Barb's Pop Culture Obsession of the Moment

A freakin' MEN. I had this exchange with my mothe...

2009-10-15T23:12:39.579-04:00

A freakin' MEN.

I had this exchange with my mother (a real estate agent) a few weeks ago:

She: I need your help.
Me: I already explained how to check your printer's IP address.
She: No. I need your help. I need to be on Facebook and Twitter.
Me: NO. No you don't.
She: Yes I do. I'm 'behind'.
Me: No, you're not. You sell houses. Anything you'd post to Twitter would be a solicitation. True Twitter users don't follow people who post nothing but solicitations. [Note: I'm obviously excluding @woot and similar bots]
She: No?
Me: No. I'll help you set up a business page on Facebook, if you REALLY think you need it, but you DON'T need to be on Twitter.

I'm still trying to convince her. Oy.

sigh I always get a little misty during that fin...

2009-10-05T23:30:59.887-04:00

*sigh* I always get a little misty during that final scene.

It's really remarkable how rich a world Ricky Gervais created in just 13 episodes, and how we as viewers came to care about the Tim/Dawn relationship. Which makes it even more remarkable that the American version managed to replicate the chemistry with Jim/Pam, then take it and make it entirely their own.

Also, as much as I adore Jenna Fischer, I've had a crush on Lucy Davis for the better part of a decade. I was thrilled when I saw they added her to the cast of "Studio 60"...and that much more pissed when it got cancelled. Stupid NBC.

There's also a 'no fail' mode so you can try the h...

2009-09-10T23:54:51.062-04:00

There's also a 'no fail' mode so you can try the higher difficulty levels without failing out. The only caveat is that your score won't count.

Your last sentence could just as easily apply to m...

2009-09-09T22:17:19.361-04:00

Your last sentence could just as easily apply to me, though the obsessions are different. :)

I know some friends down here are getting, which r...

2009-09-03T20:41:24.338-04:00

I know some friends down here are getting, which really is most logical way. But I want my own copy! Maybe I should just spend my money on the remastered CDs...

Can't help with the Anthology, but I can pretty mu...

2009-09-03T19:50:37.177-04:00

Can't help with the Anthology, but I can pretty much guarantee that you'll be able to play The Beatles: Rock Band the next time you visit NJ.

I fully admit to having a bunch of these songs- I'...

2009-08-20T23:32:34.491-04:00

I fully admit to having a bunch of these songs- I'll burn what Ive got before John Oliver next week.

It's somewhat cyclical. Early musical theater con...

2009-06-12T00:51:22.311-04:00

It's somewhat cyclical. Early musical theater consisted mostly of songs recycled from vaudeville with a book bolted on as an afterthought to link the songs together (not unlike jukebox musicals today). The songs were also added to movies and covered by popular artists (Sinatra, et al), furthering their popularity. The trend is just going the other way right now.

It WILL cycle back around soon, right? RIGHT?

*sigh*

It's become common practice for networks or studio...

2009-03-26T23:19:00.000-04:00

It's become common practice for networks or studios to purchase the domains mentioned in scripts to prevent them from falling into the hands of opportunists (or worse). Back in 2006, Conan O'Brien did a sketch about football mascots and referenced an (obviously fake) webcam site called 'hornymanatee.com'. In keeping with existing NBC policy, the network had to buy the domain. To their credit, they actually had some fun with it, but you know that Conan got a talking to after that taping.

It's from the Simpsons--"Me fail English? That's u...

2009-01-31T23:09:00.000-05:00

It's from the Simpsons--"Me fail English? That's unpossible!" So now I generally say "unpossible." Similar to how I say "Canadia," not "Canada." This probably isn't good; I doubt I actually made a conscious decision to use "unpossible."

"Unpossible"? Wow, you really MUST be stressed.

2009-01-31T22:07:00.000-05:00

"Unpossible"? Wow, you really MUST be stressed.

Wow. I feel lame by comparison, having seen only ...

2009-01-13T23:01:00.000-05:00

Wow. I feel lame by comparison, having seen only one show in all of 2008. Sure, it was [title of show], and therefore awesome, but still...

Geez, at those prices, it's almost cheaper for me ...

2008-12-30T23:35:00.000-05:00

Geez, at those prices, it's almost cheaper for me to take Amtrak down to DC to go to the theater!

Heck, I remember in high school going to shows and...

2008-12-28T02:18:00.000-05:00

Heck, I remember in high school going to shows and getting the cheap seats for $15 a pop. The most expensive seats were $65. I think now $65 is the cheapest, if available at all.

Most shows at the bigger theaters in DC (Kennedy Center, National) have limited seats for $25, and I've managed to suss out the discount places so I can indulge my theater cravings fairly reasonably.

Part of the problem, in my opinion, is that Broadw...

2008-12-27T22:22:00.000-05:00

Part of the problem, in my opinion, is that Broadway ticket prices are such that most 'locals' (those of us who live within an hour or so of Manhattan and love the theater) have been priced out of the market. 10 years ago, you could get really good seats (center Orchestra, 6-10 rows from the stage) for $60-70 each. Now, you're looking at upwards of $150 - more if you want an aisle seat. I don't know who's to blame for this (the unions, the producers, the theater owners...there's plenty of blame to go around), but the net result is that Broadway became overly reliant on the out-of-town traffic for survival. The side effect, particularly for musicals, is exactly what you noted - where a 6-month run was considered a success before, producers increasingly need a run of multiple years to clear expenses and be considered a 'hit'.

Another, more dramatic side effect is that the truly original, exciting new work is never making it to wide exposure because of the implied risk. As much as I loved (and I mean LOVED) "[title of show]", I was astounded that it transferred from off-broadway because it was just so...different from all of the Disney, catalog, and converted-movie musicals running now (read: Little Mermaid, Jersey Boys, and Xanadu, respectively). Ironically, [tos] could have run for a decade off-broadway, but only lasted 6 months after its transfer.

Sounds good, I'd like to see it.

2008-12-15T22:32:00.000-05:00

Sounds good, I'd like to see it.

Barb, have you ever thought of working in the thea...

2008-03-20T12:18:00.000-04:00

Barb, have you ever thought of working in the theater world? You really seem to love it so much, perhaps you have a future there!

::sigh:: Just ignore the illiterate right-wing tro...

2008-02-28T10:58:00.000-05:00

::sigh:: Just ignore the illiterate right-wing troll, Barb. I agree that the performances in Warm Springs were outstanding, especially Kenneth Branagh. He can supervise my Tennessee Valley Authority anytime, LOL! ;-)

Barb's Pop Culture Obsession of the Moment

A freakin' MEN. I had this exchange with my mothe...

*sigh* I always get a little misty during that fin...

There's also a 'no fail' mode so you can try the h...

Your last sentence could just as easily apply to m...

I know some friends down here are getting, which r...

Can't help with the Anthology, but I can pretty mu...

I fully admit to having a bunch of these songs- I'...

It's somewhat cyclical. Early musical theater con...

It's become common practice for networks or studio...

It's from the Simpsons--"Me fail English? That's u...

"Unpossible"? Wow, you really MUST be stressed.

Wow. I feel lame by comparison, having seen only ...

Geez, at those prices, it's almost cheaper for me ...

Heck, I remember in high school going to shows and...

Part of the problem, in my opinion, is that Broadw...

Sounds good, I'd like to see it.

Barb, have you ever thought of working in the thea...

::sigh:: Just ignore the illiterate right-wing tro...

sigh I always get a little misty during that fin...