Pastimes with a PellaPusher

Silence is Golden

2012-01-29T09:25:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, I saw "The Artist" at my local theater. I had high expectations due to the accolades the filmmakers already received, and one of my friends liked it so much that she'd already seen it twice, so that made me look forward to it even more.

There's a dog. He's cute. He's like Lassie. Ya gotta love him!
Jean Dujardin does a superb job as George Valentin, displaying all of his emotions without speaking.
Berenice Bejo is wonderful as well, playing Peppy Miller. She radiates from the screen.
I cried when George sold all of his belongings at auction, but I knew what was up. I don't remember exactly what the marquee said when he walked by the theater at that point, but it was quite fitting.
That dream/nightmare that George had was jarring, as it should have been. It's so funny that although he normally hears sound anyway in his life, he is bothered by those ordinary sounds due to his anxiety about the talkies.
I really liked all of Peppy's hats. I also liked her dresses.
So, all those different pearl necklaces that the wife was wearing: did he mess up that often that she has so many?
Ah, James Cromwell. I had a moment where I thought he'd say "Good Pig" to Uggie.
One of the women in my row said "Silence is Golden" as the film was about to start. Then she proceeded to quietly make comments during the film. Irritating,
Bernard Hermann's "Vertigo" was just perfect in its setting. Bravo to Ludovic Bource for including it here.
I think that I want to see some old silent movies one of these days. I should have gone to those Academy screenings last year. That would have been cool.

The accolades that the film has been receiving are well-deserved. I think that this is my friend's new favorite movie because there's a dog that plays an instrumental part in the film, but she'll say it's because it made her laugh, and it was well-written, and all of that. I agree, but that dog is darn cute.

It's Still New Year, right?

2012-01-25T20:11:00.001-08:00

How have I not seen this video until today?!

This is the song that made me happy at midnight this New Year's Eve, thanks to the best brother in the world...yes, with the best name. ;)

DLR LotD 01/20/12

2012-01-22T21:50:00.000-08:00

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Friday, January 20, 2012

"Skuna Salmon, from Skuna Bay. They do not have ankles." -- Ryan, to Linda, when she asked about the fish of the day

Thank you for celebrating my birthday with me, everyone!

That's MY Schoooooool!!!!

2012-01-06T23:13:00.000-08:00

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that I love drum corps. It really is the Bro's fault, like many of my obsessions, because he had me watching DCI Finals on TV on Thanksgiving weekends long ago. The love of marching, though, is not Bro's fault. Perhaps he enables this particular obsession, but he was but a wee tyke when the marching thing started for me.

I was in drill team in junior high, and was friends with many band members whom would eventually go to Arcadia High School and become members of the Apache Marching Band. I wanted to try out for drill team in high school, but I just couldn't fit it into my schedule, and they didn't seem to allow violins in the marching band (something about poking other people's eyes out with the bow). So I stayed on the sidelines and cheered on my friends, and volunteered at the annual West Arcadia Band Review (now the Arcadia Festival of Bands). AHS has had one of the best marching band programs in the country for as long as I can remember, and every time I see them, a smile beams on my face and I feel a swell of pride in my heart.

This November, as I was watching the Festival of Bands, I read the program and realized that beloved director Tom Landes would be retiring this year after 33 years at AHS. Wow. He has always been the ultimate band director to me, and tears welled up in my eyes, thinking of how many sweepstakes awards his bands have brought back to the band room. I remember the 6-foot tall trophies from the championships in Long Beach, and I remember the metronome that would play all day in the band room during championship week, reminding the band of their discipline, and tick tocking in their heads the proper beat so that they would live and breathe it until they brought that trophy home again.

This year would be especially sweet as AHS was again invited to be in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses parade, now its 15th time. Back when I was a senior in high school, since I wasn't in the band, my friend Mona convinced me to try out with her for the Pasadena City College Honor Band, so that we could march in the parade, even though it wouldn't be side-by-side with our band friends. That was an experience I'll never forget, partly because I fell down, but mostly because I got to have that feeling of marching down Colorado Blvd on January 1, 1985.

I wish that I could have been at Disneyland on New Year's Eve to see the Apaches march down Main Street, but I was busy singing my heart out in church, so that was not meant to be. I'm glad, though, that this video is available. They don't actually start playing until at least 2 minutes in, and then they don't march until about 6 minutes in, but it still makes me happy. I'm impressed that they brought the arrow banner to the resort, because there are some tight sections on the parade route, and I wonder if they kept it straight during those parts. I'm glad that my friends got to witness their huge wonderfulness while they were there, and could share their observations at dinner.

By then, I had already decided that I just HAD to go to the Rose Parade this year. Landes' last year, and AHS is in the parade? How could I not go and honor my school? So I got up on January 2nd (no Rose Parade on Sundays), took the metro to Allen St, walked with the masses, found a spot where I could stand directly behind people whom were seated, and cheered on my favorite band. I yelled for them, and the kind people around me helped me out because I raved about them. "THAT'S MY SCHOOOOL!!!!" There really is nothing like hearing the opening drum beats of the Apache Marching Band. I also love the fact that they brought out the traditional banner for the parade (they used to march with it in competition, but now use individual letters per Apache Princess). That's Mr. Landes in the black hat and white beard.

After they passed my area, I waited a while to see a couple more units. Then they were far down the street, and I tried to catch up, going up and down side streets, tripping over people in the crowds, and hearing the Kinect float music over and over, which made me nuts. I finally decided to just get to the end of the route and see all of the bands from there. The Marine Corps, AHS, and PCC were the only ones that held their composure until the end (lucky for them, they were early performers and beat much of the heat). I did see one of the banner gals from another school faint just as soon as they halted. I saw another guy suffering from dehydration, too. Sometimes the water volunteers got right in front of the bands, or in the middle of them, and it kind of annoyed me. Maybe you should wait until they are At Ease before you attack them with water. I know that they need the water, but it's just inconsiderate when the drum major and/or director is trying to congratulate them on their performance and get them all to understand that In N Out is to the left, and bathrooms are to the right. The volunteers also got in the way of some of my pictures, which was annoying, but I was way too tired to stand up and take better pictures.

My favorite non-Arcadia band was the Kyoto Tachibana HS band. I had watched their Bandfest performance live online, and they were quite entertaining with their dance-style marching. When they were released, a few of them walked up to me and said "Happy New Year" and waved. It was so cute! I wish that I had taken a picture with them, but that didn't happen.

Afterward, I bought a ticket to see the floats, and ate an oh-so-nutritious breakfast of kettlecorn. While I was seated on the grass, a vendor guy offered me cotton candy. I wasn't going to take it, but I guess he just wanted to go home, because he told me that it was free, so I took it. I had to wait a while until they opened the gates for the float viewing. Even more walking. I wanted to get a AHS pin, but they were sold out. I got a temporary Girl Scouts 100 tattoo on my hand, though. The floats were beautiful, and I marveled mostly at the sprays of orchids on the Thailand float. Wow.

Orchids made of orchids

My favorite whimsical float (La Canada Flintridge)

Another beauty: The Year of the Dragon (China Airlines)

Then I had to somehow get back to the metro station. MORE walking until I got to the bus stop, and then there were no seats, so I had to stand, but it didn't take that long. Then I went home and watched the Bob and Stephanie on the KTLA broadcast of the parade, because I never can get enough of it on Rose Parade day. I had a great day celebrating the 123rd Tournament of Roses. Thank you, T of R, for honoring my school with its 15th invitation. Congratulations, Mr. Landes, on yet another job well done!

DLR LotD 01/01/12

2012-01-03T23:18:00.000-08:00

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Sunday, January 1, 2012

"If you plant that in the ground, someday it will turn into a ketchup tree." -- Mox, at La Brea Bakery Cafe

DLR LotD 12/31/11

2012-01-03T23:11:00.000-08:00

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day
Special New Year's Eve Catal Edition!

Saturday, December 31, 2011
(Listed course by course, of course)

Amuse Buche: "What's the point of having two monocles?" -- Cindy, to Ryan B

First Course: "Linda has elevated nursing to a fine art...not that kind...not that kind either." -- Cindy and Glenn

Second Course: "I don't like beets anymore." -- Bro, after eating all of the beets on his plate

Dessert: "Do porks have tail?" -- Cindy

Sunday, January 1, 2012

"You and your Rockapella." -- Ryan B, to Sherry, after she explained why Bro is the best brother in the whole world

Happy New Year!

Pella Christmas Pops II

2011-12-31T15:24:00.000-08:00

Rockapella Holiday Day 2

Sunday, December 4, 2011 7:30 pm

Show 2 -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Prudential Hall

Newark, NJ

Dinner was tasty, although the guy gave us way too many forks, considering that two of the orders were for sandwiches. The fries were good, though. I had a couple of Wendy's, since I had only ordered crab rolls, which had no rice and had mostly crab. Now happy and fed, we did our little touch-ups and walked across the street to the theater. Yes, it was across the street. Coolness. I didn't see any CDs being sold in the lobby; rather, there were other things being sold, like hats and stuff. No, none of the stuff was related to Rockapella or even the Pops. It was like a little upscale outdoor market indoors. I know that makes no sense. We got free media player holders, and my phone fits into it, so maybe I'll actually use it if I remember that it's there. Wendy needed to stop and apply lipstick. I don't know why this wasn't done back in the hotel, maybe we were in a rush. KP made a comment about applying it in the lobby, and I said she didn't understand because she doesn't wear makeup. As I was saying this, I noticed that KP was wearing makeup. OK, shut up, Sher. Idiot.

Pretty lips were at the ready, and we made our way to our seats. Wendy had scored us awesome seats for this show. She was in the front row, and we were right behind her, in the center section. There was an empty seat next to me, on the aisle. Somebody's missing out on a great show! The guy seated next to Wendy was festively wearing a Santa hat, and he was quite friendly and talkative. The theatre is absolutely gorgeous. Here is a link to a virtual tour of the theatre (it uses Quicktime).

Even the ceiling is beautiful

A Christmas Festival

Are there actual sleigh bells back there in the orchestra, or is it Jeff Thacher? :)

I Wonder As I Wander

So now that we're so close to the stage, I kept watching Kathryn Skemp Moran breathe. I'm always in awe of great singers, but she looked like she was about 5-6 months pregnant, and I wondered if it was her baby kicking or her breath that was making the little movements while she sang. Do you know how hard it is to breathe when your diaphragm is pushed up against your ribs? She amazed me. She also looks like a cute soprano friend of mine, and I kept picturing her up there with the orchestra.

Trois pour Noel

Suite from The Nutcracker

I forgot to mention that for this performance, we brought Scotcherbreadman, GingerGeorge and ThacherFredman with us. Scotcher was not content to stay inside a purse, and sat with me in my seat. But for this piece, he couldn't help but get up and dance, especially during Waltz of the Flowers. I was having so much fun letting him dance that I had kind of forgotten that I was in a theatre filled with people whom could probably see me from their seats. It totally reminded me of the Seinfeld episode "The Pez Dispenser" when I helped Scotcher applaud at the end. I've lost my ever-loving mind. A week or so later, Rockapella posted a video of themselves backstage during the show. Well, lo and behold, they dance during that little trilly part, too! Seriously, how are they not the perfect group for me to love?

Keith Lockhart said that Rockapella has been making its own orchestra for almost 25 years now, and their CD is "available by miraculous holiday coincidence in this very venue." Then they appeared in their same suits, but with silver shirts for this show, instead of the white. Steve is the only one who wears a vest with his suit. He looks dapper!

I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day

Scott's bowtineer is really, really tiny. Karla says that they're "Scott size". I love how we talk about how small he is, and Wendy's probably the same size. Geo smiled at Wendy and me. :)

They did their roll-up to Zip, and Scott said, "We said we will never sing with instruments..."

The Little Drummer Boy (Carol of the Drums)

Ooh, there's a little vocal percussion line at the end of that. Got smiles from Steve and Geo. I'm really digging the orchestral arrangement of this piece, with the Pellaness. I can't gush enough about it. It's frickin' amazing.

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Geo smiled at Wendy. He also smiled at me, but mostly at Wendy. I like the breaths that they take during the all a cappella verse (How silently...). I also like watching Scott watch the orchestra play his music. I just love seeing that proud smile on his face.

Angels We Have Heard On High

Wendy is very happy. :)

--Intermission--

So the person that had the seat next to mine never showed up. I said to the gals that it better mean that at least one Pella member would come over and sit there during the sing-along. While Wendy was chatting with us, she sat in the seat and some dude came up to her, talking about having the actual souvenir from sitting in the seat. We told him that her seat was right in the front, and she was only there for intermission. I don't know if he was being sarcastic or not, but still, nobody sat there. The guy that had the seat next to Wendy kindly took pictures of us. The one on my camera didn't turn out well enough to post here.

Sleigh Ride

I thought of my friend Jen. She says that it's not Christmas until she hears this song. Lockhart said, "It's ours, but we enjoy sharing it with the rest of the world." Indeed, this is their signature song. I'm missed seeing the annual Tuba Christmas with Jen, but she was still excited for me when I told her that I'd be seeing Pella with the Pops instead. Thanks for understanding, Jen!

Glow Worm

Scott informed us that the special Christmas lyrics for this song were written by Johnny Mercer, heard by Mel Torme, and written and recorded by Mr. Torme in 1992 with an orchestra conducted by Mr. Keith Lockhart himself. :)

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

Scott finally saw Wendy and pointed at her. Geo smiled at us. KP and I did the choreography from our seats.

The Christmas Song

A Visit from St. Nicholas

I don't think that Lockhart meant to say "Horsetop" instead of "Housetop", but he did. When he mentioned Santa's "bowl full of jelly", the conductor shook his belly.

Silver Bells

Scott smiled at me! Hi, Scott! :)

Rudolph

I kept totally laughing at Geo. Scott slapped John's butt at the start of the break down. During "Yahtzee!", Jeff pointed his microphone at us. When Santa made his appearance, Jeff goofily waved at him. Karla loves that. Me, too.

Must Be Santa

Wait. I thought they sang "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town", but I didn't write that down. Did they not sing it for this show? Or was I laughing too hard at the Rudolph thing that I forgot? Anyway, Lockhart said to Santa, "In a day of random security checks and retinal scans..." and went into his spiel about needing to verify the guy.

A Merry Little Sing-Along

During "Rudolph", Geo sat down next to me. YAY! My wish came true! He had us sing a little bit, mostly me, since the others wouldn't sing. Then, during "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", Jeff came down the aisle and pointed his microphone at KP just in time for the lyric "gay". I don't know what that was about, but it was damn funny. She didn't sing it, by the way. Then he sang "Sherry" and pointed the mic at me for "From now on our troubles will be miles away", and after I sang, he said, "Nice!" Aw, thanks, JT! He never pointed the mic at the guy sitting next to Wendy, which is a shame, because he had a nice voice and was singing a lot.

The Pops did another medley while the guys made their way back to the stage. Nice trumpet solo! Spin that bass!

White Christmas

That was a great show! The guy next to Wendy said that he was glad that they didn't mess up Drummer Boy because he hated the way it was done at the Rockefeller Center show this year, and it made him cry because it was his mom's favorite Christmas song. He said she really would have liked this version. Aw, that's really sweet how much he misses his mom.

Meet and Greet

They had sold out of the Christmas CDs. Grrrrrrrr. Well, I still had something for them to sign, but I really wanted my CD *now*. So I had to resort to ordering it online. One of the ushers that was handling the M&G line kept saying that the guys looked different in the lobby than they did on stage, especially George. She was funny. They even had a little sign for the line, making it all official. I had made a photo collage Christmas card for all of the guys, and had a copy for myself for them to sign.

When Steve saw us, he said, "Hi, California!" I asked him how his birthday was, and he talked about riding his motorcycle and just chilling out with his brother, whom had cooked dinner for him. It must have been nice for him to be home. Karla thanked him for making it worth the trip, and he was grateful. Wendy gave him a birthday card from us and he said thank you. He said he'd see us in Napa. How nice of him to remember that we are dedicated Napa-Pella-holics. He laughed at the picture of him wearing his cape, and pointed at our picture together. :)

Jeff asked if all of the pictures in the collage were from the cruise, so I pointed out the ones that weren't. He mainly concentrated on the one of us together. He called Wendy "Darling" and thanked her for his birthday card. Wendy told us later that she thinks he still doesn't know her name because he called her "Darling". Later, on the plane ride home, I realized that maybe he *does* know her name! Wendy Darling is Peter Pan's friend! Maybe that's his nickname for her! KP and I talked to him about the car service that he had recommended to us, and he said that it was lame of our driver not to know that there were two theaters with the same name if he lived in the area. He asked who the guy was that was sitting next to Wendy, because he was so animated. I'm telling you, he should have let him sing a little with the microphone! KP said Happy Birthday to him, and he said that he doesn't count birthdays anymore, as he is still 29. He asked if we were going to Napa. Perhaps he should have asked Steve.

George had just recently announced that he had been selected to be the Grinch for a new Boston Pops live Christmas recording. We congratulated him and he talked about making the deal and that he can die afterward because he'll have sung with the Boston Pops. I told him that there was at least one person that would be unhappy about that, since there still needed to be a wedding. He agreed, and said he could die after that. I was hoping that he'd bring his lovely fiance to Napa, but he said that it might not happen because they were still going to Wyoming first. I told him that we had been watching "Drumline" while we were getting ready today, and Wendy had told me that one of the featured bands was from George's alma mater, Morris Brown college. He talked about being in Atlanta for a show and they were having a reunion, so he attended with Steve as his +1. Steve was met with hugs by people that he had never met. I'd hug him, too! George talked about his daughter, and her education, jokingly saying that she didn't need algebra, knowing that KP was standing right there.

I saw Fred briefly to give him his card. He said that he had to run and get George's clothes or he wouldn't have any. I replied, "He doesn't need to wear clothes."

John and I talked about the picture of him and his wife Christina on his card. He said that I sent it to him. I don't think I did, but I did tag him on Facebook, so maybe that's what he was thinking about. She'll be coming to Napa, and I look forward to seeing her again.

Scott saw the different envelopes on the table. He said, "This one says CSL4, so this is mine." He signed all of Karla's stuff "To Karla", "for posterity". So cute. After he signed my card, I kneeled beside him to talk to him a little bit more. He thought that I was trying to hug him, so he hugged me. Okay, I'm not going to correct him! :) I told him that I absolutely loved his arrangement of Drummer Boy. He said that the Middle Eastern influence in the orchestra was mostly done by the other arranger (Pat Hollenbeck). Scott mostly did the drums. He's just incredible. I asked him about his shirt, which had a big drawing of a shrimp on it. He said that he got it from Japan, and tried to find the tag for us to read it. He said that they had been asked to sing with the Pasadena Pops. My eyes widened. He said that the schedule didn't work out this time, but they're still working on it. Yay! Party at Sherry's!

We waited to take pictures with the guys, and when it seemed to be my turn, JT yelled, "SHERRY!" so I went on up there. JT was loving on my sweater, remarking on its softness. John or someone asked if it was cashmere as they all oohed and aahed. I replied, "I don't know, just keep touching me." So he did, and my happiness is quite obvious in this picture, yes?

Merry Christmas to Me!

Karla told Scott that there was one special thing she would miss about not seeing a regular Rockapella Holiday Show, and asked him to say, "Merry Christmas, Everybody," as he does at the end of each show. He did. We expressed our happiness. He laughed.

We said our final goodbyes for the year, and took pictures of the gingerbread men outside. Our fellow Pella fans saw us and remarked on the cuteness. I mean, how can you not think this is cute, even if it's a little crazy?

Airport Husbands

We were going to try to get something to eat with Jill and Elisa, but Maize had closed for the evening. We were told about a place down the street, but it was a club, and we didn't feel like going clubbing, even for food. So we bid goodbye and ate our snacks in the room, and the gals finished off their french fries from dinner. I looked at the signatures on my card, and saw that Scott had signed his name over Steve's face in the picture of Steve and me. How dare you! Wendy said it was because Scott was jealous of Steve, because that picture of us is too cute. OK, I understand now. ;)

In the morning, we saw the gals at breakfast. The people working there were baking cookies, so we waited for those to be done, and the lady nicely brought some freshly baked ones to our table. I mean, they were still too hot to eat, they were so fresh. They were also yummy. We took the hotel shuttle back to the airport, and were surprised that we were boarding the plane earlier than usual. The flight home was a little turbulent due to the wind, so we held Wendy's hands and Karla advised her to imagine that it was George's voice making all of the rumbling in the sky. I distracted myself on the flight by doing a draft of the blog and writing down this recipe which is more conveniently found on their site: http://www.spiritmag.com/click_this/article/chocolate_almond_bacon_bars/

Thank you for a great time, my Pella Posse! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I find it quite fitting that the first and last posts of 2011 were about Rockapella, especially in this Rockapella-filled year. :)

Pella Christmas Pops I

2011-12-30T22:55:00.000-08:00

Rockapella Holiday Day 2

Sunday, December 4, 2011 2:00 pm

Show 1 -- Tilles Center for the Performing Arts

C.W. Post Campus / Long Island University

Greenvale, New York

OK, that's a long header. I apologize. This may be helpful information in the future, though. Really. Read on.

We got up and somehow found the hotel breakfast area, which was located below the hotel lobby. Breakfast wasn't that exciting-looking, so I got a bowl of way too much cereal to start. I eventually woke up and saw the hard-boiled eggs and was happy to have protein. We figured out how to get back to Jersey, since we worried that taking the train would cut our time very close to the 2nd show. Then we took the hotel shuttle to Penn Station NJ. We had just missed the train, so we sat for awhile, and realized that both KP and I were wearing reindeer earrings. We also realized that we would have lost The Amazing Race because we didn't catch the other train.

Waiting for NJ Transit

At Penn Station NYC, we figured out how to take the Long Island Rail Road to Greenvale, thanks to someone who actually cared. The train conductor was very helpful, too. KP had reserved a cab to pick us up at the Greenvale station, and there it was! We arrived at the Tilles Center in plenty of time before the show, and visited with fellow cruisers Jill and Elisa for a bit before taking our seats.

Ever since Rockapella announced that they would be performing holiday shows with the Boston Pops this year, I wanted to see the show. I was thinking that I might miss out because they were only playing back East, but when we found the cheap airfare on Southwest, we jumped at the chance, making sure that we could see more than one show in order to maximize our Pella time for the weekend. We were especially excited because Scott had arranged songs that we had never heard them sing before, so this was promising to be quite the experience.

So here we were, at the first show of the day (yup! 2 shows in one day!). Our seats were on house right, next to the wall, about 4 rows up in the second section of seats. We saw Ross walk by and one of my companions said, "There's Ross." So I yelled, "ROSS!!!" and he heard me and waved. Yeah, I'm not obnoxious at all. I think that I was just really excited to see him. Because, you know, I'm never excited at a Rockapella concert. He took a picture of us. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm sure that it's lovely.

The orchestra finished their warm-up, the concertmaster took the stage, and they tuned. I beamed. It's been a long time since I last saw an orchestral concert, and watching one always makes me miss my violin. Sigh. I love hearing an orchestra tune. I'm such a geek that way. I actually almost stood up with the orchestra when Keith Lockhart entered the stage. The announcer guy from the Tilles Center advised us that the program was incorrect, and there would be no intermission, "because once these guys start, they can't stop."

A Christmas Festival by Anderson/Courage (Boston Pops only -- BP)

This was a medley of songs that included "Joy to the World". We could see Scott in the wings, watching the orchestra, and glowing in his white shirt and blondness. I saw Santa hats on some of the chairs in the bass section, and wondered what that was about.

Soprano Kathryn Skemp Moran (KSM) then joined BP on the stage for the next couple of songs.

I Wonder As I Wander -- Traditional, arranged by Sebesky(BP + KSM)

Her voice is lovely. I can't sing that high and still sound lovely, at least not anymore.

Trois pour Noel -- Trad., arr Sebesky (BP + KSM)

Il est ne, Fum, Fum, Fum and Quittez Pasteurs

Yay, French! Nice accelerando on the 1st piece, and I've always liked Fum3.

Suite from The Nutcracker -- Tchaikovsky (BP)

March, Trepak, Waltz of the Flowers

I want to see John dance to the Russian portion.

Time for Pella!

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day by Calkin/Longfellow, arr Leonard (Rockapella only --R)

Yes, that's Scott Leonard, the fabulous arranger. :) JT can't wear a tie. Neither, APPARENTLY can Geo or JKB. They were all wearing silver "bowtineers" (that's Wendy's word). JT's hair is getting longer. I like it. Oh, the song: gorgeous, and always the perfect opener for their holiday shows.

They did their roll up, showing off their different voice parts, with "Zip". Scott said, "We didn't need any help, the crutch of the instrument, but when the Boston Pops called and invited us to sing, we said, "oh, yes, we do!"

The Little Drummer Boy (Carol of the Drum) by Davis-Hollenbeck, arr Leonard (BP + R)

This is the song that I most anticipated, and it did not disappoint me one bit! I didn't have their new holiday CD yet, so I hadn't heard it at all before the show. It starts with the rhythm section (of JT, Geo and the orchestra percussion) and rain sticks. I like the "wha wha" of the horns. I also like the Middle Eastern vibe in the instrumentation. JT with the drums (tympani): that was AWESOMESAUCE! That song was seriously worth the whole trip. Amazing.

O Little Town of Bethlehem by Calkin/Longfellow, arr Leonard (BP + R)

This starts with the violin, then all the strings, then the tenors. George joins in on the second verse. I like the pause after "how silently". JT takes a well-deserved rest during this one. I like how Steve brings attention to the concertmaster during the applause. It's just so polite and Steve-ish.

Angels We Have Heard on High Traditional, arr Leonard & Hollenbeck (BP + R)

This is Wendy's favorite Rockapella Christmas song, so we were all happy. How fun to hear bells from the orchestra! Sing that low note, Georgie! That solo was a cappella. Feel the thunder in my heart!

Sleigh Ride by Anderson (BP)

Aha, now is the time for the bass section to wear their Santa hats. Keith reminded them to put them on. I like how he plays with the percussionist during the whip cracks. After the song, the hat was no longer on one of the bass players, and it was instead on the scroll of his string bass.

Glow Worm / It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas arr Leonard/Hollenbeck (BP + R)

Scott did a little dance as he pushed the microphone stand away. John got to do a little soft shoe at the end of the song, too.

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Marks, arr Leonard/Hollenbeck (BP + R)

Scott's whistle is accompanied by the strings playing pizzicato and the rest of the full orchestra. AWESOME! He's so funny grooving around the "O Christmas Tree". JT got to play a little battle with the drum kit guy. Fun!

The Christmas Song by Wells, Torme, Morley (BP)

Nice solo from the concertmaster, with the little bluesy note. The song was arranged by Angela Morley for the Pops as a tribute to the passing of Mel Torme.

A Visit from St. Nicholas ('Twas the Night Before Christmas) arr. Reisman

Keith Lockhart recited Clement C Moore's poem, as the orchestra played. Cute little sound effect as he said, "down with a bound".

Rockapella came back to the stage, sans jackets.

Silver Bells by Livingston/Evans, arr Leonard (R)

Ah, pure a cappella. :)

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Marks, arr Leonard/Hollenbeck (BP + R)

Lockhart joined in by singing "Santa came to say" during the foggy Christmas Eve. They added "Up on the housetop, reindeer pause" at the end.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Coots & Mason, arr Leonard (BP + R)

This started off with Rockapella singing a cappella, then the orchestra joined in. John now whispers "Get the picture". At the end, Santa entered! Rockapella left the stage as Santa took the spotlight.

Lockhart said, "Santa, we live in a suspicious age. We live in an age of identity fraud", so they needed to do a little test.

Must Be Santa (no info in program) (BP + KSM)

I don't know this song, but it's cute. "Who's got a big red cherry nose?"

Then Lockhart made a wish come true for all of us, as he allowed us to sing with the Pops. Rockapella walked among the audience, having people sing a long, as KSM stayed on stage with BP for A Merry Little Sing-Along, arranged by Reisman

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Winter Wonderland
Jingle Bells

I don't think that the guys could see us where we were sitting. At least I don't remember them seeing us.

Encore

White Christmas (BP + R+ RSM)

The concertmaster played while KSM sang, and it built until the audience was singing along, too.

Afterward, we tried to buy CDs, but there were no Pella CDs available. WHAT?! Don't they know that I need to buy 10 of them?! KP almost sold hers to a nice lady that she talked to, but they'll go to the website instead. There was no meet and greet, as the performers all needed to get on their buses and go to Jersey for the 2nd show.

I called the car service (Dial 7) to ask if the driver could pick us up earlier, since we ended an hour earlier than our scheduled pickup time. We waited outside and I took pictures of the beautiful campus.

Wendy & Karla in front of ~~Staples~~ Tilles Center

I have no idea what this means, but it looks cool.

It's good that we asked for an earlier ride, because our driver, Muhammed, couldn't find us. It turns out that there is another Tilles Center at another campus in Greenvale. Oh, good Lord. He was able to get a student to talk to me on the phone and figure out that we were not on the same campus. Poor guy didn't get to have dinner beforehand because we called for the early pickup, but he was entertaining anyway. Well, up until he told us that President Obama was born in Kenya, and I tuned out from what he was saying for about 10 minutes. (I can't deal with the "birthers"). Anyway, he tried to play Cash Cab with us, and asked us to guess his ethnicity. We did not win, as we didn't guess "Bengali" off the bat, despite the fact that I look smart because I'm Asian. I'm not making this up, folks. Then he didn't listen to me when I told him to turn right immediately, and we had to do weird turns to get back on track to the hotel. Anyway, he got us there, and he was funny most of the time. If his name had been Abdul, it would have fit in more with Scott's lyrics, but that's OK.

We wanted to have dinner at the hotel in the restaurant, Maize, but there were no tables available. So we ordered room service (same kitchen as Maize). It took awhile, but at least we got to eat dinner before the next show, because we hadn't eaten lunch, and we were hungry.

Next up: Pella Pops II

Dragon One

2011-12-26T22:07:00.000-08:00

I've been excited about seeing "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" as soon as I finished the first book in this trilogy. The book itself started out a little slow, but the person who recommended it to me advised me to stick with it and it would move much more quickly later. She was right. The only way I put down the book once into it was the fact that I needed to work in the mornings. The film was already done in Sweden, which is where the book is set. I did not see that version, but hope to one day, as Salander is said to be played really well by that actress; but for now, I'll take the American version. I was off on opening day, so I got myself to the Arclight Pasadena, despite shopping traffic.

Her tattoo was AWESOME. (So now that's out of the way).
A fair warning to those of you that have not read the book: there is violence and sex and a rape scene, much of which is integral to the characterization and story line. They did cut out some of what was in the book, but there's nudity here, so don't be stupid and bring young people.
I find it hilarious that Christopher Plummer is playing a character whose brother is a Nazi. If you've never seen "The Sound of Music", maybe this is why you're puzzled at this thought.
Rooney Mara does a great job as Lisbeth Salander. I love that this character is strong, despite her difficult past. She's also intelligent. I can't wait to see what she does in the rest of the trilogy, if, indeed, they film it. At this point, I've not yet finished the 3rd book, but that doesn't matter.
I didn't remember MIkael's daughter in the book. Perhaps I missed that part.
I expected to see one relationship with Mikael and another character that didn't happen, but I guess they didn't have time to include it. Or maybe the filmmakers didn't think Daniel Craig needed to be all Bond-like with all of the women.
I didn't know beforehand that Robin Wright was in this film. She looks really different from her old Buttercup days, mostly because they don't cover up her freckles with makeup.
Whoa! Goran! When I was making a picture of Armansky in my head, he was not at all dreamy like Mr. Visnjic. I like this version better. :)
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails composed the score. I giggled when one of Lisbeth's contacts was wearing a NIN shirt as he answered the door. The music playing during the opening credits was very Reznor, and the visuals that went with it were quite interesting.
The movie was pretty true to the book as far as character and story go. Of course, some stuff was cut for brevity and there was a change from an Australian location to London, but those changes didn't make a big difference to the film. Location, by the way: it's cold in Sweden. I could almost feel the chill while watching those outdoor scenes. Great cinematography.

Excellent film. I liked the movie, although the rape scene did its job and disturbed me. It did not help that the trailers prior to the movie were about demonic possession, and set a scary tone for me anyway. Although the movie is not really Christmas-y itself, it starts and ends at Christmastime, so it was OK to see during the holidays, right? ;)

Drum Corps + Christmas Light Display = Awesome

2011-12-23T22:21:00.000-08:00

I like those light displays at people's homes that blink and stuff with Christmas music playing. Of course, I'm not a next-door neighbor of any of them, so maybe that's why I still like them. We do have a house nearby that plays music at night, but I haven't noticed any lights blinking along with the soundtrack or anything like that. It is kind of loud, though.

Anyway, if the house in the video below was nearby, I'd probably go there at least once every night to watch the display. The video playing at the house is Carolina Crown in 2003, during their show, "Bell-issimo". Yes, I saw this one live, with Bro, Chun and V in Orlando.

Merry Christmas, fellow drum corps fans!

Carol of the Bells 2011 from Robert E Peterson on Vimeo.

Sadness in Paradise

2011-12-21T21:52:00.000-08:00

I had some time to kill between work and rehearsal a week or two ago, so I saw "The Descendants".

Probably not a good idea to see such a weepy movie prior to singing. Yes, I cried. I do that a lot during movies, but there were a LOT of tears with this one. I mean, hello, it's about a guy dealing with the fact that his wife is dying.
Oh, George Clooney. You're getting even more handsome as you age. Thank you for continuing to do quality work like this so that I can be happy to keep watching you.
It's difficult to walk fast or even try to jog in flip flops. This is exemplified here, and it amused me.
Shailene Woodley does an excellent job here as the rebellious older daughter. Then we get to find out why she's being so rebellious, and it drives the plot further, which is great.
Amara Miller cracked me up as the younger daughter. She just says stuff without any filter because she's rebellious, too, yet I still felt a lot of sympathy for her.
Nick Krause was hilarious, too, and I loved his interactions with Clooney, especially the night in the hotel room when Clooney couldn't sleep.
Whoa, Beau Bridges. Please do not ever grow your hair out like that again. Yikes!
I liked how the plot of Matt (Clooney) dealing with his wife's coma played out against the other plot of him making a decision regarding his family's land. It's that whole concept of "letting go" that interested me.
Lucky Judy Greer. She gets this great role AND she gets kissed by the guy in the flip flops. Sigh.
I think that I need to read this book. I'll probably need a box of tissues for that, too.
I really want to go to Kauai. I was looking at some of those scenes and wondered if the Smoke Monster was there, though.

Great movie. Just remember to be prepared for crying when you see it. Especially that scene toward the end with Clooney talking to his wife. Oh, I'm tearing up again.

The Fairest One of All

2011-12-20T00:10:00.000-08:00

Today, the apple of my (other) eye turned 2. Luckily for us, she was also in town, so that we could celebrate together at my parents' house.

Miss O loves to watch "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves", and dressed as "White" for Hallowe'en. My parents had asked Bro to bring her costume this weekend, so that she could be themed with her cake.

The yummy cake, with princesses

Our Princess

When I heard about the cake, I immediately asked if there was an Ariel and if I could have it. Mom said yes, but advised me to ask the birthday girl. The cake arrived, and I asked Miss O, and she nodded yes. Yay! She was in a good mood today, and responded to me. Here we are with our princesses.

There were so many cameras flashing that it was like we were paparazzi, and as we waited for Auntie Milda to return from her 2 hour jaunt (for what we thought was just to get chicken, Starbucks, bananas and popcorn), we decided to attack her with flashes from our cameras. The result was hilarious. This was my mom's idea. My mom came up with a lot of funny stuff this weekend.

For some reason, Mom also said that we should do the candle blowing before dinner, and got all of the plates and forks ready. We sang to Miss O, whom inexplicably went under the table in the middle of the song. It might have been because Bro needed us to start the song over for the video, and she had done enough waiting. I don't know. But then we didn't eat the cake, as it was dinner time. So I don't know why we did the candle thing before dinner anyway.

After our dinner that included the birthday tradition of pancit, we designed our own donkey tails (yes, all of us), and played Stick the Tail on the Donkey. Don't you miss the old days, when we used pins and were a potential danger to ourselves and everyone around us? Yeah, me too. Auntie Milda was terrified of being blindfolded. Lucky for her, the blindfold didn't fit her, but she and all of us other adults were trusted to keep our eyes closed. Even the lady with the new hip joined in. It was tons of fun.

Mr. B then asked if we could eat cake, which he didn't really end up enjoying. I loved it. It was from Goldilock's bakery and was made of mocha sponge cake and macapuno filling. Mmmm...I may need to have more of that before I leave tomorrow.

Miss O then opened her birthday gifts, which included a toy that had a hippo (from guess who), a couple of outfits (from guess who again), a rockin' Elmo, a couple of Angry Birds, and a very nice play kitchen and plastic food from her parents. She also received a plush of one of the 7 dwarves. I think it's Doc.

Miss O and this season's Chritmas trend: Scottie Dogs

Snow White gets dinner ready for the dwarves

Auntie Milda had forgotten to buy the popcorn while out on her 2-hour jaunt, so she was required to go out again. She also went to get herself more Starbucks, because hers had spilled in the kitchen, much to the delight of Stocky P, who would not get away from licking the floor until actually being physically forced out of there. Her 2nd coffee ended up being free because the computers had gone down. Wow! During this time, Bro and V built their daughter's new kitchen.

So the kids had their bath, the kettlecorn was popped, and we (Miss O, Mr. B, V and I) sat down to watch the "Cars 2" DVD, which I had requested because I had never seen the movie. Miss O loves the movie, so she happily agreed to watch "Dardoo". That was a fun movie.

During the movie, Miss O was very attentive to the TV most of the time, but she IS only 2 years old, and there were new toys to distract her. My favorite distraction was when she decided to be inside the box that held Elmo.

That's not Elmo!

Happy Birthday, Miss O! Thank you for letting us enjoy your special day with you!

The Fairest One of All

Hoppin' on a Train to Macy's

2011-12-16T20:32:00.001-08:00

Rockapella Holiday, Day 1

Saturday, December 3, 2011

The morning was difficult for me. The day before, I had been catching up on everything thatneeded to be done for the trip but couldn’t due to the loss of power at myhouse and the surrounding neighborhoods. Very strong winds had hit our area on Wednesday night, and trees werestrewn about everywhere, knocking down power lines and making transformerbursts look like bolts of lightning all over the skies. 24 hours later, I had power, but the damagewas done to my schedule. I had tons ofstuff to do, and not enough time to do it. But I was packed and ready to go in the morning…until I kept rememberinglittle stupid things that needed to be packed, and then I was too late to meetWendy at our agreed-upon time. Irealized that I didn’t haveWendy’s phone number in my phone anymore, and italso wasn’t written down anywhere. Allof the searching for her number was not getting me any closer to the airport,so I texted Karla and asked her to contact Wendy if she possibly had a number. Well, thank goodness, she still had Jeff’scell phone number in her phone, so I could relax and just meet everyone at theairport.

I worried about traffic because I heard about roadconstruction on the 10 and couldn’t remember where the mentioned exits werelocated. I trudged ahead, though, andsoon realized that those exits were not where I would be driving. I got to the airport parking lot, got a goodspot, and walked to the terminal. Thesecurity line was a little longer than normal, and I realized that TSA only had2 lanes open for their machines. You’dthink that on a weekend in December, they’d have more lanes open for all of thetravelers, especially because this is the time of year when theless-experienced travelers are out and about, visiting family and stuff. But noooooo. Karla gave me updates on the boarding status, but I remainedpatient. Even when the guy 2 points infront of me didn’t even have his boarding pass yet (Dude, did you not read ANYsigns while we were standing in line?!). Even when the guy in front of medidn’t have his real ID and had to explain to the agent that he had lost hiswallet and was told that he could use a photocopy. Oh, goodness. But I made it! My patience paidoff, I barely made it into my boarding group, found my friends in row 10, andwe were good to go.

Our takeoff from ONT was quite turbulent due to theremaining winds, but the rest of the flight went OK. We changed planes at PHX and Karla scored usseats in the 2^nd row. We wereseated behind a little boy who shares his name with a very tall former Lakerscenter that graduated from UCLA, so I’ll use that player’s initials here (KAJ)in order to protect the kid. KAJ hadbeen pretty active in the airport already, and he was quite talkative. The flight attendants took a liking to himand talked to him to keep him entertained while he was awake. We learned that KAJ was 4 years old and hehad a twin brother at home. They areidentical except for one thing: Grandma informed everyone that KAJ got a mohawkon this trip, which Mom didn’t know was going to happen. The hairstyle kind of fit hispersonality. Like any other excited4-year-old boy, he talked about what it was like to ride airplanes, and toldstories about how he was just sitting there doing“nothing….nothing…nuuuuuuthiiiiing” when his twin up and punched him in theeye. Wendy and I had other ideas abouthow that happened, but still, he was funny. He wanted an iPad, mostly the one that the flight attendant said sheowned. At the end of the trip, he wasasked to sing, but wouldn’t do so until everyone in the group was quiet. Then he very quietly sang a song, duringwhich, when he was told that they couldn’t hear him, he got irritated and told everyone to be quietso that he could sing. Ah, a rock starin the making. He’ll learn soon thatrock stars just turn up the amps and sing the heck out of the microphone inorder to be heard. But I won’t be theone to teach him that. I just wanted tosee the expression on his mom’s face when she saw his new ‘do, but we didn’tget to see that.

Inside Macy's

We landed at EWR and took the air train to P4, where thehotel shuttle would pick us up. When wearrived at the Best Western Robert Treat Hotel, we unpacked, charged up ourphones, and got ready to go to NYC. Wetook the hotel shuttle to Penn Station in Newark, and got tickets for the NJTransit, which, we were told, would be leaving in 4 minutes. So we hurriedly walked over to the platformand stepped onto the crowded train. Luckily for us, we were only there for 1 stop before arriving at PennStation in NYC. Don’t you think it’ssilly that the 2 stations so close to each other had the same name? We think so. It’s kind of confusing. Staceyhadn’t arrived yet, so we went to Macy’s to wait, while Karla shopped forunmentionables. Yeah, I still mentionedthem. That’s the way I roll. She got a great deal for them on sale, thenStacey found us, and we had dinner at au bon pain on the 8^th floor,on the side of the store where the escalators were wooden on the sides. Karla was excited to be on those escalators, andthey were neat and different. Since thatwas also the area where the kids were taking pictures with Santa, they also hada couple of movie posters on display for “Miracle on 34^th Street”,so I needed to take a picture of one before we left, because that’s where thestory takes place, you know.

Outside Macy's

Stacey showed us the department store windows, which arereally cool to look at in NYC. TheMacy’s windows were themed with Wishes, due to their sponsorship for theMake-A-Wish Foundation. The theme wasabout how wishes were made and where they went. It was kind of futuristic, and at the end of the display, you coulddesign your own ornament and buy it inside. We also saw the windows at Lord & Taylor, which were lined withchildren’s drawings of different holiday themes, around displays ofneighborhood traditions. My favoritedrawing was that of Ginger the Gingerbread Man.

Mabuhay Pinay!

We passed by the New York Public Library, and I advised Wendy that this was where the climactic scene in “Ghostbusters” takes place with the Gatekeeper and the Key. She hadn’t realized that it was an actual place. I just had to take a picture at the Philippine Embassy as we walked by.

We went to Rockefeller Center, and Stacey took us up to heroffice on the 33^rd floor of the GE building, where we leaned out thewindow of the library to take pictures of the skating rink and tree belowus. Yeah, we leaned out of openwindows. Kinda. We’re all kind of scared of heights, so Ijust strapped my camera on my hand and held the camera out the window. But look at how cool the picture cameout!

Rockefeller Center, from 33 stories up

We then went downstairs and took pictures by the trumpetingangels, where you can see the more famous view of the tree at RockefellerCenter.

The Posse at Rockefeller Center

Since we were in the perfect spot for it, we waited a coupleof minutes for the projections on Saks Fifth Avenue to start. The theme was of bubbles and snowflakes atwar with each other or something like that. My favorite part was at the beginning when all of the windows had lit upprojections on them, and they “opened’ at the same time. Very nice effect.

Snowflake at 57th

We tried to go into St. Patrick’s Cathedral, but it wasclosed. Then we walked over to 57^th Street to see the snowflake. For those fans of Rockapella’s Christmasmusic, this is mentioned in Scott’s lyric: “A snowflake of light suspended highabove 57^th”. Wendy didn’tknow that this actually existed, either.

At the same intersection, I saw and really likedthe Tiffany window of a carousel. Whenyou look inside the porthole, you see the store and the window you’re peeringinto, so it’s like an infinity painting.

Tiffany window of Tiffany window

At that point, we bid good night to Stacey, and also,apparently, to Karla’s unmentionables. So we ended up going to a drug store for more of them. They don’t need to be pretty folks, justfunctional. We walked back to PennStation NYC, as I marveled at the theaters that were showing “Wicked” and “TheBook of Mormon”. When we got to 42^ndStreet, I felt the need to do high kicks, but refrained. I tried to get a picture of Madison SquareGarden, but those didn’t come out very well. APPARENTLY, there had been some kind of boxing match there that evening,as evidenced by the flags and the boxing gloves around some necks.

We waited at Penn Station NYC for quite a while with a LOTof other people before a train arrived to take us back to NJ. When the train got to Track 8, we were happybecause we were close to the entrance. Then we were pretty much pushed into the door. I was not moving of my own accord. Wendy said that she even spun around a coupleof times. I wish we had video ofthat. After I had to assure Karla twicethat Wendy was, indeed, in back of us, we got seats on the train. We decided that we didn’t want to wait forthe shuttle to pick us up, and walked back to the hotel.

Exhausted from all of the walking and traveling, we settledin for an exciting day ahead. Thanks,Stacey, for touring us around! We’rehere, Pella!

Next up: Pella PopsDay

Pella on TV in NYC

2011-12-12T21:49:00.000-08:00

With the holidays going on, Rockapella is pretty much all over the place. Just not in California. I'm not bitter.

Here they are on CBS2 in New York, singing "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town". Someone needs to tell JKB that the words are "rummy tum tums" and not "runny tum tums". Because the latter just sounds like a cute way of describing a stomach ailment. ;)

Rockin' on BetterTV

2011-12-10T06:40:00.001-08:00

Rockapella was on BetterTV in Connecticut yesterday, promoting their holiday show in Ridgefield. Here's a clip of them performing "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", complete with Scott's whistling, JT's sleigh bells, and the choreography that I can't resist doing whenever I hear them sing this song.

The viewer is getting cut off by the wide margins on my page, so here's a link so that you can actually see everyone at once.

I love them. :)

We Can't All Travel By Bubble

2011-12-06T21:51:00.001-08:00

June and I went to Hollywood after work and had some dinner at Dillon's before going to pick up some wine she ordered. We then walked back to the Pantages Theatre to see "Wicked" on opening night!

I resisted buying a beautiful t-shirt for $48.00, stared and stared at the merchandise (which included a cool pen that lights up like a flashlight with a silhouette of the logo). Then I finally broke down and bought "The Grimmerie", a book I had been eyeing since my first Wicked show. Our seats were on the orchestra level, left center, row Z.

June had seen the show previously once, from the balcony. She didn't really get the play at that time because she couldn't see the facial expressions. She had recently read "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire, on which this play was based.

The first piece didn't really impress me that much because the chorus seemed a little bit off in its intonation, and I was worried that this touring company would not make me as happy as the semi-permanent cast that I had seen in this theatre during its long run.
The feeling of worry went away, though, as soon as I heard Katie Rose Clarke (Glinda) sing. She sounded just plain beautiful.
Then Mamie Parris (Elphaba) opened her mouth to sing "The Wizard and I" and I was blown away. She has an amazingly strong and wonderful voice!
Ms. Clarke also impressed me throughout the show with her comedic skills. She tossed her hair ("toss toss") with her back bent all the way with her body at almost a 90-degree angle, and it made me giggle every time. It also made me wonder how she could be so limber and not hurt herself. She must do yoga.
I also liked Kyle Dean Massey's (Fiyero) performance. I didn't really like the one that I saw the last time I saw the show, so I was pleased that Mr. Massey did such a fine job. He actually made me feel sympathy for his character.
The Wizard was played by understudy Kevin McMahon. I never really like the people that play the Wizard, but since I like Mr. McMahon and still don't really like the Wizard, I guess that I just don't like the role.
The flying monkeys still creep me out. I doubt this will change. EVER.
The sets were great, and I didn't see any difference in them from the ones they used when this was the house show in the theatre for 2 years.
Every time I see this show, I notice something I'd never seen before. This time, it was in "Dancing Through Life". Fiyero's dance moves are the same as those of the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz!
June now understands the show more, and has linked stuff from the book into the show, and loves the show now that she's listened to the CD a lot of times and actually understands the show.

On our way back to June's house, we had a bit of trouble getting home, due to very strong winds that hit So Cal. It then took me 45 minutes to get home from her house; the drive normally takes me 15 minutes. The freeway was getting too scary with the wind pushing the cars sideways, so I exited the freeway and had more trouble due to fallen trees on every street I encountered. When I finally got home and closed my gate, the power went out. My power was out for 24 hours (I was one of the lucky ones). Cindy came by to loan me her ice chest (what a good friend!), and then concluded that the wind was my fault, because I took home the tornado from the show. Sorry about that, folks, especially to those that still don't have power, 6 days later.

Anyway, if you like "Wicked", go see this show. The leads are fantastic!

Pella + Pops soooooon!

2011-11-29T18:36:00.000-08:00

I am so totally excited about this! 5 more days!!!

Rockapella/Boston Pops Deliver Gift of Song Tied Up In Glittering Bows | News | Rockapella

The Sing-Off Season 3 Finale

2011-11-28T19:41:00.001-08:00

So now I'm avoiding Twitter and Facebook in case there are any spoilers. Because tonight is the Live (on the East Coast) finale!

As you recall, I was torn last week, and decided not to vote. I held to that only because I totally forgot about it.

Group Performance: "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson
I like that sexy, slow opening. I also like how the Aires finally get to sing directly with girls. :) That was a pretty cool arrangement.

Pentatonix spent their charity time with The Trevor Project, which provides help to bullied kids.

Pentatonix: "Without You" by David Gueta feat. Usher
I didn't really like that opening. This is now the time where I wish that they could have done last week's show live, so that we could hear them without any fancy editing to influence our votes. No, I don't mean that they do their songs over, but sound levels and such make a strong impact on performances. Here, it's a negative effect for me. Don't get me wrong: I like Pentatonix. I just wonder how much of the other shows were more "produced" than tonight.

A little ditty from Vocal Point: "The Way You Look Tonight"
Oh, Will Arnett lookalike, how I've missed you.

Urban Method donated food to the Sickle Cell Foundation.

Urban Method: "Stereo Hearts" by Gym Class Heroes feat. Adam Levine
I'm again wondering about production, but not as much as with Pentatonix.

The Dartmouth Aires helped out Saving Strokes.

Dartmouth Aires: "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" by Meatloaf
Michael's just awesome, and he's a good guy, too! Awwww. Wait. Who's that girl? She looks familiar. Oh, that's Amy from Delilah. How nice of her to join them!

Now it's time for the groups to sing with the regulars.

Pentatonix with Nick Lachey: "Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)" by 98 Degrees
I like how NIck said that they were the boy band that *didn't* dance. I was going to type that they sound great, then I heard a bad pitch, and then a bad chord. But they redeemed themselves.

A little ditty from The Deltones: "Edge of Glory"

Urban Method with Sara Bareilles: "Gonna Get Over You" by Sara Bareilles
They're kind of overpowering her sound, and hello, she's the LEAD.

A little ditty from Afro-Blue: "Let Your Hair Down"
I think that Shawn would have sung with Afro-Blue if they had made the finals. That would have been awesome. Alas, no.

Dartmouth Aires (with the studio audience), conducted by Ben Folds: "Not the Same"
See? Shawn's not singing with any of the groups! Instead, we're being told what to do by Ben, and I heard a bad note from Mr. Folds (ssshhh...don't tell him I said so). Shawn isn't even singing in this song.

A little ditty from the Yellowjackets: "And Then It Goes Back" (or something)

All-Girls: "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin
Go, Girls!!! That was cool. Except for that last weird chord. Loved seeing all of the diva-ness.

A little ditty from North Shore: "The Lazy Song"

All-Boys: "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen
Awww. why aren't they all wearing sexy Springsteen jeans? I would have liked that. I like hearing the leads together. Great job! That was my favorite of the night.

A little ditty from Delilah: "Grenade" She sang that while siting down?! Wow.

Folger's commercials without Rockapella during "The Sing-Off"?! Sacrilege!

Smokey Robinson with Afro-Blue: "You've Really Got A Hold On Me"
See, even Smokey wants to sing with A-B. That was a nice balance between Smokey and the group. They could be his new Miracles. :)

A little ditty from The Collective: "I Will Survive"

Results

3rd place: Urban Method
Can we please lay the "rapapella" word to rest for now? Or forever, whatevs. You know, because I'm not the one that coined the word. ;)

Urban Method's Swan Song: "Coming Home" by Diddy Dirty Money & Skylar Grey
Aw, she's crying. It's really difficult to sing like that.

Now we get to look back on the journeys for the top 2.

The Dartmouth Aires' Michael needs a recording contract. If not with the Aires, then some other way, because the man has major talent.

Pentatonix is just too cool and innovative for words. So what were they called when they were just a trio? Did they ever say that? Kristi looks like she's going to cry no matter what happens.

1st place: Pentatonix
Congratulations!!!

New Champions Pentatonix song: "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor

So the Aires don't get a swan song? Bummer.

Next week: Sing-Off Christmas, Live

I don't think that I'll be blogging about that one, so until next season...Sing. Sing a song.

MU-PPETS! MU-PPETS!

2011-11-25T15:57:00.001-08:00

I've been excited about "The Muppets" ever since I heard that it was in production, so this year's choice for our Friday-after-Thanksgiving movie was a no-brainer. Brady, V, Bro, Linda and I went to the theater near my parents' house to see the show. There was so much traffic that we ended up late for our first time choice, but since it was starting pretty much every hour, we just waited for the next one and passed the time by walking around the adjacent strip mall. We were able to get some good seats when we finally got into the theater, and settled in for some Muppet action. Whoo Hoo!

I like Walter. He's sincere and such a big fan, like the rest of us, and believes in them, like the rest of us. He also faints like many of us would probably do if we met Kermit. I agree with another post on a website that he looks like Ted Mosby from "How I Met Your Mother", which cracks me up because his co-star is Jason Segel, just as Ted's portrayer, Josh Radnor co-stars with J.S. on his show.
V thinks that Amy Adams is perfect casting for this movie, and I agree. I just didn't like her songs. I did like her singing in "Enchanted", so her voice is not an issue for me. I think it's just that those particular pieces did not resonate in me.
The new songs that I really enjoyed the most, though, were Kermit's "Pictures In My Head" (made me cry), and Gary and Walter's duet "Man or Muppet".
I loved, loved, loved the cover songs of "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Forget You" and "We Built This City". "The Whistling Caruso" was very well done.
Not really a cover since they changed the words: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by the barbershop quartet was made with awesomesauce.
The classic Muppets songs made me very happy: "The Muppet Show" theme song made me smile, "Rainbow Connection" had me in sentimental tears, and "Mah Na Mah Na" got me bouncing like it was supposed to do.
The chemistry between Kermit and Miss Piggy is still palpable, and their story was a very current one, featuring Miss Piggy's need for independence vs. her need to be with Kermit.
The cameos were perfect! I loved who played Miss Piggy's secretary at Vogue Paris, I loved who played Walter's human mirror, and I loved the people working the marathon. And, WHOA! Dude sitting on the park bench in the opening number!
A-NI-MAL! A-NI-MAL! I heart him very much, and I loved that he had his own little storyline. I want those Angel and Devil Animals.
I had forgotten how much The Muppet Show loved to tear down that 4th wall, but remembered when I saw them do it again here. "...this will be a really short movie." I giggled for a while after that (then started to cry when they started reciting the lines from their theme song).

We all loved the movie. I need to get the soundtrack. I need to get the DVD when it gets released. I need to get those Animal Angel and Devil dolls if they make them.

The Sing-Off 3.8

2011-11-21T20:00:00.001-08:00

It's the Final Four.

Group Performance: Mash-up of a bunch of songs by Gwen Stefani, The Verve, Katy Perry and The Who

I'm really annoyed by Nick saying that a challenge is "all-vocal". What the hell else would it be on this show, Nick?! OK, I know that he's reading a teleprompter, but he needs to say something to the writers of this show, or else I'll continue to think he's an idiot.

First Challenge: Master Mix of 2 songs with different tempos and styles

Pentatonix: "Forget You" by Cee-Lo Green and "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson
The key of the Cee-Lo is too low for the female lead, because she had an intonation problem in her solo. I don't really like the chord progression of the KC song. I like the way the lyrics in the mash-up mix, but I don't like the music. I do agree that the rhythm section was great, though.

Urban Method: "Hot in Here" by Nelly and "Fever" by Peggy Lee

Ooh, those are really differently styled songs. Let's see how they do. I like that! Go, girls with the "I wanna take my clothes off" move! Sexy. See? Sara agrees with me.

Afro-Blue: "I Believe I Can Fly" by R Kelly and "Fly" by Nicki MInaj & Rihanna
A little trouble with those opening chords, guys. It got a lot better, though, and turned into the lush jazz that I'm used to from them. The rap kicked butt, Mariah!

Dartmouth Aires: "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga and "Sympathy for the Devil" by the Rolling Stones
So what's with the palm leaf fans? Is that a devil thing? I like the pause before the battle between the leads. Very cool.

My pick for this set: Urban Method

Second Challenge: Judges' Pick

Pentatonix: "Dog Days are Over" by Florence + the Machine
I like how they start the song slower than I'm used to, then the beat picks up. They did this song really well, and redeemed themselves from the first song. 19 year olds?! Wow, that's incredible.

Urban Method: "All of the Lights" by Kanye West
I don't think it's much of a challenge to give a hip-hop song to the hip-hop group. Oh, they want to combine talents. I see. Ooh, what was that spacey sound that they all did together? That was neato.

Afro-Blue: "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke
That's a great choice of song for them. Kristi's voice is really smooth and comforting, I just sit back and smile when I listen to it. Sara, if y'all didn't confuse them along the way, you sure as hell confused me. Thank you for accepting who they are, even if it's just for today.

Dartmouth Aires: "Shout" by The Isley Brothers
This should be fun! But, wait. If you want them to show that they're not just entertainers but also recording artists, then why would you give them a song that is automatically entertaining? I don't get it, but I do love the way they perform this song. Michael's very bendy.

This is a diffcult one....my pick for this challenge is Afro-Blue.

Results

Moving on to the finale: Urban Method & Pentatonix

I'm so tired of Afro-Blue being in the bottom, especially when other groups' pitch issues are brought up, and they don't have that problem most of the time.

Reprise do-or-die encore for Afro-Blue: "American Boy" from episode 3.2.1
Dartmouth Aires: "Somebody to Love" from episode 3.5
Hmm...both of those were the favorites of the judges...but they're considering that song along with all of the other live performances from the season.

Sara's choice: Dartmouth Aires (emotionally moved her every time)
Shawn's choice: Afro-Blue (could have a long-standing career in music)
BTW, I'm feeling like this is contrived, but whatever.
Ben's choice: Dartmouth Aires (going with the most consistent)

You all know how I feel about the judges trying to change Afro-Blue's style every frickin' week. So just imagine how annoyed I am at this moment. How is someone supposed to be consistent when they're being told that their own style is wrong every week? AUGH!

Afro-Blues' swan song: "We've Only Just Begun" by The Carpenters
Man, how could they let this group go home?! Stupid judges. The song was gorgeous.

So it's our turn to vote. Hmmmm....I really don't have a favorite out of the remaining 3, nor do I hate any of them enough to vote against them. So maybe I'll just sit out from this voting session. Or maybe I just won't tell anyone in this post. :)

Next week: The Finale

DLR LotD 11/19/11

2011-11-20T21:23:00.001-08:00

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Saturday, November 19, 2011

"We just take the duck fat and spread it all over." -- Valerie, at Catal

The Sing-Off 3.7

2011-11-14T19:55:00.001-08:00

We're down to the top 5, and it's R&B night.

Group Performance:Medley of "I Feel Good" by James Brown, "ABC" by The Jackson 5, "Crazy In Love" by Beyonce

First Challenge: Contemporary R&B

Dartmouth Aires: "Ignition (Remix)" by R Kelly
Uh-oh, they're getting really intense in rehearsal. I don't know this song. I like the "bounce bounce", though. I heard a couple of dissonant chords in there that my ear didn't like, but they're fun, as usual. Shawn's all tripping out on the sexy stuff. I'd like to hear them do all of "Trapped in the Closet", too, Ben. :)

Um, Nick: aren't all of the groups here an "all-vocal crew"? WTF?!

Urban Method: "Knock You Down" by Keri Hilson feat. Kanye West
Yeah, I don't know this song, either. Again we're seeing that Katie has the strongest voice out of all of the women. Maybe they should force the other gals to sing a power song so that they can get the confidence they need, too.

Vocal Point: "Every Little Step" by Bobby Brown
I thought they were doing contemporary stuff? I guess that doesn't mean "songs Sherry doesn't know". ;) They wear their names on their sleeves. Some of these chords are just not working for me, guys, probably because people are not in tune. I like that all of the vocal percussionists get to show off with this genre. Tanner got to shine in this one! I love how Shawn is jealous of the bass men. Is Sara the only one with ears? How did the other judges get so snowed by all of the dancing? I mean, the dancing was fun, but the intonation was not as good as it should have been at this point in the competition. Maybe it's a sound balance thing that's off on the TV and not in the studio. Or maybe it's because I'm listening more than I'm watching so my senses aren't all distracted.

Afro-Blue: "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey
Uh-oh. There are a lot of lyrics to remember. The tempo is slower than I prefer, but they sound really good. Ack, except for that one chord. She has sparkly eyeshadow. Now Ben feels like they're really getting somewhere. Oh, Ben. They were somewhere a long time ago. Sometimes I feel like the judges' comments on the arranging are being said by the producers of the show who only want something they can control later on with the record company.

Pentatonix: "OMG" by Usher feat. Will.I.Am
Aw, Kevin is having a hard time with the explicit lyrics. So they couldn't pick a different song? I feel like the key is too low for the lead, but they pulled it off well.

My pick for this challenge goes to Pentatonix.

Second Challenge: Classic R&B

Dartmouth Aires: "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight & the Pips
A couple of chords were off, but I love hearing Michael sing. Sometimes there are just too many of them singing and it takes away from how simple the song should sound.

Urban Method: "It's Your Thing" by The Isley Brothers
There's more strength from the women! Thank you!

Vocal Point: "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" by The Temptations
OK, y'all know that I KNOW this song. :) Wait. They don't have a girl on stage to drag around. They did not disappoint me, making sure that they use Temps moves in their choreography. Where did Ben get the soul for that last run? And why didn't he use it for the whole song? Show them how it's done, Shawn!

Afro-Blue: "Best of My Love" by The Emotions
I absolutely love this song, so I'm glad that it's this group singing it. Interesting transitions to their jazzy style and back to the original. That made me smile a lot. So, what is it, Judges? Do you want them to do their style or don't you? Augh!

Pentatonix: "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye
Wait. So Kevin is OK with these lyrics? That was awesome, and Shawn sure loved it!

My pick for this challenge: Pentatonix

Results
Moving on to next week: Pentatonix, Urban Method, Dartmouth Aires, and Afro-Blue

Vocal Point's Swan Song: "Let Me Go Home" by Michael Buble
Oh, Will Arnett Lookalike, I'll miss you.

Next week: America gets to vote

DLR LotD 11/11/11

2011-11-12T19:29:00.001-08:00

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Friday, November 11, 2011

"That rat just keeps getting me down." -- Jack Skellington, to Sherry, when she asked if he could take off his head to recite Shakespearean quotations, in New Orleans Square

Sally, Sherry, Linda and Jack

The Sing-Off 3.6

2011-11-07T22:04:00.000-08:00

Yay! I have no idea who goes home tonight as I watch!

Group Performance: "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire
That was a lt of guys on that one circle. They all did that song well together I'm starting to think that I need an Arcade Fire CD, because I think that's the second song I've heard by them that I like.

I didn't know that Shawn Stockman is an "R&B Bad Boy." OK, Nick.

First Challenge: Classic Rock

Pentatonix: "Born To Be Wild" by Steppenwolf
I feel like Scott needs to have more growl in his voice for this song. His voice sounds a little too pretty, but I understand the need for keeping on pitch and sounding clear when you're singing a cappella in a quintet, so that you don't lead the rest of the group to the path of unrighteous flatness or sharpness. The breakdown was really cool, though, as usual.

Dartmouth Aires: "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister
Uh-oh, Jack left for graduate school. Good luck, Jack! There's a rock growl! Of course, with so many of them, they have a little bit of wiggle room to play with the pitch a little, which they didn't need here anyway. That was fun. Their shredded leather coats were wacky. See? Shawn mentioned the rock growl!

Afro-Blue: "American Girl" by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
If Afro-Blue loses because their harmonies are too complex for the mainstream, then I say, "way to go on staying true to yourselves". Alas, they've simplified themselves a little bit for this song. I understand the need to win, but, well, whatever. I'll get off of my soapbox. I liked the addition of the National Anthem. Sara, you didn't see them in the song because they're trying to conform to your previous coaching about being too complex. You judges are making me crazy and confused. Don't let me step on that soapbox again.

Delilah: "Dream On" by Aerosmith
I think Amy's voice needed to be less breathy at the beginning, because it sounded weak, maybe because it was too low for her. Later on, she sounds great, being all Steven Tyler screamy. Cool! Maybe she was faking the weak thing after all. :) I agree with Ben about the fan effect.

Urban Method: "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake
Well, that rocked with the awesome rap! Since I don't really know much more of the melody than what they did, it worked for me. Do you see how they didn't compromise their identity for the challenge? I like that.

Vocal Point: "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks
I like that opening! Rocked that high note at the end, too! That was fun.

My pick for this challenge: Urban Method

Second Challenge: New Country

Dartmouth Aires: "Save A Horse, Ride a Cowboy" by Big & Rich
Cute props. I feel like the background vocals were too loud and overshadowed the leads' voices. How cute, with the hats down for Sara!

Afro-Blue: "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum
OK, I'm tired of this song, so I hope they get me out of that funk. They sang that better than LA. Of course, it helps that the lead voice is that of my favorite gal in the group: Christy.

Urban Method: "Before He Cheats' by Carrie Underwood
Go, girl! I like Katie's rockin' voice.

Delilah: "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry
I don't know this song (from the title), and I've never heard of the original artist. Oh, wait. I do know this song. Nice blend at the beginning, but I didn't really like the ending chords.

Vocal Point: "Life Is A Highway" by Rascal Flatts
Is the first lead rushing the rhythm, or am I not hearing it right? They just have so much fun up there! OK, so it wasn't just me: Sara heard the rushing, too.

Pentatonix: "Stuck Like Glue" by Sugarland
What a cute song that I've never heard before. I'm wondering if she was having pitch problems at the beginning, or if she meant to do that whole vocal slide thing.

My pick for this round: Afro-Blue

Results
Staying for next week: Pentatonix, Urban Method, Darmouth Aires, Vocal Point and Afro-Blue

Well, that one scared me.

Delilah's Swan Song: "Survivor" by Destiny's Child
Nice way to let most of the gals have a piece of the lead. I wish they enunciated better, though.

Next Week: R&B. You know, they should do jazz one week, just to see if anyone but Afro-Blue can sing that genre.

The Sing-Off 3.5

2011-10-31T22:05:00.000-07:00

I'm going to preface this post by telling y'all that I already know who goes home tonight. Some unsolicited advice: Don't follow CASA's twitter feed if you're not watching this show live as it airs on the East Coast. They apparently have no concern for people in a different time zone or for people who may be otherwise occupied and have the show recording on their DVR. Bastards. I, however, will try not to pepper my post with hints of who will leave, especially since at this point of the game, I like all of the groups and would be sorry to see anyone go.

So here we go, the top 7.

Group Performance: "This is Hallowe'en" by Danny Elfman, "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon and "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker, Jr.
Elfman - Awesome!!! This must have been really fun for them, especially with all of the cool chords, not to mention their costumes.

Tonight's challenge: sing a 3-song medley of a pop superstar, each with a different tempo, key and groove.

Urban Method: "What's My Name", "Umbrella", and "Only Girl (In the World)" by Rihanna
Yikes. The transition between the first two songs did not work at all. I've decided that the gal that sings lead on the 1st and 3rd songs (Katie) rocked it, but not so much the other girls. Eeww, how did Ben like that 1st transition? Blech.

Vocal Point: "Don't Be Cruel", "Can't Help Falling In Love" and "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Presley
They make me smile. I like the harmonies on the last song, and I like hearing the audience screaming, as should happen for Elvis. That went by way too fast.

Afro-Blue: "What Have You Done For Me Lately", "When I Think of You" and "Miss You Much" by Janet Jackson (Miss Jackson if you're nasty)
Oh, I love their harmonies (except for a couple in the first song). Scat, girl! I really liked that a lot. Oh, Shawn is worried about the non-cerebral ones in the audience. Stop it, Shawn! Then Sara says that she got lost. Sigh. It makes me think less of them when they say stuff like that on national television.

Dartmouth Aires: "Killer Queen", "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Somebody to Love" by Queen
Queen's songs are difficult to sing, but they pulled them off quite well. There were a couple of high notes that not everyone could handle that well, but the group was great nonetheless. I like the transition between the 2nd and 3rd songs, and they really rocked that last piece. That last bit was just...oh, yes. Why don't I have a Queen Greatest Hits CD? I love these songs!

Pentatonix: "Oops...I Did It Again", "Toxic" and "Hold It Against Me" by Britney Spears
Oh, that outfit is short! I like hearing a guy singing a Spears song. It makes the song not so, um...slutty. Their VP is just awesome. I think some chords didn't work for me, though. Sara can't even say the word "spectacular", she's so overcome with their performance.

Delilah: "Fallin'", "A Woman's Worth" and "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys
Wait. Who's doing the bass drum beat? The same girl doing the high hat? Because that's cooool. If it's a different person, it's still cool, just not JT cool. Nice job, ladies! I wish that they did their rock songs as well as they do their ballad-y stuff.

Yellowjackets: "The River of Dreams", "She's Always a Woman" and "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel
I'm glad that they didn't go easy and pick "For The Longest Time". I wish that they were more clear and didn't sound like so many people singing at one time. Is it me, or did that second piece need to go a little quicker at the beginning? I think that "Uptown Girl" matches their style more than the other songs. I like that Shawn calls them "The YJs". Poor Sara, being creeped out by Ben's wind.

Special guest performance
Committed (last season's winner): "Forever", "With You", and "Yeah (3x)" by Chris Brown
Aw, it's so good to see these guys again! Ah, yes, that luscious harmony. I would like a copy of their CD, please. :)

The top 6 staying for the next round: Dartmouth Aires, Pentatonix, Vocal Point, Delilah, Afro-Blue and Urban Method.

Yellowjackets' swan song: "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba
They sang the NBC tones! Aw, guys, sorry to see you go. Wow, look at all of your fans!

Next week, the groups each get to sing 2 songs, and somebody cries.

"Malibu" in Malibu

2011-10-30T00:13:00.000-07:00

Rockapella at Pepperdine

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Smothers Theatre

Malibu, CA

This morning, some members of the PellaPosse joined Team MousePlanet at the Disneyland Resort for the annual CHOC Walk 5K, a fundraiser for Children's Hospital of Orange County. We had signed up for the walk before we knew that Rockapella would be in So Cal, not that it would have stopped us. It did stop me, however, from also joining a Zumba Master Class between the walk time and the concert time. I heard that I missed a great class, but I can just imagine myself arriving at Pepperdine with spaghetti-like legs on top of a really cute pair of shoes. But anyway, here is a picture of us prior to the walk, with our MP hats and CHOCWalk shirts.

Walking for the Kids

After the walk, we partook in yummy chocolate chip cookies from Doubletree and got free stuff like Doritos and soda. Afterward, I went to Target for some stuff that did not include a comb, because I could just go home for that. Then I got pretty for the Pella.

Jeff, Wendy and Jenn arrived, and we carpooled over to Malibu. This drive was a much better one than I had experienced on the way to Reduced Shakespeare. Wendy had kindly bought mini-cupcakes on our behalf to give to the guys in celebration of Scott's birthday, so we went to the campus first to drop them off. The guard at the entrance was very nice (and cute!), and gave me a token to use for parking in the lot, since nobody would be available at the parking booth. There must have been an event there that day, because there were cars all over the place and it was well before the show time. It might have also been due to Sunday church services, as the school is a Christian university. Anyway, we went to the box office, and the dude there said that he would make sure that the band would get their cupcakes.

I was sad that we couldn't keep the cool token, but we left the campus-with-the-gorgeous-view-of-the-ocean and drove to Coogies for dinner. Jenn and I enjoyed the short ribs special, although the wasabi mashed potatoes were a bit too spicy for me. (I can't eat spicy food these days, so my tolerance isn't what it used to be). I also had some of Wendy's sweet potato fries (which came with her Coogie's burger, which she enjoyed), and Jeff enjoyed his turkey pot pie. We were happy diners! Wendy and Jeff spotted people from the cruise and talked to them for a bit. I later found out that Liz and Joe were having dinner next door at the sushi place at about the same time. I've declared that Liz will be joining me for a future event so that we can eat the sushi, because she said that it was delicious.

For some reason, there was some kind of backup to get into the parking area for the theatre. Again, I was sad that we didn't still have our token. But we finally got in and parked. The PellaPosse seats were in the first two rows on the right side of the house. I was happy that they hadn't opened up pit seating so that we were still in front. I was hoping that they would open up pit seating and offer to change my seats due to my season subscription, but they never called me, and I would have been upset if I had seen seats in front of us (the theatre had called me regarding openings in the pit for another show for which I had a ticket).

I introduced new recruit Dene to the rest of the Posse, and met Karla's fellow teacher, Elaine. Liz was miraculously there and not in bed: she had run the Nike Women's Half-marathon in San Francisco that morning, and had the Tiffany necklace to prove it. :)

The lights dimmed, and Scott sang "Beat's gonna be so sweet", and sounded a little bit tired. They had been in Atlanta the night before and had been flying all day, so I had wondered how they'd be feeling. The video played, but we didn't see Tim around, so we wondered if he was still working with the guys.

Tonight

Scott cut his hair. Geo has lost so much weight through his P90X routine that he needs new clothes. Scott announced that he is Brian Wilson (aww, a Beach Boy!).

4U4Now4Life

Steve and Geo smiled at me. I love hearing Joe laugh.

Scott: How many folks go to school here? Wow, 3 whole people. (The spotlight was bright on him) This is a blinding spot, a very awkward light. I feel like a lemur.

Scott told us that they had sung with the Atlanta Symphony the night before and flew all day, but they were sure they had arrived when they saw "ocean...and rich people." He introduced JT and said about the rumbling, "Be careful with the cliffs and the earthquakes."

Nuthin But (Zip)

Got to Get You Into My Life

Steve smiled at Karla and June. I melted for them.

Just My Imagination/Imagine

Scott looked like he was still eating his cupcake before starting the song. We found out later that they hadn't eaten the cupcakes yet, so it must have been part of his Power Bar. Applause happened after the Imagine section. I like Geo's glissando.

Tell Me What You Want

They changed up something in the intro, either in the harmonies or because Scott is tired. I don't know. Something happened with the Power Point presentation, because all of a sudden, the screen showed a post-it note with the title of the song.

Scott said that the last time they were here was for a holiday show, and this was Steve's Pepperdine debut. We're happy to have you here, Steve! :)

Cupid

Ooh, Hearts on the video! I like hearts. Steve smiled at me! He chose someone named Diane to help him get the audience to wave their arms and sway.

Hard Time

Scott: "That's from 'Bang', too. 'Bang' also."

Scott: "The next song is sung with the Massachusetts-sad-eyed voice of Mr. Steve Dorian."

California Sad-Eyed Girl

I forgot to say this in my Oregon trip report, but Steve is really gelling with the rest of the band now. Tonight was the best that I've ever heard him sing CSEG. Joe told him later that he no longer sounds like he's trying to be Kevin's replacement. He's now made the song his own.

John described Scott as "The man with a big voice in a little bitty body."

Scott's response: "Da plane! Da Plane!"

Scott talked about his influences and got applause when he mentioned Glenn Miller. He said, "Oh, good, Glenn's in the audience tonight."

Paper Doll

Scott made goofy faces at Geo when he sang "waiting". Awesome rhythm section, boys!

Rock the Boat

Scott danced and called this one "The Malibu". Steve called Wendy "Baby". I did not want to scratch her eyes out as she feared. Steve also slapped Scott's butt with the rhthym before Geo's solo. He was having fun! Geo, Geo, Geo. You're the man! :)

Thunderball

Steve flexed his biceps, too.

Bang

The video showed stuff from the Bond films. Scott's dancing was on fire! Geo did his high-kick! Shut yo mouth! I love seeing them do this song, and am now even happier that the high-kick is back.

Commercials

Scott: "We can come clean with you discernful Malibu folk."

Geo stroked his own arm as he sang "yummy milk chocolate".

Steve wiggled his butt as he sang "rash on my butt".

Scott: "That's as bad as they got right there, and they loved it!"

When Scott mentioned that they even recorded songs that never even made it on the air, someone in the audience shouted, "OH, YEAH!" which puzzled more than one of us. Are you happy it never made it on the air, or do you just like the Dr. Pepper jingle?

BTW, nice soda sound, JT!

My Girl/Ain't Too Proud to Beg

John chose a woman named Carol.

Scott: "Are you one of the Real Housewives of Malibu? You look like you could be one of those girls."

Carol: "I don't know if that's a compliment."

Carol said that she was from the West End, which prompted Scott to mention Falafel King and some other place that sounded like "Denny Reese". Scott tried to get her to sing "Stand By Me". One of Carol's companions was sitting on the stairs in the aisle next to me, and was about to leave when Steve was fake-leading her off of the stage. I told him to stay right where he was. He was glad that I did. As they sang "Beg", Carol was all hugging everybody, she was so flirty! It was a lot of fun.

After everybody calmed down and Carol left the stage, Geo said: "Every time I come out here to California, the women make want to sing like a woman."

I Will Always LoveYou

I like hearing the crowd react to those high notes.

Geo: While I can't breathe right now, I'll need about 20 seconds to release."

He dedicated the next song to the women in the audience, but first, "I'm waiting for the pitch. I think the guys are taking a coffee break or something." We thought that maybe they were eating cupcakes at that time, too, but we were wrong.

Babygirl

Tell me your number! He so rocks that song.

Carmen

Scott: We sang it every day for every year--many years. (Have I told you that Scott must be tired?)

Encore:

A-Punk

Scott said that he didn't know when they'd be out here again, and Karla shouted out that they'd be in Napa in January, which really isn't close by, but it's still California, which is pretty much another planet to the guys.

Then Scott said that they should do Steve's song, which they've never done before. (All of us that were on the cruise had heard it live on the boat, though we didn't correct him).

Malibu Grand Prix

Up On The Roof/Wonderful World

Scott tried to hide from the spotlight. That thing was really bright.

After the show, Dene informed us that he was looking forward to the next time the guys would be in town, because he would see that show all over again. PUSHED. :) Thanks for bringing your hubby, June! I know that the other hubbies like to see another male fan among the Posse.

I said hi to Fred before going into the lobby for the meet and greet. He said that they had 2 workshops scheduled in the morning, but they wouldn't be flying out until later that night, so they'd be able to rest a little bit before going home.

Elaine did her job and took random pictures of stuff happening at the Meet and Greet, especially of whatever Karla was doing, since it was her camera.

I asked the guys to sign my program, and was happy that Scott remembered how to spell my name. It's the little things, people. To ensure that he actually received the cupcakes, I asked him, "Did you get your treats?" He thought for a few seconds and asked, "Were they cupcakes?" You see, we can trust the box office here. I gave him a birthday card from the Pella Posse that had something to do with us wearing our good panties in case we were going to throw them at him. (I had crossed out Justin Timberlake's name and wrote his name on the card instead). He said that we were funny and sweet. He said that since they were on the plane all day, his throat was really dry. Scott noticed that my hair was short and said that he liked it. Thanks! I told him about Liz doing the 1/2 marathon that morning, and he was quite impressed. I also told him about the 5K that we did, and that Liz and I would be walking in November for the Be The One Run as Team Walk-A-Pella. He liked that, so now that our team name is sanctioned by Scott, we're good to go! Join us, won't you? Scott was wearing very, very, very blue shoes that he bought at the Nike store in Japan.

Bluuuuue (not suede) Shoes

Geo saw that Liz was being shy as usual and told us to take a picture of him with her. No, I will not post it here. I value my life. Not that Liz looks bad, because she doesn't at all. Geo's eyes are closed. He was wearing a ring and explained that Sandra got it for him when they got engaged so that he could ward off all of the women with it. I told him that he needs new clothes because he's lost so much weight that they're baggy on him now. He said that he's going to go back on the program, but now it's in order to bulk up.

I didn't get to talk to John very much, but while I was patiently waiting to take my picture with the guys, he told them to pay attention so that it could actually happen. Thanks, John! He told Jeff that he was planning on bringing Christina to Napa, so I look forward to seeing her there.

JT told us how we could get around when we go to the shows with the Boston Pops in December, because Jeff had asked him about it. He said that we'd be going at a good time, and we picked a good airport because it's not too crowded. Wendy thinks that he still doesn't know her name, because he doesn't say it when he sees her, but he says mine and Karla's. I bet he does know, Wendy. How can he write about us in his personal diary if he doesn't know all of our names? Hmmm...maybe he calls Geo and asks him. ;)

I greeted Steve with a big hug and a "Hi, Flirty!" I told him that tonight was the best that I'd ever heard him sing CSEG. He said that he thinks that he was inspired (I'm sure that he was talking about being in California, but in my imagination, he's inspired because of the PellaPosse. Or just the PellaPusher. Or I should just stop daydreaming). I also said that I was happy that they were able to do his song IN Malibu, and he was happy about it, too. (When we were in Oregon, I had asked him if they would do his song when they got to Malibu, and he said that he hoped so, so he got his wish). He said that he wished that he had booked another night to stay so that he could go to Disneyland, since he's never been to The Original. Since I was off the next day, it would have been fun to show him around "my" Happiest Place on Earth. He said that he could get me in, and I said that I didn't need it because I'm a Passholder, but thanks! I would still totally show him around, though. He then said that he would try to bring his girlfriend Laurie next time so that she could go, too, and he might bring her to Napa. I told him that I wanted to meet her, and he realized that I never met her at the Tampa show. He's so cute and happy, and I told him that I was glad he was so happy. He said that he was glad that I'm happy, too. OK, he has no idea that I'm at my happiest when I'm seeing Rockapella, so let's not tell him how pathetic I am normally, OK? ;) BTW, he met Laurie on a blind date. Can you imagine going on a blind date and Flirty Flirty Eyes is the guy with whom you've been set up? I'd probably think I was on candid camera or some kind of cruel joke was being played on me, because I am not that lucky.

So here's the picture that I took with the guys, thanks to John actually paying attention.

Coming to a Christmas Card near you!

A great time was had by all, and I'm always happy when I have a definite date in the future when I can see the guys again.

The Sing-Off 3.4

2011-10-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

It's time for the Top 8 groups!

Group Performance: "Nothin' on You" by B.O.B. featuring Bruno Mars
Rap it, guys! Not really liking the too-pretty high notes from Delilah. The style just doesn't match the rest of the song. Not that I wouldn't do the same thing in order to stay on pitch. ;)

It's Hip-Hop night! Ooh, this will be interesting...and the bottom 2 get to do an actual sing-off battle. I'm excited now.

Dartmouth Aires: "Club Can't Handle Me" by Flo Rida
Get those words out, Henry! That's the way! Hmm...some chords during "Get your hands up!" are not really working. That was fun, though. I don't know where Ben heard Polka music, but OK.

Afro-Blue: "Killing Me Softly" by The Fugees
I didn't know that Roberta Flack is a Howard alum. Interesting, and I'm glad they're playing tribute by doing her song, even though it's the Lauryn Hill-led Fugees version. Ooh, I like the lead voice on this one. I also really like that they always try to make songs their own. Like the song...aw ong...aw ong. Nick and Ben have lost their rappin' minds. Sara loves this show: I really hope so, because she's on the darn thing.

The Collective: "Give Me Everything" by Pit Bull Featuring Ne-Yo
I am not familiar with this song. I feel like they need another female on the la-la part. Not that they have another one to spare. Ruby's leather-looking leggings are awesome.

Vocal Point: "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy
Aw, it's a nice song for Ben's dad. Some of the chords aren't jelling right, but I like Ben's solo. I agree with the judges regarding the pitch issues, but I don't think they should let them stay just because they are letting the group emote, because, really, the show needs to go on, and you need to give the audience all you've got. If they keep them safe, it should be for all of their other work so far, because this group is really good.

My pick for this set: Afro-Blue

Guaranteed to advance to next week: Afro-Blue, Dartmouth Aires, and Vocal Point.

Urban Method: "Airplanes" by B.O.B. featuring Hayley Williams
If they don't nail this, they're in trouble, since this is their genre. Ooh, crickets! I like the opening duet with the female voices. I'm also enjoying the choreography. The rap was good, too. Very well done, as I hoped they would do.

Pentatonix: "Love Lockdown" by Kanye West
I don't know this song. I also didn't know Urban Method's song. I'm kind of out of it. I love the way they do their dynamics, as well as those futuristic sounds. Anyway, that was really cool.

Delilah: "How to Love" by Lil Wayne
Are they going to rap or not? I'm confused. Blonde lead was having a little problem with her pitch at first. OK, so I guess it's a "no" on the rap.

Yellowjackets: "The Show Goes On" by Lupe Fiasco
Those boys are so cute. Some of the harmonies are not really working for me, though. I also could have used some dynamics, although I liked that last solo rap/singing by Jamal. Maybe they should have been quieter behind him, because there are so many of them.

My pick for this set: Urban Method

Guaranteed to advance to next week: Pentatonix, Delilah, and Urban Method.

Sing-off Battle is therefore between The Collective and Yellowjackets, singing "Just a Dream" by Nellly.

The Collective: Didn't like that opening chord's high note, or, really, any of the high notes that are happening.

Yellowjackets: OK, I just noticed their cool Nikes. Anyway, they sound much better on this than The Collective. It's much more fitting to their style, and the lead KILLED it.

Judges' picks:
Shawn: Yellowjackets
Ben: Collective
Sara: Yellowjackets

Therefore, advancing to next week: Yellowjackets. Yay! Sorry, Collective, but you never won me over, even with the improvement.

The Collective's Swan Song: "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Guns 'n' Roses. I don't remember hearing that guy's voice before, but he has a pretty one.

Next week: Superstar Medleys, with special guest performance by Committed.

The Sing-Off 3.3

2011-10-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

I'm watching this 2 days after the original airing, due to other fun stuff getting in the way.

This week's show features all of the Top 10, now with both brackets together.

Group Performance: "All Night Long" by Lionel Ritchie
I have news for you people, especially Deliliah: it's pronounced "ALL", and not "HALL". Geez, I hate that. I wish they could have featured the "trumpets" a litte bit more.

Ooh, it's a double-elimination night. Scary!

Ha. "Boyz II Men to Judge".

This week's challenge is Guilty Pleasures.

Yellowjackets: "Wannabe" by The Spice Girls
I like the skip-dancing. Go, Jamal! Like the cute British Girl rap. That was quite enjoyable! "Flarp", Shawn? Really?

Delilah: "Flashdance...What A Feelin'" by Irene Cara
I don't like the opening harmonies. I think maybe the key was too low for the lead. The song just needed more oomph for me. Hmmm...I'm kinda hearing the judges give them the kiss-off.

North Shore: ~~"MmmBop" by Hanson~~ "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News
Aw, I wanted to hear how they would do the Hanson thing. A little bit flat at the beginning of the song from the lead, but the rest of the group is supporting him so well that he gets back up there. Kind of. I just didn't like it as much as I've liked their other stuff.

The Collective: "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor
Trying to start off with a bang does not work when you start with a raspy vocal. I do like hearing the 2 females together, though. Whoa. Ben just said "vocal percussion" instead of "beatbox", and it was appropriate!

Dartmouth Aires: "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield
I like their jackets, and I wonder if the show provided those for them. Some of those harmonies needed some pitch help. I like the litle kick to end the silence. The lead wasn't as strong as I'd like him to be. What is happening with the groups that I've been liking? "Clark Moment". That made me giggle.

My pick for this set: Yellowjackets

1st set results:
Moving on to next round: The Collective, Yellowjackets, Dartmouth Aires, and Delilah
Hmmm...getting rid of the more experienced people again, I see. I'm sure that I heard boos in the audience.

North Shore's Swan Song: "Good Night, Sweetheart". Sigh. I hate that you're leaving, guys.

Let's move on and hope for the best.

Afro-Blue: "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston
With this group, I already get excited when I hear them rehearse. Nice! I liked all of that except for one of the solos, which was a little weak. But I liked the dancing, the harmonies, and the singing. I can't believe that Ben didn't understand all of the words. Shawn is out of control with the Soul Train stuff.

Pentatonix: "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles
I like the VP intro. That guy's full of sound effects! They are performing the heck out of this song, and I love it!

Deltones: "Listen To Your Heart" by Roxette
Those skirts do not look good on them. Musically, though, they were very good.

Urban Method: "Poison" by Bell Biv Devoe
OK, that made me smile for the whole song. Awesome! I also love the girl moves during "Never trust a big butt and a smile". Shawn is out of control again, and I don't blame him a bit. What happened to Ben?! He was like, speaking in rap tongues.

Vocal Point: "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins
Yay! They're complete now! Nice high note! That was fun.

Wow. This is a difficult set to choose from, but my pick is Urban Method.

2nd set results:
Moving on to the next round: Pentatonix, Urban Method, Vocal Point and Afro-Blue.

(Phew!)

Deltones' Swan Song: "Goodbye to You" by Michelle Branch

Well, at least I didn't lose 2 of my favorite groups. Just one. :(

DLR LotD 10/17/11

2011-10-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Monday, October 17, 2011

"I didn't mean to coconut you." -- Sherry, to Mox, at the gift shop at It's A Small World

DLR LotD 10/16/11

2011-10-16T23:13:00.000-07:00

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Sunday, October 16, 2011

"The heart is in the right place, but the apostrophe isn't." -- Mox, at DCA

"Plato." Achoo!

2011-10-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a busy week, as you can see from all of the LotD posts. But yesterday, I didn't go to Disneyland. I was at my parents' house, visiting with the Bro and his kids, and he and I had a yummy all-you-can-eat-sushi lunch at Sushi Den with Michelle.

I went home and rested for a bit before driving out to Malibu, and the drive was full of traffic. I finally made it with only a few minutes to spare, found Linda in the lobby of the Smothers Theatre, and then we sat down to watch the Reduced Shakespeare Company's show of "All the Great Books (abridged)".

This was my first time to see the RSC, and I hope it will not be the last, because this stuff is hilarious.
The premise of the show is that the audience is in a remedial class of students who flunked Literature, and need to learn all of the Great Books throughout history before graduation, which was to begin in 1 hour and 45 minutes. The leads were a coach (played by Reed Martin), a drama teacher (Austin Tichenor), and a student teacher (Brent Tubbs).
The entire show was quick-witted, and my cheeks were hurting from smiling so much by the end of the evening.
Poetry works recited by a teacher without their notes = much laughter, especially when he starts to say, "There once was a man from Nantucket."
While doing the Iliad and the Odyssey in rhyming iambic pentameter, Santa Claus showed up. So did Poseidon, and I whispered to Linda, "Daddy!" as the coach held a trident, wore a beard, and had a kid's inner tube around his waist. His line went something like, "I am Poseidon...Zeus is my brother...I rule the sea, and The Little Mermaid is my daughter." Linda and I whooed at him.
For our Midterm exam (at intermission), I wrote that the 2 greatest books ever written were "The Iliad" because it had a horse, and "The Odyssey" because it had The Little Mermaid's dad. Linda wrote "The Illiad" because it had a pantomime horse and "Tek War" because it had William Shatner. Yes, yes it did. Well, someone that acted just like William Shatner. Someone else wrote an awesome bit about "Pat the Bunny", which RSC should use someday, it was so good.
At one point, the actors broke character because the drama teacher hid behind the flag while the student teacher was arguing with him about racism. They were having trouble getting back on track because Brent couldn't remember his line, and didn't know how to get back into it. He said, "I don't know. You're the ones that wrote this stuff!"
I am Achilles, and I am invisible, except for my heel. I could not stop laughing at the arrow that went through his heel.
I learned a lot about "War and Peace". Don't ask me what any of that is right now, though.
The dude next to me was brought on stage for The Dating Game to be Virginia Woolf along with two other feminist authors. "If I was a banana, how would you peel me?" Nils: "Slowly?" Well done, Nils!
Walden, as written by Ernest Hemingway: hilarious.
The rapid-fire explanation of all of the books in one sentence each, in a span of 2 minutes: GENIUS.

They will be playing at the Cerritos Performing Arts Center tonight, and then will be going to Broadway to present "The Complete World of Sports (abridged)".

We got in line to get their signatures on our diplomas. Brent started to write my name with an 'i', and I said, "Y! Y!" He then gave me a grade of Y+. :)

DLR LotD 10/12/11

2011-10-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

"We're the show." -- Mickey's Soundsational Parade designer Kevin Kidney, to Sherry, at Tomorrowland Terrace

DLR LotD 10/09/11

2011-10-11T21:26:00.000-07:00

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Sunday, October 9, 2011

"You have your Business Face on." -- Arielle, to an impatient Sherry, at Plaza Inn

The Sing-Off 3.2.2

2011-10-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight, 2 rounds of challenges from the 2nd bracket of a cappella groups: Today's Biggest Hits and Classics from the '60s.

1st Challenge: Today's Biggest Hits

Deltones: "Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga
I didn't like that first chord when the rest of the gals joined the soloists. The soloist did a great job, though.

Pentatonix: "Your Love Is My Drug" by Ke$ha
The lighting kinda makes the gal look naked-ish. I liked that remix part. I wish they could sound more full (without adding members).

The Collective: "Rocketeer" by Far East Movement
I don't know this song, but I do know that some of those harmonies don't work for me. Poor soloist with her laryngitis: I'm sure that hurt her to sing, and she did drop out of a couple of notes. Whoa, her eyelashes are freaking me out. Whoa, the other gal's eyelashes are freaking me out, too. Good advice from Ben about how to bring the blend together by relaxing.

North Shore: "The Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars
Aw, they're like me: they're old and don't know the songs on the radio. But I do know this one because I have the CD, and I love it, BTW. This is actually the perfect song for their style. That was great!

Dartmouth Aires: "Animal" by Neon Trees
I think it's hysterical that most of my knowledge of current songs is due to my love for "Glee", like, for instance, this song. A few chords sounded wrong at the end, but the song was energetic and fun, and overall, I liked it. Shawn loves the pants.

Sonos: "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay
I like those opening chords. So here's my question: if you can't do the bass without the octave pedal, shouldn't you somehow rearrange the song so that one of the gals is doing the bass part, albeit a bit higher? Is that what they did? Honestly, I think they may be top-heavy in their voices anyway, and could do with another low voice, because it's difficult to sing on pitch without the foundation of a bass. You see? She can do the bass in the future if needed, too.

My pick for this round: North Shore

2nd Challenge: Classics from the 60s
OK, I know this is taped, so Nick trying to do the synergy thing with the now-canceled "Playboy Club" just didn't fit. I guess the editor didn't think of taking out that line before letting the show air.

Pentatonix: "Piece of My Heart" by Janis Joplin
They don't get tired of that same piece of choreography that they did during the entire song? Oh, that last chord didn't gel like it should have.

Deltones: "You Can't Hurry Love" by Diana Ross and the Supremes
That was decent, but kind of unremarkable for me. The song itself is kind of repetitve and boring to me anyway, but nothing really grabbed me.

North Shore: "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers
Unlike the last song, this song has personal meaning for me, and I'm glad that it's North Shore doing it, because I'm confident that they won't sing it so that I hate it. I was right.

The Collective: "Hold On, I'm Coming" by Sam & Dave
Oh, is that what this song is called? So I'm too old and too young for the songs for this round. Good job with this one.

Sonos: "I Want You Back" by The Jackson Five
Interesting arrangement. I liked that! Shawn and Ben didn't, but they're not me, although I do agree that a piece of a throwback would have added to my enjoyment of it.

Dartmouth Aires: "Pinball Wizard" by The Who
They rocked that!

My pick for this round: Dartmouth Aires

Results:
Moving on to the next round: North Shore, Dartmouth Aires, Pentatonix, Deltones and The Collective

Innovation doesn't win here, I guess.

Sonos' swan song: "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye to Yesterday" by Boyz II Men. Really? Shawn's group? That's bold, but I'm glad they didn't use it for a regular song, because it was way too high for my taste. It also once again proves that B2M needs a bass. ;)

Next week: The Top Ten

DLR LotD 10/07/11

2011-10-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Friday, October 7, 2011

"With holes?" -- Sherry, asking about the detail on Arielle's anatomically correct doll, at the Grand Californian

The Sing Off 3.2.1

2011-10-03T22:04:00.000-07:00

That title means 3rd season, 2nd round, part 1, BTW.

Tonight, we get 2 rounds of challenges from the 1st week's top 6.

Group Performance: "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane
I think that one guy looks a lot like Will Arnett. That was really well done.

1st challenge: Today's Radio Hits

Vocal Point: "Never Say Never" by Justin Bieber
Still without their 9th member, but one of the guys was in a boy band in Utah. Not only do they have Will Arnett, they also have a guy that looks like Ryan Reynolds. I'm not familiar with this song, but they did a good job with it. Sara, what would non-wholesome Thundercats be like?

Delilah: "What Do You Want From Me" by Adam Lambert/Pink
That's hard to open on pitch with those intervals, but the soloist (Kendall) pulled it off, and I like how they come in one by one, building on the harmony. Nice!

Urban Method: "Just Can't Get Enough" by The Black-Eyed Peas
I don't know this song, either. I'm old now, I guess. I liked the sexy chemistry between the leads. The rap seems angrier than the lyrics need it to be.

Afro Blue: "American Boy" by Estelle feat. Kanye West
Ooh, I like that jazzy opening! I also like how the guys take over during the Kanye portion. I like their version more than the original. Shawn loved that!

Yellowjackets: "Dynomite" by Taio Cruz
They now have *leather* yellow jackets! I now think there are too many voices on stage, which usually means that they're not singing as one unit. Maybe I just have a hard time with huge groups singing modern a cappella, I don't know.

Kinfolk 9: "Price Tag" by Jessie J
First lead gal's sound drops out on her low notes. I'm not crazy about their harmonies.

My pick for this challenge is Afro Blue.

2nd challenge: Songs from the 60s

OK, now Nick is wearing his suit jacket, to be more old school, I guess.

Delilah: "Heat Wave" by Martha and the Vandellas
I need more soul, Miss First Soloist. MORE. I like their silver shoes and their cute dresses. Nick, yes, you did. You dared to say 98 Degrees.

Urban Method: "Dance To The Music" by Sly and the Family Stone
Bass sounded good, but you know how I am: he's no Geo. There needs to be more sound from him, I think.

Vocal Point: "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra
See? It's Will Arnett! I kind of like how they play with the tempo. Sara swoons. :) Oh, Will's name is actually Jake. I'm sure to forget that the next time I see him.

Afro-Blue: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye
That guy has a great voice for this song.

Yellowjackets: "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" by Frankie Valli
Not liking the harmonies, guys. I like how the lead played to Sara, though.

Kinfolk 9: "Let It Be" by The Beatles
I did not like that opening chord. Seriously, can you tell that I'm not fond of this group?

My pick for this set: Vocal Point.

Results:
Moving on to the next round: Vocal Point, Urban Method, Yellowjackets, Afro-Blue and Delilah

OK, I don't have to worry about my least favorite group winning now.

Kinfolk 9's Swan Song: "Loser" by Beck
Yeah, um, I don't like this arrangement, either.

Next week: the second bracket take on the same challenges.

My Favorite 6-Year Old

2011-10-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post about an important event last week. The nephew turned 6 years old. I didn't forget his actual birthday, though, and I hope that his gift got to him before his birthday party today.

Because he likes to be silly when we're taking pictures lately, I don't have anything from the most recent time that I saw him. This picture was taken back in December 2010, before his and his sister's first meal at Catal.

Happy Birthday, Brady!!!

The Sing-Off Season 3: Premiere Part II

2011-09-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

Tonight, we get to meet the other 8 teams in the competition.

Group Number: "Sing" by My Chemical Romance

Sonos from Los Angeles, CA

Pentatonix from Arlington, TX

Soul'd Out from Wilsonville High School

North Shore from Boston, MA

Deltones from University of Delaware

Messiah's Men from Minneapolis, MN

Dartmouth Aires from Dartmouth College

The Collective from Nashville, TN

I like that they keep having college and high school groups here, because it reminds me of the BOCA competitions, which I haven't been to in a while.

Nick is a already a fan of all of these groups, which is probably why he's not a judge on this show. Ben, though, talked about the potential of some groups vs. groups who might not grow during the show. So it's not really who's the best right now, but maybe who's going to be the best later on? I guess this is why they don't have guest stars from the professional a cappella world, but I think that they should show them what the groups should be striving for in the first place. But that's just me wanting to see Rockapella and The House Jacks and the like on my TV, I suppose.

The Dartmouth Aires show us around the campus of Dartmouth College. Whoa, that guy's hair is funky! Wow, that's an old jacket.

Dartmouth Aires: "Higher Ground" by Stevie Wonder

If Liz is watching this right now, she's mad at CSL4 for not arranging a SW song yet. Wow, that's a lot of guys on stage, but I like that lead singer, as well as the fact that they all get into the song. My eyes are burning with all of that orange, with the outfits and the lights in the background.

Now we get to learn about Pentatonix. They found Kevin through a youtube video. Why are they wearing those stupid glow necklaces?

Pentatonix: "E.T." by Katy Perry

I don't know this song, but I'm sure I like it more than KP's version. I usually like most people's versions more than hers, but this, especially because it's a cappella, is well done. There goes Shawn, talking about the real bass in his group. Hi, Michael!

I didn't know there was a large Liberian community in Minneapolis. How did that happen?

Messiah's Men: "People Get Ready" by Curtis Mayfield

I love to hear African harmonies. I could hear some flat notes in there from the lead, though. Why is it that Ben talks about "a traditional beat box" groove? It drives me nuts. Maybe it's because my favorite vocal percussionist sounds like actual drums, and not a beat box.

I know that I've heard of this group before, but I don't know where, because their faces don't look familiar. Oh, look,, they showed them at the dreaded Mint! Stop with the drama and the devastation of the future.

Sonos: "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak

I like the VP effect, and I like this arrangement. I thought that was really great, especially because they only needed the 5 of them to get their sound and style across, despite what Shawn says about the thin harmony. Ugh, Ben F, please stop talking about beatboxing. To me, it just sounds ignorant when they don't call this style what it actually is: vocal percussion. "Beatboxing", to me, is someone trying to sound like a dance beat or a record scratching.

Results:

Moving on the next round: Dartmouth Aires, Pentatonix, and Sonos

Messiah's Men's Swan Song: "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot". Very appropriate, and I like the beat underneath.

Welcome back to last year's winners, Committed! I think I need to get their new CD.

Now we go to Nashville for a group of solo artists put together whom have not done a cappella before. So, this is supposed to be like Kinfolk 9? Does this mean that they'll get through, too?

The Collective: "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

Ooh, her voice is sexy. OK, with all of the voices, I'm expecting more lush harmonies than this, but they sound pretty good for the amount of experience they have as a group. They were brought together, btw, by Street Corner Symphony's (runner-up last year) Jeremy Lister, and it includes his bro.

In Wilsonville, OR, we are supposed to believe that they are the real-life version of "Glee". So they have a huge budget for a little group of underdog choir geeks? Just kidding. I love "Glee".

Soul'd Out: "Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In" from Hair

Nice sound! Oregon sure does have some quality a/c going on in their high schools, because I saw some on my birthday this year, too. Ben likes to do arithmetic, I guess. So I guess you guys are better than idiots, which is what Ben was in high school.

Yay! Doo-wop time! Why does their group name sound like they should be from Hawai'i? I want to go to the Doo-Wop Diner.

North Shore: "Runaround Sue" by Dion

Nice! I'm glad that the judges liked them so much, because I was afraid they'd be short-sighted about the style like they were about another group last week.

Last group of the night, and we get to go to the University of Delaware. I like the history of how the Deltones formed: the 5 original members were all rejected by the other a/c groups on campus, so their whole theme is of acceptance. "Friends first, singers second."

Deltones: "Feels Like Home" by Randy Newman

I like how they smile at each other, because you can feel the joy they share when they sing together. I liked the opening of the song, but was hoping that we'd hear more from the background than just oohing.

Results:

Moving on to the next round: North Shore, The Collective and Deltones.

Aw, no high school group going to the 2nd round.

Soul'd Out's Swan Song: "Mama, I'm Comin' Home" by Ozzy Osbourne

Next week, we get to hear the 1st week's bracket battle it out with 2 songs each. Until then, have a good night!

DOR LotD 09/25/11

2011-09-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Sunday, September 25, 2011

"How do you get off this?!" -- Little Boy on Tom Sawyer's Island

Thank you for a great day in the MouseAdventure Zone, Prince Charming and the CinderPellas!

DLR LotD 09/22/11

2011-09-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Friday, September 22, 2011

"Thank you! Thirty-four." -- Diane at Rancho del Zocalo, responding to my birthday greeting

The Sing-Off Season 3: Season Premiere Pt. 1

2011-09-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

"The Sing-Off" is back, and now it's on for a full season! Oh, boy, I'm going to be busy on Monday nights! I'll be blogging as I watch, and will only post on a different day than it airs if I'm not home to watch the show live.

Let's meet the groups, shall we?

Group Number: "Less Than Perfect" by Pink

Kinfolk 9 from Los Angeles, CA

Urban Method from Denver, CO

Delilah from Los Angeles, CA

Vocal Point from Brigham Young University

Cat's Pajamas from Branson, MO

Afro-Blue from Howard University

Fannin Family from Hortonville, MI

Yellowjackets from University of Rochester

OK, I'm excited now. Pella's JT is rooting for Cat's Pajamas. I am not rooting for anyone yet, but I like the Yellowjackets' bright yellowness. I'm really interested in hearing the Fannin Family's blend, because I like hearing families do harmony.

Host Nick Lachey is back, and introducing the judges:

Ben Folds is back. Nicole is not (yay!). Shawn Stockman is also back, the one guy on the panel that can actually sing a cappella. Oh, yeah, and 3rd judge Sara Bareilles actually sang at UCLA in an a cappella group, so there's that (I'm not crazy about her voice, though).

The Yellowjackets showed us the University of Rochester. The group is all-male, and their name is due to their school mascot.

Yellowjackets: "Wavin' Flag" by K'Naan

This song was played at the World Cup, and is inspiring to the 'jackets, whom went to Kenya and met people there. Cute handkerchiefs, guys. Hummmm. I love African music. They did a great job with this song, beautiful harmony. Shawn loved it, too. Yyyyyyy JAY!

The Fannin Family shows off their cuteness in their rural town. They even name their family names together!

Fannin Family: "Who Says" by Selena Gomez

There just isn't a more pure blend than the vocal blend of a family. Just ask the Osmonds and the Jacksons and the Jets. Yeah, I wrote "The Jets". Anyway, that was nice, but their sound is a bit weaker than the Yellowjackets, mostly because Yellowjackets is all-male and they're more power-house like.

Afro-Blue is the premiere jazz choir at Howard University. Ooh, jazz. I'm looking forward to this!

Afro-Blue: "Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rae

That girl's shorts are really short. You can tell she's the glamour girl of the group. Nice, jazzy sound, really laid-back. What is going on with Sara's commentary? She's making me smile, though, because the way she reads her notes reminds me of some of my incoherent trip reports. "Warm butter on grits": if I had ever eaten grits, I'd know what this means.

Hmmm...now we're having an all-star girl group from previous seasons: Delilah. I like all-female a cappella, as long as it doesn't get shrill. Let's see how this goes.

Delilah: "Grenade" by Bruno Mars

Lead's facial expressions are kind of inconsistent, but her voice is great! That rocked! I guess they're trying to sex up their clothes this season? "Rubbing seconds" are really cool when they're done well, Mr. Lachey. It's an interval thang.

Results:

Moving on to the next round: Delilah, Afro-Blue and Yellowjackets

Fannin Family's Swan Song: "Tomorrow" from "Annie". Aw, the non-sexed-up people left.

Denver has an urban element? I mean, I know it's a city and all that, but it was just so clean when we were there this summer that it's like, too nice to have the "urban" quality, but OK. Be the rapper for your city, dude.

Urban Method: "Love the Way You Lie" by Eminem & Rihanna

Ooh, he's a good rapper. More beatbox than vocal percussion-style, but it's perfect for their musical style. "Rapapella" -- oh, Nick. Don't try to be me. I agree with Shawn: I really liked how more than one of them was doing the percussion. I like that Sara talks about arrangements.

Show biz pros The Cat's Pajamas used to work on cruise ships, and now sing in Branson. I need to go there and just watch shows for a few days. OK, they bring a "Pretty Woman" on stage! I like them already. ;)

The Cat's Pajamas: "Some Kind of Wonderful" by Grand Funk Railroad

You can tell that they're professional because they match, and their suits are tailor-made. They also have choreography. Very well done, guys! You remind me of someone I adore. Ben wants them to write an original song immediately. Sara thinks about pants. So anyway, I think that the judges need to give them a chance to sing more than one song before criticizing on "versatility". Really, people? That's your critique? Then let them sing again!

First-timers now, formed in L.A., Kinfolk 9 should be interesting. What, they couldn't find any more groups that have actually been together for a while? There are just so many people that have been struggling in the genre already that it kinda annoys me that they're trying to get the sympathy vote for their non-a/c selves. OK, OK, I'll give it a chance.

Kinfolk 9: "Secrets" by One Republic

Where is the bass? They have a lot of strong voices, but they are seriously lacking the low sound. No, I'm not just being bitchy. I need a bass in my a cappella. APPARENTLY, Sara heard him, but I couldn't hear it, at least not in the second half when I noticed. I agree with Ben about needing more time to blend.

Time to go to Provo, to see the Osmonds! Or, no. BYU's Vocal Point are more cuteness embodied.

Vocal Point: "Jump, Jive and Wail" by Brian Setzer Orchestra

Ooh, they match, too! Their energy and showmanship make me smile, and they chose a great song for their debut. I really enjoyed that. I agree with Ben about that wicked bass line.

Results:

Going on to the next round are Vocal Point, Urban Method and Kinfolk 9.

ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME?!?!?!!? AUGH!!!!

The Cat's Pajamas' Swan Song: "Bye, Bye, Love"

Oh, TCP, I'm going to seriously hate K9 even more now that you're gone. If the fans vote K9 as the winner this season, I'm OUT of this show.

I was wondering how they were going to make this a full season if they were eliminating 2 groups already, but now my question has been answered: 8 more groups next week. YAY!

It Still Hurts

2011-09-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

September 11, 2011

10 years ago today, I turned on my TV to the morning news as always, to hear the traffic and weather for the day as I got ready for work. But that was no ordinary day, and I forgot about traffic as soon as I saw what was airing: smoke was billowing out of the World Trade Center. Troubled, I still went to work, where everyone was talking about the events of the morning in NYC and DC. One of my co-workers was frantic because her son was working at the Pentagon that day, and she couldn't reach him. The rest of us just listened to her and empathized. Thank goodness, her son turned out to be all right. But not everyone was that lucky. The governor closed down all of the state offices for the day, and we went home, frightened and worried about what was to come.

Ten years later, the world mourns those that America lost that day. I will not be attending any ceremonies today, but I am watching the ceremony as it airs live in New York City, and I cry. This weekend, our pastor had asked the music ministers to play "Let There Be Peace On Earth" at the end of each Mass. I had thought of doing so when I was choosing songs last week, but it wasn't on the suggested list. I did choose "Eternal Father, Strong to Save," which is the Naval Hymn and one of of my favorites. But I was happy to add Father Michael's request to the list.

Last night at Mass, we opened with Eternal Father, and Fr. Michael gave us enough time that we were able to sing all of the verses, so that we could pay tribute to all of the armed forces. Prior to the homily, he lit a candle, which was on a pedestal in front of a book of remembrance, with a small American flag draped over it, and there were beautiful yellow roses at the bottom of the pedestal. He also shared with us his reaction to the events of 9/11. Ever since that day, Fr. Michael has added an extra Our Father and Hail Mary at the end of every Mass, in order to pray for peace. We sang the requested song at the end.

Something came over me at the moment that I announced the song, and I felt the Holy Spirit working through me and allowing me to sing the song better than I'd ever sang it before. It was like I was listening to someone else sing. Mind you, I've been singing this song since I learned to play it on the piano as a 7-year old, and I know that the notes are in the meat of my range, so I think that I do the song very well most of the time. But last night, it meant more to me. Somehow, I was able to control my tears and sang my heart out.

I drove to my parents' house last night, and listened to the CBS news on the radio, where they were remembering the reaction 10 years ago. The quote that moved me the most was that of someone from Europe (sorry, I can't remember), who said, "We are all Americans today." I had forgotten that the whole world had mourned with us, especially Europe. America had been there for them when war had hit their soil, and now they were there for us. Oh, now, I'm crying again. Yeah, it was kind of hard to drive at those moments last night.

I know that there will be a tribute today at Disneyland, which had closed on 9/11/01. Part of me wishes that I could be there, but the other part of me needs to be with my family, so here I am.

A decade later, it still hurts. I didn't personally know anyone that died that day, but as an American, I mourn with everyone else today. I wish that our country was as unified every day as it is today, even though our foundation is that of being free to be different. I pray, though, that we do find peace.

"Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be.
With God as our Father, brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother in perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now.
With every breath I take, let this be my solemn vow:
To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally
Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me."

Mary, Queen of Peace: Pray for Us.

Back ta Sacta

2011-09-10T23:20:00.000-07:00

I probably woke up early enough to see the guys' planes take off from the Medford Airport in the morning, but I didn't actually get up and look out the window or anything. I waited for the rest of the Posse to wake up, and we checked out of the hotel, in search of a real Starbuck's so that Wendy could use her gift card. We did find one, and Jenn discovered the wonders of a Salted Caramel Mocha. I was fine with my water and my ginormous bear claw. I ate a toe, and invited everyone else to partake in their own toes. OK, maybe not their *own* toes, but a toe from the bear claw/paw. Jenn contributed to the conversation, saying that she "really enjoyed toe jam". Eeewww.

We returned to the I-5, but didn't get to stop at Basshole for a picture, because we couldn't find it. Nor was there a pretty rest stop either. We did, however, stop for S&P at a rest area with vending machines. I got a CapriSun for Jenn because she had been craving one on the way up. She was really happy, and ended up piercing the straw all the way through the package in her excitement. KP took a picture, but I don't have it yet to post it.

Ohmigosh! I forgot to write the other day that I got way excited while Scott's CD was playing in the car, because his name showed up on the dashboard. See?

We stopped for lunch at Berrypatch Restaurant in Orland, where Jenn and I had ribs. I also had a baked sweet potato, which was yummy, and I may be baking my sweet potatoes like that once in a while. While waiting to use the restroom, I shopped in their little general store, which was really just a few shelves of jams and stuff. Or so I thought. For there it was: Loganberry Vinaigrette! (It's a Bro/V/Sher/Chun at Drum Corps thang, this craziness). So I gasped loudly and bought it immediately. Lucky for me, I bought a wine bottle carrier the day before, so I had a way of transporting it safely in my luggage!

We finally arrived in Sacramento, and we dropped off Jenn at the airport, since her flight was the first one scheduled to leave, and KP and Wendy still had a couple of hours before their flight. So they came with me to check in at my 4th hotel in a week: my favorite hotel to stay in when I'm in Sacto: the Residence Inn in Natomas. We watched Harrison Ford be a kick-ass POTUS in "Air Force One" as we imbibed on snacks and played Hippo Hunt.

Chillaxing at the RI

It came time to take the gals to the airport, so I dropped them off at their respective terminals, then got some dinner at Togo's for myself to eat after having a visit with my friend Arielle. We enjoyed our Jamba Juice and I showed her my beloved scrapbook.

The next morning, I drove to Martinez to visit my cousin Marie and her husband David, along with their new baby, Annabelle Rose. Such a Southern name for such a non-Southern baby!

Sher and Belle Rose

David and Marie know what it's like to be obsessed with a band. Theirs is The Mother Hips, and they can be seen in one of the pictures of a souvenir book. So they totally understand my Pella obsession, and I love them all the more for it. David had to go to a wedding, so he left us womenfolk to gab and catch up on tons of stuff. It was really good to see Marie, because she's my only cousin on my mom's side, and she and I are a lot closer than I am to the scores of cousins that I have on my dad's side, mostly because they always had each other. Bro and I only had Marie.

I returned to SMF for the 6th time in a week, and my flight only had about 30 or so people on it, so we all had rows to ourselves. That was nice, and the flight attendant was quite attentive, but not overly so. Thanks for a nice flight, Southwest!

That was a great trip, full of all kinds of smiles. Thanks to the Pella Posse, Rockapella, Arielle, and Marie for being such great company!

Awesome, You're the MAN!

2011-09-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

Rockapella at the Britt Festival

Friday, September 1, 2011

Britt Pavilion

Jacksonville, OR

KP and Wendy knocked on the door, and we went downstairs for our free hotel breakfast. Jenn had a cool corn-dog looking thing, which was actually sausage wrapped in a pancake on a stick. We then checked out of the hotel, and started our road trip up the I-5 to Oregon. Thank heavens for my friends, who are always entertaining, and are great company to have on a long trip, because that road was boring! We had a few S&P breaks, which I named because we would stop to "Stretch and Pee". The most scenic one was at a rest area along Lake Shasta. I asked a man to stand up on a bench and take a picture of us so that the picture would include the lake, and he looked at me like he didn't understand English. He finally understood, though, and here's the result. Don't we look cute? Well, Geo thinks so, because he said so on FB. :)

Geo says we're Cuuuuuute!

After taking our beautiful picture, we decided that we should eat some lunch, so we tried to get info from Jenn's GPS. The place that we saw, however, didn't really look like something we'd enjoy, although we did love the name of a nearby establishment called "Basshole Lodge". As we tried to look for a place in a more populated area, I took tons of pictures of the beautiful Mount Shasta. Here's one of them.

Purple Mountain's Majesty

We finally found Black Bear Diner, which is a chain up in Northern California. They serve breakfast all day, which makes me happy. Jenn forced us to share the bread pudding that we ordered, but there were raisins in it, which none of us cared for, so there were raisins all around the dessert bowl when we were done. I bought a huge bear claw to eat later on.

Bread Pudding, before the de-raisining

We finally made it to Medford, and checked into the Courtyard Marriott, which was within eyesight of the Medford airport control tower. Geo had posted something on his wall that he meant to post as a reply to one of his friends. Since we like to mess with our boys, we decided to make signs to show him from our seats at the show. Of course, Wendy had the idea to make signs long before our trip even started, but I totally forgot about that because I'm lame. So Jenn made the signs on her laptop to print downstairs at the business center. We had a couple of hours before needing to leave, and we had adjoining rooms, so Jenn opened up her beauty salon and straightened KP's and Wendy's hair. We then went downstairs to print up the signs, and the printer jammed. Oh, geez. Since I deal with a lot of this at work, I figured out how to fix the jam and we got our prints and went on our way.

The Britt Pavilion has its patrons park down the hill from the venue, and we were to take a free trolley up to the pavilion. We had no idea where the trolley was supposed to stop, so when it came by, we asked the trolley driver, whom stopped for us. It seemed that he was being intentionally vague as we asked about the location of the actual stop, but he let us on to the trolley. It turns out that he just stops whenever he sees people. Oh.

Straight-Haired Gals on the Trolley

When we arrived, we were greeted by very friendly people, and made our way to Blanket #5. Yes, it's the magic number again! I had requested it on purpose because of our whole cruise adventure and I was happy that my request was granted. We were in the front, house left, not the most left blanket of all of them, but the second to farthest. So we were in front of speakers, but I'm OK with that. Jenn, KP and I walked up the grassy hill to find dinner. KP gave up when she didn't look far enough to see the food court, and Jenn and I bought souvenirs. I bought a wine carrier with the Britt logo, and Jenn bought a Britt shirt. We were told that if we had flown Allegiant Air out of LAX, we could have found a cheap fare to Medford instead of dealing with the drive. OK, next time! She and I then bought dinner. I ordered a chicken gyro, which ended up tasting bland and tuna-like. Jenn bought a box that came with crackers and stuff, which I enjoyed more than my own food. I was going to start eating the ginormous bear claw, but ended up just taking a picture of it instead. Wendy is such a sport to pose for pictures as asked. :)

Rrrrawrrrr!

You'll notice in the above picture that Wendy is wearing a glow bracelet in addition to her pink blanket-area-only wristband. She and Jenn had both brought glow stuff for us to wear. The ones that were not worn will be distributed at the Hollywood Bowl Sound of Music Sing-Along, which I'm sorry to say that I won't be attending. KP saw Fred and was unhappy that he looked unhappy. She later found out that he had messed up his knee on July 4th in Utah, and he would be having surgery to repair his torn meniscus.

An announcer got on stage and said that he talked to Scott Leonard before the show. I "whoo-hooed". He asked if there were Scott Leonard groupies in the house, and we screamed some more. People stared at us. I didn't care.

The show finally started with opening act The Coats. They opened for Rockapella the night of Barry Carl's last show, back in 2002. They played many of the songs that I had played on their CD during the road trip, so the gals were familiar with the music. The highlight of their show for us, though, was when they said they would sing 80s girl group music. They kidded with some Britney Spears, then sang "The Tide is High". I didn't know that Blondie was a girl group, but I loved their rendition of the song. Then they sang "Walk Like an Egyptian", which was also a lot of fun.

There was an intermission, during which I eavesdropped on the conversations of women in line for the bathroom as they raved about The Coats. Jenn did the same thing and advised her neighbors that they would surely love Rockapella. Jenn's becoming a Pusher, too. I'm so proud.

Tonight

I guess Tim didn't make it out to the venue, because there was no video or special lighting. Steve winked at me! Scott smiled at us with recognition, and I became a major dork and was all, like, "HI!!!", waving my glowing arm around like an idiot. He said that they just barely got there, and introduced himself as...wait for it...Scott. I guess he couldn't think of any famous athletes in the area, or he was just too tired to think of one.

4U4Now4Life

I really liked the break from the microphones when they sang the Gunpowder verse. Scott said, "What a beautiful place that I didn't know about. We only have Jacksonville, Florida, but this is better." Then some woman yelled, "GEORGETOWN 2005!!!", and Scott had to decipher that she saw them in Georgetown 6 years ago. Ya gotta love when the wine is flowing at the outdoor venues.

Nuthin But (Zip)

John winked at me. :) I forgot to wink back, not that he would have noticed.

Got to Get You Into My Life

I think I just smiled through this whole song. OK, I smiled through this whole show. I don't know what happened during this song, because I didn't write anything.

Just My Imagination/Imagine

More smiling. I so, so love this arrangement that it needs to be on a CD soon. Yeah, I'm demanding.

Tell Me What You Want

As Scott said he'd "be your little cabin boy", he patted an imaginary child on the head, and I turned around so that Wendy and I could say "Cabana Number 5!" to each other without any sound.

Scott talked about the new CD, saying that they "haven't had an original CD since I was a toddler." He then said that Steve was having his Oregon debut tonight. NO! Y'all were in Portland on my birthday, in 2011. But I didn't want to sound like the drunk lady, so I didn't say anything.

Cupid

Steve introduced us all to Mary, who showed us how to wave our arms.

Hard Time

Scott is the only one that dances during this song. I've now memorized his choreography, because it's quite simple. No, I won't dance it for you.

California Sad-Eyed Girl

Scott said that they always have to do this song when they're on the West Coast. We Whooed. He noted that there were people from California there, and then someone not on our blanket got his attention with her whoo, and he told her she looked like she was from California, because she looked like Christie Brinkley. APPARENTLY, we are now chopped liver. They then sang our song, courtesy of "The Massachusetts-bred throat of Steve Dorian".

Scott mentioned that JT's dad is from Eugene. JT said, "We were up there yesterday, hanging out." The crowd hung for a funny story, but then he said, "That's all I've got." Oh, JT, our man of many words.

Paper Doll

Scott said that this was "Rockapella Old School". Steve smiled at me! You know why, right? Because he has Flirty Flirty Eyes!!!

Rock the Boat

Steve walked over to us and said, "Hi guys! How are you?" We're GREAT, thank you! We laughed at the lameness of the right side of the house when they didn't "Do The Hustle" on cue. Geo looked over at us during his solo, and Jenn asked if we should put up our signs, but I was too nervous. Scott responded to our screaming by giving us our own dance show. Jenn almost gave him a dollar. Thanks, Scott!

Karla and I were distracted by the static in Scott's hair. So was a drunk man in the audience, as he loudly yelled to him, "OK, Cornhead!" Well, John DID say that Scott had the hair of golden corn. But it was just weird at that moment.

Thunderball

Lots of laughs from the crowd. I love when Scott tries to be Tom Jones.

Bang

Scott: "May I kiss you please?" as he looked over our way.

Sher and KP: <emphatic nods>

Scott said, "This is not the interactive part of the show." Then people started shouting out requests. Scott: "My first sentence was, 'This is not the interactive part of the show.'"

Commercials

Scott no longer looks like he's grabbing boobs while he sings "Mounds, Mounds." I kinda miss that. I like Steve's Elvis hip moves during "Preparation H". After "Dr. Pepper", Scott said, "That's the best song ever written."

My Girl

John went into the audience and held up a baby, saying, "You're a star!" He chose Gina. He asked her what she does.

Gina: I work.

Ooh, mysterious! Scott said that he heard she wanted to sing with them.

Gina: I can't sing!

Scott: Do you want to dance with us? Maybe a Montague?

(Seriously, that's what I heard. Yeah, Romeo's last name. Maybe I still have drum corps on the brain).

Ain't Too Proud to Beg

Gina had a great time up there, and we had a great time watching her slap Scott's butt. I don't know what she whispered to Steve, but she wouldn't slap his.

Geo said that he gets mad sometimes. "The ladies ask me, 'You guys that sing so low, why do you always sing in the shower like Whitney Houston?'" KP: "Really? Girls ask him that?"

I Will Always Love You

Geo then demonstrated that guys from Philly walk around with a strut, showing off his smoothness. He then made the next song a special dedication to The Temps.

Papa Was A Rolling Stone

PANTS. That's all I could concentrate on. When they finally left my direct line of eyesight, I said to the gals, "I can breathe now." Jenn was thinking of putting up the signs again during this song, but it still didn't feel right. I guess I didn't want to mess up his performance.

Where in the World is Carmen SanDiego?

During his solo, JT said, "Relax, lady." Ah, the drunk woman. Or, maybe, another drunk woman. No, it was NOT me.

Encore:

SHAMBALA!!!

OK, that was in caps because I was very, very excited. We had listened to the song on the way up, and I had tweeted that we were On the Road to Shambala, so it was just perfect! We realized that it was possibly the first time that we'd ever heard Steve sing the song before, so it was even more exciting for us. I mouthed the words along with the guys, and Steve smiled at me as we "sang" together.

Up On The Roof/What a Wonderful World

The guys all went up to the regular seats for this one, and sang off mic. Their voices were very strong with these acoustics, even with their backs to us. Hey, more Pella Butts!

I asked Jenn, "Is it my imagination, or did Steve sing to me all night long?" Jenn said, "Yeah, I was like, 'Hey, we're over here, too!'" Thank you, Jenn, for indulging me in my obsession.

So we never raised our signs during the show, but we asked an usher to take a picture of us.

From Geo's Adoring Fans

At the Meet and Greet, I showed the guys the scrapbook that I made of the Rockapella Cruise. They were all impressed and liked it. JT, especially, wanted to take time with it to "browse". I was really happy that they liked it so much, and they happily signed it for me. Everyone else in the Posse talked to the guys about how they're doing and such.

Scott told KP that Jesse started college, and is majoring in percussion at SFU, which is the best school for percussion in Florida, according to Scott's connection at the Boston Pops. The house feels empty now, and Natalie has moved into Jesse's room, redecorating it in pink. He thanked us for putting in the effort to see them. The new CD will include "Little Drummer Boy", "O Little Town of Bethlehem", and their original songs. YAY!

Fred has already had his surgery by the time I am writing this. A speedy recovery to you, Fred!

I saw Geo running after Wendy, so that he could give a huge bear hug to "The Shy One". I wish that I had video of that, it was major cuteness. Geo talked about his wedding plans and the fact that his family totally loves Sandra. How could they not? She's wonderful!

I just realized that we didn't get to talk much to John, because he was really tired.

Wendy and I had a really nice chat with Steve, whom has given me an assignment to push the next cruise. We all need to show enough interest so that everyone involved, including management , agents and the like will get the boat out of the harbor. We talked about how Tim really enjoyed the cruise, and that we all thought he would just stay on the boat. I told Steve that this was not actually his Oregon debut, and he covered for Scott saying that it was the beginning of the year, so he was probably thinking that it was last year or whatever. Nope. You know that doesn't fly with the PellaPusher. But that's OK, because he's dreamy and he sang to me all night. :) Steve told us that he is NOT young: he's 33. OK, when you're my age, I'll ask you about that again. No, I did not tell him my age.

We walked back to our car (the trolley does not operate after the shows), with me mostly walking barefoot because my heels were not conducive to the downhill thing. Jenn and I were hungry, so we got some food at the drive-thru at Jack in the Box. When we returned to the hotel, I saw that more prints of our signs were beside the printer in the business area. There it was: "MAN!" People probably thought that the prints were done by insane people. Yeah, they were right. We stayed up a little more so that we could eat and giggle more, then we went to bed, so that we could drive back to Sacto in the morning.

On Point

2011-09-02T07:55:00.000-07:00

My week started off with 3 days in Sacto for business. I was back in the office on Thursday, and then happily left for the weekend and flew right back up to Sacramento. No, I don't love Sacto all that much: it's time for a Rockapella Road Trip!!!

The rest of the Pella Posse was already there, and Jenn had already picked up the rental car, so we were all set to go as soon as I grabbed my bag from the carousel. We walked to the parking structure, and Jenn attempted to unlock a Lexus SUV. We were, like, "Ooh, a Lexus!" then she realized that this was not the car she had actually rented. It was a few rows away, where she had left it in "J" for "Jenny", but for some reason, we all forgot that mnemonic when we saw the Lexus. Whatevs. We got into the similar-looking Mazda CX-9 parked in a similiarly-parked space, and went on our way after we figured out how not to suffocate in the car and how to get it into the proper gear.

Jenn had a GPS, and had also printed directions from GoogleMaps. Since I was the navigator, and had been to our hotel before, I told her the directions and ignored the GPS. Remember how I am with GPS? Well, this time, Google was incorrect as we got on the I-5 North, which was in the WRONG direction. We figured this out after a few exits of not seeing civilization, and finally exited at a place with a Target. So, of course, off we went for some Target shopping. But not until after Jenn hit a curb on the way to the parking space.

I wanted to get a birthday card for Geo and decided that, since we were here, I might as well buy ANOTHER comb because I forgot the 18,000th comb-bought-on-trips at home, and only had my little travel-sized one. We also got some snacks for the road trip. Wendy thought of buying energy bars for Geo, and then we realized that we didn't know what he'd like, and neither one of us know enough about energy bars to know what's really good. Well, we tried!

Then I just HAD to take a picture of this, because it was at the entrance of the shopping center.

The Horse Wins

We were hungry, so we decided to eat at Red Robin for dinner, where Jenn had a bit of trouble parking our huge SUV within and parallel to the lines. She claimed that it was because she is short and can't see everything. We're all short, so this trip should be lots of fun with us driving a vehicle that none of us is accustomed to driving.

At dinner, KP attempted to put seasoning on her fries, and luckily for her, she looked at the canister after she unscrewed the lid, and saw that there was no strainer thing PRIOR to seasoning her fries, so she avoided a catastrophe. When the server asked us if there was anything she could get for us, I wordlessly lifted the lid on the canister and showed her the absence of the strainer, and we all laughed. She never did come back for a replacement, but KP had already decided that her fries were seasoned enough anyway. She also realized later that her dinner was free because her rewards card thing still counted the day as part of her birthday month. Yay!

We got back on the freeway, this time in the correct direction, and hit traffic because of road work. Ugh. At least our bellies were full and we were enjoying each other's company, and the delay was only 9 minutes long, according to the Garmin. I was going to write that I will now follow whatever the Garmin says, but we almost went the wrong way again as the Garmin changed its mind from us going on the I-80 to Reno into the I-80 San Francisco. Well, it's not a Rockapella Road Trip without us going in the wrong direction and also going to Target, so we're on point for a great time as usual.

Jenn and I stayed up late talking, but I still woke up early because my body is getting old and wants to live every moment it can, I guess. We're now getting ready for breakfast before our 5-hour drive to Oregon. Pray for us. :)

Flip This Drum

2011-08-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

This summer, DCI has been posting video as seen from the head of a drum. No, not the head of a drummer, but the actual drum. The series included a drum from a different corps every time, and at Finals, they showed a montage of the videos. It included a clip of the video below, and I had wondered how the heck I had missed it, since I had been looking forward to it for weeks. Well, they didn't even post it until today!

Here you go, a Tenor from the Cavaliers.

The flip is at 2:10. Whoo HOOOO!

Indy + Bond vs. Bad ET

2011-08-27T11:49:00.000-07:00

Both Linda and I had free movie passes to the Krikorian, and they can only be used for movies that have been out for more than 2 weeks, so we decided to use them to see "Cowboys and Aliens". We had both wanted to see the movie anyway, and it came at the time that other blockbusters "needed" my attention, so this was good timing for us.

The more I see Daniel Craig, the more I like him. Bond, Cowboy, whatever. Bring it!
Of course, the more I see Harrison Ford, the more I like him, too, but that's been going on since the '70s. :)
"Gold? What are they going to do with it? Buy something?!" So, um, did we ever actually get an answer on that?
Yay! Apaches!
I would freak out if I saw an extra-terrestrial, and I've seen a lot of movies that have them. It must be really wild to see one in a time when humans haven't even been to the moon, much less driven cars.
Was it just me, or did Ella look so much like Jake's girlfriend/wife that it was confusing?
That Noah Ringer kid is going to be a star someday. Oh, wait. He starred in "The Last Airbender". I need to see that movie.
Adam Beach (Nat) reminds me of the guy that played Selena's boyfriend/husband in that movie. But that wasn't him.
Paul Dano's character reminded me of the one in "There Will Be Blood", so I didn't have much sympathy for him, and wondered why his father wanted so much to rescue him. I mean, I know it's his father, but I didn't think he needed to be rescued. But I'm mean like that.
"We've got a kid and a dog. Why not a woman?" Yes, Linda and I rooted for the dog the whole time.

That was a fun movie, but I wouldn't recommend it if you don't like cowboys. Or aliens. Or action. Or guns. But then, why would you even consider watching it, right?

DLR LotD 08/19/11

2011-08-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Friday, August 19, 2011

"Did you show them your mirror?" -- Cindy, asking Ryan to show off his new mustache-with-eyes key cover, at Catal

I re-wrote the LotD about 3x today with different quotes, so this was quite a lively evening.

Thanks to everyone for a great time!

Montage! Summer Music Games 2011

2011-08-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

DCI has posted the video that they showed on the big board at Finals. When we watched it in the stadium, I thought that Pacific Crest hadn't been included, and I was disappointed. But upon 2nd viewing, I see that there's a bit of the pulling of the flags, so I'm happy to post the video here.

If you read my blog during this year's finals, you may already be familiar (in written word) about what is shown, but here you have it in video form.

Upside down Tenors, Horns and Drum Majors
A Demon throwing a horn
Not mentioned in my blog, but SCV runner jumping onto a bunch of flags and getting pushed back up (loved this moment every time)
Romeo dying, and Juliet's suicide

Enjoy!

DLR LotD 08/06/11

2011-08-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Saturday, August 6, 2011

"We need to come back here!" -- Sherry, at Trader Sam's