Harmonic Journal 02/28/15

Harmonic Journal
Saturday, February 28, 2015

"Scheherazade" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, as played by the Santa Clara Vanguard in their 2004 production of "Scheherazade" and their 2014 production of "Scheherazade: Words 2 Live By"







That's right, folks:  2 for the price of one, in honor of their biggest fan's birthday.

Happy 40th, Bro!!!

Harmonic Journal 02/27/15

Harmonic Journal
Friday, February 27, 2015

"Behind Blue Eyes" by The Who as sung by Anthony Head

Harmonic Journal 02/26/15

Harmonic Journal

Thursday, February 26, 2015

"Adventures on Earth" from E.T. The Extra Terrestrial film score by John Williams

Harmonic Journal 02/25/15

Harmonic Journal
Wednesday, February 25, 2015

"Appalachian Spring" by Aaron Copland, as played by the Santa Clara Vanguard in their 2009 production of "Ballet for Martha"

Harmonic Journal 02/24/15

Harmonic Journal 
Tuesday, February 24, 2015

"Carry Me Along" by Scott Leonard

Harmonic Journal 02/23/15

Harmonic Journal
Monday, February 23, 2015

"The Rhythm of Life" by Edwin McCain

Harmonic Journal 02/22/15

Harmonic Journal
Sunday, February 22, 2015

"Glory" by John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn, from Selma

Harmonic Journal 02/21/15

Harmonic Journal
Saturday, February 21, 2015

"Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" from The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, as played by the Santa Clara Vanguard

Harmonic Journal 02/20/15

Harmonic Journal
Friday, February 20, 2015

"Our Day Will Come" by Ruby and the Romantics

Harmonic Journal 02/19/15

Harmonic Journal
Thursday, February 19, 2015

"Flamingo Sing" by Scott Leonard, sung by Rockapella

Happy Birthday to my flamingo-fan friend, Ilene!

Harmonic Journal 02/18/15

Harmonic Journal
Wednesday, February 18, 2015

"Kingdom of Shy" by Sean Altman, as performed by Rockapella

Harmonic Journal 02/17/15

Harmonic Journal
Tuesday, February 17, 2015

"Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built For Two)" by Harry Dacre 

While There's Life, There Is Hope

Tonight, I rented "The Theory of Everything" on demand.

• Eddie Redmayne is AMAZING as Stephen Hawking.  Even when the disease first hits, you can see his posture change to the familiar one we know as he sits in his chair.
• "Wouldn't that be nice, professor?  That one simple, elegant equation could explain everything."
• There's David Thewlis, playing an educator again.  Hi, Professor Lupin!
• "That's perhaps the most English thing that anyone has ever said."
• Watching at home means I can sing aloud with "Ave Verum Corpus".  And criticize all of the unnecessary breaths that the choir makes.  Sorry.
• Why couldn't he just let Jane have that moment for at least a day?  I didn't like that.
• That was way more than 2 years.  I'm glad that doctors can be wrong sometimes.
• "Exterminate! Exterminate!"  Awesome.
• OK, that's funny that the voice only came with an American accent, because I thought until this year that he was an American due to the voice.
• Cast listing in order of appearance:  backwards.  That's cool.
• Oh my gosh, I am done with tears for a while, OK?  Geez, people!

Enigmatic

It's nice to have a 3-day weekend to catch up on these movies.  Today: "The Imitation Game".

• CUMBERBATCH!  He's such a great actor.  
• It's crazy to see how far we've come since that first computer.  I mean, here I am, typing this on a computer, which people can read on their mini-computer smartphones.  "Christopher" was huge.
• The sounds that the computer made reminded me of the sounds they were listening to in "Contact".
• If I was clever, I'd do this blog post in a cypher, just for fun.  I don't have the energy for that right now, though.
• Hey, that speech on the radio was the one we heard in "The King's Speech"!  
• "Sometimes it is the people who no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine."
• "You don't like sandwiches."
• "We're going to have such a wonderful war together."
• Sigh.  It's tragic that the government treated such a brilliant man that way because of his sexual orientation.  I wonder what else he could have done had he not been so distraught.
• "Now, if you wish you could have been normal... I can promise you I do not. The world is an infinitely better place precisely because you weren't."  Thank you for your persistence, Mr. Turing.

Harmonic Journal 02/16/15

Harmonic Journal
Monday, February 16, 2015

"You Don't Own Me" by Lesley Gore




RIP, Ms. Gore.

Legend

Yesterday's Best Picture-nominated film was "American Sniper", which I watched with Linda.

• Bradley Cooper really embodied his character.  I miss his clean-shaven face and longer hair, though.
• Hoo-yah!
• I don't think they were actually following the rules of that drinking game, because much more questions were being asked than shots were taken.
• That scene at the mechanic's waiting room.  "Your dad saved my life... He's a hero."  The look on the kid's face was the beginning of my being a complete mess of tears.
• I wish they had shown how his brother Jeff was feeling after he was done with his tour.
• He must have died while they were in production.  I wonder how the movie would have ended otherwise.
• Wow.  The sight of all of the Navy emblems on his casket has me crying all over again as I type this.
• I really liked Ennio Morricone's "The Funeral" piece.  Beautiful arrangement of "Taps".
• The silence during the ending credits was quite moving.  I'm pretty sure it made me cry even more as I thought of the story more.
• Thank you for serving our country, Mr. Kyle.  

We Shall Overcome

The final movie of the Big Picture Showcase yesterday was "Selma".  

• This is the only movie of the day that had me in lots of tears.
• David Oyelowo is amazing as MLK Jr.  I felt like I was watching King himself because he had the speech pattern down.
• Was that Shaq in the crowd at the march on the bridge?
• It's hard to believe that 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, racism was still so rampant...and 150 years later, it's still there.  People, come on.  Stop it.  I think this affects me even more because I'm currently reading a book about Abraham Lincoln.
• Giovanni!!!
• I didn't know that happened to Mahalia Jackson's son.  
• I thought it was really cool that MLK could just call Mahalia and ask to hear God, and she'd sing to him.
• I don't know if I would have been one of the people to go to Selma and march, but I think those people were quite brave to do that, after either being there themselves or seeing the TV coverage of the first attempt.  
• I like the song "Glory".  I'm looking forward to a performance of that at next week's Oscars.
• See, people, THIS is why we vote.  

That was a good film to wrap up the day.  3 more to go.

Harmonic Journal 02/15/15

Harmonic Journal
Sunday, February 15, 2015

"The Funeral" by Ennio Morricone from "American Sniper"

Tears.

Fly Away

The third movie from today's Best Picture Showcase was "Birdman".  

• Well, that was weird.
• I felt like Christian Bale's Batman was talking to Michael Keaton's Batman during the voice-overs.
• He said that he hasn't played Birdman since 1992.  That's the year that he was in "Batman Returns".
• Amazing job by Michael Keaton, even with the weird stuff.
• This was the second film today wherein Edward Norton plays a part.
• This was also the second film wherein drums were prominent in the story.
• So the theme today:  Edward Norton playing the drums.
• "Drum Score By Antonio Sanchez".  I don't think I've ever seen that credit listing before.
• What marching band was that?
• "We share a vagina".
• We get jellyfish off the coast in Malibu?
• Unlike the other 3 other movies I saw today, the audience did not applaud at the end.  However, when we voted before all of the movies started, this was the one that people predicted would win.  I wonder what the vote would have been if they took the poll *after* we saw the films?

I don't really need to see that movie again.  It was too weird for me.  The lady that sat near me felt the same way.  Perhaps this is my non-artsy self reacting, I don't know.  

Bloody Drums

Today I went to the AMC Theaters Best Picture Showcase, Day 1.  The first film was "The Grand Budapest Hotel", which I had already seen on TV, but it was nice to see it on the big screen.  

The first new film to me was "Whiplash".

• It's a movie about musicians.  How could I not like it?
• J.K. Simmons' character, Fletcher, is an a**hole.  Simmons is fantastic as this character.
• How does anyone think that girl has a big chin? 
• "I'M UPSET!!!" 
• I might need to get this soundtrack.
• I love musicians, even obsessive ones.
• "Not my tempo."  
• I couldn't tell if he was rushing or dragging, either.
• Why all the shots of little details, like the spider?  Was that meant as an "attention to detail that artists experience" thing, or did it mean something else?
• I honestly didn't know that drummers play until they bleed and need ice, like dancers practice until their toes bleed.  I've never done that with any of my instruments.
• Dude, that is a messed up thing to do to a guy's hope and career.
• Zildjian stuff!
• Oh, that's where I know Miles Teller!  Divergent!  He actually does play the drums, and is playing on some of the soundtrack.  Very cool.
• Paul Reiser, where have you been?  
• Was that a 14/8 time signature?  Crazy.
• That is a long-ass drum solo.

I really liked this movie, even though I wanted to wring Fletcher's neck.  

Harmonic Journal 02/14/15

Harmonic Journal
Saturday, February 14, 2015

"Valentine" by Martina McBride and Jim Brickman

Growing Up Before Our Eyes

In preparation for next week's Oscars, I deemed this weekend my catch-up weekend.  7 movies to watch!  I rented "Boyhood" from Redbox.

• Interesting to hear whatever music is playing in the different years/ages.
• It's amazing how lives can change over a span of 12 years, like marriages and hairstyles.
• Harry Potter book release!
• I totally knew that the one guy was going to be a complete jerk once she got to know him.
• Loved the Sex Talk awkwardness.
• If I were a couple of decades younger, I'd totally have a crush on Ellar Coltrane.
• Patricia Arquette really deserves all of the accolades she's getting this awards season.
• Ethan Hawke doesn't age.

I enjoyed this movie and its concept.  I don't blame Patricia Arquette for having separation anxiety after filming was over.  

Harmonic Journal 02/13/15

Harmonic Journal
Friday, February 13, 2015

"Alleluia" by Randall Thompson, as played by The Ying Quartet

This is my favorite choral piece EVER.  This morning, I woke up to this arrangement on the radio, then they said that it was the Ying Quartet, and I smiled widely.  What a perfect name for a group that plays my favorite piece!  

It's interesting to hear it without voices.  I do prefer the a cappella version, but this is beautiful, too.  And now it's on my Amazon Music playlist.  

Harmonic Journal 02/12/15

Harmonic Journal
Thursday, February 12, 2015

"Lincoln, Lincoln" -- by the Animaniacs




Happy Birthday to my favorite President!

Harmonic Journal 02/11/15

Harmonic Journal
Wednesday, February 11, 2015

"Shambala" as sung by Rockapella

Harmonic Journal 02/10/15

Harmonic Journal
Tuesday, February 10, 2015

"Nessun Dorma" by Giacomo Puccini, as played by Jeff Beck

Congratulations on your Grammy win, Beck!

Harmonic Journal 02/09/15

Harmonic Journal
Monday, February 9, 2015

"Fliptop Twister" by Sean Altman, as performed by Rockapella

DLR LotD 02/08/15

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Sunday, February 8, 2015

"The bat was trying to spit on the turtle, and it hit you instead." -- Linda, to Sherry, on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Harmonic Journal 02/08/15

Harmonic Journal
Sunday, February 8, 2015

"Father's Eyes" by Gary Chapman, as performed by Amy Grant




Happy Birthday, Dad!

Harmonic Journal 02/07/15

Harmonic Journal
Saturday, February 7, 2015

"Firebird Suite" by Igor Stravinski, as performed by the 2007 Phantom Regiment


I didn't used to like Stravinski.  Then drum corps entered my life, and I love his work.  I was watching the European ice skating championships today, and one of the female skaters was skating to this piece, decked out in flame-red and orange.  I prefer Phregiment's version.

Harmonic Journal 02/06/15

Harmonic Journal
Friday, February 6, 2015

"In Harmony" by Ariel

Harmonic Journal 02/05/15

Harmonic Journal
Thursday, February 5, 2015

"Peter and the Wolf" by Sergei Prokofiev

Last night, my choir director tried to cure his earworm by playing different tunes.  This was one of them.  I found myself humming it today.  Thanks a lot, Jerry.

Harmonic Journal 02/04/15

Harmonic Journal
Wednesday, February 4, 2015

"Stand By Me", as sung by Rockapella...with me

Here they are without me, though.

Harmonic Journal 02/03/15

Harmonc Journal
Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Theme from "Family Feud"

I love Steve Harvey as the host of this show.  Today, the family in the Fast Money round was extra lame, and one question stunned him so much that he had to pause, which didn't really matter because they didn't even get half the points they needed to win.

"At what age should a person start saving for their retirement?"
"Seven."
Their family member said "Twenty-two".
They got 0 points for both answers.

This is my favorite video out of the ones I watched on the Family Feud youtube channel today.

Harmonic Journal 02/02/15

Harmonic Journal
Monday, February 2, 2015

"I Got You, Babe" -- by Sonny and Cher

Happy Groundhog Day!

Harmonic Journal 02/01/15

Harmonic Journal
Sunday, February 1, 2015

"Blame It On The Boogie", as sung by Rockapella

That's My School!

Congratulations to my alma mater's stars, the Arcadia Apache Marching Band, for making it onto a Super Bowl commercial today!

I'm so proud that I've been posting this everywhere.