"Junior Johnson runnin' through the woods of Caroline..."

So I'm off this week for NCTA in Greensboro to "respond" to their ACTF state fest. Only four shows this year, but some sound pretty interesting. I'll give a report whence I return...IN THE MEANTIME- Here's a topic for you- TOP FIVE TELEVISION MOMENTS OF ALL TIME...this can be anything, music, TV show, pop culture moment, news headline/coverage, whatever...hit me with your best shots, peeps...
AND- 22 ponits for the reference, artist, album title, and year of release. FOR ALL YOU IN THE LEX AREA- Some good theatre goin on- Check out VINCENT IN BRIXTON at AGL, and opening this weekend , Neil Simon's RUMORS down at Asbury, directed by my good buddy Jeff Day. See ya later, folks! I'll check in in NC when I can...

"I don't EVER wanna hear that song again..."

BY REQUEST- today's topic-
TOP TEN WORST SONGS EVER!!!!Have fun...and good luck with the reference!It's actually a good song, or so my wife says....22 points are up for grabs...
btw- Any mention of the Boss in these lists will get you FOREVER BANNED from this blog!!!!! Show tunes are acceptable, however...

"I try to sleep, they're wide awake , they won't let me alone..."

Sleep Deprivation is a bitch!!!! I'm in show-mode this week at K-state, and have had had maybe five hours in the last three days...along with the NORMAL Sleep Dep. that comes with being a new parent...hence, I'm REALLY sleepy...but, ahead we must forge!
Sooo...here's an interesting queery I found in PASTE magazine...if you don't know PASTE, and you're a music fan, you should...it's the magazine the Rolling Stone OUGHTA be, and might be if the baby boomer-sellouts who run that mag had a shred of integrity left! Check out www.pastemagazine.com... I think that's the link. If not, just google it...I'm tired dammit!
Anyhoo, in a small section of the magazine , I noticed one of their writers made a list of TOP FIVE THINGS I'M SUPPOSED TO LIKE, BUT DON'T....
Think about that (don't EVERTHINK though- no need to analyze, just go with it!) and shoot me a response to that...it can be music,oriented, theatre, or whatever you like! Reader's choice...

28 points for the reference....BUT, I need album, year of release, artist, song title AND songwriter! (take that bee-yotches!)

MEET THE NEW BOSS

So according to my less than scientific calculations, here'e our TOP TEN ROCK AND ROLL ALBUMS OF ALL TIME (Counting votes, Honorable mentions, and my own wheel greasing...)
10- ALL THE BEST COWBOYS HAVE CHINESE EYES- Pete Townsend (SHOCKER!)
9- REVOLVER- Los Beatles
8- TEN- Pearl Jam
7- AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE- REM
6- PURPLE RAIN- His Royal Badness
5- BACK IN BLACK- AC/DC
4- THRILLER- His royal weirdness
3- JOSHUA TREE- U2
2- PHYSICAL GRAFFITI....
and the #1 album of all time....WHO'S NEXT by the WHO*

This method is niether scientific, nor accurate, as I've had a hard day, can't really add that well, adn have been drinking beer all night....
SIGNED...The management
WHAT ABOUT THE 5 GREATEST MUSICALS...maybe????

"And all we gotta do is hold up our end..."

Well, it's late...we need a new post and I REALLY enjoyed the levity of the last group of comments (never knew there were so many $6Million dollar man fans out there!) so I'm gonna toss out a similiar vine...
Name the FIVE GREATEST ROCK AND ROLL ALBUMS EVER!! (Broadway Cast albums, unless they were composed by Pete Townsend, and anything from NEW EDITION will not be counted...ROCK AND ROLL people!!!!)

Can ya guess the reference? It's from an album the darn well might make my list!

"Mary Mary, you're on my mind..."

So Mikey and I were just talking about one of our favorite new shows LOST (Man , that show has more layers than a wedding cake...) and it got me to thinking about a fun little topic of discussion:
List your FIVE favorite TV shows of all time... While TV has been a bit of a wasteland over the last 25 yeears or so, there have also been some GREAT moments, wonderful shows and intersting, deep characterizations....let me hear from ya!

8 pts for the reference...and it's a clue to one of my favs as well!

"Life can take the strongest man, make him feel so alone"

Ahoy hoy! Hope everyone is off to a flying start on the work week! Thanks to some good friends who chipped in to help a brother out (me!) I am feeling almost caught up! Let me explain...
A lot of talk has ben circulating on Bo's YAHOO board ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LexingtonTheatre/ )regarding how fractured the Lex Theatre scene is and how cliquish we all are, etc, etc...Well, I'm here to tell you that that ain't exactly so! This weekend, I really needed to get some work done on my set for PIECE OF MY HEART (running Oct 20-22 at KSU- SHAMELESS PLUG!) and I had very little (i.e. NO) funds to pay anyone to come help. That's when cast member, and Lex theatre queen, Ms Kim Dixon said "I'll call Russell...he'll come help" Well, that's cool, I thought, but Hell I've only even seen Russell about twice since Logan was born, why would he wanna give up a saturday to come help me out? Well, guess what? 9 am that morning , there were Kim and Russell, tools in hand, waiting to go, and within six hours, my entire set was about 85% complete...just goes to show you that maybe things ain';t as "cliqu-ey" as maybe some think...Russell and I have alwyas gotton on fine, we've had a good working relationship, but we ain't exactly best drinking buddies, and yet there he was helping me out for little more than lunch and a pat on the back. Why? Couse he believes in the idea that , as a Theatre community, it's what we SHOULD do! And he walks it like he talks it, which ain't always the case for everyone in this burg of ours...
I've been fortunate at KSU- I am, LITERALLY, a one man show at that school. I do it all...BUT without the help of alot of volunteers, some I've managed to eek a little money to, some not, I've managed to start a very healthy little program. Lord knows Mike Tuttle has come to my aid more times than 1, as has Lito, Big Country, Rick8 and StevenK, Sparky Carrera, Kristen Thompson, and Jeff Day, just to name a few...I still have a shit - load of work to wade through on an hourly basis, BUT MAN, have those folks made life easier for me....I try to "pay it forward" whenever I can (not nearly as much as I should) and will continue to do so. Why? Cause it's what I SHOULD do...I'm a Lexington Theatre Artist...there, I said it! And I owe it to my art, my community, and my fellow artists to help any way I can. And you know what? It feels good to help...damn good...so here's a toast to Russell and Kim, and ALL the folks who have given a hand at Kstate...CHEERS!!!! And to those who say that Lex is all fractured and we only care about our little group?? Piss on that....
Thoughts? Comments? Bring em on...
8 points for the song...there's a hint in one of D$'s last posts...

"I myself have seen my wilder days..."

Well, things are tying to get back to normal. I'm back full time in the swing of things at work, and have started rehearsals for A PIECE OF MY HEART which goes up in late October. Logan is growing like a weed, and the missus is busy doing her thing in the world of healing arts... and onward we go. Joy , Logan and I spent a rousing Saturday browsing at the local mall, eating lunch at the food court (Chao Cajun...yummy!) and followed it up with a hearty late afternoon nap! And I LOVED it , cause it's the first day in weeks I've just been able to vege and do not much of anything...but MAN it's a far cry from what my Saturday's used to be like...it's strange: one day you're young and vital, partying your rear-end off and staying up all hours, the next day you wake up and BOOM- you're one of those real, bona-fide grown up types, with a job, family, BILLS, etc...granted I've been that guy for over 12 years now, but let me tell you - it's blown by awfully fast! For instance, Logan has his nine month check up next week, and it seems like we just had him two days ago! If time flies when you're having fun, I must be having a helluva lot of fun....cause time is like the FLASH in my world (Wally West, of course- there's one for you geeks!)
SOOOO- what I wanna know now is...as a theatre artist, has time made you MORE adventourous or less? Bolder or more cautious? What do you think?
ps- 10 points for the ref...I figured the game MUST go on, since it;'s soooo close and all...

"I myself have seen my wilder days..."

DIVA NEWS

Here is t is , Divas!

From Johnny Moore...................Please check out the trailer for my new movie Glorious Mail. Ritchie Montgomery plays Brother Oral Buchanan of The First Church of Divine Rightessnous. It's a scream. Please forward this to anyone you know that may be in the Oxford area this Saturday to come see it. The 3rd Annual Oxford Film Festival will host the World Premiere of GLORIOUS MAIL written by J.D. Evermore and Alice Walker and directed by J.D. Evermore this Saturday, Sept. 10th at 2:45 P.M. at the Gertrude C. Ford Center on campus at The University of Mississippi. The movie stars Ritchie Montgomery, Stuart Greer, Grey Sample, Turner Crumbley, Alice Walker, JD Evermore, Johnny McPhail, Patty Lewis, and Rebecca Jernigan. To view the trailer, go to: http://www.lifeofms.com/TRAILER.wmvFor more info: www.oxfordfilmfest.com---------------------------------------------------------------From Jason Armit................
Please pass on the below information to any of your studentsor friends about to graduate or to any alumni who are lookingfor an MFA degree in performance. Also, feel free to call meor e-mail me with any questions about either of these twoevents. The member MFA programs of SEGTA are committed tokeeping the fall audition as an annual event, possible addingdesign/tech auditions in the near future.I am happy to announce that the University of Georgia will beholding on-site auditions for our MFA Acting Program onSaturday, December 3, 2005 on the campus of UGA in Athens,Georgia. Please join us for a day of acting, voice andmovement workshops, interviews and tours of the facility andcampus. We also invite you as our guest at that evening'sperformance of NOISES OFF by Michael Frayn, a hilarious, rip-roaring farce. Please contact me at this e-mail address orthe below phone number to schedule an appointment forSaturday, December 3. The day will begin with a workshop at1:00 PM, followed by auditions and interviews. We are hopingto enroll 10-12 students in our newly revised MFA Actingprogram in the fall of 2006. Please visit our website foradditional information, www.drama.uga.edu. If a conflictexists for this December date, we can schedule an individualappointment as an alternative. For those unable to auditionthis fall, we will be holding an additional on-site auditionat UGA in the early part of the spring semester.Another exciting event scheduled for this fall is the firstannual Southeast Graduate Theatre Auditions (SEGTA)! OnNovember 12, at the Atlanta Civic Center in Atlanta, GA fiveMFA Acting programs will be holding combined auditions forstudents interested in their graduate programs. Please visitthe website (www.segta.net) for details and particulars onthe audition, application and procedures. Feel free tocontact me about either of these auditions. I look forward toseeing you in the fall.Best regards,RayRay PaolinoAssociate ProfessorHead of Performance; Director of TheatreDepartment of Theatre & Film StudiesUniversity of Georgia, Athens GA 30602Phone:706-542-2085Fax:706-542-2080-----------------------------------------------------------
THIS IS FROM LIZ MEYERS ADDINGTON. SENT SOMETIME DURING OR SHORTLY AFTER KATRINA..........Greetings from the addington family. We are outside of Houston with Kevin and Sarah harrison. We are alive and well. We road the storm out in our home in Louisiana. We boarded up. Our house is fine just tons of trees down and it was very hard to get out of there. The down power line in our driveway and the gas leak next door made us leave. My grandmother did die during the storm. She was sick and couldnt leave. She died while they were evacuating her. So needless to say i am happy to be alive. Hope all is well with all of you.P.S. Our clinic didn't withstand any damage just no electricity or water.God Bless.Liz Addington-----------------------------------------------------------------
David Hutson in New York City saw Charles Farris on the Weather Channel talking about the hurricane. Sunday evening about 9pm or so. -------------------------------------------------------------------lauraazul22@hotmail.com This is laura smith's email address. she wants to be added to the Diva List. i told her and eric holland what they have been missing and they want in-oh yeah.xojenn duran

"Let's get back to the cave...for a little while..."

USM DIVAS- Mr Mills has asked that you send any DIVA news my way for the time being till he gets things up and going at the cave again...any and all KATRINA reports would be greatly appreciated, particularly those of you in the burg...Hope all is well.

Our benefit is progressing nicely. Met with Rick and Jim Clark (Lexington Arts Commission) to begin some strategic planning, and things are already progressing nicely. Here's what we know thus far:

The event will take place October 11th at the DAC in Lexington (time TBA). Admission is $25 a person and donations will also be accepted in addition to this. We are planning either a pre or post (or perhaps BOTH) show reception with some Cajun fare, spirits, etc...the evenings entertainment will be provided by local actors/singers , some from specific productions, others solo or in duet...some of the confimations we have include the cast of CROWNS(AGL) , the cast of FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM (WCTAA) the cast of RED HOT AND COLE (Sayre School), Jonathon Watson, Mike Fryman, Laura St. Peter, Shayne Brakefield, Michael Thompson, and yours truly...any local reading this who want to be involved leave a comment with a contact or email me at the address in the last post.
Even if you don't want to participate., PLEASE come out and support this worthy cause. The specific charity is still being worked out, but all proceeds WILL GO to Katrina victims...

...and just to get back to a LITTLE normalcy...EIGHTEEN POINTS for the winner of this weeks lyric...title AND performer, please!

Austin, TX

My sister in law Hope lives in Austin TX where some of the now homeless NOLA folks are arriving. She and her friend Eileen have been helping out at the evacuee center. This is part of Eileen's account of their past few days:

Hope and I have spent most of the last two days down at the Austin Convention Center helping out at one of the public computer banks and my hubby Sam joined us today. I feel like I've been there for weeks and wish that I could stay for as long as the evacuees are there. There have been so many emotions whirling through me since yesterday morning:

ANGER AT WHATS HAPPENING TO THESE LOVELY PEOPLE:These people are the statistics we've heard about: the 37% of the NO population that is living below the poverty line. These are people who had next to nothing, and the "next to" was washed away. Most of the evacuees at the Austin Convention Center are a prime example of who is being left behind as a result of the digital divide and they are the losing side of the widening gap between the lower and evershrinking middle classes. They are people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and older who have never used a computer, never heard of an e-mail address and approach a computer as if it were a tiger with its teeth bared. Unfortunately most of the resources available to the evacuees require online access and basic PC skills.
Frustration and anger with the system that left these people living in unspeakable conditions for WAY TOO LONG
I've talked to someone yesterday who saw a 12 year's throat being slit in front of him. I talked to people who were too afraid to go to sleep for all the days there were in the Superdome and NO Convention Center because they didn't know if they'd be killed in their sleep. I talked to people who spent six days waiting under a bridge for help with no water or food in the sweltering heat.
You can read more of their first hand account at http://www.appalachia-alumni-association.net/blog/.
This thing gets sadder by the minute for me. Reading some of these stories breaks my heart.... for those in lexington I CHALLENGE ALL OF YOU to get involved. We are discussing fundraiser ideas and after friday I'll have a clearer picture of whats going to happen. PLEASE get invloved with us and lend a hand. And do anything else you can: Give money, time, blood, old clotes, anything!
Also, for Lexington folk, do any of you know if any people have been aevacuated to the Central KY area? And if so where are they and do they need help? Also, who's taking clothing and supply donations?
Let me know.
For any South MS folk reading this, please continue to let us know if you are ok and if you need anything at all. We are here for you...and any other DIVAS with news or comments are welcome to chime in.

KATRINA BENEFIT

Greetings all. Actors Guild of Lexington in conjunction with the Lexington Arts Council is in the planning stages of a fund raising event to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf South. I have been asked to be the point person for this event, and I would like to enlist the aid of the ENTIRE Lexington Theatre and Arts communities. Rick, Jim Clark and I plan to meet next week to begin planning this event, and I need YOUR input AND support! If you have any ideas, please send them to my private email at woundedeagle8@yahoo.com. As I've mentioned before, the Gulf region is very close to my heart. I would love to make this an event to remember, and it would be great to see our wonderful, large community of artists come together for this very necessary cause. Let me hear from you!

And for all you DIVAS, please keep posting info on any of our brothers and sisters in the area!

"And the sky is red from off towards New Orleans"

It's a sad day for me. They say possibly as many as 80 dead in Harrison County alone. I used to live in Harrison County. I have friends there...former students and colleagues. They say that due to something called "Hurricane fatigue" many gulf coast residents didn't evacuate...too much of the "boy who cried wolf" syndrome. Unfortunately for many of them, this was the real deal. A cat 4 hurricane smacking you in the face is no small matter. It's devistation of the highest order. New Orleans, another city very close to my heart, and home to many a former DIVA, is underwater in places and a bit worse for wear, but it looks like they really dodged another one. Despite the damage, if that hurricane hadn't downshifted froma 5 to 4 and turned slightly eastward at the last minute, I don't think NOLA would be standing right now. SO despite everything, there is solace in knowing it could've been worse.
So for any and all DIVAS reading this, if you get word on any of our friends in that area, let the DIVAMASTER know, or leave a comment here. And for those of you in harms way, we're praying for you. Don't hesitate to let us know what we can do to help. For todays comments, feel free to just comment on the events of the past few days and pass along any updates you might hear. And if you wanna send along well wishes to DIVAS in the South Mississippi / NOLA area feel free.I'm sure DIVA master will send out a link to all residents once the power is up and running again.If any of you LEX area DIVAS can generate ideas about how we can help, post em!
BTW- the lyric is from Jimmy Buffet's BILOXI, a beautiful song about a beautiful place...here's the rest:
Down around Biloxi
Pretty girls are dancin' in the sea
They all look like sisters in the ocean
The boy will fill his pail with salty water
And the storms will blow from off towards New Orleans
Sun shines on Biloxi
Air is filled with vapors from the sea
Boy will dig a pool beside the ocean
He sees creatures from his dream underwater
And the sun will set from off towards New Orleans
Stars can see Biloxi
Stars can find their faces in the sea
We are walking down beside the ocean
We are splashing naked in the water
And the sky is red from off towards New Orleans
And the sky is red from off towards New Orleans
Down around Biloxi
Pretty girls are swimming in the sea
They all look like sisters in the ocean
The boy will fill his pail with salty water
And the storms will blow from off toward New Orleans

"Wake me up with laughter..."

HA! Name THAT tune, bee-yotches!!!

So, before Mikey runs outta shit to say (highly unlikely:) , lets hit this topic... what qualities do you look for in a good director? AND- in your estimation, what are the DEADLY SINS that many not-so-good directors commit? As usual, please leave names or show titles out, as we try to run a clean, fairly inoffensive blog here! Not looking for anyone to finger point...

TEN BIG POINTS for this weeks song!!!!! AND (as per Fletch's whin...uhhh..REQUEST) ...gimmie the album title and artist)

Rock me like a hurricane, people!

"Somewhere out on that horizon..."

John Denver! Poison! Sade!Spin Doctors! New Edition!!!!! RENT!!!! Oh, the HUMANITY....
Let's stay on this track..it's fun and mighty informative!!!
Howsa bout we discuss our guilty pleasure MOVIES???? EVERYBODY's got loads of those...
Discuss....
and the winner of THIS song title gets three points AND gets to take up to 3 points AWAY from whomever (just 1 person) they choose...MMMWWAAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

"I raise a toast to all of us who are breakin our backs every day..."

Egad, this is a busy week!
As I am immersed in all things theatrical and university-like, lets talk about something else today! We all have guily pleasures hiding in our closet. From a musical perspective, what's yours? (You know, that album or song you're deathly afriad someone will find out you love! Or do you listen to Barry Manilow songs cranked full tilt in your hummer, whilst singing along at full volume? What? Tell me, dammit! I'm here to help!)
You show me yours, and I'll show you mine...ps - the mystery song in question is from one of my dirty little secrets... get it right and DOUBLE your score!!!! (unless you haven't scored yet, then you'll just get two points!)

"Cos people believe that they're gonna get away for the summer"

The game's gettin interesting!

Scores
Fletch- 12
Nat-7
Scott Mc- 3 and 1/2
Stevek- 3
Diva Master /Dustin/ Mikey/ Synge- 1

So anyhoo- this is my last weekend before my semester officially starts back, and I gotta tell ya: Gonna kinda miss having the time to spend with the boy (even though I'll still get to see him a great deal.) Joy and I have been lucky enough to work it out thus far where he is never without one of us. Ah, the joys of a flex schedule (brit pronunciation, Rick8). Life is about to shift into fifth gear real quick. Gonna have auditions for PIECE OF MY HEART in a few weeks, got an overload of classes, including one I'm teaching for the first time, and I may wind up being our area coordinator before the end of the semester,pending what my colleague does. SOOOO...lots on my plate. BUT, I kinda like it that way...makes me feel alive, and all...
For this next question, we'll leave the controversy behind and just axe you this:
What's the best/most inspiring performance you've ever seen? This can be Broadway or Little Theatre...whatever floats your barge.
Point values going up to give some of you 1 point scrubs a chance to catch up! (3 this time out...)

"Take a right at the light, keep going straight until night..."

So I went to have my eyes checked this afternoon (verdict? I still can't see worth a crap without my glasses, and I may need BI-focals in the next few years!!! Hoo-ray!) and lucky me, not only did I have to endure that god-awful blinding light test, BUT I got an eye DR TRAINEE to give it a go as well (she wasn't very good). I've spent most of the day in a weird, dialated haze...yeah, it sucks to get old! But, it's better than the alternative.

Anyhoo, some intersting confab on Bo's YAHOO board about Shakespeare for the past few weeks, including a mention of a new Patrick Stewart / Sir Ian McEllen version of Merchant set in Vegas, baby!!!! (The geek inside is wetting himself as we speak- Professor X and Magneto go NUTS on the strip!!!! "Verily I sayeth, what happenth in yon Vegas, dost stayeth therein!!!") Got me to thinking- people LOVE to monkey with Willie when it comes to setting/time/era...what's the best example of this? What's the worst? You can go with Theatre or Film...GO NUTS!
5 big points for the song reference...a chance for someone to catch up or run away with it!
I'll post scores next time- too lazy to do it tonight!

"Wasted days, and sleepless nights..."

Ok...so some think we were being a little too bitchy last round...but hell, it don't bother me none! VENT AWAY!!! Bring me you tired, you weary, your heavy laden with pissiness...I welcome it all! Actually, some good posts last time, and some fine food for thought, which after all, IS the point of all this... SOOOOOO....with that in mind, now let's hit the POSITIVES...what do you LOVE about the Theatre? Is it the rehearsal process? The performances? The adulation of an adoring crowd? The opportunity to hone one's table waiting skills? The outpouring of support and solidarity the Conservative right has shown for the Arts???? (Hey, a man can DREAM, can't he?) The opportunity to be lit on fire every night for 14 weeks (Boonies only, of course)? For the love of God, man, WHAT????
Hit me with your rythum sticks people...and as for the latest lyric...it's an oldie, but a goodie!!!! (and OH the Aqua Net THESE guys used!!! I think 90% of the Ozone hole opened up whenever they went on the road!) Got a heckuva battle going on..we'll tally up next week and check scores for the home stretch and the GRAND PRIZE!!!!