MUSICIANS WANTED!

ATTENTION EVERYONE!

We are in need of a guitar player, bassist, and drummer for the "house band" of the musical WORKING, which runs from July 12th through August 5th at Studio Players. If any of you know of anyone to fit the bill, drop me a post with suggestions, or email / call me if you know the number.

Don;t delay, as time is of the essence!

BTW- If you know either of these two guys pictured , they would work perfectly! If you know who they are, 100,000 points! (a little hint)

"Kickin' ass on the wild side "

HEY EVERYBODY!!!! It's Memorial Day Weekend...wanna party like THESE GUYS??????

Well, you're S.O.L.-BUT if you wanna have a fun afternoon, come by the X-man's family estate at 4pm Sunday for an afternoon of burgers, dogs, kiddie pools, and Rock and Roll Music played at a respectable neighborhood volume!!! Bring the fixins and beverages of your choice, and of course, feel free to bring the younguns!

RSVP via the message boards, and leave emails and I'll shoot directions to you. PARTY ON, boys and girls!!!!!

...and actually, at the CRUE'S age, we probably WILL be partying harder than them!

"And I hope when I get old I don't sit around thinking about it"

So here's a nice shot of me and one of my older bros with the little dude. We're a good lookin' bunch, us boys! Course, like everybody, we're getting older (Still got the hair though! It's graying, but as my Daddy used to say "I don't care what color it turns so long as it don't turn loose! Apologies to the follicular challenged amongst my readers...) and sometimes I get to thinking about the boy I was vs the man I am. Having kids'll do that to a fellow.

I remember a great story from about 25 years ago. I was hanging out drinking the night away with my pals ("...as one MUST..." to quote Rod Stewart) when I got on a tangent about how shitty so and so's parents treated them and when I had kids THEY were gonna have the freedom to do what they want , and explore and blah blah blah...and my friend Mike Vermilion (whom I haven't seen in WAY too long) said to me point blank "Dude...locked inside of you is a forty year old man whose kids ain't going NOWHERE!"

I, of course, balked at this...but NOW...I wonder. See, when I was that age, I never even thought I'd even get hitched, must less have kids! To paraphrase Benedick "When I said I would die a bachelor, I never thought I should LIVE till I were married..." (or something of that order) Yet , fourteen years and one child later, here I am with an honest to goodness family, job, mortgage, etc...Didn't really see that coming back then. But you know what? I wouldn't change a damn thing! (OK, the massive student loan and that late 80's mullets MAYBE...but other than that...) Still, if you'd have asked me where I'd be 25 years ago, I guarantee that Lexington KY is NOT the answer I'd have given. And quite frankly, my son probably WON'T be going anywhere till he's old enough to whip me in a fair fight...which should be in about 3 years.

So here's my question - what, in your youth did you SWEAR you'd never do, that you've actually found yourself doing?

Go Nuts...and NUTS to CBS for STILL cancelling JERICHO!!!!

I sometimes can't let go of things...

..and 287 points for the EASY lyric...specially if'n you know your Xman!

"...the guns shot above our heads..."

HEROES frakin' ROCKED last night! Is it just me, or are any of you becoming less and less enthralled with films lately? Not necessarily films in GENERAL, but particularly where the "genre" (Sci-fi, comic books, etc) tales are concerned, I think the folks on the small screen do it a HELL of alot better as of late! This would almost seem like a no-brainer to me, as you have a long period of time to develop characters and let plots lines, mysteries and twists unfold (that is if the network isn't FOX or CBS and they cut you off at the knees without giving the show a chance! DRIVE and JERICHO, we hardly knew ye) But when they DO give shows a bit of room to breathe, such as HEROES, it can pay off wonderfully! This show started off with a great premise, but was a bit shaky in the dialogue department- and quite frankly, it wasn't really moving at too brisk of a clip where the plot was concerned. BUT- fast forward to about the last 8 episodes, and you've got some really great, kick ass genre TV. It culminated with last night's episode, which was one of the finest hours of TV I've seen in awhile (at least since the episode TWO weeks ago! ) Sure , they're basically just dredging up the XMEN / DAYS OF FUTURE PAST plot line, but SO WHAT? Did you SEE the last XMEN flick? SUCKED! Spidey three? SUCKTACULAR! Superman returns? SEND HIM BACK - return to suck-o! The HEROES writers can keep right on cribbing funny-book plot lines till the cows come home for all I care, cause it's damned compelling TV.

And while we're at it, have you watched LOST lately? Hey-sus on a cracker! Those boys are swinging for the fences with the second half of the season. Once again, they started out slow, but my lord they're finishing strong. Last week's epi wrapped with a gut-shot John Locke lying on top of an uncovered mass grave! THAT'S quality TV folks!

Honestly, what with LOST, HEROES, GALACTICA, and the (possibly) recently departed JERICHO , it's a damned good time to be a fan of SCI FI / post apocalyptic TV! So here's the question- what was / is your favorite SCI FI/ HORROR/post apoc./ any of that genre television show ever? And also, is there one you started to get hooked on when the network suits pulled the plug? One you're just DYING to see how it all ends? (See JERICHO, as previously mentioned a bunch! F. YOU, CBS!*)

KTA JOB OPENING

FYI to all KY residents:

The Kentucky Theatre Association, Kentucky 's leading theatre organization - serving theatre at all levels - is seeking its first Executive Director.

Description - The Executive Director will work with Board of Directors to fulfill the mission of The Kentucky Theatre Association. Duties will include but are not limited to the organization and administration of the annual Kentucky Theatre Association Festival, web-site maintenance, fundraising, special programming administration, and the development and implementation of public relations programs to increase KTA membership.

The Executive Director may work from any location in or in close proximity to the Commonwealth of Kentucky but must be willing to travel to various locations for regular board meetings, committee meetings and organizational events.
Minimum of a Bachelors Degree in Arts Administration, Business or Theatre, or equivalent experience in the field is required.

This is a 1099/independent contractor position. Salary: $600.00 monthly plus compensation for travel. Hire date: Summer 2007 (Negotiable) thru December 15, 2007.

Qualifications - The candidate must be computer literate, possess strong organizational and communications skills, have knowledge of fund raising and grant writing, and have an interest in, if not a strong knowledge of, the theatre. Previous experience working for non-profits is a plus.

The candidate must be able to devote on average 40 hours/month. The fall months leading up to the November conference will demand a greater time commitment

Application - Qualified individuals should submit a letter of application, a resume, and names and contact information for three references via email to kytheatreassoc@qx.net. For additional information, please visit our website at http://www.theatreky.org. Application deadline: May 31, 2007.

Post any questions you have, or give me an email shout!

-X

"Heaven knows...I'm in head over heels and it shows..."

Oh Garth...it was the beginning of the end for you, wasn't it? Probably SOUNDED like a good idea. "Hey guys, I know...let's create this cool, sorta Rock and Roll alter ego, and I'll put out an album by HIM...then, I know...we'll make a MOVIE of it! Yeah, that's it! Damn...I'll finally be bigger than the Beatles!"

Didn't quite work out that way, did it Chris...I mean GARTH? The DID do a nice job of making his face look thin, though, dontcha think?

So why this trip down memory lane for you audiophiles? Cause this wound up on the top of the list of "really stupid music ideas"... check out the link at http://spinner.aol.com/photo-galleries/15-worst-music-ideas-ever-milli-vanilli-movie .

This list is a hoot so check it out (but remember, you'll probably have to cut and paste. For some reason, the links aren't live when they're in my post. Have to look into that...)

So this got me to thinking...what do you consider the WORST theatre / film ideas ever? Gimmie a list of your top five of each, and spare no quarter! Make 'em good! After my last few depressing posts, we need a little F-U-N!

Have at it....oh, and the lyric is a freebie (It's the late, great CHRIS GAINES hisself!)

"We sailed across the air before we learned to fly..."

So, I'm kinda bummed...normally, as my loyal readers know, I don't bring my personal stuff with me to blogland, but today was a particularly craptastic day. And it's all esoteric stuff- nothing I can particularly touch. But it's there nonetheless.

It all started this morning with GOOD MORNING AMERICA and a story I saw about something called GRUPSTERS. Ever heard this term? Not me..till today. Among other things, these lovely folks are the "new breed" of parent who have decided to keep their hipster identities (you know the type...wearing clothes that they really have no business wearing at their age, and name dropping bands like "The Arcade Fire" and "Of Montreal"?) and not "lose themselves" in their children. "We don't want to give up our IDENTITY for our child!" You know what folks? That there is shit people without kids say. I used to say it before the beautiful little boy to your left came along. But you know what? To a degree, parenthood makes you ...well...obsolete. OK...so maybe that's to strong a word. But it certainly shifts your priorities. YOU are not as important as YOU used to be. That's what parenthood does, ideally. It robs us of our narcissism (at least, theoretically). We now have someone who (SHOULD) mean more to us than ourselves. And I'm sorry to say, but if you don't have kids you CAN'T UNDERSTAND THIS...not fully. But don't get me wrong! I come not here to condemn people who've made a choice to not have children. It's a valid, and quite frankly very mature choice to make. If you don't ABSOLUTELY want children, don't have 'em! There's plenty of rugrats in the world as it is. My best friend in Tennessee is forever going on about how people give so much shite to him and his wife about hoe SELFISH they are for not having kids! BULLSHIT! It's SELFISH to have them when you know that you really shouldn't. But I digress...

Anyhoo...in this story about these GRUPSTERS and how they don't want to "lose their identities for their children" , I heard some of the most obnoxious, selfish trash I've heard in YEARS! Like the woman who said " Oh, NO WIGGLES or BARNEY in our house ! On Saturday mornings it's DISCO music for us! And she LOVES IT!" Yeah...that's real good. Fire up some Gloria Gaynor for your 8 month old! You know why kids listen to Barney and all that other crap? They LIKE it!!!It's AGE APPROPRIATE ! To me, that's like the morons who drag a 6 year old to see Richard the third. OF COURSE he's gonna hate it, because it's OVER HIS HEAD!!!! This, my friends, is the sole reason we have at least two full generations of people who hate (or THINK they hate ) Theatre. (Much in the same way my brilliant theatre career almost never was because of a dreadfully boring LITTLE FOXES I had to endure in the 7th grade...But that's another post...) And then there was the genius who said...and BOY this one really got me..."Remember...WE aren't coming into HIS life..HE'S coming into OURS!" To quote Hank Jr "I'd like to spit some Beech nut in that dude's eye... (and the closet rednecks amongst you know the rest) What a friggin Bastard! HE didn't ask to come into the world, sparky...YOU BROUGHT HIM HERE! So it seems to me, you at LEAST owe him a "smidge" of your time!

It's tough raising kids, folks. I've worked alot of hard jobs in my life. Hell, I grew up on a working farm and was doing real physical labor while alot of folks my age were just learning to ride a bike. I KNOW hard work and I ain't afraid of it...but there IS no harder job than being a parent. But you know what? I love it! And I wouldn't trade a second of it for all the lottery winnings in the world. Do I think it's important to not lose yourself in your kids? Hell yes...if I ain't a well rounded guy, I ain't gonna be a well rounded Daddy. But do I have to adhere to old ways and habits in a desperate attempt cling to my ever fading youth, at the expense of my son? Hell no! Not this guy...

So anyway, I guess the fact that I saw all these hipsters on TV , it just made me angry, and a bit depressed. My wife and I are literally killing ourselves making what we hope is a decent, loving environment for my son and still make a decent living, and these pricks could care less...And yes, I know that's a gross simplification, and I'm lashing out at a 2 minute sound- byte, and I know it's unreasonable. But I don;t really care cause dammit I'M in a funk now! It's so much more. Those of you in the inner circle know of the "professional hoops" I'm having to jump through and how unfair that all seems, and those of you who have ever taken a gander at my wife's blog know that the IRS raped us last month... so I just got a lot on the plate, and I let it bring me down today. There's also the fact that for two years I've been trying desperately to get at least a few more of my USM brethren to join us on the blog. Hell, I MADE this thing for them, so we could all stay in touch better, but, my guess is that most of 'em just simply don't care...and quite frankly that stings a little bit. Despite my gruff exterior...etc...etc...

But I AM thankful for those of you who do post. You've turned this Little site into something greater than I imagined, and I thank you for it. It's really great therapy for me, and it DOES allow me to keep in touch with great folks out the area like Mills. and D $ and Laurie Lou...so I suppose I should quit whining and count my blessings every now and then.

Rant over...I fell much better now! And I hope I haven't offended anyone with my ranting s on parenthood. If so, feel free to flame me unabashedly!