It's Official

In the mail today, I received the Kelsey Theatre's 2009-2010 Season brochure. Each year, the Kelsey's General Manager comes up with a theme for the season, based on the shows each various company will be presenting there (which honestly, is sometimes a stretch). Though this year, I think she hit the nail on the head, if you'll forgive me the cliche (and I know you will). Next season's theme is "Hooray for Hollywood," and it features shows that have gone on to become movies, or vice-versa.

The 8th Annual James Tolin Memorial Fundraiser show is listed, and therefore official. I may have mentioned it before, but next year's benefit show (I still haven't recovered from this year's) will be Del Shore's outrageous 1996 "Black Comedy About White Trash," Sordid Lives. For those unfamiliar, the story centers around a small-town family in Winters, TX who are gathering for the funeral of oldest sister, Peggy, who died after hitting her head on the sink because she had tripped over her lover's wooden legs on the way to the motel bathroom.

Shores directed the film version of his play, using much of the original cast, including the always awesome Beth Grant (one of JA's favorites, too) and the amazing Bonnie Bedelia, along with the underrated and very funny Delta Burke. Not to mention "Will and Grace" regular Leslie Jordan, Beau Bridges and Sandy Olsson herself, Ms. Olivia Newton-John. Here's the trailer:

The movie (like so many before) was then adapted into a short-lived series on Logo. It also featured Grant, Bedelia, Jordan and Newton-John. They were joined by Golden Girl Rue McClanahan and comedienne Caroline Rhea. It's exactly the kind of show that the JTMF is all about -outrageous, hilarious and LGBT-themed. I'll be directing again and already have much of the actors I want in my cast in mind (if you're reading this, you know who you are).

More, very anon.

Prospero

PS - About 12 hours to new ink!

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The Times, They Are Changin'

Can you find your Uncle Prospero in this picture? The year was (yikes!) 1977. The show was Godspell at Woodrow Wilson High School in Levittown, PA. I was a a 15 year-old sophomore and already knew that the Theatre was going to be a permanent part of the rest of my life. The director was the brilliant Louis Volpe (the first adult to tell me upon graduation that being gay wasn't such a terrible thing). My then best friend, Todd Hartman, can be seen at the top of the pyramid, wearing the beret and pink shirt.

Thanks to Facebook, I've recently begun to reconnect with friends from those days. To be honest, most of the folks who've remained true friends were those I met in college and after - my darling Janet; my rock, K and my Dear D. A few others. Some of my high school classmates are long gone (the fellow in the yellow hardhat was gunned down in a senseless bar fight not too long after this picture was taken). Others were taken wherever the fates took them. I think of them more and more these days, especially now that my 30th HS reunion is coming up (yikes again!).

I'm not exactly sure what I intended to say with this post. I think time has been kind to me. I certainly like myself a lot more now, than I did then. And I certainly appreciate the difference that life experience has made in my artistic sensibilities. I've travelled the country since then, living in many places and doing theatre for many companies. I've acted, directed and designed for more shows than I care to remember (including a production of Godspell in which I played Jesus about fifteen years later). But there is something about this particular production that will always occupy a special place in my heart. Hell - maybe I'm just getting old.

By the way - In case you haven't guessed, I'm the one in the straw hat, all the way in the right corner of the photo. Damn, I was cute!

Moe, anon.

Prospero

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ComicCon Nonsense

As much as I think I would love to someday attend the San Diego ComicCon, I am brought back to Earth by clips like the one below, and am reminded of the one fan convention my sister and I attended in New York in the 80's. It was the Fangoria Horror Convention, and while we were certainly entertained and enthralled to meet some of our horror icons (make-up FX genius Tom Savini and actor Michael Berryman among them), we were truly dismayed by the number of real weirdos in attendance.

Sci-Fi blog i09 posted this clip of the ComicCon fan costume contest "Project Geek Runway." As much as I love Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror movies, I just don't see myself spending the time, energy and money that these folks spend for a few minutes of glory in front of their fellow geeks.

That's not to say that everyone in attendance is a geek or a whacko (though Johnny Depp did reportedly attend, dressed as a squirrel). And I would love the chance to sit in on some of the discussion panels, if only to get a sneak peek at the many upcoming movies and TV shows that get previewed there. But I am happy to sit at my desk and watch from afar, without having to put up with some nerd in a lame Batman costume shoving his way past me to get to the DC Comics booth. Instead, I get to watch the "Heroes" Season 4 trailer from the comfort of my home all while avoiding the expense of traveling to CA and putting up with a bunch of freaks.*

*No offence intended toward those attending ComicCon or any actual circus freaks.

More, anon.
Prospero

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The Stupidest Movie of the Year

When I was a kid, G.I. Joe was a 12" tall, fully posable doll with flocked hair and "Kung-Fu" grip. He came with all kinds of accessories like Jeeps and rifles and was even sold in "Adventure Packs" Joe was big enough to date Barbie (though in my house, he was more likely to dump her for Ken, much to my younger sister's bewilderment). Joe's enemies were whoever the U.S. was at war with at the time. And if we weren't at war, he was out digging up mummies and rescuing people from dangerous situations.

Nowadays, G.I. Joe is a tiny, 3" piece of plastic. He's less posable and has even more accessories. They even have different names. G.I. Joe is no longer a character, but a group of mercenaries fighting an evil, Bond-like organization called "C.O.B.R.A." (an acronym which I am sure stands for something, though I have no idea what).

In two weeks, the geniuses who run Hollywood are releasing the latest in toy-inspired movies: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. I just caught the latest trailer over at i09 and I have to ask, does anyone else think this is going to be the dumbest big-budget movie ever? Bad enough we now have two Transformers movies. Now this drek:

What saddens me most is that the target audience for this movie (boys 14 to 21) will eat it up and it will make gazillions of dollars, thereby ensuring an inevitable and even stupider sequel. Gah! No wonder I haven't been to the movies much this summer.

More, anon.

Prospero

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Tron-tastic?

There's a whole lot of buzz at ComicCon over Disney's sequel to their 1982 computer-game movie Tron, Tron Legacy.

Here's the thing: What I most remember about Tron was that seeing it in a theatre gave me a headache. Honestly. I don't know if it was the effects, the plot or the acting. I just know that I had a horrible headache and I was actually nauseous for several hours afterwards.

As with most of Disney's live-action movies, Tron Legacy will be in digital 3-D, which I can only imagine will serve to heighten the headache-nausea factor. Add that to an implausibly stupid plot and you have one puke-tastic movie.

Now I know there are many fans of the original movie out there. And I have seen it several times on TV without experiencing the same effects. But I can't help but wonder if the sequel will induce the same reaction as the original did, 27 years ago (Oh God - I am really showing my age, aren't I?).

In any event, this teaser trailer for the new movie was just released. I'll leave you to form your own opinions. And Tron lovers, please don't inundate me with hate mail - I just calls 'em as I sees as I sees 'em. Here's' the trailer (via):

In other news, from the London Daily Mail comes this bizarre and rather sad tid-bit about Michael Jackson's nose. Is it me, or have we become way too obsessed with celebrities and their all-too-human frailties? I think if we all spent more time thinking about our own lives and how we impact the lives of others, we wouldn't care about whether Jacko had a prosthetic nose or how many African orphans Angelina and Madonna adopt.

More, anon.

Prospero

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Horrors Yet to Come

I'm never afraid to admit that I love a good horror movie. Sadly, truly good horror movies are few and far between. And while Sam Raimi's brilliant and terrifying Drag Me to Hell didn't perform at the box office as well as it deserved to, I'll still be plunking down my hard-earned cash in the hope that some one else has made a horror movie that won't bore me to tears; make me laugh at its inanity or insult my intelligence with a bad script, bad acting and even worse special effects.

To a jaded horror fan like myself, a horror movie has to be particularly good to get to me. The aforementioned Drag Me to Hell is one of the few recent horror movies that actually managed to scare me. Neil Marshall's claustrophobic 2005 movie The Descent managed to provide a jolt or two. And the original Saw, while not actually scary, was able to shock and surprise me with a twist ending I honestly didn't see coming.

So, what's in store for Horror fans in the months ahead? Below is a brief sampling of what I can only hope will better than most of the schlock that passes for horror these days. In no particular order (and with minimal comments), here are a few that just might be worth checking out:

Deadline

The underrated Brittany Murphy and indie darling Thora Birch star in this film about a screenwriter who secludes herself in an old mansion in order to meet her next deadline:

The Thaw

Val Kilmer stars as a research scientist investigating the effects of global warming in the Arctic. What they find, is a prehistoric parasite which may signal the end of mankind:

The Echo

Based on a Korean horror film, Jesse Bradford (Swimfan) stars in this psychological thriller about an ex-con who moves into his recently deceased mother's apartment, only to find some weird stuff happening there:

The Dead Outside

This Scottish indie take on the zombie genre certainly looks interesting:

The Descent 2

Shauna Macdonald returns as Sarah, the only survivor (depending on which version you saw) of Neil Marshall's 2005 terrific underground cannibal flick. Forced to return to the hellish caves in search of the rest of her missing spelunking pals, Sarah accompanies a rescue team unprepared for what awaits them below:

On one of the worst dates of my life, I saw the first Final Destination movie. I tried to ignore the jackass jocks in the audience who made fun of my date (admittedly, not someone I would normally be seen with), but the movie was so stupid, I could only think about how much I wanted to leave. The franchise has only gotten sillier, since. Now comes the fourth (and hopefully last) in the series, The Final Destination. This time, Death comes stalking in 3D:

OK - so what movies (Horror or otherwise) are you looking forward to seeing in what's left of 2009? I'm dying to know. You know I love to hear from you, so leave me a comment.

More, anon.

Prospero

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TV Review: "Torchwood: Children of Earth"

I just finished watching all five episodes of the BBC mini-series "Torchwood: Children of Earth" and while I thought it included some of the best ensemble acting ever and featured some of the most heart-wrenchingly human writing in the history of Science Fiction television, I am officially pissed off at series creator Russell T. Davies.

I've talked a little about "Torchwood" before. I love its humor and freshness. I love its frank sexuality, where no one is limited by gender, race or even age (and sometimes even terrestrialism). A spin-off the BBC's long-lived and much-loved "Doctor Who" (created in the 60's and revived by Davies in 2005), "Torchwood" is geared toward adults, while still maintaining the wow-factor geekiness upon which Sci-Fi fans of all ages thrive.

This year, rather than the usual 13 episode season, "Torchwood" ran as a 5 night miniseries, "Children of the Earth." I DVR'd them all and watched them today as part of my own private marathon.

The premise, in a nutshell: At 8;40 GMT, every child on Earth stops and stands or sits still, staring blankly without acknowledging any stimuli at all. Then suddenly, it's over and they go back to being themselves. But at 10:30, they all stop again, only this time speaking in unison: "We. We are. We are coming." Stunned and frightened, people demand answers.

Captain Jack Harkness and the remaining members of his Torchwood team (Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones) are trying to piece together what's happening when their facility is compromised and destroyed, with the aim of killing all of them. Now fugitives on the run, the three (and Gwen's devoted husband, Rhys) must find out who wants them dead, while trying to keep an alien race from simply taking 10% of the world's children to another world for less-than-noble reasons. The subsequent story involves political whitewashing; familial dysfunction; espionage; betrayal and redemption; love; loss and the indomitable Human Spirit.

While the plots of the first two seasons (mostly the first) may have bordered on silly and sometimes seemed soap-opera-ish, "Children of Earth" plays more like a hard-line Sci-Fi drama, complete with political criticism and a strong condemnation of Big-Brother style government. Like all great drama, "Children of Earth" isn't afraid to take a look at the ugly side of the Human Condition. Expertly acted by John Barrowman; Eve Myles; Gareth David-Lloyd and Kai Owen, COE takes on parents' worst fears, lovers' worst pain and children's worst nightmares, surrounds them with questions no one should ever have to ask and delivers the only conclusion it can, no matter how much it may pain both the characters or the audience. This isn't your father's "Doctor Who," kids.

SPOILER ALERT:

The following paragraph, while not divulging specific information, may contain references which those who have not yet watched the miniseries may not want to read.

I have followed "Torchwood" from the beginning and find myself thoroughly invested in the show, so I must admit that I hope "Children of Earth" isn't its end. I imagine it will come back next year, though (like "Desperate Housewives") I think it will pick up again several years in the future. Two and a half seasons are most definitely NOT enough, Mr. Davies, and the fans demand (and deserve) more. If they're smart, they'll do a feature film leading up to the season.

SPOILER ALERT OVER

As always with "Torchwood," I laughed, cried, got angry and felt relief, then cried some more. Superb writing, excellent acting and better-than-average SFX continue to help make "Torchwood" one of the best Sci-Fi programs ever. **** (Four out of For Stars).

Here's the Official Trailer:

More, anon.

Prospero

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A Hodgepodge of Emotion

This is a weird weekend coming up for yours truly. Last weekend was my birthday. Next weekday, my dear D and I are getting our new ink. This weekend, I have nothing planned. I may see a movie, though to be honest, not living in NYC or LA anymore, there are very few movies at the local multiplex that have me chomping at the bit right now. There are plenty coming up, but right now... meh.

So, today I surfed and surfed for stuff to talk about. Of course, ComicCon is going on 3000 miles away, so there's that. The good folks at i09 have posted this trailer for the new Denzel Washington post-apocalyptic tale, The Book of Eli:

The folks at i09 said it looks like "I Am Legend done right." To me it looks more like The Road Warrior meets The Road via Virtuosity. I'll reserve my full opinion until I actually see the movie, though it certainly has a promising cast.

Then, JA over at MyNewPlaidPants had to go and post these clips from the late, great "Pushing Daisies," featuring the ever-so-talented and endearingly adorable Kristen Chenowith singing torch songs about unrequited love - the very topic which has had me blue of late. Needless to say, Ms. C's versions of both these songs are hilarious, touching and devastating all at once:

Hopelessly Devoted



Eternal Flame

And finally, on an optimistically upbeat note, here is the latest music video from Playing for Change, an organization in whose cause I firmly believe:

Mystery Train

That's a whole lotta stuff... Now please excuse me while I go cry myself to sleep...

More, anon.

Prospero

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A Random Funny Video

I stumbled upon this today while surfing the 'net and just thought it was silly and fun. Enjoy.



More, anon.
Prospero

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Dinner with Friends

Not a lot to talk about tonight. I'm not at ComicCon (sigh) and haven't seen any movies lately. I'm saving "Torchwood" to watch as a marathon on Saturday, so I can't even talk about that.

But I did have a lovely reunion dinner with two friends from the production of "Love! Valour! Compassion!" in which I played Arthur 11 years ago. Good food (if you ever find yourself in Somerset, NJ, I highly recommend Sophie's Bistro for casual French dining), good wine and good company; a couple of laughs and a bit of nostalgia. Delicious!

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