LuvDusty Rides Again!

It's TO-DAY!

2009-09-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

The title of this post is the title of a wonderful song by Jerry Herman from the fantastic musical Mame. I'm in a Jerry Herman type of mood today.

Why you ask? Well, things are starting to gear up for JERRY'S GIRLS, a musical review of Jerry Herman's wonderfully optimistic music, that I am directing and choreographing for McLean Community Players this spring.

We have our first production meeting with all involved on Oct. 15 in Mclean. I am very excited to get started on this project, my first theatre project in 1 and 1/2 years! The last show I worked on was Evita for Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre and that was June 2008!

So I am chomping at the bit to get in there. It's a cast of 9 women (can expand it to 12 if needed) and it's a musical review of Jerry Herman's music (Hello Dolly, Mame, La Cage Aux Folles, Mack & Mabel, and more...) It's fantastic music, full of hope and optimism, just what the public needs in times like these, I think!

Also, unlike Red,Hot & Cole, (my last directing/choreographing project at MCP back in 2008) it has a minimal amount of dialogue/script. It's basically just a review of the wonderful JH music! There is some dancing, 1 tap number, and 3 larger musical numbers and 1 big solo dance number for 1 woman (a la Chita Rivera)..so I am excited to get started.

I have a wonderful Music/Vocal Director named Rosemary Dyer. She is a mature woman and yet so full of energy and experience and I love working with her. She vocal directed Aida, Showboat and many other shows I choreographed for Hans Bachmann and she has exactly the point of view I need for this Jerry Herman music--that as you know--was mostly written for mature women to sing--Carol Channing, Angela Lansbury, Pearl Bailey, Ethel Merman, Mary Martin etc..

Jerry wrote for women of a "certain age" and songs like "I Put My Hand In", "It Takes A Woman", "So Long, Dearie", "It's Today", "Open a New Window", "Bosom Buddies", "Before the Parade Passes By", "The Best of Times", "If He Walked Into My Life" are all written for mature women who have been around the block a few times and have come out survivors. It's very exciting!

So I will definitely need Rosie's input, as a man in my late 30s, I really don't have that perspective nailed down quite yet!

I hope to have a minimal set and mostly focus on the staging and the costumes for the "spectacle" part. That keeps the budget in check and also allows the performers to shine their brightest. Am hoping to get some top-notch ladies to come out and audition!

So on with the show! More info as I have it!

No More A West Coast Virgin...

2009-02-26T12:55:00.001-08:00

Ok, now it's really bad. It's a serious offense at this point. Really. It is. It's been almost TWO YEARS since I blogged! OH MY GOD! What is WRONG with me? Why can't I keep a daily or at least weekly journal of what I am up to? Am I that ADD that I can't even put my thoughts/adventures (yawn) down in a blog for all to see on a semi-regular basis?

Well, maybe I haven't had that much to share--but now--aha--my dear Dustyphiles, I do!

Here's the news: Just 2 weeks ago, for the first time in my young (ahem) life I visited the land of TALES OF THE CITY! I visited that mecca of all things gay--San Francisco!

Yes, the City by the Bay, the City that We Built on Rock and Roll (as Grace Slick would have us believe), finally, opened it's Golden Gate and let me pass through.

And pass through I did my friends--with much elan! It was so much better than I ever thought it would be! I wasn't even very interested in going at first, weary as I am of the horrors of modern day air travel, but once I had landed safely and actually set foot on the West Coast, I was changed forever!

I can't think of another U.S. city that carries with it so many expectations for tourists visiting for the first time. I mean, despite having never been there, I knew so much about it--all the lore--all the legends, from the Transamerica Pyramid to the Haight-Ashbury to Ghirardelli chocolates...I've never felt like I knew a city I really didn't know more than this one.

And the amazing thing--despite all the heightened, virtually impossible to match expectations that I had---I actually found San Francisco to be MUCH BETTER than even my wildest dreams had imagined!

I don't have enough space (or maybe I do, heck, after all I haven't Blogged in almost 2 years), to enumerate all the wonderful places I saw and all the great food I ate and the drink I embibed, but I'll try.

Upon arrival, I was picked up at the airport by my wonderfully serene Uruguayan cousin Leticia, currently a graduate student pursuing her PhD in BioChemistry at Stanford. Excuuuuse me! Anyway, she and her life partner (LOL-it's SF, we have to be PC!), Roy, live in Marina, a beautifully cozy neighborhood just close to water, which actually reminded me a lot of Carrasco, a similar cozy neighborhood in my Mother's hometown of Montevideo, Uruguay.

She quickly whisked me away to the heart of downtown San Francisco and started giving me the best car tour of the city.

That evening, we met up with Roy for an amazing pre-dinner cocktail at the Carnelian Room with a nighttime view of the city that was simply breathtaking!

From there we proceeded to Market Street to a wonderful dinner at 2223 Market Street one of SF's newest hot spots. Actually, it's not that new, as it was known for years as the "No Name" restaurant, until finally a few years ago they caved and decided to just name it after its official address. We had a deliciously inventive pizza and then headed out for a night time stroll to aid digestion.

Since we were on Market St., of course we had to walk thru The Castro at night. I have to say it was not what I thought it would be. Of course it's wonderful to be in "ground zero" of gay life in this country, but I have to say I was rather underwhelmed by the neighborhood at first. I found it sort of quiet and sad. But then again, it was a mid-February evening, and very cold, even by SF standards, and perhaps folks just decided to stay home that evening rather than brave the elements.

But more on The Castro later. And no, while there, I did not run into Michael "Mouse" Tolliver or Mary Ann Singleton. Not yet at least, that would come later.

The next morning, Leticia and Roy, took me to a little place in their neighborhood that they believed had the best breakfast and atmosphere,and boy were they right! The Grove Cafe was so much fun, and so yummy! I particularly enjoyed how artful the barista ladies were with the foamy milk designs on my cappucino! And the ommelette was to die for!

Then, after a late brunch and lots of conversation, we said goodbye to Roy (for after all, it was a weekday, and he has a job!) and Leticia and I went on alone to enjoy our Friday in San Francisco.

Leticia, disheartened that I had not been sufficiently blown over by The Castro, decided to give me another amazing whirl in her car through various part of the city, Haight-Ashbury being one of the highlights, and landing once again in "my people's" neighborhood, this time during the lunch hour, to see if things had picked up a bit, and indeed they had.

Not satisfied with just walking me around, Leticia was determined to get us inside Harvey's, a corner bistro right smack in the center of the neighborhood, named after, of course, the Mayor of Castro Street himself, Mr. Harvey Milk.

Being the nice young (ahem) gay man that I am, I know to respect my ancestors, particularly those who have fought hard for my rights. I know that if I am able to be openly gay today, I have Harvey to thank, and so I said a little prayer right before entering this fun establishment! The lunch was great and Leticia and I had a ball gossiping about all the old time Bears that entered and exited this center of social life.

I guess more than anything, that's what surprised me about The Castro. I expected an LA like procession of good looking, young and healthy gay boys cruising each other to their hearts content--and instead what I discovered was something a lot more encouraging actually..a lot less superficial and vacuous...I discovered a true gay neighborhood that was not about looks or pedigree or social standing. It was perhaps the most democratic and diverse gay ghetto I'd ever been in. Men of all ages, walks of life, social classes and physical attributes mingling together in a very friendly, non-cruisey atmosphere. Clearly I had lived in DC for too long!

So my friends, at this point of my trip, I had to say goodbye to my dear cousin, Leticia and meet up with my dear friend, Luciana, who would be my chaperone for the 2nd half of my San Francisco trip. So more of that in Part 2 of my San Francisco stories, which I PROMISE I will write very soon and no, it won't take me 2 more years! :)

The Bitch Is Back!

2007-12-10T11:36:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine has a black tee-shirt with white letters and it reads: THE BITCH IS BACK! Of course, I begged her to give it to me, and now I own it.

So, I thought that would be a great way to kick off this new post of mine...after what--like 1 year of not posting? LOL! Actually, I think it was April when I last posted..wow..I'm averaging like 2-3 posts a year now!

In any case, all is well...I guess one of the reasons I haven't posted in so long (and probably the same reason why I am so bad at keeping up this on-line journal) is that I have a really really hard time believing that anyone actually bothers to read this darn thing! I mean..I wouldn't read it, and it's about me...so I feel it's a collosal time-eater really, more than anything.

So, how can I recap the last 8 months quickly? Hmmm, let me see...

In the summer I choreographed The Secret Garden for McLean Community Players and Winnie The Pooh for Adventure Theatre.

Then in September I choreographed The Wiz (my 6th show with Hans Bachmann) at Atlas Performing Arts Center, and then later in the fall I choreographed South Pacific for the Lazy Susan Dinner Theatre (my 4th show with them).

So I guess in a span of 8 months, I choreographed 4 shows. Wow..it didn't seem like that much? Or did it? It's all a dancing blur at this pt.

And currently I am co-directing and choreographing Red, Hot & Cole for McLean Community Players. I have no idea how I ended up co-directing this show, except for the fact that 10 years ago, I was in the cast of the 20th Anniversary production of the show at The Barksdale Theatre, when I lived in Richmond. It was such a successful show in Richmond's history and we ended up getting extended 2 times and running the show for almost 6 months.

I have such fond memories of performing in that show..it was 1998 and I was still living in Richmond, I was 20something year's old and naive and silly and immature and irresponsible and it was fabulous! Well, not really, I'm glad I've grown up, but you know, like Sondheim wrote in Merrily We Roll Along, we always "blame the way it is, on the way it was, which it never ever was.." Exactly.

Anyway, I am co-directing this show with the fabulous Joanna Henry. She is such an amazing person and so organized, structured and disciplined with her directing craft. I am learning tons working with her and just watching her, but at the same time I am getting to do my own thing too and I'm getting to put my stamp on the show.

I don't want to create an exact replica of the Richmond production...how could we? That was such a special thing, but instead, Joanna and I are working in tandem to create our own special thing. And I think we are on our way.

It helps that we have an absolutely TOP NOTCH cast! I kid you not, this has got to be one of the strongest casts I've worked with in community theatre in this area. Not a weak singer among them and many are total triple threats, which is rare to find.

I think the show will be amazing, once we get into more runs and once we fix a lot of the kinks. The show is completely blocked and almost completely choreographed, so it should be well on its way.

Other than that, Robert and I have now been officially living together for 1 year in the new house and we love it! We still have a hard time believing we actually LIVE in Old Town, Alexandria! It's kinda surreal! The Girls, (our Jack Russell Terriers, Sukie and Sally) are doing well, growing, learning and just giving all their love to their two Daddys every single day! :) They really do know how to brighten up even the crappiest day..they are little Doggie Angels..my little Princess (what I call Sukie) and her big Sis (Sally, the protector).

After our big scare in the Summer (when we lost both Girls in Old Town--don't ask, a bad Dog Walking company that you should def. stay clear of), we decided we didn't want to take any further risks and we enrolled the Girls at Old Towne School for Dogs.

I love that extra E at the end of TownE. Does it make it a better school? Or just more expensive? Seriously, it's really pricey! BUT, it's worth every penny, cause their trainer Shannon, (or Miss Shannon as I call her) is really amazing and has taught both the Girls and their slightly remiss Daddys, the art of Doggie Obedience. They are doing very well, and while Robert seems to be able to get them to do cooler stuff than I can, I am working on it and it won't be long until the Girls are making the bed, washing the dishes and doing their Algebra homework..and...YEAH RIGHT! :)

Not much else to report right now, I'm exhausted after an 8 hour RHC rehearsal yesterday and I teach tonight (Acting I at UMUC) so it's my "long day", so I have to go and actually get some rest before I Kaputz on the floor.

In any case, I'm very excited about my THE BITCH IS BACK tee..thanks to my friend, I too can be a Bitch. Elton John's song (w/backing vocals by Dusty Springfield, by the way people!), truly is a good theme song for today...I'm here, I'm a bitch (woof! woof!) so get used to it!

More on politics, our Presidential Election (argh!) and other topics to come, I promise...oh, you aren't going to believe me anyway, it's been like 8 months!

See you in August 09! LOL!

Updating and A Weekend Getaway in Ol' Virginny!

2007-04-23T06:37:00.000-07:00

Ok..it's been a long time since I've posted here...yikes! Sorry! But it's hard for me to keep up! Journaling is not my thing-apparently, not even electronically!

Quick update: Robert and I finally moved in together in December! We bought a lovely home in Old Town, Alexandria and we love it! We are just minutes from excellent dining in Old Town, and a short walk to the King St. Metro. It's convenient, pretty, comfortable and cozy. We've finished decorating and had a great housewarming in March.

Currently, my parents are visiting and staying with us in their upstairs studio-apartment. Ok, it's just a bedroom and a bathroom, but they've made it their own and spend most of their time either in there or walking around Old Town.

A while back, Robert and I decided to go on a weekend getaway to relax and unplug from the last 6 months, which have been rather hectic. So, I wanted to just update everyone on a great weekend getaway trip Robert and I took to Charlottesville this weekend.

We stayed in a cute little B&B in Orange, Virginia. Yes, Orange..birthplace of James Madison, people! :) Anyway, it's a teeny tiny town just about 30 min from downtown Charlottesville. I tried to get a B&B in Cville itself, but they were all booked. There were several events going on that weekend, including a Wine Festival and Dogwood Festival, which made it impossible to get a spot in town. That said, we loved where we ended up staying. It's called the Inn on Poplar Hill and it is owned and run by Marty and Victoria Tourville. We had a great time, it was very relaxing! Robert and I recommend it to anyone who just wants to get away for a few days and unplug! The owners are great and very very friendly and the service and food were excellent. The rooms are quaint as you would expect in this sort of establishment, but everything worked and was impeccably clean. Some great trails as well to walk around and the weather, well, the weather was gorgeous, so who could complain? :)

On Friday night we stayed in Orange. Soon we realized that there isn't very much to do or see in Orange, and everything seems to shut down at 9pm. (except for the McDonald's which was packed..but that's another story for another time). Anyway we had a delicious dinner at a lovely bistro called Elmwood at Sparks, which apparently changes from its daytime "deli" atmosphere into a more posh restaurant for dinner on the weekends only. I had a delicious Portobello Ravioli and Robert had the Pork Chops w/Pesto which was also yummy (from the bite I tasted).

Then came Saturday, we woke up to a delicious brunch at the B&B and then we headed off to Monticello (the home of Thomas Jefferson) for a lovely tour and then right over to Ashlawn-Highland (the home of James Monroe), for a shorter tour and then a lovely picnic on the grounds of the plantation. One thing is for sure, those tour guides are really protective of their particular subjects. The Monticello tour guide seemed to think Jefferson was Jesus and the Ashlawn tour guide had the biggest chip on her shoulder about Jefferson getting all the credit while Monroe did all the work! "If Monroe had followed Jefferson's orders, we'd just have New Orleans!!" ok Lady, calm down! Don't scare the kids on the tour!

After our picnic, we headed over to the grounds of my alma matter, the University of Virginia and we had a great time just walkin' around the Lawn and the older part of the university. We walked into the Rotunda and caught up with a tour that took us through the major history of the founding of the University and the older part of the school. Robert didn't know much about UVa so he really enjoyed the tour.

Then we did our own walking, and sight-seeing, and we saw most of the rest of the grounds until dinner time when we headed to the Downtown Mall to have dinner.
I hadn't walked through the Downtown Mall area in Cville in 8 years and what a revitalization! It looks greats and all the restaurants with shopping/etc...very nice. We ended up eating at a rather pricey place (cause we couldn't find a seat anywhere else!) called Hamilton's on 1st and Main, the service was not great, a bit snooty, but the food was delicious..I had the Vegetarian Blue Plate Special which was quite diverse and really very yummy.

For dessert we strolled over to Splendora's Gelato Cafe. All I know is that there was a line out the door, so we assumed it would be yummy..and it WAS! I had Zambaione, which is one of my favorite flavors, but rarely found in the U.S. (it's all over Uruguay) w/ Dulce de Leche. Yum-Yum-Yum!

On Sunday, we woke up to another delicious "country breakfast" at the B&B, and then we headed over to Gordonsville to meet my old friend Wendy for an early lunch at Toliver House...what a quaint and cozy restaurant! If you are looking for ol' Southern charm and hospitality, look no further...the restaurant was so sleepy, it didn't even seem open when we arrived at 11:30am for lunch. The maitre d' seemed surprised we were there! While we waited for my friend to arrive, we had some Ice Tea and water on the front porch and enjoyed the sunny April morning. I felt like such a Southerner! Y'all!

Once Wendy arrived we moved inside and it really is a great little spot. The food was good. I had a nice Spinach Salad with walnuts, goat cheese and a very interesting vinagrette that I still can't figure out exactly what it was..but very tasty!

Then we said goodbye to Wendy and headed back to Orange to visit Montpelier, the home of James Madison. We had been forwarned that the home was under renovation, since it was only recently handed over to the public patrimony after years of ownership by the famed Duponts of Delaware. The foundation is now making over 70 million dollars worth of upgrades, repairs, re-constructions of the building and they are only about 1/2 way through.
It's still an interesting place to visit and the house is gorgeous from the outside (where restoration has been completed) and the grounds surrounding the house area breaktakingly beautiful, lush and relaxing. But inside the house...it's basically one big construction site and they really shouldn't be bringing people in on tours until they are done, which is planned to be in 2010 or so. I'd recommend waiting until then to see the finished product.

We had a wonderful weekend, and we learned a lot about U.S. History. After all, we discovered why Virginia is often called "The Mother of Presidents". Oh, and we also gained like 10 lbs each! :)

Everything Was Possible and Nothing Made Sense

2006-08-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

The title of this post is from the show Follies. It's part of the lyric to the song "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs", when the 4 main characters, Ben, Buddy, Phyllis and Sally, reminisce about their youth and the time when life's choices seemed so complicated and yet the reality was that they had it easy and didn't know it. Ha!

I choreographed Follies recently for Dogwood Dell Festival of the Arts in Richmond, Virginia. I lived in Richmond from 1994-1998 and I guess Joe Pabst (the wonderful director and human being) needed a choreographer and he decided to hire ME. : ) When I got the email I was shocked! It's as if Joe read my mind. For years I had been wanting to choreograph Follies, but never thought I would get the opportunity, mostly because it's a show that is rarely produced.

But I did get the chance, thanks to Joe and his email and the wonderful people at Dogwood Dell Festival of the Arts. The show opened last weekend and apparently did very well in its opening dates, so now, I am thrilled at the anticipation, because I am going to see it (and my work, my sweat and tears) this Saturday, August 12. Please pray that it doesn't rain! : )

Dogwood Dell is an outdoor amphitheatre that seats over 2000 people. Another fantastic opportunity to show my choreography in a large space. Since I've moved to DC in 98, I've had many many wonderful opportunities as a performer and choreographer, I've worked for most of the major theatres in the DC area and I got to be a small part (swing-ensemble) of a fantastic production of Follies at Signature Theatre back in 2003. What a thrill that was!

But in the last 4-5 years, I have been focusing solely on choreography, on creating dances (and occasionally fights) for the stage. It has been a wonderful journey that I wouldn't trade for anything. Sure, occasionally I get the twinge to be back ON the stage instead of behind the scenes, but it goes away when I get to choreograph a fantastic number like "Who's That Woman" or "The Story of Lucy & Jessie".

The experience of going back to Richmond (after a 6 year absence) to choreograph Follies was in a way a total mirror ("Mirror! Mirror!" that immortal line from "Who's That Woman" has so much resonance) of the story of the 4 main characters in Follies. I was back, 6 years later (instead of the 30 years of the Weisman Follies girls), to the place I had been, and of course, as it happens with these things, I was flooded with memories of the past. The "ghosts" of Richmond past so to speak, my own personal "roads I didn't take" came back to haunt me. Well, not sure if "haunt" is the appropriate word....more like, they stopped by to say "hello"..they greeted me and went on their merry way.

Of the entire cast (and it's a big one) of Follies, there were only 4 cast members that I knew back in my Richmond days, and of course, the director, but just those 5 people was enough to bring up so many memories of the 4 years I spent in that city and it was quite a reminder of how much has changed since then and yet, how much has stayed the same.

Anyway, I suspect that when I go to see Follies on Saturday, those same themes will come at me again, as they did before. Memories, the past coming back to visit, the mystery of "the roads we didn't take", the "what if"s and the "woulda, coulda, shoulda"s of life. I guess that is what Sondheim/Goldman/Bennett and Prince had in mind when they originally put Follies together for Broadway in 1971. They wanted not just their characters to take a trip down "memory lane", but they also wanted their audiences to think about their own lives, the path they have taken and what they have done with them and would they have changed anything and really, does it even matter?

And after I see Follies on Saturday (also the closing night), it too will fade into memory, it will become something that I "did" rather than something I am currently working on. And then, once again, all that will be left will be the memories of the rehearsals, chatting with the various cast members, the sweaty dance studio, the designers and the production team and my 2 weeks in Richmond in all its glory.

Human memory is a funny thing, it always makes us long for what was instead of what might be. It keeps us looking back instead of forward. It gives us a yearning for nostalgia, for the "what if"s.

But maybe we need those memories, those mental post-it notes, reminding us of what was, they give us comfort, a sense of security, so that we can move on to what will be, the unexpected of what is yet to come.

Who knows? I certainly don't have the answers. But I know one thing, I thoroughly enjoyed choreographing Follies, it will remain a special experience for me, always, and that is something that no future event can take away. At least I know, even if I never get another opportunity to choreograph this show, I will at least have the memories of the fun I had working on this special production.

We Are Closed for Renovations....

2006-03-22T07:05:00.000-08:00

HA! That could have more than one meaning, couldn't it? And it does. The "Closed for Renovations" title is a very appropriate one, because not only have I been away from this blog for months now, but also because I am almost done with my 2nd renovation project. In October/November it was the kitchen (see pics in previous posts from November) and now in February/March it's THE BATHROOM.

Unfortunately, I realize that I don't have any pictures of my original bathroom. But suffice to say that it was hideous. A salmon and black late 1950s style tile with an ugly sink attached to the wall with all the pipes showing underneath.

The new and improved bathroom has changed color. That's right, it is now White. And I did not have to re-tile. How did I do it? Easy..."Permaglaze". I know, it sounds nasty, like something off of an industrial donut. But really it's just a glossy sort of paint that gets sprayed onto the old tile to create a brand new look, feel and color. So I went with the white and I am pretty happy with the results. It also cost just a fraction of what re-tiling or bath-fitting or any other bathroom improvement procedure might have cost. It was a good call and now I feel like I have a new bathroom!

I also ripped out the old sink and have a new vanity and sink that goes much better with the bathroom and adds more storage space. I still need to paint and also need to think about changing the medicine cabinet and light fixtures and maybe add a switch/plug near the door.

That's about it for now...I will most definitely post pics of the newly renovated bathroom once I get it all done. I am shooting for April to have it all ready...so I will definitely keep the updates coming.

In terms of the rest of my life, well, some things have changed a lot and others are still pretty much the same.

On the theatre front, I am working on choreography for AIDA at American Music Stage. Part of me is very excited to be working again with my favorite director, Hans Bachmann (who directed SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS and THE PAJAMA GAME that I choreographed in 2004 and 2005 respectively) and the cast is very hard-working and dedicated. But another part of me is exhausted with the difficulty we have with keeping males in the chorus. There simply are not enough men in musical theatre in DC (at least not at this level) so it's virtually impossible to find a decent male chorus. The women are wonderful and will be great in the show, and the 4 guys I do have are working really hard...but we really need at least 1 or 2 more guys to complete the ensemble. It's a problem with almost every show I do now, so I've gotten used to it, but it does affect my choreography, especially for this show, which has at least 3 dance numbers for men.

I am excited about my next project, BEEHIVE at Lazy Susan Dinner Theatre, again directed by Hans. I am particularly excited about this one, because it was my recommendation and Hans went with the idea and Lazy Susan agreed! So I feel sort of responsible for the success of it as well. Hans has decided to make me Assistant Director as well as Choreographer, so I will had double duty. The other plus is that BEEHIVE is a musical review with ALL WOMEN. That's right...NO MEN. Which means no desperate scramble to find guys to be in the show. We are guaranteed to have a fantastic turn-out and a wonderful cast! Rehearsals for that don't start until May, but I can't wait!

In terms of my personal life, a lot has changed. Robert and I are still together (going on 9 months now..wow, that's some sort of record) and we went nuts and bought 2 Jack Russell Terriers back in November. They are both Girls and they are sisters. Their names are Sukie and Sally. Sukie is the runt and Sally is her older sister. They are the cutest things ever and they really brighten up our day. Whenever Robert and I feel down, we just take a look at these gorgeous girls and they make us smile. It was a crazy idea to get them, and its been difficult at times, but it was also a wonderful idea and they have changed our lives...

I hope to post pics of them when I get a chance...there's a reason to stay posted!

Everything Old is New Again!

2005-11-30T11:17:00.000-08:00

Well, the kitchen renovation is finally complete. Here are the BEFORE and AFTER pictures.

View with caution!

Any comments/praise is appreciated..it took lots of time, money and effort..so enjoy!

KitchenOld

2005-11-30T11:16:00.000-08:00

KitchenOld
Originally uploaded by LuvDusty.

BEFORE

KitchenNew

2005-11-30T11:14:00.000-08:00

KitchenNew
Originally uploaded by LuvDusty.

AFTER

Dusty Springfield Live at Royal Albert Hall

2005-11-03T06:49:00.000-08:00

Well, after 10 careful viewings (and at least 5 full listens on my iPod..where I transferred the CD to on the 1st), I feel ready to critique the DVD and CD release of Dusty Springfield: Live at Royal Albert Hall.

First let me start with the DVD:

WOW! The picture quality is absolutely AMAZING and I love the Main Menu and the other Menus..great sound effects and wonderful pictures and graphics of our Lady. The sound quality is not as strong as the picture quality, but I guess they did the best they could with what was available.

As for the concert itself...Dusty looks radiant and performs majestically! The liner notes are actually quite good this time (in my view) and they capture perfectly the spirit of the concert. Dusty does seem more laid-back than ever on this one and yes, there are several small glitches and hiccups vocally as well as technically, but nothing major...and whatever precision is lost is made up for with a wonderful energy and enthusiasm that's riveting to witness. Not since her 60s hey-day, did Dusty look so radiant and "happy to be there".

The interviews are also top-notch..especially the reminiscings and musings of Pat Rhodes, Madeleine Bell and Simon Bell. Simon almost made me cry on several occasions, especially towards the end, when it was clear he was also moved and missing Dusty. He is a great guy, I can see why Dusty wanted him near in her final days.

Now for the CD:

The only complaint I have is the sound mix seems rather low in volume and is a bit grainy. I have to pump the volume up to 8 or 9 to truly get all the sound...and that's rare to have to do. It is, unfortunately, one of those CDs that is recorded as if there were some sort of distance between the listener and the singer..and I HATE those. I have others that have that as well..even with newer source material. I am not sure what the process is in the studio, but it gives everything a sort of "muted" sound that I despise.

I much prefer to have Dusty closer to me, her voice more immediate, as if she were breathing right in my ear...but I guess with the live recording and the situation with the quality of the tapes, this could not be helped.

That being said, it is wonderful to have so much of these songs "live" and the Hits medley is fantastic. Just those few lines of "Goin' Back" are worth the entire CD...as is the lovely "Lose Again" and "Quiet Please, There's A Lady on Stage".

Is it just me, or was the sound quality of "Quiet Please" for the box set BETTER than it is here? How is that so? Also, the quality of "Lose Again" on the British box set also seems better than the original here. I am stumped as to what process was used to put this on CD. It is clearly inferior, in my view.

Well, like I said, I am happy to have ANY Dusty out there and especially "live" Dusty which is so rare.

It just makes you long for the day they might release the Drury Lane concert or other live performances on a compilation CD perhaps? They are out there!

Where The Heck Have I Been?

2005-10-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

Ok..if anyone actually reads this blog, they must be wondering where the heck I've been, since it's been forever and a day since I've posted. I suck at this blog thing, clearly, I am too busy LIVING my life instead of writing about it in a blog, but alas, I am trying at least to keep up here.

So let's see..what's new? Well, I did NOT get cast in Anything Goes at Olney Theatre. I was a bit shocked, especially since I've worked with the director before and for that theatre before, and I thought I did ok at auditions. Well, truth be told, my audition was better than my callback. I guess I'm just rusty--I don't audition every week like I used to in my 20s...LIFE has taken over I guess, and what can I do? Other things are taking priority and I guess that only makes sense.

I am still choreographing though, which keeps me somewhat in the professional theatre loop, albeit not as much as I'd like. I am currently working on 2 projects: I am choreographing Annie Get Your Gun for Potomac Theatre Company opening in mid-November, and I am choreographing 2 pieces and dancing in a duet for the 3rd annual True To Form, D.C. Choreographers' Showcase to be held November 5 and 6th at Joy of Motion Dance Center in Friendship Heights.

Annie Get Your Gun is going well, although I don't have much of a cast of dancers to work with. There are maybe 1 or 2 cast members who move well, and the rest are really just actors and singers who have difficulty with complex movements. I have to limit the complexity of the choreography, but I think it will work out fine for the show...it's not one of those big dance shows, so it should be fine.

The True To Form work is going well too, although rehearsals for that are only 1x a week on Sunday nights...cause that's the only time I could get rehearsal space. I have finished choreographing 1 of my pieces (the duet) and the other piece, a solo for the lovely Ann Behrends, is almost done, I just need to finish about 30 seconds of it at the end.

The big fear I am having is the 3rd piece that I am dancing in. I am totally out of dance shape, and I don't want to look like a total idiot. I haven't had time to get to dance class at all, and probably won't until after the concert, mostly because I am teaching at NCDA as well as rehearsing, so life has been crazy.

To top it all off, I have begun renovation on my kitchen! Yes, it was time. I am getting new cabinets, countertops, floor, appliances, the works....and I am doing it all with the help of Robert, who has been such a sweetheart through this whole process. We have already started assembling the cabinets (all the wall hanging cabinets are done), and this weekend we hope to start demolishing the current cabinets (yuck) and hopefully next weekend we can start putting the new cabinets in, just in time for the arrival of the new appliances. Keep your fingers crossed...it's never easy to do home improvements by your self. At least the granite countertops will be installed professionally, so that's a relief and a pressure off!

On a political note, I am pleased as punch that the Monkey is finally getting SHOCKED! He is getting his due isn't he, the village idiot from Texas! WOOHOO! It's so pleasurable to watch him slowly get roasted over the coals--the Katrina fiasco, the Mieirs debacle, the Rove incident, the DeLay disaster! YAY! Yay! Yaaaay! Cry havoc! And unleash the dogs of war! It's time for the Monkey to get what he deserves!

Eating My Way Through New England...

2005-09-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

Well, we are now in September..Summer is over, and I'm not sure if it was because of all my trips, but it seemed like a rather short one this year, did it not?

For the last 2 weeks I've been traveling through the North of this great country, or rather, I've been eating my way up to the North I guess you could say...LOL!

2 weekends ago I was in Philadelphia, and had a great time re-visiting the birthplace of our Declaration of Independence and the home of the Liberty Bell. I hadn't been to the city of "brotherly love"(uhuh) as they call it, since 1997 and my has the city changed! It's newer, cleaner, more bustling than ever before.

Restaurant recommendation: Alma De Cuba, 1623 Walnut St. --Wonderful Mojitos and a very original Red Cherry Caipirinha! Food was also very good, with a wonderful Salmon with a must-have banana-lentil salad! That's right, I said, bananas and lentils..in the same salad!
Delicious and surprising all in one bite.

For dessert: Capogiro Gelateria, 119 S 13th St.--Amazing gelato, especially the dark chocolate. The best I've ever had for sure.

Then it was on to Boston...for more culinary delights! I hadn't been to Boston since 1998, and that city, too, has gone through a major revitalization, including the "Big Dig" project which has transformed several ugly overpasses into clean, view-friendly tunnels. Now you can see a lot more of the Boston landscape as you are walking along "Bean town". Wonderful views and the architecture just keeps getting more and more eclectic. It's one of the few cities in the U.S. where you can find 7 or 8 different styles of architecture in one city block! A festival for the eyes!

Restaurant recommendations: Aquitane, 569 Tremont St.--Delicious brunch! Amazing omelet and wonderful cinnamon buns! Right in the heart of the trendy South End.

And just one block down the street from that one:

Masa, 439 Tremont St.--AMAZING Margaritas (on the rocks..usually I only drink frozen, but the ones at this place, are devastatingly delicious! Take a risk!), skip over the regular menu and go for the brilliant Tapas ($1 each), best of all being the Grilled Chorizo with Cranberry Chutney Salsa and the Ahi Tuna Ceviche Taco.

Then it was on to the Cape...yes my friends, Cape Cod! We did an amazing 2 day visit, driving from Boston all the way to the end of the Cape, ending in lovely quaint and very very Gay (and I mean really really Gay), Provincetown, or P-Town as the locals call it.

Some fun spots to think about if you are ever there:

In P-Town try out Surf Club Restaurant and Bar, Lopes Square 508--There's no website, but trust me, delicious Sweet Potato Fries and very good Ice(d) Tea, with a great view of the Bay as well as the arriving Ferrys from Boston (or Fairies from Boston if you prefer..LOL!).

If you are really into people watching and want an even GAY-er atmosphere, go up Commercial St. and check out Bubala's By The Bay, 185 Commercial St.--Good appetizers, not so good Martinis, unless you plan on setting fire to the whole Cape with just your breath and a match, but a great view (if you sit in the outside patio), of the several gender-neutral types and drag queens that may saunter by. Just be careful with the hostess, she has an attitude and she has no time for your nonsense..so just sit down and don't stay long, 'cause full paying dinner customers are arriving soon...okay girlfriend, chill out! It's P-town, not Chelsea.

On your way back from P-Town, you can also stop in Brewster for a meal at Spark Fish, 2671 Main St.--excellent crabcake appetizers, ok salmon, but make sure you arrive early...the kitchen seems to start to close down by 9pm, even on a Saturday night...I had to forgo my rice for just the steamed veggies. But friendly service and the Apple-Cranberry cobbler more than made up for any early kitchen closures.

So, I am now back in Washington, D.C. and yes, I am at least 5 lbs. heavier...but it was well worth the waistline expansion to be able to try out some of the best Yankee cuisine! If you are ever in New England (isn't that a Reba McEntire song?), then make sure you get yourself to some of these restaurants!

Or heck, next time you are in Philly...make sure to try one of the many new places sprouting up all over the city....celebrate urban living!!! Take a chance!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to hit the treadmill...I've got many desserts to work off!

The Whales of August...

2005-08-16T07:50:00.000-07:00

Remember that movie that came out in the 1980s called The Whales of August? It featured the final silver screen performances of two goddesses of American film, Lillian Gish and Bette Davis?

No? Good, neither do I. I never saw it actually, and have absolutely NO idea what it was about.

But I thought the title worked well for this blog entry so I used it. At least you can't say I'm pretentious.

It is August indeed, and it's HUMID. and HOT! Well, this is Washington, D.C., the swamp that is our Nation's capital and that is only to be expected I guess...everyone knows August is a sticky one for us DC folks.

So, what to do? Well..stay indoors actually...with the AC cranked on maximum.

Oh and yes, remodel your kitchen. I know, totally from left field...but I have decided to remodel my puny little kitchen in my condo. Why? Well, because 1) I'm sick of looking at it and 2) I think it will boost the re-sale rate of my condo by a lot.

Here's the problem...I am not alone. It seems EVERYONE, and I mean EVERYONE in the DC metropolitan area has ALSO decided to remodel their kitchen...i've been trying to get an appt. at Home Depot for like 2 months! Hello? How weird is that? He's a kitchen designer, not the Shaw of Iran...he's not President Bush...I should be able to meet with him without having to set up a vigil outside his disgusting Presidential Ranch in Crawford Texas.

I shouldn't have to be branded a "traitor" just to get my kitchen remodeled. Should I?

Have we come to this?

So, finally I got an appt. last Saturday, and went and I got my hour (full of 5-10 minute interruptions, but hey, I'm not picky) and my kitchen is now designed.

The only problem is that I changed my mind, and now I want a different style of cabinet and I want more space for the fridge, and...voila..I am in Design Hell!

So, now it seems I will have to wait until September (!!) to get another appt...which is fine, since I don't want to start the actual remodeling until October when my parents have left from their visit (and that's a whole other Blog entry now, isn't it?)

We'll Always Have Paris--the After-Party

2005-07-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back from Paris. WOW. What a beautiful city...it really can't be explained unless you've been there. Everywhere you look is a postcard...every restaurant is delicious and every street is quaint. Amazing. I have several restaurant recommendations...particularly Maison Rouge in the famed Le Marais quarter (gay neighborhood!), Cafe Di Roma on the Champs Elysees for pizza and Desperados (Mas) beer. (a wonderful beer brewed with Tequila and lime! Yum!)

Of course the day before I traveled, I heard of the horrible bombings in London and my heart skipped a beat, knowing that I was then going to travel to the same continent in less than 24 hrs.

Oh my, what has happened to the world? We have become such a violent place. And then I hear of the poor innocent Brazilian man that was shot to death by London police in their new "shoot first, ask questions later" mode. Honestly, I understand the fear after such a scary attack. I work in Washington, D.C.-just a block from the White House. I was here on September 11, 2001 and I too was scared for my life. But no amount of fear or "preparation" justifies shooting an innocent man in the head 7 times just because he is running away and "seems suspicious".

It's truly a sad state of affairs.

Well, at least Paris was beautiful and I kept my mind off the terrorism by visiting great works of art in the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay. Whenever the world seems to be just too horrible to bear and human beings seem so disgusting to me, I try to focus on the beautiful things that Humans have been able to create throughout the ages...whether it's a visual art, or performing art...the arts and nature, those are truly the only 2 things left in our World that provide me solace.

And Love. Love, Nature and Art. Is there really anything else worthwhile?

I have been the luckiest man in the world for the past month, because I've met a wonderful guy and we have had a wonderful time together. His name is Robert and he makes me smile. He is genuinely a "nice guy" (I didn't think their were any of those left) and treats me so well, I can only hope to be as good to him as he is to me.

We are having lots of fun together and we both look forward to learning more and growing more together, each and every day.

Now before I make everyone vomit, let me just leave it at that...it's a good thing, I'm enjoying it--'nough said.

I wanted to take a moment to comment on my TV watching for the last couple of weeks. I've noticed that the quality of the writing of some of the TV shows I watch has vastly improved this season. I am not sure if it's just because the 2 shows I am talking about are in their last seasons, or maybe I'm just delusional...but both Six Feet Under and Queer As Folk seem to be getting better and better with each episode I watch.

6FU has always been original and relatively well written..the first 2 seasons were amazing, and there was a slight slump for a while, but this final season is really wonderful to watch. I love where all the character's arcs are going and I like a lot of the humor that is being injected as well. (Claire standing on her temp cubicle to sing "You Ride Up My Thigh" (her sarcastic ode to her bothersome pantyhose, sung to that insipid 70s christian-lite pop hit, "You Light Up My Life" was particularly inspired).

QAF on the other hand has made a 1,00000% jump in quality since 2 seasons ago, when it seemed amateurish and clumsy. I used to just watch this show because it was about Gay people and I felt it needed the viewership--I used to cringe at how crappy the dialogue and situations were. But now, it has matured and is very very watchable, especially the plot line with Linds and Mel and their break-up and ultimate getting back to together and wanting to move to Canada. It's complex, originaly and thank christ, entertaining.

Now, if only season 2 of Project Runway could get started, all would be right with the world again!

Christmas in July!

2005-07-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been almost 2 months since I've blogged! What is my problem?

I'll tell you what my problem is--I am having a great time with my life right now! So many good things are happening to me that I don't have time to bitch about anything in this blog! : )

Ok, so The Monkey is still President, and our Country is still going down the crapper, but at least thing are looking up for me personally.

Work is going very well, and I am being sent to Paris (hello?) for 2 weeks starting on Thursday. This will be the first business trip I take in almost 7 years--and it's about time! It will be a wonderful experience I'm sure and I am looking forward to visiting the City of Lights for the 2nd time (last time was in 1990-my how time does fly!)

In terms of recommendations for music, film, etc...I saw War of The Worlds on Saturday night and I really didn't like it. Aside from being totally over Mr. Cruise and his Scientology driven crusade to kill the therapists, I just found the film to be rather plotless. Okay, so an alien race tries to take over the World. That's it. And despite Spielberg's valiant attempts to add depth to the 3 main characters and the excellent special effects and editing, he just couldn't get away from the fact that there just isn't much "there there" as Ms. Gertrude Stein once proclaimed. So what? That was the question I was left pondering as I exited the multiplex.

I did see a wonderful, much more rich and complicated film on Sunday night (love COMCAST ON DEMAND!) called Mala Educacion (Bad Education), the latest Almodovar film. Very edgey (as always for him) and very thought provoking. Still not my favorite of his films, but very well made I thought. At least there were some human, emotional, complex issues dealt with, and not just fluff and aliens pulverizing CGI animated humans.

The whole country is a buzz with the announcement of the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. As terrible as this is for us liberals (cause it means The Monkey will get to choose a new Justice), I can't help but think that you never know what these Justices will do once they are selected and are on the bench. O'Connor herself was believed to be a total right wing lackey when Reagan appointed her in the early 80s and yet she ended up being quite moderate in her voting, so you never know. I hope for all our sakes that whomever The Monkey chooses, ends up being more center down the road...we have to get comfort in small things at this point.

Meanwhile, wonderful news from the U.K. that Dusty's long awaited Royal Albert Hall concert from 1979 (command performance for Princess Margaret), may soon be available (pred. November or December) on DVD! HOORAY! Gosh, I hope so--it's about bloody well time as the Brits would say! We need a worthwhile document of Dusty's brilliance on stage. I'm hoping a companion live CD will also be issued at the same time..Merry Christmas for me!

Well, I'm off to Paris on Thursday, can't say when I'll blog again, but in the meantime--let's carry on and try to make the best of this summer!

I am currently in one of the best moods of my adult life, so I hope I can ride this wave all summer!

What is happening to our country?

2005-05-18T06:28:00.000-07:00

I've been so upset with the Bush administration and the way our rights as Americans have been whittled away little by little since September 11, with the use of fear and intimidation.

And I'm not talking about the terrorists in Iraq (or is it Saudi Arabia?), but rather, the terrorists here in the U.S.A, the Bush Administration, Rumsfeld, Cheney..etc...these are the true abusers of power, who have been manipulating our people using fear, hatred, prejudice and intimidation tactics to keep us under control. And we are letting them!

I happened to be watching 1776 on cable last night. A wonderful film version of the 1960s Broadway Musical set in the summer of 1776 when the nation was ready to declare
independence... if only our founding fathers could agree to do it! The musical expertly follows John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, and Richard Henry Lee and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia as they attempt to convince the members of the second Continental Congress to vote for independence from the shackles of the British monarchy by signing the Declaration of Independence!

It's not only a wonderful film adaptation of a musical, but it also is so resonant right now! My ears were ringing and my heart was aching as I heard these men, our Founding Fathers speak of liberty, freedom and the escape from tyranny so eloquently!

One moment in the film absolutely stopped me cold. It was when John Dickinson from Pennsylvania was arguing with Thomas Jefferson of Virginia about the Declaration of Independence. Dickinson's argument was that it was not a good time to declare independence from England, because the country was in the middle of a war and the times were hard and it was certainly not "safe" for the people.

To which Benjamin Franklin interjected with one of the most eerily appropriate quotes in the whole film:

"Those who give up some of their liberty in order to obtain a little temporary safety-deserve neither liberty or safety."

WOW! That is so applicable to today! The Patriot Act, the constant "shut up and support the President and the Troops" mentality that seems to be pervasive today in our country! If only Benjamin Franklin were in congress to help us remember! If only his words could ring as loud as that Philadelphia Liberty bell!

Let us never forget our Founding Fathers. They were a crazy lot, wild eyed for sure, but absolutely right!

Let's protect our liberty at any cost! Even if that means disagreeing with our government in times of war!

Never say you can't learn something useful from a musical! : )

We'll Always Have Paris...

2005-05-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

Good news! I will be traveling to Paris, France from July 7-20! I am very excited about this trip! The last time I was in Paris was 15 years ago! I'm sure the city has changed a lot since then, and I am excited to spend some time strolling along the Seine, visiting Montmartre and examining the Musee D'Orsay and The Louvre.

I have been putting together a new playlist on my iPod in honor of the recent announcement of my Paris trip, it's called "We'll Always Have Paris..." here is the track list:

"To Love Again", Jane Olivor, The Best of Jane Olivor
"Et Maintenant", Dee Dee Bridgewater, J'ai Deux Amours
"Quelqu'un M'a Dit", Carla Bruni, Quelqu'un M'a Dit
"Chanson des Jumelles" from the film Les Demoiselles de Rochefort
"Poema Dos Olhos da Amada", Maria Bethânia, Maria
"C'est Si Bon", Eartha Kitt, Eartha Kitt in Person at the Paris Olympia
"Milord", Edith Piaf, Edith Piaf-Immortal Sparrow of France
"Marathon (Les Flamandes)" from the musical Jacques Brel
"La Goulante du Pauvre Jean (The Ballad of Poor Old John)", Elaine Paige, Piaf
"Chanson de Maxence" from the film Les Demoiselles de Rochefort
"Recit de Cassard" from the film Les Parapluies de Cherbourg
"Main Title" from the film Victor/Victoria
"Gay Paree" from the film Victor/Victoria
"Autumn Leaves (Les Feuilles Morts)", Barbra Streisand, Je M'Appelle Barbra
"Bravo tu as Gagné", Mireille Mathieu, Bonjour Mireille
"Elle Est Fini (La Belle Histoire)", Petula Clark, C'est Ma Chanson
"If You Go Away (Ne Me Quitte Pas)", Dusty Springfield, The Look of Love
"Quand on N'a Que L'Amour", Jacques Brel, Infiniment
"I Love Paris", Annie Ross, Skylark
"Ça C'est L'Amour", Tony Bennett, Fifty Years-The Artistry of Tony Bennett
"L'effet Que Tu Me Fais", Edith Piaf, Edith Piaf-Immortal Sparrow of France

New Dusty Biopic In The Works!

2005-05-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

There's a new Dusty Springfield biopic in the planning stages, with Kristin Chenoweth (Tony award winner for You're A Good Man Charlie Brown on Broadway) slated to play Dusty. Details about the project are still not hammered out, and I'm curious to know whether or not they will use Dusty's singing voice (a la What's Love Got To Do With It and Ray) or if they will use Chenoweth for the singing. What scares me is that Chenoweth is a singer in her own right, so I fear she might want to do the singing her self. This is no cut on Chenoweth, I love her voice and she is a great performer, but Dusty Springfield was a singing legend, known mostly for her sensual, original, one of a kind voice, so it seems a sacrilege to use anyone else's in this case.

For more info:

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/92479.html

Great week of theatre and performance!

2005-05-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

Wow..what a week!

I saw MOBY DICK REHEARSED at The American Century Theater, what a wonderful production which truly exemplifies how theatre is truly about creativity and imagination and not about big budgets and expensive theatrics! TACT has done a wonderful job once more at rescuing a wonderful piece of theatre and giving it a clever and original interpretation!

I also saw THE TEMPEST at The Shakespeare Theatre , funny, two shows in 2 days that have a shipwreck in them! : ) Interesting! Anyway, this production was gorgeous! Amazing sets and costumes and very very high production values. Unfortunately, in my mind, the acting and the direction were uneven. The romance scenes and the comedy scenes worked well, but the scenes dealing with the possible murder of Alonso did not sit well at all. BORING BORING BORING..the actors did not know how to convey the meaning of the text, and the director was unable to get them there. So they just seemed like interminable ramblings. I've never been a big fan of The Tempest, I think it's one of Shakespeare's less interesting plays in terms of the language and rhythm. Some very nice moments, some nice lines, but nothing as poetic as Twelfth Night or Midsummer...or Romeo & Juliet. Overall it was a decent production with lots of highs, but you expect a production that is $55/ticket to get every little thing right, and they didn't really. A shame.

The lesson learned? A big budget does not guarantee a good show. Something to think about.

Now to change gears to the subject of my return to performing after 2 years!

I performed at the Joy of Motion Jazz Festival this weekend, dancing in a duet choreographed by Ann Behrends. It was thrilling to be on stage once again after such a long hiatus, and it was a bit nerve-wracking as well. I think I did better Sat night than Sunday, but overall it felt like I did the best I could for where I am.

I am going to continue my dance class and keep things moving, in hopes of getting in shape for the upcoming audition for DAMN YANKEES at Arena Stage. That's the one I've got my eye on!

I am so tired today though! The weekend was exhausting! And I didn't get much sleep last night (not sure why)...but Monday is almost over..

From Chaos Comes Order

2005-04-22T08:40:00.000-07:00

Well my friends, it's been a crazy couple of weeks for your LuvDusty, but I believe the worst has passed and things are slowly starting to get back to normal.

Aside from the sad passing of my dear Abuela (which I detail below in my previous post), I also had a busy busy time at work, and then the visit of my parents, Bill and Sara, who are actually still in the US and they will be visiting until May 8th.

I also had a callback for URINETOWN at Signature Theatre. This was a mixed-bag experience. I was excited to be called for a callback, which meant I didn't have to audition with everyone in the big cattle-call experience, which is always disgusting, but the downside is that it all felt very rushed. I worked with my vocal coach (yes, now I've started taking voice lessons, together with weekly dance class-part of my "get back in performing shape" plan), on my audition piece and walked in to the callback very confident. I sang the song, they seemed react well and enjoy, but I was still dismissed with a "thanks for coming in" wave and see ya later.

I guess I'm either a) still not strong enough a singer b) just not the right type for the show. I do admit I am more of a traditional musical theatre type, and URINETOWN is not your average musical-but I could definitely do it. Oh well, such is life. Maybe they will offer me Swing again like in previous shows, which would suck, but heck, I'd do it if they asked me.

My parent's visit has been wonderful in that we are getting to explore lots of great restaurants and getting to see some wonderful theatre!

Last week we went to a new place in my neighborhood called TALLULA, I highly recommend it, the food is delicious (if a tad overpriced), and the service was excellent. The atmosphere is also nice. The wine was AMAZING. If you like wine, this is your restaurant, over 300 different bottles to choose from, and over 80 different glasses of wine as well...

Also last week, we went to LA TASCA, a favorite of my parents, also in my neighborhood. The food is consistently good as is the service. And the Sangria is delicious!

This week, we went to our first theatre event, we saw AFTERPLAY at Studio Theatre. It was lovely! Nancy Robinette is simply to die for, and Ed Gero is wonderful as well. What a pair! Dinner was at THAI TANIC, a fun little place a few blocks from the theatre. The food wasn't as good as it has been in the past last night, maybe they had a replacement chef? But it's really inexpensive ($8.95 entree? In DC? Hello?) and great if you have to make a show at Studio.

Theatre and restaurant exploration will continue..next week I am taking them to see MOBY DICK REHEARSED at The American Century Theater (we also have to go to a pre-show reception for the 10th Anniversary of the theatre. I have choreographed several shows for them so I am on the guest list) and THE TEMPEST at The Shakespeare Theatre. I will report back with Theatre as well as Restaurant critiques next week.

RIP Ruth Elena Perrone

2005-04-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

My dear dear Grandmother, RUTH ELENA PERRONE, passed away on April 11. She was 87 years old. She was a very important person in my life, always around when I was a child and often acting as the "Nanny" when my parents weren't available to care for me. She is a part of all my childhood and young adult memories and will forever be a part of me. We actually shared many personality traits and I'm sure I got my strong sense of work ethic, my boundless energy (that allows me to have 3 careers simultaneously!) and my highly developed critical thinking skills from her. I owe her so much. And now she is gone.

The only positive of all this, is that at least she is truly "at peace", after a long 7 year battle with several strokes, dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Her passing also makes the life of my parents a little bit more free, since her care towards the last couple of years had become really time-consuming, stressful and expensive.

So, here's to a great woman, RUTH ELENA PERRONE, my dear "Abuela" as I called her. May she rest in peace.

Let's Hear It For The Girls! The other Great Ladies of Song-LIVE!

2005-04-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems I am always going on and on about Dusty Springfield. And why not? Because she was easily my favorite pop singer of the 20th century. But I feel sometimes I neglect to mention the other ladies who have proven themselves to be close runners-up, or at least within the top 100 of the last century or so....and I got to thinking (scary, I know), but as much as I am a huge fan of Miss Springfield, I never had the chance to see her perform live.

However, I have had many wonderful opportunities to see other Great Ladies of Song, live and in person, and I wanted to share some of those memories with you here.

CHER-Well, what can we say about this lady? She's definitely an Icon, and like Dusty, she knows how to wear a wig and a costume and sell a song. I saw Cher for the only time live in 1999 during her Believe tour at Nissan Pavillion out in Virginia. It was a wonderful concert and a fantastic show. I still remember Cher descending from the ceiling in full Native American regalia (designed by Bob Mackie of course!) singing an amazing cover of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". That's what Cher fans live for...and while I wasn't a huge fan before I saw her live, I became one after.

TINA TURNER-We have to go back to 1997 for this one...I saw this Great Lady perform live in Hampton, Virginia at the Hampton amphitheatre, during her Wildest Dreams tour. Needless to say, this Great Lady did not disappoint. The show was amazingly put together, but what rocked more than the sound system and the light and video show, was Tina herself! What a powerhouse! Amazing voice, great dance moves (she made the back-up singers-who were half her age-look tired and listless), and those sexy legs! A once in a lifetime experience!

BETTE MIDLER-This woman does it all..sings, dances, acts, tells jokes and all of it is amazing. I saw her in 2000 during her Divine Miss Millennium tour at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. and at the time I balked at the US$85 ticket price, but it was worth every single penny. Actually, at one point, while The Divine Miss M sang her sexy slow version of "Do You Wanna Dance?", I literally felt transported to another world. As if this was one of the most important and artistically exciting moments of my life. It was.

CYNDI LAUPER-While I've never been to a full length Cyndi concert, I have seen her perform live twice, as the opening act for Tina ('97) and Cher ('99). Although each performance was only about 1hr long, it was enough to capture Cyndi's explosive performance style! I didn't know how talented she was and how many instruments she plays and that she's actually written a lot of the songs she's recorded...I learned a lot about the Lady watching her live, and it was wonderful!

LINDA RONSTADT-Well, this Lady I had been waiting to see live for 14 years, she rarely makes live appearances anymore especially on the East Coast. Well, I got to see her last summer (2004) at Wolf Trap in Virginia. It was a wonderful evening, outdoor space and Linda did not disappoint. She sang beautifully as only she can, and with a clarity and energy that is simply astonishing for someone in her 50s. Her voice has actually gotten BETTER with age, which is hard to believe since it was so good to begin with. The highlight was her version of "Lush Life" (with a nice intro about Billy Strayhorn and his being persecuted for being gay), her Jimmy Webb set ("Do What You Gotta Do", "Adios", "I Keep It Hid") which nearly drove me wild (I love Webb and Linda, and Linda singing Webb...gorgeous!), and the encore, when she spoke about Michael Moore (over ridiculous boos from a few rude audience members), and dedicated a powerful version of "Desperado" to him. Later on, Linda had trouble in the press and was escorted by security out of her Vegas gig for that moment, but I saw it 6 weeks before. But Linda had such class, such poise, she didn't let it disturb her singing at all..she just sang right through the idiots cat-calling in the audience. She is a true Great Lady!

NANCY WILSON-No, not the blonde sister from Heart, but rather, the legendary jazz vocalist. I saw her live just last year (2004) at the Kennedy Center. She is just as beautiful, classy and stylish as I thought she would be, and considering she's almost in her 70s, it was amazing to watch her belt it out and sing with so much sophistication. Definitely the classiest Lady I've seen live.

DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER-Another classy performance, if occasionally a bit more raunchy...saw her on Valentine's Day (yes, it was a date), 2003 also at the Kennedy Center and it was amazing! She signed my CD afterwards and spoke with me briefly, very very nice lady and a stunning talent and personality!

JANE OLIVOR-This was a great performance, winter of 2001 at The Birchemere in Alexandria, Virginia. Jane is one of those "unknowns" who is so freakishly talented it's really a crime she's not a bigger star. She is just as talented as Streisand, as folksy as Judy Collins and as emotional as Edith Piaf..all rolled into one. I am going to see her again next month (again at The Birchemere) and I can't wait.

Ok, I hope I've done justice to some of the other Great Ladies of Song...of course, Dusty is still #1 for me, but these other ladies are not far behind.

But just to make sure I don't leave anyone out, here is a list of Great Ladies of Song that I have NOT yet seen live, but really really really want to very soon! Hopefully time and fate and $$$ will allow:

Dionne Warwick
Eartha Kitt
Dolly Parton
Emmylou Harris
Barbra Streisand
Dido
Kylie Minogue
Sally Mayes
Megan Mullally
Stacey Kent
Jane Monheit

It's Time To Take Back The Word "Liberal".

2005-04-07T06:49:00.000-07:00

I happened upon this wonderful documentary while watching HBO the other night. It's called Left of the Dial and it deals with the creation of the left-wing talk radio AIR AMERICA.

I watched with fascination as the many ups and downs of starting this huge endeavor flashed in front of my eyes. It's not easy being a Liberal in these hear United States..that's for sure.

Granted, most of the problems that besmirched this enterprise were brought upon by their own inept hands, but it still was rather interesting to see how little support AIR AMERICA got from other media outlets and from businesses that should be supporting the "alternative" viewpoint.

I'm sort of sick and tired of sitting back and taking it though. Aren't you? I mean, it seems Liberals (and I consider myself a PROUD one, thank you very much), have been gutted and basically robbed of their fightin' spirit! I have to spend my days watching and listening to this Administration, led by a grinning Monkey, telling me what to do and think, considering themselves "messengers from God", with their "holier than thou" attitudes and their stupid "unless you drive an SUV and have a US flag on your lapel you are not with us" brand of Patriotism.

That's why Randi Rhodes, the explosive talk radio host, is my favorite of the AIR AMERICA personalities. She's not afraid to get ugly. She fights like a Man. She makes Limbaugh, Hannity and all those other right-wing lackeys look like little Mamma's boys....and I'm glad for that.

Finally, someone on the left has some balls! (Ironically, or maybe not so much, it's a Woman too!) It seems all we have left is Randi. Granted, Bill Maher with his Real Time show on HBO and Jon Stewart with The Daily Show on Comedy Central are trying to get the message out as well. But Maher is seen as too much of a "Hollywood outsider" and Stewart's liberalism is more of the traditional kind...sarcastic, indirect, mocking the right without ever really losing his cool.

Randi on the other hand is not at all afraid to spit, yell and scream! And for that I applaud her.

The right-wing (now with its lips surgically attached to the Xian Coalition's ass) has never been afraid to be aggressive and to fight, spit, yell and scream. And all along, the Liberals, well, we just sat in the corner and grinned and made fun of their "crazy yokel ways". And in the meantime, we sat and watched them hijack our country.

Well, I think it's time to stop grinnin' and start kickin'..butts that is. Randi knows what I mean, and I think her brand of Liberalism is just what the left needs to pick itself up, dust itself off and start all over again.

Let's take back the word "Liberal". Let's never again be ashamed to call ourselves that. After all, if we don't stand up for "the other side", who the heck will? Certainly not this lying sack of shit of an Administration, nor the bloated, over-heated Congress, and definitely not Big Brother Business. It's the people--floating on the ether, over the airwaves, sending out their message that will change this country. It has to be!

So...Long live AIR AMERICA and especially Randi Rhodes! Here's hoping she has balls enough for the rest of us. We need it!

Jesus, save me from your followers!!

2005-03-22T13:29:00.000-08:00

I don't know...maybe it's because it's almost Easter, or maybe it's because of the recent Terri Schiavo uproar, but I am just absolutely sick and tired of so-called "Evangelical Christians" telling me how to live my life! Is it just me, or has this country become so engulfed in a sort of pseudo "new-Christian" movement that we are seriously loosing our grip on reality?

Let the woman die I say! Who wants to live like a vegetable with just a feeding tube providing sustenance? Do you? NOPE! And I bet Ms. Schiavo doesn't really want to either. But of course, her parents are unable to let her go, even after 15 years of this ordeal and her husband is viewed as "Mr. Shady" who is trying to hide something.

Ya know what? Maybe he is hiding something! And maybe yes, Ms. Schiavo's parents deserve the right to keep their daughter alive if they so want (as long as they care for her).

I don't really have a problem with either side.

What I DO have a problem with, is our United States Congress getting involved and wasting precious tax dollars and their time sticking their noses where they don't belong.

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE! There...do I need to say it again?

What happens to Ms. Schiavo is her family's decision..let them duke it out in the courts (oh wait, they already did!) and let the judge's ruling be the deciding factor and not our Government's extreme right leanings.

That's not why our members of Congress are there. They are not there to legislate our moral choices. To each his own I say!

If Thomas Jefferson were alive today, he'd be fuming! Leave the woman alone and leave her family alone--DO NOT GET INVOLVED. It's none of the Government's business what the Schiavo's decide!

What's next? Government deciding what we can or can not eat? Government deciding who we can live with? What books we read? What stories we tell? Who we marry?

I'm sick and tired of this "neo-Conservative" movement, which portends to be "moral" and is obviously anything but.

Morality has NOTHING to do with religion, and the sooner we are able to understand that in this country, the better off we will be. Plenty of average folks were raised without religion in their lives (count me as one of them), and we still know how to behave as law abiding, yes, MORAL citizens. I don't steal, cheat or lie or kill or tell anyone else what to do with their lives or what god to pray to or anything else.

Why can't Jesus' s followers do the same?

In these few days before Easter, during this most "holy" of weeks, can't the Christian Right leave us be for just a few moments?

Can't they see that the true beauty of Christ's message was in the "turn the other cheek", the "live and let live", the "accept everyone" part of his doctrine?

Jesus's true message was that, (and he knew this cause he was an outsider himself), a person should not be persecuted (or hung on a cross), just because they are different.

Words to think about this week, while our country wastes stupid amount of time, ink and money asking the Goverment to legislate morality.

AMEN!

Crazy! Crazy! Crazy! Enjoying Spring with Poetry!

2005-03-21T11:10:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a crazy couple of weeks, which is why I haven't had time to post. Today is the first day of Spring, and Mother Nature seems to be in a good mood, cause we've got sunny skies and a nice cool day, but not cold.

I don't know about you, but LuvDusty is tired of the hat and coat wearing season, and is ready for some shorts and Tee action! Right? : )

There is lots I want to talk about, but don't have the time to post anything note-worthy at the moment, so I'll leave it at this: Let's enjoy Spring and make ourselves happy today!

A little madness in the Spring
Is wholesome even for the King.

-Emily Dickinson

2005-03-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

Thank you Dusty! For all the wonderful music!
Originally uploaded by LuvDusty.

Thank you Dusty! For all the wonderful music!

2005-03-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

Today marks the 6th anniversary of the death of our beloved Dusty Springfield, the greatest white soul singer the world has ever known!

But we know Dusty is making beautiful music up there! We miss you, Dusty!

Love,

Stefan (LuvDusty)

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR gets 4 HELEN HAYES NOMS and other Artistic Notes!

2005-03-02T07:34:00.000-08:00

LuvDusty is thrilled to see that the production of Jesus Christ Superstar that he choreographed for Open Circle Theatre in D.C., has just received 4 Helen Hayes Award Nominations, including one for Outstanding Resident Musical! All that hard work back in September and October of 2004 has paid off! The Award ceremony will be May 9th at the Warner Theatre, and yes LuvDusty will be there!

On more artistic notes, LuvDusty is currently choreographing what I believe will be a very fun production of The Pajama Game at Lazy Susan Dinner Theatre. The cast is very talented and the direction is once again by that Musical Theatre genius, Hans Bachmann! I love workin' with this guy, because we share similar views on the art form and how it should be presented. I always feel like our work is seemless--hopefully, the audience can't tell where his work ends and mine begins--we share a brain, so to speak. And it's a good thing!

I've also just been asked to choreograph Gypsy for Montgomery Playhouse, a 75 year old theatre company way out in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The commute will be a killer, but it'll be worth it to get to choreograph this classic of American musical theatre!

There is also a chance LuvDusty may get back on stage for the first time in almost 2 years! Ann Behrends, fantastic DC choreographer, has asked me to duet with her in a dance piece she is working on for the upcoming Joy of Motion Dance Festival on April 30 and May 1! It's an honor that Ann asked me and to get to dance with her will be a blast! More info as it comes in!

The South Leans to the Left!

2005-03-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, amid a lot of fanfare, a tiny country nestled just South of Brazil and East of Argentina, called Uruguay, inaugurated the first far left wing president in the history of their government! Hooray for Uruguayans everywhere! First Brazil with Lula, and now Uruguay with Tabaré Vasquez! At least our South American cousins know what Democracy truly is. They elected leaders who truly represent their people, and not some stupid puppet of a Monkey who is bought and sold by the big oil companies and the closeted homo Nazis of the Religious Right.

Who said South Americans can't get anything right? It's amazing to watch how they move their continent to the far left, and somehow seem to be navigating the tempestuous waves of globalization without as much struggle as we seem to be here in the good ol' U.S. of A.

Maybe we should take a hint from our cousins to the South?

Another Reason to Move To Canada...

2005-02-17T06:47:00.000-08:00

It seems at least the Canadians know the meaning of "freedom and justice FOR ALL".

ADDRESS BY PRIME MINISTER PAUL MARTIN ON BILL C-38
(THE CIVIL MARRIAGE ACT) FEBRUARY 16, 2005
HOUSE OF COMMONS

I rise today in support of Bill C-38, the Civil Marriage Act. I rise in support of a Canada in which liberties are safeguarded, rights are protected and the people of this land are treated as equals under the law.

This is an important day. The attention of our nation is focused on this chamber, in which John Diefenbaker introduced the Bill of Rights, in which Pierre Trudeau fought to establish the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Our deliberations will be not merely about a piece of legislation or sections of legal text - more deeply, they will be about the kind of nation we are today, and the nation we want to be.

This bill protects minority rights. This bill affirms the Charter guarantee of religious freedom. It is that straightforward, Mr. Speaker, and it is that important.

And that is why I stand today before members here and before the people of this country to say: I believe in, and I will fight for, the Charter of Rights. I believe in, and I will fight for, a Canada that respects the foresight and vision of those who created and entrenched the Charter. I believe in, and I will fight for, a future in which generations of Canadians to come, Canadians born here and abroad, will have the opportunity to value the Charter as we do today - as an essential pillar of our democratic freedoms.

There have been a number of arguments put forward by those who do not support this bill. It's important and respectful to examine them and to assess them. First, some have claimed that, once this bill becomes law, religious freedoms will be less than fully protected. This is demonstrably untrue. As it pertains to marriage, the government's legislation affirms the Charter guarantee: that religious officials are free to perform such ceremonies in accordance with the beliefs of their faith.

In this, we are guided by the ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada, which makes clear that in no church, no synagogue, no mosque, no temple - in no religious house will those who disagree with same-sex unions be compelled to perform them. Period. That is why this legislation is about civil marriage, not religious marriage.

Moreover -- and this is crucially important - the Supreme Court has declared unanimously, and I quote: "The guarantee of religious freedom in section 2(a) of the Charter is broad enough to protect religious officials from being compelled by the state to perform civil or religious same-sex marriages that are contrary to their religious beliefs."

The facts are plain: Religious leaders who preside over marriage ceremonies must and will be guided by what they believe. If they do not wish to celebrate marriages for same-sex couples, that is their right. The Supreme Court says so. And the Charter says so.

One final observation on this aspect of the issue: Religious leaders have strong views both for and against this legislation. They should express them. Certainly, many of us in this House, myself included, have a strong faith, and we value that faith and its influence on the decisions we make. But all of us have been elected to serve here as Parliamentarians. And as public legislators, we are responsible for serving all Canadians and protecting the rights of all
Canadians.

We will be influenced by our faith but we also have an obligation to take the widest perspective -- to recognize that one of the great strengths of Canada is its respect for the rights of each and every individual, to understand that we must not shrink from the need to reaffirm the rights and responsibilities of Canadians in an evolving society.

The second argument ventured by opponents of the bill is that government ought to hold a national referendum on this issue. I reject this - not out of a disregard for the view of the people, but because it offends the very purpose of the Charter.

The Charter was enshrined to ensure that the rights of minorities are not subjected, are never subjected, to the will of the majority. The rights of Canadians who belong to a minority group must always be protected by virtue of their status as citizens, regardless of their numbers. These rights must never be left vulnerable to the impulses of the majority.

We embrace freedom and equality in theory, Mr. Speaker. We must also embrace them in fact.

Third, some have counseled the government to extend to gays and lesbians the right to "civil union." This would give same-sex couples many of the rights of a wedded couple, but their relationships would not legally be considered marriage. In other words, they would be equal, but not quite as equal as the rest of Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, the courts have clearly and consistently ruled that this option would offend the equality provisions of the Charter. For instance, the British Columbia Court of Appeal stated that, and I quote: "Marriage is the only road to true equality for same-sex couples. Any other form of recognition of same-sex relationships ...falls short of true equality."

Put simply, we must always remember that "separate but equal" is not equal. What's more, those who call for the establishment of civil unions fail to understand that the Government of Canada does not have the constitutional jurisdiction to do so. Only the provinces have that. Only the provinces could define such a regime - and they could define it in 10 different ways, and some jurisdictions might not bother to define it at all. There would be uncertainty. There would be confusion. There would certainly not be equality.

It's simply brilliant! And that's only 1/2 of it...to read the full speech (and I highly recommend it!) go to:

COMPLETE TEXT OF ADDRESS ON CIVIL MARRIAGE ACT

If only our leaders in this country could have as much conviction, strength of character and integrity to uphold out Constitution, the way Prime Minister Martin is willing to uphold the Canadian Charter.

Hopefully the Monkey will read (read? does he EVEN read anything? He's already admitted he doesn't read the paper...), this speech and learn something...anything...please!

Fat chance.

New Development in Gay Male Escort Reporter Case

2005-02-16T11:15:00.000-08:00

Looks like the shit is starting to hit the proverbial fan:

The Talon News correspondent at the center of a scandal over his White House press credentials quit last night amid a growing online investigation into his history, including allegations of involvement with several websites appearing to support gay pornography and promote male prostitution.

Jeff Gannon (a pseudonym) announced last night via his personal website that he had found it "no longer possible to effectively be a reporter for Talon News. In consideration of the welfare of me and my family I have decided to return to private life.

(from http://j-walkblog.com/blog/comments/18897_0_1_0_C/)

Some Republicans don't think "it matters".

What matters is "Gannon" was a big liar and was let in to the White House with false credentials.

What also matters is that Dubya got re-elected on the backs of the Civil Rights of Gay/Lesbian citizens, and somehow his administration then turns a blind eye to having a former gay male escort visiting the White House on a regular basis?

So, as long as he's blowing Republicans, it's ok-hey-to be gay?

But just don't try to have basic Civil Rights now...

H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-T-S. Plain and simple.

End of story. Impeach the MOFO. NOW!

White House reporter outed as Gay Escort! Beware Dubya!

2005-02-15T10:39:00.000-08:00

It seems there's a scandal in the White House brewing, that's bigger than Lewinsky-gate, Whitewater and Iran-Contra pulled together:

Check out AMERICABLOG for more info. (WARNING: A number of the links in this story are to x-rated photographs, and some of those might prove shocking to some people. Please exercise your own discretion when clicking.)

I just hope the Mainstream media doesn't bury this on page 35. It's time the Monkey get what he deserves.

If this is true, and it seems to be, at least Wolf Blitzer seems to believe so, then it would be only fitting that an administration that cheated its way into a 2nd term by assuming a fake "holier than thou" attitude, especially against the LGBT community, be brought down by the closeted homosexuals that work for them.

If there is a god, She will make it so!

Dusty Springfield song makes Top 100 Greatest Songs of Rock Internet Poll!

2005-02-09T08:24:00.000-08:00

Dusty's "Son of A Preacher Man", has made #38 on a new Internet poll of the Top 100 Greatest Songs of Rock N'Roll! For each entry find in this order: rank, number of votes obtained, title, artist, and ranking in the Rolling Stone Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Here is the complete list:

01 (22) - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones) [2]
02 (19) - Sympathy For The Devil (The Rolling Stones) [32]
03 (17) - Good Vibrations (The Beach Boys) [6]
04 (16) - Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin) [31]
05 (15) - Like A Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan) [1]
06 (15) - All Along The Watchtower (Jimi Hendrix) [48]
07 (14) - Yesterday (The Beatles) [13]
08 (14) - Born To Run (Bruce Springsteen) [21]
09 (14) - Layla (Derek and the Dominos) [27]
10 (14) - The Weight (The Band) [41]
11 (14) - Won't Get Fooled Again (The Who) [133]
12 (13) - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana) [9]
13 (13) - Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen) [163]
14 (12) - Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry) [7]
15 (12) - London Calling (The Clash) [15]
16 (11) - Gimme Shelter (The Rolling Stones) [38]
17 (10) - A Day In The Life (The Beatles) [26]
18 (10) - Ruby Tuesday (The Rolling Stones) [303]
19 (9) - Hey Jude (The Beatles) [8]
20 (9) - Purple Haze (Jimi Hendrix) [17]
21 (9) - Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon and Garfunkel) [47]
22 (9) - Hotel California (The Eagles) [49]
23 (9) - Thunder Road (Bruce Springsteen) [86]
24 (9) - Jumpin' Jack Flash (The Rolling Stones) [124]
25 (9) - American Pie (Don McLean) [-]
26 (8) - God Only Knows (The Beach Boys) [25]
27 (8) - Sunshine Of Your Love (Cream) [65]
28 (7) - She Loves You (The Beatles) [64]
29 (7) - Tangled Up In Blue (Bob Dylan) [68]
30 (7) - Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd) [314]
31 (7) - How Soon Is Now? (The Smiths) [486]
32 (7) - Brown Sugar (The Rolling Stones) [490]
33 (6) - River Deep, Mountain High (Ike and Tina Turner) [33]
34 (6) - A Whiter Shade Of Pale (Procol Harum) [57]
35 (6) - Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin) [75]
36 (6) - California Dreamin (The Mamas and The Papas) [89]
37 (6) - Eight Miles High (The Byrds) [150]
38 (6) - Son Of A Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield) [240]
39 (6) - Baba O'Riley (The Who) [340]
40 (6) - Fairytale Of New York (The Pogues and Kirsty McColl) [-]
41 (6) - Riders On The Storm (The Doors) [-]
42 (6) - Sultans Of Swing (Dire Straits) [-]
43 (5) - What'd I Say (Ray Charles) [10]
44 (5) - Let It Be (The Beatles) [20]
45 (5) - Be My Baby (The Ronettes) [22]
46 (5) - (Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding) [28]
47 (5) - I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Marvin Gaye) [80]
48 (5) - You Can't Always Get What You Want (The Rolling Stones) [100]
49 (5) - Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison) [109]
50 (5) - House Of The Rising Sun (The Animals) [122]
51 (5) - While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles) [135]
52 (5) - Kashmir (Led Zeppelin) [140]
53 (5) - The Sound Of Silence (Simon and Garfunkel) [156]
54 (5) - Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division) [179]
55 (5) - Free Bird (Lynyrd Skynyrd) [191]
56 (5) - Oh, Pretty Woman (Roy Orbison) [222]
57 (5) - Hallelujah (Jeff Buckley) [245]
58 (5) - Somebody To Love (Jefferson Airplane) [274]
59 (5) - Penny Lane (The Beatles) [449]
60 (5) - More Than A Feeling (Boston) [500]
61 (5) - Nights in White Satin (The Moody Blues) [-]
62 (5) - This Charming Man (The Smiths) [-]
63 (5) - When The Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin) [-]
64 (4) - Imagine (John Lennon) [3]
65 (4) - What's Going On (Marvin Gaye) [4]
66 (4) - Respect (Aretha Franklin) [5]
67 (4) - My Generation (The Who) [11]
68 (4) - I Want To Hold Your Hand (The Beatles) [16]
69 (4) - Light My Fire (The Doors) [35]
70 (4) - That'll Be The Day (Buddy Holly) [39]
71 (4) - Waterloo Sunset (The Kinks) [42]
72 (4) - Heroes (David Bowie) [46]
73 (4) - Anarchy In The UK (The Sex Pistols) [53]
74 (4) - Jailhouse Rock (Elvis Presley) [67]
75 (4) - California Girls (The Beach Boys) [71]
76 (4) - You Really Got Me (The Kinks) [82]
77 (4) - Blitzkrieg Bop (The Ramones) [92]
78 (4) - The Boxer (Simon and Garfunkel) [105]
79 (4) - Mr Tambourine Man (Bob Dylan) [106]
80 (4) - Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles) [137]
81 (4) - Me and Bobby McGee (Janis Joplin) [148]
82 (4) - A Hard Day's Night (The Beatles) [153]
83 (4) - Losing My Religion (REM) [169]
84 (4) - Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie) [277]
85 (4) - Black Dog (Led Zeppelin) [294]
86 (4) - Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd) [316]
87 (4) - Subterranean Homesick Blues (Bob Dylan) [332]
88 (4) - Piece Of My Heart (Janis Joplin) [344]
89 (4) - Marquee Moon (Television) [372]
90 (4) - Crossroads (Cream) [409]
91 (4) - White Man In Hammersmith Palais (The Clash) [430]
92 (4) - Come As You Are (Nirvana) [445]
93 (4) - Here Comes The Sun (The Beatles) [-]
94 (4) - Madam George (Van Morrison) [-]
95 (4) - Move On Up (Curtis Mayfield) [-]
96 (4) - Rock And Roll (Led Zeppelin) [-]
97 (4) - Tears Of A Clown (Smokey Robinson) [-]
98 (4) - Teenage Kicks (The Undertones) [-]

Interesting to note that Dusty ranks rather high, at 38/100! This is astounding! Especially since it's debatable whether "Son of a Preacher Man" is truly a "Rock N'Roll" song, since its roots are much more R&B/Soul...but hey, I'm not complaining! Obviously enough people consider it a "Rock" song for it to make the top 40. Also interesting to note that Dusty is the only solo female artist to make the top 40, and the only other solo female artists on the entire list are Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin! That's pretty good company for our lady!

New Interview with Simon Bell...and more on Dusty!

2005-02-02T13:33:00.000-08:00

I just discovered that there is a new interview with Simon Bell, Dusty's ever faithful friend and talented back-up singer (1978-1999), on a wonderful Dusty Springfield website called

DUSTY SPRINGFIELD: WHITE LADY OF SOUL

If you get a chance, check it out, it's a wonderful way to pass a few minutes on-line and learn a bit more about the Greatest Female singer Britain ever produced! If you think Petula Clark is the pinnacle of what the UK had to offer, think again...

Speaking of Dusty--and aren't I always?--I've found her music sounds even better on my iPod. I can't believe how intimate her songs sound over the tiny little iPod speakers! Songs like "Easy Evil" and "Let Me Get In Your Way", suddenly feel as if Dusty is whispering them right into my ear! It's heaven!

I watched DEFINITELY: DUSTY for the umpteenth time last Friday night. Every time I watch it, I get more pleasure out of this fantastic 1 hour BBC documentary directed by Serena Cross on the life and career of Miss Springfield. It's amazing how many layers and how many new things I learn about Dusty each time I watch it! She was truly a remarkable woman with a very unique approach to life and her work. I wish they would release it on DVD already! I would be the first to buy it! Besides, it's much better than that other documentary: FULL CIRCLE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DUSTY SPRINGFIELD , which doesn't cover enough about her life and music, although it can be funny at places, with Jennifer Saunders (from AbFab) and Dawn French as interviewers. But overall, it leaves you wanting more. The Serena Cross documentary is much more complete and gives you a much richer picture of this rather complex lady! Enjoy!

It's a bird! It's a plane! No..it's SUPERNANNY!

2005-01-25T05:33:00.000-08:00

Ok, I've never been a big fan of reality television...seriously...and aside from American Idol and an occasional episode of Queer Eye, I've never really understood all the hoopla about this new television phenomenon that has taken over and seems to be here to stay (well, at least for the next 2-5 years or so-as trends go), so you can imagine my surprise when I found myself completely addicted to not one, but TWO reality shows that are currently making their rounds on the network and cable channels.

First, let me start with the program that I feel is most useful to our society at large, even if it's not my first in enjoyment--that's the new ABC reality show called SUPERNANNY which airs on Monday nights at 10pm. (why so late for a family show?)

My god! Finally! A reality show that parents EVERYWHERE should be watching! Basically, it's parenting 101, something that is never taught in schools, but should be. How many times have you suffered because other people didn't know how to discipline their children? How many spoiled dinners at restaurants, screech-filled flights cross country or chatter-filled movies have we all had to sit through because other people simply couldn't control their "little ones"?

Well, now they can. As the ABC website states:

This miracle worker is Jo Frost, a.k.a. Supernanny, Britain's hottest new TV star and godsend to desperate parents across the U.K. who were dazzled by her amazing results when her series debuted this summer, as she showed families the tools for transforming their children's wild ways. Her practical, no-nonsense style was honed over 15 years of nannying in the U.K. and the U.S. Now American families can tap into the secrets of this modern-day Mary Poppins.

In each episode, Jo watches the parents and kids in their "natural habitats" (usually some typical beige carpeted suburban townhome in some form of disarray) for one full day before getting to work. Then, when the next day starts, she assesses the way the parents handle their kids and gives them tips/pointers on how to change unwanted behavior. She demonstrates the methods for 1 day and then leaves the parents on their own to try to harness their offspring.

All of the Supernanny's methods make sense to me--instilling discipline, confidence, self-reliance and manners in the children, without any form of physical or verbal abuse or game-playing. Perfect! My favorite of her methods involves a time out period on the "Naughty Stool" or "Naughty Rug"..or some other object/area that is imbued with "naughtiness", so whenever the child misbehaves, they are put on this object/in this room to "cool down" and think about their poor behavior. You go Supernanny!

I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to put other people's children on the "Naughty Rug", and I confess, I've often wanted to put the parents on there too!

How many of us know adults--say, our co-workers or certain annoying/spoiled family members-- that we'd love to plop right on that "Naughty Rug"?

Oh, look? You ALL raised your hands! Big surprise! : ) These were kids that didn't have the benefit of Supernanny (or parents who knew what they were doing) when growing up.

So, my hat (Mary Poppins style!) goes off to Jo, the SUPERNANNY and ABC for airing reality programming that not only has a conscious, but also, is incredibly useful! Maybe, in a generation or so, we will start seeing the benefits of good parenting!

Ok, now on to my guilty pleasure! This reality show is certainly nowhere near as socially useful as ABC's Supernanny, but it is perhaps one of the most entertaining shows to watch if you have any sort of creative/artistic streak in you. It's called PROJECT RUNWAY and it airs Wednesdays at 9pm on Bravo.

What makes this show so fantastic, is that it pits 12 aspiring fashion designers against each other, competing to win week-to-week on design challenges. Designers are eliminated on a weekly basis based on their execution of design challenges until only three remain to face-off on the catwalk at New York's Fall Fashion Week in February 2005. The winner's designs will be photographed for Elle magazine. The winning designer will also receive $100,000 in seed money too help them launch their own line.

What a concept! First of all...this is all hosted by the fabulous Heidi Klum.

What makes Heidi so wonderful is that she's a really really bad actress. She's horribly wooden and has no expression or even a glimpse of varying inflection in her speech. She sounds like a german automaton. And it's wonderful! She can say lines as varied as "That was truly an amazing dress" or "That was the worst design I've ever seen" and use the exact same vocal tone and facial expression-which usually is something like a cross between Arnold Schwarzenegger and the voice of Hal from 2001.

And as each designer is eliminated, each week, Heidi bids each of them farewell with a steely.."Aufeidersein"!! I can almost picture her in full SS regalia as she utters--no--barks, this proclamation. It's sheer heaven!

Aside from Klum's "She-Bitch of the SS" routine, the show also offers lots of entertainment because each week the designers are given a different challenge, ranging from designing a swimsuit to designing a wedding dress, with often mixed (and hilarious) results.

The one solitary thing I hate about the show, is the same thing I hate in lots of other reality shows like this...somehow, the producers think the competition itself is not enough to keep us interested (it is! it is!), so they feel the need to "amp" up the "conflict" between the contestants. I honestly don't care if Wendy wants to bitch slap Austin Scarlett, or if the contestants secretly hate each other or get along...who cares? Just design the stupid dresses you idiots and may the best of you win!

My advice to Bravo execs...let the competition speak for itself...that, combined with Heidi's icy-cold demeanor are enough to keep me hooked for years!

So, who says Reality TV is all bad? I am learning to embrace the more interesting ventures in Reality programming...and now shut up while I suffer through another season of American Idol.

Ok, I'll admit it--maybe I am a masochist!

Where's My Home At The End of the World?

2005-01-19T20:31:00.000-08:00

Well, it's a snowy, cold Wednesday night in a quiet DC suburb...the night before the Innauguration of the 2nd term of the worst president this country has ever had.

What is a 32 year old single democrat gay man, that's feeling just a tad lonely in the world supposed to do?

He's supposed to cuddle on his futon and watch a movie that'll make him cry on cable TV.

I knew I had ordered COMCAST On Demand for a reason. The reason was I was supposed to watch A Home At The End of the World, a stunning 2004 film, directed by Michael Mayer, starring Collin Farrell, Sissy Spacek, Robin Wright Penn and Dallas Roberts. What a great film!

Just when I was thinking how I could describe this film, and how it touched me so, I read a perfect summation of it on Amazon.com. A reviewer writes:

This is a beautiful movie but I'll start by saying that those with inflexible or rigid parameters of morality and black and white notions of "right and wrong" will most likely find the movie to be very threatening and disturbing. For those with more of an open mind and those who are able to view all the colors in the spectrum of life, this is a beautiful and emotionally moving film. The movie uses three main characters to illustrate the complexity of love, loss and all the other sometimes puzzling aspects of human relationships. It's a vivid illustration of the confusing and complicated nature of genuine and unconditional love and all it's implications in a society obsessed with labels and categorization. Dallas Roberts and Robin Penn give noteworthy acting performances and Sissy Spacek also gives a spectacular performance as an unconditionally loving mother. Colin Farrell, however, gives a superior performance, in his portrayal of a young man transformed by a series of great losses. His charismatic and seemingly innocent character does a great job at invoking both sympathy and frustration in some of the characters and the audience watching this movie. The story spans a few decades from the late 60's to what seemed to be the early 80's and the soundtrack does a stellar job at setting the mood for the first two. A great job in casting was also done as both of the kids really looked like young versions of the adult actors. Director Michael Mayer makes it clear that home really is, where the heart is. -signed Darren, NJ

What a perfect way to describe this film and the wonderful performances in it. It's truly a wonderful little piece of work that deserved more attention when it came out last year, but as always, it's not an easy sell at the local multiplex, so it was lost in the shuffle. Sad, because it truly is a great film.

It really made me think about the stupid parameters that society imposes on us, and the ridiculous "rules" that are foisted on human beings in order to maintain some sort of "morality". What a crock! And usually the people doing the imposing, are the biggest perverts out there..which is why they think some order has to be established, lest they all go hog wild swinging from the proverbial chandelier.

I can only imagine the hundreds of gay men that are happily flocking to the many Innaugural Balls being held tonight and tomorrow in our lovely Nation's capital, honoring a man (if we can call him a man), who used this country's hatred of gay people to further his cause, to win his re-election. I wonder if these gay men have any idea how disgusting their act of supporting this administration is? I wonder if they stop to think how truly pathetic they are? How can they hate themselves so much? How can they send such a message of self-loathing to the younger generations of gay men that are to follow?

I am not a religious person, but tonight, I will say a little prayer (I guess I can stomach it by phrasing it as a Hal David lyric.."I say a little prayer for you...") for these sad men. These gay men who live so entrenched in a societal closet...who are so desperate to "fit in", they will betray their own kind and trade on our rights for their power. It makes me sick to my stomach.

God Bless America tomorrow...may we survive another 4 years of abuse, torture and mistreatment by this Monkey and his cronies, by this unfettered cartel, who feels entitled and totally guiltless...and I'm not talking about Abu Ghraib. I'm talking about middle america. Ohio. Oklahoma and yes, Texas. We've all been molested by these people. And how did we respond? We gave them 4 more years of abuse privileges.

And now, now, the Democrats think they can "act tough", by making a few waves for Condie Rice's confirmation hearings. I'm just as sickened by Boxer and Kerry and Biden as I am by Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld. Shame! Shame! Shame! Where was this "fighting spirit" in November?

So, if anything, this film, A Home At The End of the World, tells a story that needs to be told. Not everyone fits the mold...not everyone is Apple Pie and Texas Two Step and SUVs...and you know what...we are Americans TOO, dammit!

The Hostess With The Mostest!

2005-01-04T13:55:00.000-08:00

Last night I had a unique experience that I never thought I would have while vacation in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Last night a friend of mine invited me over to watch a DVD of Call Me Madam, the 1953 20th Century Fox film based on the Irving Berlin musical of the same name, starring Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor, George Sanders and Vera-Ellen. What an amazing film musical, with brilliant musical numbers staged by the extraordinary Robert Alton, a brilliant score by Berlin featuring such hits as "The Hostess With The Mostest", "You're Just In Love" and "The Best Thing For You Would Be Me" and a fantastic script delivered wonderfully by all the stars, and expertly directed by Walter Lang.

A true treat for anyone, even if you don't like film musicals.

This musical has only now been released on DVD and hadn't been available before on VHS either..due to the rights being tied up by the Berlin estate.

It's worth checking out 52 years later..it's a classic!

Greetings from Montevideo!

2004-12-21T13:44:00.000-08:00

Greetings from way way way South of the Border! More precisely, I am currently vacationing in Montevideo, Uruguay ...a wonderful country nestled south of Brazil and just east across the Rio de la Plata from Argentina. Uruguay is my Mother's native land and an absolutely glorious place to spend a vacation.

I am enjoying all sorts of relaxing activities. Pocitos beach is just a short 1/2 block walk from my doorstep and I am profiting from lovely weather. It's been consistently sunny, mid-80s, breezy and perfect beach weather!

I've also been eating some of the most delicious food I've had in a while. Uruguay is famous for its meat and dairy products, since they raise cattle better than anyone else in the world here. The meat (even in the cheapest restaurant) is absolutely delicious here. Just the other day, I went to a typical Uruguayan barbecue called an "asado"..where several cuts of beef are cooked over a wood fueled grill. Delicious! Meat is the main staple here and it is not only plentiful, but very very tasty! Thank god I'm not a vegetarian!

Then, the dairy products...yogurt, cheese, milk, ice cream, butter..are all about 10,000x tastier than the best US products. It is truly astonishing how delicious a simple ham and cheese sandwhich can be here compared to back home.

So aside from getting a great tan and gaining weight from the culinary delights, I am also catching up with all my relatives and getting chauffered from one family gathering to another at a fiery pace! It's fun, but sometimes totally exhausting. I've had to beg to be left alone a few times already, hoping for some "down time" so I can re-charge from the constant need of attention of all my cousins, aunts, great-aunts and other assorted relatives. Uruguayans are a friendly people...very friendly..in your face friendly..My Big Fat Greek Wedding never leave you alone friendly. You get the picture.

I've also had some interesting cultural experiences as well (theatrical of course!). I went to the 50th anniversary celebration of Teatro Circular, one of Uruguay's oldest professional theatres, and I've seen a student production of Chicago (yes, in Spanish!) at a local Musical Theatre school where I also have taught workshops in the past.

I have 3 more weeks here in Montevideo before I have to return to DC. I heard thru the grapevine that it's really really cold in DC right now and that it's snowing as well. Hmmm..I'm all warm and toasty here! Ha! Ha!

The other major bonus of being in Montevideo, is that I don't see the face of our stupid Monkey president on the television every 5 secs...thank god! I was ready for a break from his re-re smirk. I heard that he gave a press conference the other day, which means he probably won't show his face again for a while anyway...thank god!

So, since I am enjoying this glorious country, not sure how often I will be updating this Blog until I return to DC on January 12 (bleargh!). But until then, I hope all my friends up North are staying warm and comfortable and won't hate me too much when I return in 3 weeks with a great tan and a relaxed demeanor. Let's see how long each of them last!

Gotta go for now..have to take my required Uruguayan "siesta".

Saludos!

Today is World AIDS day...

2004-12-01T06:17:00.000-08:00

Today is World AIDS day...to think, it's been over 20 years since the disease was first discovered and although humanity has certainly made some strides against this horrible scourge, we are far from winning the battle. Here are the latest statistics:

Number of people living with HIV/AIDS in 2004
Total 39.4 million (35.9 - 44.3 million)
Adults 37.2 million (33.8 - 41.7 million)
Women 17.6 million (16.3 - 19.5 million)
Children under 15 years 2.2 million (2.0 - 2.6 million)

People newly infected with HIV in 2004
Total 4.9 million (4.3 - 6.4 million)
Adults 4.3 million (3.7 - 5.7 million)
Children under 15 years 640 000 (570 000 - 750 000)

AIDS deaths in 2004
Total 3.1 million (2.8 - 3.5 million)
Adults 2.6 million (2.3 - 2.9 million)
Children under 15 years 510 000 (460 000 - 600 000)

In many ways, things are worse than they were at the beginning of the disease. The numbers are actually startling. It seems in many developed countries, AIDS has been downgraded to just a minor nuissance, when in reality, for most of the developing world, especially on the continent of Africa, it's really a plague.

Once again, our social and economic disparities are highlighted strongly. Once again, whether or not you have money, seems to be the key to whether you get the best treatment and whether or not you survive this deadly killer.

The profit that American and European drug companies are making off the AIDS patients is heartbreaking. Recently, countries like Brazil and India have taken to illegally making their own generic versions of AIDS medications, in order to supply the huge demand in their countries. Drug companies have vowed to sue (and are sueing) the pants off of these countries, but the countries are ignoring and going ahead anyway. (see this article: Brazil Will Break Patent on AIDS Medication)

When will people learn that we are all in this together, and as tempting as it is to make millions of dollars off of some poor African or Haitian with AIDS, it would behoove the pharmaceutical companies in Germany and Switzerland to give their medicine away, especially in the poorest parts of the world. Not only would it be a great and much needed PR boost for these currently much hated companies, but it would also increase sales of their products in the developing world as word got out of their good deed.

And of course, the Monkey, our current Commander in Chief, despite his big talk on AIDS, has not really put his money where his mouth is. Well, considering we have no money left since we've spent it all on a stupid "war" in Iraq, I guess we can't expect him to have anything left to give.

The US no longer is a world leader in charitable causes...we will have to rely on Europe and Asia to take the lead in this global battle against AIDS.

And meanwhile, here at home, people are starting to resume risky behavior that got us in this AIDS mess in the first place. Bathhouses are starting to pop up again in NYC, San Franscisco and LA, and some gay men have taken to "barebacking" (having sex without a condom) as if it were some sort of pioneering gesture..."hey look at me! I don't care!"

Especially young gay men under 30, who see AIDS as a nuissance, something they can just take some medicine for and all will be peachy. If they had only lived through the horrible deaths of the early 80s..they would know better.

Straight people are having more unprotected sex as well, leading us back down a late 70s road that we all know can only cause trouble down the line.

I know my "just practice safe sex" stance can be politically dangerous, but sometimes, health is more important than politics. Or is it?

I just wish the world weren't so messed up.

At Least Someone Doesn't Have Their Head Up Their Ass!

2004-11-19T08:46:00.000-08:00

God, I love Molly Ivins.

I couldn't have said it better:

BUSH WANTS TO PURGE THE ADMINISTRATION OF THOSE DISLOYAL TO HIM

Wow, two posts in 1 day...what's wrong with me?

Look! The Monkey Cheated! Surprise! Surprise!

2004-11-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

According to PRNEWSIRE.COM:

BERKELEY, Calif., Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the University of California's Berkeley Quantitative Methods Research Team released astatistical study - the sole method available to monitor the accuracy of e-voting - reporting irregularities associated with electronic voting machines may have awarded 130,000-260,000 or more excess votes to President George W.Bush in Florida in the 2004 presidential election. The study shows an unexplained discrepancy between votes for President Bush in counties where electronic voting machines were used versus counties using traditional voting methods - what the team says can be deemed a "smoke alarm." Discrepancies this large or larger rarely arise by chance - the probability is less than 0.1 percent. The research team formally disclosed results of the study at a press conference today at the UC Berkeley Survey Research Center, where they called on Florida voting officials to investigate. The three counties where the voting anomalies were most prevalent were also the most heavily Democratic: Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade, respectively. Statistical patterns in counties that did not have e-touch voting machines predict a 28,000 vote decrease in President Bush's support in Broward County; machines tallied an increase of 51,000 votes - a net gain of 81,000 for the incumbent. President Bush should have lost 8,900 votes in Palm Beach County, but instead gained 41,000 - a difference of 49,900. He shouldhave gained only 18,400 votes in Miami-Dade County but saw a gain of 37,000 -a difference of 19,300 votes. "For the sake of all future elections involving electronic voting -someone must investigate and explain the statistical anomalies in Florida," says Professor Michael Hout. "We're calling on voting officials in Florida to take action." The research team is comprised of doctoral students and faculty in the UC Berkeley sociology department, and led by Sociology Professor Michael Hout, a nationally-known expert on statistical methods and a member of the NationalAcademy of Sciences and the UC Berkeley Survey Research Center.

For the full story go to:

http://www.prnewswire.com/ type in "Berkeley" in the "Search by Company or Organization" field.

I'm completely amazed this has yet to be even mentioned by the Washington Post or CNN!!!

Military Dictatorship indeed!

Maybe we should start calling the WP by its new name: PRAVDA.

It was 30 years ago today...

2004-11-16T06:55:00.000-08:00

My iPod playlist this AM was all about the early 70s...the time of my birth, and interestingly enough, also a time when our country was going through a contentious war overseas that was dividing us at home, and we had a cantankerous Republican divider in the White House who had just snatched a 2nd term (Nixon)...BOO! BOO!...so lots of parallels to 30 years later. Amazing how cyclical things are. Amazing I can spell cyclical without the aid of spell check!

My early 70s iPod playlist for Tuesday morning:

One Monkey Don't Stop No Show, Honey Cone
Who Could Be Lovin' You Other Than Me?, Dusty Springfield
It Doesn't Matter Anymore, Linda Ronstadt
I Will Always Love You, Dolly Parton
Through The Memory of My Mind, Freda Payne
Lady Marmalade, LaBelle

Ah, the good ol' days...I have to admit it makes me feel a bit better about today to know that our country has gone through all this before and we made it through ok. I was really bitter yesterday, and angry...and I guess lots of us are.

But sometimes you just have to try to be more positive and hope for the best. I need more of that in my life anyhow.

Oh and BTW, I just added a "Media List" to my Blog...something I've been wanting to do for quite a while. So, if you scroll down and look on the left sidebar, you will see a list of Books, Movies and Music I recommend for my readers. I'll try to update it at least once a month.

Of course, Miss Dusty Springfield is on the first list I made...I chose her very unique 1983 album called White Heat to recommend. It's really an album like no other you will ever hear in your life!

Dusty takes on such a different persona, and she even sings heavy metal! ("Blind Sheep") One of the songs is penned by Elvis Costello ("Losing You (Just A Memory)") and another features lyrics by none other than Sting ("I Don't Think We Could Ever Be Friends"). The whole affair was produced in Canada with the help of Carole Pope (Dusty's girlfriend at the time) and the Canadian band Rough Trade. It has a decidely rock n'roll meets BPM feel to it, nothing like anything Dusty had ever recorded or would record. It's credited by many music critics as the first authentic BPM album, the great-grandfather so to speak of Techno and House music and it has the distinction (if you can call it that) to be the very last album recorded on the famous Casablanca label before it went under. Very interesting indeed! My favorite tracks are "I Am Curious", "Donnez-Moi" and the final track, "Soft Core".

Definitely worth a listen.

Shock The Monkey! Shock The Monkey!

2004-11-15T19:32:00.000-08:00

Remember that Peter Gabriel song "Shock The Monkey"..with it's slightly zany video and chorus chanting, almost ordering us to "shock the monkey! shock the monkey!"?

Well I do. And that's all I've been able to think about since November 3! I want to SHOCK the MoNKEY! Shock the m-f**ker! Do it! Yeah!

Ok, the closest thing we've had is that poor soul who set himself on fire in front of the White House today in protest of the Monkey's insane policies. He tried to "burn the monkey" I guess, hey at least he was close!

I mean, the street in front of the White House has been re-opened to the public for like what? 4 days? And now it's surely going to get closed down again.

I mean really...how crappy of a president do you have to be that you can't even open up the street in front of your office?

I feel we are living in Nicaragua or Uganda. Our leader is just a petty despot sitting behind a large fence, shielded by the Secret Service.

And now 4 of his cronies have resigned! 4 more after 2 last week! The man is losing staff members faster than he's losing brain cells! You can see all the rats abandoning the ship.

You'd think that'd be a sign of some sort of problem don't you think?

Meanwhile, soldiers are dieing in Iraq daily...and nobody is mourning. Nobody even seems to be noticing!

I watched an amazing HBO documentary last night (it was a re-run, originally it aired on Veteran's Day), called Last Letters Home. What an intense experience! I don't think I've cried this much in a long time. I recommend at least having a complete large box of Kleenex by your side when you watch it. Basically, the filmmaker has put together footage of families of soldiers killed in Iraq, reading the last letters they received from their loved one before they perished in the war. It's really presented in a sensitive light and the filmmaker is clearly aware of the delicate nature of the subject, so he does his best to protect the families from being over-exposed or used in any sort of manipulative way. He succeeds at basically allowing us to mourn for them and with them.

I heard an interview on NPR with the filmmaker, Oscar®- and Emmy® Award-winner Bill Couturié, and he basically said his reason for making the film was to help America start the process of mourning.

He's right. NOBODY is mourning our dead soldiers! Except for the families themselves, nobody seems to give a rat's ass about the over 1,100 American soldiers who have given their lives--and for WHAT? What a total waste of human life.

I wish the Monkey (the one that needs to get SHOCKED!) would suffer 1/100th of what these poor men and women have been suffering over there for 1 second. I bet the coward (who has never seen a day of combat in his privileged silver spoon up his nose life), would quake in his boots and call it all off immediately and run home to Mommy and Daddy. (Shit, he does it whenever he's scared...the fool.)

If any of the members of Congress had to send their sons or daughters over there and risk losing them, I'd bet we'd come home soon too wouldn't we?

America...land of the free...my ass.

Sorry to be so bitter, but it's been 2 weeks since the worst and most humiliating Election in U.S. history and I'm still licking my wounds. I just can't believe that Monkey is still our leader.

What a horrible message we sent to the World. What a disgusting display of insulation, of an inability to see past our own navels.

We will pay dearly for it too. The next 4 years will be hell on Earth for all of us. For the small boy in Iraq who just wants to grow up to become a doctor, for the teenage girl in North Korea who dreams of one day becoming a teacher, for the young man from Iowa who just wanted to make his way through college to become an architect and has no idea when his unit will be called up...they will all pay dearly...and for what? I ask you? For what?

Actually, I ask the Monkey. For what, Monkey? For what?

You see, we DO need to SHOCK the MONKEY. Big Time.

Can I Change Citizenship? Please?

2004-11-03T19:58:00.000-08:00

I am deeply ashamed to be an American today.

After everything that has happened in the past 4 years in this country, with 9-11, the stupid, unnecessary loss of lives in Iraq, and the ridiculous lies told to the American people to take us there, the total overpowering of free expression by this administration, which I have come to call "Military Dictatorship Light" or the Junta, the total collapse of the economy...I didn't think I could ever be more ashamed to be American than I already was.

Well I am today.

I simply refuse to believe that 58 million Americans think that Monkey should continue to be our leader!

Kerry blew it. He blew it big time. He did NOT do his best, the DNC did NOT do their best...they were too sure of themselves! They were SURE they could win.

They underestimated Karl Rove once again! How dare they! That man could run a Chimp (and he has!) and make him President. Once again, the DNC was too disorganized (shifting leadership every couple of weeks), too cocky and too out of touch with Middle America to see the writing on the wall.

The DNC were even touting a Kerry win on the afternoon of Election Day..saying the return polls were very high for Kerry. Well, they are ALWAYS high for Democrats at the beginning of the day...that's always been a trend. Why instill the false hope and sense of security only to see it be dashed a few hours later?

The mood at the HRC party, where I went to "celebrate" what I hoped would be a Kerry victory, went from bad to worse in a few hours and by 11pm nobody was there. It was worse than 2000.

I came back to my place and watched in horror and disbelief as Bush carried Ohio. It was truly a sad day in our country's history. A day that will live in infamy indeed!

Of course, now the media outlets are having a field day, spinning everything..."What will Bush do now!", etc...

I didn't sleep much at all last night. It was 4am before I got to bed, and then I had CNN on all night in my room. Got up at 7am to go to work and was like a zombie all day.

I wasn't alone..all my colleagues at work were the same..it was very quiet, very somber. My boss was crying when I arrived. I felt so bad for her (she's from Ohio, and she volunteered for Kerry in Ohio and PA.). Here was this 55 year old woman, sobbing..I was just hugging her and telling her it would be ok...

Being an Environmentalist..of course she's terrified of what the Monkey will do with the Alaskan Wildlife Preserve (drill for oil!-of course!), and the rapid degeneration of environmental conditions in this country. Kyoto Protocol? What's that?

And to top it all off...referenda against Gay Marriage in 11 states passed. That is, prejudice is now alive and well and needless to say, the climate for Gay people in this country has just gone from ok to bad. I suspect by the end of the Monkey's term, it will go from bad to worse.

Now that the Republicans have shown they can win by appealing to the Religious Right..and by using minorities (in this case us) as a wedge, then that's exactly what they are going to do time and time again. And the Dems (I fear) will try to re-gain the South and Midwest by doing the same.

Who does the Democratic party have to offer now? Other than Barak Obama (very promising..maybe in 2012) and Hillary Clinton (too divisive-albeit quite shrewd), I don't see any true leaders with Bill Clinton's charisma emerging. 4 years after his retirement as President, he's still the emotional leader of the Democrats! We need to stop thinking in the past--move forward! Edwards might do, but now he has the Kerry albatross around his neck. That won't help.

The only consolation I can think of, is that after 4 more years of the Junta, the Reps won't have anyone as right winged as the Monkey to run either...it'll be Giuliani or McCain (though he's a bit old and will be practically decrepit by 08) or Pataki..all pretty centrist.

In any case, time will tell what will happen. The lack of a majority in the House and Senate is really the most disturbing thing in my view. And to think! The choices the Monkey will make for Supreme Court Justices and Judges across the land. Bye bye Roe V. Wade, bye bye civil liberties of any kind, bye bye to all sorts of wonderful things that make this country worth living in.

And Daschle's loss is incredible..stupefying really. They purposely targeted him..the sons of bitches.

Well, I have to hope that everything happens for a reason. Maybe this is the way it should be...so things get so bad that in 2008 Democrats will have to prevail. Maybe it'll force the DNC to take a good long hard look at themselves and re-organize properly.

But for now...at least for the next 4 years, I prefer to tell everyone I'm Uruguayan.

More iPod madness...

2004-10-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, I wrote this totally cool post about iPod and how it's changed my life and then I went to post it and Blogspot deleted it! I could kill them right now.

Suffice to say, I don't have time to write another fabulous post right now, so I'll just post this and come back tomorrow and re-do it. (if I have time!)

That taught me a lesson! From now on...I'm savin' everything in Word first!

Ok..here's what I wrote...sort of.

I don't just LOVE iPod, I am officially addicted to it. It's like crack. I can't live or breathe without it. It's changed my life.

I'm not kidding.

I never noticed before how outside noise can make your day seem more stressful than it really is. Before, I was constantly annoyed by loud car honking, buzzing cellphones, construction noise, babies crying, people talking too loud…now, it’s all just one big nirvana.

I am trapped in a sound bubble of my own creation. Instead of all that din, I am dirged by the dulcet tones of Diana Krall or Dusty Springfield.

It’s changed my whole outlook and seriously lowered my stress lever by 1000!

My iPod has made me more creative too! You don’t believe me? Well, thanks to this little wonder device, I am now listening to about 4-5 hours of music a day…compared to maybe 1-2 hours a week before! That’s a big difference!

And my new found calmness has also made me able to think more creatively during my commutes to and from work and during work itself! (I’m listening to my iPod as I type this…)

Case in point…I’ve been rehearsing a jazz dance piece that I am presenting at the upcoming True To Form DC Choreographer’s showcase. Originally, I was just going to do a dance piece with 4 female dancers and 1 male, set to Kylie Minogue’s “Koocachoo”.

Well, ever since I’ve had my iPod and have been listening carefully to songs I hadn’t really heard that closely before, I’ve been inspired to create a 2nd piece, this one a solo (set on 1 female dancer, Ann Behrends-who is amazing!) to Cyndi Lauper’s recent cover of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” from her lasted CD, At Last.

This would have never happened without my iPod.

Apple should just hire me to be their spokesperson…I am eternally grateful to them and to this little machine. It has changed my life!

I need help. I know it. I’ll start the therapy real soon.

Welcome October!

2004-10-04T05:55:00.000-07:00

Well, it's now October...the nip of fall was definitely in the air this morning on my way to work. I am still enjoying my iPod a great deal. Now I've finally gotten a hand of programming it and downloading songs, making playlists, burning CDs, etc...so it's all good.

Here's my morning iPod playlist for my way to work.

Love Hurts, Heart
All By Myself, Jamie O'Neal
You've Been On My Mind, Emmylou Harris
Stuck In A Moment, U2
I'm Gonna Be Strong, Cyndi Lauper
Cryin' (live), k. d. lang

I know, it sounds depressing, but actually, it was nice and mellow and a good soundtrack for my walk to work on a Monday morning. Music is so powerful...it's amazing how it can just synthesize a feeling or emotion down to its purest sense. I've always loved music, more than theatre even...which is maybe why I do music theatre more than non-music theatre. Makes sense...I guess.

I guess our lives do make some sort of sense sometimes...

Regarding the current election, Kerry trounced Bush soundly in last week's debate on Foreign Policy. I hope he can repeat it in the next debate. It was like watching a grown man beat up a 5 year old...amazing that man has been leading our country for the past 4 years. He looked like he was semi-conscious.

I'm sure the Red Staters still thought he did a great job and looked "presidential", although even the Republican Spin doctors couldn't pretty it up enough to say Bush had "won".

The race is now practically a dead heat, so the next few weeks are crucial.

Dusty is still very much on my mind, as always. Lately, I've been thinking about all the previously unreleased tracks I have on CD that were produced by Jeff Barry. The Jeff Barry Album, some like to call it...and others say it was tentatively titled Faithful. Well, whatever it was gonna be called, it's a shame it never got released properly, because it would have been one great album. I hope to put it together on a playlist on my iPod and definitely burn it to CD to have a hard copy.

I heart iPod!

2004-09-24T11:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, I hate to sound like a commercial...but I am in love with my iPod! Really! What a great little gadget this is! I love it! Love it! Have I mentioned I love it? hehe...Honestly, I have been downloading songs onto it all week, from my CD collection and from iTunes. The only problem I'm having right now is that I have a dial-up internet connection (I know, I am so lame), so it takes like 15 minutes to DL one song from iTunes. But transfering a full CD of music to my iPod takes about 8-10 minutes, so it's wonderful!

I also made my first Playlist yesterday..."The Many Sides of Cyndi", I'm calling it. It's a sort of "best of" of Cyndi Lauper...it includes all the hits, plus my fav tracks from her non-hit albums and a live track. What I love about Playlists is that they are never final! I can keep adding songs if I want...which rocks! It's an amazing invention, and I don't know how I lived without it for so long.

And of course, Dusty Springfield is featured prominently on my iPod. She sounds even better over the iPod with the headphones. The opening lines of "Turn Me Around" from the glorious It Begins Again (1978) sound a-m-a-z-i-n-g! It's like she's whispering in my ear!

I've also DL'ed other great Dusty classic CDs, like A Brand New Me (UK title: From Dusty With Love) (1970) , Cameo (1973) and my very first Dusty album ever..sentimental favorite...Ev'rything's Coming Up Dusty (1966). Ahhh! What joy! Dusty's voice was made for iPod/headphone listening! So sensual, so sensitive, and so remarkably smooth!

I love it! Love it!

Who Said Getting Older Was Fun?

2004-09-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

Well, once again, I'm late on my blogging. I just can't seem to keep a constant string of posts to keep my readers entertained. Assuming anyone is even reading!!

My birthday was this past Friday, and it was a great time...my parents are in town, so we went, with several of my friends to Lauriol Plaza, one of my favorite restaurants in D.C.

The weather was all sorts of wacky, due to Ivan hitting the coast, lots of wind, rain, hurricane-like weather.

Saturday was the real party though, at my friends Charlie & Juan's place. It was great fun! I got some great gifts, including a 40GB iP0d. It rocks! I've already downloaded several CDs onto it and have been listening to it all day at work and on my way to work. I also used it for jogging over the weekend and it was great! I still haven't made a playlist, but the minute I get a chance I will.

Not much else to report. The election is still shaping up to be a big pain in the butt, with Kerry and the Despot too close to call in the polls. I'd love Kerry to win by a landslide. I don't understand how anyone can condone what's going on over in Iraq. It's sheer stupidity. All that loss of life--for what?

Well, you'll be glad to know that the first CD I ripped to my iPod was Dusty In Memphis, what an amazing CD, and the ol' gal sounds even better on iPod than on CD! It's like she's whispering in my ear! Chills!

I also burned Cher's Living Proof, Coldplay's Parachutes and A Rush of Blood To The Head.

Oh, I downloaded 1 song from iTunes so far. It took 15 minutes to download 1 song! Dial-up connection sucks ass. I'm gonna see if I can switch to cable soon. I can't live like this! : )
The 1 song I dl'ed was a live version of Cyndi Lauper (love her) singing "All Through The Night".

It rocks!

Dick + Bush = We're Fucked!

2004-09-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

Okay..things are getting to the point of ridiculous now. It's official. The country has been hijacked by the Bush/Cheney junta like some little third world banana exporting central american wasteland.

WTF is up? Is the press going to continue to give Bush and his cronies a carte blanche for all sorts of disgusting behavior? As if enduring a full week of bold faced lies during that atrocious convention in NYC wasn't enough--now I have to deal with Cheney saying that if we vote for Kerry we risk another terrorist attack?

Hate to break it to you, oh neckless one, but we risk another terrorist attack no matter who gets to take joyrides in Air Force One in 2005. And guess why? Because your leadership has proven to be poor! That's why! Your shoddy creation and handling of the whole Iraq debacle has done nothing to make us safer. Au contraire my 1 cheeseburger away from a heart attack friend, it's only fueled the radical Muslim hatred for all things American. Thanks a lot you fat fuck! Now we're twice as likely to have another Sept. 11! And you don't care, cause you're gonna die any day now anyway. And you could care less about your Lesbian daughter too, obviously, since you wont even be Man enough to fight your party on the whole DoMA. Nice. Nice...Don't worry, your little suite in Hell is reserved and has been for a while--enjoy!

I am so pissed at Kerry right now though. He is so lame. I am reading Maureen Dowd's excellent Bushworld right now, and she is so on. And Kerry is lame. He's a weakling. He'll never win by playing it nice. Bush and Cheney are not going to let go of the house keys unless someone pries them out of their dead cold hands (ahh, what a nice thought).

So Kerry better step up and NOW! Come on guy! And where's Edwards in all this? Why haven't they unleashed his Colgate smile and sharp claws on the mofos yet? What the hell is Kerry waiting for?

I can only hope this is part of some weird strategy that the Dems are cookin' up..and Kerry has always been known as "the closer"...he likes to ride behind until the last minute and then jump in front. For our sake, I hope it works.

Because the way things are going now, the Republican Propaganda Machine will not rest until Kerry has been lambasted like a little yellow bellied 3 purple heart wearing flaming liberal over and over and over.

And don't even get me started on the Media. Their focus, as always, is on what doesn't matter (Did Bush snort coke at Camp David! Oooh! Ahhh!-Who fuckin' cares?) when instead, they should be working overtime to let Americans know about the crumbling economy, the horrible loss of jobs, the terrible state of the domestic agenda in general. Oh and guess what? People are still dieing in Iraq! Over 1,000 American soldiers dead, not to mention tens of thousands of Iraqis (many civilians).

I fear Nov. 2. I really do.

I think I'll just buy an iPod and plug myself in until Jan.

Ok..now it's really gotten bad!

2004-09-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, first I complain that I wasn't blogging regularly when I skipped 1 week! Now I've skipped like 3 weeks! ACK!

Ok, ok, I will try to do better at writing more frequently, but it's just about finding the time.

Currently, I am truly swamped with all the activities I am undertaking...it's all good stuff, but it's truly keeping me on my toes! (literally!)

Aside from working 40 hours a week at my day job, I've also just begun my 2nd year of teaching Movement for the Actor at The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. It's a great place to work and I loved it last year, so I'm sure this year will be more of the same-I hope! This semester I am teaching Movement I (having taught Movement II as well in the past). I only have 5 students! That's a great number to really be able to give them individual attention. That's one of the things I love most about NCDA, that I always feel I have time to spend 1-on-1 with each student, something I've never felt I had before when I was teaching at VCU or at University of Maryland with classes of 22-25 students per semester! I'm sorry, but that's just too many, especially for what I teach.

Then, I'm also currently working on 3 shows! 3! Well, they are sort of overlapping right now but it's not as bad as it sounds. Jesus Christ Superstar for Open Circle Theatre is going incredibly well. The cast is sweet as pie and the director has wonderful ideas. And almost all the choreography is done for that one, it's now mostly cleaning and brushing up-lots of it! Once Upon A Mattress, for Potomac Theatre Company, doesn't start rehearsals till October (and opens in late November), but I have to run dance auditions for the show this next week, so that's taking up whatever free time I had in the evenings from JCS rehearsals (which wasn't much).

On top of all that, I am starting rehearsals for my dance piece for the 2nd installment of our DC choreographers showcase called True To Form on the 26th. This is a Choreography Showcase that me and 5 other choreographers have put together to showcase our work at Joy of Motion in Friendship Heights. We created it last year and the show was a great success, so we are trying it again this year. It's a wonderful venture, but I have to rehearse my dancers and finding time and space is not easy. Once again this year, I will be rehearsing at Athens Gym on Sunday nights. Just six-3 hour rehearsals to do the whole piece, which shouldn't be too bad actually, considering it's just a 4 min. jazz piece set to Kylie Minogue's "Koocachoo". It should be fun, I am very excited about it.

I guess that's all to report for now, I'm sure all these projects will keep me quite busy through December, which means before I know it I'll be in Montevideo, visiting my folks for the Holiday season! Yikes! Time flies.

Oh, BTW, my birthday is next week, so if I sound a bit like I'm waxing nostalgic about time and the passage of time, you'll understand why. : )

Isn't she just beautiful?

2004-08-26T07:31:00.000-07:00

DustGolders
Originally uploaded by LuvDusty.

I just had to post this beautiful pic of Dusty Springfield! Doesn't she look great? I love how she looks so happy and relaxed.

Throughout her life, Dusty had a horror of having her picture taken, mostly because she was such a perfectionist and knew she couldn't control what the image would look like once it was snapped.

But this shot is rare, because she looks relaxed and unposed. And the photo is obviously un-retouched.

It's great to see her so relaxed.

It just made my day!

1 Week Later

2004-08-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

Ok...things are getting off-kilter. When I first started this blog I was writing in it almost every day, and now, less than 1 month later, I am already letting it slide and am down to what? 1 entry per week? Ack!

I guess Journaling (on-line or off) has never really been my thing. I think so much all the time as it is, that I guess I never really needed to write something down to make it clear to me. Although somewhere inside of me I still think I should be writing in this every day, like a catharsis, to sort of rid myself of any thoughts clogging up my brain.

Let's see..what to report? Rehearsals for JCS are going well, but it hasn't been easy. It's definitely a difficult thing, collaboration...and while I'm used to choreographing shows, I haven't had a co-choreographer in a long time...it's a challenge. Luckily, Fred is such a wonderful guy, that while we may disagree we never fight. That's a good thing. The cast seems a bit lost though...not totally, just still adjusting to the idea of 2 choreographers. It's not easy--but they are all making a noble effort.

The Olympics has been interesting. The Men's Gymnastics team competition was pretty cool with Paul Hamm falling on his keester, and then totally making up for it with some of the best gymnastics I think we've seen in Athens this year. I wish this whole medal controversy would just go away. I mean, judging is subjective people! It happens! Get over it, Koreans! You LOST! If we go back and re-evaluate one score, then we have to re-eval all of them, and if we did, it would all change again anyway, so why bother?

Besides, if nothing else, Hamm deserves it for his sheer tenacity and calm under pressure. Amazing how he kept it together after that disastrous fall on the vault--not even sure he would medal and he just kept on chuggin' right along...Good for him!

The economy is still down the crapper, and Dubya has been doing nothing but making a god-damned fool of himself. So basically, nothing new in the Politics arena. I'm intrigued to see what the Republicans will do next week in NYC. It's gonna be pathetic I'm sure, whatever it is.

So, now down to what matters...DUSTY SPRINGFIELD. In re-listening (for like the gajillionth time of course) to a lot of Dusty's wonderful catalog, I've discovered that despite her own claims of not really being more than a pop singer, she had throughout her 40 year career, covered many jazz standards, and incredibly well too! I'm thinking of burning a CD (how 20th century of me!) of just Dusty's more jazz-inflected tracks and calling it Jazzy Dusty....It's amazing what this woman could do with jazz music...it's evident from her work that Peggy Lee was one of her idols. The phrasing is impeccable and the attack is spot on! From "Earthbound Gypsy" to "Since I fell For You" and a stunning cover of "The Second Time Around", Dusty could swing with the best of them. More proof that the woman could sing ANYTHING, not just pop music. Those who don't think so, just haven't been listening carefully enough. Like Jane County once said:

If you don't get what Dusty was all about, you're either dead or too retarded to recognize true talent.

Ha! Go Jane!

Everything's Alright, Yes...Everything's Fine...

2004-08-17T06:40:00.000-07:00

Well, last night was the first rehearsal for a new production of Jesus Christ Superstar I am choreographing for Open Circle Theatre in D.C. Actually, I am co-choreographer with a wonderful guy named Fred Beam. Fred is hearing-impaired, and about 6 feet tall, African-American with amazing braids. He's also one of the nicest guys I've ever met. We really hit it off at last night's rehearsal (the first time we have met) and I am now completely calm about working with him.

Co-choreographing is always a tricky thing, and considering that Fred is hearing-impaired, and I don't sign, it's going to definitely be challenging. But we compliment each other so much stylistically, I can see it now. He is more hip-hop and I'm more musical theatre, and I think the combination will work perfectly for exactly what Suzanne Richard, the director, will want.

A sidenote on Susie (as we call her), she is a powerhouse! What a great gal, and despite her disability (Osteogenesis) and being only about 3 and 1/2 feet tall and walking with 2 canes, she is a little spitfire...and I love her! She has so much chutzpah and is really a great leader and I know she will pull this show together and be a fantastic director. I was chatting with her about lots of her ideas for the show, and it's really going to be unlike anything anyone has ever seen.

The cast is a wonderful mix of experienced Helen Hayes award winning/nominated DC actors, college students, actors who are sight-impaired, hearing impaired of all colors, races, ages and backgrounds. It's gonna be a trip!

The title of today's entry comes from a song the character of Mary Magdalene sings to Jesus in Act I of the show...it's also sort of a great indicator for how I feel today.

It hasn't been an easy week (and it's only Tuesday!), but funny enough, I feel pretty positive about the future and what's ahead for me. I don't know why, but some sort of peace has fallen over me. I feel as if Mary Magdalene herself is singing to me, soothing me with her hot ointment and telling me everything will be alright. Not that I think I am Jesus or anything like that...far from it, I'd hate to have that responsibility anyway!! : )

But just a feeling of calm, of acceptance...has washed over me. I've always been such a fighter, such a wave-maker, always fighting against the tide, trying to get what I want, even if it doesn't seem like it's possible. But I've changed, yes really changed....not sure why, but I just have this "let it be" attitude, that I never really was able to have before.

Maybe it's because in 1 month I will be 32. 32! My god! I'm an adult! And maybe part of being an adult and "growing up" is learning to accept some things, especially those over which you have absolutely no control...and I think after 32 years, I am finally letting go and doing just that.

It's very peaceful. I love it.

Try not to get worried
Try not to turn on to
Problems that upset you
Ah,
Don't you know
Everything's alright yes
Everything's fine...

Friday, the 13th! Weathering the Storm...

2004-08-13T07:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, my dear LuvDusty readers...I'm sorry I've been away so long. It's been one of those crazy, crazy, crazy weeks.

Mostly-I was sick as a dog from Friday through yesterday, with a virus I don't wish on my worst enemy-which then turned into a sinus infection! It was not pretty I tell you...not at all.

Anyway, I will spare you the gorey details-suffice to say I was unable to even raise a hand towards a keyboard for a good 6 days.

But I'm back now...and on Friday the 13th to boot! As always, I have perfect timing...

So, what is on LuvDusty's mind today, you might ask? Or heck, even if you don't ask, I'm gonna tell you.

Well, mostly I am just trying to get through the week, one day at a time. The weather has not been good at all...mostly rainy and windy...and this really doesn't feel like summer.

I believe we are incurring God's Wrath. Yes....we are. Have you noticed that since December 2000 when a certain moron from Texas (actually, he was born in Maine to a filthy rich family, as much a New England snob as his current opponent is accused of being, but we aren't supposed to remember that), was chosen to be the leader of our now saddened country by the Supreme Court. It rained a lot on that day...it rained cats and dogs and buckets or whatever expression suits your fancy. Suffice to say....God was angry.

And She is still angry, because since 2000 we've seen nothing but weird ass weather! We've seen extensive periods of nothing but clouds and rain...in June and July!!!!??? Earlier, we saw 80 degree temperatures...in February!!!??? I can't recall a more fucked up 4 years of weather in my entire life.

And yes, I blame the Moron. I blame Dubya. Why? Why not? He's to blame for everything else that's happened to our country since he was granted power. Has our economy improved...nope..worse...much worse. Is the budget balanced? Balanced? HA! We have the huggest deficit in the history of our nation! Did we all get tax breaks! Wow..I got $300 back about 3 years ago. I can barely buy an I-P0d with that! Hmmm..I wonder how much the BILLIONAIRES got? Hmm? Like Dubya himself? Or his Daddy and Mommy? Or his friends at ENRON? Or Tom De Lay or Dick "I'm Really a Robot" Cheney?

Oh but wait, there's the terrorists...and the war against terror, ya gotta give Dubya credit for doing a good job on that right?

Um..have you read the paper lately? Iraq is a royal mess and U.S. soldiers are lost there, coming back in body bags and after almost a year and 1/2 of this shit the administration still hasn't bothered to tell us what their long term goals are there. Hmmm....

Basically, if after all this you are still going to vote for the little shithead this November, you are a lost cause...nothing can be done with you. Hate to tell you but you deserve whatever you get.
Unfortunately, the rest of us will have to "get it" to...and that pisses me off.

To top it all off...yesterday was probably the worst day for gay people in the U.S. in a while. First, the California Supreme Court voids over 4,000 Gay Marriages and then Gov. McGreevey of New Jersey Resigns Cause He's a Big Ol' Closeted Homo Who Was Caught With His Pants Down.

Nice people...very very nice. At least now this is going to have to go to the Supreme Court, which has ruled in Gay people's favors before (thank God SOMEONE in the government is on our side!), and let's see what Sandra Day O'Connor has to say about all this!
As for McGreevey...eh. The fact that he's gay is not the issue. The issue is he was IN THE CLOSET and LIED and CHEATED on his wife...and HIRED HIS FUCKBUDDY as "Head of Homeland Security" for the state with a nice $110,000 a year pay check. SO SO SO WRONG MY FRIEND! SO WRONG!

But this has nothing to do with his being gay per se. But it does show how the closet is a terrible thing and our society's innability to be mature and progressive about sexuality, has caused gay men and women who want to run for office to pretend they are something they are not, to repress their sexuality. And we all know that repression never leads to anything good, especially in politics. If Gov. McGreevey had felt comfortable being gay and in politics, he could have avoided this whole mess.

And then again, maybe he would have done it anyway.

Now I understand how black people feel when they pick the most uneducated, ignoramous to speak on the news concerning some issue relating to civil rights or some event...I hate it that one of us spoils it for the rest.

Conservative wack-jobs around the country will now use McGreevey as a poster boy for how "corrupt" and "sinful" gay people are and how we shouldn't be allowed to serve our communities as leaders.

Ugh.

So, let's hope Saturday the 14th comes along quick, and puts me in a better mood and the weather in less disarray. Fat chance though, since all the major forecasts are calling for hurricanes Bonnie and Charley to punish us at least until Sunday night.

Alright...bring it on God...bring it on. Hopefully we can improve our conditions after November!

But I dunno, if we ever want to see normal weather again, we better make HER happy...and real soon!

Climate of Fear

2004-08-02T13:10:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am...actually sitting in a building in Washington, D.C...trying to get work done, when in the back of my mind, I can't help but feel fear. The building I work in is one of several buildings in Washington, D.C. and New York City that have been supposedly targeted by Al Qaeda for terrorists attacks. At least that's what our newly minted "Department of Homeland Security" is reporting.

Honestly, they should rename the place. How about.."Department of You Are So Fucked!". I mean really! All they do is freak us out on a daily basis. I really don't want to know unless a threat is eminent, what they are planning. I mean, all it does is increase the fear levels.

I happened to go to see the new M. Night Shyamalan film The Village yesterday and I couldn't help but be struck by how much the film is an allegory for our current climate of fear. I've ready many reviews, and none of the reviewers seems to have picked up on this, instead, wasting time judging the "scare factor" of the film instead of trying to stand back and understand the greater message behind it. Shyamalan has created this amazing story that in many ways echoes and comments on what is going on in the U.S. today. His work reminds me of Miller's work in The Crucible, although instead of paranoia and injustice, the theme in this one is how a community can isolate itself to the extreme when it is overcome with a painful experience and the intense fear that experience can cause.

We have become slaves to our own fear. In the words of one of our greatest leaders, Franklin D. Roosevelt.."we have nothing to fear, but fear itself". I can't help but think, that while a lot of the caution and preparation makes sense and is understandable, a lot of it is just irrational and so stressful that it's better to try to temper it with a dose of reality.

Is this really all worth it? Or is it all a ploy to get a certain moron re-elected to public office? I can't help but think each time the terror alert is moved up a notch, that it's just this administration's way of saying: "You are all our bitches! Don't move!"

I really don't know anymore who to trust. This can't be normal, can it?

Why Do I Love Dusty Springfield?

2004-07-29T06:06:00.000-07:00

Well, over the years a lot of my friends have asked me what my fascination is with Dusty Springfield, and why I am so obsessed with her. I've never really been very good at expressing myself on this subject or explaining why, and while I'm sure it's different for every big Dusty fan, I found a great description that gets as close as I can think of. It also sort of explains the fascination she carries for many Gay men and Lesbian women. Basically, it seems Dusty's music helped this guy come out of the closet! And the other moving part is that he sent Dusty a photo of a display he had made of her Albums/photos/etc and she returned the photo to him with a "To Michael...Love, Dusty" even though she received the photo right when she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and probably wasn't feeling so great. What a Lady!

Check it out if you are interested:

Why I Love Dusty Springfield

The Democrats Convene!

2004-07-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm sure some of you have been following the Democratic National Convention from Boston, which started Monday with a huge bang if you ask me!

Fantastic speeches by Gore, Carter and finally Clinton, that are sure to rally the democrats (and hopefully many republicans) into voting their conscious this November and getting Dubya where he belongs...in the unemployment line.

I was talking to my good friend, Jason the other night about the whole political situation in the U.S. and he said something that really stuck with me.     It seems this administration has forgotten who pays their salary!   WE DO!   That means they should be listening to ALL of us, not just the 5-10% that make up their extreme right base.     The President is just a civil servant.   There should be no "salary", there should just be a stipend that we decide upon each year and could be changed up or down depending on their performance rating.      That seems a lot more fair to me.     After all, they are being paid out of my tax dollars!

If the republicans were really for "less government", that's what they would do...make it more like a business.    The President could be our Short-Term Consultant, his salary changing depending on our needs and on his performance.      I'd love that...I think we'd all love that.

So, in any case, I missed last night's speeches, but I hear that Obama and Teresa Heinz Kerry really went to town.    Good for them.     I hear Obama is the next shining star of the democratic party.   I hope so, because it's about time we have a minority who has 1/2 a chance to one day run for President and maybe even WIN! (gasp!)

I was reminded on Monday night when the segment on the 9 female democratic senators was shown, that it's been 80 years since women were given the right to vote, and still we only have a bit more than a handful of female senators in office.

That's not progress is it?   It's practically stasis!   Their should be at least 50 female senators in office.

In many ways, we have not progressed much at all.    I think it's time to kick start it...don't you?

Good..so VOTE this November, and vote for the party that will bring you a change, that will keep us moving forward, to create a new, better America.    Not go back to what we used to be in the 50s and 60s.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

2004-07-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a pic of my girl, Dusty. Doesn't she look great?

Dustyb&w
Originally uploaded by LuvDusty.

When Will The Sun Come Back?

2004-07-26T08:16:00.000-07:00

Not sure if anyone else in the D.C. area has noticed this, but this has been quite a cloudy summer.     And quite a rainy one as well.    It seems that although we've had a few individually placed beautiful sunny days, on the whole, it's been a pretty bleak summer.

I'm not sure who to blame, but I must say I can't remember the last time we had a stretch of really nice, clear, sunny days...I'm talking more than say 2 days in a row.     It's been very unstable.

This seems to be a pretty recent phenomenon. While the area has never been as consistently sunny as say, San Diego or Los Angeles, it definitely has seen better days in terms of continual days of sun light.

I don't know about everyone else, but I need someone to blame, so I'm gonna blame Dubya.

Yup, our current Führer is definitely to blame for the crappy weather.     Remember the day the Supreme Court handed down the verdict that Bush would be our new dictator?    Well, that day it rained in Washington, D.C....it rained hard.     Innauguration day the following year was also a wash out..cold, clammy, rainy.

And ever since the bozo has been behind the desk at the Oval office, we haven't had very many sunny, clear days in succession.

I think God is sending us a message.

All I can do is be like Annie, that ever positive and ebullient orphan, warbling her incessantly sappy but hopeful tune:

Oh, the sun'll come out...tomorrow
So you gotta hang on till tomorrow
Come what may!

Tomorrow!
Tomorrow!
I love ya, tomorrow
You're only a day away.

In the meantime, November, while not tomorrow, is thankfully, closer than we think.

Time for a little Dusty....

2004-07-22T06:38:00.000-07:00

You know, all this talk about artists not "rockin' the boat" politically has made me think of a wonderful story about my favorite pop singer of all time, Dusty Springfield.

In 1964 Dusty found herself at the center of a political storm when she refused to play to segregated audiences in South Africa.   Strictly speaking, Dusty wasn't deported, as her return fare wasn't paid for. Nevertheless, she was in her own words, "drummed out of the country." "I wasn't making any major statement," she recalls. "I just thought it was morally the right thing to do."

Dusty spoke about the incident later on in her life: ". . . All through the sixties I was incredibly naive about all sorts of things, politics being one of them...I was floundering through things and I had 'ideals'. So, in my contract I put in, in small print, that I wouldn't play to segregated audiences and it all went very quiet and I thought 'Wow! I've achieved it'. When the band and I got off the plane, the South African government people were standing under the wings of the plane thrusting these bits of paper at us to sign to say that we would do exactly as they said we would do and . . . that we had no right to come into the country and make trouble--blah, blah, blah - and that the contract as it stood was null and void. So naturally, none of us signed . . . The promoter had found a loophole that I didn't know about. It's highly technical in that mixed audiences could be allowed in cinemas if it was a live show for some reason. So, the promoter who was a good guy had sorted these venues out . . . With which . . . I don't know, I can't prove it. I imagine the South African government went, 'Whoops! We've missed this one.'   When we got to Cape Town, they just put us under what I would call hotel arrest. The shows were off and as they politely put it, something like . . . '[we] withdraw the right for you to stay here for more than twenty-four hours'."

" . . . The promoter was desperately trying to sort this out and it went [on for] three or four days . . . I never want to see another tomato sandwich - that's what they kept sending up to the room. Tomato sandwiches . . . and in the end they sort of drummed us out of the country, but they didn't deport us because if they deport you they have to pay your fares. After that two things happened. The promoter gave up and moved his family to Israel . . . and that loophole got closed. So I didn't do an ounce of good. But I didn't really go there to do good. I went there to sing and I had, somewhere, this really naive ideal that perhaps being there would make some kind of a difference. Well, it didn't. For a while it made it worse and I think those were the accusations I got for making trouble and my records were taken off South African radio for years and out of the shops for many years."

Despite Dusty's own views that standing up for her political ideals didn't do "an ounce of good", I think she's too hard on herself.     Of course standing up for what she believed in was important and good for her for doing so.     If more artists today were like Dusty, we might have a more caring, fair world.    While artists are not political leaders, they do have a platform and are often able to address the needs and concerns of the general population, especially when that general population is disenfranchised.    With Linda Ronstadt's recent struggles and Michael Moore being vilified at every turn, it seems we have forgotten that artists have always been the front-runners for the cause of the downtrodden.       They have to be, because it they are not, who will be?   Certainly not the corporations, whose only interest is to make a profit.    Certainly not this administration, who only seems to focus on the war in Iraq and has forgotten about any domestic issues whatsoever.

So Dusty's pioneering spirit, way back in 1964, should be a lesson to us today, 40 years later.   Hopefully, the Dixie Chicks and Linda Ronstadts and Michael Moores of this world won't give up and won't be allowed to be muzzled by the fear of losing record sales and corporate and advertising pressures.       After all, money isn't and shouldn't be the only motivator of a Great Society...at some point, we have to keep the interests of our fellow americans at heart.

Liberal or Conservative? Ya gotta choose!

2004-07-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

It's nearing the 2004 Election and we are less than a week away from the start of the Democratic party's political convention, and I have to say the climate in the U.S. is less than welcoming for healthy, logical, calm debate.    It seems everywhere I turn the country is divided.    We are all either Liberal or Conservative, Black or White, Man or Woman, Gay or Straight, Pro-Life or Pro-Choice, Republican or Democrat, Rich or Poor, Elitist or Populist, Pro-Death Penalty or Against, Environmentalist or Big Business, Intellectual or Country Bumpkin.

In all this desperation to take sides, I feel a certain longing to be moderate.

It started the other night, when I was at one of my favorite watering holes, discussing politics with a group of friends.   One of them says to me..."I'm more of a conservative..."   And for the first time in a while, I realized that the word itself had no meaning anymore...at least not a shared meaning.

"Conservative"?    I asked him, "Do we even know what that means anymore?"   I just got blank stares in return.   We really don't, do we?

And how about that other doozie.."Liberal", that one people like to use as an insult in the media and in every day life..."Oh, he's just a liberal!"    As if it were a bad thing.   As if we even knew what these terms meant anymore.

So I started to ponder the extreme divide our Nation seems to find itself in.    We are constantly forced to choose sides...WHY?   Why can't I be liberal on some issues, then conservative on others?

And then once more I ask, what does it mean to be liberal?   Or conservative?   Don't these definitions hinge on the point of view of the person who is making the comment?   Then I run across Garrison Keillor and his wonderfully put rhetoric:

The logical extension of this spirit is social welfare and the myriad government programs with long dry names all very uninteresting to you until you suddenly need one and then you turn into a Democrat. A liberal is a conservative who's been through treatment.

This is definitely a start at analyzing what makes someone one or the other.    But it still leaves me slightly unsatisfied.    When I hear the word "conservative", unlike many other gay men I know, I don't necessarily cringe.   I don't assume the person being described by that adjective is prejudiced or close-minded or unworthy of my time because they are so behind their own.     No, instead I think of someone who is cautious, who is careful, who likes to measure their thoughts and actions wisely, someone who acts after much careful thought, instead of emotionally and carelessly from the heart.   But I think my view is not the one most people have.   I am way too generous to conservatives, most liberals would tell me.

Then let's take the word "liberal", with all its heavy, negative media spin, you would think someone with that monikor attached would be a wild, partying, irresponsible freak who would swing from every chandelier and break every rule of civility and human order.   Bring on the orgies! Let's abort the babies!    But instead, that word makes me think of someone who puts the needs of others before their own.   Someone who believes that everyone should have access to basic requirements for human existence, food, water, health care, education, a sense of worth.    A liberal to me is someone who wants equal opportunity for all, no matter what scoiety has to do to get it.

And then of course I have yet another, more complex thought (sometimes it does happen!), that perhaps all of us are "liberal" and "conservative" to some extent.   We have capacity and actions within us that illustrate both words.    We all have moments in our lives when we fluctuate more to one side or the other, and they aren't necessarily related to chronology.

And why should these two words be so far apart in our lexicon anyway?   Why not bring them closer together? How about creating a third word?   "Liberative?"   "Conserval?"   Hmmm....

Oh wait, we already have a word..."Moderate".    I like that word.    But like the definition of the word itself, I guess it doesn't cause that much excitement...only a bit of a thrill...but nothing too extreme now!

The next few months will not be easy ones for those of us who feel our country is lacking in "moderation".    We will see extremes on both sides, we will see name calling, cat fighting, mudslinging and character assassinations of the worst kind, left and right.   (And I mean that figuratively as well as literally...interesting we use the term "left and right" to indicate "all over the place", even in our idioms we want the extreme divide...)

Perhaps if we try to spread our own word of "middleness" of "down the center" of "neither left nor right", of "moderation in all things" (as the Greeks would have us believe) maybe if we try with all our might to let our voices be heard above the shouting of the "liberals" and "conservatives" of the two extremes in this great Nation we all love dearly...maybe if we can ring the bell of Liberty (which is after all, the bell of Moderation and Temperance is it not?), loud and clear, we can hear over the loud din of those who would want to separate us, to keep us on either side of the fence, and once again feel proud to live in this great land?

As it is, we can no longer stand to live with this chasm, this great divide keeping us further and further apart and not allowing us to see that, to some extent, each side has a really good point.

So next time someone uses the word "conservative" or "liberal", and just assumes you know what it means...ask them to define it for you.   Start a conversation about it, and see how you differ or agree on the definitions.

Maybe that'll get us talking instead of shouting at each other.    And maybe, just maybe, we can all stop facing left or right, and begin to look inwards, to the center...and find the "Moderate" in us all.

Are we that "Desperado" to keep the Status Quo?

2004-07-20T06:33:00.000-07:00

Apparently, it's no longer ok to speak your mind in these United States of America.   You heard what I said folks: So much for the 1st ammendment!    It appears Linda Ronstadt, that icon of 70s California Folk Rock, who recently had seemed to be in semi-retirement, has been ejected from her latest gig because she dared to..gasp...speak her mind...gasp!   How could she!

Here is the full story from CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/19/ronstadt.reut/index.html

Now, just between you and me...I saw Linda's show when she came through the D.C. Area (at Wolf Trap, a lovely place to watch a summer concert), and there was no political posturing to be found whatsoever, just a stunningly strong vocal performance and an amazing artistic interpretive skill.   The only thing she did that was even remotely non-singing oriented, was at the end of the concert, right before the encore, she mentioned she had seen the film Fahrenheit 9/11 and that she thought it was a very important film that every American should see, and she praised Michael Moore.    Then she offered the song "Desperado" in his honor, as an encore.

Ok, slap me and call me Susan, but I don't see what's so controversial about that?   All she did was mention she liked the film.    She didn't bash this administration (which by the way, had she, she'd be totally within her right to do so), nor did she assault the president verbally or even mention his name.      Why the alarm?   Has the political climate gotten so terribly repressive that even speaking your mind mildly now causes such a ruckus?   What is this? The Soviet Union?

I am officially outraged.   I am outraged that we have allowed this administration to hijack our country and the ideals on which it was created.     Ashcroft, Rumy, et. al. have made it so that anytime anyone says anything even remotely critical of the current power cartel, that they be censored, one way or another.     This is absolutely frightening.

I am ashamed to be an American...and have been now since the 2000 Election.    When are we going to get back our country?

It's no skin off Ronstadt's nose that she will no longer perform at the Aladdin (an establishment that was already going out of business anyway), she doesn't need that gig, she can live off of her past laurels.   But it does indicate the current repressive climate we find ourselves in, when an American citizen, an artist, is not allowed to express her mind, be it on stage, in public, in private, on her front porch, wherever.    She has that right, just like you and I have the right to not go see her or not buy tickets to her concert if we don't want to.    What else is an artist for, if not to make us think as well as entertain us?

But to be denied employment or fired because of her views, that is bordering on totalitarianism.   And it not only scares me, but also pisses me off.

Let's vote with our conscious in November.   Let's make sure we get our country back.

America, land of the free, with liberty and justice..FOR ALL. Not just for those who agree with the current regime.

There's Gotta Be Somethin' Better Than This!

2004-07-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

Well, it was quite a weekend.   It wasn't too bad actually, but there were definitely moments.    The rehearsal last night for Sweet Charity, the show I am currently choreographing, went well..especially since I had not been to a rehearsal in a few weeks.   Courtney, my dance captain has done a wonderful job of keeping all the dancers in top shape and in step with all the choreography.   I have to remember to buy her a big opening night gift!

There's a song in the show that keeps stickin' in my head, and it really has always been my favorite of the whole score, called "There's Gotta Be Somethin' Better Than This".   What a wonderful song by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields.   It's all about striving to be something better, to find a better life for yourself...to get OUT!    It's really moving and a great song to watch develop.    I think I have staged it to the best of my abilities and the best it can be for this particular production.   The 3 ladies who sing it are really great performers, each in their own way, and will bring a really nice mix to the show.    Maria, who plays Charity, is just such an amazing dancer, and as I'm discovering, also a great comedienne and a good singer.     I am surprised that so much comes out of such a nimble, little wispy gal like she is.    Michelle, who plays Helene, is just such a little firecracker!   And she's my little metronome, always on the beat and always remembering every little detail of the choreography..which is great for me.   Then there's Maggie, playing Nicky.    What a trouper!   And she has this warm, maternal energy that is really a fresh take on the role.   I'm so used to the Chita Rivera take from the movie (which is wonderful, the brash, tough as nails broad), but Maggie takes Nicky to another place, and I like it.  She softens Nicky's edges and makes her sweeter. It works, especially off of Maria and Michele.    She is definitely more of a singer/actor than a dancer, and she sometimes has trouble keeping up with those dancing dynamos Michelle and Maria.   But honestly, she has so much heart and is working so hard, that I know she will get there.    I have faith in her.    It's just about remembering the steps, but when she gets them, they are lovely! It's gonna be great!

I love that all 3 ladies' names start with 'M'.   I call them my "3Ms".   "M&M&M".    : )     I already see the ending of the song is gonna be my favorite moment in the show.   It's almost making me cry now.

It reminds me why I do what I do.   It's been a joy working with these 3 ladies.

Sun, Pool and Fun...

2004-07-17T16:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's finally the weekend.   I tell you, it's been quite a week, so it was great to finally make it to that mini two day break we are lucky to have between each crazy work week.

Friday night was great cause I got to go to a party at my friend Katia's house.   Katia is a co-worker of mine at my day job and she is one of the coolest people I know.   She is half-French and half-Spanish, and she is just a little firecracker!   She has a wonderful new kitten called Luna.   Luna is the cutest little thing, and while I've always been more of a dog person, Luna has certainly won me over with her charm.   She is just such a people cat, when most cats seem to not really care whether you are there or not.    Not Luna, she likes people and wants people to play with her and that makes all the difference.    Katia cooked some delicious Spanish "Tortilla de Papas" and chorizos and we all had a great time talking about our lives, bitching about work and just laughing a lot.

Today I've been enjoying my pool, hanging out with some friends who live in my condo and just catching up on the gossip.    Apparently, last night there was this big brouhaha (is that how that is spelled?) at my condo.   A resident from the 6th floor was taken out of the building in handcuffs and on a stretcher.   Apparently, she had some sort of nervous breakdown.   I didn't see it, but I was told.    In a way it's kind of scary.    She was in her mid 40s and lived alone with her cat.    You can't help but wonder what made her snap?   And who's to say I'm not next! :)

I'm just kiddin'!   But it does make you think about how lucky you can be when you have friends and family who care for you and you aren't all alone in the world.   Some people are, and I feel bad for them.

Tonight I will probably head over to Remington's, my favorite gay bar in D.C.    It's a country-western bar actually, and while I used to hate country music, I have to admit I have grown to love it and especially the dancing!   Two-stepping is a wonderful hobby and a way to meet neat people in a non-threatening atmosphere.    I have been a regular at Remy's (as we call it) for over 3 years now and I have no plans of stopping my visits.   It's truly a great place to hang out, especially on a Saturday night.   The crowd is friendly, the music is good and the price is right (only $4 cover!).

Tomorrow I have plans to have brunch with my friend Justin, who is visiting from out of town, together with my friends Stephen and Jim.    It should be fun.   Then in the afternoon I have rehearsal for Sweet Charity.

As for Dusty, I have been enjoying my recent issue of the Dusty Springfield Bulletin, a quarterly fan magazine for Dusty afficionados, like me.     It's made in the U.K. by Paul Howes, one of Dusty's longest time fans.   He does a fantastic job putting it all together with fantastic color pictures and great interviews and articles about La Springfield.    It's truly a wonderful magazine for us Dusty fans.     Apparently, a new Dusty song has been discovered that nobody has ever known about before.   The song is called "I Will Wait For Love" and was recorded (but never used) for the 1969 film A Nice Girl Like Me.    Paul keeps unearthing these never before heard singles/songs and it makes for quite a lot of excitement for those of us who thought there was no more "new" Dusty to be heard, especially since her death 5 years ago.     I am anxious to get a hand on a copy of it when it is released.

Well, that's about it for today, I hope to post again on Monday if I get a chance.   It's the first day of a big Environmental Economics for Development Policy course I am running, so I'm not sure I will find time in the hectic day to blog, but I will try.

Here's to enjoying what's left of the weekend!

TGIF!

2004-07-16T06:58:00.000-07:00

Well, it's Friday, and about time too...

Not much of exciting to report, except that this weekend I will be working hard to complete choreography for the show I am currently working on Sweet Charity at Elden Street Players.

It's been a very good ride so far, although it was definitely a challenge choreographing a show for a community theatre after having choreographed several professional shows.   I keep having to remind myself that it's a whole different ball game.   The main difference is that the perfomers are not paid and the theatre has less resources than some of the regional theatres I have worked for.    It's just a different mood to get into.     It causes some friction on occasion, but nothing that can't be resolved.    The director, Ellen Dempsey, is working extra hard to get it all together.   I really don't envy her, she is really putting 200% into the project, and meanwhile I just show up 1 or 2 times a week and do my thing.     But hey, I guess that's why I don't direct.   Ugh.

I'm hoping the weekend will be sunny, at least tomorrow. I need some pool time!   I pay enough in condo fees, I should at least be able to enjoy my pool, right?

Speaking of Sweet Charity, did you know that Dusty Springfield recorded a song from the show in the 60s?    She recorded "Where Am I Going?", which was also the title of her 1967 LP Where Am I Going?  It's a wonderful Dusty album, typical of her pre-Dusty In Memphis days.   (As some may or may not know, Dusty's most critically celebrated LP was DIM, often on critics top 100 lists of best pop albums of all time, most recently scoring a position on Rolling Stone's top 100 LPs of all time).    But DIM came out in 1969.   Where Am I Going is from an earlier era, before Dusty found a more unified sound.     This one is eclectic, full of wonderful vocal highs and lows and an emotional range not heard before or since.

I can never make up my mind with Dusty about which period of hers I prefer the best.    I love her pre-DIM period (1964-1969), with her wildly eclectic song choices, her pioneering approach to music and singing and her ability to enfuse emotional weight to pretty much anything she sang.   But then there's the post-DIM period (1970-1974) which has her singing in her upper register, almost like a female falsetto, with a softer, cooler feel, and this vocally seems to be her strongest period as well.    It's really hard to chose one period though, so you know what?

I don't.    I love them both and I love other periods of her career as well, I love them all!   : )

Maybe that's the key to why I love Dusty Springfield so much.    I never get bored of listening to her because she's always different, yet always consistently good.     Gotta love that in a pop singer.

Musings of a burnoutee

2004-07-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

Ack! It's turned into quite a busy day here at the ol' day job. I find it's sometimes rather dull to just sit here and do my daily administrative tasks. But if I can stay focused on the big picture (helping the poor!), I can somehow get through the beaurocracy and the minutia. Somehow. Someplace. Somewhere.

Anyway, I doubt if anyone will ever even read this. The whole idea of a Blog is sort of weird. I mean, it's sort of like a journal, but then, not. I mean..a journal is private, a blog..well everyone/anyone can read it. So as tempted as I am to use this forum to vent my most intimate frustrations and reveal my innermost secrets, I think I may have to refrain.

Who knows who might read it? I could get in trouble.

HA!

Anyway, yesterday was Bastille Day ("Vive La France!") and I went with several co-workers to this great little French bistro in Georgetwon called Café La Ruche.

This place has wonderful atmosphere, delicious food and wine, but somewhat slow and haphazard service. But overall, it was a fun night. I actually walked home from Georgetown after dinner. It's nice to be able to live close enough to walk home. It did take about 45 minutes, but it was such a lovely evening and I needed the exercise. And the view of D.C. from the Key Bridge is always soothing.

Did you know that Dusty Springfield, my favorite singer of all time actually recorded an entire album in French? It's called Mademoiselle Dusty...it was actually an EP released in the 60s containing many of her French language recordings. Dusty was amazingly eclectic, and not only did she sing beautifully in English, her native language, but she also sang in French, Italian, German, Portuguese and Spanish. All with great skill and nuance. The woman was a genius!

For a list of some of Dusty's foreign language songs:

Continental Dusty

For a picture of the cover of the Mademoiselle Dusty EP (gotta love that hair!) go here:

Mademoiselle Dusty

Okay, where to begin?

2004-07-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, where to begin? Well, first of all...even if you've never heard of Dusty Springfield, this blog could still hold some interest to you. Why? You might ask? Because it serves a purpose other than worshipping at the altar of La Springfield. It also is meant to let you know what I'm up to, what I'm thinking, how I'm feeling, etc...

Besides, it's cheaper than therapy. Right?

Right!

So, to start off, here is the Dusty portion of this post.

Dusty Springfield was easily, one of the best and most talented pop singers to ever grace us with her vocal charms. Born Mary Isobel Bernadette Catherine O'Brien in Hampstead, England in 1939, by the age of 12 she was already drawn to music. Having been raised on a steady diet of Peggy Lee, Jelly Roll Morton and Beethoven(what a mix!), she showed early sings of what was to be when she sang "St. Louis Woman" for her All Girls Convent School talent show. The Nuns were horrified I'm sure, but Dusty didn't care! She wanted to be a "blues singer".

Pretty wild dreams for an Irish-Catholic Brit girl from Hampstead! But little did she know, her dreams would come true in more ways than one, and that one day, she'd be hitting the top of the British and International charts when the British Invasion hit America in the early 1960s.

More about Dusty later (of course), but for now, if you want a very complete biography of Dusty's early life, check out:

Early Success

----------------------

Now onto me and what's up today. It's a Wednesday. Which means it's a nice day to start a blog. Hump day. Day where we try to distract ourselves from our hum-drum day jobs and find some creativity and fun in our every day life. So starting a blog was my way of doing that today. So there world! Take that!

Anyway, for those who don't know me, I have sort of a double life. Now, now, it's not that exciting, but it does require some explaining.

You see, during the day, I work for a rather large International Organization, helping developing countries to maintain and develop their economies without ruining their environments. Ok, I guess it sounds nobler than it is.

But then by night, I am busy as a professional dance choreographer/fight director/teacher/actor/singer/dancer in the Washington, D.C. theatre scene.

Of course, my passion is for my night job, and my day job pays the bills, but nevertheless I feel right now that both are a good balance and work well for me. For now.

I've been leading this "double life" since I moved back to DC in 1998. 6 years! Ack! I've been having some doubts as to how long I want to keep doing it this way, but for now it seems this is better than the alternative (a) a life with no art, no creativity, or (b)a life with no money to pay the rent.

So alas, I am stuck in the middle, albeit not necessarily in a bad way. It's all good.

More later...

LuvDusty Rides Again!

2004-07-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my Blog! I had been wanting to start one for a while now, but it was really about finding the time to do it and finding a reason. So here it is.

The purpose of this blog will be two-fold:

1)To have a place to express my love and devotion to the greatest female pop singer who ever lived: DUSTY SPRINGFIELD.

2)To have an outlet to express my thoughts, frustrations, political views, tips to share, questions, etc...for all my friends, family and even (gasp!) strangers to see.

I think this is enough, don't you? So let's begin!