Phone rings, door chimes, in comes COMPANY!!!

For those of you who know me best, you are aware of my passion for Broadway shows. I think I've been to New York City 5 or 6 times now and have seen 15 Broadway shows (6 plays and 9 musicals). As much as I love movies, there really is nothing like sitting in a theater near Times Square and seeing some of the greatest actors in the world performing some of the greatest plays and musicals of all time.

Though all of the shows I've seen are memorable for one reason or another, one of my favorite musicals I saw was "Company", starring Raul Esparza as Bobby. My brother, sister and I took in this show a couple Christmas's ago and it has stuck with me ever since. While it has since ended it's run on the Great White Way, PBS recorded this show as part of its "Great Performances" series, and aired this past Wednesday. Keep an eye out in your local TV listings to see when it airs again (b/c you know it will) and make sure you see it at least once.

"Company" is not your average musical. Though the songs are by Sondheim, they don't quite flow seamlessly in and out of the story - instead, they are little vignettes which show Bobby's interactions with his various girlfriends and five couples, who he calls the "good and crazy people, my married friends".

Bobby is a 35 year old bachelor who over the course of the show discovers his real feelings about commitment, marriage and the difference between being alone and being alive. The songs are catchy, the cast is amazing (all play instruments throughout the show, as there is no pit orchestra) and the story really grabs you and makes you think about personal growth and the company you keep.

Though seeing "Company" on TV is not quite as awesome as seeing it live, the recorded production was still intensely powerful. With the ability to have close-ups of the actors and various angles throughout the show, you really get to know the characters and see the minute details you can't see from the back row in a theater - intimate body language between the characters, such as a subtle lift of the eyelid or a panic widening of the eyes.

Sometimes some of the camera movements are a little cheesy (as in the finale "Being Alive" - if you watch the PBS version, there are some over the top close ups of shoes and some crazy pushes into and out from Raul Esparza near the end of the song), but on a whole, I was very impressed.

Another Broadway show coming to TV very, very soon (like, this monday night [February 25, 2008] at 8 PM on ABC) , is A Raisin in the Sun, starring much of the recent Broadway cast including Sean Combs, Audra McDonald and Phylicia Rashad. I read the play in school and am looking forward to seeing this made-for-TV version of the play. Instead of actually filming the stage play, they turned it into a teleplay so there are real locations and sets instead of just being on a stage.

What a great month for theater on television!!

Happy Valentine's Day :)

So, another Valentine's Day...

I'll be spending the evening watching "Lost" and trying to think up what I'm going to write for my next article for The Ryder (baseball movies - just in time for Spring Training... which I'm going to a game... which is going to be AWESOME)

But I digress,

So, most people probably think February 14th is super important - it's really not - but here's a few of my favorite movies which would be appropriate to watch today...

(In no particular order)

* Bull Durham (1988) - The greatest sports movie of all time, though it's also high-up on people's Rom-Com lists... go figure. This is my go-to movie for whenever I need a pick-me-up... it makes me smile and laugh harded every time I see it... and I'm sure I've seen it upwards of 50 times by now. "I want to bring the heat and announce my presence with authority." :)

* Moulin Rouge (2001) - Depressing, I know, but it's my #1 favorite movie of all time... probably because Ewan McGregor is a-friggin-dorable and I love the music, colors and costumes. Sing along, have a good cry if you need one... whatever floats your boat.

* When Harry Met Sally... (1988) - The older I get and the more I watch this movie, the more I love it. I like how they completely start off on the wrong foot, but over the years they develop a really great friendship and then relationship. There are so many good things to say about this movie... it's wonderful.

* Pride & Prejudice (2005) - Ah, Jane Austen... how we love thee. If you want the 5 hour Colin Firth A&E epic, go for it (I saw it once all the way through in one sitting the day I got my wisdom teeth out... I don't think I need to see it again), but I prefer Kiera Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen.

* Becoming Jane (2007) - If you still want some Jane Austen, but don't want to feel quite so happy afterwards, then watch this. James McAvoy is super charming as Tom LeFroy... he's super charming in just about everything he's in. In fact, watch...

* Starter for 10 (2007) - James McAvoy + University Challenge (quiz bowl/Academic Challenge for you Northeast Ohio people) = wonderful. It plays like an 80s movie (think John Hughes, but in England), has a great soundtrack and is just a fun watch.

* The Princess Bride (1987) - I frickin' love this movie - it's so simple, but it's funny and witty and has a great ensemble. Cary Elwes has never been as charming as he is as Wesley in this movie... If the movie is too cutesy for you, then read the book, as it's awesome too.

* Sweet Home Alabama (2002) - I don't watch very many "chick flicks", but I like this one... and I don't know why. But it's not as lame as it could have been :)

If you want some TV on DVD to watch, I suggest the following marathons:

Sex and the City -I liked the show best when Carrie was with Aidan or Berger... minus the Post-It Note episode

How I Met Your Mother - just a great, funny show that deals with the 20s/30s scene (my sister got me hooked on this)

The Office (BBC or American - either way, you're a winner) - cheer on Tim/Dawn or Jim/Pam... but if you watch the BBC version, make sure you watch episode 5 from Season 2... the David Brent dance... you will pee your pants.

Will & Grace - Seasons 2-5 were really great, then things kind of went downhill until Season 8 (which isn't out on DVD yet - sadness)... I've seen every single episode of this show :)

Lost - I'm still a bit confused, but it's worth it... plus it's got Matthew Fox. Mmm Mmm Mmm

Speaking of Matthew Fox, I just started watching Party of Five... holy smokes, what a 90s-tastic show - it's soooooooooooooooo bad, it's good. I'm hooked, though, which is slightly pathetic, but it's entertaining and almost keeps my mind off of my upcoming acceptance/rejection letters from the 4 graduate schools I applied to...

Kick back and enjoy some great movies/TV with the ones you love - Happy Valentine's Day to you :)

Strike or not, the show must go on: A look ahead at the 2008 Academy Awards

(to be published in the next issue of The Ryder - which should be on the shelf in the next couple weeks)


Strike or not, the show must go on: A look ahead at the 2008 Academy Awards

It’s been over three months since the Writer’s Strike started, and there is still no clear end in sight. Though January’s Golden Globes telecast was cancelled, the 80th Annual Academy Awards ceremony will be televised at 8:00 PM EST on ABC on February 24th, though there are two different types of shows being planned. If the strike is still in progress, the Oscars will be full of film clips and pieces about the history of cinema. If the strike is over, we’ll get a show filled with all the glitz, glamour and celebrities we’re used to, as well as Jon Stewart returning for his second stint as host. I’m crossing my fingers for the Writer’s Strike to end so the show can go on and we can all tune in to watch the epic ceremony unfold as it should – with my favorite film of the season winning Best Picture.

Every year, amazing performances and films get nominated for Oscars, but there are always worthy people and pictures that get left in the dust. From one movie lover to another, I’m going to let you in on my favorites from this season, my prediction of who is actually going to go home with the award, and who should have at least been given a chance.

Supporting Actor Nominees: Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men), Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Charlie Wilson’s War), Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild), and Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton)

My pick: Casey Affleck – It was so unsettling to see how the other men in Jesse James’ posse treated Robert Ford when you know that he is ultimately going to kill the man he idolized. The standout scene for me was when Ford tried to stop the others from digging through his shoebox of Jesse James memorabilia.

The Academy’s Pick: Javier Bardem – Anton Chigurh is one of the creepiest film villains of all-time and so unlike any of Bardem’s previous roles.

Snubbed: For me, it’s a toss up between Ben Foster in 3:10 to Yuma and Steve Zahn in Rescue Dawn. In Yuma, Foster’s menacing outlaw outshone leads Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. In Rescue Dawn, Zahn (also playing opposite of Bale) withers away before your eyes as a POW, making you forget that he usually gets cast as a goofy sidekick.

Supporting Actress Nominees: Cate Blanchett (I’m Not There), Ruby Dee (American Gangster), Saoirse Ronan (Atonement), Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone), and Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)

My pick: Tilda Swinton – I have only seen two of the five performances nominated (Swinton and Ronan), but I feel the award should be given to Swinton as one of those "You’ve had an amazing career so far and have been overlooked before, so here’s some recognition now" Oscars.

The Academy’s Pick: Cate Blanchett – Though Amy Ryan has been stiff competition at the past few awards shows, Blanchett is a critics darling and an amazing actress to boot. Plus, she’s playing Bob Dylan.

Snubbed: Allison Janney has made quite an impact on me with her tiny, yet incredibly funny supporting roles in Hairspray and Juno. She deserved the nod for Juno, if only for the scene where she tells off the ultrasound technician.

Best Actor Nominees: George Clooney (Michael Clayton), Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood), Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), Tommy Lee Jones (In the Valley of Elah), and Viggo Mortenson (Eastern Promises)

My Pick: Johnny Depp – Of all the nominees, he took the biggest creative risk by being in a musical about a homicidal barber and he’s been nominated twice before. Too bad his charmed third time pins him up against…

The Academy’s Pick: Daniel Day-Lewis – One of the greatest actors of all time. He makes very few films these days, but when he does, his performance is always powerfully intense.

Snubbed: Usually great male actors get nominated for playing against type, or portraying someone whom has a disability or is mentally unstable. But what about James McAvoy’s heartbreaking performance in Atonement as Robbie Turner, a completely average young man whose life gets ripped out from under him because of a false accusation?

Best Actress Nominees: Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth: The Golden Age), Julie Christie (Away From Her), Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose), Laura Linney (The Savages), and Ellen Page (Juno)

My Pick: Laura Linney – I’d like to see Linney get the award, as she consistently gives strong performances and is one of my favorite American actresses.

The Academy’s Pick: Julie Christie – An amazing actress who has been racking up well deserved awards this season for her role as a woman with Alzheimer’s.

Snubbed: Already a nominee once for Junebug, Amy Adams should have been recognized this year for her blissfully innocent portrayal of the newest Disney Princess, Giselle, in Enchanted.

Best Picture Nominees: Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood

My pick: Atonement – Brilliant in every aspect of filmmaking including score, script, cinematography and cast. My eyes well while watching movies maybe once every other blue moon, but I was so moved by the way Joe Wright brought Ian McEwan’s beautiful novel to screen that I needed to wipe away the tears more than once.

The Academy’s Pick: No Country for Old Men – It was nice to see the Coen Brothers make a good film after a couple of recent misfires (Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers), but is this really the best film of the year? This movie lost the Golden Globe to Atonement, but has picked up Best Picture awards from critics all over the country. This category may still be up for grabs.

Snubbed: Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was very deserving of a nomination for Best Picture. This was a solid film with a great cast, awesomely grotesque effects and music by Steven Sondheim – what more could you want from a movie musical?

So, go forth, fellow movie lovers, catch up on the nominees (many are still at a theater near you) and get your ballots ready because strike or not, the show must go on.