Season 1 of Cheers

Meghan enjoys watching Netflix on her iPad. And just the other day she randomly decided to start watching Cheers from the first Episode. Season 1 was 1982!

I watched a few scenes and the show was better than I remembered.

I remember liking it as a kid, but then realizing when I was older that it wasn't as good as I remembered (it is a bit slow compared to shows today) however today I have a new appreciation for Cheers. The writing is pretty good and a little bit of dry humor which I appreciate.

It is also fun to have the Boston theme.

In case you were wondering about the first season of Cheers:

SAM = YES
REBECCA = NO
DIANE = YES
WOODY = NO
COACH = YES
CARLA = YES
NORM = YES
FRASIER = NO (LILITH = NO)
CLIFF = YES
REBECCA's Millionaire Boyfriend = NO
The Judge from Night Court as a Magician = YES!
"Cheers is filmed before a live studio audience" = YES

I forgot about Coach's character which was WAY better than Woody's.

Multi Track Acapella

If you haven't seen this style before - it's all over youtube. Why form a singing group when you can just sing every part by yourself. I used to do this with my trumpet and a tape recorder - but it was never this cool...

The DVR Game!

Meghan and I have been playing a game we call the DVR game. It's when you record a TV show and then when it's over you get about 1 minute of the next show - so you watch to see where it cuts off. Occasionally the timing couldn't be more perfect and we yell "DVR game!" OK I don't know if we yell anything but you get the idea! It's a hoot. While we've been doing this for a while the best DVR game occurred tonight in transition from Big Bang Theory to Rules of Engagement - which is what finally prompted me to blog... the DVR game!

OMG These cat videos are cute!

A breeder of British Shorthair cats has some of the cutest videos on YouTube!

Kittens Playing!


Move Over!

Double Rainbow Video (song) Goes Viral

Since the response to the "Bed Intruder" blog has been surprisingly well received I thought I better introduce you to the "Double Rainbow" - in case you haven't been one of the 25,000,000 people to view it.

It started as a gentleman recorded a Double Rainbow in Yosemite - and his response to the rainbow made the video an instant hit. I saw an interview with him and he claims he was NOT on drugs at the time - but you can judge for yourself. Of course this was also turned into a popular song on iTunes and I'll even admit the song has been stuck in my head.

Without much further adieu I give you Double Rainbow - which in the photographer's own words "...was incredible. The camera could not capture the vivid intensity and brightness. Look into the mirror, look into your soul!"



And the iTunes song from the same group that brought you the "Bed Intruder" song:


What does it mean?

Young Me / Now Me

I ran into Ze Frank on TED.com - he is a pretty interesting person who has found some unique ways to connect people over the internet. Here is one of his projects that I found called Young Me / Now Me where people find a childhood picture of themselves and then re-create it today.

I think since Dave, Mike, and I will all be home for Christmas we should find one to re-create since we have an unfair advantage - our parents are in the same house!

Here is a sample of the pictures below - you can see them all here:

Musical Memories - The Opera

Just because even after 12 years I think my own writing is funny - and I am the author and editor of this blog - I am posting my Sophomore year report on the New York City Opera's performance of Daughter of the Regiment. This was inspired by my last blog on Hilary Hahn.

Now before you read this - you must know that in real life I had seen an Opera before this 1998 paper (we saw Phantom in Toronto), however since classes outside of my Chemical Engineering Major often didn't get too much of my attention - I developed techniques for these "Gen-Eds". If you are taking a class about performance art - pretend you have never seen such a thing before and that the teacher has just opened up a new world for you (then they feel like they are doing their job). That's how you get an "A" in a class you spend almost no time on.

Without further adieu...

New York City Opera: The Daughter of the Regiment

For lively arts this semester I have seen the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and the play Marisol. So after a concert and a play I knew the next thing I would have to see would be an opera. Why not, after a little music, a stage show its about time I saw a singing production. Of course it was to my complete surprise that the New York City Opera was more than just singing, it was practically a concert, a play and tremendous singing all rolled up into one with a little comedy on the side.

The opera began with a sunrise over a small village. There was nobody on stage and only the orchestra to entertain us. It would be difficult not to notice the orchestra because they played for what seemed like an hour but was probably only 10 minutes without anyone taking the stage. My first thought was, “Where’s the Opera?” but the orchestra was actually very good and made the time quite pleasant. Unlike the symphony orchestra though, this orchestra was not the center of attention, and in fact I couldn’t even tell you how large it was for I could not see them. Regardless I was impressed not only with their music but with the way it enhanced the action on stage. I imagined them playing music like you would hear for Tom and Jerry or Mickey Mouse cartoons, it was music for theater not music for listening. The orchestra did a great job and made the opera much more enjoyable than I thought an opera would be.

The opera involved a lot more acting then I imagined an opera would. I mean it was by no means a play, but I guess I thought an opera was a couple of people standing around singing to one another. Of course this was not true. There were often times a huge cast of stage at once acting, running around and singing together. Some of the best scenes involved the entire regiment singing together acting out either a dinner scene or the like. I also had the stereotype that the performers would be in outlandish costumes with spears and helmets with horns. This stereotype, of course, was also not true. The costumes were actually quite normal for a play. I didn’t find them distracting in the least unlike the Viking outfits I had imagined would be used. The opera also had a plot or story and was easy to follow. I imagined people standing around telling a story about what had happened to one another in series after series of monologues. In the daughter of the regiment, the performers interacted and we saw the story take place right before us. My eyes were definitely opened to what an opera really is and how similar it is to a play.

An opera wouldn’t be an opera without singing, and the singing was great. It took some time to get used to how they sang. The entire thing was in French, but I know a little French and that wasn’t the problem. Often times in the beginning I thought maybe they were just singing nonsense words at times. Later when I got used to how they sang I could understand more of the French and follow it a lot better. I was interested to see that for those not fluent in French, and I by no means am one of those people, there was screen above the stage translating the basic idea of what they were saying. When I heard about this I thought it would be distracting, because I hate movies with subtitles. But because the opera involves so much singing I guess, not a lot is said at one time and I found it easy to follow along with the translation but not be distracted. I was still able to enjoy the stage performances and know what was going on.

Finally, the real shock, even more surprising than the fact that I enjoyed the opera, was the fact that it was funny. I never even put the words humor and opera in the same sentence before. This opera was really funny. From the dialogue to the stage jokes, like the sheets of music being thrown around, right down to the silly little houses that made everyone look like giants, the opera was laugh after laugh. I don’t know if this is typical in operas, but it definitely gave me a new vision of what an opera could be. It really is more entertainment than just some people standing around singing. The singing was great and the performers had impressive voices and dynamics, but the opera was a much more complete package of music, theater and humor.

I enjoyed the opera, and although I may still be reluctant to attend one over a baseball game, I now know that it is not only bearable to sit through, but very much enjoyable. There were so many different aspects to performance art that went into the opera that I had never thought of before until I saw the Daughter of the Regiment by the New York City Opera Company.

Re-reading this after ~12 years my favorite quote is "Where's the Opera?"

DON'T be a Susan Boyle!

I'm not writing this blog because Susan lost Brittan's Got Talent (though she will likely make $13 million dollars this year - not a bad consolation prize), nor am I writing this because she "had a break down" the week before the final. And I am NOT writing this because she has used 30 mins of her 15 mins of fame.

See Susan's Original audition

Nope. I am saying DON'T be a Susan Boyle so you don't lose 48 years before doing what you were meant to do in your life. Even though I'm not a big Susan Boyle fan it is clear she has some talent for singing. Perhaps if she had some support or a little more self-confidence she could have had a long career singing for people. As much as shows like this are a celebration of the amazing talent gems hidden among us - I think they are equally as sad about lives lived below their potential.

So how do you figure out what to do?
You could listen to a great speech...
You could read someone's blog about it...
Or you could read a great book about it...
Or read an Online Magazine Article...

I don't think this is easy question to answer. In fact - in addition to doing all of the above I have asked successful people how they knew they wanted to do what made them successful. One recent example sticks in my mind when I asked a successful business owner and he said, "Tom, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up..." which I found fascinating because by many measures or standards this person would be viewed to be very successful. BUT - perhaps in the US we are led to believe that success & money = life's purpose. And the closer you get to having both, you realize your true life's purpose probably doesn't care about either.

I recall the quote "Nobody really wants to be rich, everyone just wants to do what wealth buys..." which could include freedom, dream vacations, awesome cars... but the funny thing is even that can be empty. Reminds me of a story I have used here before...

Quick Story:
Thanks to: "Living the 80/20 Way"

     Thinking about lunch, the vacationing businessman stared at the calm, blue sea. A small boat, laden with large yellow-fin tuna, docked near the pretty Mexican village. A lone fisherman jumped ashore.
     "That's a great catch," said the tourist. "How long did it take you?"
     "Not so long," replied the Mexican.
     "Why didn't you stay out there longer and catch more fish? It's only noon!"
     "That's enough fish to keep the family provided for," replied the fisherman.
     "What do you do with the rest of your time?"
     "Sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, have lunch, take a siesta with my wife, Maria. Stroll into the village each evening, sip wine, play guitar and cards with my amigos - a full and rich life, señor."
     "I think I could help you," the visitor said, wrinkling his nose. "I'm a Harvard MBA and this is the advice you'd get in business school. Spend more time fishing each day, buy a bigger boat, make more money, then buy several boats until you have a fleet. Don't sell your catch to the middleman, sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You'd control the product, production and distribution. You could then leave this small town behind, move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles, perhaps eventually New York City to run your expanding firm."
     "But señor, how long would this take?"
     "Fifteen, twenty years."
     "But what then, señor?"
     "That's the best part," the businessman laughed. "When the time is right, you could float on the stock market and make millions of dollars."
     "Hmmm, millions you say. What then, señor?"
     "Then you could retire. Move to a pretty village by the sea, sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, Maria, stroll to the village in the evenings, sip wine, and play guitar and cards with your friends!"


In closing - I am sorry I don't have all of the answer's for you - but the point is likely neither does anyone else but yourself. It seems unlikely that the next promotion was tailored to fulfill your dreams or the next assignment at work. You will need to 1) decide what you want and then 2) make it happen.

Pick One (Chris Kattan Edition)

OK. So somehow Meghan made me watch MTV's the Hills again this week (love Audrina) and it was reported that 2 of the "stars" just eloped this weekend and it will be on the cover of US Magazine. So I was looking at the article online and came across a collection of images of famous celebrities getting married. It was sort of cool - Obamas wedding picture was there - so was Bill & Hillary Clinton's.

I was most surprised by SNL's Chris Kattan's wedding picture. But first here's a reminder of some of his work (he's the monkey boy named Mr. Peepers). I never liked this series of skits.

Saturday Night Live - Mr Peepers

OK so now on to the Chris Kattan wedding picture.

The SNL star said "I Do" to his model-fiancee at the Chateau De Sureau on June 28 in Oakhurst, California.

So now - Pick One. How did Chris Kattan marry this beautiful model?
1) He's Rich
2) Who wouldn't want to marry Chris Kattan? He's a catch!
3) He's Rich
4) She just loves "Mr. Peepers"
5) He's Rich
6) He's really a nice normal guy
7) Did I mention he's Rich (but I suspect not rich enough to explain this)

Worst TV Shows of All-Time - Small Wonder

Up for consideration this time is "Small Wonder" (1985-1989). What is most sad is that I actually remember watching this TV show. Who doesn't love a little robot girl TV show. If her robot voice isn't annoying to you check to see if your mute button is on. Maybe what is most upsetting is that this show was on for 5 years and a total of 96 episodes. I am pretty sure any one of us could have come up with a better TV show - so the question is what is today's "small wonder".

Dance Crew: JabbaWockeeZ Performances

Here are some of the performances I was looking for last time from the Winners of ABDC Season #1. At lunch I heard the 1st song and thought to myself, "Why do I recognize this Timbaland Song?"

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

You down with ABDC?

OK - so Americas Best Dance Crew (ABDC) is awesome, or as Randy Jackson would say - it's hot! I am enjoying it more than American Idol.

What I like about the show is that it has a lot of creative and talented dancers with some amazing acrobatic ability breaking it down on the stage. It also has a hodge-podge of judges that I am not always sure I understand what they are saying because they use hip-hop dance slang which is awesome. It also has Mario Lopez and plenty of opportunity to make fun of how cheesy some of the stuff is (like audience members flashing "gang-sign" like gestures for their favorite "crew".

I think the combination of true art and talent with laughable cheesy stuff is what makes ABDC a must see on MTV at 10pm on Thursdays.

Indian Thriller

Somehow I ran into this on Youtube. It is supposed to be "Thriller" from India.



What is most amazing is how terrible and corny it is, in fact they will bust into some move that looks aweful but then I think "wait - that WAS a move from Michael Jackson's thriller! Only he made it look a lot less corny!"

Thriller is still a pretty good video to watch.

An Engineer's Guide to Cats

Thanks to Nils for sending this to me, and now that I have cats I think this is extremely funny!

Amazing Archer

There is pretty much no limit to what people can do. Check out this video from "America's Got Talent:



I love the reaction she gets from David Hasselhoff.

OK - just one more amazing video from America's Got Talent:

Lessons in Self-Confidence

In a time when maybe it's easier to water down your personality than risk "putting yourself out there" here's a great video! This guy really defines the phrase "go if you're going!" He doesn't leave anything off the table here. And from what I understand this performance took place in 2006, so we are talking about a modern day performance.

If you make it to the end of the song he will reward you!



I think this is great! You see too many people so insecure, and often they are the ones who try to put down others around them.

This band is called MIKA and I found them through Josiah Leming's American Idol performance. After having seen MIKA, I think Josiah did a great job with that song. Josiah caught the nation's interest (I think) because he was unique and really put it all out there.



And as a joke, here's Josiah's future hit:



That's a joke because Keane is already well known, thought Josiah's style reminded me of them a lot.

Pilobolus

The other week Meghan and I had another Date Night and went to see Pilobolus. They are most famous for their silhouette performances like the ones from the Academy Awards (see video below) however they are a contemporary dance troop based on their unique "weight sharing" techniques. These people are strong! The amount of weight that both these men and women can lift is amazing. Their bodies are all muscle.

When we saw them they performed 5 or 6 contemporary dances, some were a bit out there but our favorite was called "Aquatica" where they really gave you the sense of being under water. The way they were able to lift people and do some slow-mo type of stuff really gave you an amazing underwater / floating feeling.

I would certainly go see them again!



They are also famous for this VW commercial:

Human Tetris

This is one of my favorite videos of all time! I laugh every time! Most of all I love the contestants who panic at the last minute, you know they are gonners.

Wicked Awesome!

Meghan and I had a great "date night" last night and went to see Wicked. And it was amazing!

We had heard the buzz for over a year now and tried to get tickets the last time the show was in town but couldn't. This time (thanks to Ivette) we got in on tickets before the general public and got great seats!

I didn't know what to expect. I had heard it would be the story of the wicked witch and the good witch before Dorothy showed up in Oz. I think I had in my mind that the story would be much darker with more "good vs. evil" type of a story. To my surprise the show was very modern and updated, humorous, and well done as a musical!

I won't spoil the plot, but it is amazing how engaging the story is and how well the weave it with the Wizard of Oz as we know it. You get so much "back-story" on the Wizard of Oz, it's fantastic. Glinda the good witch couldn't have been a better role, she was a very entertaining "legally blonde" type of good witch. Hilarious! Elphalba, the wicked witch, was a very well done outcast due to the color of her green skin. I loved the way they made you like both the good and the wicked witch and you can see how things happened the way they did to make one "wicked". You end up feeling for both of them.

My takeaways are I love Phantom for the music, Lion King for the costumes, and now Wicked for the story line. It is a great story, and you won't look at the original Wizard of Oz the same way again.

Wicked gets a definite "A" and a must see if you are at all into theater. Even folks who would balk at seeing a musical will really enjoy this one.