Drove my car for the first time in three days today. It was like that old Die-Hard commercial - We've enclosed this car in solid ice... I didn't watch the news today, did we fix the whole fiscal cliff thing? I sure hope so... I would like to now officially request that windows apps include the same kind of intuitive spell checking I have on my iOS devices... A little bit I don't understand why any of the Steeler starters played today... Mrs. TANBI spent today getting loaded in for First Night Pittsburgh. It's the first time she's had to do so with snow on the ground. I hope people still come out even if it is cold... If Leverage is supposed to be the US version of Hustle, Hustle is better... I've got one course laid out for the spring, only four to go - well six really... Is it possible that non-lethal ammunition has a part to play in the current gun discussion? Guns don't kill people, bullets kill people... Is doing a home office with kitchen cabinets a stupid idea? Probably won't matter, nobody stocks 30" high base cabinets anyway... I keep getting emails from OBAMACARE. Somehow I don't think there's a company actually called Obamacare... One of my cats I think is having too good a time with my winter vacation. Maybe a little too friendly... Somehow I wound up making three trips to Office Depot in three days. I imagine that signifies either bad planning or extreme boredom... I went to buy a new hat today. Couldn't get myself to pay a 100% premium for UnderArmor - although I did like it a lot... I'm powering through Fringe episodes lately. I can't remember when or why the Observers changes into invaders, but the storyline this season is pretty cool...
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Friday, December 28, 2012
Movies 2012
Brenda Segal put a review of her 2012 movie going on her Facebook the other day and it got me thinking. First it got me thinking about what movies I actually saw. That got me thinking if there was an app or site that could help determine that list.
I didn't find one.
It does turn out that IMDB and Wikipedia both have pages for 2012 releases. So I slogged through the whole list and pulled out the films I could remember. Here's the 2012 David film list:
- The Avengers
- Brave
- The Campaign
- Cloud Atlas
- The Dark Knight Rises
- The Hunger Games
- Lincoln
- The Lorax
- Madagascar 3
- Men In Black 3
- Prometheus
- The Secret World of Arrietty
- Silver Linings Playbook
- Skyfall
Truth be told I thought there would be more. I am pretty amazed at some of the films that are,'t on the list. There was a Spiderman, and Looper, and The Master and those are just the ones I can think of sitting without the full list in front of me.
The Down Side
Looking back at the list if I think there are any of the fims that I could (in retrospect) have missed, or been just as satisfied catching on cable I think the Lorax, The Campaign, and Madagascar all meet that description. I have to think real hard to remember any details from any of those films. Truly I have to think hard to remember anything about Brave too, but as a Pixar film I am sure the theatre experience was worth it. We only just saw Silver Linings, so it is fairly fresh in my mind. I imagine that after a few months that might not be the case.
The Up Side
I am not sure why, but it has become real difficult to impress me at the movies. In some cases we've elevated the experience ourselves, giving films even more of a chance by seeing them on a large format IMAX when they are filmed in that format. Even with that very high standard I think these films stepped up:
Avengers, Cloud Atlas, Dark Knight Rises, and Prometheus.
In some ways I think all four of those films had no hope of actually delivering on the hype that preceded them, and in all four cases I thought (IMHO) that they did incredibly well. Of the four I guess the biggest disappointment would be Prometheus. Not because what was on the screen wasn't good, but because of all of what I thought it could have been. After the second film I think Dark Knight had an impossibly high bar to reach, and even with all the Pittsburgh connections playing in its favor... I just keep seeing that semi trailer flipping over in my head. The whole Avengers franchise has been handled very well, and the Avengers film would have been worth it just for those few seconds with the Hulk slamming Loki like a rag doll (I have since heard that working out the physics so that CGI came off looking as good as it did was a significant hurdle).
Since I'd not read the Cloud Atlas book, my only expectations were through the filmmakers and I think they delivered hugely. Sure I left the theatre with tons of questions about the significance of the casting decisions, and yes, some of the makeup was conspicuous, but overall I really think the film was outstanding. If I had to pick one of the four to be the overall best I almost certainly would pick Cloud Atlas.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Ellipses...
Two ellipses in a row. Not a blog high point... It is snowing in Pittsburgh, well all over. I could do without snow I think... Yesterday I went to the movies and ordered in Chinese food. I feel like such a cliche... Mrs. TANBI and I kinda fumbled the December holiday thing this year. Next year will take better planning. I did manage to hit the target for her birthday though... Only today did I see that the debt ceiling is also tied up in the fiscal cliff thing. Swell... At some point months ago I bought three cabinets for the garage. They came needing assembly. This week I assembled the first one. I wonder what the over/under on assembling the next one will be... Really, Silver Linings Playbook isn't so much a romantic comedy - even if the previews play it that way... If I could remember what movies I saw this year I would do a top 10. Pretty sure Cloud Atlas would be on the top. There ought to be some kind of app or web page where you could check off everything you saw and rank them... I looked up the price of the rifle I have been coveting since it appeared on Top Shot. It runs about $3000... No office at all this week so far. I think I will try for the whole thing, even though I returned to work virtually today... We were supposed to go to Las Vegas for the holiday, but we didn't. At least our flight can't get munged up that way... I'm working on a home office design for one of our rooms and I am thinking maybe the actual answer is IKEA kitchen cabinets and a counter top... Looks like I came in third in the fantasy football league this year. That's my best performance to date. Still doesn't make up for the Steelers end of season swoon... Apparently we need a TV and a cable box in our guest room. Off the top of my head that seems like $100 for a TV that'll get watched on less than 10 days/year. The cable companies ought to have a more cost effective solution for that... The other day I saw a pickup truck with an articulated retracting running board. I wish my truck had an articulated retracting running board... Should have bought that snowblower...CMU got a 1 Billion Dollar patent lawsuit award today. I wonder what that works out to per employee? I bet that won't come up... Tonight I looked at last year's blog posts to try to figure out what I was did for the holiday in 2011. There was nothing useful there (or on Facebook FWIW). So if I am reading next year it should be clear we were home...
Friday, December 21, 2012
Ellipses...
So the world didn't end, that's a good thing... Another semester in the books. I was going to do a video "David's Crit" but I didn't. Maybe next semester... Republicans want grade school teachers to have guns. Do you remember your third grade teacher? Would you want them to have a gun? Me either... It snowed today. Really I could do without snow. If you have a tenure TD slot in your fair weather university let me know... Mrs. TANBI had her birthday this week, we didn't do much but what we did was pleasant... My nephew facetimed me this morning, well really the only thing that made it morning was that I wasn't up and about yet. Should 3 year olds use facetime? The world is a wonderful place... I think the fiscal cliff thing is a near inevitability. If republicans can't pass anything with taxes how will they even get a Democratic proposal to the floor? Strap in... I play this Tiny Tower game. After a while it stops being a game and more like a pet - just something you have to take care of... Since sometimes I feel like I am still sitting in a theatre watching Return of the King, I am in no hurry to see The Hobbit, even in 3D, even at 48FPS... I was a little excited about Jack Reacher until I read the reviews... I picked out a snowblower last year, maybe this year I will actually purchase one... Since the NRA thinks there should be armed guards in public schools I have been puzzling out how many would be required in the three schools I attended. I'm thinking 4, maybe 2, and probably 8 or 9 for HPHS. I guess that's one way to handle a national unemployment crisis... The Steelers are becoming more and more of a longshot. Doesn't keep me from watching though... Pittsburgh is going to have a TechShop. That's pretty cool. I got an email today saying that there's been more pre opening interest here than in any other city. I'd like to be involved, but I am not sure how that would work... I think this year must have been the year families joined Facebook. I got substantially more response to semester review photos this time around compared to any other (or maybe they changed the privacy policy and I wasn't paying attention)... I forgot to do my freshman holiday card this year, I think it's possible I forgot to do it last year. I suppose that's how traditions end...
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Last Day, Last Session
Session 9 out of 9. Really I cannot fathom how we used to do this the other way. I mean I guess it was less sessions, but so much longer and so monotonous.
Tuesday afternoon:
AJ is a Junior PM/SM...
... he wished he'd participated as much in other classes as he did in mine.
Ariel is a senior PM/SM...
... her summer internship fell through and she got something better!
David is a newly minted sophomore TD...
... I think my high school used that font on t-shirts a thousand years ago.
Sopie is a PM/SM/Scene Designer...
... who although was in my class as a manager pretty much attended as a designer.
And then they were done. Well done everyone. Have a good holiday.
The Last Day of Semester Reviews
Congrats to everyone for making it to day four.
Tuesday morning:
Becca is a Junior PM/SM/Sound Designer...
... we talked about double degrees, double majors, and custom majors.
Cathy is a BXA TD and Physics major...
... she announced that radioactive decay has little to do with scenic construction.
Devrie is a senior PM/SM...
... I really need to add a note about wearing black to my pre-crit email.
Meg is a Junior TD...
... somehow she captured both non-Purnell productions this semester.
Robert is a senior TD/Lighting Technologist...
... he had so much crew this semester, new folks thought he was staff.
Sean is a newly minted Sophomore TD...
... can't wait to put him to work in the shop.
Today I am getting lunch, I swear I am.
Monday Afternoon Session
Turns out I didn't get any lunch. This made me sad and then ruined my dinner and the next nights sleep. eating turns out to be important.
The afternoon's reviews:
Brian is a senior PM/SM...
... He's hoping his career is as cool as Disneyworld.
Sonia is a Junior TD...
... I freaked her out with a hypothetical.
Yeh, I really didn't look too carefully at the option balance did I?
And We're Back
The Steelers couldn't pull it together, so the weekend wasn't all it could be. But at least we got to come back to even more semester reviews.
Monday morning session:
Zoe is a Junior PM/SM...
... apparently i really didn't look too hard at the balance between sessions.
Off to lunch.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Let the Undergrads Begin
So now we're into the fifth session of the fall and we finally get to the undergrads - no frosh though. 14 people out of an available 15 and David does the driving. I don't know why but for some reason with me watching the clock everyone just seems to go a little faster.
The Friday afternoon session:
Brian is a Senior BXA PM/SM...
... he appears to be headed toward a career in math.
Kassondra is a newly minted Sophomore PM/SM...
...I couldn't decide if that was yellow fever or just tights.
Rachel is a Sophomore BXA PM/SM...
... She's trying to blend in Public Policy.
Rachel is a newly minted Sophomore PM/SM...
... does this photo make it look like she has no feet?
Shannon is a Junior PM/SM...
... she continued the tradition of exceptional TD1 performance from a non TD.
Tiffany is a Senior TD...
... she had a great semester in spite of a whole bunch of random aggravations.
Tim is a Junior PM/SM...
... I should get a shirt that color.
14 people and at least 30 minutes to spare. Off to the weekend.
Day Two, First Session
In a Semester Review first the grad crits run into a second day.
Friday morning:
Jake is a Grad3 TD...
... his board is supposed to be a graphical representation of his desk.
Matt is a Grad3 TD...
... This is his superhero pose.
Tyler is a Grad1 PM/SM...
... popular wisdom is that he was really good on the podcast, but we'll never know because the camera wasn't actually recording.
It is a really good group of grad students. I am privileged to get to work with all of them
Thursday, Third Session
When the individual sessions aren't full, the long day isn't as bad as it could be, although even with the short rosters the sessions are still filling up their blocks.
The late afternoon session:
Adam is a Grad1 TD...
... I have been pronouncing his name incorrectly for quite some time.
Cat is a Grad2 PM/SM...
... she's made some excellent posts on the Greenpage.
There was in fact one more PTM student in this session, but I was advised they did not want to be photographed.
Thursday, Middle Session
Since we have so many grads these day we have three crit sessions on the first day. I think if we get about 6-8 more we're going to have to do away with the "Grad Day" concept and go to full jumble crits. Here's the middle session:
Andrew is a Grad1 TD...
... I meant to say something to him about my teaching goals and his learning goals, but I got caught up in other things.
Christina is a Grad1 PM/SM...
... interestingly I have had little or no interaction with her to date. Have to fix that.
JT is also a Grad1 PM/SM...
... she brought a festive bubble gift wrap theme to her review.
Joe is a Grad1 TD...
... I tried to remind him that gas welding, while cool, might not be what grad school is about.
Another good group. Moving right along...
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Semester Reviews 2012
And the fall 2012 semester reviews have arrived. The first four sessions were grads this time - spread over two days for the first time.
Here's the first group:
Dale is a Grad3 TD...
... I really liked his infographic resume. We discussed clinical detatachment.
Jamila is a Grad2 PM/SM...
... it is possible she learned more in my class than she thought she would.
Jess is a Grad2 PM/SM....
... as the SM of Angels, sometimes she just had to forget what clicking the switch meant.
Luke is a Grad2 TD...
... he spun a winch he happened to dig up in the warehouse using an Arduino. Well done.
Taylor is a Grad3 PM/SM...
... his crit board was a mini Angels set, complete with the final moment.
This was a really good group. One of the best "grad day" sessions I can remember. Good start to a long first day.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Worth a Look
Here are a few posts from last week's greenpage that might be worth your time:
LectureHop: Art and State
Bwog: It’s no big secret that arts in France are much more publicly supported than in the US. Rocco Landesman, speaking freely in light of his resignation, made this immediately clear when asked about government funding for the arts, saying, “one more time before I leave: it’s pathetic.” The budget for the NEA is $150 million, he explained, while in France the arts budget is $9 billion–which would be merely significant…if the countries were the same size.
Why arias in the multiplex fall flat
The Independent: Last year, I attended a performance of Handel's opera Rodelinda. With fewer than 200 seats in the venue there was no lengthy climb up to the balcony, no seat without a perfect view. And with no formal etiquette we dressed as we liked, and came and went as we pleased. Which was lucky, because about an hour into the performance I did something I've never done before: I walked out and didn't come back. I doubt the performers took offence; they were 3,000 miles away in New York, and I was in acoustic exile in an art-house cinema in East London.
Holiday Gifts for the Theatre Technician, Lighting Designer or Scenic Artist on Your List
limelightproductions.com: We've put together this gift giving guide to help parents, family and friends find that little something different for the stagehand or designer in their life.
NYU student replies-all to 40,000 classmates, sparking ‘Replyallcalypse’
The Lookout - Yahoo! News: We've all been there. Max Wiseltier, a sophomore at New York University, was simply trying to forward an email from the Bursar's Office to his mother on Monday. Instead, Wiseltier accidentally hit "reply to all," cc'ing 39,979 of his fellow NYU students in the process.
From the Edge Meets La MaMa:
Briefingroom on LiveDesignOnline: Works from a US national exhibit of edgy theatrical designs assembled for the 2011 Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space will be shown at La MaMa’s La Galleria in New York from December 6 through 16. From the Edge, a collection of works from 36 politically compelling productions across America, was commissioned and sponsored by USITT, the United States Institute for Theatre Technology.
But wait, there's more! Since students didn't have to comments this week, they uh, didn't - so there's no top five commented posts.Normally I have to winnow down to get to five "Worth a Look" posts. This week the frontrunners totalled exactly ten. So here's a bonus five:
Falat Basket Project Still Spreading Holiday Cheer
Actors' Equity Association News: Each year, merchandise (clothing, CDs, candy, toiletries, books and more) donated by corporations and individuals is gathered, packed into more than 3,500 colorful bags and delivered to more than 20 hospitals, AIDS hospices, pediatric AIDS centers and HIV community services in the New York area for the holidays. All this is accomplished by volunteers for Equity's Stephen J. Falat Holiday Basket Project, which began in 1985.
Pre-Broadway Shows In Chicago Lured By State Tax Credit
huffingtonpost.com: The New York-bound musical "Kinky Boots" enjoyed a pre-Broadway run at a downtown Chicago theater this fall, but only after the state of Illinois lured producers with something that's scarce these days – money. The Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein production that's based on a 2005 movie, along with a second musical, "Big Fish," were the first to apply for a certificate making them eligible for a state theater tax credit. Lawmakers slipped it into a package of tax breaks approved late last year for corporate heavyweights Sears Holding Corp. and the CME Group Inc.
Passion, Vision and Community Support
Stage Directions: Reading our annual High School Theatre Honors Program articles, in some ways it seems it’s “easy” to have one of the best theatre programs in the country. “All” you need is a dedicated administration, a community with over-the-top unwavering support and someone leading the program who has a fiery passion for the arts that is infectious. Hundreds of good to great programs have most of those elements, but according to our readers, here are five that have it all. (And “all” doesn’t mean cutting-edge facilities—some are creating great theatre in modest spaces.) They all have something else in common, too: their selection of work for the students is offbeat and bold.
TEDx Talk by David Allen
GTD Times: David Allen’s recent TEDx Talk has generated quite a buzz. “The art of stress-free productivity is a martial art.”
So you want to be a stagehand.
soundforums.net: This clip just got posted at controlbooth.com, by 3 different people, I thought some of you might enjoy it.
Monday, December 10, 2012
And the Next Podcast
The Latest and greatest...
This Week's Articles:
- Should Universities Let College Athletes Major In Sports?
- TechShop to Open Pittsburgh Location in Bakery Square in February
- Kirk Douglas and 6 Blacklisted Actors and Writers Who Defied Hollywood
- Columbia University MFA Students to Get Equity Status
- From Denzel Washington's 'Flight' to 'Parenthood': Inside the Fight Over Trademarks
- Happy Teens Grow Up to Be Wealthier Too
- Shredded police documents found in Macy's parade confetti
- How That Football Field Was Blown Up in The Dark Knight Rises
- No students move following CU dorm segregation for gun owners
- In Midtown, Disney Offers a 'Pop-up' Look at 'The Lion King'
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
Comment of the Week
Here are this week's contenders:
Comment #1: a new comment on your post "Columbia University MFA Students to Get Equity Sta...":
I'm really gonna come down on the "Giving Union Membership to Graduates is a bad idea" side of the fence. While giving students the opportunity to gain downtown Manhattan exposure and giving them a fast-track into the union, there are several issues. (1) As Shannon put it, being in the union too quickly may limit both actors and stage managers to only taking union jobs. They may get better training and possibly more steady employment from non-union, which would be off-limits. (2) Joining Equity is expensive - a $1200 investment. This production is not paying the students, so that's an extra chunk of change to drop simply to be in the show. What are they going to do if they refuse, drop out of the show? This seems like a ploy for Equity to gain more new members on a steady stream. (3) Equity is a mark of being ready to compete as a theatre professional. As an Equity SM, for example, you're going to submit to the same jobs as 40-50 year old stage managers with a LOT more experience than you have, and are expected to be the same caliber if you want to work. Some students may not be ready for that, and would value the non-union experiences to get their feet wet.Comment #2: a new comment on your post "Should Universities Let College Athletes Major In ...":
For students who do wish to join Equity, I would encourage them to audition for jobs that either will immediately bring them into the union or to join the Equity Membership Candidate program and build up apprenticeship weeks to get the experience they need to compete in the union space.
The real kicker about this article is the reference to art conservatory programs (like ours here at CMU). I grew up in an area that loved sports and didn't understand the arts, so I personally have a distaste for single minded sports oriented people. But, personal feelings aside, people should be allowed to have a "sports" major. It really is only fair that both art/theatre and sport majors concentrate so heavily on what we'd like to do (even if the top positions are unfeasible for all of us to achieve). And, the fantastic thing about college and most liberal arts programs is that with an undergraduate degree, a job can be found that isn't in your major. Even though we're all attending a theatre conservatory, it's feasible for us to find jobs in music, event companies, business, marketing, and a number of other fields. A sports major could also find jobs in such a manner. Majoring in something so specific can be a bit of a risk, but we take that risk everyday, and I think that risk is a reasonable one. I can't imagine not doing theatre, and there are plenty of people out there who can't imagine not playing their favorite sport.Comment #3: a new comment on your post "New Hobbit Video Diary Shows The Strain Of Post-Pr...":
This video was amazing!! I was just blown away by how they broke everything down sooo small. Example like the sound there were like 5 different sounds departments to make sure the "sound was correct". Also the Beard guys were crazy. Focusing on beard hairs to make sure everything flows just right with the environment in the film, WOW!!! I do not know what to say besides I AM BLOWN AWAY!!! I will have to watch the other videos in that series!!! Also the music recording the artist are sight reading!!!! SIGHT READING!!!! THAT IS AMAZING!! I AM BREATHLESS!!Comment #4: a new comment on your post "Where the Girls Aren’t: Geena Davis Aims to Smash ...":
What a powerful video, and an incredibly thought-provoking article. I never really considered how much TV impacts the young girls of today, because I was much more of a go-play-outside kid than a sit-on-the-couch-and-watch-TV kid. But there are so many little girls out there whose parents place them in front of the television so that they will be entertained and keep out of the way, that it truly is important to consider what exactly is being put in front of them, and what they are getting from the characters that they are bound to identify with. And perusing kids' shows and movies, I completely agree with Geena Davis. It's weird to see women in positions of power and confidence in the workforce; they are just included to look good and move the plot along as one or more of them men in the show have something to do with her. If girls are really spending seven hours a day in front of the TV (which should also be fixed), the shows should be used to educate them and empower them, which is definitely not happening right now.Comment #5: a new comment on your post "No students move following CU dorm segregation for...":
Why would you want to move into dorms for only people who have gun permits? If you are living on campus you just should not be allowed to own a gun. I think that this is ridiculous. Even if you have a valid permit to have a concealed gun, you should not be allowed to have them on the school compounds. Yes, people will defy the rules and have guns either way in the dorms where guns are banned, however doing this could also eventually cause more damage than good. Everyone who owns a gun does't naturally become a killer and not every one who owns a gun will start shooting up the school. However maybe the issue here is having greater physical and technological security. What if someone who has a valid gun and a certificate of good character loses it and goes on a killing rampage? There is no need for guns on campus. If you already have a permit, them keep your guns in your house where you reside and not in your dorm/on your person. You are at school to learn and that does not include having a gun. I think that all who desire having guns should have to live off campus.Put your votes in this post's comments.
Worth a Look
Here are a few posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time:
Should Universities Let College Athletes Major In Sports?
ThinkProgress: Amid the fog of scandal and shame at some of our biggest institutions, the role academics play in the big business of college athletics has come under more scrutiny. With players taking made up courses in made up schools, and with schools fudging grades to keep players eligible, the NCAA has taken steps in recent years to bolster academic standards. But it continues to ignore the most important fact that is staring top-level college sports in the face: many of the athletes are in school because the model we have created makes going to college the most logical step toward becoming a professional athlete. Many “student-athletes” are students simply because they are athletes, and the education they truly care about is the one that occurs on the field, not the one that happens off of it.
TechShop to Open Pittsburgh Location in Bakery Square in February
techburgher.com: TechShop, a membership-based, do-it-yourself workshop and fabrication studio, announced construction has begun on a new location in Pittsburgh’s Bakery Square to open in February, 2013. “Pittsburgh has been at the heart of American ingenuity, making and manufacturing since it was founded. We are excited to open this location in an area with a deep ecosystem of great technology-related companies and institutions,” said Mark Hatch, CEO of TechShop. “Our newest location will offer programs that support the growing community of makers and innovators by providing tools, equipment, software and instruction in a large, open workshop space.”
Kirk Douglas and 6 Blacklisted Actors and Writers Who Defied Hollywood
Hollywood Reporter: People who were blacklisted fled the country, worked under pseudonyms, or didn't work at all until Kirk Douglas took a stand and helped break the Blacklist with "Spartacus."
Columbia University MFA Students to Get Equity Status
backstage.com: Staying financially solvent while studying acting can be a challenge for many, but students of the Theatre Program at Columbia University’s School of the Arts and the Classic Stage Company (CSC) will benefit from a new agreement recently struck between the school and the Actors’ Equity Association (AEA). According to the deal, third-year MFA acting students will be eligible to join the AEA. Additionally, each year two MFA students in stage management will also be able to join.
From Denzel Washington's 'Flight' to 'Parenthood': Inside the Fight Over Trademarks
Hollywood Reporter: When the Mayans foretold of a 2012 disaster, were they referring to a Hollywood "trademarklawpocalypse"? Consider these recent legal fights: The owner of William Faulkner's intellectual property rights sued Sony Pictures Classics on Oct. 25 over two lines used in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. Anheuser-Busch, maker of Budweiser, objected on legal grounds to Denzel Washington's overconsumption of its beer in Paramount's Flight. And publishing house Rizzoli demanded in October that NBC stop using "Rizzoli" as Ray Romano's character name on Parenthood.
Ultimate Frisbee wins two in tourney
The Tartan Online: Carnegie Mellon’s Ultimate team Mr. Yuk hosted the Steel City Showdown and won two out of three games on Nov. 19.
“The home tournament was a great atmosphere. We had a nice turnout,” senior Benjamin McGrath said. “The other teams were great guests, and it was a nice final tune-up before the regular season begins in the spring semester.”
In the first game, Carnegie Mellon battled neighbor University of Pittsburgh and won in a closely contested game. The team began with a rough start, but became more disciplined soon after and tied the game at 6–6. Mr. Yuk dominated the game, defeating the University of Pittsburgh Panthers 13–9.
Monday, December 03, 2012
Weekly Newspage Podcast
The experiment continues...
Articles discussed this week are:
• Carnegie Mellon program helps children communicate
• Who’s Afraid of the Dark?
• Ice Age Live is Painted with Light
• Circus Roboticus, Or: This Actor Is A Serious Heavyweight : Monkey See
• How 'Angels in America' changed the national conversation
• Live Sound: Hooked: Confessions Of A Gearaholic
• Hollywood Reporter apologises for role in McCarthy-era blacklist
• The Leonard Lopate Show: "The Old Man and the Old Moon"
• How “Right” is Right?: Conservative Voices in Theater
• What are professional reviews for?
Give it a listen, let me know what you think!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Ellipses...
Well, we didn't win the powerball. Too bad... Was watching Caves of Androzani off of the Netflix. Truthfully even the writing is a little meh, for what is supposed to be the best episode ever... Had to cancel a credit card today. Thanks much to the person in Texas that cloned my card... If Ambassador Rice is getting this kind of press even before a nomination just imagine what the confirmation will be like... One class left this week and then one week left before the end of the fall semester. I wish it took longer... Speaking of Netflix, why is there no FiOS "widget" for Netflix? Gonna make me buy a Roku just so I can watch movies without tying up my tablet... I'm thinking I would like to do a "Sleep No More" type installation of "The Wall" relying heavily on media. I'm also thinking this idea might be bigger than Carnegie Mellon... I saw Carnegie Mellon in a list of companies serviced by SawStop in a SawStop presentation. Funny, when I walked through the shop later it was still a Delta Unisaw... Mrs. TANBI has been thinking about running for office. Trouble is that we don't hate pretty much everyone that represents us. We'd have to move first... I should make a New Year's Resolution to write more for the blog. Lately this page has just sort of been the Greenpage Annex: Worth A Look, Weekly Podcast, & Comment of the Week. If it weren't for Ellipses there'd be nothing here at all... Without really knowing how my fantasy football team is tied for first in our league. We've won four in a row. Not too confident this week though... About to make a run through the travel industry again. Thinking about a cab from the airport in Chicago... I've been option coordinator at work for something like 8 years now. Personally I think that's maybe 3-5 years too long... The TV repairman has still not reappeared. I think it might be time to send a nasty letter. I've never been to small claims court, maybe it'd be fun... Missed my folks a lot during the holiday... I think I have a good idea for income tax reform, but every time I try to tease it out the thing just disappears, it's something about investment income versus earned income... Today I pared by a local gym and there was an ambulance crew going in with a stretcher and they were not in a hurry. I wonder if that was a good thing or a bad thing for the patient... If you see one of my graduating students make sure to say "It's so hard to find good help these days." Might be fun...
Comment of the Week
Here are this week's contenders:
Comment #1: a new comment on your post "How 'Angels in America' changed the national conve...":
I think one of the most powerful things about Angels in America, is that the theme of the play had it's peak of relevancy 20 years ago, such a weird length of time. It's old enough to be put into history and to look with hindsight and see what the impact of the play was. Here we see that not only did it affect the people who saw it, but it "changed the national conversation". As one of the quotes said, it brought "gayness" to the front, AIDS couldn't be discussed without bringing up gay issues. America has this thing where it likes to avoid topics in an effort to avoid conflict, but problems don't ever really get solved. This play said "You can't ignore this any longer. This is an issue." That's a big deal to bring a practically taboo subject not just into the nation's peripheral view, but instead crossing front and center. The other reason this 20 year mark seems so weird, is that while it's history and hindsight and significance all rolled into one, it's also something that a majority of the population can remember. There isn't any guessing as to what the impact was, most people 35/40 years or older (especially in the theatre community) have some reason or another as to why this play is significant to them. Unlike when a teacher says "Shakespeare was relevant because...." the teacher says "I remember it was relevant because...." which adds a whole new level onto how it's performed now. This play not only has a historical significance, but a personal significance to many people in America, and it's not often that a play can be both.Comment #2: a new comment on your post "Who’s Afraid of the Dark?":
While I agree with what everyone has said about this production being a challenge for the production and design team as well as the actors, I'm surprised no one picked up on the fact that there is no costume designer. Sure, designing a show that takes place in the dark will mean added challenges for the lighting and sound designers, and a unique opportunity for the scenic designer, I am amazed that there was no costume designer for the show. The actors are not in costume, but are in "street clothes" for every performance. While most of the show is in the dark, the article lends the reader to think that the actors will be seen. The lighting designer described prop effects such as a glowing fire or television screen. Any actor close to these objects would be able to be seen by the audience. The actors are also seen at the top of the show. Why wouldn't they be in costume? More importantly, different clothes and shoes will affect the play differently each night. If an actor wears soft-soled shoes that are practically silent one night, and high-heeled shoes that make noise the next the two audiences are getting different experiences. Cotton sounds differently than chiffon as an actor moves on stage. If the production team is focusing so much energy on the sound scape in the room and the sound effects in the play, wouldn't they also care about the extra noise in the space as well? I would be interested to know if these things came up as issues during rehearsals, techs, or performances, and I am curious as to whether the actors have any guidelines as to their wardrobe for the performances.Comment #3: a new comment on your post "AB Concerts presents Sleigh Bells":
NOISE POP IS CERTAINLY AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION OF SLEIGH BELLS MUSIC, AND 'LOUD' HARDLY ILLUSTRATES THE ATMOSPHERE OF THAT ROOM. AT ONE POINT THE SOUND RIG WAS PUSHING OUT ROUGHLY 115-120 DECIBELS. HOWEVER, LIKE THE WRITER SAYS, THIS IS DEFINTELY MUSIC TAILORED TOWARD A NICHE AUDIENCE. IN ADDITION THE WRITER ATTEMPTS TO DESCRIBE THE AUDIENCE AT ONE POINT DURING THE CONCERT;Comment #4: a new comment on your post "How “Right” is Right?: Conservative Voices in Thea...":
"There was a circle of students running into each other, and at one point, it felt as if the audience was pushing on itself from every direction."
ALTHOUGH, THEIR DESCRIPTION AGAIN FALLS SHORT, AS WHAT I THINK THEY MEAN TO SAY IS THAT THIS CIRCLE ENGULFED 1/3 OF THE CROWD IN A RAUCOUS, MOSH-PIT.
ALL IN ALL, AS A LONG TIME SLEIGH BELLS FAN I GIVE THIS CONCERT AN 8 OF 10. THE LIGHTING WAS NOTHING SHORT OF FLASH BANG AUDIENCE BLINDING SHOW AND THE SOUND, WELL WAS SLEIGH BELLS...
also,sorryforthecapslock,i'mstillsufferingfromtheeffectsoftheconcert.
What I have to say to this kid is, if you can't find any conservative theater out there and you are so concerned about it's existence then why don't you write some. You could have Summer Awakening where instead of getting an abortion at the end the lead women has the baby and starts a club that try's to ban guns. The reason that there are not very many conservative playwrights is because we are surrounded all of the time by conservative messages and ideals and theater is and has pretty much always been a response to that. If you want to talk and think about conservative views all you have to do is turn your television to Fox news and it's right there in front of you. But to get the real liberal message, to get something edgy and unique (because that is basically how this kid is defining liberal, by using examples like Spring Awakening and Kushner) you have to go to the theater. Why would I want more conservative values in my theater? That is the one place I can escape the whole thing!
Also I agree with everything Matt says.Comment #5: a new comment on your post "Hollywood Reporter apologises for role in McCarthy...":
Can anyone argue that black-listing people from making a living because of their political beliefs is wrong? It would be a tough sell. I do have to be the outlier here though and say that I think it's just as questionable for us now, and by us I mean Sean Penn, from the distance of time and comfort of fame, to hand down on the past, even if it did affect his family specifically. The fact is, none of us can say with certainty what we would do were we in Kazan's shoes, facing a choice between capitulation and excommunication, or worse deportation. Taking the self-righteous position is too easy here, I think, and when an apology or an outcry of injustice bears about as much authority or ability to set things right as the cheap entertainment rag on which it is printed, it seems like a waste to me, and worse, a publicity stunt to sell more cheap rags. Maybe our efforts, and Mr. Penn's, would be better spent looking out for the millions of people suffering from unfair working conditions RIGHT NOW in our country. Yes we must learn from past injustices to better guard against new ones, but we also have to learn to forgive the past and admit our own imperfections and moral frailties before judging them in others.
Put your vote in this post's comments.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Next Podcast Attempt
The holiday has me off schedule. Here is the podcast from last week:
The topics are...
- Tomorrow's Power Casting Directors
- TechShop
- Nederlanders Celebrate 100 Years in Business
- The Path
- Pittsburgh Playwrights' Theatre Festival in Black & White
- Red Bull Releases Ridiculous Rube-Goldberg-esque Kluge
- Epic lightning battle powered by old school Tesla coils
- Time Management is a Personal Problem…
- Pittsburgh International Children's Theater show uses darkness, light
- Classic Costumes Go Under the Hammer
What do you think?
Worth a Look
Here are a few posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time:
Live Sound: Hooked: Confessions Of A Gearaholic
Pro Sound Web: Hi. My name is Craig, and I’m a gearaholic. I tried to find a 12-step program, but quite frankly if I have to move gear more than six steps, I’m going to need a hand truck because my back isn’t what it used to be. It’s not just that I like gear; it’s that I’m addicted to it. I fall asleep reading equipment catalogs. I bypass articles in trade magazines, unless they’re talking specifically about gear, to look at the (gasp) advertisements of new mixers, microphones, loudspeakers – you name it. At trade shows, I revel in all of the stuff on display, new and not so new. It doesn’t matter. It’s gear.
Hollywood Reporter apologises for role in McCarthy-era blacklist
guardian.co.uk: US film industry magazine the Hollywood Reporter has apologised for its role in kickstarting the infamous 1947 blacklist that destroyed the careers of writers, actors and directors accused of being communist sympathisers.
The Leonard Lopate Show: "The Old Man and the Old Moon"
WNYC: Ryan Melia, who plays the lead in “The Old Man and the Old Moon,” Dan Weschler, who plays a variety of roles, the accordion, and was involved in composing the music and writing the script; and Lydia Fine, set, costume, and puppet designer, discuss the PigPen Theatre Co.’s Off-Broadway play, which features PigPen’s signature blend of original music, shadow puppetry, live action, and lighting effects. “The Old Man and the Old Moon” is playing through January 6, 2013 at The Gym at Judson.
How “Right” is Right?: Conservative Voices in Theater
HowlRound: It began with Churchill, as it so often does. Not Winston, of course—Caryl. We were discussing the politically layered script Top Girls in a playwriting class. There was a pause in the discussion, and my professor looked at the fluorescent lighting above his head. “Come to think of it, I don’t think there are many conservative playwrights at all,” he said. We all stopped for a second, considering this. Were there any theater artists we could think of who produced political work that read conservative?
What are professional reviews for?
Seth's Blog: I know what they used to be for. A decade ago, there really was no way to tell if a movie, a book or a play was worth your time before you paid up. A professional review could be a valuable signal, a way to save people time and money. Along the way, professional reviewers also decided that they could alter the culture by speaking up. Since creators of culture are often sensitive to what the critics have to say, establishing critical baselines (particularly when you are a powerful arbiter of what sells and what doesn't) became a real function of the critic.
