"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!

DIVA NEWS!!!!

For all my USM bros and sisters, here's the DIVA MASTER'S latest and greatest! AND...while I GOT YOU HERE (heh heh) , how's about some comments on this topic? WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS SUMMER??? (Lex folk and regular posters, feel free to chime in on this as well, and to greet any and all USM Divas new to the blog-o-sphere!)


The DIVA NEWSLETTER!!!
"Bakery-fresh. Thought-provoking. Sexy-hot."

Scott Stinson is now working for Trustmark National Bank's Training Department in Jackson, MS.

Check out Wendy O.'s Yoga website! www.divinesparkyoga.com

Bart Noggle is currently in a production at the Dallas Hub Theatre of "Top Gun, the Musical" playing the role of Iceman. After that closes he will be playing Oberon from Midsummer.

Check out Chris Walrath's myspace page! http://www.myspace.com/capatolaprods

Canady (Vance) Thomas gave birth to little girl Klein Addison Thomas just last week. Congrats!

FROM JOHNNY MOORE..............................

Hello Divas,My movie "Glorious Mail" that I co-wrote and directed will be screening this Sunday in Birmingham, AL at the BirminghamSHOUT! GAy + Lesbian Film Festival at the WorkPlay Soundstage at 5:00 P.M. Please let anyone you know in that area about the screening. It's a very funny movie and we won 2nd Best Feature last weekend at the 2007 Appalachian Film Festival in Huntington, WV and we hope to have a big turn out for our Gay festival premiere this weekend. Birmingham is billing it as a World Premiere, even though it is not, technically -- They don't know yet that we had sex with a straight festival last weekend... it's a long story and I will blog about it later. Also, check out the link below for my first interview about the movie with the local film critic in Huntingon. Hope y'all have a divalicious weekend and hope to see some of you at the screening!!http://www.huntingtonnews.net/local/070423-rutheford-box.html



FROM FREDDIE.............................

I am participating in a panel discussion on Sunday, April 29 at City Theatre of Pittsburgh. The panel is called "State of Play" and it is about the state of new play development in the American theatre. Other panelists include Diane Rodriguez (Mark Taper Forum), Tracy Brigden (A.D. of City Theatre), Seth Gordon (Cleveland Play House), Ted Pappas (A.D. of Pittsburgh Public Theatre), Howard Shalwitz (A.D. of Woolly Mammoth Theatre). I am also in rehearsals for Camelot at the Aurora Theatre, which will be the inaugural production in their new space and will direct a concert version of Oklahoma there this summer. In August, I break away from Golden Age musicals to direct Dark Play or Stories for Boys at Actor's Express.

The Fantasticks directed by Daryl W. Phillipy and Set Design by D. David Murphy opened on April 24 and closed April 26. This is Daryl’s last production at Southern Arkansas University. Daryl will be heading to New York City this June to participate in The Teachers Development Program at The Actor’s Center.
Daryl says,
" I will be studying with nationally and internationally known artists and teachers:
Christopher Bayes, Head of Physical Acting, Yale School of Drama
Slava Dolgachev, Artistic Director, New Theatre of Moscow
William Esper, Director of Actor Training, Rutgers University
J. Michael Miller, Founder, Tisch School of the Arts
Ron Van Lieu, Chair of the Acting Program, Yale School of Drama
This is a two week marathon-immersion acting class experience. I also recently completed a weekend intensive with Shakespeare & Company. I’m also looking forward to moving to Rock Hill, SC and buying a house. I start at Winthrop University in August."

FROM HEATHER ROEBUCK......................................

Here's an update on the film, Change 29, that I worked on.We've finished shooting the film and we are now in post. We shot about 600 hours in 5 days, with 3 cameras running almost all the time. We filmed mostly at the Gulfport Dragway on a very busy race weekend. It was totally crazy. I drove down the day before shooting the first weekend thinking I would be the production manager and running a camera when needed but ended up being the emergency assistant director due to the fact the original AD was stuck in Atlanta. Kinda funny when you think about it since I hadn't read the script and totally sucked at directing when I took George's class. In fact, I ended up working as the AD, a camera operator, the production manager, a grip, a boom operator, oh, and an actor. I had two whole lines! Can't wait to see how that turned out. Or if he keeps it in the film. I did a few other things but who knows if I will be billed for them. I don't care either way. We were under a lot of time restraints but we pulled it off. Shawn, the director is in the process of editing and looking for music for the soundtrack. Change 29 is slated to be released in November 2007, but may be later if we are accepted into Sundance. So cross your fingers for us. I created a small, quick video with some behind the scenes footage if anyone is interested in viewing it. And I'm also leaving a link for some pictures that was taken over the 5 days of shooting and the film's myspace page if you want to keep up with what is going on. I will give everyone a heads up on things as I get them. http://www2.blogger.com/http://www2.blogger.com/filmseyehttp://www.myspace.com/genofeveentertainment



In other news...somewhere, right now...Ben Craven is gettin' laid


AND YOU'RE NOT.

"Ain't it funky,now..."

Anthro-Fab and Tobacco Bar Theatre Company (NYC) present

By John Patrick Shanley Directed by Dana Panepinto
Sunday May 13, 8pm
Monday May 14, 8pm
Tuesday May 15, 8pmUnder St. Marks94 St Marks Place (1st and A)
Tix $10 advance/ $15 doorLog on to www.smarttix.com or call (212) 868-4444

A fresh take on Shanley's luminous script using moving bodies and sharp tongues. A riveting look at the "big funk" that is the modern condition. Can the power of compassion and faith triumph over it? Omar throws knives for a living and muses about the state of the world. His understanding wife, Fifi, suddenly pregnant with twins, acts as a rudder for him, and often for his friend, Austin, an out of work actor, who believes the world would be a better place if everyone would do something, even one small act of kindness. He follows his own advice when he comes upon Jill, a young woman sitting in a bar...covered with grease.

featuringColleen Britt Deanna McGovern Ellen Hauck Michael Schantz Toby Knops Jesse Soursourian

The Director of this piece (Dana Panepinto) is one of my fave gals from my Grad school days at USM. She's a tremendously talented, delicious DIVA and if any of you are in the NYC area, or know someone who is, tell 'em to check this out. Wish I could be there, Dana!

Sooo...based on the title of said Shanley piece, what exactly IS the "Big Funk" we're living in now, and what has contributed to it? Go nuts, people!

John Jor...uhh...I mean JANE MARTIN show premieres @ AGL!

(Pictured from Left- Former BOONIE Hayley Williams, and Lara "Sweet Brier" St. Peter in AGL's ANTON IN SHOW BUSINESS)

HEY YA'LL! This week ANTON IS SHOW BUSINESS opens at AGL here in Lex-vegas. Do yourself a favor and go see it! Not ONLY is it directed by Cinncinatti Shakes' AD Brian Issac Phillips, and not ONLY does it have a stellar cast featuring some of the finest actresses here in the bluegrass, BUT it's a JANE MARTIN piece. Anyone who knows Tim X at all knows of my affinity for "Ms" Martin's works. One of my all time favorite shows, KEELY AND DU, was one of the most talked about shows of the 90's. It is also the first show I had the pleasure of directing my wife in (as Keely) and she was fan-damn-tastic! That was one of the most intimate, special pieces I've ever worked on, and it culminated with people litterally weeping in the audience...NOT crying, not sobbing but WEEPING! It was, as Mr Sartin in fond of saying, "Pure Magic!". I've also directed "Ms" Martin's VITAL SIGNS (not as good as his first all female monologue fest TALKING WITH, but pretty close) and the play I consider to be the funniest thing I've ever read MIDDLE AGED WHITE GUYS. I am desperate to direct this in Lexington when I get the chance and find the right venue...but it is, without a doubt, one of the wackiest, yet most touching pieces you'll ever see. I've been trying to get Rick to do it for years, but he won't bite. (Hell, dude, it takes place on a BASEBALL FIELD for God's sake! What more do you need????:) But I digress...

So get out and go see this wonderful ensemble piece with it's cutting edge humor, first rate production staff, and delightful cast...here's the details:

Presented by: Actors Guild of Lexington

When: Preview performances at 7:30 p.m. April 18 and 19. The show opens April 20 and runs through May 13. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.

Where: Downtown Arts Center, 214 E. Main St.Tickets: Regular performances: $24 general admission; $18 ages 65 and older; $15 students. April 19 preview is $20 general admission; $14 ages 65 and older, $12 students. April 18 and 22 are pay-what-you-can performances.

Phone: (859) 225-0370. Online: www.actorsguildof lexington.com

Sooo...question for today is: What is the FUNNIEST play you've ever read/seen/been involved with?

"So move b*^*h, get out the way ho..."

Comments?

"This is my story..."

DATELINE LEXINGTON!
Join Bluegrass Community and Technical College
in partnership with Actor’s Guild of Lexington as it makes its
Theatrical début with the Kentucky premier of Laddy Sartin's BLESSED ASSURANCE.
April 4th and 5th at 8:00 PM in the Downtown Arts Center, Lexington.
Tickets: 859-225-0370
BCTC students, faculty, and staff- $4.00
General Public- $10.00
A reception for playwright Laddy Sartin will be held Thursday, April 5th at
7:00 PM in the reception area of the Downtown Arts Center.

It would mean a great deal to me if one and all could come this new endeavor. We have put a lot of work into getting this baby off the ground, and we really need support. The idea behind this Theatre program is to not only serve the BCTC student popualation, but to serve as another perfoming group for the Lexington community. We have big plans afoot, and are really looking forward to a great kickoff with this premiere production. A special thanks to the folks at AGL and Lexarts for all their help and support.
So please spread the word and come check out what we've got in store for you. We have a great cast and a dynamite production crew. I think you'll be glad you did!


...feel free to use up valuable bandwidth with well wishes and good karma!

...and 1,000 points for the obvious reference (unless you're a heathen!)

"Take me away...I don't mind..."

"SHERMAN...set the wayback machine for..."

Anybody remember these guys? LOVED these cartoons (and their related family- Bullwinkle, Fractured fairy tales, etc)

Lately, I been thinking about the past quite a bit. I tend to be a fellow who likes to reminisce on the "good old days". On reflection though, I usually realize that those days weren't so good, and that there is no better time to be me than right now. But nevertheless, I can't help but think back to "simpler times" in my life. One of the things that takes me back the quickest is the music. A song can slingshot me back to a particular time and place faster than Doc Brown's flux capacitor! (There's a lyric hint*) That's the nice thing about music, and Art in general I suppose, is it's power to not only transform us, but to transPORT us as well.

But enough rumination and pontificating! I'll leave that to ya'll...

What do you consider the greatest period, or "golden age" of :

A) Music

B) Theatre

C) Film

"Get on it, Sherman!"

"YES SIR, Mister Peabody!"

"Come on sister have yourself a ball"

FOR SPORTS GEEKS ONLY!!!!

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR, folks! So lets just cut to the chase and get right to it!

Gimmie your :

a) Final 8

b) final 4

c) final game and ultimate winner

d) biggest upset!

e) odds that UK will have a new coach next year!

LET'S DANCE!!!! BTW- 64 points for the reference....

"But I got to missin' your Mama..."

Well, SETC is almost here and I can't friggin' wait! I'll be doing a workshop (Outdoor Drama Survival Skills) with DIVA Darren Van Halen and Rick8 of AGL fame, doing my thing with the auditions committee and the Leighton Belew scholarship, going to a shit-ton of meetings and workshops, and trying to save a few moments to see some of the people I get to see once a year. I also may have a drink...or 20!

These past two weeks have seen me reach heretofore unattained levels of stress and I truly need a bit of a break. But I'll do what I always do at SETC- I'll work- I'll network-I'll help out my students (or in this case any former students, as none of my current ones are going this year. New program, and all...) -I'll try to learn something I can take back to the classroom, and I'll fret and kvetch the whole way about money. And while being away from the office will definitely be good for my state of mind...being away from the wife and kid, that'll be good for about 8 hours, then I'll start missing them both something fierce, and call home 6 times a day to make sure he and the missus are both OK. Then I'll start stressing about work again...

That's just who I am, though, and I guess that's who I'll always be. I always seem to want "a break" till I get it...then I don't know what to do with myself. I've had to work so hard and for so long, that I just don't really remember how to decompress...I think I might need to work on that at some point. Until then, I guess I'll just hope for a good, productive trip...and a few close, well stocked, Atlanta bars.

BTW- the image is an SETC image from their site... the backside belongs to one Teza Garland, a great, talented gal, and a former BOONEie by association...

Enough of my griping. What I wanna know is this- tell me about the best time you ever had at a "Theatre conference" (be it SETC, ACTF, URTA, UPTA, USITT, TCG, or any other letters...or hell, even if it was a state HS festival from your youth. My big brothers can tell some WHOPPERS about those trips...) The definition of "best" is up to you.

LET 'ER RIP!!!

"All for one..."

This was, without a doubt, one of the best times I ever had onstage! Me, Eric Johnson and Tom Phillips playin' the HELL outta the THREE MUSKETEERS at LSF in the summer of 02. It was also one of the most challenging. My 36 year old, outta shape ass running , jumping and wielding a rapier and dagger for two non-stop hours- let's just say it kicked my ass like Bruce Lee!
But FUN??? HELL YEAH! The most fun moment? A 4 minute fight scene where the Musketeers take on the whole French army, and...GET KILLED! Then, Alexander Dumas (righteously played by Mike Friedman- who had some experience kicking my ass when I was a Boonie) comes out and says "Nope! That won't work...RUN IT BACK!" And we do the whole friggin thing in reverse! Standing ovation every night! But as tough as anything I've ever done onstage...
So, since I'm thinking alot about physical theatre (I teach a movement class next semester) what is your most physically demanding role and why? Sorry, gang, but I guess this one is for actoids only...

Groove me, babies!

"Well the night's begun and you want some fun..."

So this is what I would be doing right now if I had a spare..Oh, I dunno...ten grand? And a week off in February. I'd have my ass out in LA at the ROCK AND ROLL FANTASY CAMP, where me and all the other middle aged Rock Star wanna Bee's would be up onstage rocking out with PAUL STANLEY (among others!) The deal is, you pay a measly 10 G's , you get assigned to a Rock and Roll Camp counsel er (someone who is, in all honesty, a washed up rock star of yore) , you work up a set with said rock dude, followed by a chance to get onstage with a real heavyweight (last year Roger Daltry- this year Mr. Stanley) and live out all your rock star fantasies. Seriously, dudes...gimme a little more disposable income, some vacation time and I'm THERE!

I'm pretty lucky: When I was in college, I got to sort of live out my rock and roll yearnings by playing guitar and singing with a club band that, all though we weren't top tier, we did pretty well for ourselves. I got to get my jollies out onstage, sew some wild oats, and bide time till I went into my "stable" career choice...THEATRE! But honestly...that time I had with my band from 89-93? Wouldn't trade it for a million bucks...

So here's the question for today: what is something that you've ALWAYS wanted to do, but have never had the where-with-all, time ,money, ability,etc to do?

Rock my world, people!And remember, if it's too loud...

"I live my life like there's no tomorrow"

VAN F****N' HALEN!

No offense to Sammy Hagar (as I love me some Sam) but I've been waiting over 20 years to get to see these guys together again...and what do they do? Take away their original Bassist (Michael Anthony) and replace him with a TEENAGER!!!! (The kid on the far left is none other than Eddie Van Halen's son..WOLFGANG...I kid you not. That's the kids name! Good looking kid, though! Luckily he got his Mommy's DNA...) Makes me wanna puke...and yet, I'll probably lay down my hard earned jack to see them, should they play a shed near Lex-ville...You gotta admit, Diamond Dave looks fabulous! Tanned and rested and ready to rock! Eddie? Once again, he goes to a photo shoot looking like an aging, homeless skate punk...oh well- can't win 'em all!

But it's got me to thinking about nostalgia...is there an artist (musician/group, actor, whatever) from your youth that you'd like to come out of retirement (or the grave- the ULTIMATE retirement home) and perform again?

Do it.....DO it!!!!

"My make-up may be flaking, but my smile still stays on"

Howdy, ya'll. It's been a red letter couple of weeks for me, let me tell ya! I've had to shell out enormous amounts of cash on my car... bills keep piling up...I've been buried in work... It's cold as shit, so naturally my son has horrible cabin fever (as do I!) and NOW to boot, the poor little guy has a rotten cold (after just getting over the flu a few weeks ago!) Life, it seems, is a bit tedious of late. BUT, I know it will get better. Always does...It's times like these that I try to count blessings and be thankful for all the good things (and they ARE many)...but BOY HOWDY it gets tough to do that sometimes.

On the bright side, I have entered into a really positive rehearsal process with my cast at school, my classes are going well, and I actually feel re-energized as a teacher. My classes, for the most part, are large and attentive, with some very talented and interesting folks. The wife and I have discovered the joy that IS VERONICA MARS (do yourself a favor and rent or buy the DVDS) AND...ATLANTA HER I COME!!! I GET TO GO TO SETC IN TWO WEEKS!!!!! Much to the chagrin of my long suffering better half...but I'll make it up to her someway...

So, with all that in mind, how about a new querry? If you were running a Theatre, what would your DREAM SEASON of plays be? Lets say, hypothetically, you are allowed six shows to produce. Any genre, any era, anything you like. Com'on people...light a fire under me. I need it!

AND let me know if there is anything show or audition-wise you'd like me to add to the front page. Be glad to hook you up. Also give me a shout as to what you think of the new look to the Clones. I'm here to serve, people!

"Oh make me over..."

HEY GANG!
Thought it was time for a new look to this ole' thing...
In the future, I might even add a PICTURE of myself, or something...one never knows how fancy-smancy I'll get.
So, to celebrate this new look, here's a new discussion.
All the talk over poor Anna Nichole in the past few days has been a tad disturbing to me. The woman is dead, and yet that actually seems to be an afterthought compared to all the hoopla swirling around. It's enough to make one vomit, imho. The obsession with the private life of celebs has, to coin a well used phrase amongst geeks like myself, "jumped the shark".
SOooooooooo...
What do you consider the most disturbing trend in either;
a) Theatre
b) music
c) film / tv
d) all of the above

Take your pick, and whack a mole!

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

I ask you...is this NOT the funniest commercial ever????
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em-b0wQzQ-0


AND - check out this alternate take....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_pnQ-zrzSQ&mode=related&search=

-So- since it's SUPER SUNDAY coming up, and we know what THAT means (COMMERCIALS FROM HELL!!!) What;'s your favorite commercial ever?
Ok- I know this is a fluffy one, but what the hell? I need something light and fun right about now....

-x

"I will begin again..."

So, a belated Happy New Year to all!!!! 2007 is here (can you believe it?) and we're already off to a flying start. There are some really cool things happening in the area:

Tonight (Thursday the 18th) at AGL- a conversation with Director Benny Sato Ambush, starting at 7pm at the Downtown Arts center. This is the first in AGL's AGL's "Conversations with..." series. Admission is free.

Also, opening tonight PRIVATE EYES at Studio Players, here in Lex Vegas. The show runs through Feb 4th, and features frequent CLONES poster Bob Singleton, Allie Darden-Tipton, the lovely Hayley Williams,Mike Van Zant and Marianne Matthews.

January 25th and 26th-Bluegrass Community & Technical College’s theater program will hold an open casting call for its first production of Laddy Sartin’s Blessed Assurance. Auditions will be held on Thursday, January 25, 2007 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. in the Student Center on the Leestown Campus, 164 Opportunity Way, Lexington. A second audition will be held on Friday, January 26, 2007 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on the Cooper Campus, 470 Cooper Drive, Lexington. (in the auditorium in the OSWALD building)
For more information, contact me, Tim Davis, Theater & Film Program Coordinator at (859) 246-6672.

These auditions are open to the public, as well as any BCTC studnet or faculty member. So come one, come all!!! We are very excited to produce this Kentucky premiere of South Carolina based playwright Laddy Sartin's play AND- Opening night, Laddy himself will be in the audienceto partciipate in a talk back! Show dates aren't until the first week of April, so more later! (I know all youse former USM Divas are familiar with Mr Sartin's name and/or work. Golden Eagles rule!!!!!)

Sooo....the query today is a simple one: What, if any, New Year's resolutions have you mad, and what are the odds that you'll keep em? I would remind all of you, btw, that my wife and I went for an ENTIRE YEAR (2006) without eating ice cream of any kind, which if you know us you know how difficult that must have been!
So chime in, and good luck!!! 2007 points for the EASY reference...

"...but I'm free from the chain gang now..."

Seems like I'm posting too many obits lately, but unfortunatley, here's another:

Michael Thompson founded Moveable Feast in 1998. The organization provides hot meals for victims of HIV and AIDS. Thompson was alsoactive in area theater groups.Michael Thompson, a Lexington actor and longtime survivor of AIDS whohelped nourish thousands of Kentuckians with the same disease, diedMonday. He was 51 and had been suffering from cancer.Mr. Thompson founded Moveable Feast, which delivered hot meals topeople in Central Kentucky suffering from HIV and AIDS, in 1998. Hegot the idea after nursing a destitute artist with AIDS who starved todeath just a few blocks from Lexington's city hall, said fellowactivist and friend Robert Morgan.

I had the absolute pleasure and privilege of knowing and working with Michael here in Lexington. We worked together at the LSF back in 02 and 03. He was a kind, sweet man with a good soul. I will miss him, and the community will miss his talent and his great charity. Godspeed, Michael...

If you knew Michael and would like to post something, or you have a good story involving him, feel free to write away.

"Hallelujah, Noel...be it heaven or hell..."

Seasons Greetings, all. Hope everyone is getting stoked for a great Christmas season (or whatever pagan-type ritual you might choose to celebrate). We are headed off to sweet home Tennessee here in a few days, so this'll be my last post for a week or so. I'll try to get one in for the New Year if possible (and if Santa brings me a new computer!)
So, let's have our annual holiday wishes/ holiday shout outs to family, friends, strangers, government officials...whatever! Tell us what YOUR Xmas wish is this year...
If you have some seasonal tidings, post 'em! Don't be shy! And to any and all USM Divas lurking, speak up! I miss you guys...and...let me know what your up to, AND...what you'd think of the possibility of organizing a USM Theatre reunion in the next 12 months or so.
So let's hear from one and all on this holiday season... and a hearty 2000 points for the reference...which I also used last year!

God bless and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all...


...and ps...where the hell is Chuck Pogue lately?????

RIP Peter Boyle

File this one under "huge loss"...

Raymond' dad Peter Boyle dies in NYC
By DEEPTI HAJELA, Associated Press Writer 43 minutes ago
Peter Boyle, the actor who transformed from an angry workingman in "Joe" to a tap-dancing monster in "Young Frankenstein" and finally the comically grouchy father on "Everybody Loves Raymond," has died. He was 71.
Boyle died Tuesday evening at New York Presbyterian Hospital. He had been suffering from multiple myeloma and heart disease, said his publicist, Jennifer Plante.
"It's like losing a spouse," Doris Roberts, who played his wife on "Raymond," said in a statement. "I'm going to miss my dear friend, so unlike the character he played on television. He's a brilliant actor, a gentleman, incredibly intelligent, wonderfully well read and a loving friend."
A member of the Christian Brothers religious order who turned to acting, the tall, prematurely balding Boyle gained notice in the title role of the 1970 sleeper hit "Joe," playing an angry, murderous bigot at odds with the emerging hippie youth culture.
Briefly typecast in tough, irascible roles, Boyle began to escape the image as Robert Redford's campaign manager in "The Candidate" and left it behind entirely after "Young Frankenstein," Mel Brooks' 1974 send-up of horror films. The latter movie's defining moment came when Gene Wilder, as scientist Frederick Frankenstein, introduced his creation to an upscale audience. Boyle, decked out in tails, performed a song-and-dance routine to the Irving Berlin classic "Puttin' On the Ritz."
It showed another side of Boyle, one that would be best exploited in the sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond," in which he played curmudgeonly paterfamilias Frank Barone for 10 years.
"He's just obnoxious in a nice way, just for laughs," Boyle said of the character in a 2001 interview. "It's a very sweet experience having this (success) happen at a time when you basically go back over your life and see every mistake you ever made."
When Boyle tried out for the role opposite series star Ray Romano's Ray Barone, however, he was kept waiting for his audition — and he was not happy.
"He came in all hot and angry," recalled the show's creator, Phil Rosenthal, "and I hired him because I was afraid of him." But Rosenthal also noted: "I knew right away that he had a comic presence."
Patricia Heaton, who played Boyle's daughter-in-law on "Raymond," said in a statement, "Peter was an incredible man who made all of us who had the privilege of working with him aspire to be better actors. ... he was loved by everyone that knew him and loved by his many fans who cherished his talent."
Boyle had first come to the public's attention more than a quarter century before, in the critically acclaimed "Joe." He met his wife, Loraine Alterman, on the set of "Young Frankenstein" when she visited as a reporter for Rolling Stone magazine and Boyle, still in monster makeup, asked her for a date.
On television, he starred in "Joe Bash," an acclaimed but short-lived 1986 "dramedy" in which he played a lonely beat cop. He won an Emmy in 1996 for his guest-starring role in an episode of "The X Files," and he was nominated for "Everybody Loves Raymond" and for the 1977 TV film "Tail Gunner Joe," in which he played Sen. Joseph McCarthy.
In the 1976 film "Taxi Driver," he was the cabbie-philosopher Wizard, who counseled Robert DeNiro's violent Travis Bickle.
He did dozens of other films, including "T.R. Baskin," "F.I.S.T.," "Johnny Dangerously," "Conspiracy: Trial of the Chicago 8" (as activist David Dellinger), "The Dream Team," "Monster's Ball," "The Santa Clause," "The Santa Clause 2," "While You Were Sleeping" (in a charming turn as Sandra Bullock's future father-in-law) and "Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed."
The son of a local TV personality in Philadelphia, Boyle was educated in Roman Catholic schools and spent three years in a monastery before abandoning his religious studies. He later described the experience as similar to "living in the Middle Ages."
He explained his decision to leave in 1991: "I felt the call for awhile; then I felt the normal pull of the world and the flesh."
He traveled to New York to study with Uta Hagen, supporting himself for five years with various jobs, including postal worker, waiter, maitre d' and office temp. Finally, he was cast in a road company version of "The Odd Couple." When the play reached Chicago he quit to study with that city's famed improvisational troupe Second City.
Upon returning to New York, he began to land roles in TV commercials, off-Broadway plays and finally films.
Through his wife, a friend of Yoko Ono, the actor became close friends with John Lennon. "We were both seekers after a truth, looking for a quick way to enlightenment," Boyle once said of Lennon, who was best man at his wedding.
In 1990, Boyle had a stroke and couldn't talk for six months. In 1999, he had a heart attack on the "Raymond" set. He soon regained his health, however, and returned to the series.
Despite his work in "Everybody Loves Raymond" and other Hollywood productions, Boyle made New York City his home. He and his wife had two daughters, Lucy and Amy.


I had no idea he and John Lennon were pals! How cool is that?
Hit us with your favorite Boyle screen moment in memory of this wonderful talent that has left us all too soon.

___

All the trouble went away, and it wasn't just a dream"

So, tonight is our first preview performance of HOLIDAY MEMORIES at AGL. For a nice photo and a brief blurb, check out Lexington's own Rich Copley's site:
http://copiousnotes.typepad.com/

I'm as excited about this show as I have ever been about any piece I have worked on. It is technically beautiful and the acting is top notch. But don't take MY word for it...come check it out.
"Actors Guild of Lexington continues its 23rd season with Truman Capote’s heartfelt remembrance of youth, Holiday Memories, adapted by Russell Vandenbroucke. A sweet and wonderful look at the holiday season as only Truman Capote can provide. Holiday Memories takes two short memories of childhood by Capote, “The Thanksgiving Visitor” and “A Christmas Memory” and fashions a compelling tale of friendship, love, and fruitcake set in the southern Alabama of the early 1930s. Buddy (Shayne Brakefield) may be a lone child in a house of elderly adults, but having a child-like and loving aunt as his best friend opens him to holiday adventures and the simple lessons of the heart. Directed by AGL Associate Artist Tim X. Davis (Side Man, The Importance of Being Earnest), Holiday Memories also features Carmen Geraci as Truman, Lisa Osterman as Miss Sook, and Dave Dampier and Marcie Crim in a variety of roles. A holiday treat for the entire family, Holiday Memories celebrates love, family, and friendship and will have you calling your grandma to wish her a happy holiday season!

Previewing November 29-30, Holiday Memories opens December 1 and runs through December 23 at the Downtown Arts Center, 141 E Main Street in Lexington."

In the spirit of all things Holiday... what's your top five favorite Christmas/Holiday songs? These can be standards, religious, show tunes, rockers, whatever...

Gimmie, gimmie... and btw...if you're involved in the show, no points awarded for the song lyric. Let's leave it to the civilians...

"If the sun refused to shine..."

So we cracked 100 posts! Not bad! Of course, I think we had about 4 people doing the most of the posting, but HEY, it's not how you get there but THAT you get there, right?
Anyhoo...since we've all been so danged fired up lately, lets take 'er down a notch, what do you say?
Since it's the kickoff of the holiday season, lets have our annual "what I'm thankful for" postings. Chime in and be counted. Don't be shy...when I did this last year we only had 17 posts. We can do better than that, people. Despite all the turmoil in today's world there is still a LOT to give thanks for. Feel free to be as mushy as you want! After our last few round of commetns, we could use a little positivity right about now, no?

AND- to get back to the points game...7,500 points for the (slightly obvious) reference...Fletch, if you get here fast enough, this one should be yours in a walk!

"The rest is slience...

"Whose wine, what wine, where the hell did I dine?"

GREETINGS all!
As promised, here is a link to my interview with Tee and John at the dumbshow:
http://dumbshow.mirroruptonature.com/

Despite a few hundred "uhms" and the fact that I was distracted by my son's antics throughout the entirity of the interview, it didn't come off half bad!

AND- if you listen to the interview, go ahead and listen through the rest of the podcast as I'm gonna base my question around their conversation on this topic:
Have Theatres lost touch with their audiences? OR have the audience lost touch with them?
What do you think? Even if you don't check out the podcast, give it a go...we want YOU!!!

"And when you smile for the camera..."

From my good buddy Jeff Day:
I have been working on creating a Film Acting Class in Lexington. So, I have developed a website which describes the process in detail.It's called.. THE FILM ACTORS LAB - Lexington, http://www.thefilmactorslab.com.It is an Intensive Film Acting Training with an Indie-Film Experience. The class format is a repeatable 4-week cycle offering the actor the full experience of taking a scene from rehearsal through shooting in the compressed time frame often encountered in film. During each 4-week cycle scenes will be read (Cold Reading Technique), blocked, shot and edited and reviewed. Each class memeber will recieve a DVD of their work in order to monitor thier process.If you are interested, check out my website. Contact me with any questions.

So if you Lex types are interested, check it out...

In other news:
-Just had my auditions for HOLIDAY MEMORIES at AGL. The show opens Nov. 29th and runs through December 24th. I'll post a cast list here in a few days, but I have a dandy group to work with and I'm way excited about this project. If you're in the area, come on and check it out!

- Looks like the Tonda Fields directed LONE STAR w/ Shayne Brakefield and Jack McIntyre that got so much great buzz will be playing at the KTA Community Theatre Festival, Saturday Nov. 11th (I believe it's in the 8am early morning slot- Shayne, if you read this, correct me if I'm wrong) For more info on the fest itself, go to www.theatreky.org

- Steve Martin's THE UNDERPANTS opens at AGL on October 19 and runs trough November 12th. Check it out, particularly to see the Lexington re-introduction of one CHarles E. Pogue, a frequent flyer here at the Clones. The show has a great cast, and also features Pete Sears, Haley Williams and the great Gene Arkle amongst others.

For today's question:

Who's your ideal presedential candidate in 2008, and why?

Feel free to take up valuable bandwidth discussing.....and, oh yeah, 79 points for the reference!

"I've seen the Mona Lisa, I've heard Shakespeare read real fine..."

And on THAT note...time for a new posting!
Happy Friday to all...a few things:

- Tonight at midnight, for all you Lex folk out there, there is a premiere of a locally made film called EDISON DEATH MACHINE at the Kentucky Theatre. One of my Theatre students here at BCTC is in the film, and if you get the chance, go see it!

- Tonight, at the DAME here in Lex, one of my all time faves (and former Mr Rosanne Cash) Rodney Crowell is playing a show at 9pm. If you wanna see some great rootsy, American music, check him out. I probably won't, as concerts and 2 year olds don't generally mix...AND GLACTICA season III premieres at 9pm!!!! Hot damn tamale!

- Next Monday and Tuesday, I'll be having auditions for HOLIDAY MEMORIES by Russell Vandenbroucke (Uof L's Theatre dept. chair). GREAT little script, based on two Truman Capote short stories. Just re-read it again this morning, and damned if I idn't get teary eyed! Anyhoo- here's the o-fficial audition announcement:
Actors Guild of Lexington will be holding auditions for Truman Capote'sHoliday Memories, adapted by Russell Vandenbroucke, on Monday October 9and Tuesday October 10 (7-10 PM both evenings). Director Tim X. Davis is seeking 3 men- varying in age from 20-50's, 1 woman- 40's-60's and1woman- 20's-40's. Auditionees will be asked to read from the script. Perusal scripts are available at the AGL offices or can be emailed toyou by emailing Rick St. Peter at rstpeter@actorsguildoflexington.org For more information, contact Rick St. Peter at 859-233-7330.

You can also holla at me if'n you want some info. All of youun's what are local come on out and audition fer me! The show opens November 29.

- Next week, I'll be doing an interview for the INEXPLICABLE DUMBSHOW podcast concerning the new Theatre program I'm coordinating here at Bluegrass Community and Tech. College. I'll provide the appropriate link when said interview comes out.

- Big shout out to Mississippi Diva John E. Moore for getting some great work lately, including a two episode arch of PRISON BREAK on FOX, and a role in the new Costner/Kutcher film THE GUARDIAN. GO, Johnny Go!

AND for the topic du'jour... with the Fall movie season (i.e. Awards contenders!) in full swing, what impending film are you really jazzed about seeing and why?

Enjoy!

"If I give my love to you, you'll surely give it back"

Well, it's been one helluva weekend!
Friday evening it started raining,and raining...and it KEPT on raining. Between one and 3 am it's estimated that about 8 ins. of rain fell in the Lexington area. And guess where most of it seemed to wind up? In the BASEMENT OF MY NEW HOUSE! And...since we've only been there for a few weeks, guess where most of our unpacked boxes with most of our stuff were? You guessed it!!! THE BASEMENT! Needless to say we lost alot of stuff. Some junk, some replaceable, some downright priceless...it's really a pisser to have to throw a good chunk of your life into garbage bags and hoist it out the back door like so much trash. I , unfortunately, had to do the same thing two years back when I moved my ailing mother out of her house and into a small apartment. Loads of my childhood memories went into the garbage dump cause I didn't have the time, space or energy to save it. Except for two very small, very carefully selected memory boxes which I kept and brought home to Kentucky...anyone wanna guess where those boxes were stored last friday at 3am?
Actually, alot of stuff did survive, and thank God we are all safe (as opposed to the poor 8 souls who lost their lives needlessly in this flooding.) But we do not yet know the extent of the damage to the drywall and structure of the home. And it looks like our insurance company (won't say the name) may not be giving us their "good hands" to help out with this mess. We are pursuing other options, though. The city, sewer and water, etc... and since this mess may be considered of the "disaster" variety (as an example, our entire street had pretty much the same damage we did) we may luck out on the insurance thing. But with all the chaos we've been going through with the move, new job and general disorder of raising an almost two year old, we just damn well didn't need this...

Anyhoo...pity party over and back to work. Hope you lex- folk are all unharmed from the storm, and that you're enjoying a few days of dry, beautiful, fall-like weather. A big storm like this really makes you appreciate such things. And it also makes me REALLY feel lucky that my wife and I left the Gulf Coast for Kentucky those 5 years back. If not, I'd probably be worried about a hell of alot more than a soggy basement. BTW- even if you ain't a Football fan (and why SHOULDN'T you be???) watch the Monday night game on ESPN tonight to see the Saints first home game in the Super Dome since the destruction of Katrina. I can't wait to see it. All the enery and life just pulsating through the stadium. The resilience of those folks is very inspiring to me. And yes, it's just a damn game, but it's more than that in this instance. It's a dying city standing up and saying that they will NOT go quietly...that even in the toughest of circumstances you can still celebrate life and the incredible spirit that still prevails in this country. Someone mentioned to me in conversation the other day how they should tear the dome down because of the images of Katrina and how people died there in that storm, but as Mike Greengerg said on ESPN," Think of how many people LIVED and survived because the dome was there." Makes one think...

And as I close, Eric Clapton's LET IT RAIN comes onto my radio station...oh Ironos, goddess of Irony...you STILL slay me with your wit!

Peace and Love,
X

"Who pays for paradise?"

YET ANOTHER cool podcast...

http://dumbshow.mirroruptonature.com/

Our own lovely and talented Rick St. Peter is the latest interviewee of the dumbshow podcast.
Check it out!

And , I'm going to steal an idea from our own Chuck Pogue who postedTHIS question on BO's yahoo site:

Actors, what five roles would you like to play?Explain why, if so moved. Only restriction: Try to keep desired roles roughly age appropriate...no 25 year old Lears; no fifty year old Juliets.So Directors/Designers can play along...which five plays would like to direct/design?Explain why, if so moved. Only restriction: no plays that you're about to do or that you've done in the past.If you do all of things things, answer all questions, if you like.

Thanks Chuck...the royalty check is in the mail...

Cool podcast!

Check this out:

http://dumbshow.mirroruptonature.com/

My buddies John Mauldin and Tee Quillenhave a nice Theatre themed podcast called the inexplicable dumb show! On episode IV, they have a nice interview with my big brother, and AD/founder of the Burning Coal Theatre COmpany. Any of you who want the lowdown of starting a small, professional theatre company should listen up. It's pretty cool!

"It's a sad man, my friend who's livin' in his own skin..."

So happy frakin' friday to you all! And for all you Battlestar Galactica Junkies, it is a happy friday indeed, as SCI Fi has this week released the first of ten "webisodes" that will connect seasons 2 and 3. If you wanna check em out, head over to scifi.com OR you can check 'em out on you tube.

For me, it's been a helluva week. Trying to get everything settled in the new casa, dealing with a baby who's a bit confused as to why we're not in our old apartment anymore, tons of work for the impending KTA festival in November, and being swamped by work at my new job. BUT- hell, I can't complain... I like it like this. Who was that poet who said something about burning your candle at both ends? Well, it IS a lovely light, my friends. Trust me on that...

So as I slowly dig myself out of a pile of beautiful disarray, here's your topic.
Tell us about the music you are listening to now (could be something new or something old you've recently discovered or RE-iscovered) Either choice will suffice... a nice lught, non-threatening topic for a beautiful late summer weekend!

127,000 points for the reference...for reasons only me and the wife know!

"Put me in, Coach!"

Greetings, all and a happy friday. Joy and I, along with my very cool in-laws, are moving into our new house! So, now I'm a home-owner...I had a really zen moment last night while moving some boxes in. I was standing in my backyard (which is really nice) and I said to myself, "This is MY backyard!" How bout that, huh? For those of you what are local, we'll probably have a house warming par-tay within the next few weeks. Stay tuned to this channel!
Anyhoo...gonna be a few days for all the stuff is in order, so I may be out of the loop for a bit. Thus, I'll leave you with this to ponder:

In honor of Andre Aggasi's awesome run at the US Open thus far...What's the GREATEST sports moment you've ever witnessed? Any sport you like (except soccer...not on MY blog, dammit!) whether you were actually there or saw it on the tube. Tell us about it...describe it...relive the moment!
No points for the reference...just too damned easy...

"Shut 'yo mouth!"

So here we are in the home stretch of the dreaded "house closing", and naturally, snags have arisen! And naturally, they are though no fault of ours, which makes it doubly irritating, but I'm sure they will all be worked out by week's end and we'll be luxuriating in our lovely new casa! (I hope!!!!)

Anyhoo...in the tradition of ESPN's MIKE AND MIKE in the morning, I would like to institute a new feature to the CLONES we like to call JUST SHUT UP!
Nominate whomever you want for the award, and tell us why you want them to JUST...SHUT ...UP!!!!!
BTW_ please don't make this someone we KNOW, but instead pick on someone in the public eye (i.e. celebrity, poitician, ball player, etc...). We like to keep the blows ABOVE the belt here at DIVA CLONES....

SO, my nominee? The Honorable RAY NAGGIN, who said to a New York reporter this week, and I loosely quote "You guys in New York can't get a hole in the ground fixed and it's five years later"...what a swell, sensitive guy!!!! Yeah, I ain't giving Washington any free passes when it comes to Katrina clean up, but come on Ray! Apples and oranges, man...

So who gets YOUR vote? Lemme hear from you!

"There's nothing better we could do, than live forever..."

Hey gang. Sorry bout the long time betwixt posts, but I've been slammed lately. Lots of new things: new job, new class I'm adjuncting at Asbury (directing) , new HOUSE, a 20 month old who's doing new things daily (and is quickly developing a vocabulary to exceed mine...) so LOTS of newness...but new is good. CHANGE is good. It's what keeps life fresh and interesting. But it can also be scary. Joy and I have been through lots of changes in our 13 years together, and we've rode them all out together and come out the other side better for it. "She's a great partner to go through life with...I tell you what!" (ala Hank Hill)
So, if I don't post as much in the next month or two, don't give up on us, baby...we'll be around...for now, riddle me this.
What cast experience was your greatest? What I mean is this: perhaps it wasn't the best show, or the most well received, but what cast did you have your greatest experience with. Were you particularly close? Did something happen to bring you together in a way that was atypical of other theatre experiences? Did you just PARTY a whole hell of alot? Sleep with four or five members of the ensemble? Whatever floats your boat...lemmee hear from you.
403 points for the reference. It ain't too tough if you're an 80's child...

RIP Bruno Kirby

This is sad...I had no idea he was even ill...
© AP
Bruno Kirby'City Slickers' Actor Bruno Kirby DiesAug 16, 6:39 AM EST
The Associated Press
Bruno Kirby, a veteran character actor known for playing the best friend in two of Billy Crystal 's biggest comedies, "When Harry Met Sally" and "City Slickers," has died. He was 57.
Kirby died Monday in Los Angeles from complications related to leukemia, his wife Lynn Sellers said in a statement Tuesday. He had been recently diagnosed with the disease.
"We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support we have received from Bruno's fans and colleagues who have admired and respected his work over the past 30 years," his wife said. "Bruno's spirit will continue to live on not only in his rich body of film and television work but also through the lives of individuals he has touched throughout his life."
Born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu in 1949 in New York City, he was the son of actor Bruce Kirby. His early work included the 1971 film "Young Graduates," as well as appearances on the television show "Room 222" and the made-for-TV movie "The Summer Without Boys."
In 1974, he scored a role in "The Godfather: Part II," which won several Academy Awards, including best picture. In the film, Kirby played young "Pete Clemenza," following Richard S. Castellano's role in the first installment.
Over the next few years, Kirby made various TV appearances, including "Fame" and "Hill Street Blues," before landing the role of "2nd Lt. Steven Hauk" in Robin Williams' "Good Morning, Vietnam."
That was followed two years later by the romantic comedy "When Harry Met Sally," in which Kirby played Crystal's best friend. In 1991, Kirby once again appeared as Crystal's cheery friend in "City Slickers," — along for a mid-life adventure driving cattle on a dude ranch.
He also appeared in 1997's "Donnie Brasco," and recently in an episode of the HBO hit series "Entourage."
Along with his wife and father, Kirby is survived by his stepmother Roz Kirby, brother John Kirby and stepbrother Brad Sullivan.
No information on funeral arrangements was immediately available.

Another passing of a wonderful character actor. RIP, Bruno...

"For that lean, mean, mean green"

So happy hump day all! Hope everyone's having a great week so far. I have now officially started my new job. I am the coordinator for the new Theatre and Film program at Bluegrass Community and Technical college here in Lex. I'll miss K-state, as I had some really good years there and I am damned proud of what we were able to accomplish there. Now I turn that program over to Jack Parrish, whom directed me in ART a few years back. He came highly recommended courtesy of Rick8, thus I have all the faith in the world that he'll take care of my baby...but I gotta tell you, it's REALLY nice not to have to make that commute every day to Frankfort! Hoozah! Maybe now I'll only have to spend ONE hundred dollars a week for gas! Won't that be a joy? And speaking of Joy, she, the little wolverine and I are MOVING! Yes, we finally done went and bouught us a house! We should have it all signed sealed and delivered by the end of the month! We are very excited, as we really HATE living in an apartment at this point in our lives! It's a very exciting time, and for those of you in Lex town, we'll be having a nice big open house party sometime in September. Stay tuned for more info...
..and SPEAKING of large outlays of cash...I need to pick the brains of those of you with any financial acumen. I am looking for funding sources for my new program. Any ideas? Any thoughts on how to raise/get some good working capital for this exciting new program? Gimmie your thoughts...(D$ and Darren, love to hear any ideas you may have used in the past as well! And most definitely if Steve K is lurking, shoot me some ideas...)
2 million points for the reference...I bet even CHuck knows this one!

"Hammer of Justice Crushes You... overpower"

Laura Salmon was my friend. Tonight she finally recieved some justice...

http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060804/NEWS01/60804007

It's about fucking time! For any of you that know the PEANUT GALLERY script, a large portion of that is for her.

I've been drinking a little tonight, so I'll sign off before I say something stupid...like how much I love all of you and cherish your friendship.

22 points for the reference...that's how many years Laura's family had to wait for this day...

ONE FROM THE REQUEST LINES!!!!!!

From MISSY J.


"Hey Tim, it might be fun to see what other icky jobs people have had to endure under that "other duties as assigned" clause that's in so many theatre contracts."

We here at Diva Clones HEAR and OBEY!!!!

Go for it, gang...and all former BOONIES speak up loudly!!!!!

"WILL OUR STORY SHINE LIKE A LIGHT,OR END IN THE DARK"

"People in the entertainment community, whether Jew or Gentile, need to demonstrate that they understand how much is at stake in this by professionally shunning Mel Gibson and refusing to work with him, even if it means a sacrifice to their bottom line." So says one of the most high profile agents in Hollywood...."
.....ok...........let me see if I have this right: A man gets behind the wheel of a car with a .8 blood alcohol level, (what's the legal in CA...like a .01?) gets nabbed, makes some asinine racist remarks in a drunken haze...and THATS what we focus on? How bout the fact that he was DRIVING WAY OVER THE LEGAL ALCOHOL LIMIT AND ENDANGERING LIVES???? I personally could give a shit what Mel Gibson thinks of the Jewish community. He's a freakin actor...he's not a law maker, he doesn't make US policy, he holds no office- Hell, were it not for his lightning in a bottle Jesus film, the man wouldn't even be relevant to most of the younger generation at this point (and btw- they're the ones actually BUYING the movie tickets these days!) This, to me, is a prime example of how America just gets it wrong. The real issue, and the real danger, is what he was doing, not what he said in a drunken tirade, which by the way is hardly the same as espousing those views in a public forum. So he's a bigoted jackass- WOW- that really sets him apart from most of America, doesn't it? You wanna string the guy up for something? How about for the LAW HE WAS BREAKING???
Besides, don't people realize that by making the big show of this they are simply making the man a martyr for the millions of anti-semites in this country? Those folks must be turning cartwheels today over all the publicity this is getting. For every Hollywood mouthpiece that condemns this guy, hundreds of people will flock to his defense. Get a clue, folks! You're only propping the guy up further by going nuts over this.
So- what say YOU to all this? I've ranted enough....58 points for the oh-so-clever lyric.

"An' it breaks your heart cuz ya gave so much"

So okay...I'll vent a little here...
Last night Joy had made tnetative plans with a group of folks to come out to the park and see THE LION THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. She went out and bought a bunch of snacks and wine, made some yummy beer cheese, and spent a great deal of time getting herself and the wolverine (her nickname for our boy) together to go out (NOT the easiest of tasks) ...and what happened? Nobody friggin showed up. And worse???No one CALLED to say they weren't showing up. Listen folks, I know people have their lives and things to do, and people to see, etc. But guess what? There is such a thing as common courtesy, and part of that courtesy includes a phone call if you're bailing on a planned outing. It's not that we're that pissed, but even though she won't admit it, it did kinda hurt my wife's feelings a bit...Which I guess DOES piss me off, cause she's a sweet, generous woman who always goes the extra mile to do for others, and when folks take that for granted I get a little miffed! But in truth, I'm not sure why I'm even putting it up here, as most of those folks don't read this blog anyway, but dammit what's the good in having a nice little cyberspace forum if you can't vent every now and again?
People are a funny lot. Joy and I have moved around so much in our (almost) 13 years together (July 31st, for those keeping score) that we have friends spread out all over the country. Perhaps thats why we've always felt a bit like outsiders wherever we go. We both pretty much came to the realization long ago that there are two kinds of folks: Those that keep their friends together, and those that are "kept" together via someone else's efforts. So many people have come in and out of our lives over the years due to a sort of "out of sight/out of mind" way of looking at things. Fortunately, though, we do have a nice group of folks that seem invested enough in our friendship that they actually give a damn enough to write or call occasionally. However, in most cases, we seem to be the ones who always initiate said contact. I suppose that's just the way the world spins, but it can be damned annoying, sometimes. Overall, though, here in Lex, I have to say that I feel blessed to have made some of the friends that I have, particularly you folks who inhabit this blog with me. And even though I may not say it enough, your friendship does mean a great deal to me, as do your varied and intersting opinions and commentary.
I guess that's all I had to say about that. Vent over- short and sweet. We'll return to our regularly scheduled pontificating next week!
...that was a joke btw....

"When you don't know what it is, but you can't get enough of it"

Ok, so Adam has given me inspiration for a new post...Name your three FAVORITE comedians, and the three whom you think suck the worst!
So far, I'm bettin Judy Tenuta turns up on 75% of the sucky lists...
And, a word of congrats to the cast and crew of MUCH ADO...for puttin on an entertaining show and for keeping the rain Gods away! I wonder if that deal Mike Freidman made with Satan extends over to the arboretium as well? ( There's one for the Boonies on the board!)
If you get a chance, make sure and come check out THE LION,THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE next week for a really fun evening with some kick ass stage combat, courtesy of one Chris "Lito" Tamez, hisself a former Boonie! And look for my high powered cameo as FATHER X-mas!
898 points for the obscure reference...

"Don't worry bout Manana...just say como se nada"

So....today is my 40th birthday...normally, I don't try and shill my birthday, and I'm not now either. But, I just felt I needed to post to express my feelings on turning the big 4-0.
1st- Surprisingly, it's not really a big deal to me. I thought I'd get all bummed that my 30's are behind me, but it just doesn't phase me that way. I'm actually really anxious to see what this decade brings. The 30's brought major changes for me- physically, mentally, financially, artistically...and, to beat all, I became a father! So some pretty big changes. It really has me wondering what the next ten years will bring. I'm starting things out with a bang- an almost two year old son, a new job, and I get to go out and perform ON my birthday! Pretty exciting...btw- we've been getting great response for the show (MIDSUMMER). Kudos to all you guys in the area who have come out. To those who haven't yet...where the heck are ya? And do me, and the whole cast, a favor and stick around to say hey after the show. Meet and Greet is one of the cooler elements of the Fest. Always lots of fun...
You know, I guess more than anything I just feel really blessed today. I have a really great life! I married a great woman who has managed to stay with me for 13 years (as of the 31st of July, that is!) I have a beautiful son who continues to amaze and inspire me daily, I have some great friends (even though I don't see them as often as I'd like) and I get to do Theatre that I am proud of and passionate about. So I haven't made that 1st million yet...I truly can't complain about where I am. (even though, in typical me fashion, at some point, I will!)
I guess that's all I wanted to say- no real topic today, unless you want to tell me your most interesting BIRTHDAY story.
Hope to see you at the aboreitum! Peace out, ya'll!

"Now quickly Check the hands on the clock..."

Happy Friday all! Just returned (again) from Nashville, and boy are my arms tired! Or something to that effect...
Haven't posted in awhile and lots of things happening, so here's a round up:
-HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY KIMMIE! You don't look a day over 21, darling...Hope it was a happy one indeed.
- Laurie! When do you get in?Post and let's talk about an El Toro run. I, and lots of others, would love to hook up with you guys again!
- As I mentioned, I went to Nashvegas last weekend to celebrate my upcoming 40th b-day (not here till the 8th, but since I'm onstage that night...) My wonderful wife set up an evening where a bunch of my old friends came out and met me in Nashville at the Sammy Hagar show (yeah, yeah, I know...I'm old...but Sammy ROCKED, dude! Check out my fan review of the show at Sam's official website www.redrocker.com) and we hung out a bit in downtown Nashville afterwards. A VERY good time was had by all. It was most excellent seeing Fletch, the Coach, Scottie, Matt, Billy, Don, Todd, Jeff and that strange dude you guys brought with you!
My wife kicks ass!
- Speaking of Scott Mc, congrats on the new job! He's heading down to South Georgia to teach at a really awesome sounding Secondary Theatre program. Not many high schools actually KNOWN for their Theatre department, but this one is! Way to go, Mac!
- At aforementioned show, on the second stage before the main concert got underway, I got to check out some old buds of mine in a band called Cold Truth - they are like a Murfreesboro super group. Some of the finest players my hometown ever produced- all over 40, all still kickin' it! Check out there site for some cool tunes at www.coldtruth.net. It really did my heart good to see these guys still rockin and rollin. What a pleasant added bonus to an already great weekend. (Did I mention that my wife kicks ass?)
- Congrats to Mike and Erin on their recent nuptuals...may fortune shine on you in the days to come! And sorry I probably won't be able to make it Saturday...but...
- The Lexington Shakes Fest opens this coming week, with MIDSUMMER up first. The show is shaping up nicely, and I'm really excited to get the chance to do some Shakespeare again, as it's been awhile for me. I have always loved the character of BOTTOM, and I think that the Mechanicals and I have mined some "comedy gold"- Come out and enjoy, starting on July 5th. General admission is 8 bucks and showtime is 8:45. Head to http://www.lexingtonshakespeare.org/season.asp for more details. And on your way out, hum that old Blind Melon tune just for good measure!

I'll try and post next week about actually turning 40 and what that means to me, but in the meantime, here's the latest topic of discussion: What's the most creative Shakespeare piece you've ever seen/been a part of? Lemmee hear it...
BTW- Only ONE point for the reference, and Tuttle, if you don't get it, I'm disowning you!

"Sitting with your friends cause y'all remincise..."

Ah, summertime and the livin is eeeeeassssyyyyy....
Hope everyone is having a good time with this great weather we're having (In Central KY , anyhoo) I do love the summertime. It takes me back to my youth, and for at least a brief time I can remember what it was like to be wide eyed and have the world laid out in front of me. Sure, life is much different now, with a job, family, responsibility, a HELLUVA lot more aches and pains, but there's still a little bit of that kid in me that just has to giggle every time the he sees the bright sun and the clear blue skies.
SOOO- describe to me what your summers were like when you were a kid. It can be from when you were a wee tot, a "tweener" or a full blown teenager, or a combo of all of the above. And, if something theatrical resonates with your summer memories (it sure does in mine!) lemmee specifically know about that.
ALSO- a little news for you: I have now officially changed jobs- I will be working in Lexington (NO MORE COMMUTING!) for the Bluegrass Technical and Community College coordinating their fine arts classses and building their new Theatre and Film degree, which should begin to go into effect in Spring 07. I have nothing but good to say about KSU, my former employers, as I spent five good years there and I am damned proud of the work we were able to accomplish in that time. Perhaps more on that in a later post- Just wanted my wonderful posters to be the first to know!
So knock me out- and 2800 pts for the reference, unless RICK8 gets it, and then only 28, as he probably knows the whole song by heart!

"Everything's gotten way out of hand - but your wish is our command"

So, here we go again! Happy Friday to all. And a special shout out to Mikey and Erin who are gettin hitched this weekend up in the Great Smokies! Have a blast, ya'll! We're all really happy for you...
And, an unfortunate bit of info from my wife's blog...
"My sister called to tell me a guy she graduated from high school with died this week. He was only 39, married, had two very young daughters. Devastating. At their 20th class reunion last year he was the life of the party. Sanjiv, peace and love."

I'm 39, folks. Fixin' to be the big 4-0 any day now, good lord willin...just goes to show you that you just never know when your number might get called. Life is fragile, and it's precious. We don't often treat it as if it's either, and that's a real shame. I didn't know Sanjiv, but heard Hope and Joy speak very fondly of him through the years. Hope had, in fact, just seen him recently at their 20th HS reunion, where he was , quote "The life of the Party"... His family will be in my prayers tonight.

In that vein...here's a topic for you. If there's someone who has passed on that was inspirational to your artisic life, celebrate that person in your next comments. Tell us how great those folks were.
And while you're at it, over the next few days....stop and smell the damned roses, will ya? You'll be better for it.

4000 points for the reference.

You could see me reaching,why couldn't you meet me halfway"

Good Friday to you all!
First off: Tonight at 5:30 we're making another EL TORO run. So if any of youse are interested, come on out. Bring the kiddies and your appetite for mucho Margaritas (TWO FOR ONE, BABY!!!). Let me know with a post if you plan on coming. Chuck, you and Julianne have never joined us...we're calling you out!

ALSO- From ACTOR'S GUILD
New Horizons ProjectThe Actors Guild of Lexington's New Horizons Project will continue onTuesday June 6 with a reading of Play Ball, a new play by Jeff Day,Director of Theatre and Cinema Performance at Asbury College. PlayBall is a three act, dramatic comedy that follows Danny and ChristinKennedy as they struggle to save what's left of their marriage bysorting through the poor decisions of the past, the intense conflicts of the present and the overwhelming obstacles of the future. The play surrounds them as they work their way through the frustrationand disappointment of infertility with the help of Danny's collegefriend Austin and his wife Jan. They will discover that if love isto survive, forgiveness is everything. The cast list for Play Ballincludes Tim X Davis, Kim Dixon, Ester Harvey and Mike Tuttle.Please come and stay for a post reading talkback with the playwrightand cast.

***All of our New Horizons Project performances are free and open tothe public, however we do accept donations. For the Play Ballreading, all donations received will be donated to the ScholarshipFund for Raigann Hufnagel, established by Chase Bank. Actors Guild recognizes we are part of a larger downtown community and our heartsgrieve for the recent tragedy involving Stephanie Hufnagel and herunborn child.***


...So say we all....

"The message came back from the great beyond..."

Greetings, fellow divas....Laurie's shout out to AMERICAN IDOL has got me to thinking- you can't swing a dead cat in TV land without hitting another "reality" TV show. Wasn't this movement supposed to have died about 5 years ago? Do we REALLY need to see REAL WORLD 27: Witchita Falls...or SKATING WITH CONVICTS or whoever the hell they;'re skating with now?
I''ll cop to getting sucked into a few of these (the new SUPER GROUP on VH1 has the metal God in me all aflutter...and it's actually kinda fun) but here's the question:
What's YOUR opinion of , so called REALITY TV? Love it? Hate it? Ever had a close up experience with it? (I auditioned locally for SURVIVOR last year...and think this one was supposed to take place on the Moon, or something- thankfully, I wasn't chosen) Do you have a particular reality show that tickles your fancy? Do you think it's destroying the TV landscape?
Lemmee know!
btw- 85 points for the reference (as -HINT- that's how high my cable goes)

I can always fall back on this.....

In a Past Life...

You Were: A Mute Assassin. Where You Lived: Korea. How You Died: Typhoid fever.

Who Were You In a Past Life?

"But honey I know, ain't nothing wrong with yo' ears"

OK, so here's a good one:
Tell me about you're biggest brush with fame! Was it meeting someone backstage after a broadway show? Running into Newman and Woodward at a performance? Working with someone on a show? Being a Motley Crue groupie? WHAT???
I'm betting Chuck and Rick both have some good stories to regale us with in this area...
Hit me with your best shot...
...and no, mine wasn't sleeping with Pat Benetar when I was a teenager...I wish!
290 points for the reference...it's pretty easy...

"Never sit on the sidelines of life...I'd dance every dance..."

For any and all interested parties:
Tomorrow night (Tuesday the 9th) AGL's New Horizons Play series will present a staged reading of DANCING WITH DANI, by Tim X. Davis
Show begins at 7:30 in the DAC. Admission is FREE!
Cast includes:
Shayne Brakefield
Chris Rose
Erin Leland
Mike Tuttle
Joy Davis
Joy Parks
Jeff Day


Come one / come all...ye faithful...

Also congrats to Jeff Day on the 2nd annual Highbridge Film Festival held at Asbury College this past weekend. It rocked! Some excellent work by some very talented filmmakers. If you missed it, do yourself a favor and mark your calendars for next year! And Kudos to Chuck Pogue for coming to speak at the festival to some of Jeff's students. I heard great things, Charles...perhaps next year I can convince you to come chat with some of my kids?

-x

El Toro Redux

Hey! if anyone would like to join us, Joy and Logan and I will be dining at El Toro this evening. I know it's late notice, but if you wanna come along, leave me a message. Otherwise, everyone have a good derby weekend!

"You're there on the dance floor makin me want you somehow..."

Ok, some good answers for the men. NOW to the good stuff...the ladies!
Name your five favorite actors of the female persuasion.
An 963 points for the reference!
HAve at it!