"I'm gonna watch you shine..."

So...the jury is in, and this little boy is about to have... (drum roll please!)...

A BABY SISTER!!!!

Yep, the wife and I went to get the ultrasound today, and there she was- big as life. My daughter! It's amazing what these things can do. I actually have a picture of her little face! As per usual, it brought a tear to my eye. However that was short lived. as the Wolverine was in the room with us and demanded his usual amount of attention. It's gonna be an interesting ride, but one I wouldn't trade for all the tea pots in China.
The coolest thing happened as we were leaving the Doctor's office. The boy looked up at me and said "You're gonna have to take care of your baby sister!" (which for some reason he pronounces "SES-stir, as though he were an extra in an episode of THE HIGH CHAPARRAL) It just made me hyper aware of how grown up he's getting, and more to the point, how fast life really comes at you. Before I know it, he'll be off to college and I'll be an old bastard. But, such is the cycle of life.
Even though we waited, and even though it makes for a very sleep deprived existence, and even though I may never have the money to travel anywhere above the Mason Dixon line till I'm old and gray (er), I'm so thrilled that this beautiful boy is a part of my life... and I can't wait for you all to meet my daughter...heck, I can't wait to meet her myself!

Feel free to shower me with all due congratulations...

My students ROCK!!!

L to R - Jeremy Brown, Sharonda Pearsall and Zack Hightower in BCTC's BLESSED ASSURANCE

Ok, so I'm really proud of all these students. Sharonda is up at NKU continuing her Theatre studies (at a damn fine program, I might add). And Jeremy Brown and Zack Hightower both received great kudos and special mention in the local media this week for shows they are involved in. Jeremy for AGL's production of MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM

(http://www.kentucky.com/182/story/178879.html) and Zack in Studio Playa's SHAKESPEARE IN HOLLYWOOD

(http://www.kentuckyconnect.com/126/story/182655.html)

Truthfully, it really makes me feel good about what I do when I read things like this. (It also plays into the greater mission of my program to get them out working in the community, not just in the school productions) They are two very talented young men, and I got lots more like 'em (men and women) in my program who I'm equally proud of. If you wanna see evidence of this, come check out THE NIGHT THOREAU SPENT IN JAIL at the DAC in November!

So if you're in the area, go see both of these shows and enjoy some great, new talent onstage. And if you go see MA RAINEY you just might catch a glimpse of an overweight, cigar chomping, crusty ole' white dude who still has some juice left his own self!

Sad news...

Italian Tenor Pavarotti Dies at Age 71 By ALESSANDRA RIZZO Associated Press Writer

Luciano Pavarotti, whose vibrant high C's and ebullient showmanship made him the most beloved and celebrated tenor since Caruso and one of the few opera singers to win crossover fame as a popular superstar, died Thursday. He was 71.
His manager, Terri Robson, told the AP in an e-mailed statement that Pavarotti died at his home in Modena, Italy, at 5 a.m. local time. Pavarotti had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and underwent further treatment in August.
"The Maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life. In fitting with the approach that characterised his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness," the statement said.
Speaking from inside Pavarotti's home, which was guarded by police, Pavarotti's assistant Edwin Tinoco told Sky TG 24 television that Pavarotti's final days had been calm and spent at home.
For serious fans, the unforced beauty and thrilling urgency of Pavarotti's voice made him the ideal interpreter of the Italian lyric repertory, especially in the 1960s and '70s when he first achieved stardom. For millions more, his charismatic performances of standards like "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's "Turandot" came to represent what opera is all about.
In fact, "Nessun Dorma" was Pavarotti's last performance, sung at at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, in February 2006. His last full-scale concert was at Taipei in December 2005, and his farewell to opera was in Puccini's "Tosca" at New York's Metropolitan in March 2004.
It was the second monumental loss in the opera world in recent months. American soprano Beverly Sills, whose widespread popularity mirrored Pavarotti's, died July 2 at her home in New York. She was 78 and suffered from cancer.
Instantly recognizable from his charcoal black beard and tuxedo-busting girth, Pavarotti radiated an intangible magic that helped him win hearts in a way Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras - his partners in the "Three Tenors" concerts - never quite could.
"I always admired the God-given glory of his voice - that unmistakable special timbre from the bottom up to the very top of the tenor range," Domingo said in a statement from Los Angeles.
"I also loved his wonderful sense of humor and on several occasions of our concerts with Jose Carreras - the so-called Three Tenors concerts - we had trouble remembering that we were giving a concert before a paying audience, because we had so much fun between ourselves," he said.
Pavarotti, who seemed equally at ease singing with soprano Joan Sutherland as with the Spice Girls, scoffed at accusations that he was sacrificing his art in favor of commercialism.
"The word commercial is exactly what we want," he said, after appearing in the widely publicized "Three Tenors" concerts. "We've reached 1.5 billion people with opera. If you want to use the word commercial, or something more derogatory, we don't care. Use whatever you want."

Good for you , Luciano. The world will indeed miss you. On the OTHER hand...

...Rock and roll singers alive and kicking ass!

There are still quite a few great rock and roll singers who, at an advanced (for a rock star) age, can still bring it! Exhibit A- Paul Stanley, from a recent performance at the Rock and ROll fantasy camp (the place I'd go in a NY minute, if I had 9 grand lying around) singing the living hell outta the old IDES OF MARCH one hit wonder VEHICLE:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=MYu1L8KjeiE

and how about RONNIE JAMES DIO lead singer of HEAVEN AND HELL (or as I like to call 'em BLACK SABBATH) from a recent solo NY gig:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO4u54FmoC0
This man is SIXTY if he's a day folks! And Nat's hubby Ryan said the funniest thing I've heard in awhile the other day. He said watching Dio throw the "Heavy Metal Horns" was kind of like watching John Hancock sign his name! Good stuff, Ryan!

And then there's MY personal fave, 58 year old...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gd6EhRRNJc
BROOOOOOCCCEEEE!!!!!!!!!! That song smokes.Talk about some "stuff left in the basement"! Pure, guitar driven rock and roll!

While I wound never equate these fellows with the sheer brilliance that was Pavarotti, and it's a totally different genre of music, it's kind of comforting to remind oneself that there's still plenty of greatness out there to be had...and that our old friends are still kicking it!

"I've seen a million faces, and I've rocked them all..."

above: me...directing!

Greetings everyone.

So here's a question for you. The first in a series of many queries I'll have in regards to the program I'm building.

My recent auditions for THOREAU turned out a bumper crop of students. So many, so, that it was difficult to get them read in the time constraints/ audition environment. For a number of years, I have done a straight "cold reading" auditions with no prepared piece/callback the way alot of folks do it. My primary reasoning is that I didn't want to scare off any newcomers who might hesitate to show up if they had to prepare something (Believe me, I've found many a hidden gem at an audition where someone just decided to come just for the experience). But lately, as my program really starts to take shape (quite sooner than I expected!) I am considering more and more going to the model of "Prepared piece-callbacks" as opposed to straight cold reading.

Here's what I need. FEEDBACK. Be it from an actor's p.o.v. ("I prefer this type over that type, etc...") a Director's p.o.v. ("This is what works best for me") or just an outsider p.o.v. ("I would / wouldn't show up for this type of audition").

Give me what you got people. Too many lurkers lately, not enough participation. BRING THE MEAT, people!!!!