Sunday, December 27, 2009

Holiday Entertainment

Mary Poppins and Avatar in 3D...can't beat that entertainment for the holidays.

Even though I was sitting in the balcony at the Ahmanson, I thoroughly enjoyed Mary Poppins. I have to admit, being exhausted from rehearsals, traffic, etc, over the prior month, I had trouble staying awake through the first act;
I thought it was a little too long. However, there are so many talented people in the cast, many coming straight from the Broadway production. Ashley Brown, who originated the role on Broadway, and has won many awards for doing so, was superb as Mary. Gavin Lee as Bert originated the role in London and New York and likewise has been honored with many awards.

Things really moved fast in the second act, and there were some pretty amazing special effects, which I won't spoil for you if you plan to see it anywhere in the area sometime soon. Can never get enough of supercalifr...well, you know.

Avatar was something else! This was a very visually pleasing movie to watch. Okay, I had to hide my eyes once, but I'm such a scaredy-cat. Being a lavender lover, I relished the scenes with the beautiful flowers. The characters were riveting to watch. I couldn't believe it went by so fast. And you can understand when you hear it was one of the most expensive movies ever made: the special effects, animation. Watching it in 3D was such a pleasure. This was a great story.
I do believe its chances for an Oscar or two or three are good.

When we left the theater, I was amazed to see how many people were lined up to see Sherlock Holmes. Even if Guy Ritchie tries to turn Sherlock into a James Bond-like character as the critics claim, the trailer makes it seem appealing.

I just heard it was the biggest Hollywood box-office weekend ever. I can see why. I'd also like to see Blind Side.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Holiday Show


Haven't posted for awhile now...too busy with rehearsals for the show that my acting coach wrote. It's been loads of fun. Several new cast members have joined since our '06 show. Marvin the Menace, the bad elf, is the same, however. Mean as ever, but there are surprises in store. Everyone has a heart, really.

Love the song I sing, "My Simple Christmas Wish," as Glinda, the Good Witch. I was lucky enough to meet the man behind the clever lyrics and great song...David Friedman last year when he was visiting from the Big Apple. He and Kathie Lee Gifford work on several projects together. I believe they wrote a children's opera together.

Hope your holidays are going well. I'm really getting into the decorating spirit this year. The photo is from our first show in 2005. What a cast!