If we weren't convinced before that the fairy tale characters on Once Upon a Time are based on their Disney counterparts, the announcement that Mulan will be making her appearance in the second season on the ABC series is proof enough. Mulan will be played by Jamie Chung. Not many people had even heard of the Chinese fairy tale before Disney adapted it for the big screen, and now she will be a live-action character. The story of Mulan is actually over 2000 years old, so it may be the oldest fairy tale Once Upon a Time has tackled (although many of the fairy tales featured in the series have their origins that far back too, most come from the more recent Grimm Brothers, Perrault, or Hans Christian Anderson versions).
We met Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent in season 1, and we will be meeting Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), played by Sarah Bolger, in season 2. I'm excited to see what they do with Aurora's story. Will we first meet her asleep in the hospital in Storybrooke? Sleeping Beauty is my favorite Disney animated movie, and my favorite fairy tale. I hope they don't mess up the story.
I am really looking forward to seeing what will happen in season 2 now that the residents of Storybrooke know who they are. I want to see reunions. Emma, Snow, and Charming. Jefferson and his daughter. Pinocchio and Gepetto. Will everyone want to go back to Fairy Tale Land or stay in Storybrooke? After all, who wants to go back to a world without television? Or flush toilets? Just sayin'. Fairy Tale Land is certainly large, and Storybrooke is so small. The magic is how they got all of the characters from Fairy Tale Land into small Storybrooke.
I used to watch This Old House for years on PBS, and although I enjoyed watching the show, it took so many episodes to get to the finished product: a renovated "old house." I just wanted to see the end product in one episode. I know, I'm a little impatient.
Then I discovered HGTV.
The first time I saw HGTV was when I was on vacation many, many years ago. I even remember the show. It was Divine Design with Candice Olson. I loved watching a show where you see the design from start to finish in one episode, and Candice is such a great designer.
I love watching many shows on HGTV, and I wish that I could feel brave enough to use some of the ideas that I have seen on the show. I've always wanted to be able to look at rooms in my house and immediately know what I wanted to do with them, and actually do it.
On Design Star, HGTV gives a designer the opportunity to become a design host on the cable network, if they win. The designers/contestants are given challenges to prove that they can not only design, but are good in front of the camera. My favorite challenge is the white room. The designers are given a completely white room with all white furniture, and they can do anything they want with it. I like the designers who think outside of the [white] box, like the design below.
Some contestants' designs surprise me, and not in a good way. These are supposed to be experienced, talented designers, and I wonder who has ever hired some of the designers, and if their clients were happy with the end result.
I have my favorite designer in season 7. I think Britany Simon is an incredible designer. I think she's the best designer left. She is about neck-and-neck with the other two remaining contestants when it comes to work in front of the camera, so right now I think she'll win. However, who knows what will happen in the final episodes.
Maybe one day I'll take some of the ideas I've seen on HGTV and redecorate my whole house. I just know it won't take one episode to do it.
Last week I attended a concert that featured the songs of Scott Alan sung by local Salt Lake singers, including a few of my friends. Scott is a New York songwriter who has a musical, Home, opening on Broadway soon. I discovered Scott's music a few years ago, and I love his music. I really love his style of writing. His songs are so full of emotion and the melodies are beautiful and fun, and great to sing along to. I am looking forward to hearing more about Home, and its opening on Broadway. I really hope that the musical is successful.
Scott came to Salt Lake at the invitation of Mindy Pack, a voice teacher and performance coach, who is part of Impack Productions. Mindy entered a contest that Scott designed to find the next singing star. Mindy went to New York as one of the finalists, where she met Scott. She didn't win the contest, however, she and Scott became friends.
Along with the concert, Mindy invited Scott to hold master classes on auditioning. I have friends who attended the classes and they said that they were incredible and very emotional.
The concert was wonderful. We have many talented singers here in Salt Lake. My friend, Jonathon, who told me about the concert, did a great job singing "Over the Mountain." I was able to meet Scott after the concert, and he was very nice. It's cool to know I've met a composer who will have a show on Broadway. (I have also met a composer who had a show Off-Broadway.) I told Scott that I was also a playwright and composer, and he said he would listen for my name in New York. I'm sure he won't remember my name, but I still have a dream to have a show on Broadway. You have to dream it for it to happen.
My favorite song by Scott is "Surrender." Cheyenne Jackson sang it on the first Scott Alan album I purchased. On his latest album, "Scott Alan Live," it's arranged as a country song. I like the original version better, but the country version is still good.
How many of us wish we could talk to our past self and tell ourself a thing or two about the future; or to our future self and find out where we'll be in 20 years?
This video is a funny conversation between a 12 year old and 32 year old who happen to be the same person.
Oh, and there's a Doctor Who reference. If you've never seen the episode "Blink," you you won't get the reference (until you go out and watch it). But if you've seen "Blink" (one of the best episodes of Doctor Who ever), then you'll have a good laugh.
So, we've already seen the season 2 poster for Grimm, and it's awesome.
Now, the season 2 poster for Once Upon a Time has been released. And it is... awesome!
It looks like Red and Belle will have bigger parts in the new season. I'm excited about Red, and I'm interested to see the relationship between Belle and Rumple, now that Mr. Gold's back to being a real baddie.
The start date for the new season hasn't been announced, as far as I know, but it can't come too soon for me.
1776 is one of my favorite musicals. It is about the events surrounding the writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence. It focuses on, and partly fictionalizes, the efforts of John Adams to persuade his colleagues to vote for American independence and to sign the document. Although we know that all of the 13 colonies eventually voted in favor of independence, the musical does such a great job of creating suspense as we witness the debates between the supporters and the detractors of breaking away from England and claiming independence. It gives us a glimpse of what it might have been like in that cramped, stifling hot, fly infested room in the months that led up to the momentous event.
The first production I saw of the musical was in 2003 at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. And, I actually saw it on July 4th. That could be one of the reasons I loved it so much. Oh, and because it's so well written, and the actors were perfect in their parts. In the last scene the Liberty Bell is rung and Charles Thomson, the Secretary of Congress, calls each of the delegates to sign their names on the Declaration of Independence. I was so emotional as each man walked up to the desk where the Declaration of Independence lay and placed their signature on the precious document. It is one of the most moving scenes in a musical I have ever seen. It brings tears to my eyes even now as I write about it.
The musical begins with a great quote by John Adams. "In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress." And the show goes uphill from there.
There is a movie based on the musical that came out in 1972. Most of the actors who played the leading roles on Broadway repeated their performances in the movie. The film isn't as good as that first production I saw in 2003, and there's nothing like seeing the musical live on stage, but I am so happy that the movie was made so I can relive the joy and emotions that is 1776.
It is a tradition for me to watch the movie on July 4th and remember the great men who were willing to risk a traitor's death to declare independence. John Adam's last song, Is Anybody There?, is a great anthem to hear on July 4th, our Independence Day. Throughout the show, General George Washington has been sending letters to the Continental Congress asking for help to fight the British. His forces are small and are not doing weel against the large British forces. Prior to singing the song, another letter is received from the General asking if anyone is listening to his cries for help.
John Adams actually predicted how July 4th would be celebrated. He said, "I believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations [i.e. fireworks] from one end of this continent to the other." He was right about a lot of things.
Elizabeth Bennet thinks she is a great judge of character. However, when Colonel Fitzwilliam decides to take her as his mistress, despite her feelings on the matter, Elizabeth is forced to reconsider. Though not fully violated, she knows that his attack would be the ruination of her entire family. Mr. Darcy, who she had judged to be arrogant, disdainful, and ill-tempered, offers his support and assistance in a gentle and caring manner.
Elizabeth must come to terms with her feelings of guilt and shame, conquer her fears, and learn to trust again.
Review:
I have read many novels that rewrite the plot of Pride and Prejudice, and some have been decent, some have been silly and some have been very poorly written. This is the first I've read that has just been unpleasant. I was angry that the author decided to completely change the character and personality of Col Fitzwilliam. He is one of my favorite characters in the novel, and I disliked the novel from the first because of that. I was annoyed by many plot points in the book, including Col Fitzwilliam's fate and how nonchalant his father and Darcy were about it. In fact, Darcy seemed happy and relieved about it. No matter what he did, no one deserves what happened to him.
Nothing much happens after the main occurrence in the first few pages of the book. It's all about Elizabeth traveling from one location to another to recover, and Darcy trying to make her fall in love with him. And we know that's how it will end, so you just trudge through the book waiting for that to happen. Speaking of Elizabeth, her character was totally changed as well, and none of the qualities that make her one of the best female characters in all of literature were there, and I did not recognize her, nor like her at all. Of course, she had a horrible experience, however, I was so angry about that part of the story, that I couldn't feel for her at all.
The author tried to fix everything that was wrong with Elizabeth's family, which is okay, but that is what made the Bennet family interesting. The novel removed all of the charm and the humor of Pride and Prejudice.
So, to sum up: To me, An Unpleasant Walk was not only an unpleasant book, an unpleasant experience.
Matt Smith is on the cover of the latest Entertainment Weekly, and it has a great article on the British series. There is an excerpt from the article online. You can read more in the magazine.
