October 28, 2008

R A N D O M

1. My professor and distinguished member of the faculty of the Psychology Deptartment Wendy Berry Mendes: THEN and NOW. Endless thanks to chinkley for this gem of a gem.
2. STELLA IS COMING! The STELLA comedy trio of Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and David Wain will be in Boston on December 11 @ the Wilbur Theater and I will be there!!! (pending NINE rehearsals...). You may recognize them from WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER, but they aresilly and hilarious, or at least I thought they were in high school..."jelly remover for photo albums, speaka english!"
3. Transgender children. A really interesting article in Atlantic...granted I will admit that I only read the first half b/c I am ADD and magazine articles are way too long. But that half was really interesting!
   
4. Growing Power. An amazing urban agricultural organization in my hometown, Milwaukee, WI, that was just recently awarded a MacArthur genius Grant for its work. I think urban agriculture is truly a wave of the future and creating a greener, healthier, more sustainable world. They have beehives, fish ponds, and a staff of over 30 people. So great!

Subheading: I get joy out of other people's pain.

Warning: some of these aren't funny...

1. Singer falls off table. This really shouldn't be funny. But she was so into her singing...and it's just an atrocious fall.
2. Grape Stomping Incident. Oy...this one sounds like a doozy...
3. So remember when Richard Gere was man of the year and everyone kept talking about the...gerbil incident? Well he released a quote the other day rehashing how ridiculous the whole thing was, and it got me thinking: is there really an underground network of people who get pleasure out of such encounters with rodents? So I obviously went to my first mode of research, the Google, and typed in "gerbil in ass." And this gem of a story was the first thing that came up. So, readers, if you are thinking of trying it, take this as a cautionary tale.

D A N C E
So I spend a lot of time watching dance classes on youtube. Here are some of my favorite choreographers. Seriously...some of this stuff is unbelievable. Who are these people in these classes?

1. BOBBY NEWBERRY and BLAKE MCGRATH. These dances are actually unbelievable. so fast! So hot! You may remember BLAKE from season 1 of SYTYCT. Crazy moves. Just keep watching them, they are all so good.
2. LUAM. An Ivy grad! Check other crazy bio too. There's hope for all of us stuck in boring things like pre-med but secretly want to go into the arts!

A R T / D E S I G N / F A S H I O N

1. Upgrade your kicks with these guides to better shoe-lacing.
2. Digital Painting. Check out the digital palette, which allows you to mix colors via LEDs. This seems like the best children's toy ever - no mess!
3. Tights are not pants. I'm with you rchainey.
4. Smart Martini Glass. Who the hell designed martini glasses? Why would anything that you fill with a substance which makes you LESS coordinated be so impossibly shallow and easy to spill? I just tried to research it on google but couldn't find any facts. Anyone know anything about these? Not a fan.
5. Highway Waterfall. Great piece of sustainable public art. Makes highway driving so much more interesting.

T H E A T E R

1. I have to be really gay for a minute and post about Liza returning to the Palace! Daughter reunites with mother's ghost! Though, question: at what age is it ok for theater ladies to just stop wearing pants? It seems to be a growing trend and, no, it is not alright. If leggings aren't pants, then tights CERTAINLY aren't. Finally, she has a dancer named Tiger Martino. That is all.
2. Following up on all things Lauren Graham, something i liked last week, I just found out from kkaufman that she just got cast as ADELAIDE in the Broadway revival of GUYS AND DOLLS!!! I take 1/3 credit for sending positive vibes out into the universe on her behalf. Marginally sad that Jane Krakowski doesn't get to reprise her roll, but cannot wait to welcome Lauren Graham to the new york stage. I actually know nothing about her acting, and have never heard her sing, but she doesn't sound terrible here at all. No Faith Prince, but c'mon it's Adelaide -she just needs to be cute.
3. Harvard grads Larry O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin interviewed by the Boston Globe. So friggin adorable.
4. The Onion lets us know that Everything THat's Ever Been Popular To Be Turned INto Broadway Musicals. Thanks slinden.

also...something Barry DOESN'T like: Harvard being obnoxious about Harvard-Yale. Seriously, guys. C the F down.