defying gravity

driving with your eyes closed

2007-01-08T17:35:00.000-08:00

2006 Tony Award Winners

2006-06-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

"Jersey Boys," the fast-moving musical biography of pop icons Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, won best musical Sunday at the 2006 Tony Awards, while "The History Boys," Alan Bennett's wise, witty and warmhearted dissection of British education, was named best play.

"The History Boys" received six Tonys, more than any other production, also taking home prizes for actor, Richard Griffiths; director, Nicholas Hytner; featured actress, Frances de la Tour; and two design prizes, sets and lighting.

While "Jersey Boys," picked up the top musical prize and received four Tonys, its main competitor, "The Drowsy Chaperone," the Canadian-born musical that affectionately celebrates Broadway's past, won more awards -- five -- including best book and score.

"You are insanely talented people," said Julia Roberts before giving the best-actor prize to Griffiths for his portrayal of an unorthodox yet beloved teacher in "The History Boys."

In his Broadway debut, John Lloyd Young, who plays Valli in "Jersey Boys," took the top actor-musical award and dedicated the prize to his father.

LaChanze won for her portrayal of the courageous Celie in "The Color Purple" in the actress-musical category.

"Thank you, America," exulted "Drowsy" star Bob Martin, who co-wrote the book with Don McKellar, as he collected his award.

The Canadian winners said they were proud that the show originated in Toronto.

"It's the longest-running show in Canadian history -- 12 performances -- we celebrated that," Martin said with a laugh.

Their Canadian cohorts, Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, received the prize for music and lyrics. And an exuberant Beth Leavel, who portrays the show's inebriated title character, scooped up the featured-actress musical prizes.

Cynthia Nixon, playing a distraught mother who loses a young son in an auto accident, won the best actress-play prize for her performance in "Rabbit Hole."

Ian McDiarmid, who plays Ralph Fiennes' fey, funny manager in "Faith Healer," yelped out a "fantastic" as he ended his speech thanking voters for his featured-actor prize.

John Doyle received the prize for direction of a musical for his work on "Sweeney Todd," in which the cast plays the show's instruments. The revival also grabbed an award for its new, spare orchestrations.

Christian Hoff, who plays tough, wise-guy Tommy DeVito in "Jersey Boys," won the featured actor-musical prize.

The Lincoln Center Theater production of Clifford Odets' stirring 1935 drama "Awake and Sing!" received the prize for play-revival as well as a costume design prize.

The Roundabout Theatre Company production of "The Pajama Game" took home the musical revival prize and the award for choreography to Kathleen Marshall.

No single host shepherded the presenters and winners through the telecast, although a parade of stars, including Roberts and Oprah Winfrey (a producer of the Tony-nominated "Color Purple"), were on hand to entice viewers to the CBS telecast.

"Jersey Boys," "The Drowsy Chaperone" and "The History Boys" are among the shows doing potent business at the box office, underscoring the fact that the 2005-2006 season has been a good year on Broadway.

For the first time, Broadway attendance topped the 12 million mark, jumping past the 11.9 million reached in the season before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Grosses have been robust, too, with the season total climbing to $861.6 million, a 12 percent hike from the $768.5 million of the year before.

Those money figures were helped by the appearance of big names on Broadway, most prominently Roberts. The Hollywood star may not have won over the critics for her performance in Richard Greenberg's "Three Days of Rain," but her marquee value was undeniable, pretty much selling out the play's three-month run.

Tony winners were chosen by 754 theater professionals including actors, producers, writers, stagehands and theater owners.

The Antoinette Perry -- or Tony -- Awards were founded in 1947 by the American Theatre Wing and are administered by the Wing and the League of American Theatres and Producers.

Complete list of 2006 Tony winners announced Sunday at Radio City Music Hall in New York:

Play: "The History Boys."

Musical: "Jersey Boys."

Book of a Musical: "The Drowsy Chaperone," Bob Martin and Don
McKellar.

Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics): "The Drowsy Chaperone,"
Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison.

Revival-Play: "Awake and Sing!"
Revival-Musical: "The Pajama Game."

Actor-Play: Richard Griffiths, "The History Boys."

Actress-Play: Cynthia Nixon, "Rabbit Hole."

Actor-Musical: John Lloyd Young, "Jersey Boys."

Actress-Musical: LaChanze, "The Color Purple."

Featured Actor-Play: Ian McDiarmid, "Faith Healer."

Featured Actress-Play: Frances de la Tour, "The History Boys."

Featured Actor-Musical: Christian Hoff, "Jersey Boys."

Featured Actress-Musical: Beth Leavel, "The Drowsy Chaperone."

Direction-Play: Nicholas Hytner, "The History Boys."

Direction-Musical: John Doyle, "Sweeney Todd."

Choreography: Kathleen Marshall, "The Pajama Game."

Orchestrations: Sarah Travis, "Sweeney Todd."

Scenic Design-Play: Bob Crowley, "The History Boys."

Scenic Design-Musical: David Gallo, "The Drowsy Chaperone."

Costume Design-Play: Catherine Zuber, "Awake and Sing!"

Costume Design-Musical: Gregg Barnes, "The Drowsy Chaperone."

Lighting Design-Play: Mark Henderson, "The History Boys."

Lighting Design-Musical: Howell Binkley, "Jersey Boys."

Regional Theater Tony Award: Intiman Theatre, Seattle.

Special Tony Award: Sarah Jones, "Bridge and Tunnel."

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater:
Harold Prince.

2006 tony award nominations

2006-05-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

The 2005-2006 Tony Award nominations were announced May 16 by Tony Award winners Phylicia Rashad, Natasha Richardson and Liev Schreiber at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts' Bruno Walter Auditorium.

The Drowsy Chaperone, the new musical that pays homage to musical theatre lovers, received 13 nominations, the most for any production of the season. In addition to a Best Musical nod, Drowsy also picked up nominations for four of its actors: Bob Martin, Sutton Foster, Beth Leavel and Danny Burstein. The Color Purple — based on the film and book of the same name — also did well, snagging 11 nominations, and the hit revival of The Pajama Game, which marked the Broadway debut of Harry Connick Jr., received 9 nominations. Crowd favorite Jersey Boys — based on the life and music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons — earned 8 nominations.

Plays that received multiple nominations include the Lincoln Center Theater revival of Awake and Sing! That Clifford Odets drama, set in the Bronx in the 1930's, received 8 nominations, while the new Alan Bennett play The History Boys — featuring its entire original London cast — nabbed seven nominations.

As previously announced, the Tony Awards Administration Committee voted to award a Special Tony to Sarah Jones, whose Bridge & Tunnel is currently enjoying an extended Broadway run at the Helen Hayes Theatre after a hit Off-Broadway engagement. Surprisingly, during the first year it was a possibility, it was decided there would be no award given in the new category of Best Replacement by an Actor or Actress in a Recreated role.

Academy Award winner Julia Roberts, who is currently making her Broadway bow in Three Days of Rain, failed to win a nomination for her performance in the Richard Greenberg play. Other notable omissions include Maria Friedman (The Woman in White), Gabriel Byrne (A Touch of the Poet), Brian F. O'Byrne (Shining City), Dominic Cooper (The History Boys) and Stephen Campbell Moore (The History Boys).

The 2005-2006 Tony Award nominations follow:

Best Play
The History Boys
The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Rabbit Hole
Shining City

Best Musical
The Color Purple
The Drowsy Chaperone
Jersey Boys
The Wedding Singer

Best Revival of a Play
Awake and Sing!
The Constant Wife
Edward Albee's Seascape
Faith Healer

Best Revival of a Musical
The Pajama Game
Sweeney Todd
The Threepenny Opera

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Ralph Fiennes, Faith Healer
Richard Griffiths, The History Boys
Zeljko Ivanek, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Oliver Platt, Shining City
David Wilmot, The Lieutenant of Inishmore

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Kate Burton, The Constant Wife
Judy Kaye, Souvenir
Lisa Kron, Well
Cynthia Nixon, Rabbit Hole
Lynn Redgrave, The Constant Wife

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Michael Cerveris, Sweeney Todd
Harry Connick, Jr., The Pajama Game
Stephen Lynch, The Wedding Singer
Bob Martin, The Drowsy Chaperone
John Lloyd Young, Jersey Boys

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Sutton Foster, The Drowsy Chaperone
La Chanze, The Color Purple
Patti LuPone, Sweeney Todd
Kelli O'Hara, The Pajama Game
Chita Rivera, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Samuel Barnett, The History Boys
Domhnall Gleeson, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Ian McDiarmid, Faith Healer
Mark Ruffalo, Awake and Sing!
Pablo Schreiber, Awake and Sing!

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Tyne Daly, Rabbit Hole
Frances de la Tour, History Boys
Jayne Houdyshell, Well
Alison Pill, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Zoë Wanamaker, Awake and Sing!

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Danny Burstein, The Drowsy Chaperone
Jim Dale, The Threepenny Opera
Brandon Victor Dixon, The Color Purple
Manoel Felciano, Sweeney Todd
Christian Hoff, Jersey Boys

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Carolee Carmello, Lestat
Felicia P. Fields, The Color Purple
Megan Lawrence, The Pajama Game
Beth Leavel, The Drowsy Chaperone
Elisabeth Withers-Mendes, The Color Purple

Best Direction of a Play
Nicholas Hytner, History Boys
Wilson Milam, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Bartlett Sher, Awake and Sing!
Daniel Sullivan, Rabbit Hole

Best Direction of a Musical
John Doyle, Sweeney Todd
Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game
Des McAnuff, Jersey Boys
Casey Nicholaw, The Drowsy Chaperone

Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, The Wedding Singer
Donald Byrd, The Color Purple
Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game
Casey Nicholaw, The Drowsy Chaperone

Best Orchestrations
Larry Blank, The Drowsy Chaperone
Dick Lieb and Danny Troob, The Pajama Game
Steve Orich, Jersey Boys
Sarah Travis, Sweeney Todd

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
The Color Purple
Music & Lyrics: Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray

The Drowsy Chaperone
Music & Lyrics: Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison

The Wedding Singer
Music: Matthew Sklar; Lyrics: Chad Beguelin

The Woman in White
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber; Lyrics: David Zippel

Best Book of a Musical
Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy, The Wedding Singer
Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, Jersey Boys
Bob Martin and Don McKellar, The Drowsy Chaperone
Marsha Norman, The Color Purple

Best Scenic Design of a Play
John Lee Beatty, Rabbit Hole
Bob Crowley, The History Boys
Santo Loquasto, Three Days of Rain
Michael Yeargan, Awake and Sing!

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
John Lee Beatty, The Color Purple
David Gallo, The Drowsy Chaperone
Derek McLane, The Pajama Game
Klara Zieglerova, Jersey Boys

Best Costume Design of a Play
Michael Krass, The Constant Wife
Santo Loquasto, A Touch of the Poet
Catherine Zuber, Awake and Sing!
Catherine Zuber, Seascape

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, The Drowsy Chaperone
Susan Hilferty, Lestat
Martin Pakledinaz, The Pajama Game
Paul Tazewell, The Color Purple

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Christopher Akerlind, Awake and Sing!
Paul Gallo, Three Days of Rain
Mark Henderson, Faith Healer
Mark Henderson, The History Boys

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington and Brian Monahan, The Drowsy Chaperone
Howell Binkley, Jersey Boys
Natasha Katz, Tarzan
Brian MacDevitt, The Color Purple

Regional Theatre Tony Award
Intiman Theatre in Seattle, WA

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Harold Prince

Special Tony Award
Sarah Jones

Total Nominations by Production:
The Drowsy Chaperone - 13
The Color Purple - 11
The Pajama Game - 9
Awake and Sing! - 8
Jersey Boys - 8
The History Boys - 7
Sweeney Todd - 6
Rabbit Hole - 5
The Lieutenant of Inishmore - 5
The Wedding Singer - 5
The Constant Wife - 4
Faith Healer - 4
Edward Albee’s Seascape - 2
Lestat - 2
Shining City - 2
Three Days of Rain - 2
The Threepenny Opera - 2
Well - 2
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial - 1
Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life - 1
Souvenir - 1
Tarzan - 1
A Touch of the Poet - 1
The Woman in White - 1

The Antoinette Perry "Tony" Award is bestowed annually for distinguished achievement. The 2006 Tony Awards will once again be held at Radio City Music Hall and will be broadcast by CBS from 8 to 11 PM ET. Sunday, June 11 is the date; no host has been announced.

Visit www.tonyawards.com for more information.

grey's anatomy

2006-05-17T11:16:00.001-07:00

If you have not seen Greys Anatomy then you are definitely missing out on an amazing show. I dont know how accurate they are with surgical procedures and whatnot but the show is the most genuine thing on television right now. It documents relationships in such a realistic way. Relationship with friends, roommates, lovers, couples, co-workers, and even dogs. The season ended a couple nights ago so this blog may be of no use but this way you can make an appointment for next season or get season 1 on DVD.

"At the end of the day faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don't really expect it. Its like one day you realize that the fairy tale may be slightly different than you dreamed. The castle, well, it may not be a castle. And its not so important happy ever after, just that its happy right now. See once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you, and once in a while people may even take your breath away."
-Meredith Grey

seedy songs and rotten rhymes

2006-05-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

songs and poems from my childhood :)

the new CW - an early peek

2006-05-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

By: Jimmie Manning, About.com Television Columnist

As fans of on-the-bubble series such as Veronica Mars, Everwood, and One Tree Hill wait anxiously to learn whether or not their beloved series will return, insider reports suggest that organizing a fall schedule for the new WB/UPN hybrid network The CW has been filled with anxiety as well. Reports suggest that the upstart network has been plagued by a poor development season and interpersonal conflicts among executives.

Regardless, on Thursday, May 18 a new schedule for the network will be announced, and it continues to become more unclear as to how things will finally shake down. A night-by-night look at what has developed so far:

MONDAY

While there has been talk for 7th Heaven to return to the night, fans of the family series should not get their hopes up for its return. Instead, expect the new drama series Runaway, a family thriller starring Donnie Wahlberg as the father to a family of fugitives on the run. Everwood is likely to return to the night, although it may have to share its timeslot with the new Aquaman series Mercy Reef. Even though Mercy has been in developmental hell, many feel it will be ready in time for a midseason debut. Insiders report that talk of airing comedy series on the night were also explored, but that these talks were quashed due to CBSs successful comedy block.

TUESDAY

It is almost certain that the much hoped for pairing of Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars will happen. Expect Veronica Mars to rest midseason, though, as drama Split Decision receives a trial run. Pepper Dennis, mired by poor ratings and high production costs, is unlikely to return.

WEDNESDAY

A rotation of Americas Next Top Model and Beauty and the Geek are likely to open the night, followed by the return of One Tree Hill. New Kevin Williamson drama Palm Springs will likely premiere in place of One Tree Hill at midseason to give the former series a rest from repeats. While Everybody Hates Chris and new Wayne Brady comedy Flirt are also being considered for the post-Model slot, chances are they will be needed for the comedy-intense Sunday lineup.

THURSDAY

A Smallville and Supernatural pairing seem almost certain at this point. Many pundits predict Mercy Reef to enter the night, but insiders report that the network is unlikely to toy with the success they already have on Thursday.

FRIDAY

Wrestling will continue to air on Friday night.

SUNDAY

The network is expected to air a night of comedies, although Reba will most likely not be included in the mix. Everybody Hates Chris and Girlfriends are shoo-ins for renewal, and new projects Flirt and She Said, He Said are looking promising. Girlfriends spin-off, The Game also looks good for a go, and expect All of Us to return for a new season as well. The Beginnings franchise is rumored to be coming to an end, and no WB sitcoms are expected to join the CW lineup.

where am i?

2006-05-09T15:54:00.000-07:00

blogging used to be SO important to me and now it seems like i'll go weeks without putting anything on here. it makes me kinda sad because i feel like i'm not only losing a piece of me, but also a couple friends... i don't feel like i'm as close to my friend adam anymore, which is bullshit, because we stay friends no matter HOW long we go without hearing from one another. but i felt like maybe i was making some new friends and now maybe any thing we might've had is probably gone. karen - i still love star trek and i was thinking of going to the convention in vegas in august... are you gonna go??

anyway... i guess i really don't have anything spectacular to say. maybe i just wanted to get that off my chest.

love, matt

i need to take the lead

2006-04-17T14:03:00.000-07:00

i love ballroom dancing. i always have. even as a kid i remember watching the ballroom dancing competitions on TV and thinking that they were the most graceful and good looking people i'd ever seen. i always wanted to be like them. as i got older i started taking dance classes, ballet, tap, jazz lyrical, tango, and waltz, but i never took my love of dancing beyond that. a few classes a week.

oh sure, i talked about taking ballroom with certain friends of mine, jesse, my sister, nicole, leslie, ana, but it never happened. why?

i just saw the movie Take The Lead on easter sunday with my sister. not only was it a good movie, but it also got me to thinking... why did i quit taking dance classes? i could blame it on moving to california and not having a studio near by, but i don't think that is true. i could say that because i'm not actively pursuing a career in acting anymore i don't need the dance classes, but that's not true either. there was quote in the movie...

"i'm not made to be a dancer."
"do you enjoy dancing?"
"yes."
"then you were made to be a dancer."

it really hit home... i mean, i don't have to be trying to be an actor to take dance classes. if you really enjoy something, then TAKE THE LEAD, go for it, do what you love, never give up on something you love, because when you least expect it, that one thing that you love, could be your salvation.

i am going to die

2006-04-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

there is a web site:

the death psychic

and it will tell you how you are gonna die. my fortune (or misfortune) was:

"While walking to your car after visiting a friend in a rather bad part of town, you are caught in the middle of a drive-by shooting. You are hit several times in the chest. You watch as blood pours from your body as you fall to the ground. You die from massive blood loss."

well, this was a little vague for me so i decided to do a little research to get an answer to one question that was bothering me...

1) how old would i be?
answer -
the toronto star has a good article on the average age of drive by shooting victims and one part the stood out was this: "The average age of all victims is 31. The average age of shooting victims is 26." well, i'm already 26, so that means i got about 5 years left. however, upon closer reading i discovered that the main focuz of the article was young black men who LIVED in bad areas. well, since i am neither black NOR do i LIVE in a bad neighbourhood (remember, i was only visiting a friend who lived in a scetchy area) i figured that my chances MUST be better, right? AND as of right now, the worst area of town that my friends live in is the pothole filled road off of vineland and magnolia in north hollywood, so that must mean that i've beaten the odds? right??

of course i've seen all 2 seasons of Dead Like Me and i do know that death has a pre-set time and place when it will happen, so IF what my fortune said is true, it is HIGHLY more likely that, me being gay, i will not be visiting a friend, but a "hook-up" in a scetchy part of town... in which case, i better enjoy these last 5 years cuz that is WAY more likely :)

paternity tests are riviting stuff !

2006-03-30T11:48:00.000-08:00

what is it about paternity tests that keep us as TV watching audiences in rapture of our screens and shows??? i'm currently watching two shows right now and both of them have paternity tests as major plot points: Veronica Mars and nip/tuck. i know that the probable outcome of these paternity tests will not be nearly as intreguing as watching the process behind deciding to do them, but that doesn't stop me from loving the drama :)

false memories are closer than we remember!

2006-03-27T15:26:00.000-08:00

About one-third of the people who were exposed to a fake print advertisement that described a visit to Disneyland and how they met and shook hands with Bugs Bunny later said they remembered or knew the event happened to them.

The scenario described in the ad never occurred because Bugs Bunny is a Warner Bros. cartoon character and wouldn't be featured in any Walt Disney Co. property, according to University of Washington memory researchers Jacquie Pickrell and Elizabeth Loftus. Pickrell will make two presentations on the topic at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Society (APS) on Sunday (June 17) in Toronto and at a satellite session of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition in Kingston, Ontario, on Wednesday.

"The frightening thing about this study is that it suggests how easily a false memory can be created," said Pickrell, UW psychology doctoral student.

"It's not only people who go to a therapist who might implant a false memory or those who witness an accident and whose memory can be distorted who can have a false memory. Memory is very vulnerable and malleable. People are not always aware of the choices they make. This study shows the power of subtle association changes on memory."

The research is a follow-up to an unpublished study by Loftus, a UW psychology professor who is being honored by the APS this week with its William James Fellow Award for psychological research; Kathryn Braun, a visiting scholar at the Harvard Business School; and Rhiannon Ellis, a former UW undergraduate who is now a doctoral student at the University of Pittsburgh. In the original study, 16 percent of the people exposed to a Disneyland ad featuring Bugs Bunny later thought they had seen and met the cartoon rabbit.

In the new research, Pickrell and Loftus divided 120 subjects into four groups. The subjects were told they were going to evaluate advertising copy, fill out several questionnaires and answer questions about a trip to Disneyland.

The first group read a generic Disneyland ad that mentioned no cartoon characters. The second group read the same copy and was exposed to a 4-foot-tall cardboard figure of Bugs Bunny that was casually placed in the interview room. No mention was made of Bugs Bunny. The third, or Bugs group, read the fake Disneyland ad featuring Bugs Bunny. The fourth, or double, exposure group read the fake add and also saw the cardboard rabbit.

This time 30 percent of the people in the Bugs group later said they remembered or knew they had met Bugs Bunny when they visited Disneyland and 40 percent of the people in the double exposure group reported the same thing.

"'Remember' means the people actually recall meeting and shaking hands with Bugs," explained Pickrell. "'Knowing' is they have no real memory, but are sure that it happened, just as they have no memory of having their umbilical cord being cut when they were born but know it happened.

"Creating a false memory is a process. Someone saying, 'I know it could have happened,' is taking the first step of actually creating a memory. If you clearly believe you walked up to Bugs Bunny, you have a memory."

In addition, Pickrell said there is the issue of the consequence of false memories or the ripple effects. People in the experiment who were exposed to the false advertising were more likely to relate Bugs Bunny to other things at Disneyland not suggested in the ad, such as seeing Bugs and Mickey Mouse together or seeing Bugs in the Main Street Electrical Parade.

"We are interested in how people create their autobiographical references, or memory. Through this process they might be altering their own memories," she said. "Nostalgic advertising works in a similar manner. Hallmark, McDonald's and Disney have very effective nostalgic advertising that can change people's buying habits. You may not have had a great experience the last time you visited Disneyland or McDonald's, but the ads may be inadvertently be creating the impression that they had a wonderful time and leaving viewers with that memory. If ads can get people to believe they had an experience they never had, that is pretty powerful.

"The bottom line of our study is that the phony ad is making the difference. Just casually reading a Bugs Bunny cartoon or some other incidental exposure doesn't mean you believe you met Bugs. The ad does."

(Bd, bd, bd, bd -- That's all folks!)

Father Abraham in Smurfland

2006-03-25T13:51:00.000-08:00

Retaliation for the recent US bombing and subsequent occupation of Smurfland, which left large numbers of Smurfs dead and injured and their leader Papa Smurf incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay, has been swift and brutal, with Barney the Purple Dinosaur being the latest US casualty. "I regret to say that the video released to the internet which appeared to show Barney being beheaded by his captors, was genuine," a Defense Department spokesperson announced last night. "I'm sure that all decent people will unite in mourning for this well-loved TV personality, so beloved by our children. But they can all rest assured that he gave his life in the defence of freedom!" Barney was captured by blue-skinned insurgents whilst touring strife-torn Smurfland, entertaining the GI Joes who have been deployed there. "The kidnappers' demands for an immediate withdrawal of our GI Joes from Smurfland in exchange for Barney were, sadly, completely unacceptable," explained the spokesperson. "The US and its allies cannot give in to terrorism." The brutal execution of Barney comes only a week after the red Power Ranger was shot down by Smurf terrorists using a Surface to Air Missile, and is simply the latest in a series of atrocities perpetrated by Smurf terrorists against the occupation forces. Prior to the snatching of the dinosaur, the GI Joe forces had taken the brunt of Smurf attacks, with several patrols being ambushed. "Those giant mushrooms offer them the perfect cover," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield explained to a recent press conference. "One of the little blue bastards hides behind one of those thick stalks with his rocket launcher and takes out the lead vehicle of the patrol, then the rest of them leap off of the tops of the other mushrooms and massacre our boys!" Consequently, Rumsfield has ordered the immediate harvesting of the thick Mushroom fields of Southern Smurfland in an attempt to foil the insurgents. However, the Smurf resistance hasn't confined its campaign to occupied Smurfland, with attacks on GI Joes being reported in the US itself. "It was terrible," says eleven year old Timmy Cracowicz, who witnessed one of the attacks in the back garden of his Newark home. "One minute my four GI Joes were patrolling the along the back fence in their Humvee, looking out for crazy Arabs to shoot, the next there was this was this huge bang as they ran over a landmine and were blown up!" Timmy looked on in horror as a group of Smurfs, clad in camouflage battledress and armed with automatic weapons and machetes, rushed out from behind a rhododendron and machine gunned the smouldering wreckage. "They were laughing and cheering in those shrill little voices all the while," he relates, close to tears. "Not satisfied with just killing the GI Joes, they spat on their bodies, shouting 'Death to America', before beheading them and taking the heads as trophies!" Little Timmy remains severely traumatised and refuses to play outside any more, instead spending all day inside watching television. However, even this activity isn't entirely without risk. "The sight of any thing blue terrifies him now," confides his mother. "When Bear in the Big Blue House came on the other day he had a massive panic attack and hid under his bed, screaming his lungs out for two hours!"

Reprisals by US citizens against Smurf immigrants has been swift and terrible, with thousands of the blue midgets being rooted out of toy boxes and cupboards and burned on bonfires, particularly after unconfirmed press reports of terrible atrocities being committed against Barbie dolls in South Carolina. "We welcomed these little blue guys into our country by the thousand back in the 1970s and 1980s - we took them to our hearts and trusted them with our kids," declared Atlanta city councillor and part-time rabble rouser Kirk Dallins at a recent public Smurf-burning event. "How do they repay our hospitality? By defiling some our most potent childhood icons! American children will be traumatised for generations by what they've seen done to Barney and GI Joe!" However, the Smurf insurgents do have some sympathisers in the US, who refuse to condemn their actions. "As far as I can see, they've done us all a favour by killing that damned dinosaur," opines Maryland mother of three Marsha Ellington. "He used to drive me crazy with his inane and repetitive singing! I'm sure that seeing him on TV everyday must have been severely warping our children's mental development! As for those warmongering GI Joes - they deserve everything they get! All they do is encourage violence and aggressive militaristic attitudes in kids!" Ellington is one of a growing number of Americans who oppose the occupation of Smurfland and are openly questioning the government's reasons for going to war with the little people. "Those 'Mushrooms of Mass Destruction' they claimed were such a threat have failed to materialise," she points out. "All they've found there are regular giant fungi - certainly nothing which could be germinated within thirty-six hours and fire its spores at New York!" Indeed, many now suspect that the real reason for the invasion was oil. "The Smurfs are well known for their close connections with National Benezole and British Petroleum," explains Ellington. "Apparently they were instrumental in pushing up crude oil prices - face with the threat of gas shortages and higher prices at the pumps in the US, the President invaded Smurfland!"

Such arguments are dismissed out of hand by supporters of the war, who maintain that the giant mushrooms posed a genuine threat to US security. "Everybody knows that they were planning to contaminate our water supplies with those magic mushrooms," asserts Kirk Dallins. "The hallucinogens from that fungi would have turned us into a nation of hippie perverts, tearing each others clothes off and cavorting naked whilst preaching peace and love! The country would have been left defenceless and ripe for conquest!" There have also been allegations that the Smurfs were undermining the moral values of America's children by promoting unnatural sexual relationships. "One girl Smurf and God knows how many guys - led by some kind of old pervert? What the hell kind of message is that sending to our kids?" Dallins demands to know. "The fact that new Smurfs are created without any kind of normal sexual liaison between couples in a loving marriage is obviously some kind of endorsement for masturbation!" Apologists for Papa Smurf - found hiding in a forest grotto by GI Joe infantry three weeks after the end of hostilities- and his regime claim that their misdemeanours were the result of the malicious influence of their 'spiritual leader' Father Abraham, who used the Smurfs as a vehicle for his twisted anti-western terror campaign. "They were all perfectly innocent until that bearded weirdo came along," opines Ellington. "He's waged a campaign of terror against the west - starting with those incredibly irritating records!" Father Abraham - who escaped the US invaders - is apparently co-ordinating the worldwide Smurf resistance from his secret hideout beneath the mountains of Northern Smurfland. According to intelligence sources, he is currently attempting to build up a network of sympathisers amongst other popular children's characters. Indeed, British police have already moved to detain Wallace and Gromit, after intelligence reports that the inventor had been seeking supplies of radioactive cheese. "Our worry is that he'll use his moon rocket as a delivery system for nuclear terror attacks," explained a Home Office spokesperson. In separate development, it has emerged that Wallace is also under investigation by the RSPCA for alleged cruelty to animals.

Night Watch (Nochnoi Dozor)

2006-03-15T14:50:00.000-08:00

this film is the first in a trilogy of horror/vampire/sci-fi/action/period piece/epic films that are already a HUGE hit in russia. the basic premise of the movie is that long ago, there was a fierce battle between the forces of light and the forces of dark. in order to stop everyone on both sides of the battle from being killed, the two leaders got together and formed a truce that would allow both sides to live in peace, each with their own perks. the darks can live their lives but they have to be given licences to turn others into vampires. the lights are the ones who control these licences and also make sure that the truce is upheld. this is a very VERY brief summary of the film, but i wouldn't ever be able to get it all into this blog. it is one of those films that is very visually stunning, and to watch it in russian with english subtitles just adds to the visual effects as they turn the subtitles into a part of the film. it's not just subtitles... it's art. if you like those kinds of films where you like to be visually stimulated, then totally go check this movie out. i'll admit that nothing in this film will surprize you, the "twists" are kinda predictable, but just watching it all unfold is a pleasure in and of itself. 4 out of 5 stars.

Whisper of the Heart

2006-03-15T14:41:00.000-08:00

i don't know what it is about Hayao Miyazaki films that make me so at peace with the world, but i figured i'd share. late last night i got home from watching a movie with laura... (Night Watch... awesome film by the way) and i had 2 disturbing phone calls on the way home... needless to say, both of these phonecalls put me in a very uptight mood... not angry persay, just in the need for a massage or something. anyway... i got home, made some hot cocoa, and started watching Whisper of the Heart, and i went to bed more contented and calm then i have in a long time. odd?? so, if you are stressed out after a long day or if you are just feeling lost or alone or sad, pop in one of studio ghibli's films and you'll probably feel better :)

CGI 2006!

2006-03-14T12:53:00.000-08:00

hey, i found this article on CGI animated films being released this year. it's really interesting... i dunno if you know or not, but the academy award for best animated feature is only given if there are at least eight animated feature films (with a theatrical release in los angeles). if there are 16 or more films submitted for the category, the winner will be voted from a shortlist of five films, otherwise there will only be three films on the shortlist. so, it looks like we may be choosing from 5 films for next years best animated feature award... what would your choices be??

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) – Hollywood is gearing up for a major cartoon showdown.

Pixar and DreamWorks Animation dominate the market for animated films using computer generated images. But several other major media firms are hoping to make a crack in this lucrative area.

"Hoodwinked," a novel take on the tale of Red Riding Hood, was a surprise hit in January.

Paramount hopes to cash in on the CGI craze with "Barnyard" due out later this year.

"Ice Age 2: The Meltdown" will be released in March. The first "Ica Age" movie was a blockbuster for Fox.

"It used to be that Pixar was the only game in town. But now other studios have gotten into the fray," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co., a box office tracking firm.

The theatrical release calendar is littered with CGI films this year. The Weinstein Co., the independent film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein after they left Miramax, have already released two CGI films: "Hoodwinked" and "Doogal."

"Doogal," which came out last week, has been a commercial and critical flop but "Hoodwinked," a Rashomon-esque take on the tale of Red Riding Hood, has been a surprise hit. "Hoodwinked" has grossed more than $50 million since being released in January, according to movie industry tracking firm Box Office Mojo.

Later this month, News Corp (Research).-owned Fox will be releasing "Ice Age 2: The Meltdown." The first "Ice Age," released in 2002, grossed $176 million. Fox is also the distributor for a CGI movie called "Yankee Irving" this summer.

Sony (Research) has two CGI films on tap for later this year: "Monster House" and "Open Season." Time Warner's (Research) Warner Brothers studio also has two CGI movies due out this year: "The Ant Bully" and "Happy Feet." (Time Warner also owns CNNMoney.com.) And finally, Viacom's (Research) Paramount is releasing "Barnyard" in October.

But are people interested in seeing this many animated films? After all, the industry's two pioneers also have movies coming out. Pixar (Research), which is being acquired by Walt Disney (Research), has yet to have a movie that's flopped and hopes are extremely high for this summer's "Cars."

And DreamWorks (Research), which has had hits with its two "Shrek" movies and last year's "Madagascar" is releasing "Over the Hedge" in May and has "Flushed Away" tentatively scheduled for the fall.

"Some of these movies could be in trouble. I suspect that a bunch will fall by the wayside. There is not enough demand," said Dennis McAlpine, an independent media analyst.

Dergarabedian agrees with that assessment. "There seems to be an insatiable appetite for family films but if you have too many coming out at the same time some of these movies will get hurt," he said.

Clearly, the box office allure of CGI films has attracted the interest of all the major studios.

The two "Shrek" movies, for example, have grossed more than $700 million in the United States while the six Pixar films have combined to generate nearly $1.5 billion in U.S. ticket sales. And that doesn't even factor in the international box office gross and DVD revenue from these movies.

"The temptation is too great for Hollywood to resist," McAlpine said.

Still, McAlpine said other studios should not necessarily expect similar success. He argues that it's the characters behind the hit Pixar and DreamWorks movies, not the mere fact that they are computer-generated, which has made them popular with both kids and adults alike.

"Hollywood has never been bashful about its own competence," said McAlpine. "If studios see somebody else do something, they think they can do it better. But it's not as simple as it looks -- the story has to attract people."

What's more, traditional forms of animation aren't dead yet either, despite the hubbub about CGI films.

Dergarabedian points out that "Curious George," a hand drawn movie based on the popular children's book series about an inquisitive monkey, has done well since it was released last month. It has grossed about $65 million. And none of the films nominated for Best Animated Feature in this years Academy Awards were computer-generated either.

Finding Neverland

2006-03-14T12:35:00.000-08:00

Neverland is closer to us than we think. Maybe it surrounds us all the time but we never stop to see it. There is so much around us that we never take the time to see or hear. I've been listening to the Finding Neverland soundtrack today and the music here truly captures the essence of what Neverland is. Just take some time to sit back and listen. Sometimes it's not what you're seeing or listening to. It's how you listen to it that changes everything.

TEAVANA

2006-03-11T13:10:00.000-08:00

this tea, lapsang souchong, has GOT to be the most foul smelling thing i've ever had the pleasure of offending my nose with. someone left a can of it at work, and i smelt it and almost died. it smells like a mixture of really bad barbeque, forest fires, and dead rotting animal. do yourself a favour and STAY AWAY from this tea!

the new CW network

2006-02-27T16:05:00.000-08:00

News came Tuesday that the WB and UPN will shut down in the fall, and the best shows from each network will migrate to a new broadcast network called The CW, a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS.

I’ve come up with a dream lineup for the new CW (and keep in mind that currently, UPN and WB broadcast only two hours of prime-time programming each weeknight):

MONDAY: Right now, the UPN has a block of mostly so-so comedies and the WB has “Seventh Heaven,” which is gone after this season, and “Related,” a struggling comedy-drama. This is a prime spot for some fresh, bold programming.

Get "Buffy," "Angel" and "Firefly" creator Joss Whedon on the phone and have him whip up one of his patented, obsessively loved cult dramas. Cowboys in space, vampire detectives, superhero gals -- whatever. But making Whedon the cornerstone of this night would be a smart move (and in this iTunes-oriented and DVD-crazed age, there’s no doubt The CW would make a mint from ancillary sales of any Whedon drama).

It would make sense to pair up Whedon’s new show with the critically acclaimed “Veronica Mars” (which Whedon adores and has guested on) or even the cooky and slightly spooky "Supernatural". The downside: My head might explode from sheer joy.

TUESDAY: On this night on the WB, there’s the one-two punch of the wonderfully intricate, verbally complicated “Gilmore Girls” and the simple but effective, stud-muffin frightfest “Supernatural.” Personally, I think the network should keep the “Girls” on this night, but come up with a more appropriate companion for the show. “Gilmore Girls” and the terrific “Everwood” on this night would be a dream combination.

WEDNESDAY: This is where things get tricky. Of course the new CW should air UPN’s “Veronica Mars,” but should the new network once again use “Mars” as cannon fodder against “Lost”? Tough question. Though it’d be nice to move “Mars” from the line of fire, ratings might slip if the show got shipped to another night.

How about having “One Tree Hill” lead into “Mars”? The WB series might give a ratings boost to “Mars,” you never know. I’m open to switching the lineup and putting “Mars” first, or even keeping in place the current lead-in to “Mars,” UPN’s “America’s Next Top Model.”

THURSDAY: Currently “Smallville” is kicking some major behind on this extremely competitive night, so it makes no sense to move it. The trouble is, on this night, UPN has the great “Everybody Hates Chris.” Would “Chris” and “Smallville” really work together? Who knows, but right now the WB’s got “Smallville” paired with the reality show “Beauty and the Geek,” so maybe the lesson is that “Smallville” works with just about anything.

“Chris” would need a new half-hour comedy companion, though. How about giving the creative folks behind “My Name Is Earl” or “The Office” this comedy slot and asking them to whip up a new half-hour show to follow “Chris”? A brand-new quality comedy would be just the ticket as a “Chris” companion. If that bold move doesn’t appeal, the network could import one of UPN’s established half-hour comedies (perhaps the dreck they call “Eve” or the only slightly better “Girlfriends”).

Alternately, giving “Smallville” a brand-new one-hour drama companion might be the best move: A “Smallville”/“Aquaman” lineup could be just the ticket. In that case, how about moving “Chris” to Sundays and building a comedy block around it?

FRIDAY: This is every network’s trouble spot, except for the juggernaut that is CBS, which has made the night work with mix of procedurals and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

If The CW really wanted to stake a claim on this night, it would bid farewell to both UPN’s wrestling "Smackdown" and WB’s mix of stale comedies (except for “Reba,” which deserves a spot somewhere). How about importing the UPN reality stalwart “America’s Next Top Model” and the WB’s enjoyable “Beauty and the Geek” -- both fluffy shows that would give viewers a superficial but fun night of tube fare on Friday nights?

However, I’m willing to bet that the new CW execs aren’t willing to risk two of their most dependable franchises in Friday berths. So, what to do? Perhaps a new lineup of slightly edgy but feel-good reality would work here. Giving Jay McCarroll of Bravo’s “Project Runway” his own fashion-oriented reality show would be a hoot (perhaps fellow “Runway” types Santino Rice and Austin Scarlett, as well as loose-cannon supermodel and "Top Model" judge Janice Dickinson, could sit on whatever judging panel the show comes up with? How delish would that be?)

Having said all that, WWE wrestling has actually done pretty well for UPN on Fridays, and the new network might stick with it. That wouldn't be my dream, but it might be The CW's safest bet.

SATURDAY: Saturday night has become repeat night, so, when in Rome…. Repeats of all the new network’s best shows would work here: “Mars,” “Chris,” “Everwood,” etc.

SUNDAY: UPN doesn’t program any new fare on this night, and the WB has more or less given up on Sundays as well, offering a tired mixture of repeats and the aging witch series “Charmed.”

The trouble is, ABC has a stranglehold on the most affluent older viewers with its potent lineup of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Desperate Housewives” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” while the brash, mostly animated fare on Fox is a big draw for younger viewers. What’s a new network to do? Tough call.

My opinion: This is a night that calls for bold new programming -- not necessarily importing a current show, even a proven performer such as “Smallville” or “Chris” (though a new, quality comedy night built around "Chris" is pretty appealing, especially if it includes a new sitcom from the writers of recently killed (though possibly revived) Arrested Development).

Here’s where the CW’s secret weapon comes into play. Dawn Ostroff, current head of UPN, will be the new chief of The CW. Given how she’s rebuilt UPN from the embarrassing home of “Homeboys in Space” (yes, fellow bloggers, I remember those days -- count yourself lucky if you don’t) to a genuinely non-terrible, actually pretty respectable network, it's a safe bet that she can come up with some canny move on this night.

Still, Ostroff and her new team of executives have their work cut out for them coming up with a new lineup for Sunday nights, one that can navigate the competitive waters between ABC and Fox. I’m glad I don’t have to come up with that particular programming array. But that’s why they’re paying Ostroff and her network suits the big bucks.

All things considered, though, Ostroff has some decent building blocks to work with. Once you merge the best of The WB and UPN, you have a network that’s actually a reasonable contender for legitimacy, a network that actually has a bountiful crop of watchable fare. And that’s good news for viewers.

In Conclusion:

MONDAY 8pm: New Joss Whedon Show
9pm: Supernatural/Charmed

TUESDAY 8pm: Gilmore Girls
9pm: Everwood

WEDNESDAY 8pm: One Tree Hill
9pm: Veronica Mars

THURSDAY 8pm: Smallville
9pm: Aquaman

FRIDAY 8pm: America's Next Top Model
9pm: Beauty and the Geek

SATURDAY: repeat night

SUNDAY 8pm: What I Like About You
8:30pm: Reba
9pm: Everybody Hates Chris
9:30pm: New "Arrested Development" Comedy
10pm: Charmed

animated films

2006-02-21T20:14:00.000-08:00

i found a really good site that tells a semi-history of animated films. if any of you are into that kind of stuff, you should check it out. it's pretty cool :)

fritz and his time machine

2006-02-19T18:47:00.000-08:00

ok... so i am completely obsessed with that new coke commercial where fritz and his time machine go to the future to get some coke and he takes it back to the past and everyone loves it but then he runs out right when genghis khan wants some. y'all know what i'm talking about???

it's great... everytime i go to the movies, i look forward to it with a child's enthusiasm! i also found out the song from the commercial is called "via con me" by paolo conte. it's on the "welcome to collingwood" soundtrack. anyway... it got me to thinking about other great soundtrack songs i love, and it just so happens that right now i'm on a "triplet of belleville" kick, so here's the lyrics to the main song from that soundtrack:

J'veux pas finir mes jours à Tombouctou
La peau tirée par des machines à clous
Moi je veux être fripée
Triplement fripée
Fripée comme une Triplette de belleville

J'veux pas finir ma vie à Acapulco
Danser toute raide avec des gigolos
Moi je veux être tordue
Triplement tordue
Balancée comme une Triplette de Belleville

Refrain:
Swinging Belleville rendez-vous
Marathon dancing doop dee doop
Vaudou Cancan balais taboo
Au Belleville swinging rendez-vous

J'veux pas finir ma vie à Singapour
Jouer au dico manger des petits fours
Moi j'veux être zidiote
Triplement zidiote
Gondolée comme une Triplette de Belleville

J'veux pas finir ma vie à Honolulu
Chanter comme un zoiseau ça n'se fait plus
Je veux ma voix brisée
Triplement brisée
Swinguer comme une Triplette de Belleville

Refrain

J'veux pas finir ma vie à Constantinople
C'est bien trop dur de faire des rimes en “nople“
Je veux être givrée (Hop!)
Triplement Givrée (Hop Hop!)
La quadrature des Triplettes de Belleville

J'pourrai finir ma vie à Katmandou
C'est bien plus doux de faire des rimes en “dou“
Mais je veux être givrée
Complètement Givrée
Et swinguer comme les Triplettes de Belleville
(Allez les filles!)

and "Attila Marcel"

moi mon homme c'est un vrai
c'est un dur, un balaise
je vois la mort de près
de dans ses yeux de braise
il me fait ce que personne n'ose
il couvre mon corps d'équimoses
il m'assomme, il m'poche les yeux
il m'fait la vie en bleu

moi mon homme il me botte
y'en a pas deux comme lui
c'est pas de la gnognotte
trois cent vingt livres et demies
il me serre si fort dans ses bras
que mon souffle repousse pas
il est barbare, il est cruel
mon attila marcel (mon attila m'arcèle)

j'irais retrouver sa lumière
avec une droite de dieu le père
et je reste sonnée jusqu'à Paques
au paradis des têtes à claques

moi mon homme c'est un vrai
c'est un dur, un balaise
je verrai la mort de près
de dans ses yeux de braise

a fantabulous 3-movie day!

2006-02-14T15:42:00.000-08:00

TRANSAMERICA
it was so great to see a true acting performance worthy of an award this year! felicity huffman was amazing as a transgendered woman who is forced to re-connect with a son she never knew she had who doesn't know that SHE used to be her FATHER! such a refreshingly different and yet real film. it was also really good to see kevin zegers (on whom i've had a huge crush for YEARS!) in something other than the tv show episodes and made for tv or direct to video stuff he's been doing lately. although i have to admit, i've always love the Air Bud films! :) 5 out of 5 stars.

NANNY McPHEE
basically an updated version of mary poppins for the spongebob brood that are around now, but VERY well executed! i loved emma thompson in a role that she wrote specifically for herself and none of the kids fell into that terrible trap of "look i'm a kid. and i'm A-C-T-I-N-G... badly" which was one of my concerns going in. i love the nurse matilda books and the movie stays relatively true to the original vibe of those books if not in script, however, it's a movie that you go to for pure entertainment and if nothing else it gives you that in multitudes... also great for kids as it actually teaches them important life lessons but doesn't dumb them down so the adults actually enjoy them (and maybe learn a little something themselves). also, how can you not love a movie in which angela lansbury plays a half-blind evil aunt! :) good stuff! 5 out of 5 stars!

CURIOUS GEORGE
i LOVE animation (as many of you probably already know) so i was really looking forward to this movie. i was NOT disappointed. will ferrell was NOT overly "crazy will", curious george was NOT CGI nor did he "talk" (thank god!), the animation was beautiful and pleasing to the eye, the story was good (explaining how the man in the yellow hat and george meet, how george comes to america, some good shenanigans and also plausible villians). it's sad that this may be one of the last 2D animated films to come to theatres for a really long time. i really do wish the world could hold on to this dying art form instead of sacrificing it for all CGI animation. overall, 4 out of 5 stars.

what the hell is this?

2006-02-08T13:08:00.000-08:00

fruity oaty bars

a great 3 movie day!

2006-02-08T12:46:00.000-08:00

KING KONG
i was a little trepidatious going into this film, as i am a big fan of the original. also, i felt the "big ape" and the "dinosaur" premise had been played out already what with all the various different big hairy ape movies there have been. but i have to admit i was pleasantly surprized. i didn't know it was 3 hours long otherwise i wouldn't have downed a huge fruit punch before going into it, but other than one bathroom break, i didn't really feel like it was all that long. i guess all the action and adventure helps make you forget. i was truly moved by the relationship between naomi watts character and the ape and i cried at the end. it was nice to see jack black in a role that could help him break out into other non-tradionally funny roles, he's our next jim carrey folks! i said it here first! :) 4 out of 5 stars.

MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS
i loved it. the music and dancing numbers were beautifully staged. i loved the songs. i've always loved judi dench, but there was one scene inparticular when she is dancing in front of her mirror and she stops and looks at herself. with that one look, she solidifies the reason why she is one of the greatest actresses of our time. it was comparable to glenn close's single tear drop in dangerous liasons. judi dench and bob hoskins were a great couple to watch on the screen. there chemistry is electrifying. overall, one of those movies that will move you and make you feel really good at the end. 5 out of 5 stars.

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
excellent. everyone should go see this movie. 5 out of 5 stars.

Do You Remember?

2006-02-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

Hey, remember in elementary school during Valentine's Day the teacher would give us a shoe box and construction paper? We would make a little mailbox to put at the front of our desk, with hearts and glitter and our name on it? That was probably my favorite day of the year. I miss that. I wish I could make a little construction paper mailbox and put it in front of my doorstep. Then go play hop scotch, or swings for twenty five minutes, and come back to 15-25 valentine's cards stuffed in my little Adidas box of love.

yes, i'm here...

2006-02-02T12:12:00.000-08:00

i know that it has been forever, but i guess i had a lot on my plate...

the last 3 weeks in december i was in fresno opening the new restaurant and then i went home to texas for christmas and new years... both were fun, and my sister and i even got my mom a little drunk at the new years party we went to! fun times :)

after i got back to california i had 2 interviews... both of them for "management" positions but i didn't get either one :) and you know why??? cuz i have a tongue ring... oh well...

then my mom and sister came down to cali cuz my sister moved here from texas!!! YAY!! sh's living in venice beach and it is AMAZING!! her apartment literally overlooks the beach... good morning BEACH!! :) i'm so glad that i got to see my mom cuz i love her lots and i miss her all the time but i'm REALLY glad that stevie is here now cuz she is my best friend in the whole wide world!!! :) we've already gone out to hear some live music at a bar together and i got her job at changs... (i will convert you all sooner or later!!)

anyway... after that i had a huge meeting with changs cuz we are rolling out a new menu with lots of spicy items... it is called "a night in chengdu" i'm sortof in charge of rolling it out to all the staff and so i'm having to do alot of meetings and stuff :) fun fun

and that is my life up till now... i'm still enjoying my netflix and i'm in the middle of stargate sg-1 season 8... good stuff! :)

i'll be a little more involved from here on out... sorry! :)
love, matt

hoodwinked!

2006-01-17T17:46:00.000-08:00

a completely engageing, engrossing, original and musical re-make of the classic "red riding hood" story. very clever plot points and extremely funny dialogue make this a GREAT film for both parents and children to enjoy together. totally worth seeing! 5 out of 5 stars!

i'm still alive

2006-01-09T17:07:00.000-08:00

yes yes... it's been awhile, but i just wanted you all to know (well, those of you that are still sticking around) that i am alive and well. i can't post much now, cuz i gotta run go see brokeback mountain, but i will get on here very soon with stories to tell...

karen... i've been travelling! :)

love, matt

pooh's heffalump halloween movie

2005-12-03T13:43:00.000-08:00

the problem with this movie (if you are a fan of the pooh world in general) is that instead of doing a good movie , they took a previously filmed "pooh halloween" segment from boo to you too! winnie the pooh and put a portion of that in this movie. it makes you feel a couple of things... one being that they obviously wanted to rush out a "halloween" movie and so in order to speed up production, just put this 20 minute segment in the film that had been made almost 10 years ago (and even then, it was just an episode of the new adventures of winnie the pooh tv show if anyone remembers that). also, it makes you reminisce the older pooh films... it makes you miss gopher and owl and christopher robin... where have they been in recent pooh films??? did gopher move away from the 100 acre wood?? did owl finally realize that everyone was catching on to the fact that he talked too much and become a hermit?? did christopher robin finally grow too old to play with his dolls and the characters of the hundred acre wood not realize it yet?? i guess we'll never know. don't rent this film... it's not really worth it. 2 out of 5 stars

passion in the desert

2005-11-29T18:17:00.000-08:00

this movie is at times both disturbing and also very passionate and moving. an officer befriends a leopard in the sahara, yes, but what they don't say is that him and the leopard become VERY close... no intamacy is ever shown on film, but the bond that they share would indicate that there is a deep love there... one scene even shows the officer licking the leopard in a very sexually charged way. at the end of the film however, you do feel saddened by the choices that this officer FEELS obligated to make and it makes you therefore feel even more affected when the last 5 minutes of the film reveal itself. overall, not for everyone, but definately an intreguing character study for all you actors out there and a solid piece of indie film work for all you art house lovers out there. 3 out of 5 stars

sorry nee-nee!

2005-11-23T14:02:00.000-08:00

i seriously dislike the ladies of the red hat society!

a group of 16 of them came into PF Changs the other day and sat in my section... they ALL demanded seperate cheques and on top of that they all payed with change! PF Changs does not deal with change as a rule... if your cheque is $9.25 and you pay with a $20 then i'll just round up or down on yourt change and give you (in this example) $11 back. but NOT with these ladies... they all gave me change that would give them back change... for example... if they owed $9.56, they would give me $10.06 so that i would have to give them .50c back! UGH!!! they all ordered alcohol which they then demanded that they all pay for as they recieved their drinks! so not only did i have to take 16 different drinks out to them, but i had to take out the cheques for each drink and distribute them simultaniously with the drinks!

they had me running back and forth so much that i couldn't deal with my other tables and had to give them away to other servers... i felt like a master who could no longer feed his dog and so gave him to a loving home... "please take care of table 26 for me... i no longer can"

we add an auto gratuity to any party of 8 or more, BUT, my auto grat only came to $20, and after i broke it up between 16 different cheques, i still had one lady leave and so i only had 15 ladies pay... UGH!!

if the whole point of your "society" is to go out in public looking like a fool and having fun, then please don't take out your pent up frustration at the way you look on your server!

fellow servers of the world... we must band together to fight against the red hats...
sorry nee-nee... (my grandma)... she is a red hat lady... but some sacrifices must be made.

(i'm kidding!)

NOT a gay martha stewart

2005-11-17T13:39:00.000-08:00

I once watched a film in which an older, Father Time-esque gay gentleman attested to a younger gay man who was suffering through the throws of a self-esteem crisis that it’s “o-kay to be gay and average.” I remembered thinking, “Well, that is very reassuring. You can just be gay and live the rest of your life as ‘Fred down at the dry-cleaners.’” Gone are the pressures to be the next Oscar Wilde and having to maintain a sparkling wit and a peppy and overly-expressive theatrical repertoire. You can go through life and not have to paint the ceiling of a chapel (with well placed, homoerotic depictions of biblical characters, no less!) It’s alright to stay home and watch Nightline and not conquer a country with elephants, design the new fall line, write your recollections of a troubled and closeted youth, make Quiche Loraine and porscutto melon balls for eighty-nine of your closest friends or mix illegal substances and dance the night away in a Go-Go cage. You’re free! Free to be the you you’ve always wanted to be with no limitations, expectations or hindrances. Or, are you, really… It seems like since the emergence of this new, trendy, Fab Five saturated gay culture, there’s more pressure placed upon us little mos. I, for one, have a very full schedule keeping up with my own, stylist-free life. I read the magazines, I’m hip, but it’s hard to remember to “zhush” your sleeves and to wear coordinating socks when I still get detergent spots on my tee-shirts. Now, it seems, I am to remember to activate the product before I put it in my hair, talk my stressed-out girlfriend through another messy breakup, (with the guy I assured her was Mr. Wrong-ish from the beginning) be fabulous at and the life of every social event, work-out, get a pedicure and a fake tan, and still remember to water the Boston Fern and put the cat out! It’s as if the personalities of Martha Stewart and Truman Capote merged and fire bombed the pop culture. But, who am I to judge. I just figure I’m not the only person to feel this way. Maybe I’m just a gay activist at heart. The one and only one to turn this imaging problem around. The one to put gay individualism back on the map and reinvent what it means to be a homosexual American, and… Oh, gotta go. Apricot and rosemary popovers are done…

my clientele

2005-11-12T14:05:00.000-08:00

Here is one of my favorite conversations with a table I waited on:

Guest: "My son won't eat any of this food I ordered."

Me: "I'm sorry."

G: "Can you make him french toast?"

Me: "We're a Chinese restaurant,... and I don't actually cook any of the food here, I merely bring you drinks and take your order."

G: "He really wants french toast."

Me: "Well, we don't have bread, or syrup, or a frying pan."

G: "So...."

Me: "So that's a no to french toast. I can get him chow mein..."

G: "Okay, that'll do."

Ahh, another crisis averted.

i'm back and $2,000 richer!

2005-11-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

My blog is worth $2,822.70.
How much is your blog worth?

kitchen confidential is a friggin' lie!

2005-10-11T05:07:00.000-07:00

Now, nothing against the show, cause it's cute and quirky and whatever else is needed in an equation to make a sitcom work, but Kitchen Confidential is way out of line here, people, and I'm not gonna let this new television show off the hook.

Now for all of you who haven't seen it yet, it is about a head chef and his cute co-workers (back of house, and front of house) all trying to make a living in an upscale restaurant. There are only a few problems with this "idea", but they are so huge that I cannot get past it and actually enjoy the show. I shall list them IN a particular order:

1. All of the cooks are white. This is a huge problem for me. Any one who has ever worked in a restaurant or even set foot in one knows for a fact that 99.9% of all the cooks in America are Mexican. I work in a Chinese restaurant and all the guys making your fried rice are in fact of the Hispanic descent. This is not a racist comment, this is a statement based on my experience of working in restaurants since I started high school.

2.There is only one hostess who works there. She looks like a model, and she apparently works everyday, because she is the only person who is ever near a host stand.

3. The owner's daughter is a waitress there and she creates dishes not listed on the menu just to make the head chef prepare stuff. She would of been murdered by his Mexican friends by now.

4. There is no heat lamp. They prepare the food and set it on a table IN THE KITCHEN, where the servers come and pick up one dish and then walk back out to the dining room. I will not even go into health violations, server errors, blah blah, that is just plain wrong. Heat lamps are what makes the world go round, the world go round, the world go round.

5. A cute little prank or something will always find itself in the middle of the kitchen involving the cooks and the servers during a very busy night, and every cook seems to find time to stop and make a joke. They are not sweating, they are not busting their ass to cook up some sixty meals, they are having a ball. I don't see the cooks having a ball during the lunch lull. They are always preparing shit.

6. At the end of the night everyone goes to a bar to hang out together. Lonely Hostess, Servers, Kitchen Staff, even Dish Washers. I go out all the time, with my server buddies. Birds of a feather, my friends, it's sad but true, we stick in our groups. Restaurants are very segregated places. Every now and again we'll intertwine our posses, but for the most part we just smile and wave and leave it at that, not finish off our beers together at the same table.

This may seem like a rant, but this show could of been genius. Everyone either works in a restaurant or frequents them throughout the week. We should all be able to relate to this show, not loathe it because it is so far off. Please people, write the creators for me and tell them they are big dumbasses, and should of done their homework at least a little, like looking in the back of any restaurant. I hate you Kitchen Confidential, I hate you so hard.

i'm going to DISNEY WORLD!!!!

2005-10-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

i leave tomorrow (tuesday morning) and i get back on the 19th (following wednesday) and then early thursday morning (the 20th) i fly out to boise to go open a new pf changs and i won't be back until the 5th of november or there abouts! i feel like my good bloggin' buddy karen who travels more than my uncle travelling matt!

anyway... i'll try to post while on my journeys exploring outer space, reflecting on earth, meeting some ghosts and exploring haunted mansions!

it's gonna be busy, but i'll try to fit in some time! :)
see you on the other side!
love, matt

a good 3-movie day!

2005-10-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

SERENITY
*spoiler alert*

this was everything i was hoping it would be AND more! if youre a fan of the tv show then you won't be disappointed and if you are new to the franchise, then you'll be pleasantly surprized! i was very sad to see the death of TWO major characters, but then again, it doesn't really surprize me... joss whedon has never been afraid to kill off main characters to either advance the story line, or just to shake things up! :) 5 out of 5 stars!

OLIVER TWIST
the only versions of this that i know are the musical version "oliver!" and the disney animated film oliver and company, so i was very excited to see a straight forward version of this tale as i love both of those previous versions AND charles dickens' work in general. it was very faithful to the novel and overall i loved the whole story... though it could have been a tad bit shorter (it's 2hr 20min long!) i never really felt as if i was needing to look at my watch! :) 4 out of 5 stars!

FLIGHTPLAN
enjoyable for what it was, which is an edge of your seat, is-she-or-isn't-she-crazy, what the hell is going on! thriller :) most of the time we are just watching jodie get all mad and demand to know where her kid is and for much of the film i felt like i was watching panic room 2: panic in the air! but if you just go into it with no expectations and a need for mindless entertainment, then you should be able to have fun! :) WAIT FOR VIDEO!! 3 out of 5 stars! :)

DUCKTALES on DVD!!!!

2005-10-02T16:23:00.000-07:00

along with chip and dale: rescue rangers!!! november 8th! save the date!! :)

goodbye michael!

2005-10-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

After 21 years at the helm, Michael Eisner will step down as chief executive of The Walt Disney Company today. Reports from around the web look at his legacy:

"Just days before exiting his post as CEO of the Walt Disney Co., Michael Eisner... called his 21 years at Disney "the most gratifying experience in my life. The culture of the company, the ethic, the assets, the enthusiasm were there when I arrived in 1984, and I'm proud as I leave to see that they are still there" (The Hollywood Reporter).

"Unfortunately for Eisner, he is more likely to be remembered for the missteps and controversies of the last decade than for the phenomenal successes of his first 10 years, when Disney blossomed into a media powerhouse. That's the way Hollywood operates, after all - you're only as good as your last screenplay" (LA Times).

"In two decades he transformed a struggling animation studio and its pair of amusement parks into a global entertainment powerhouse with 11 theme parks, a dozen television channels, a top-rated broadcast network, one of Hollywood's biggest film studios... In fact, Michael Eisner's record at Disney will be hard to beat says Laura Martin, an analyst with Soleil-Media Metrics: 'That is a feat almost unprecedented in corporate America over a 20-year period'" (MSNBC).

"Eisner didn't do it alone. He was part of a Hollywood Dream Team. There was former Warner Bros. President Frank Wells, a craggy, sometimes absent-minded lawyer who could doze off during a lengthy discussion but was the glue that held the Mouse House together. Studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg helped Eisner resurrect the company's animation unit with the tirelessness of a man who slept only five hours a night and famously told employees that 'if you don't want to work Saturdays, don't bother coming in on Sunday.' Gary Wilson came from Marriott and brilliantly financed Disney's film and theme-park expansion. (Business Week).

"However, the emperor's choke hold on this magic kingdom had begun to squeeze the life out of the company. From the huge loss of Jeffrey Katzenberg years ago, to the recent split with movie moguls Bob and Harvey Weinstein, Eisner was increasingly perceived as doing more harm than good. Investors, insiders and the board grew restless" (MSN).

"Mr. Eisner's recent years... were marred by the shareholder revolt and a bitter board fight in which Mr. Eisner clashed with two former directors - Roy E. Disney, the nephew of the founder, and Stanley P. Gold, Mr. Disney's financial adviser. They had originally lobbied to give him the top job in 1984 during another management shake-up. More recently, they sought to oust him, contending his clashes with employees and Disney's partners were a drag on the company" (NY Times).

"But industry experts say that ironically, as Eisner says farewell as Disney's chief executive officer, the company has begun to return to the double-digit earnings growth that marked his first decade running Disney" (Washington Post).

are theme songs dead?

2005-09-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

so, i was watching lost: season 1 on dvd and i remember thinking that the opening title (just the word "LOST" getting closer to the screen over some ominous chord of music) was very progressive at the time... but now all the new shows are doing just a "title screen" (surface and out of practice being the two most recent that i've noticed...)

what happened to the late and great theme song or theme music??? ... this blog may be a little pre-mature, but i guess i just want to get this out there, before everyone decides to go with the trends. please tv people, take a page out of firefly's book and keep your theme songs! :)

my sister's friends are dumb

2005-09-23T16:21:00.000-07:00

so my sister is officially evacuating huntsville and driving to dallas, which as of this post has taken close to 5 hours and she's not even half way there... guess what the rest of her friends are doing?? throwing a margarita party in honour of hurrican rita! RITAS 4 RITA!!! B.Y.O.R.! UGH! :) they are all gonna die, but at least they'll go down drunk and happy! :)

ride of the valkyries

2005-09-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

courtesy of netflix, i recently watched the muppets wizard of oz and cosi. both films were enjoyable... i still think that the muppets has a lot to work on before they can recapture the magic that made the earlier films so much more amazing... HOWEVER... i digress, the funny thing was that both films, although completely different, had versions of wagner's ride of the valkyries! if you don't know it, take a listen... you'll notice the tune right away. i think it's funny how classical music can be put into almost any context... from flying pigs, to mental patients playing accordians! :) just something i noticed :)

alcohol and colouring books

2005-09-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

so late last night, as i get off work, i am driving home... it's about 1:30am, and it hits me, i'm out of vodka! so i steer over to ralphs to get alcohol and as i find the alcohol aisle, i see right across from all the vodka, rum, gin, tequila, liquers, and what not, is the kiddie reads and colouring book section of the grocery store! :) what kind of subliminal messages are we sending to the youth of america if we make them go the liquor aisle to get things that they like, items that make them feel good and happy! :) just a thought!

ah well... my screwdriver awaits.

7 days

2005-09-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

while this movie does feel a TAD too long, the over all feel of the film is great. you leave this film having laughed a little and shed a tear or two. the plot is well crafted and believeable, and you care about the 2 main characters. some of the best chemistry is between the main kid claudio and tony, the son of the mafia hitman who gives claudio 7 days to pay back the $500,000 he owes. at the end of the film, you feel like both characters had helped the other grow up a little and gain a better world view. my friend and i both got free passes to this film and we didn't really know if we wanted to go see it... we went into it thinking it was gonna suck, but we were both VERY pleasantly surprized! give it a chance... you may be too! :)
4 out of 5 stars!

poetic passage

2005-09-12T04:17:00.000-07:00

well i just finished reading the book clay's way. i dont really suggest it as "good" reading unless you wanna feel like killing yourself. catcher in the rye is a WAY better novel and worth so much more of my time, but, toward the end of the book there was this one paragraph that i thought was really affecting:

"we just believe what we want to, no matter what the signs and the earth and our friends and parents are saying from the outside. we just veer into danger like a drunk driver on our own blind paths of least resistance, steering towards tragedy, heartbreak, and being totally alone so that no matter how hard we scream, no one will care. we're able to ignore everything we've learned and just abandon our intuition and careen into the face of hell"

sex facts

2005-09-12T04:14:00.000-07:00

There are more 20-year-old virgins now than there were in the late '50s.

You wouldn't know it from watching Sex and the City, but most women have had fewer than five sex partners. Most men chalk up fewer than 10 sexual conquests in their whole lives.

Both women and men are most likely to have their first orgasm alone.

The US has more laws governing sexual behavior than every country in Europe combined.

A condom will lasts about a month in a wallet before the rubber gets worn down by friction, making it more likely to break.

The record for male orgasms is 16 in one hour.

According to a 1996 study, homophobia men show a higher arousal rate when shown gay porn than do men with ambivalent attitudes toward homosexuals.

Jews and Atheists have more sex partners than Catholics or Protestants.

A woman sexually peaks in her early 30s, a man in his late teens.

Circumcision for Christian males became widespread after doctors claimed it helped curb self-abuse. (Since this isn't the case, Why is it still happening?)

Thirty percent of men suffer from premature ejaculation.

The average male member in all its glory is five inches long and four inches in circumference.

Seventies porn star Annie Sprinkle claims to have had sex with more than 3,000 men.

The average amount of male ejaculate is about one tablespoon, or 10cc, which is how the bands 10cc and Lovin' Spoonful got their names.

White women get 97% of boob jobs.

Texas law makes it illegal for a woman to own more than six sex toys.

August and September are the months with the highest level of sexual activity.

Brainy chicks are kinkier.

College grads have more oral sex than high school dropouts, and those with Ph.D's are twice as likely to want a one-night stand than those with bachelor's degrees.

Oral sex is illegal in Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Louisiana, part of Michigan, North and South Carolina, Utah and Virginia. In Idaho, it can get you life in prison.

Premarital sex was illegal in Connecticut until the late 1960s.

A 15-year old girl in Mississippi can marry without parental consent, but must wait a year to legally have sex with her husband.

One in three men cheats on his partner, as opposed to one in four women. Only 28% of female cheaters get caught.

Fifteen percent of priests and nuns break their vows of chastity.

The vast majority of men come within six minutes of penetration.

The age of consent in the US is primarily between 16 and 18.

However, in liberal Hawaii, 14-year-olds are allowed to have sex as adults.

For centuries, the Catholic church declared "man on top" the only acceptable position for sex. It's called the missionary position because missionaries were to teach it as part of their efforts to "civilize" non-Christian races.

Receiving oral sex is No. 1 on American males' sexual top 10, with straight intercourse, threesomes and groping in the top five.

The biggest wang on record is 12 inches erect.

J. Edgar Hoover, Oscar Wilde, Chief Crazy Horse, Pope Paul II and Pope Julius III, Leonard Bernstein, Alexander the Great, Sigmund Freud, Lawrence of Arabia, Plato, Peter Tchaikovsky and Florence Nightingale were all gay or bi.

Until 1972 in the US, homosexuality was officially a mental illness, classified as such along with schizophrenia and multiple personalities.

The average age for both genders for a first sexual experience is 17.

my yahoo launchcast just called me gay!

2005-09-10T15:27:00.000-07:00

only have a minute, but i was listening to my yahoo launchcast player... this was the order of tunes...

michael jackson - thriller
jennifer paige - crush
hilary duff - wake up

and then

the dragon tales theme song!

am i THAT transparent! :)

the BIG 100!!!!

2005-09-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

wow... my 100th post...

i feel like it should be momentus, something that oozes of not only my stellar wit, but my personality, my hopes, my fears, my passions and my dreams! however we all know that wit as dry as mine is not only overrated, but too often, not understood, so i shall stick to my normal routine of what i do best...

THE BROTHERS GRIMM
well, for a movie that had a lot of potential, this was a kinetic disappointment! i was really looking forward to terry gilliam's new film, especially after having just seen Lost in La Mancha... and although i don't think that ehren kruger writes the best stuff in the world (with the exception of scream 3 being arguably the best of the scream trilogy!) this movie looked like a GREAT concept! alas, that is all it was... a concept film... drew may disagree with me, but i think that this movie would have been handled much better had it been directed by tim burton, or joel schumacher both of whom have had their fair share of hits and misses but who both have also shown time and again that they can handle the dark epic which this film clearly TRIES to be. the story was ALL OVER the place, and the editing was poor (or amazing, depending on what the guy had to work with...) but i just think that a 2 hour film could have done SO MUCH MORE with not only it's main characters, but it's plot development. however, i will say this... the special effects were great :) overall... 2 out of 5 stars

ok... what else is new in my life... OH! remember this post about willy fog?? WELL,... i was at fry's the other day, buying Gargoyles: The Complete First Season on dvd when i happened across 2 dvd titles: Willy Fog: Around the World in 80 Days and Willy Fog: Journey to the Centre of the Earth!!! amazing huh?? it always happens that once you start looking for something they inevitably start releasing it on DVD or VHS or something else... the same thing happened when i was pining for my 80's cartoons... now we have he-man on DVD, thundercats on DVD, my little pony on DVD, jem on DVD, dangermouse on DVD and count duckula coming to DVD soon! :) i do feel personally responsible for getting these much loved titles to DVD for the world to enjoy and now now the world can enjoy my willy fog!! the only downfall to these 2 dvd's i got was that they were the "made for tv versions" which meant that they took the entire series (25 episodes, each one 30 mins long) and shortened them into a one hour and 30 min "movie" :( but that's okay... i'll take what i can get! :)

well, i guess that's it for now... my next post will be from entry #101 and i'll officially be in syndication! :) YAY ME! :)

i'm back!

2005-08-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

it's been a month since i last posted and i just wanted to let everyone know that i've caught up on my blog reading and am up to date on all your lives, so i figured i'd catch you up on mine.

i was in Oregon opening up a new PF Changs at bridgeport village in Tigard. it was a lot of fun... i've perfected my jello shot recipes and even came up with a new one... the double decker duo shot (one flavour on top of another!) it was a big hit! :)

for everyone who doesn't know tigard, it's just 15 mins away from downtown portland. but out hotel was in lake oswego... which was beautiful! :) the job itself was what it is, but the social life was amazing...

my friend lindsi whom i met when i opened the san jose restaurant, was there again this time doing her runner training thang, so it was GREAT to see her again as she is normally based out of the salt lake city store. jill was one of the managers in the tigard restaurant and i had known her from the rancho cucamonga opening, and mitch was the bar trainer and she was MY server trainer when i first got hired with the company in burbank! :) it was really cool to actually work WITH mitch this time around as opposed to being trained BY her... especially so because it was her last opening... she left the company to pursue her online travel buisness. so it was bittersweet.

to summerize the whole trip:

my roomie rory and i got more noise complaints cuz of our room in the 2 weeks that we were there than the hotel had had in the past 6 months! and cat, our boss, had to sit down and basically tell us that the hotel threated to evict us if we got one more noise complaint... which meant we'd have to be sent home! so we quietened down in a HURRY!

one of the trainers tom is moving to burbank in january, so he's gonna be my reallife roomie for a little while until he finds a place of his own!

in the 2 weeks we were there, we drank so much alcohol that we completely covered the top of our fridge with the empty bottles... and the rest of the empty bottles spilled out onto the counter top! and i mean ALL THE BOTTLES... beer, pinot grigio, plum wine, loganberry wine, black cherry vodka, strawberry vodka, polar ice vodka, malibu rum, malibu mango rum, malibu pineapple rum, merlot, zinfandel, apple pucker, pineapple coconut rum, spiced rum, seagrams 7, baileys, crown royal, jagermeister, peach schnapps, kiwi strwberry rum (cabana boy brand, if you are interested!) among others...

i only took one roll of film pics, but i can't wait to develop them, cuz i got some good incriminating evidence :)

i fell in love with the bar trainer chad while i was there, as did everyone... we were all infatuated... one of those totally hot specimen of men types... he gives great backrubs! :)

i was involved in a threesome with my good friend lindsi and our friend nick... it was totally hot! :)

we partied at some bars that were all on a street named "cootch" in downtown portland :)

we did karaoke and i sang "smooth" by santana and rob thomas and "cheeseburger in paradise" by jimmy buffet which i was very surprized that NO ONE KNEW! :) who doesn't know cheeseburger in paradise!!!!!! :)

i met an 18 year old who has a baby and has to pay 400$ a month in child support... it made me feel happy that i am gay and responsible.

i discovered my new fave drink from starbucks... the "chantico" it's just a little guy! :)

i learned that the way i eat a banana is considered to be disturbing to most people as opposed to the fallic stylings of most banana eaters which is considered normal! (for info, i eat a banana like corn on the cob) but people dont thing eating corn on the cob is wierd which made me realize that people REALLY just don't like things that are different. sad really.

i realized that i really do love and i mean truly MOVED by queen, ABBA and michael jackson (80's version), and that i should just accept this and move on with my life!

drinking an entire bottle of logan berry wine really will get you drunk no matter how often you swear up and down that it won't! ;)

PF Changs puts crack cocaine in their food, cuz no matter how often we ate it (which was twice a day... EVERYDAY!) we always could go for some more! and we found new ways to tweak the dishes to enjoy them even more (ie... lemon pepper shrimp, no shrimp, sub chicken)! that was just ONE easy modification we made... you should have seen the others! :)

i'm sure i forgot some things, but i have a $100 gift card to go spend at best buy, so i gotta run... but i'm glad to be home and can't wait for someone to buy me a cruise... i think i deserve one! :)

love, matt

interesting facts

2005-07-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

And you thought you knew everything:
------------------------------------

Mosquito repellents don't repel. They hide you. The
spray blocks the mosquito's sensors so they don't know you're there.

Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least 6 feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.

The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as substitute for blood plasma.

No piece of paper can be folded in half more than 7 times.

Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.

You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.

Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty years of age or older.

The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.

The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache.

A Boeing 747s wingspan is longer than the Wright brother's first
flight.

American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating 1 olive from each salad served in first-class.

Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the
morning.

The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.

Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin.

The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer.

Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than all of the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.

Marilyn Monroe had six toes.

All US Presidents have worn glasses. Some just didn't like being
seen wearing them in public.

Walt Disney was afraid of mice.

Pearls melt in vinegar.

Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating
are already married.

The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola,
and Budweiser, in that order.

It is possible to lead a cow upstairs...but not downstairs.

A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.

The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases.

Richard Millhouse Nixon was the first US president whose name
contains all the letters from the word "criminal."
The second was William Jefferson Clinton.

Turtles can breathe through their butts.

Butterflies taste with their feet.

In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all of the
world's nuclear weapons combined.

On average, 100 people choke to death on ball-point pens every year.

On average people fear spiders more than death.

Ninety percent of New York City cabbies are recently arrived
immigrants.

Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.

Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.

Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

It's physically impossible for you to lick your elbow.

The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.

A snail can sleep for three years.

No word in the English language rhymes with "MONTH."

Average life span of a major league baseball: 7 pitches.

Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing. SCARY!!!

The electric chair was invented by a dentist.

All polar bears are left handed.

In ancient Egypt, priests plucked EVERY hair from their bodies,
including their eyebrows and eyelashes.

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.

"Go," is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

If Barbie were life-size, her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet, two inches tall. Barbie's full name
is Barbara Millicent Roberts.

A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.

The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.

Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day.

Almost everyone who reads this blog post will try to lick their elbow! :)

around the world with willy fogg

2005-07-26T17:53:00.000-07:00

ok, so i have had this childhood memory of this cartoon that was a take on "around the world in 80 days" for years! i remember watching it in england when i was about 10-12 and my whole life i have always tried to find information on it. this was my problem... i thought the show was called "around the world in 80 days" but it wasn't! it was "around the world with willy fogg"!! anyway... after i found this out, i made a promise to myself to find out everything i could on this show and save it to my blog so that i don't lose the info! you can click on the title link of this post to hear the very cool theme song to it and the below links to find out more info on the show itself! YAY!!! :)

full 3 minute theme song version
full theme song lyrics
theme song lyrics & brief info
full production info
full episode index
show info and DVD R2 info
DVD R2 complete collection
Willy Fogg IMDb page
theme song in spanish
links to US DVD purchases and more info on 1980's cartoons in general

you better let somebody love you

2005-07-26T03:09:00.000-07:00

i've been playing that song over and over again... of course i've heard it before, but i just recently "re-discovered" it on one of my CD's and felt like it was too important to NOT blog about.

my whole life really. i've pushed people away. i don't like to admit it but its the truth.

have you ever heard the theory that the best literature is written while not completely sober.

it's a load. but that's not the point.

i'm here to bare my soul. or try. i'll probably fail. but at least i've tried.

i've been close to... maybe. one person. in my life. maybe.

the rest not really. and i'm not really sure about that one.

i tell people to wear their hearts on their sleeve because i'm afraid to.

getting hurt will do that. you put your heart into something and it's taken and you're never same.

i wish i could tell people what i thought of them. i wish i could. i do.

but i can't. i keep my heart under the sole of my shoe. where no one. not even me. sees it.

i think that endears me to some people. don't know why.

some people seem to like that i don't get mushy. i refuse. i hate to see it. getting mushy. guys trying to impress the girl of their dreams. that's what they think. she really isn't that great.

it's been said. or i think it has. that love isn't finding the perfect person. but loving someone because of their imperfections.

something like that.

something that sounds like a crock to me.

i want to be in love. i want to have someone who i can tell everything to. and i want to never gets hurt.

that's the problem.

you get hurt sometimes.

it's inevitable.

i try to insulate myself from it.

i try hard.

and i don't get hurt the way some people do. by other people.

no. i hurt myself. because i'm so closed off. you might not think it. but it's true.

if someone read this blog from first to last they'd probably know more about me than anyone i've ever known in real life. because here i bare my soul the way i won't to real people. in the real world.

you can't get hurt here. not as much as in the real world.

i need to stop fearing that i'll get stomped on again. i need to travel the road no one does. the common road's far too common for me.

i need to live an incredible life. filled with incredible things.

i need to rassle (not wrestle) a bear. i need to scale the tallest mountain in the world. alone. to prove to the world. and more so. to myself. that i am. indeed. a gaint. i am. indeed. the best that this world has ever made.

i need to write stories that bring grown men to their knees.

take pictures that make grown men cry.

i need to do all these things. to prove to the world. to prove to myself. that i am real. that i am the best. that i was worth the wait.

i know that when i'm sober. this will probably seem less brilliant that it does now.

but either way. it is what it is.

i am what i am.

and fuck people who say you shouldn't write when under the influence.

they've never felt true brilliance. not a day in their life.

frozen toothpaste.

No More Hand Drawn

2005-07-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

this email was submitted to animated-news.com earlier today:

I am an animator at DisneyToon Studio's Australia. I have some breaking news for you: At 3pm today (Monday 25 July) the entire studio was summoned for a staff meeting in which we told by the General Manager Phil Oakes that upon completion of our next production "Cinderella 3", DisneyToon Studio's Australia will be closing down after 17 years. They have cited current business needs and production schedules as the cause. So Disney hand drawn animation now ceases to exist.

sad news. terrible day.

the corporation

2005-07-25T15:21:00.000-07:00

ok, so i just finished watching The Corporation and it was refreshing to see ray anderson, the CEO of interface, inc. he was the ONLY CEO they interviewed who actually took economical responsibility for his companys actions of his own free will and did not have to be pressured into anything by lawsuits or demonstrations.

also very interesting is that a corporation is considered "a person" because of the same amendment to the US constitution that gave freed slaves rights after the civil war, but when the world health organization tests a "corporate person" for mental disorders, "he" passes all the tests that label "him" a PSYCHOPATH... interesting... these are the people who will one day "OWN" us as a people because they can fight for and win the ability to produce, patent and OWN GENES! it's comforting to know that one day the entire population of the planet and all resources on the planet (including water) will one day be owned by a bunch of clinically-proven psychopaths! :)

beam him up...

2005-07-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

Jimmy Doohan passed away yesterday. it was sad... i'm a huge star trek fan. i ran across an article from the Seattle Times from a year ago that seemed like a really nice tribute to him so here it is.

watching:
* the corporation
* star trek: deep space nine, season 5

listening:
* charlie and the chocolate factory danny elfman is a musical genius and this new movie is AMAZING!!! :)

12 reasons...

2005-07-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

12 reasons why gay people should not be allowed to get married

1. Homosexuality is not natural, much like eyeglasses, polyester, and birth control.

2. Heterosexual marriages are valid because they produce children. Infertile couples and old people can't legally get married because the world needs more children.

3. Obviously, gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

4. Straight marriage will be less meaningful if Gay marriage is allowed, since Britney Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage was meaningful.

5. Heterosexual marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are property, blacks can't marry whites, and divorce is illegal.

6. Gay marriage should be decided by people, not the courts, because the majority-elected legislatures, not courts, have historically protected the rights of the minorities.

7. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

8. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

9. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

10. Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why single parents are forbidden to raise children.

11. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and we could never adapt to new social norms because we haven't adapted to things like cars or a longer lifespan.

12. Civil unions, providing most of the same benefits as marriage with a different name are better, because a "separate but equal" institution is always constitutional. Separate schools for African-Americans worked just as well as separate marriages for gays and lesbians will.

friends... (or not)

2005-07-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

i just saw a movie yesternight, Harry and Max. although the movie is NOT for typical movie-going audiences, it was pretty well-made and i enjoyed it. one thing that really touched me about the film was a quote from rain pheonix's character: "you were incapable of being my friend. i got on with my life, i think it's vain of you to think i'd care about you at this point." it made me realize that my "friend" rabiah is a terrible friend. and that quote made me "drop him" as a friend. i just told him on the phone 2 mins ago that i wanted nothing more to do with him. he won't get it right away cuz he's kinda dumb. and that sad thing is that he won't try to fight for the friendship... he won't try to work things out. i think that is what hurts most of all. the fact that he never really cared.

Stephen Wright

2005-07-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

ok, so i was surfing the net and i came across these quotes by a guy named stephen wright, i guess he's a comedian of sorts, and i thought that they were hilarious and also words to live by. they reminded me of one of my other fave comedians, mitch hedburg :) figured i'd share...

Wisdom of Stephen Wright

here are a few -isms to get you stared

* I planted some birdseed. A bird came up. Now I don't know what to feed it.
* I went to San Francisco. I found someone's heart. Now what?
* What is a "free" gift? Aren't all gifts free?
* They told me I was gullible......and I believed them.
* Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone.
* What if there were no hypothetical questions?
* One nice thing about egotists. They don't talk about other people.
* When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to look like a nail.
* What was the greatest thing before sliced bread?
* Is there is another word for synonym?
* Is it possible to be totally partial?
* What's another word for thesaurus?
* If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales?
* Is it my imagination, or do buffalo wings taste a lot like chicken?
and one of my faves:
* Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to merge his car onto a freeway.

i'm the next Da Vinci

2005-07-17T20:04:00.000-07:00

sunny day

blythe danner... YOU ROCK!!!

2005-07-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

so, the 57th annual primetime emmy award nominations have been announced and the complete list is below, BUT before you read it, check this out: BLYTHE DANNER (gwyneth paltrow's mom, meet the fockers) GOT 3 NOMS!!!! the woman is amazing!! she's nominated as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie for Back When We Were Grownups, as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Huff, and as Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for Will and Grace.

some fun facts about the nominations:

A total of 434 separate nominations in 88 categories and areas, compiled by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP, were distributed as follows:

HBO - 93
CBS - 59
NBC - 54
ABC - 51
FOX - 49
PBS - 23
Showtime - 17
A&E - 10
FX & TNT - 8
SCI FI - 7
USA - 6
Bravo, Discovery Channel, Comedy Central - 5
History Channel & Cartoon Network - 4
UPN, Lifetime & Nickelodeon - 3
Animal Planet, BBC America & The WB - 2
IFC, MTV, TCM, Disney Channel, Hallmark & ESPN - 1

*************
16 noms - The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, Warm Springs
15 noms - Desperate Housewives, Will & Grace
13 noms - Everybody Loves Raymond
12 noms - Lost
11 noms - Arrested Development, Deadwood, 24
10 noms - Empire Falls
8 noms - Carnivale
7 noms - Huff, 77th Annual Academy Awards, Lackawanna Blues
6 noms - American Idol, Elvis, Two and a Half Men
5 noms - The Amazing Race, House, Late Show with David Letterman, Broadway: The American Musical, The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad - Opening Ceremony, MADtv, Six Feet Under, Survivor, The West Wing

4 noms - Alias, CSI, Death in Gaza, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Faith of my Fathers, Nip/Tuck, Scrubs, The Wool Cap

3 noms - The Apprentice, Da Ali G Show, Entourage, ER, The 4400, Grey's Anatomy, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Lost Prince, Malcolm in the Middle, Reefer Madness, Enterprise, The Simpsons, That 70's Show

2 noms - Back When We Were Grownups, Boston Legal, A Christmas Carol, The Contender, Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, The 47th Annual Grammy Awards, The Grid, Law & Order: SVU, Monk, The Office Special, Our Fathers, Penn & Teller: Bullsh!t, Pride, Real Time with Bill Maher, Revelations, Rescue Me, The Shield, Stargate: Atlantis, The 58th Annual Tony Awards, Their Eyes Were Watching God

*************
The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Award Nominations:
SEMI-COMPLETE LIST

Drama Series: Deadwood, HBO; Lost, ABC; Six Feet Under, HBO; 24, Fox; The West Wing, NBC.

Comedy Series: Arrested Development, Fox; Desperate Housewives, ABC; Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS; Scrubs, NBC; Will & Grace, NBC.

Miniseries: Elvis, CBS; Empire Falls, HBO; The 4400, USA; The Lost Prince (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS.

Made-for-TV Movie: Lackawanna Blues, HBO; The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, HBO; The Office Special, BBC America; Warm Springs, HBO; The Wool Cap, TNT.

Reality Program: Antiques Roadshow, PBS; Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ABC; Penn & Teller: Bulls--t! Showtime; Project Greenlight, Bravo; Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Bravo.

Reality-Competition Program: The Amazing Race, CBS; American Idol, Fox; The Apprentice, NBC; Project Runway, Bravo; Survivor, CBS.

Variety, Music or Comedy Series: Da Ali G Show, HBO; The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Comedy Central; Late Night With Conan O'Brien, NBC; Late Show With David Letterman, CBS; Real Time With Bill Maher, HBO.

Variety, Music or Comedy Special: 77th Annual Academy Awards, ABC; Dave Chappelle: For What It's Worth, Showtime; Everybody Loves Raymond--The Last Laugh, CBS; The Games of The XXVIII Olympiad--Opening Ceremony, NBC; 58th Annual Tony Awards (2004), CBS.

Actor, Drama Series: James Spader, Boston Legal, ABC; Ian McShane, Deadwood, HBO; Hugh Laurie, House, Fox; Hank Azaria, Huff, Showtime; Kiefer Sutherland, 24, Fox.

Actress, Drama Series: Jennifer Garner, Alias, ABC; Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC; Patricia Arquette, Medium, NBC; Glenn Close, The Shield, FX; Frances Conroy, Six Feet Under, HBO.

Supporting Actor, Drama Series: William Shatner, Boston Legal, ABC; Oliver Platt, Huff, Showtime; Naveen Andrews, Lost, ABC; Terry O'Quinn, Lost, ABC; Alan Alda, The West Wing, NBC.

Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Blythe Danner, Huff, Showtime; Tyne Daly, Judging Amy, CBS; CCH Pounder, The Shield, FX; Stockard Channing, The West Wing, NBC.

Actor, Comedy Series: Jason Bateman, Arrested Development, Fox; Ray Romano, Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS; Tony Shalhoub, Monk, USA; Zach Braff, Scrubs, NBC; Eric McCormack, Will & Grace, NBC.

Actress, Comedy Series: Marcia Cross, Desperate Housewives, ABC; Teri Hatcher, Desperate Housewives, ABC; Felicity Huffman, Desperate Housewives, ABC; Patricia Heaton, Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS; Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle, Fox.

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Jeffrey Tambor, Arrested Development, Fox; Jeremy Piven, Entourage, HBO; Peter Boyle, Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS; Brad Garrett, Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS; Sean Hayes, Will & Grace, NBC.

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Jessica Walter, Arrested Development, Fox; Doris Roberts, Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS; Holland Taylor, Two and a Half Men, CBS; Conchata Ferrell, Two and a Half Men, CBS; Megan Mullally, Will & Grace, NBC.

Actor, Miniseries or a Movie: Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Elvis, CBS; Ed Harris, Empire Falls, HBO; Geoffrey Rush, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, HBO; Kenneth Branagh, Warm Springs, HBO; William H. Macy, The Wool Cap, TNT.

Actress, Miniseries or a Movie: Blythe Danner, Back When We Were Grownups (Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation), CBS; Debra Winger, Dawn Anna, Lifetime Television; S. Epatha Merkerson, Lackawanna Blues, HBO; Halle Berry, Their Eyes Were Watching God, ABC; Cynthia Nixon, Warm Springs, HBO.

Supporting Actor, Miniseries or a Movie: Randy Quaid, Elvis, CBS; Paul Newman, Empire Falls, HBO; Philip Seymour Hoffman, Empire Falls, HBO; Christopher Plummer, Our Fathers, Showtime; Brian Dennehy, Our Fathers, Showtime.

Supporting Actress, Miniseries or a Movie: Camryn Manheim, Elvis, CBS; Joanne Woodward, Empire Falls, HBO; Charlize Theron, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, HBO; Jane Alexander, Warm Springs, HBO; Kathy Bates, Warm Springs, HBO.

Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: Fred Willard, Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS; Victor Garber, Will & Grace, NBC; Jeff Goldblum, Will & Grace, NBC; Bobby Cannavale, Will & Grace, NBC; Alec Baldwin, Will & Grace, NBC.

Guest Actor, Drama Series: Red Buttons, ER, NBC; Ray Liotta, ER, NBC; Ossie Davis, The L Word, Showtime; Charles Durning, NCIS, CBS; Martin Landau, Without A Trace, CBS.

Guest Actress, Comedy Series: Kathryn Joosten, Desperate Housewives, ABC; Lupe Ontiveros, Desperate Housewives, ABC; Georgia Engel, Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS; Cloris Leachman, Malcolm in the Middle, Fox; Blythe Danner, Will & Grace, NBC.

Guest Actress, Drama Series: Swoosie Kurtz, Huff, Showtime; Cloris Leachman, Joan of Arcadia, CBS; Amanda Plummer, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC; Angela Lansbury, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit/Trial By Jury, NBC; Jill Clayburgh, Nip/Tuck, FX.

Individual Performance, Variety or Music Program: Jon Stewart, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Comedy Central; Jay Leno, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, NBC; Hugh Jackman, The 58th Annual Tony Awards, CBS; Tracey Ullman, Tracey Ullman Live & Exposed, HBO; Whoopi Goldberg, Whoopi Back to Broadway--The 20th Anniversary, HBO.

Animated Program (One Hour or Less) : Family Guy, Fox; Samurai Jack, Cartoon Network; The Simpsons, Fox; South Park, Comedy Central; SpongeBob SquarePants, Nickelodeon.

Animated Program (One Hour Or More) : Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real, Animal Planet; Star Wars Clone Wars Vol. 2, Cartoon Network.

Commercial: Applause, Budweiser; Drink Up, Aquafina; Glen, Starbucks Doubleshot; The One Campaign, One.org; Surprise Dinner, Ameriquest Mortgage.

Costumes for a Series: Alias, ABC; Carnivale, HBO; Deadwood, HBO; Desperate Housewives, ABC; Six Feet Under, HBO.

Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special: Conquest of America: The Southwest, The History Channel; Elvis, CBS; The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, HBO; The Lost Prince (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; Warm Springs, HBO.

Directing for a Comedy Series: Desperate Housewives, ABC; Entourage, HBO; Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS; Monk, USA; Will & Grace, NBC.

Directing for a Drama Series: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS; Deadwood, HBO; Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Huff, Showtime; Lost, ABC; Rescue Me, FX; The West Wing, NBC.

Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program: 77th Annual Academy Awards, ABC; Da Ali G Show, HBO; The Daily Show With Jon Stewart:, Comedy Central; The Games Of The XXVIII Olympiad--Opening Ceremony, NBC; Late Show With David Letterman, CBS.

Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special: Empire Falls, HBO; Lackawanna Blues, HBO; The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, HBO; Warm Springs, HBO.

Directing for Nonfiction Programming: American Idol, Fox; The Apprentice, NBC; Death In Gaza, HBO; Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ABC; Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson, PBS.

Hairstyling for a Series: Alias, ABC; American Dreams, NBC; Carnivale, HBO; Deadwood, HBO; MADtv, Fox; Star Trek: Enterprise, UPN.

Hairstyling for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special: Lackawanna Blues, HBO; The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, HBO; Their Eyes Were Watching God, ABC; Tracey Ullman Live & Exposed, HBO; Warm Springs, HBO.

Main Title Design: Desperate Housewives, ABC; The Grid, TNT; House, Fox; Huff, Showtime; The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, HBO.

Makeup for a Series (Non-Prosthetic) : Carnivale, HBO; CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS; Deadwood, HBO; MADtv: Episode 1004, Fox; Nip/Tuck, FX.

Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Non-Prosthetic) : Frankenstein, Hallmark; Lackawanna Blues, HBO; Reefer Madness, Showtime; Revelations: Part 1, NBC; Warm Springs, HBO.

Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie or a Special: Carnivale, HBO; The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, HBO; MADtv, Fox; Nip/Tuck, FX; Star Trek: Enterprise, UPN.

Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) : Carnivale, HBO; House, Fox; Lost, ABC; The Simpsons, Fox; 24, Fox.

Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Dramatic Underscore): Miracle Run, Lifetime Television; Pride, A&E; Revelations: Part 1, NBC; Salem's Lot, TNT; Sometimes in April, HBO; Warm Springs, HBO.

Music Direction: Broadway: The American Musical, PBS; Christmas in Washington, TNT; Genius: A Night for Ray Charles, CBS; The Little Prince (Great Performances), PBS.
Music And Lyrics: Malcolm in the Middle ("The Marriage Bed"), Fox; The Muppets' Wizard of Oz ("I'm With You"), ABC; Reefer Madness ("Mary Jane/Mary Lane"), Showtime; The Simpsons ("Always My Dad"), Fox; Terror at Home: Domestic Violence in America ("The Tears of the Angels"), Lifetime Television.

Main Title Theme Music: Desperate Housewives, ABC; Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Cartoon Network; Huff, Showtime; Justice League Unlimited, Cartoon Network; Stargate Atlantis, Sci Fi.

Children's Program: Classical Baby, HBO; Nick News With Linda Ellerbee: Never Again? From the Holocaust to the Sudan, Nickelodeon; Pride, A&E; That's So Raven, Disney Channel; Zoey 101, Nickelodeon.

Nonfiction Special: Beyond the Da Vinci Code, The History Channel; Cary Grant: A Class Apart, TCM; Inside the Actors Studio: 10th Anniversary Special, Bravo; Live From New York: The First Five Years of Saturday Night Live, NBC; Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson, PBS.

Nonfiction Series: Biography, A&E; Broadway: The American Musical, PBS; Cold Case Files, A&E; Dinner for Five, IFC; Inside the Actors Studio, Bravo.

Writing for Nonfiction Programming: Beyond the Da Vinci Code, The History Channel; Broadway: The American Musical, PBS; Death in Gaza, HBO; Penn & Teller: Bulls--t!, Showtime; Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson, PBS.

Special Visual Effects for a Series: Battlestar Galactica, Sci Fi; Battlestar Galactica, Sci Fi; Lost, ABC; Stargate Atlantis: Rising, Sci Fi; Stargate-SG1, Sci Fi.

Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special: Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real, Animal Planet; Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, Sci Fi; Legend of Earthsea, Sci Fi; The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, HBO; Supervolcano, Discovery Channel.

Stunt Coordination: Alias, ABC; ER, NBC; The Last Ride, USA; Star Trek: Enterprise, UPN; 24, Fox.

Writing for a Comedy Series: Arrested Development ("Sad Sack"), Fox; Arrested Development ("Sword of Destiny"), Fox; Arrested Development ("The Righteous Brothers"), Fox; Desperate Housewivest ("Pilot"), ABC; Everybody Loves Raymond ("Finale"), CBS.

Writing for a Drama Series: House ("Three Stories"), Fox; Lost ("Pilot"), ABC; Lost ("Walkabout"), ABC; Rescue Me ("Pilot"), FX; The Wire ("Middle Ground"), HBO.

Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program: Da Ali G Show, HBO; The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Comedy Central; Late Night With Conan O'Brien, NBC; Late Show With David Letterman, CBS; Real Time With Bill Maher, HBO.

Writing for a Miniseries Movie or a Dramatic Special: Empire Falls, HBO; The 4400, USA; The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, HBO; The Office Special, BBC America; Warm Springs, HBO.

he-man DVD artwork!

2005-07-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

everyday, it's a getting closer, rollin faster than a roller coaster, love like yours will surely come my way!

watching:
* a wrinkle in time
* he-man and the masters of the universe (on cartoon network)
* he-man and she-ra: the secret of the sword (i actually own this one on VHS, it's hard to find, but apparently, you can get it on DVD now too)
* masters of the universe (so bad, yet... can't... stop... watching...!)

reading:
* masters of the univers: to tempt the gods (i found these three comics in the DOLLAR! bin of a comic store about a year ago and snatched them up... with the series coming out soon, i figured it was a good time to re-read them! :)

SaveDisney Timeline

2005-07-14T16:44:00.000-07:00

Year
* 1966 - Dec 15, 1966 - Walter Elias Disney dies of cancer

* 1967 - Roy E. Disney becomes Director

* 1971 - Oct 1, 1971 - Walt Disney World opens in Orlando, FL
- Dec 20, 1971 - Roy O. Disney dies

* 1977 - Roy E. Disney resigns as officer of the company, but remains on the Board of Directors

* 1978 - Disney licenses cartoon compilations to MCA's DiscoVision - first Disney videos

* 1980 - Ron Miller (husband of Diane Disney Miller) becomes President
* 1980 - Walt Disney Home Video launched
* 1980 - First animated classic released on video for rental, Dumbo

* 1982 - Epcot Center opens in Orlando, FL
* 1982 - Walt Disney's heirs sell name/likeness of Walt to Walt Disney Productions
* 1982 - TRON, first CGI feature released

* 1983 - Tokyo Disneyland opens
* 1983 - Disney Channel launched

* 1984 - Mar 1984 - Roy Disney resigns as Director
* 1984 - Touchstone Pictures launched with Splash (under Miller)
* 1984 - Saul Steinberg attempts hostile takeover
* 1984 - Roy Disney, Stanley Gold and others bring about fundamental management changes at WDC that result in Ron Miller (husband of Diane Disney Miller) being replaced by Frank Wells (President) and Michael Eisner (CEO)
* 1984 - Roy Disney heads Animation Department
* 1984 - Jeffrey Katzenberg heads Film Division

* 1985 - Pinocchio released on home video (sell-through video program launched)
* 1985 - Peter Schneider joins Disney as VP of Feature Animation
* 1985 - TV Animation Division launched - first low budget Disney animation produced overseas

* 1986 - Company changes name from Walt Disney Productions to The Walt Disney Company
* 1986 - Jay Rasulo joins Strategic Planning group
* 1986 - Disneyland's Adventure Thru Inner Space closed
* 1986 - Last time Song of the South was released in theatres in North America
* 1986 - Studio releases its first R rated film (Down and Out in Beverly Hills)
* 1986 - The Mickey and Donald Show launched in China
* 1986 - Walt Disney's Golden Horseshoe Revue at Disneyland goes dark after 31 years of continuous performances

* 1987 - Duck Tales premieres, first low budget TV animation series with classic Disney characters
* 1987 - Disney Stores Launched
* 1987 - Paul Pressler joins consumer products division

* 1988 - Peter Murphy joins Strategic Planning group
* 1988 - Tom Schumacher joins as producer of Rescuers Down Under (1990)

* 1989 - David Stainton joins Strategic Planning group
* 1989 - The Little Mermaid released, returning Disney to its roots
* 1989 - Disney/MGM Studios opens in Orlando, FL
* 1989 - Disney announces intention to buy Jim Henson Productions and The Muppets

* 1990 - May - Jim Henson dies, Muppets deal falls through
* 1990 - Tom Staggs joins Strategic Planning group
* 1990 - Eisner announces The Disney Decade, an ambitious expansion plan later abandoned
* 1990 - Duck Tales: The Movie released, first low budget feature from TV Animation group

* 1991 - Beauty and the Beast nominated for Best Picture Oscar
* 1991 - March - Howard Ashman, lyricist, co-producer of Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin dies
* 1991 - March - Peggy Lee awarded $3 million for Lady and the Tramp royalties after suing Disney
* 1991 - David Stainton moves from Strategic Planning to Creative Affairs - Feature Animation
* 1991 - Slesinger family files suit over Winnie the Pooh video sales

* 1992 - Peter Schneider becomes President of Feature Animation
* 1992 - Disney announces layoffs of 300 to 400 at Imagineering
* 1992 - Tom Schumacher becomes VP of Creative Affairs - Feature Animation
* 1992 - EuroDisney opens in Paris
* 1992 - Port Disney Long Beach plans abandoned

* 1993 - Purchase of Miramax Studios from Weinstein brothers
* 1993 - Purchase Anaheim Mighty Ducks Hockey Franchise
* 1993 - Sharon Morrill joins TV Animation group

* 1994 - Disney Theatrical Productions goes to Broadway with Beauty and the Beast
* Apr 1994 - Frank Wells dies in helicopter crash on Easter Sunday
* May 1994 - The Return of Jafar, first low-budget sequel from TV Animation
* Jun 1994 - The Lion King released, top grossing animation feature ever
* Jul 1994 - Jeffrey Katzenberg leaves after public clash with Eisner
* Jul 1994 - Eisner undergoes quadruple bypass surgery
* Aug 1994 - Joe Roth joins as Chairman of Walt Disney Motion Picture Group, replacing Katzenberg
* Sep 1994 - Disney lays off 50 Imagineering staff
* Sep 1994 - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea closes at Walt Disney World with no replacement
* 1994 - Bob Iger named ABC's President and COO (prior to merger)
* 1994 - Paul Pressler named President of Disneyland Resort
* 1994 - Disneyland Skyway ride closed with no replacement
* 1994 - Prince Alwaleed invests in EuroDisney (bails out failing investment)
* 1994 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs released on home video, leaving only Song of the South unreleased on video domestically
* 1994 - EuroDisney renamed Disneyland Paris
* 1994 - Disney's America plans abandoned after controversy

* Mar 1995 - Indiana Jones Adventure opens (last E-ticket to open at Disneyland)
* 1995 - George Mitchell joins Board of Directors
* 1995 - Disney Development Company merged into Walt Disney Imagineering
* 1995 - Disneyland PeopleMover closed
* 1995 - Pocahontas begins downward trend in Disney's Animated Features
* Oct 1995 - Michael Ovitz hired as President
* Nov 1995 - Toy Story released, first Pixar film

* Feb 1996 - Purchase of Capital Cities/ABC for $19 billion; Largest media merger in history to the point and the second largest sum of money ever paid for a U.S. company
* Apr 1996 - Joe Roth becomes Chairman of Walt Disney Studios
* 1996 - Stephen Bollenbach (CFO) leaves after one year
* 1996 - DreamQuest acquisition (digital FX studio)
* 1996 - Southern Baptists call for boycott of Walt Disney Company
* 1996 - Purchase Anaheim Angels Baseball Franchise
* 1996 - Disneyland's Main Street Electrical Parade "Glows Away Forever", resulting in capacity crowds

* Jan 1997 - Michael Ovitz leaves after public clash with Eisner and approx $100 million severance package
* 1997 - Knight Ridder purchases Capital City newspapers (Kansas City Star, Forth Worth Star-Telegram, Wilkes Barre Times Leader, Belleville News-Democrat) for $1.65 billion
* 1997 - McKinsey consultants brought in to "improve" Disneyland operations
* 1997 - Disneyland's $30m Light Magic replaces Electrical Parade, closes first summer of operation
* 1997 - Disney Board of Directors named "worst in America" by BusinessWeek for the first time

* Apr 1998 - Toon Disney launched
* Apr 1998 - Animal Kingdom opens in Orlando, FL
* May 1998 - Retooled Tomorrowland reopens at Disneyland, plagued by budget cuts
* May 1998 - Peter Murphy becomes Chief Strategic Officer
* 1998 - Geraldine Laybourne (ABC/Cable President) leaves after two years
* 1998 - Paul Pressler promoted to President of Disney Theme Parks, replaced by Cynthia Harriss at Disneyland
* 1998 - Disney Channel pushes Walt Disney era programs into Vault Disney late night slot
* 1998 - Tom Staggs becomes CFO
* 1998 - Bob Iger become President of Walt Disney International
* 1998 - Judith Estrin joins Board of Directors
* 1998 - Jay Rasulo moves from Regional Entertainment to head EuroDisney
* 1998 - Disney buys out remaining Winnie-the-Pooh rights from Milne heirs
* 1998 - Clinton signs bill to extend copyrights an additional 20 years (Mickey Mouse)
* Sep 1998 - Disneyland Submarine Voyage closed with no replacement
* Dec 24, 1998 - visitor fatally injured and employee seriously injured while waiting to board Columbia sailing ship at Disneyland

* 1999 - Fairchild Publications (W, Jane, and Women's Wear Daily) is sold to Advance Publications
* 1999 - Peter Schneider becomes President of Film Division, to be replaced as Feature Animation President by Tom Schumacher
* 1999 - Completion of Infoseek acquisition
* 1999 - Hong Kong Disneyland announced as venture between Disney and Hong Kong government
* Jul 1999 - Katzenberg lawsuit regarding future profit participation settled for $275 million
* Oct 1999 - Club Disney closes five regional centers
* Nov 1999 - ESPN Stores close
* Nov 1999 - DreamQuest folded into Secret Lab (FX for live action & CGI animation films)

* Jan 2000 - Disney Channel moves from Premium to Basic cable, begins format change
* Jan 2000 - Bob Iger becomes President & COO of Disney, also becomes Director
* Jan 2000 - Joe Roth (WD Studios Chairman) leaves Disney after six years
* Feb 2000 - Disney announces closure of Toronto and Vancouver Animation Studios
* May 2000 - Dinosaur, first in-house CGI animated feature released
* Sep 2000 - Disneyland Rocket Rods closed after only 2 years of operation
* 2000 - Zenia Mucha joins ABC
* 2000 - Disney Studios Paris park opens
* 2000-2003 - Roy & Stanley struggle for years to try to make management more accountable, focus on developing a succession plan and ensure independent and informed decision making in the Board Room

* Jan 2001 - Go.com shuttered, WD Internet Group folded back into company- 400 layoffs
* Feb 2001 - Disney's California Adventure opens as second gate in Anaheim, CA
* Mar 2001 - Disney announces layoff/buyout of 4,000 jobs company wide (3,000 take the buyout deal)
* Apr 2001 - Disney announces restructuring of Animation, approx 300 in Burbank to be laid off, 30%-50% salary cut for those that remain
* Jun 2001 - Peter Schneider leaves Disney after Pearl Harbor and Atlantis fall short of expectation
* Jun 2001 - Disney lays off 1,000 company wide (final phase of 4,000 layoff for those who didn't take buyout deal)
* Sep 2001 - Disneyland Country Bear Jamboree closed, even as movie version was in production
* Oct 2001 - Secret Lab closed (Disney's in-house CGI facility)
* Fall 2001 - Acquisition of Fox Family Channel for $5.3 billion, Murdoch laughs
* 2001 - Disneyland's Electrical Parade returns to DCA ("Forever" is not such a long time)
* 2001 - Tokyo DisneySea (funded by Oriental Land Company) opens
* 2001 - Japan Disney Stores sold to Oriental Land Company
* 2001 - DisneyQuest Chicago (regional game center) closes, plans for Philadelphia and Anaheim are abandoned

* Feb 2002 - David Stainton becomes President of TV Animation
* Mar 2002 - Disney Feature Animation announces 256 jobs to be cut
* Sep 2002 - Paul Pressler leaves Disney to join The Gap, replaced by Jay Rasulo as President of Disney Theme Parks
* Sep 2002 - Disney Channel cancels Vault Disney (last remains of Walt Disney's shows)
* Dec 2002 - George Mitchell becomes Presiding Director
* 2002 - Zenia Mucha promoted to Sr. VP Corporate Communications
* 2002 - Disney strikes agreement with Shanghai government to explore second China park
* 2002 - Disney Stores announce reorganization into Disney Home and Disney Play concepts, never materializes
* 2002 - Disney-branded VISA card offered on spec date

* Jan 2003 - David Stainton becomes President of Feature Animation, replacing Tom Schumacher
* Feb 2003 - Andrea Van de Kamp voted off Disney Board for voicing opposition to Eisner
* Mar 2003 - Disney Stores in Australia close
* Apr 2003 - Sell Anaheim Angels Baseball Franchise
* May 2003 - Announcement that remaining 350 Disney Stores will be sold
* 2003 - Walt Disney Animation Japan studio closure announced, 103 jobs lost
* 2003 - Walt Disney Animation Paris studio closed
* Sep 5- 1 death and 10 injuries on Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain
* Oct 14 - Cynthia Harriss resigns as President of Disneyland, replaced by Matt Ouimet
* Nov 26 - Roy learns he will not be entered on the slate of Directors for next election
* Nov 30 - Roy issues letter of resignation from the WDC Board, publicly marking his split from Eisner and other Board Members
* Dec 1 - Stanley Gold Resigns from WDC Board
* Dec 5 - Roy and Stanley launch SaveDisney website which posts resignation letters and offers opportunity to email to Roy and Stan

* Jan 9, 2004 - New improved SaveDisney website launched, allowing supporters to register and receive Walt Quotes and bumper stickers
* Jan 12 - Announcement that Florida animation department will be closed, 258 jobs cut
* Jan 27 - Roy and Stan make public their decision to Vote No on the re-election of 4 key Directors - Eisner, Mitchell, Bryson and Estrin
* Jan 29 - Pixar breaks off talks with Disney regarding partnership
* Feb 6 - Stanley appears on Kudlow & Cramer to discuss No Vote
* Feb 11 - Comcast announces its hostile bid for Disney, stock price jumps nearly 15%
* Feb 11 - Institutional Shareholder Services (Proxy Advisor) advocates a Withhold vote on Michael Eisner
* Feb 12 - SaveDisney announces it's March 2nd rally in Philadelphia, to be held one day prior to Annual Shareholder Meeting
* Feb 17 - Disney announces deal to buy Muppets and Bear in the Blue House
* Feb 25 - Glass Lewis & Co.(Proxy Advisor) advocates a Withhold vote on Eisner and Mitchell
* Feb 25 - Calpers, Calsters, and other large investors begin to publicly endorse a No Vote on Eisner
* all of Feb - Concerted push by Roy, Stanley, entire Shamrock and SaveDisney family to woo investors to Vote No on key directors
* Mar 2 - SaveDisney Rally in Philadelphia draws 800 people to briefing and cocktail reception to discuss problems and needed changes
* Mar 3 - Disney annual shareholder meeting in Philadelphia - 5 1/2 hour contentious meeting where Roy/Stan met with thunderous applause - preliminary results show Eisner withhold vote 43%, Mitchell withhold vote 24%
* Mar 3 - Hours after annual meeting, Board announces Eisner will be replaced as Chairman of the Board by George Mitchell
* Mar 24 - SaveDisney lawyers request results of Disney 401(k) voting but Disney stalls and refuses
* Mar 29 - Judge dismisses case against Disney re: Winnie the Pooh rights
* Apr 2 - Last hand drawn animated feature released, Home on the Range
* Apr 4 - Second accident at Disneyland Big Thunder Mountain (riderless)
* Apr 15 - Final results of Proxy Voting show 45.37% of shares voted to withhold from Eisner and 25.69% voted to withhold from Mitchell
* Apr 19 - SaveDisney learns actual results of Disney 401(k) proxy voting. Final numbers - 72.5% of 401(k) shares voted withhold vote from Eisner, and 63.7% withhold from Mitchell
* Apr 20 - ABC Management Shakeup, Reshuffling of Personnel with a few going away altogether
* Apr 24 - Disney Board holds weekend retreat to discuss succession planning issues
* Apr 26 - Disney Board holds first Board meeting since March 3rd in Philadelphia
* Apr 26 - Eisner makes Forbes' list of worst CEOs in America
* Apr 28 - Comcast officially drops its bid for Disney
* May 3 - Stan/Roy announce alternate slate will be proposed next year if current board does not face issues
* May 3 - Stan speaks to 'Society of American Business Editors and Writers, Inc'. at Annual Conference, advocates proficiency test for directors
* May 5 - Controversy over Michael Moore film erupts between Disney/Miramax
* May 5 - Twilight Zone Tower of Terror opens at DCA but fails to draw crowds as expected
* Jun 9 - Sr. VP Sharon Morrill becomes President of DisneyToon Studios (direct to video animation)
* Jun 23 - Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 opens nationwide after distribution controversy between Miramax's Harvey Weinstein and Michael Eisner
* Jul 8 - Another accident on Disneyland's Big Thunder Railroad injures three -- Employee error, faulty track system blamed
* August 9 - Donald Duck receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
* Sep 8 - Animator Frank Thomas, one of Walt's "Nine Old Men," dies at age 92
* Sep 9 - Michael Eisner announces he will resign at the end of his contract in Sept. 2006
* Sep 13 - Roy and Stanley send letter to the Board asking for worldwide search for a suitable replacement to commence immediately, with Eisner to leave Disney organization by 2005 Annual Meeting
* Sep 21 - Board announces search for new CEO should be completed by June 2005, Iger only internal candidate
* Sep 28 - Roy and Stanley cautiously acknowledge that Board is on the right track by hiring search firm
* Oct 5 - Family of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad victim files suit against Disney
* Oct 18 - Disney shareholder lawsuit over Michael Ovitz's $140 million severance package goes to trial
* Oct 25 - Disney announces that Heidrick & Struggles engaged to find new CEO
* Nov 19 - Proposal by Frank Wierenga to keep a Disney heir on the Disney board
* Dec 1 - Fred Langhammer elected by Board as new independent director
* Dec 3 - Roy & Stan announce 'No Alternate Slate' will be run
* Dec 29 - SEC announces Disney can omit from proxy the proposal allowing investors to nominate candidates to the company's board

* Jan 3, 2005 - SaveDisney upgrades website yet again
* Jan 31 - "Dream on, Silly Dreamer," a documentary on the demise of traditional animation at Disney, premieres at Animex Film Festival
* Feb 8 - Roy Disney and Stanley Gold make public their withhold vote for all Directors at this year's meeting
* Feb 9 - "DisneyWar" by James Stewart hits shelves, book details scandals of Eisner-led management
* Feb 10 - "Dream On, Silly Dreamer" screens for shareholders prior to Disney meeting in Minneapolis
* Feb 11 - Disney Annual Meeting held in chilly Minneapolis - Roy and Stan attend, do not speak
* Mar 10 - Roy & Stanley openly criticize CEO search process, horrified to find Eisner involved in candidate interviews, issue Open Letter to the Board
* Mar 13 - Disney announces Robert Iger to Replace Eisner as CEO, Eisner to step down Sept 30, 2005
* May 9 - Roy Disney, Stanley Gold sue The Walt Disney Company, certain Directors for fraud, breach of duty of disclosure regarding Board's public statements about search for Eisner's replacement as CEO
* Jun 6 - Delaware Chancery Court allows lawsuit filed by Roy Disney and Stanley Gold to void 2005 election of Walt Disney Company Directors to go forward
* Jun 13 - A 4 year old child dies after riding Mission: Space at EPCOT
* Jun 22 - Southern Baptists call for end to boycott of Walt Disney Company
* Jul 8 - Joint statement from The Walt Disney Company and Roy E. Disney and Stanley P. Gold announces that they have agreed to put aside their differences

the end

2005-07-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

A Message from Roy E. Disney...
To all the faithful visitors to our site here at SaveDisney:

July 14, 2005 - First of all, please accept my most sincere thanks for your faith and trust in us, and for sticking with us through thick and thin during this campaign. You have been our biggest help in the tough times, and the good times... and there is no way to say "thank-you" any more sincerely than I do now.

It's been a while since last I wrote to you about how much nicer Disneyland has been looking lately, and as you probably know, a lot has happened in that time... maybe the single most important thing being that we here at SaveDisney have come to an agreement with the new management at the Walt Disney Company regarding our mutual relationship.

Accordingly, on August 7th, we will permanently close down this website... with regrets, of course, but also with the satisfaction that it has served its purpose... to inform and educate all of you about the future of the Disney legacy.

One result, which pleases me personally, and my family (which has endured these months alongside me), and of course Stanley Gold and many others here at Shamrock, is that I have been asked to rejoin the Company, as a Consultant, and as Director Emeritus, and to take part in whatever way I can help as a part of the Company, its art and its business. It is my intent to fully be a part of the Company again, to the best of my ability, and I can never fully describe what a joy it is that I will soon be re-connecting with so many friends - - from my past, from my present, and from my future.

There is so much more that can not be addressed here, but there are plenty of encouraging signs toward the future vision of the Walt Disney Company, visions that we share and have shared through these difficult times.

So for the moment, let me thank each of you and all of you for sharing your emotions and your ideas and your passion for what my Father and Uncle Walt created. Join with us as we enter into this new era, and its promise for a "great big, beautiful tomorrow."

On a purely personal note, I only hope than I can come close to living up to all your hopes and dreams, and maybe even play a part in creating some new dreams!

"What A Mess!" - disney's new musical!

2005-07-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

As i was reading jim hill media i came across information regarding Walt Disney Theatrical's newest musical to hit broadway. You may or may not have already heard the news about how Disney Theatrical plans on bringing "Tarzan" to Broadway next season. But the big question is: Where?

As of yesterday, this production -- which is to be directed & designed by Bob Crowley (the same gentleman who directed & designed Disney's "Aida," as well as the recently opened London production of the "Mary Poppins" stage musical) -- doesn't actually have a home to call its own on the Great White Way. All that Disney's PR flaks would say at this point was that "Tarzan" would be swinging into " ... a theatre to be announced."

Ah, but behind the scenes, a lot of people are talking. Not just about where "Tarzan" expects to land. But also where Disney Theatrical expects to place the two other Broadway-bound shows that this division of the Mouse House currently has on its schedule and/or in serious development.

First up -- of course -- is "Tarzan." Which current scuttlebutt suggests that this show (following an eight-week-long out-of-town try-out in Boston) will eventually be setting up shop in the Richard Rodgers Theatre on 46th Street. Opening (not-so-co-incidentally) just in time to qualify for next year's Tonys.

Now where this gets interesting is that the Richard Rodgers is currently occupied by "Movin' Out," the Tony Award winning Twyla Tharp dance extravaganza that's based on the song catalog of Billy Joel. And -- as of this date, anyway -- no one associated with that production has said anything to suggest that that show is soon slated to shutter.

That said, there has still been an awful lot of talk lately about how "Movin' Out" will be moving out of the Rodgers no later than January 1st. How Disney Theatrical now supposedly has a handshake deal with the Nederlander Organization (I.E. The folks who actually owns & operates this Broadway house). Which will then allow the Mouse's tech team enough time to make $10 milllion worth of "improvements" to the theatre's interior. Repairs and renovations that are said to be absolutely essential, given the amount of flying & vine swinging that's going to occur in "Tarzan."

Speaking of which ... How exactly does Disney Theatrical plan on recreating all of that tree surfing & vine hanging that made the company's 1999 animated version of "Tarzan" so memorable? Particularly inside of a Broadway theatre?

The answer lies with Pichon Baldinu of De La Guarda fame. Disney has hired Baldinu to handle what "Tarzan"'s production team is euphamistically calling "aerial movement." But -- believe you me, folks -- what the Mouse has in mind here is NOT the "Flying by Foy" wirework that Cathy Rigby typically does.

Trust me, people. Go check out the De La Guarda website. Then you'll actually get a sense of the sort of aerial assault "Tarzan" audience members can expect next year. Particularly when they sit in the orchestra section.

Anyway ... Given that "Tarzan" 's creative team recently held auditions for this show at the 37th Street Theatre, we can probably expect an official announcement of who's playing what role in this production on or about Labor Day. With preliminary rehearsals & set construction to begin sometime in the fall.

"But ... But ... But," I hear you sputter. "What about 'Mary Poppins'? I thought that that was supposed to be the next based-on-a-movie musical that Disney Theatrical would be bringing to Broadway."

Well, to be honest, Disney Company management reportedly has some rather serious concerns about this show. About whether American audiences will actually be willing to embrace the London stage version of "Poppins" (Which -- FYI -- is actually a co-production with Cameron Mackintosh), given how much that particular production departs from the well-known storyline of the much beloved 1964 Academy Award winning film.

You see, the London stage version of "Mary Poppins" hues a whole lot closer to the style & tone of P.L. Travers' original books. Which were rather dark & quirky. Which has Mouse House managers wondering whether -- in order to make this show more palatable to the tourist trade (I.E. Those nice folks who have kept the Broadway version of Disney's "Beauty & the Beast" running for over 11 years now) -- they may need to significantly lighten up the London version of this show if "Mary Poppins" is supposed to become the company's next "Lion King" -sized hit.

Speaking of which ... Another reason that "Mary Poppins" is approaching Broadway at a slower-than-expected pace is that Disney Theatrical still isn't sure which theatre it will place this production in yet. Depending on who you talk to within that orgainzation, there are all sorts of scenarios floating around right now.

One calls for "Poppins" to eventually land at the Palace Theatre. Which -- not-so-co-incidentally -- is also owned by the Nederlander Organization. Given that the Broadway versions of Disney's "Beauty & the Beast" and "Aida" both previously occupied this house, Disney Theatrical is already very familiar with the Palace. Particularly all the free publicity that a show gets when it occupies this theatre, thanks to the Palace's primo location (I.E. On the corner of Broadway & 46th St. Right at the edge of Times Square).

Of course, the only problem with that scenario is that the Palace is currently occupied by "All Shook Up," that new musical that's built around the Elvis Presley song catalog. Given that this show got fairly middling reviews when it opened back in March of this year, no one expects "All Shook Up" to still be running when 2007 rolls around. Which is supposedly when "Mary Poppins" will finally be flying into NYC to take up residence on Broadway. But you never know ...

Mind you, another supposed scenario has "The Lion King" eventually vacating the New Amsterdam, then possibly setting up shop over at the Hilton (which is currently occupied by "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang") or the Minskoff (Which that revival of "Fiddler on the Roof" which stars Harvey Fierstein is currently playing). Which would then leave the New Amsterdam available for "Mary Poppins."

Now -- as if this situation weren't already complicated enough -- let's keep in mind that Disney Theatrical recently revealed that they just approved the book that Doug Wright (I.E. The author of the Tony Award winning "I Am My Own Wife") has written for the long-in-development stage version of "The Little Mermaid." And -- given that Francesca Zambello (I.E. The woman who directed DCA's "Aladdin -- A Musical Spectacular") has already been hired to direct this musical ...

Well, one wonders -- given all the creative challenges that the Broadway version of "Mary Poppins" is reportedly currently facing -- whether "Tarzan" will be followed (in the 2006-2007 season, mind you) by "Little Mermaid." With "Mary Poppins" 's Broadway debut then getting pushed back to 2008.

Now please keep in mind that this is still a fairly fluid situation. That things can -- and will -- change. Sometimes virtually overnight. Remember, it wasn't all that long ago that Disney Theatrical announced plans to produce shows based on such Touchstone Pictures' releases as "Tin Men" and "The Dead Poets Society." And nothing ever became of these proposed shows. Or -- better yet -- how about "Hoopz," the musical that the Mouse was supposed to produce that was going to be based on the story of the Harlem Globetrotters? When's the last time you heard about anything about Disney's basketball-based musical?

More importantly, just because a new Disney Theatrical show actually goes into production doesn't automatically mean that it's then eventually going to turn up on Broadway. Don't believe me? Then ask the cast on Disney's due-to-close-on-the-road "On the Record." Or -- better yet -- talk with the cast of "Elaborate Lives: The Legend of Aida." Only two members of the original cast of the Alliance Theatre version of "Aida" (I.E. Heather Headley and Sherie Rene Scott) actually made it out of Egypt ... er ... Atlanta. The rest of the company, as well as much of the show's creative team, got sacked.

So please keep in mind that -- when it comes to theater -- there's no such thing as a sure thing. Even when you're able to put the "Disney" name on your show, that still doesn't guarantee that your show will automatically be a hit.

Speaking of the Disney name ... Did you see that announcement last week about the "Sister Act" musical? How Peter Schneider, the former head of Disney Feature Animation, will be directing and co-producing this show? More importantly, that "Mermaid/Beast/Aladdin" composer Alan Menken and his "Home on the Range" collaborator Glen Slater would be writing "Sister Act" 's score, while Cheri and Bill Steinkellner (AKA the husband & wife team behind Disney's "Teacher's Pet") will be churning out the show's book?

So let's review here: We have a new musical based on a 1992 Touchstone Pictures release. More importantly, this show is going to be directed by the former head of Disney Feature Animation and feature a book, music & lyrics that are written by lots of folks who previously worked for Disney. But did you notice that the "Disney Theatrical" name is nowhere to be seen on this project?

Well, there's a season for that. Disney Theatrical isn't actually producing this "Sister Act" musical. The Walt Disney Company (in exchange for a certain percentage of profits from this production) has agreed to license the stage rights for this Touchstone Pictures release to Mr. Schneider and his production partners, Michael Reno and Albert Poland.

Mind you, this isn't the first time that the Mouse has done this. As in: Allowed an outside production company to license the rights to a Disney-owned film so that they could then change that property into a musical for the stage. Just last year, Mickey gave the producers of the Tony Award winning "Avenue Q" the theatrical rights to "High Fidelity." You know, that March 2000 Touchstone Pictures release that starred John Cusack and Jack Black? The Stephen Fears film that was based on Nick Hornby's novel?

Then when you factor in the backing that the Walt Disney Company reportedly put into the Broadway productions of "Mamma Mia" and "Spamalot" ... Well, you can see why it's starting to get a little difficult to keep track of what exactly is a Disney Theatrical Production and what isn't.

But -- either way -- we can expect this division of the Disney corporation to really kick into gear over the next year or so. With the current plan being that Disney Theatrical will bring at least one brand new show to Broadway each year for the next three years. With the Mouse constantly keeping an eye on the market, to see if there's actually an appetite out there for this much Disney-produced theatrical product.

So what do you folks think? Is there really a large enough theatre-going audience to support a new Disney show debuting on Broadway every year for the next three seasons? Or is that just too many Mouse-based musicals?
************************************************

watching:
* the wild thornberrys movie
* hide and seek
* dinotopia: quest for the ruby sunstone

listening:
* ella fitzgerald: ella at duke's place
* madonna: bedtime stories
* hector lavoe: fania legends of salsa collection, volume 1

reading:
* same as before (slow reading week) :)

Save Disney

2005-07-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

so, i get this email in my box:

Joint Statement from The Walt Disney Co. and Roy E. Disney and Stanley P. Gold
BURBANK, Calif. (July 8, 2005) -- The Walt Disney Company, Roy E. Disney and Stanley P. Gold announced today that they have agreed to put aside the differences that have characterized their relationship over the past several years. Messrs. Disney and Gold have agreed not to run a rival slate of directors or submit shareholder resolutions for the next five years. Messrs. Disney and Gold have also agreed to dismiss all their pending lawsuits against the Company. In reestablishing ties with him and his family, the Company has named Roy E. Disney Director Emeritus and a consultant. The Company also reaffirmed its commitment to the rotation of committee members and chairpersons on its Board committees as currently required by the Company's Corporate Governance Guidelines. In putting aside their differences, the Company noted Mr. Disney's long time devotion to the Company and welcomed the reestablishment of a relationship with him and his family. Messrs. Disney and Gold expressed confidence in Mr. Iger's leadership, and as Mr. Eisner retires after 21 years with the Company, they acknowledged his contribution to the Company over the years.

i've been a supporter of savedisney.com for a while now... i have the bumper sticker and everything! :) but with this announcement it means that roy and disney are no longer fighting... does that mean that he is going to abandon the crusade to SAVE DISNEY! was the whole site just a forum for him to create a lot of noise so that he could get back in with the company or does he really believe that things need to change. just because he is back with the company doesn't mean that everything is better... there still is a lot of work to do. i am glad that he knows where the company went wrong though...

10 years of declining performance
failing strategy
lack of executive depth
decline in working conditions and cast morale
failure of ABC network
failure of GO.com
failure of Fox (now ABC) Family network
failure of Disney Stores
failure of California Adventure theme park
failure of extending the Pixar deal

(thanks bigby)

SO,... IS roy disney selling out or does he really think that he can help make a difference as "director emeritus"?? i guess we'll just have to hold our breath, cross our fingers and see.

watching:
* todo sobre mi madre
* rock-a-doodle
* star trek: deep space nine season 5

listening:
* ella fitzgerald
* nellie mckay
* peter pan

reading:
* eragon (cuz i'm excited about eldest)
* the opal deception
* the order of the phoenix cuz it's only 5 days until half-blood prince!!!!!!!!!!!!

the garbage pail kids

2005-07-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

hey everyone...

does anyone remember the garbage pail kids? to anyone in my age group, garbage pail kids not only defined who you were, but also were a measure of your status and social standing in the elementary school community! so, i guess it's very appropriate that coming soon to DVD for a whole new generation to discover: The Garbage Pail Kids Movie!

ahhh, memories! :)

inspired by drew

2005-07-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

so, in reading my friend's blog, i realized that i often get the chance to experience movies before other people because of my family in england and because of the fact that i live in LA (a known city to endorse "pre-screenings" of films before they go out to the general U.S. public, probably because of the high quantity of "movie people" who live here, haha!) but it's not just that i get to see these films or shows first, but it's the fact that they usually are VERY good or at least have some kind of potential and i NEVER blog about them! :) so starting now, i'm gonna start blogging about these shows and movies!! i'm also gonna start listing what i'm currently reading, watching and listening to so that if something good comes around, i'll remember to let you know! thanks drew! :)

anyway, in his blog, my friend mentioned a few films that i was and am very excited about, so i figured i'd blog about them too! :)

STRINGS
this is an "animated" film in the fact that it does not star humans, but the actors are marionette puppets and the whole film is set in a universe where strings are the life giving force that bring people to life. it's all about how one man can very easily get tied down to where he thinks he belongs, but how that same man can break the ties that bind him and make a difference in the world. it's got the premise of an action epic film but it's also a love story. anyway, right now, it's only open in england, but i'm hoping that it'll come to the US soon... i've been telling all my friends about it all week! :)

another film that my friend mentioned was MirrorMask. i haven't seen it yet, as it doesn't come out until september, but i have watched the trailer and i've also thumbed through the hardcover book at barnes and noble. it looks visually unlike anything i've ever seen before at the movie theatre, so i'm really excited about it. plus, it's jim henson... everything they do is gold to me :)

and finally, everyone go out and rent FireFly: The Complete Series and watch it so that you can go see Serenity when it comes out in theatres this fall! :)

watching:
* the 4400
* star trek: deep space nine - season 4
* D.E.B.S.

listening:
* POE: Haunted
* DIANA KRALL: live in paris
* BILLY JOEL: complete hits

reading:
* The Grim Grotto
* The Rivers of Zaada
* Star Trek Voyager: Spirit Walk

trailer park

2005-06-29T13:20:00.000-07:00

so i got the chance to see some AMAZING trailers at the movie theatre yesterday... here are the ones i'm most excited for!

fantastic four
march of the penguins
must love dogs
serenity (firefly lives!!!!!)
red eye
RENT
charlie and the chocolate factory
wallace and gromit
flightplan
narnia
cars
chicken little
corpse bride
the dukes of hazzard
and finally...
harry potter and the goblet of fire!!!!!!

it's alot i know, but damn do i love movies! :)

an average 3-movie day!

2005-06-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

BEWITCHED
i thought that this film would be a lot better than it was. the premise is amazing and the creative cast is top notch! the first hour is great, nicole kidman is adorable in her second witch role and will ferrell is pretty funny doing what it is he normally does, but somewhere in the second half of the film i think the ephron sisters (nora and delia) lost their steam. there are unresolved storylines (michael caine and shirley maclaine) and the film just sort of ends. 3 out of 5 stars.

THE ADVENTURES OF SHARKBOY & LAVAGIRL IN 3-D
i was really excited to see this film for a few reasons...
1) it robert rodriguez
2) it's in 3D!
3) it's a kid film
4) it just looked fun!
but as i was in the theatre watching it, i kept thinking about how long it seemed. the film itself is a great platform for the advocacy of believing in your dreams and the art of dreaming itself. it really makes you feel like a mooch for letting go of some of your most precious childhood dreams... (why didn't i become a toy maker?? i always wanted to be a singer, why don't i sing more??) but the story itself drags just a little and that is a hard thing to do seeing as the film is only 1 hour 45 mins. it might have come from the fact that most of the jokes are for kids and in a day and age where most kid films have a lot of jokes for adults as well (thank you PIXAR) it just made the film seem slow. also, i thought that 3D effects would be better in this day and age... i think the last 3D thing i saw was "bug's life" at disneyland and i remember the colours were so vibrant and real... throughout the film, what should have been a very colourful experience just came across as different shades of grey. 3 out of 5 stars.

HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE
far and away one of the best animated films i've seen in a long time. i personally think it's better than spirited away and it is right up there with castle in the sky (which is my fave miyazaki) the film is based on the book by diana wynne jones and is a pretty faithful adaptation. if you like animation and miyazaki you won't be disappointed but you'll also love it if you enjoy: adventure, magic, romance, action, sci-fi and family films. VERY GOOD! 5 out of 5 stars!

i'm back!!!!!!!!

2005-06-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

hey bloggin' buddies!

so, i'm back from san jose and i am a changed man! :) first off, i know more about PF Changs food, culture and history than i ever thought i'd ever know! :) secondly, i got to see a little corner of california that i probably wouldn't have seen otherwise so i feel travelled! :) thirdly, i made some really good friends there that i think i will have around for a while :) fourthly, i discovered some things about the friends that i had that made me realize that maybe they are NOT the best friends for me.

actually i didn't get to see too much of the actual city of san jose... we were always working, and when we weren't working, we were sleeping :) our ONE day off was father's day and all we did was hang around the hotel and have a barbecue! everyone contributed something to the barbecue so i made jello shots! they were so good! i made black cherry jello with black cherry vodka & strawberry/banana jello with apple vodka! YUM! everyone else contributed meat or chips... i can't believe i was the only one to think of jello shots! :)

one night we were there we went karaoke-ing and i sang lady marmalade with my friends enrique and hayden (our boy band version was something to be rivaled, let me tell you!) and then i sang smooth, and then everyone from PF Changs got up and did a group version of bohemian rhapsody! it was fun! :)

i made a new friend in lindsi with whom i was able to wear rubber bands on my face and not feel like an idiot! i made a friend lacey who bonded with me over our dumb friend hayden :) and i think i may have lost a friend, hayden... we may be able to dave the friendship, but i REALLY don't trust him or care for him as much as i did before the trip.

i ate a CRAPload of candy and drank a BUNCH of alcohol but counterbalanced it by taking vitamin c everyday and going to jamba juice and taking a 2oz wheatgrass shot every morning! :) i dunno if it really works, but it can't hurt... on the upside, if i ever get stranded on a deserted island with nothing but grass to survive on, i've now gotten acclamated to the taste of it :)

i had fondue for the first time! FUN! there was something very primal about cooking your food yourself yet also something very ritzy about knowing that you were paying $88 a person! ;)

overall, i had an amazing time. i would LOVE to go do another opening, hopefully there will be some spots for thousand oaks, ca or portland, or that i can hop onto! regardless,... i made some really good friends and have some great memories :)

muriel's wedding

2005-06-08T15:32:00.000-07:00

yes, i am extremely busy moving all my stuff into the other bedroom and yes, i still have to pack for my three-week buisness trip that i leave for TOMORROW, and yes i have no time to hang out with my friends right now before i leave as i still have tons of errands to run before i go and yes i still have to help my roommate move into his new bedroom..., but i'll be damned if i didn't MAKE time to sit down last night and watch muriel's wedding for the first time last night! (if you are wondering why, then read the comments under the "you tell me" post from a few days ago.)

and tom, karen... it was AMAZING!! i've owned this movie for over 3 years and have never watched it, 1) because when i saw The Wild Party on broadway years ago, i fell in LOVE with toni collete and so snatched up as many films of hers as i could find, 2) i thought i was buying Cosi. Both of thier covers look similiar and i had recently seen Cosi and loved it, but couldn't remember the title, so when i saw Muriel's Wedding i got confused and bought the wrong movie. when i first put it in the dvd player and noticed my mistake, i got mad and took it out, i haven't watched it since then! :)

i should have known that i would have liked it though, with it being by P.J. Hogan who also wrote my fave film in the history of the WORLD, Peter Pan!!!!

i'm really sorry that i waited until now to watch it, and i promise that if there are any other films out there that i need to watch, if you tell them to me, i will watch them! :)

going away

2005-06-07T17:51:00.000-07:00

so, pf changs is sending me out to san jose to open up the new store there. no karen, it's no cancun :) (or whatever tropical destination you are off to next) but i'm pretty excited cuz i haven't really seen too much of california yet. i'll be there for 3 weeks... i don't own a computer, so i don't know how often i'll be able to blog, but i'll definatly try... hopefully the hotel they are putting me up in will have a little office area with internet access, regardless,... i'm gonna be taking my diary with me to keep a paper trail of my adventures... when i get back i'll have lots of stories to tell, but in the mean time, have a good 3 weeks without me, i'll miss you all, and keep checking my blog so that you'll know when i get back! :)

love, matt

TONY AWARD WINNERS

2005-06-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

i guess what is most interesting is that the show that won the most Tonys (six in all) was not the show that had the most nominations this year (Spamalot with 14 nominations) but The Light in the Piazza, the Lincoln Center Theater adaptation of a novel about an American mother and daughter traveling in Italy. Leading lady Victoria Clark took the Tony as Best Actress in a Musical, and composer Adam Guettel won for Best Score. Guettel also won for Best Orchestrations with Ted Sperling, and Bruce Coughlin. The show scored a triple crown victory in the design category, winning for Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Christopher Ackerlind), Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Michael Yeargan) and Best Costume Design of a Musical (Catherine Zuber). Spamalot only ended up winning in 3 categories, Best Musical, Best Featured Actress and Best Director.

Also interesting is that this is the first time in over 34 years that the winners of Best Musical (Spamalot), Best Music & Lyrics (The Light in the Piazza) and Best Book (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) have all been from different shows. normall the best musical also gets music and lyrics or book, but not this year!

hugh jackman was an amazing host... his opening number was inspired, BUT his duet with aretha franklin at the end of the show of Somewhere from West Side Story (in honour of Stephen Sondheim's 75th birthday) was kinda bland and boring. All the musical performances were good... however, jesse martin was VERY flat on his ending note of a musical tribute to fred ebb (composer of cabaret, chicago, steel pier) which is too bad, because the tribute over all was actually very touching. it was a performance of the song "razzle dazzle" from Chicago, with the cast of Fosse.

Anyway... you can chack out the rest of the winners down below and if you want to check out more info on the shows themselves, i have links to your right ---->

******************
Best Play
Doubt

Best Musical
Monty Python's Spamalot

Best Book of a Musical
Rachel Sheinkin for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Adam Guettel for The Light in the Piazza

Best Revival of a Play
Glengarry Glen Ross

Best Revival of a Musical
La Cage aux Folles

Best Special Theatrical Event
Billy Crystal 700 Sundays

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Bill Irwin for Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Cherry Jones for Doubt

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Norbert Leo Butz for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Victoria Clark for The Light in the Piazza

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Liev Schreiber for Glengarry Glen Ross

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Adriane Lenox for Doubt

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Dan Fogler for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Sara Ramirez for Monty Python's Spamalot

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Scott Pask for The Pillowman

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Michael Yeargan for The Light in the Piazza

Best Costume Design of a Play
Jess Goldstein for The Rivals

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Catherine Zuber for The Light in the Piazza

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Brian MacDevitt for The Pillowman

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Christopher Akerlind for The Light in the Piazza

Best Direction of a Play
Doug Hughes for Doubt

Best Direction of a Musical
Mike Nichols for Monty Python's Spamalot

Best Choreography
Jerry Mitchell for La Cage aux Folles

Best Orchestrations
Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel and Bruce Coughlin for The Light in the Piazza

Regional Theatre Tony Award®
Theatre de la Jeune Lune
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Special Tony Award® for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Edward Albee

you tell me

2005-06-04T02:59:00.000-07:00

i remember when i was in living in DC. the summer after my freshman year at catholic university i got a job working for the national tour of Ragtime: The Musical. i remember so vividly how excited i was to have that job! to actually be working for a REAL broadway show!! to be a part, no matter how small it may be, of something so big! i was a wide eyed youth, taking everything in, learning everything i could. i think it was the things i learned at that job, that gave me the skills to later become the manager of walt disney theatrical merchandise.

one day, i had finsihed working at the theatre and i was in the metro station waiting for the train to take me home. i was able to get student housing for the summer at CUA. it was pleasant and also lonely. while i was standing on the platform i saw one of the wardrobe ladies waiting for the same train. she was michael rupert's personal wardrobe assistant and since michael was fast becoming one of my best friends on the tour, i felt like i had seen her enough to go up and say hello to her. i walked up to her and said:

"hi... how are you? i didn't know you rode this train! which stop do you go to?"
"i'd appriciate it if you didn't talk to me. when i get off work it's my alone time, so please leave."

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i didn't really know what to say. suffice it to say, i left her alone... hell!, i didn't even ride in the same car as her! when i told michael about it the next day, he told me that she wasn't just in a bad mood last night, but that was how she ALWAYS was! i didn't know this, but apparently no body liked her and she was always stressing people out. a couple weeks later she got fired and a new girl took her place and she wasn't even missed... a week later, people couldn't even remember her name, and in under 2 weeks she was forgotten completely.

**********

tonight at work i had carlos for my server assistant (busboy with privleges). everyone knows that carlos' mom just passed away... and the first week after he came back i think everybody tipped him a lot more than they needed to, i guess as their way of saying "i'm sorry your mom died... here's some extra money that you wouldn't normally get to help you out a little." but not me. when i found out that his mom died it made me feel terrible... all i could think about was how i would be feeling if my mom died. so i made the decision to talk to him.

i had been working with this guy for almost 4 months and i realized that i knew NOTHING about him! all i knew was that his name was carlos, he was a busboy at pf changs china bistro and his mom recently died. not much. that day, i took every opportunity to talk to him... it never amounted to more than 5 mins at a time, but i found out so much more than anyone else knew about him... like for instance, he and his mom had been living together in a one bedroom apt and he was supporting both of them on his minimum wage paycheck and tips because she couldn't work and so he was also taking care of her because they couldn't afford a nurse. she was the only family he had out here in LA. after she died he couldn't stay in the apartment by himself and so he moved to a studio apartment a little closer to work. the death hit him pretty hard and so he is on 4 different anti-depressants. he doesn't own a car, so he takes the bus to work... since he works he works evening shifts at work, he doesn't get off until after midnight most nights and cuz it's so late, he usually sits by himself on a bench for at least 30 mins waiting for a bus to come take him home. i got to know so much about him that day, and afterwards he told me that i was the only server at work who actually "talked" to him. the only server who actually made him feel like a person instead of just a busboy. at the end of that particular night, he thanked me for talking to him, i tipped him a little more than i needed to, and went our seperate ways, him to the bus stop and me to my car. as i was driving home that night, i felt really good about myself. like, maybe in some small way, i had helped him out, made a difference. that was about 2 weeks ago.

tonight, i had to stop at the gas station on my way home. as i was pumping my gas i saw carlos walk up to the guy in the booth and buy a soda and cigarettes. i turned my back to him. he never saw me. he got his drink and smokes and walked back to the bus stop and i never said hi to him. the thing is, if he had seen me, i KNOW that he would have said hi to me. it's not that i don't like him, it's just that i didn't want to talk to anyone right then. but in retrospect, what would have been so difficult about saying hi to him... maybe even giving him a ride to his apt which is only 15 mins driving time away from where we were so that he wouldn't have to wait on a cold hard bench for 30 mins to take a 30 minute bus ride home.

have i become that bitch from ragtime?? that bitch that everyone forgot about, but me. maybe i'm the only one who remembers her for a reason... maybe we are all destined to remember and become one person in this world that society and time have forgotten. i don't know... it's late, i'm tired and maybe this is all just rambling stream of consciousness, but all i know is that i DO NOT want to become that wardrobe lady from ragtime... yet at the same time, i can't stop thinking about her. what would have been so hard about talking to carlos? what would have been so hard...?

a good 3-movie day!

2005-06-04T02:50:00.000-07:00

on sunday i decided that i had nothing better to do, and so went and caught up on my cinema viewing! i went to AMC, i picked 3 movies that looked really good to me, paid my $27, handed over my moviewatcher card, bought my nachos and large sprite/fruit punch mix and settled in for movie #1!

MADAGASCAR
this movie was really well executed... i was worried after the debaucle that was Shark Tale but dreamworks saved themselves with this really funny film about a zebra who escapes central park zoo with dreams of living in the wild and his 3 friends who end up going along for the journey with him. it's essentially an old fashioned buddy movie with funny references to other films such as "planet of the apes" and "cast away". the penguins and the lemurs provide most of the fun! with a great new rendition of Reel 2 Reel's i like to move it! 4 stars out of 5.

CRASH
the best written, best directed, most well acted film i've seen this year! living in LA, i TOTALLY related with the film's defining statement: "everyday we are faced with reactions. how we interpret a situation colours our perceptions of daily life." if you only see one movie this year, go see this one. 5 stars out of 5.

THE HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
i love sci-fi, i love british, i love singing and dancing dolphins, i love big splashy opening production numbers, i love mos def, alan rickman, sam rockwell, martin freeman and zooey deschanel, i love the books, i love the number 42, i love this movie. 4 stars out of 5.

i'd never be lonely with a lampshade tattoo

2005-06-04T01:53:00.000-07:00

i don't know if i want to get a tattoo. people usually get tattoos to say something about themselves "on themselves"... you know... to show something unique about them, to stand out. girls will typically get something like an angel or a fairy, and boys usually get something "manly" like chinese symbols or a dragon. in a nutshell, tattoos are usually people just wanting to show their uniqueness. SO, i came to the conclusion that if I ever get a tattoo it'd have to be something like an alligator wearing slippers and holding a lollypop or something totally meaningless and random like a lampshade or something. this is basically for the purpose of conversation because when you think about it, how many people are going to ask you about your barb-wire tattoo when they could ask about your stellar looking lampshade, eh? so if your going to mark your body and you want to be original i think you should get a lampshade tattoo because when it comes down to it, you'd never be lonely with a lampshade tattoo.

hypocrite

2005-05-31T13:24:00.000-07:00

hypocrite-

n : a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he/she does not hold
[syn: dissembler, phony, phoney, pretender]

in defense

2005-05-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

ok,... so i have gotten nothing but grief for my love of the ever so unpopular "star trek". it's understandable though, most of the time people are afraid of what they dont understand, or they just end up following the masses, because it's easy and the masses definetly see star trek fans as some kind of geek squad. BUT!, it's quite the opposite. i recently went to a convention in pasadena on march 12, 2005, and i have never met a group of more accepting and loving people. these people base their lives on a show that has made the world a better place. it's not just about science fiction and weird aliens, it's about becoming the best person you can possibly be, it has showed me that man is not war and money hungry, like we so many times seem, but that deep inside we all just want to love and be loved. this show has given me hope for a better future, where there is no war or sickness or hunger, where man is united as one and we live in peace. where the accuasition of wealth is no longer the driving force of humanity, but to better ourselves through knowledge and experience and cooperation with each other. so is that "geeky"? am i such a dork because i think the world could be a better place? i don't think so.

jobs with benefits...

2005-05-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

so i recently got my benefits package from work and signed up for my benefits. i chose plan B which is 31$ every pay period (62$ a month) out of my paycheck and with that i get medical, dental and vision. i'm excited to FINALLY get my new glasses, because i haven't had any since my old ones were ruined in the automobile accident that almost took my life at Christmastime of '03. and as i'm STILL going through dental procedures for my root canals, wisdom teeth extraction and bridges, i guess i'm excited about my dental coverage ;) the plan i picked gives me 20$ co-pays and 80% coverage after deductable. so that's good i guess. i am kinda clueless when it comes to this kind of stuff though... i had to call my mom and find out what plan to take :) i love my mom.

"dream on silly dreamer" review

2005-05-25T15:18:00.000-07:00

here is a little review of the movie i went to on monday. reverse osmosis was amazing by the way! :)

dream on silly dreamer

2005-05-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

i saw this premier yesterday. it is a documentary short about the rise and fall of the traditional hand drawn animated films at disney. it was really good as far as being informative, but it was very VERY biased. it is told from the animators point of view (all of whom got laid off when disney decided to do only CGI animated films) and it is basically their stories, so it comes across as alot of disgruntled employees just using this doc as a forum to do their bitching. don't get me wrong, it is good, but i think it could have been a little more well rounded... i would have loved to see them interview some of the big wigs who made these "cut back" decisions and see what they have to say. it made me hate michael eisner more than i already do and it even touched on the cheap-quel fad that disney is going through right now. one really exciting thing that happened though was that i got to meet roy disney. i told him that i was an avid member of save disney.com and that i really appriciated him having the balls to stand up for what he believed in. he laughed and said that i was a charming kid :)

what happens in vegas...

2005-05-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

stays in my blog! :)

so i drove to las vegas sunday morning to be with my roomie for her birthday. it was fun, alot of alcohol, alot of gambling, alot of good food and fun times with friends. we stayed at the luxor and we got the room for free because our friend chris gambled for 5 straight hours at the poker table... EVERYDAY!! talk about making sacrifices for your friends!!! laura and i hung out at the casinos, each addicted to our fave new slot machines: jackpot party and wheel of fortune! it was brutally hot there (no surprize) and it made me miss my sister a little (she used to live there) but overall, i had a good time exploring the casinos (we went to the new WYNN casino where Avenue Q will be opening soon!) and hanging out with people i like. the drive there and back were an odd mixture of relaxing, hot (cuz you have to turn off your a/c when you go through the desert otherwise your car will overheat), boring and entertaining. i drove through baker, CA home of the worlds tallest thermometer! it was 115* ~ UGH!! :) i also stopped off at a real ghost town on the way back! fun fun! but i'm glad i'm back... i can only take vegas in small doses... i could never live there. AND, i will never NEVER bitch about the valley heat again! :)

stop laughing at me

2005-05-22T02:38:00.000-07:00

so, i dunno why people make fun of other people because of the things that they like and/or are proud of. i love dolly parton and everytime i mention this, i get laughs and jokes, which i shrug off, but deep down i am a little hurt. i could go on and on about why i love dolly, her film career, her music, her devotion to different charities, dollywood, her humour, etc, but at the end of it all, i don't think i would convince anyone to love dolly with me. and it's not just dolly i get made fun of... i'm a trekkie, glenn close is my fave actress, i read kids books, i love sci-fi stuff, i don't think there is anything more exciting than riding the haunted mansion ride at disneyland, the 1980's were the best time to be alive, i mourn the loss of saturday morning cartoons, i love broadway musicals and i like to sing along to really silly little ditties.

i wish that insecure people would stop wasting their time making fun of other peoples passions and loves.

update on the movie adder!

2005-05-20T16:32:00.000-07:00

so, i JUST signed onto netflix at the internet cafe and that same guy from before left his account open again! i checked his queue to see if the movies i added were still on there and THEY WERE!!! in fact, he had already watched and rated 2 of them (lilies and the three faces of eve) he gave lilies 4 stars and eve 3 stars! i don't know if he is so dumb that he thinks he put these movies on his list himself and just doesn't remember or if he thinks netflix automatically adds movies to your queue or if he knows exactly what happened and does it on purpose so that people like me will give him more choices! i looked at what his list consisted of before me and it was all sci-fi & action stuff (star wars, the godfather, alot of bruce willis stuff (murcury rising, fifth element), arnold stuff (red heat, eraser) and some kung-fu stuff (hero, house of flying daggers)). i went ahead and added some more stuff to his list since he seemed to enjoy my first choices so much:

little shop of horrors
the dark crystal
in the gloaming
leon: the professional
garden state
dead ringer
and
a star is born

happy watching my funny little netflix buddy!!

things worked out?...

2005-05-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

so, i think things are better with me and my best friend, but today i talked with his girlfriend and found out that he's still lying to me about stupid shit. the only thing i can think of is that he's doing it because he is scared that i will judge him if i know the truth. i wouldn't. God knows that i have done enough bad and malicious shit in my life, so technically i can't judge or look down on ANYONE! aside from that,... he's my best friend! i just want to be there for him, but i can't if i don't know the truth. somehow i think this might be karma, cuz i have lied to a lot of people in my life. the only thing i can hope for is that he will figure out that no matter how many times he lies to me, i will always find out and i will always still be there for him when he needs me. i'm sorry john.

i'm on launchCAST plus right now and listening to "little girl blue" by nina simone... it's making me so depressed, but the song is beautiful.

fights with friends...

2005-05-18T16:05:00.000-07:00

i got into a huge fight with my roomie last night. it's the last time i ever get drunk with her again... she always gets very mean and "independent" towards me whenever she gets drunk, so i don't know what made me think that this was a good idea. whatever... she doesn't think that i feel bad about everything that happened during the fight last night, but i do, it's just that when i get THAT upset i go into "fein indifference" mode... it's my defense mechanism.

i also don't know if my best friend is mad at me right now or not. him and me and our other friend D have all been hanging out alot lately, and apparantly D and i have been catching R in a few lies... nothing big, but just un-neccesary things... like saying he worked a double shift when he didn't...! why?? anyway... D and i have been talking about it and D called him on it and now R thinks that i am telling all his deep dark secrets to D! it doesn't seem to matter that I call him a compulsive liar everyday, when someone else does it, i'm suddenly his betrayer! :( why does life have to be so filled with drama and complications sometimes?

attack of the movie adder!

2005-05-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

i have nothing new to blog about but i figured i'd get on here and say something anyway. i'm at the internet cafe right now and when i signed on to netflix, someone had left thier account open! this is bad, because anyone could get thier address and credit card number from thier account page, but not me! nope,... you know what i did?? i added a bunch of movies to thier queue! :) yes, i took it upon myself to help add a little culture and excitement into this random persons life! :) i hope he likes my choices! :) i added 15 movies here is list for your enjoyment and maybe if any of them look good to you, you could check them out as well :)

lilies
the three faces of eve
love me if you dare
the saddest music in the world
the last starfighter
the last unicorn
the merchant of venice
down with love
child star: the shirley temple story
what the #$*! do we know!?
the lion in winter
edward sissorhands
ed wood
james and the giant peach
and
walt: the man behind the myth

i've seen all these films, in case you were wondering and i love them all.

some things i've recently spent money on...

2005-05-11T16:12:00.000-07:00

my friend rabiah and i expanded our tastes in food this past monday by eating at this place called kamal palace in long beach. we were with our friend david and he ordered the food spicy. we are ok with spicy, but this was SPICY!!! wow! it made our eyes water and our noses run and our mouths burn like nothing else! but at least we can say that we have tried indian food now as opposed to our usual diet of pf changs! i also found out that rabiah had never been to chili's so later that night i took him to check out the skillet queso! no one should go through life without skillet queso! (unless you are a veggietaryan or lactose intolerant). that same day we also went to see the movie kung fu hustle which i HIGHLY recommend to anyone who likes being entertained! :) it's VERY VERY GOOD! i can see why entertainment weekly gave it a grade of A- !!!

oh!, i also bought the cast recording to the new broadway musical monty python's spamalot! starring tim curry, hank azaria, david hyde pierce and sara ramierez. it is HILARIOUS!!! the music is all very catchy and the lyrics are typical monty python fun! :) just listening to the CD i can see why the show topped the tony nomination list with 14 nominations!!!! but i was also a little sad to see that chitty chitty bang bang didn't even get nominated for best musical! :( oh well,... it's probably still gonna be a huge hit! after all, "miss saigon" lost the best musical tony award to "the will rogers follies" the year they both came out but went on to stay open for some 10 years after "...follies" closed, so i guess anything is possible! :)

all the quizzes explained

2005-05-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

i know that i said i was odne with all these quizzes and i really am now, but i kept running into little ones here and there that i thought were interesting or funny and so i would do them... so i figured that if i just went ahead and did as many as i could find, then that would get it out of my system :) so, just in case you were wondering... that's the explaination. :)

i knew i liked miss piggy!

2005-05-06T18:54:00.000-07:00

You May Be a Bit Histrionic ...

Dramatic and over the top, you crave attention.

And you'll do anything it takes to get noticed.

You love to be seductive, even when it's inappropriate.

If you're ignored, you're easily hurt ... and act out even more!

What Personality Disorder Are You?

my mom would be proud!

2005-05-06T18:50:00.000-07:00

Your English Skills:

Grammar: 100%

Spelling: 100%

Vocabulary: 100%

Punctuation: 80%

Does Your English Cut the Mustard?

i'm halfway there!

2005-05-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

You Are 55% Normal

(Somewhat Normal)

While some of your behavior is quite normal...

Other things you do are downright strange

You've got a little of your freak going on

But you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself

How Normal Are You?

thank goodness i'm in the right profession!

2005-05-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

Your #1 Match: ESFP

The Performer

You are a natural performer and happiest when you're entertaining others.
A great friend, you are generous, fun-loving and optimistic.
You love to laugh - and you like almost all people equally.
You accept life as it is, and you do your best to make each day fantastic.

You would make a good actor, designer, or counselor.

What's Your Personality Type?

yoshi? like from mario bros??

2005-05-06T18:28:00.000-07:00

Your Japanese Name Is...

Yoshiyuki Kajuji

What's your Japanese Name?

a natural?? then where is everyone?? :)

2005-05-06T18:27:00.000-07:00

Your Seduction Style: The Natural

You don't really try to seduce people... it just seems to happen.
Fun loving and free spirited, you bring out the inner child in people.
You are spontaneous, sincere, and unpretentious - a hard combo to find!
People drop their guard around you, and find themselves falling fast.

What Is Your Seduction Style?

sounds a little girlie to me!

2005-05-06T18:24:00.000-07:00

Your Mexican Name Is...

Don Nadia

What's your Mexican Name?

it's ACTUALLY true!!!!!!!

2005-05-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

Your Penis Name is: Captain Kirk

Get your own Penis Name

i'm going commando...

2005-05-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

You are

What Rejected Crayon Are You?

Shrek 3 plot outlines...

2005-05-06T17:29:00.000-07:00

ok, so here is one "threequel" that i'm actually excited for! the shrek movies have been consistently funny, and intelligent, so i'm hoping that they continue in that tradition for the third one... so far, it sounds good :)

As he was moderating a press conference for Madagascar, DreamWorks' co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg was questioned about Shrek 3. Almost right after he declined to comment, Katzenberg began to spill the details on the 'threequel'. From comingsoon.net, the synopsis is, "When Shrek 3 opens, Shrek and Fiona are having to take on the duties of being the active king and queen of Far, Far Away. When we left him, the King was quite literally croaking. They're not very comfortable in these roles, so the King says to them, 'If you can find the heir to the throne and bring him back, the Kingdom will be in good hands, then you can return to swamp and live your lives.' Which is what they want to do. Shrek, Donkey and Puss go to the far side of the Kingdom of Far, Far Away where young 'Artie', who is the nephew of Queen Lilian, is about to graduate school. Artie turns out to be young King Arthur and Shrek and Donkey and Puss have to convince this extremely rebellious young man, who's being voiced by Justin Timberlake, to come back and assume the throne. Along the way, Shrek invents the Round Table, chivalry. Donkey is the Lady in the Lake with the sword. You get it. Meanwhile, back at the Kingdom of Far, Far Away, Prince Charming decides that it's time for a coup d'etat. 'The cat's away. He will play.' So Fiona organizes all of the princesses into the underground Resistance movement, who are trying to hold things together until Shrek, Donkey, Puss and young King Arthur return."

is "dark" P.C. for "evil"??

2005-05-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

ok, i know that i said that we were done with the quizzes, but it's amazing how accurate this one is.

I'll bet you expected this answer. You already knew
you were a DARK ANGELIC, didn't you? You
are similar to a demon but slightly different
in that you don't revel in evil...you revel in
pleasure. Your wings resemble an angel's but if
that's so then you are a Fallen Angel - your
love of sin caused you to be cast from the
Heavens. They are black as raven wings and are
nearly as dark as your desires. You are
faithless and love it - you believe there is no
Judgement Day to fear and so you can do what
you want! You have a refined concept of what is
sexy and a slightly chaotic sense of 'fun.' In
fact, you love chaos and view much of what you
do as a game. You are typically attracted to
those that will challenge your mind, power, and
wit...and are 'dangerous' people like you. It's
not unlikely that you are bisexual or at least
open to the concept, because you seek
excitement and passion everywhere and in
everyone. Chances are you have a special talent
for magick - you're a powerful being and you
know what you want. Like a Serpent of Eden you
like to try your powers of seduction and
manipulation, though your intent is rarely to
cause harm. You have a deep, dark sense of art
and/or poetry, because your mind is a deep,
dark place. While typically smirking, amused,
and sarcastic, you are capable of severe
revenge and a passion and intensity unrivaled
by any other. In your eyes life is for
enjoyment and pleasure - nothing else. If
you're not having fun in your own twisted way,
you're not happy. You are easily bored with the
vast majority of people. You are most likely
drawn towards the Gothic subculture and
probably adore Goth music, art, and style. Many
people look down on your seemingly careless
lifestyle and may even consider you 'slutty'.
Not true. You just know you're sexy and you're
damn proud of it. Dark Angels have an outlook
most like Satanists - loving sin and looking to
none but themselves for power. Congratulations!
You're my kindred spirit. As far as I'm
concerned - you know what life is REALLY about.
Have fun...Muahaha.

*~*~*Claim Your Wings - Pics and Long Answers*~*~*
brought to you by Quizilla

more disney stink-quels

2005-05-04T17:09:00.000-07:00

News from Variety on Kronk's New Groove suggests that this follow-up won't land on DVD until January 2006, to more closely coincide with the launch of the Disney Channel series "The Emperor's New School", now in production. Nonetheless, 2005 sees a record level of direct-to-video output from the studio and that trend looks to continue in the years ahead. Besides what's already slated for release in the next twelve months, DisneyToon Studios is said to currently have on its drawing boards the following projects: Cinderella III, The Little Mermaid III, Brother Bear II, The Aristocats II, The Tinker Bell Movie, Mickey in Space, and The Fox and the Hound II. Clearly, there is no end in sight for the divisive but profitable line of animated DTV sequels and spin-offs.