Check. Please?

I snapped this photo of the floor when Bart, Lage and I saw

The Princess and the Frog.

Taken in an AMC Theatre in downtown Chicago. (Since we also dined downtown, we did not go to our usual haunt.) I'll specify which theatre in a gross exaggeration: After the feast, I found myself a little ill and a lot annoyed.

But seriously, I did cringe exasperatingly. For right there on the floor, large as ever, a glaring misquote. "Play it again, Sam." In the classic gin joint story of Casablanca, Sam never hears that line for Rick never exactly utters it.

Jeepers! Shouldn't they check before it gets "set in stone?"

For the record, the comma is there. The snapshot cuts it off.

And even the great Jeopardy! slipped up the other day,

with this miswriting of Barrie's famous fairy name:

(Cross off one of the choices on that quiz question!)

Crabs & Frogs for 2010

2010. Jeepers!

All righty, I suppose I should get back to the virtual world of this site.

I'll start the posts off by telling you how I rang in the New Year.

On New Year's Eve, Bart and I had our usual and annual feast at Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab. Bart's sister Lage joined us this time. Once again, I found myself defeated. By which I mean the crab legs (as big as a baby's arm [which is only a slight exaggeration] without the shell) proved too much for me to tackle. Of course, that probably wouldn't be the case if I didn't also dine beforehand on scallops and stone crabs and stone crab bisque and butternut squash. I just never learn, as it's all so damn tasty that I/we can't stop ourselves... I skipped the lobster tail this year, although Bart and Lage had some. If you haven't (and want to) read it, Bart's guest post "report" about the experience from last year can be found here.

But before our meal, we saw Disney's latest animated feature, The Princess and the Frog.

All three of us thoroughly enjoyed it. I figured I might, given what I had seen of it. But I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. I've never been that much of a fan of the Frog Prince storyline, to be honest. But the House of Mouse spin on it certainly seemed intriguing. If you don't know - and this is not spoiler for they want you to know this part - the twist happens to be that kissing the frog turns the lady into a frog as well. So off they go on a quest to restore themselves to humans by seeking the help of Mama Odie the voodoo queen who lives deep in the bayou. (Also for those who don't know, it's set in New Orleans.) But what I really didn't expect: The other twists in the story.

First (too late), let me say why I didn't think I'd be that entralled besides not being all that keen on the source material. The firefly character seemed overly annoying in the trailer and advertisements. As if they tried too hard. The same goes for the alligator. They had the potential to be overdone and quickly tiresome. But on the contrary, Ray (firefly) and Louis (alligator) each proved to be a hoot. I loved each of them. (Bart and Lage, too.) Both characters really came into their own, developed beyond their all-too obvious visual jokes. Ray's a cajun, ugly rascal with huge rump/light and big-bellied, scaredy-cat Louis blows a trumpet. Sometimes disliking a character can sour a whole picture. But as I said, they brought quite the smiles.

I'm quite happy to report that Disney didn't skimp on the scary. Not that it terrified me per se, but it certainly had its share of freaky frights. After all, it is dealing with voodoo! Dr. Facilier [a.k.a. The Shadow Man] delivered a lot of spooky delights. The Mouse House allowed such elelmets as needing blood for spells and dark, sinister demons. Not that they've ever been so squeaky-clean that they didn't have such material before (such as Maleficient screaming "...and all the powers of hell!" while transmogrifying into one of the greatest dragon designs ever, Chernobog the Devil summoning ghastly entities from the infernal depths and the overly creepy rise of a titaness Ursula the Sea Witch.) But given that Princess and the Frog is Disney's proverbial "return" to '2-D' animation, it's nice to know they haven't lost their edge among the cute parts.

As for those twists I spoke of, well, I will not spoil them for you. But I did not see either of them coming, I can tell you that. Very clever indeed. One is almost like an exploited loophole. However, it's quite effective, as it catches the characters off guard, too. Well, most of them. One of them knew the whole time. ;) Glad I didn't.

The animation's top notch. No lack of effort there. Nothing like the cranked out direct-to-video stuff. Quite beautiful. It even changes styles here and there (dream sequences) and they handle each of those very nicely, too. Quite [ahem!] stylish (as well as stylized.)

Although I really haven't heard or read any bad reviews of the film, I have heard some complaints, as it were, that characters were too similiar to other films. Dr. Facilier, for example, has been called a rehash of Jafar from Aladdin. Louis the Alligator has been said to look exactly like the crocodile in Peter Pan. In addition, Louis also floats on his back in the water, with characters riding on his belly - which brings to mind Baloo the Bear in The Jungle Book. Kaa the Snake from that film admittedly does share much in common with Mama Odie's snake helper. But I don't acknowledge these as rip-offs. They're most definitely homages. Disney's notorious for homages. Both to and in their own films as well as other movies. They don't feel like re-uses at all. They're most definitely nods. If you want an example of a rehash, try the giant octopus in Return to Never Land. Now that's a recycled, unimaginative bit - down to the eye movement and the tick-schlock noise of the suction cups - to say nothing of the exact same storyline as the original. But I digress. Dr. Facilier, Louis and the serpent all have their own personalities entirely. They're not trying to recreate the same characters, merely tipping a hat to them.

They also managed to reference some key fairy tale elements - such as the infamous needing to be finished by midnight or all is lost.

Lately a lot of music (words and score) in some musicals have made me yawn, but these tunes are rockin' - just as one would expect from a New Orleans setting. Very fun and sweet lyrics, too. The kind that advance a scene or idea, as a good song in a musical should.

It's not the crown jewel in Disney's treasures, but it deserves a place in their trove for sure.

After the movie and dinner Bart and I counted down the time to midnight watching Season 1 of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which Banky gifted me with for Xmas. We just got into Sunny this past year, so it proved quite a treat to begin our "catch up." Thanks, Banky!

All in all, a very satisfying ringing into 2010.

Ring! Ring! New Year Calling...

HI!
I'm back!

Bart and I had a lovely visit back in my hometown with my parents. A low-key but relaxing Xmas, filled with cookies, relatives and nice times.

Bart and I spent New Year's Eve back here in Chicago and then had our Xmas with each other... among other gifts, he had my Metropolis poster (which had been sadly stuck in a tube for way too long) gorgeously framed in a double rim of red and gold! Thanks, Bart! He's going to "guest blog" about our Eve, so you can wait until then for the details.

Tonight we have our THIRD Xmas, with Bart's Dad, his sister Lage and Aunt. And yes, we have a FOURTH on the way, too... with his Mom, her best friend and Bart's psuedo-cousins. A FIFTH is likely with my buddy Laughter.

I'll be back to regular story/writing related posts in the next one...
or...
I'll start now.

I finished a chapter of the latest book on the plane ride. Somehow it's thrilling to know that part of the story had been composed sky high. For the handful of you who know the plot of the novel, you realize the added "cool" of it being written while crossing a Time Zone. And for the record, I did not type on a laptop. I wrote the old fashioned way... on whatever scraps of paper I had with me... like the other side of my printed out Boarding Pass. It's all since been typed in. And revised. On to the next chapter!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

I gathered up quite a few ideas to post about, so until then...

HAPPY 2009. May it be bring us all Fantasy.

Singing the Praises of this Carol

Tonight Bart, his sister Lage and our Aunt will be attending A Christmas Carol at the Goodman Theatre. For Bart and I it will be our fourth year in a row. (Or at least third.) Yes, it’s that excellent of a production. All of it from the script to the acting to the special effects are sheer delights. And since the actors tend to switch out from year to year (while others remain the same), a new experience is to be had each production. But it doesn’t stop there. They also vary other parts of the show. Such as where/how Jacob Marley enters and the arrvial of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

I am still trying to figure out some of the effects. In particular, the window in Nephew Fred’s home. Are you ready for this? It’s snowing! Not that amazing, you say? What if I told you that the window is a fly-on set piece (suspended by wires) and that just the window frame and panes exist. It’s suggestive, there is no wall. And yet…it is snowing. The snow can be seen falling in the glass, but none of it falls behind the bottom of the window pane. (This part isn’t so difficult to solve, as perhaps there is an unseen tray protruding to collect the snow.) However, there is nothing above that could be producing the flakes, as they fall only within the window itself. It’s astounding. Aunt attended last year and I’ll never forget her sincere “Ooooh!” exclaimed in delight at a bit of the Ghost of Christmas Present’s magic.

My favorite part of the tale is when Scrooge arrives on Christmas Day at his nephew’s home. Fred’s fiancé kindly welcoming the repentant miser chokes me up. Call me sentimental, it’s just touching no matter what you say.

And on the subject of A Christmas Carol, isn’t it intriguing how much exposure and alteration this story has seen? It certain endures the test of time. Umpteen movies have been made of it and each one has its great moments. It’s been replicated with authenticity and also completely “abused” into a Flintstones’ special, even by Mr. Magoo. It's been acted quite seriously by cinematic great George C. Scott and done both as a movie and as a One Man Show by the gallant Patrick Stewart. Even lovable crazy man Bill Murray played the miser in the ingeniously re-tooled Scrooged. Kelsey Grammer stars as the miser in a musical also featuring Jane Krakowski from 30 Rock. The Muppets have a take on the tale. Good grief, Barbie’s Christmas Carol is released this season.



Very few stories are as malleable as this one. In whatever form it takes, the poignant message of Dickens shines through like the light of the Ghost of Christmas Past.

If you’re in Chicago, do check it out if you’re never seen the show. You won’t be disappointed. The direct link for tickets and info is here.

Second Post: Fa la la la WOW

No One Writes Alone...

I’ve spoken a little about this subject before, but I’m saying it again. For the experience never gets old. I’m talking about the collaborative process of author and character. It happened again last night.

Characters are often said to “come alive” on the page. For an author, that can be even more true than it is for the reader. The reader only receives the end result of the story, the final form. But the writer’s locked down version of the events were not finalized at all during the process of creation. Rather they unfolded and shifted along the way.

Whatever amount of “living” quality characters possess is magnified in scribbling down the words. For the characters relate what transpired in their lives. Some, such as Bart’s sister Lage, brush me off as insane. I’ll be the first to admit to a degree of insanity, or a least severe silliness. (See last post.)

Last night on the train I revised the latest portion of the current novel. I moved on to composing. For I knew what came next. (Chances are I do, right?) But later, when I typed in the new material, I found myself writing unplanned additional information. The character interjected, giving me an even better understanding of how to structure the scene. Suddenly I had a more dynamic version of what happened in his psyche at that moment. I raced to include his thoughts on the subject. Then he surprised me, for I did not expect him to react as well as he did to the discovery in the scene.

It often works the other way, too. By which I mean I’m “told” that what I have written is not correct in the least. If I’m lucky, the character will go on to clue me in as to what really happened right away. Sometimes I’m at their mercy.

For those of you who wonder if I actually hear their voices, the answer is still no. I’m not entirely crazy. I do know the “extra material” arises from me in some capacity. But any author will attest that the information really does feel as if it comes from outside oneself. It seems to stem from other entities - those who have lived through the very story being told. So it only makes sense to “listen” to them. A writer becomes merely the conduit.

Maybe I really do have access to other realms. More likely I have an overactive imagination. Either way, some would call me “nuts.” And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love to collaborate…um, write.

What "Props" Up Conversation? Show Some Respect.

While I waited in our favorite sushi restaurant for Bart and Lage, my eyes gravitated to the large flatscreen TV. Normally we eat on the “other side” (two sections) of the restaurant so watching it there proved somewhat of a novelty. It has the closed captioning on so as not to disturb the atmosphere. Not that I had been interested in the program. The Espys. Justin Timberlake hosted, which I found strange, until I remembered that he is a golfer as well. But none of that is the point.

I heard (or rather saw) him say, “I have to give you props.” Does this bother anyone as much as it does me? The first time I heard it, I said, “Props? What? Like giant comedy sunglasses and a walking stick? Why are props needed?” Then, of course, I had been corrected and told the meaning. Not that it made the situation more clear.

Color me bitter, but I think this term has to be one of the worst pop culture has to offer. First of all, it just sounds silly. “Give you your props.” Come on, really? Second of all, it’s damn lazy. I wouldn’t have a problem if one said, “Give you your proper respect.” Oh wait. Yes, yes I would. What ARE said proper respects? Isn’t it rude to accentuate giving proper respect and then not even bothering to list or explain why or how or what that respect entails? And then to make it even worse by truncating it down to just “props.” Sorry, I’m too slothful and cool to tell you how I really feel about you, so, take your damn “props.” Here, here’s a mug and an umbrella.

* I found this photo on the 'net in Google image search under "giant sunglasses." If this is your photo, please excuse me using it, I meant no harm...it proved too perfect for this post. Thanks.

Another Culture Weekend

Once again we packed our weekend with much fun and culture. Bart and I went to lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant with his sister Lage. Then Bart and I headed down to The Greenhouse Theater, a smaller space affiliated with the Tony-winning Victory Gardens Theater. We saw a performance of five one-woman shows, the fruits of Tekki Lomnicki’s class on writing a one-person show. Sunshine attended this class before moving to Ohio and came back to perform her piece, Inconceivable! All in all it proved to be great. Each show had both charm and weight, true delights, relating issues ranging from insights into historical figures to dealing with ludicrous racism during 9/11.
Brava to them all!

After that Bart and I moved on to the Tony-winning Chicago Shakespeare Theater for their latest rendition of Comedy of Errors. Let me tell you, Bart and I have been subscribers for about four years now. We are always impressed, but this show had to be one of the best we have ever seen. Wow! Genius. Brilliant! The show did not just contain Shakespeare’s wacky classic, but another play erected on top of it. The concept took place in London during the 1940’s when a troupe of screen actors get together to film Comedy of Errors and only having 36 hours to do so. They filmed it gratis for the troops fighting Hitler. The new script shined with delicious characters and relationships “on the set.” Yes, it had the obligatory moments such as “CUT!” But it never overused such devices, either. The special effects (bombings!) were fantastic and it even began by staging the prologue as a screening, making it appear flickering and in black & white! Top notch performances (as always at Chicago Shakespeare) and a miraculously expanding set that worked well both as stage and movie studio pieces, complete with cameras and cinema lights [the kind on the stands] creating the perfect atmosphere. Ron West, who wrote the script for the Shepperton Studio scenes and Barbara Gaines (always love her direction!) are to be congratulated, measure for measure. (Sorry for that bad pun.) Just fantastic. If you are in Chicago, don’t miss this one. BRAVO! Not much time left - it runs until June 29.

Today is also Fathers’ Day, so a nod and shout to all our patriarchs out there!
We will be having a lovely dinner with Bart’s father.

Later tonight we’ll have Lage, Dragonfly and Tall Boy over to watch the Tonys. More culture! We of course will be using the magic of TiVo in order to watch.

So, hooray. Another lovely weekend.