Friday, February 20, 2009

A Book Report

Just finished Madeleine Wickham's The Gatecrasher. If it hadn't been spelled out for me on the cover of the book, I never would have guessed Sophie Kinsella had actually penned this ridiculous book. I usually love Kinsella's highly entertaining books. This one was an absolute disappointment, right down to the last page of loose ends.

The pink and green cover frequently drew my attention in the book section of Target. I thank my lucky stars that I never made the purchase. I borrowed the book from the library. I'm glad to say, I'm returning it as soon as possible.

My First Album

Inspired by The Seventh Sense.

Monday, February 16, 2009

A Book Report

I just finished reading this steamy novel. What a great read! It's got everything in it a girl would love: a hero who is totally in love with the heroine, a hero who takes care of the "needs" of the heroine, a heroine who is strong willed and doesn't take any crap from anyone; intrigue and kidnapping, rescue and romance. I thoroughly enjoyed the book from the first delicious page to the last.

Ooh la la. Fever indeed.

Waiting for the Doctor

He doesn't look sick, does he? But he was running a fever so I took him to the doctor. Yep, an ear infection.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

It's About Time

'Gossip' singer Beth Ditto, whose powerhouse voice, sexy performances and comfort level in her plus-sized frame have won her fans ranging from Rosie O'Donnell to Keira Knightley, shows off another side of herself for the premiere issue of Love Magazine.

Editor-in-Chief Katie Grand promised the publication would be ‘very curvy’ and that ‘no one is a sample size in the whole issue’, and with Miss Ditto on the cover she seems to have kept her word to the extreme.

"She says the wrong things. She looks the wrong way. Isn't it confounding and amazing to have an iconic figure who doesn't have a 25-inch waist?" says Love editor Katie Grand. "She is happy with who she is and the way she is."

Friday, February 13, 2009

An Early Valentine's

Cade came home from school today with a whit paper bag covered in red construction paper hearts. We took out all the Valentine's cards he received. He then told me to close my eyes, which I did, and he then handed me this valentine. These are my favorite valentine's "cards".

After Cade went to bed, Mallorie actually asked if I wanted to watch House, Season 1 with her. Honestly I didn't care what it was she wanted to watch. When my 16-year-old daughter suggests spending time with me, the answer is a resounding you betcha!

We watched two episodes and took a break for popcorn and cold medicine. (I got the former, she the latter.) About 10 minutes into the third episode the cold medicine began to make her drowsy. Mallorie curled up against me and laid her head on my shoulder. {sigh} I'm not sure what the episode was about; I was too busy thanking God for the moment. Drug induced or not, with a teenager you have to take these wonderful moments when they come.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Reading Fool, Part 2

Not only am I inspired to read scripts after playreading meetings, I also try to read a few before meetings so I can pass along the scripts. I just finished these today. In Where's My Money? a ghost requests payment of his $2700, Tuesdays With Morrie deals with death from Lou Gehrig's Disease, and Taking Leave is about 3 sisters dealing with their Dad's Alzheimer's.

Very heavy subjects, especially to be reading all in one day. My next script had better be a laugh-a-minute comedy!

Monday, February 09, 2009

Front Pager: Musical tells story of Leopold and Loeb

By Mary Martin Niepold
SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL
Published: February 8, 2009
Putting a murder to music may not be new, but it does curl the brain somehow. Sweeney Todd did it, and Oklahoma! to a lesser degree. Kurt Weill is famous on the subject.

Now, "The Murder of the Century" is the focus of the two-man musical from Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance, Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story.

For good ole, cold-blooded, calculated murder -- the brainchild of two very intelligent young men -- you can't ask for more than this particular, real-life crime, which happened in Chicago in 1924. It involved the murder of a young boy by Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, who were longtime friends, privileged Jewish university students and, possibly, lovers.

The murder set the country on its ear and immortalized the eloquent, 12-hour indictment of the death penalty by the duo's defense attorney, Clarence Darrow.

Jamie Lawson, the artistic director of Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance, is moving the company beyond its reliable roster of edgy humor. Lawson said he's still not sure why he picked Thrill Me, but he knows that he likes it and serves as the show's director and one of its co-stars.

He hasn't acted for nine years. His last role as one of several cowboys in Crazy For You is hardly preparation for playing a cold-blooded murderer who sings.

In this show, he plays Leopold, the younger of the pair who didn't necessarily concoct the murder but needed so much to be loved that he went along with his friend, Loeb, who enjoyed Nietzchean "superman" fantasies. Together, they came up with "the perfect crime," and newspapers relished headlines about "thrill killers."

Needing love from a madman may not be new subject matter, but in this show it's all set to music. First performed at the Midtown International Theater Festival in New York in 2003, the musical by Stephen Dolginoff (book, musics and lyrics) went to a larger Off-Broadway venue in 2005 by the York Theatre Company.

Songs are simply titled: "Thrill Me," "Way Too Far" and "Keep Your Deal with Me."

Lawson says that directing a two-man musical is easy enough. Bryan Daniel plays Loeb, and Lawson describes directing as something like, "OK, Bryan, you sing that line. OK. Then you come to me."

The subject matter, however, keeps Lawson thinking.

"The murder was so shocking," he said. "Why would two wealthy, everything-going-for-them kids want to do something like this? What was the motivation?

"Anything you do today is captured on the Internet or by your neighbor.

"We're just fascinated with this stuff," he said. "It's an episode on CSI, for heaven's sake. It's a history lesson to music. It's CNN, 2009."

Leopold and Loeb's murder of a 14-year-old boy who lived in their same wealthy neighborhood entailed killing him, then pouring hydrochloric acid on the body. Afterward, they had dinner.

One of the intrigues of the material, Lawson said, is comparing what happened in 1924 to the bombardment of violent and titillating imagery and behaviors we live with every day today.

"I can't figure out if there was the same amount of this kind of behavior back then and we just didn't have YouTube to tell us about it. Or do we have more of it because we're bombarded with this flow of stimulus? From the moment I get up, there's this constant stream of information -- the computer, the TV, even the billboards are everywhere."

The show is told from the point of view of Lawson's character, Leopold. It's 1958, he's up for parole for the fifth time, and flashbacks take the audience to the planning of the murder -- and the twisted relationship between the two men.

What's revealed in the show is that they had signed a contract. "The contract was to fulfill one another's needs whatever they are," Lawson said.

Loeb was killed in prison, and Leopold was paroled after 33 years whereupon he moved to Puerto Rico.

Lawson is still thinking about his choice.

"I really don't know what compelled me to this show -- to picking it -- and to being in it. I don't usually play characters so deviant. I'm used to fluff, playing fluffy characters."
■ The Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance presents Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story at 8 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Feb. 19-21, and at 2 p.m. on Feb. 22. Tickets are $16 for adults and $14 for seniors and students. 1047 Northwest Blvd., Winston-Salem, N. C. Call 336-723-7777.

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Thanks Everybody

Sent: Sun, 1 Feb 2009 6:55 pm
Subject: Thanks everybody
I just wanted to thank you all one last time now that it's over. We all worked our butts off and we definitely have a show we can be very proud of. The people who came really enjoyed it, I have heard nothing but good things from them. I want to thank you all so much for your passion, dedication, and hard work. This meant a lot to me.

I hope to work with you all again. Let's not lose touch.
Kati F

Love and Support



Bill and Kathy, John and Kathy, Meghan, Andrew, Michael and Mallorie...

thank you so very much for supporting the Greensboro Fringe Festival and attending Virtue of Fools.