SYTYCD Final Competition Night

OK, I just watched the final competitive performances from "So You Think You Can Dance", and I can't decide who should get my vote.

All 6 performers danced with each member of the opposite gender. I really liked seeing the chemistry between each couple.

I mean, Russell. He made me cry with that beautiful contemporary routine with Ashleigh. A crumper doing contemporary AND Paso Doble AND hip-hop? Amazing.

Jakob and those jetes! But nothing hit me as much as that gorgeous dance to "At This Moment" with Kathryn. I was all, like, "WOW".

Then there was the beautiful dance between married couple Ryan and Ashleigh. I cried right along with them, especially when Ashleigh, when asked how it felt, said, "It's perfect." What a joy to see them both in the finals, dancing together!

Kathryn, OMG with all the different dancing styles, especially getting down with Russell during the hip-hop routine! My goodness!

Ellenore. Is she just a pose-able doll or what? Every movement in that routine with Ryan was meticulous and well-placed.

Good luck to all of the finalists! Good luck to me trying to choose someone. I don't think it's going to happen in time for the phone polls, though.

The Sing-Off Ep. 1

The Sing-Off

Pilot

I know that in a recent post, I wrote that I can't watch American Idol because of lots of reasons. Well, I had a different view of The Sing-Off when I saw its previews. A cappella competitions? On TV? Oh, yeah, that's my kind of stuff!

Truth be told, it kind of makes me anxious. What if everybody hates it? What if everybody then thinks that a cappella is just stupid, and doesn't love it for the reasons I do? What if it's just a lame show? Eh, whatever. I'm just going to watch it and see how I feel about it, I guess.

So the show starts with host Nick Lachey of boy band N'SYNC. OK, he knows harmony. Judge Ben Folds. Whatever. Judge Nicole Scherzinger. What harmonies does she know? She sings lead all of the time. Apologies to my soprano friends out there, but if you sing lead all of the time, and with instruments, does that really qualify you to understand harmonies? And she's not as pretty as I thought she was. I guess she was always just sexed up with those non-clothes she wears with the Pussycat Dolls. Judge Shawn Stockman of BoyzIIMen. Yes, he knows harmony, and quite well. Heck, I think he knows Rockapella's George. So he should know stuff, right? I've heard him sing some a cappella, so OK.

Then they say that they searched all over the country for these groups. Really? I only saw ads for it on the internet. Did you actually search yourselves, NBC?

So, let's give it a shot.

I liked how they opened up with everyone singing together, kind of like the dance competition shows.

Nota, from Puerto Rico

They sang "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. I honestly don't know what the judges see in these guys. I didn't really like their harmonies. Interesting arrangement with the rhythm, but I heard a lot of dissonance that I didn't like.

...and I've already decided that Nicole is the Paula of this show.

Voices of Lee from Tennessee

"Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield. I LOVE this song, so you could do a lot of wrong to ruin it for me. I did agree that the lead was overpowered a little bit by the background, so they should work on the balance. But you see, this is the problem with bigger vocal groups. You have a soloist against all of those other people in the background, so they get kind of lost if they're not strong enough.

Face from Colorado

"Livin' On A Prayer" -- Bon Jovi I have heard of this group from a/c competitions, but hadn't actually heard them before. They rocked! I can't believe that Shawn Stockman has never heard an a/c group rock like that before. Good God, the man needs to get out more! So George goes to Rockapella, and you can't give them a damn listen? What?! I was not surprised that the other judges weren't familiar with this a cappella style, but Stockman? Sigh. Anyway, I felt that the judges were too harsh on them. There are only 6 of them, making that sound. The other groups (save Maxx Factor) have more bodies in their groups and can't rock this hard. Of COURSE they didn't have enough support in the top! There are only 6 guys, dude. If the judges could only hear Thacher (not to mention the rest of my boys), they'd keel over. Seriously.

Noteworthy from Utah

"Think" -- Aretha Franklin I've heard of this group, too, but not heard them before. I agree that it was a little bit screechy at the top, which is my usual issue with all-female a cappella groups. Heck, I had the issue when I was part of a women's choir, so it's not a catty thing.

The first group to be eliminated from these 4: Face. I was surprised about that.

Beelzebubs from Massachusetts

"Magical Mystery Tour" -- The Beatles Entertaining. Love how the judges said that they would go out of tune during the funny parts in the choreography, like "Oops. Hey! Look over there!"

Maxx Factor from Maryland

"Dancing Queen" -- ABBA Another group that I had heard of, but not heard. They were awesome! Not screechy, probably helped by the true altos. Nice sound from just 4 women singing barbershop harmonies. I really enjoyed this.

The SoCals from (duh), So Cal (alums from So Cal Vocals of USC)

"Somebody to Love" -- Queen I liked their energy. They did have a couple of intonation problems, but I still liked them. No, they're not the Glee kids, but Glee, as much as I love it, does not do a cappella, is way produced, and gets to do more than one take.

Solo from Nebraska

"Watcha Say" -- Jason Darullo Sorry, I really didn't like this group at all. Good voices, but I didn't really like the blend, such as it was.

Eliminated from this group: Solo.

I'm not really crazy about this show yet, but I'm still giving it a chance. It's only 8 episodes, so I can probably stick with the whole thing.

Here's my frustration so far: Sony is going to give a *recording contract* to one of these groups, but they pass on groups like Rockapella, The House Jacks, Tonic Sol-Fa and the like? AUGH. Of course, this is the same industry that promotes Britney Spears, so I should just shut up about actual talent, right?

Sigh.

Yes, I believe these groups are talented, don't get me wrong. It's just that their level, save maybe Maxx Factor, is not really up to snuff. Maybe they can groom them like Fox did with the AI contestants? Maybe? Please?

T-Day with D'Saints 2009

This Thanksgiving, I flew out to Bro's place for the festivities. V is not really in any condition to go on a 5-hour drive and back, so Mom & Dad drove to their place earlier in the week, and I joined them all on T-Day.


What had started out as a "Let's just go easy and order from Claim Jumper" day turned into "Well, we're cooking yams anyway, so we might as well cook other stuff." If you know my Thanksgiving tradition, I do not consider it to be actually Thanksgiving if I don't have my mom's Candied Yams. Even when we order food for dinner, we still need to have the yams. The one year we didn't, we decided that it would never happen again. Dad looked at the Sweet Potato Casserole that came with the dinner, and said, "That's ugly." It was just all WRONG.


So, anyway, Bro picked me up from PHX and we arrived at the house. Mom & Dad had ordered a Honeybaked Ham and Turkey Breast, and Mom was going to make that Green Bean Casserole that was a tradition for a lot of American families, but for us it was the 1st time with this particular recipe. Mom, V and I made the yams. V was having a hard time cutting the yams until she found the right knife, and then she was jamming away on those yams. The ham and turkey came with a special cranberry sauce and a kind of chutney, and they were both tasty. Originally, I had told my parents that since they don't like pumpkin pie, they should order both pumpkin and apple from Claim Jumper. However, since they didn't get CJ at all, they decided to get a pie while they were at Costco. Have you seen the size of their pies? They are HUGIGANT. It says that they feed 20, but it looks like it could feed 50. It took up a whole shelf in Bro's fridge. So they didn't get an apple pie in addition to it. I don't know why they didn't just order from someplace like Marie Callendar's or whatever, but I wasn't about to argue. After all, they were nice enough to get the pie that V and I liked.


Dinner was yummy and pretty low-key, except for Brady being too hyper to take the family picture properly. He was actually hyper the whole time I was there. He's really missed my parents and wants to show off as much as possible.


The rest of the time that I was there, Brady schooled my parents in Bejeweled Twist on GSN.com, as Bro schooled his Ate on the same game. I was determined to get to a certain level by the time I went to sleep, and I say to you that yes, it was accomplished. Fruit me, baby! On Friday, Brady wanted to play golf, as he did on Thursday. Bro wasn't feeling well, though, V was just being way pregnant and tired, and we needed to distract the boy, so I went out to play the game that I hate the most (I have issues). "Golf" for Brady is this: you place the ball on the ground, Brady hits it, then you go get it from wherever he hit it. Then you don't just hand it to the boy. You have to place it down on the ground. Even on the occasions where he gets the ball himself and drops it, you still have to pick it up and place it on the ground for him, I guess like a caddy. Yeah, it's pretty much a game of "Fetch". This would be OK if he didn't keep hitting it into some bushes. At one point, I went to get the ball, and scraped my knee on one of the bushes, which wasn't so much a bush but just the little trunk. It is still unattractive and bruised today. How long ago was Thanksgiving? But nobody came to my rescue, and I still had to keep playing with the boy. You know that I must love my nephew if I'm playing the dreaded golf, even while injured. We moved the game to the other side of the yard, and I limped for the rest of the weekend. Bro called me "Limpy". He loves me, yes he does.


Unfortunately, I couldn't stay the whole weekend because I had Mass on Saturday night, so I left on Saturday morning. I had been staying in the baby's room, and as I was getting ready to go, I thought to myself, "The next time I'm here, there's going to be a baby sleeping in that crib. Awwww...."

Until then, here's Brady, rockin' to some Old School jams. Enjoy.

Dance, Baby!

Last month, Liz was able to get tickets as seat fillers for "So You Think You Can Dance".  We went to the CBS lot, and didn't get into the show, but we were given Priority Seats for the next show that we could get to.  We ended up going to a delicious supper at Micelli's, and enjoyed hearing our server sing.  


We tried again the next week, and this time got in.  At first, we were going to be part of the crowd that was standing the whole time, but we were then moved up to the VIP seats, which are situated behind/above the judges.  Eventually, Liz was moved back down to the standing section as one of the actual ticket holders showed up.  I, however, got to sit there for the whole thing, and, since I was  in the front, was on camera A LOT whenever they showed the judges in a wide shot.  So much so that now Brady asks "Where's Tita Sherry?" whenever he sees an audience on TV.


I hadn't actually seen much of SYTYCD before, and the experience was quite interesting.  When the dancers perform, that's all they get is the one take.  Really.  The only second takes are from the judges and host Cat Deeley.  Oh, there was also a second take as they all danced as a group, but none of the actual competitions were done more than once.  The dancers are amazing.  


As many of my friends know, I can't bring myself to watch "American Idol", except for the finale.  I just don't like all of the negativity when it comes to my art, and it hurts me to see dreams crushed like that for vocalists.  I also tend to cringe a lot when I hear bad singing, and AI has plenty of that.  Since I'm not a dancer, a lack of technique doesn't affect me that much (although I know when I like someone's dancing), and the SYTYCD judges are much more constructive than the ones I've seen on AI.  I mean, at least the judges are actually *dancers*, so they can give good tips to the dancers.


So now I'm sucked in.  I've been watching every show since the taping that I went to, and I get sad with each person that leaves.  At the moment, I'm watching the earlier shows from this season on Fox Reality Channel, and I get to see the people that I'm familiar with from their first SYTYCD audition.  I also get sad when I see the ones that have been eliminated, because they really are all very good.  


I haven't voted at all, because I can't decide between the top 6, although I do favor Jakob and Russell.  I guess I could vote more than once, but I'm not motivated enough, I guess.  Maybe I will this week.


Good luck to all of the dancers.  I love qualities in all of the finalists, so this is going to be a tough decision for the fans.


So You Think You Can Dance?  Not really.  But I think I can sing. :)

Fanueil Day

Boston

Day 2

October 4, 2009

We woke up with no actual plans for the day, but figured that we'd take the Metro around town, in order to avoid parking and Helen woes. After checking out of the hotel, we placed our belongings in the car, looked for my umbrella at Rustic Kitchen (they didn't have it -- it must have been left in the cab), and asked the concierge for directions to the Metro station. We had a map, too, but somehow we still had a little bit of trouble trying to find it. Once we finally found the station, we made our way to the North End and Little Italy, where we could see the Old North Church.  This trip, of course, even sans Helen, was not without its own drama.  At one stop, we had to get off of the train because it was going out of service.  Then it seemed that ALL of the trains were going out of service at that one stop. We wondered if we'd ever get on a train to our destination.  We finally did, but it took a while.

Paul Revere and the Old North Church

The Old North Church is the site of "One if by land, two if by sea". We took pictures of Paul Revere on a horse, and listened to the tour guide talk about the church, which still holds regular church services. I liked that the pews were still in boxes, and that they had Hymnal 1982. This hymnal is what I used to sing out of when I sang with the Episcopal church several years ago. It's nice to see that some things don't change.

We visited the gift shop and I bought a rifle pen for someone as well as a book with Longfellow's "Paul Revere's Ride", and Cindy bought not one, but two containers of tea. One of them was made by the same company that made the tea that was dumped into the harbor during the Boston Tea Party. For some reason, the merchants felt the need to tell Cindy that it wasn't the ACTUAL tea that was dumped. Because that would be really old and Eeeeeewwww. How stupid did they think we were? Whatever.

While walking about town, we passed by Paul Revere's house. We would have gone inside if 1) it didn't cost anything and 2) we had time for an actual tour and 3) they would let us take pictures. Well, maybe we would have paid if they'd let us take pictures, but no, so we just took pictures of the outside. We were hungry, and looked for a place that would serve brunch, but in Little Italy, most of the restaurants were, you guessed it, ITALIAN, and they didn't seem to have brunch-y stuff on the menu.


But then we found Vinoteca di Monica.   The menu posted indicated that they had brunch items, and I wondered if they'd have French Toast, even though they were an Italian restaurant.  Well, lo and behold, they did, but when I asked the server what he recommended between my choices, he, the man with the very Italian accent, of course, chose the Italian dish, Bruschetta con Uovo e Prosciutto.  Cindy chose the Uovo Qualsiasi Stile, which was like a regular breakfast, except for the Rustic Bread that we kept finding this weekend.  Whatever.  We very much enjoyed our meals, and were able to sit by the open window and watch people go by.  That was very pleasant.

Sher at Vinoteca di Monica

Now nice and full, we ventured out again and made our way to Faneuil Hall, where many orators spoke about the British, which led to the colonies' independence.  I told Cindy that the name of the baseball stadium is called "Fenway Park" because the Bostonians just couldn't spell "Faneuil" correctly, so they simplified it.  Yeah, I made that up.  It's wrong, according to Wiki, but I like my explanation better. :)   We also did the touristy marketplace, where Cindy somehow refrained from buying a plush lobster. I didn't find anything pewter that I really wanted & could afford, which was my shopping goal there.  Oh, well.

Inside Faneuil Hall

We walked to the harbor, and it was just a really nice day to walk around and plan our next trips to Boston. :)  Cindy talked about riding the Salem to Ferry, but I think she was confused at the moment.  Perhaps the next time I come to Boston, I can have more time to do that, because I'm really interested in that part of history, too.  Boston is just a really cool place to learn about our nation's history.  If only it wasn't so far away and cold a lot of the time, I'd visit more often. That and the fact that I won't want to go during Lakers season.  Yeah, that's what I call it.  At least in Boston I do.

Pretty Day in Boston

We walked around a lot before finding the metro station where we could catch our train back to the hotel.  Luckily for us, Helen was in a good mood from her 24-hour rest, and she led us back to Logan despite a ton of road closures.  We would have been completely lost if we had followed a regular map.  So Helen ended up redeeming herself in a big, big way, and we were on time to board our flight, even having some time to get some pizza from Wolfgang Puck's to eat on the plane. 


For Cindy's view of the day, go here. 


Our flight home was a pleasant one.  I tried to sleep a little bit, since I needed to wake up early the next morning for yet another flight to Sacramento for business.  Cindy happily watched football on the way home.


Thanks, Cindy, for accompanying me on this trip, and for our great weekend together.  

Da Boyz in Boston, and Other Yumminess

Rockapella in Boston -- Day 1

Berklee Performance Center

Saturday, October 3, 2009

"The Faintest Ink is Mightier than the Strongest Memory"

I can't remember where on this trip I got the above quote, but isn't it lovely? It's especially poignant today as I write this trip report more than 2 months after the event actually happened.

I woke up from my comfortable bed and took my time getting ready. Cindy had kindly scheduled her flight to arrive in the afternoon at Logan, which allowed me plenty of time to drive back to Boston. I checked Cindy's flight status ( a good idea, as she was going to land earlier than originally scheduled) and pre-programmed Helen so as to minimize the screaming fits in the car. I looked outside at my not-really-beautiful view of the city of Hartford, and saw that it was raining, as per the forecast. It was a light rain, though, and I didn't have that bad of a drive back to Boston.

I stopped at a rest area for a few minutes for a pit stop and to make sure that Helen was still talking to me. She was, and once the rain calmed down a bit, I got back on the road. At one of the toll plazas, I went to the EZ Pass line, and the light said "Low Bal" for my transponder, so I didn't go through those lines again, for fear that I'd get stopped and would have to go to traffic court in Massachusetts. Helen wanted me to take some weird way that looked on the map to go straight into the bay. I decided to follow my printed instructions instead and she continued to yell at me. I got there just fine without her, thankyouverymuch. I parked in the cell phone lot and waited for Cindy's call. When she called, the two of us were confused about where she was actually standing, as I drove over to Terminal A and couldn't find her. She was APPARENTLY at a different section of the Terminal A pickup spaces. They really need to do something about that. When I finally found Cindy, I introduced her to Helen, and we made our way to the hotel. At the toll gate, the guy there happened to see Cindy's Genesis shirt and made a comment. The exchange was completely hilarious to me, not because I agree with either one of them, but because we never asked for his opinion, and Cindy was clearly miffed. It was the curse of Helen, I'm sure. You're just not allowed to be completely happy when she's in the car.

Since I had a real live navigator in the car, I wanted to stop listening to Helen, and preferred to listen to Cindy instead. She, however, had directions to the Best Western, where we originally had our reservations, and not the Radisson, where we were actually staying. Luckily for the two of us, I had the printed directions and Helen to help us. We parked the car and took our luggage in for check-in. Boston must be one of those old places that doesn't need to worry about ADA laws, because there were a couple of stairs to take to get to the front desk. No ramp. Kind of a pain, people, when we have luggage. Anyway, I realized that I hadn't brought in my ticket for the parking structure, and was advised to just bring it in later, and they gave me a pass that was good until 6pm of our check-out day. We went up to our room, and I placed my toiletries on the right side of the sink, telling Cindy that it would be my side. She was confused because she's not used to staying with people who claim sides. I just figured it was polite so that people wouldn't be all over each other's stuff. She's been married too long and shares everything with hubby, I guess. While Cindy took a shower, I decided to deal with the parking pass, since I had also left my phone in the car. I went to the structure, got to the car, and realized that I didn't have my damn car key. I mean, how did I expect to get the ticket out of the car? DUH! So I went back to the room to get the car key and properly dealt with the situation. The whole thing took about 10 minutes because it was check-in time and the elevators were full,and the parking structure elevator wasn't exactly quick. Cindy came out of the shower and wondered why it sounded like I left twice. Well, because I did. Craziness. I got in touch with Pamela, and she agreed to meet us for dinner. I had seen a sign in my multiple times to the parking elevator that advertised for Rustic Kitchen, so I figured I could offer that as a dining option. *Some* good had to come from all of that exercise to the car!


We got ready for the show and went downstairs and across the driveway to Rustic Kitchen for dinner. I had been wanting some Clam Chowder because we were in Boston, and didn't think that I'd be able to get it there since it was an Italian restaurant. They did have it on special, though, and I ordered some of that, which came with bread sticks that looked like chopsticks. I also ordered a Red Wine Sangria and a Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese and Shrimp. All of it was quite tasty. Cindy enjoyed her Swordfish with Lobster Mashed Potatoes and Broccolini, and Pamela enjoyed her Caesar salad in Parmesan Shell with Steak. They also had the Clam Chowder, and we all agreed that it was delicious and clammy. The restaurant itself had an alcove that is the site of "The Cooking Show" that airs in Boston. We could see the kitchen and chairs for the set, and I wished that I could watch it actually happen, so I could taste the food. Cindy has a review of the restaurant here.

Cindy & Sher at Rustic Kitchen

We took a taxi to the Berklee Performance Center, and got there in time, thanks to the driver's knowledge of the city. Cindy & I were seated in the first row of seats after the break in the Orchestra section. It was really dark where we were seated, so my notes from that evening might be lost in translation, but here goes...


Tonight: Scott said that he was a player from the Red Sox. Since I don't follow baseball, I didn't know who he was talking about. There was a really long pause before the final "Tonight".


4U4Now4Life: My notes say something about a "party in (something)". Kevin went to get some water during the song. There is a new Vocal Percussion section before the "gunpowder" verse.


Scott said that the Red Sox are in the playoffs down the street, and he likes coming to Boston because of the weather. Jeff's first Rockapella concert was on the Berklee stage, and he is an alumnus of Berklee, so Jeff knew that night 15 years ago that he was doing the right thing. Awww, cool!


Scott said that JT is the Rumble Neath Fenway, as they did the roll-up for Zip. There was a little bit of extra George in there when Kevin kind of lost one of his words. That's our Kevin!


Got to Get You Into My Life: There's Ross, running around the theater, taking pictures! Hi, Ross!


Stand By Me


Use Me: Scott was hanging the microphone above him. We got the Beat in Beantown! I don't know why, but Scott hit John on the head.


Kevin then said that at this time of year, there are a lot of people from the Boston area in Florida, due to the weather. He told his story about going to Hooters on the way to the family reunion. Then he said that at the family reunion, there are people thy don't know all that well. They were talking about the trip. Kevin went to get a drink, and the girls said, "We went to Hooters!" Kevin came back to the table and the women were like, "Hooters, huh?" So it was a good trip, they had good chicken wings. Kevin said then that "at the beach, all the New England men can wear their, you know, their trousers." Trousers?! He's so funny.


Under the Boardwalk: "You can smell the Hooter's Wings and French Fries they sell..." Oh, Kevin, I'm going to miss your stories, as well as this: "You in your Speedo, oh yes, I remember it well."


Tell Me What You Want
Scott sarcastically talked about the Bostonians spending time at Berklee, the inexpensive public school..


California Sad-Eyed Girl
Scott said that they found Kevin "when he was playing Jesus, Joseph, the Baby Mary, and Tiny Tim. Did I leave anything out?"
Kevin: "Annie"
Scott: "Isn't that what you're leaving us for?"
Kevin: "They're doing the 50th anniversary with Annie."
Scott: "Broadway is nice, but with Rockapella, Hooters whenever you want. No questions asked."


Kevin said that Scott's been in Rockapella for "17? 18 years?"
Scott: "Seventy."
Kevin: "Seventy. Since the 40s."


Paper Doll: Scott said that this is "what we sounded like when we first started in the 30s."
I love the way that JT and Geo look at each other during their wicked part. Their rhythm section is like no other.


Rock the Boat: John was ON FIRE! JT, too.


Prior to becoming this original legendary a cappella group that we've become...
Jingle Medley: For Al the Weatherman, Scott blew on his pitch pipe twice...pause..."How does this song go?"


John asked us, "Do you want to hear some more music?" He asked again. "No? Good night."


My Girl: Jessica
Kevin regarding Scott: "Did he just make you touch his nipple?" (Sherry screams inside..or was that aloud?). He then riffed on Jessica's boyfriend, who was taking video. "You let him film you after 6 months?!" We don't meet people everywhere who really like Penn State, which is why we don't do this song that much."
"Oh, Jessica, smile you're on YouTube. Oh, Jessica, Jessica, Penn State Woman. That's it." -- I'm going to miss Kevin's songs.


Ain't Too Proud to Beg
Jessica patted John on the head, and then hit Scott accidentally.


Have Faith
Yay! I love that extended jam session, and hearing Kevin sing my line one last time: "You ain't makin' music when you know what note is next." (sniff!)


Geo said that he was Whitney Houston's stunt double.
Papa Was A Rolling Stone
Seriously, John was on FIRE! Even on the VP!


Where in the World is Carmen SanDiego?


Encore:
Shambala
Scott: "Kevin is wanted in Florida for Under Age Hooters. He's opening a Hooter's dance hall."


Zombie Jamboree
Kevin stopped as usual, and Scott was still grunting: "Grrr...grrr...grrr". He was behind Kevin at the time and asked Kev, "What's wrong, ZombieKev?"
Kevin: "Please don't make that sound when you're in back of me."
Scott: "I have so few opportunities left, I feel the truth can be said."
HILARIOUS. Even the "Back to Back" was just hysterical because of that. Probably one of the funniest Zombies EVER.


Up On The Roof/What A Wonderful World -- off mic
Scott does a great woodblock sound.


After the show, I talked to MJ and Ross, and asked him for the pics from my evening as Pretty Woman for a little project I want to do for Kevin. Does it surprise you that I could supply him with the actual date? Pamela saw my shoes, and loved them, and this is why she's my new best friend. We took some pictures of each other in the upstairs lobby while we waited for the line to diminish a bit.

Pamela lovin' my shoes

While in the line for Meet and Greet, we met Robin from Northern CA, and told her we'd see her in Malibu. Ross saw that I was taking video of Cindy requesting that Kevin sign the book that he "wrote", and took my camera from me, so that he could capture the moment for me. If you've never heard me babbling through a Meet & Greet, here's your opportunity.

Interpretation: Cindy gave Kevin the Ron Jeremy book to sign, and he remembered a little bit. Jeff was like, "You soo have to sign that!" I retold the story so they'd remember. Jeff asked me if it was worth the long trip. I said, "Of course, especially to see you on YOUR stage!" and he gave me a big hug. I then told John that he was on fire.

We somehow hailed a cab after some difficulty, and went back to the hotel. We were still too wired to sleep, so we asked the doorman for some advice on where to go. Pamela ended up having a crush on the Bostonian Russian Doorman, whom told us to try Finale, as it was only 2 blocks away.

Well, that was the best dang advice we took on this trip! Finale is appropriately open for the late hours, and we had a little time to wait and get more hungry. I ordered a 2008 Michele Chieclo Moscato D'Asti "Nivole" from Piedmont, Italy. I love Moscato, and this one was a sparkling one, which I had never tried before. It was delicious. It being a dessert wine, it went perfect with our Retro Chocolate Plate. The Milk Chocolate Banana Pyramid with cinnamon-spiced banana cream was my favorite. The Sensational S'more with Finale Graham Crackers made me not want another regular s'more again. The Peanut Butter & Jelly Truffles and Chocolate Pretzels were delightful. Then there was the Chocolate Florentine with the Malted Milk Ball Gelato: yum! We enjoyed the Mini-Whoopie Pies, which are a Bostonian thang. The Molten Chocolate Cake was, for Pamela, "orgasmic". We had also added a Boston Cream with Vanilla Gelato, which Cindy loved. I decided that I wanted to lick the Banana Chocolate Pyramid thing off of someone. Cindy guessed exactly who I was thinking of. (Well, at least one of them). :) "A good friend is one who knows who you're licking stuff off of," according to Pamela. All of the innuendo took Pamela and me into a conversation about watching Rockapella's ... pants, which took Cindy by surprise, but she didn't object to the conversation or anything. A party of 4 people sat next to us, and I tried to tell them what we ordered so that they'd stop staring, but they just kept staring. Um, lady. I'm trying to be friendly here. Cindy's review of Finale can be found here.

Anyway, we had a marvelous time. Pamela's doorman wasn't there when we returned, unfortunately. We walked her to her car and she showed us where she had changed her clothes for the evening, and bid her a safe drive home.

Finale was a perfect end to a wonderful day. Thank you to Cindy, Pamela and Rockapella for the great time. Especially for the Zombies that only y'all can be.

Little LEGO Legends

I have yet to complete my trip report from the trip to Boston, but I just HAD to share this with you!  (er, whomever, y'all are)


Remember that LEGO figure of Mark Twain from my time in Connecticut?


Well, here is a mini-MT, along with other historical figures.


My favorite is Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.  I love those Tudors!


Yes, Mom, that's LEGO, too.

The Celebration Continues

When the Houston Rockets played the Lakers at Staples Center last night, Trevor Ariza was awarded his NBA Championship Ring.  He brought his son along with him.







What a nice moment!


Thank you, Trevor, for your great help in helping my favorite team win its 15th championship!

DLR LotD 11/15/09

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Sunday, November 15, 2009

"OK.  I've had enough of those balloons." -- Repeated  multiple times by mother of birthday girl, who then allowed her daughter to walk around with them anyway, blocking others' view of Tiana's Showboat Jubilee at the Rivers of America

Helen takes Sher to Hartford

Rockapella at Lincoln Theater/University of Hartford

Friday, October 2, 2009

West Hartford, CT

When Kevin announced that he would be leaving Rockapella, I decided that I wanted to see them as much as I could before his last show.  Cindy turned to the Dark Side and decided that she wanted to go, too, so we decided to go to Boston.  I had Friday off anyway due to furloughs, so I figured that I could see two shows in one trip.  Unfortunately, I had to do the 1st part of the trip by myself, but I had fun anyway, as you'll see. :)

I took a red-eye flight on JetBlue out of LAX on Thursday night.  The flight attendants offered a Sleep Kit, which included an eye mask and earplugs.  That's nice!  I didn't use it, but I kept it for whenever I'd need it.  I had an aisle seat, and the man next to me asked if I would switch seats with his wife, whom was also in a middle seat, but I declined.  It's too long of a flight for me to be uncomfortable, sorry, and I chose my seat a while ago.  I remember when I was on a choir tour and we were flying back from overseas, and Rudy asked someone to switch seats with his "fiancee" so that we could sit together.  That person was nice enough to switch with me, so I felt a little bit guilty this time.  But back then, we didn't get to choose our seats in advance, and I think that I'm the one that ended up in the middle seat that day.  Dude slept for most of the flight anyway, probably for longer than I did.  I wanted chocolate chip cookies for my snack, but the flight attendant said that they needed to get more from the galley.  This never happened.  I don't know if it was because the flight was a little bit turbulent and they forgot about me or what, but they also didn't come down the aisle with the hot towels that they announced about over the PA system.  I got to Boston without any major problems, though, so that's a good thing.

We arrived at Logan Airport in the morning, and I went to Alamo to pick up my rental car.  I spied a PT Cruiser, and hoped that it was available for me since I had driven one before.  The agent at the desk was very nice, and I asked for a GPS.  When I asked about the toll booths, he said that I could rent a transponder for the EasyPay lanes, which would be good for the whole weekend, so I opted for that as well.  I was allowed to choose my own car, so that PT Cruiser was mine!  It was white, so it wasn't as pretty as the PFCV, but at least I didn't have  to learn to drive a different vehicle for the drive to CT.  

I was advised not to turn on the GPS until after I got out of the tunnels, since it wouldn't work in there anyway.  I followed the agent's directions and set up the address ahead of time, and turned it on as soon as I was in open air.  Well, the darn thing kept stalling.  Luckily for me, I had also printed directions before I left home, so I didn't panic.  There I was all alone in my car, strange area to me, and getting frustrated with the GPS.  I needed to think of a name for her, as several of my friends have named their personal GPS.  The name "Helen" came into my head, probably because I already felt like I was in Hell with the dang thing.  So Helen it was named.  I stopped at a rest area, one of the fancier ones with restaurants and gift shops.  I decided to do as the Easterners do and have Dunkin' Donuts coffee with a pumpkin muffin for breakfast.  Aside from naming Helen and yelling at her to stop sleeping and guide me already, I spent my drive time admiring the fall colors along the highway.  It was pretty, and I wished that the rest areas had some of the nice scenery so that I could take pictures.  I mean, I couldn't ask Helen to do anything other than the job that she already wasn't doing.  She was too busy giving me the silent treatment.

Once I arrived in Connecticut, I stopped at the Welcome Center, which was quite small and old, just like the state is small and old.  I was going to arrive in Hartford early, and needed to find something to do before check-in time.  The Visitors Guide mentioned the Mark Twain House, so I figured I'd go there.  That is, if Helen would let me.  Well, she got me there just fine, but I couldn't figure out where to park.  It took some driving around and Helen now yelling at *me*, but I finally found the correct entrance.  

I arrived just in time for the next tour.  Mark Twain lived in Hartford because that was where the big publishing houses were.  He lived next to Harriet Beecher Stowe, but they were of different generations, so they didn't exactly hang out together.  (I could have toured the Stowe house as well, but I was tired and wanted to get to the hotel).  He lived there with his wife and 3 daughters.  The property has recently undergone a major refurbishment.  It was beautiful inside, with intricate decor and our tour guide was quite knowledgeable.  We were all surprised when she told us afterward that we were her very first tour, because she did really, really well, fielding questions and providing trivia.  Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside, but here it is from the outside.

Clemens Home

I walked around the Visitors Center for awhile.  LEGO was one of the sponsors of the renovation, and they did a LEGO Mark Twain.  I kept singing to myself, "Mark Twain" a la the boat at Disneyland.  If any of you had been there with me, you know I would have sung it out loud.

LEGO Mark Twain

I bought "A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court" for myself, as well as a picture book of the house itself, since I couldn't take any pictures inside.  Then I went to the hotel.  I stayed at the Hilton in Hartford, and my room was nice, with a very comfortable bed.  I took a short nap before getting ready for the show, then I had dinner at the M&M Cafe downstairs.  The food was OK, and I realized that I still don't like bleu cheese.  

Then Helen and I made our way to the University of Hartford.  We had a hard time getting there, what with Helen giving me the silent treatment half the time.  It was dark, and since it was a University, I needed to find my own way to the Lincoln Theater.  At one point, I thought that I had arrived with a few minutes to spare, so I parked the car, and walked quickly to the theater, where there were guys in tuxes standing outside.  I asked them if I was at the right place, but no.  They told me where to go and suggested that I come back to watch them in the orchestra if I was too late for Rockapella.  As much as I love orchestral music, I don't think I would have been a happy audience member if I drove all the way to CT for No Pella.  

When I got to the Lincoln Theater, I saw that there were a lot of people standing outside.  I picked up my ticket at Will Call, and was told that the performers were late, so the doors weren't open yet.  Phew!  I made it!  I had pictured myself running down the stairs to my seat in the front row and the guys giving me a hard time, but I dodged that bullet.  They finally opened the doors about a half-hour after the scheduled show time, then we had to wait until everyone was seated before the show would start.  The configuration of microphones on stage was different than I'm used to, so I figured that there must be an opening act of either a couple of guitar players or a group that included little people.  

Someone walked on stage and said that it was Parents' Weekend and Homecoming, so he was happy that Rockapella was there to entertain and support their benefit (a portion of the Rockapella CD sales went to the benefit), which was for local non-profit agencies.  The opening act ended up being L'Shir, U of H's premier a cappella group, which included 10 men and 8 women, none of whom were little people.  Their repertoire included "Love the One You're With", a song that I think is called "Peace of Mind", "Put Your Records On" and "Love That Remains the Same".  They did a great job, and I wondered if they watch "Glee".  We had an intermission after that.  I texted Angela, and told her to rub her (pregnant) belly and kiss her son Tyler for me.  She told me to kiss Pella for her and rub their bellies, too.

The guy that introduced L'Shir earlier returned to the stage to announce Rockapella.  I saw Scott walking on the stage a little bit early, not realizing that someone was going to introduce them first.  Scott APPARENTLY didn't get the memo:  he was the ony one wearing a light-colored suit, and the others were in dark colors.

Tonight

Scott introduced himself as Chris Dodd.  I realized that this is one of the last times I'll see Kevin, and already got a little bit teary.

4U 4Now 4Life:  I love this song, and at one point I was screaming inside "OMG, I LOVE THEM!!!"  I have realizations like that once in awhile. ;)  Some people in the audience were from Springfiled, MA, home of Basketball.  Scott said to them, "You braved the state line!"  He then introduced the band, saying that JT's throat mics were used to pick up the rumble 'neath West Hartford.  

ZIP

Got To Get You Into My Life:  I thought to myself, "You know, Scott's an awesome arranger."  See?  Realizations.

Stand By Me, which is when JT gets to take a break.  As I looked for JT, I saw that there was a guy watching from the sidelines, and wondered if he was the new guy.  I think he was just security, though.

Use Me:  Kevin's ring fell off during the stepping, rolled around, and he picked it up with a little smile and put it in his pocket.  During his high note, Scott just stopped using his microphone, and Kevin was laughing at him.  I'm really going to miss Kevin's laughing at the other guys.

Kevin told us the story of driving from Florida to Michigan for his wife's family reunion.  He didn't make any plans for different stops, just thinking that they'd figure stuff out as they went along.  They got hungry after a while, and Kevin looked around, saying to the girls, "We've got McDonald's, Wendy's..." and the girls said from the back, "HOOTERS!"  Kevin looked at his wife, then said, "We're not going to Hooters."  His wife repeated it.  But then the girls began to chat "Hoo-ters! Hoo-ters!" and Kevin said to Amy, "Well, they've got the best chicken wings," and the kids got their way.  When one of his daughters saw the waitress, she said to Kevin, "Dad, she's really pretty."  Kevin replied, "She's not that pretty," trying to avoid Amy's stare.  He said, "You've got to watch what you say in there.  I tried to just look at the TV and on the game."  

Under The Boardwalk:  Kevin sang, "You can almost taste the Hooters wings and french fries they sell."  At the end, he said, "Thank you for going to Florida one last time with me."  And I started tearing up again.

Tell Me What You Want

Wait.  Maybe that's John's ring, because Kevin was talking to him about it.

They brought their seats upstage, and Scott noticed that his had some water on it.  "Refreshing! It's like a peppermint patty on your butt."  He asked Kev, "Did you wet your seat as well?"  Then they all noticed that the stools spun around.  Scott said, "Oh my God, this is a good spinner.  It's like some kind of college secret stuff.  I'm getting dizzy!"

California Sad-Eyed Girl:  OK, I'm crying now.

Scott said that Kevin was in several Andrew Lloyd Webber shoes, er..shows.  Kevin said, "He's got nice shoes."  Kevin has also been in "Into the Woods", as the first Jack of Jack & the Beanstalk of the national tour.  I wish that I had seen that.  Kevin said about Scott," I like to say that he has the hair of corn.  You can make a lot of ethanol on that hair."  The mascot for U of H is the Hawks.  Kev said, "Hawks can hear really, really high notes, too," looking at Scott.

Paper Doll:  JT began to spin his chair around during Geo's wicked bass part, then they all did a ripple of chair spinning at the end of the song.  It was hilarious.

Rock the Boat:  Geo did an extra point for "Do the Hustle" and cracked himself up.

Jingle Medley:  "You ain't nothin' but an ointment (for my bottom)" -- I had never heard that part in the parentheses before.  Cute!

My Girl:  John chose Jill,  Kevin asked her for her sign in his high voice.  Jill was brought to the show by her boyfriend, Mike.  Kev:  "Is he a cool guy?"  Jill: "He's all right."  Kev: "Wow."  They've been together 6 months.  Mike has seen Rockapella 4 times, and convinced Jill to come to a show.  Kev:  "You didn't come the other times?  'Cause what?  You thought we sucked?"  Jill is a dental student.  Kev:  "I would go to Jill for my dentistry."  He sang, "Oh, Jill..I've got a toothache.  Oh, Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill -- OW!"  Kev cracks me up.

Ain't Too Proud to Beg:  It took a while for Scott to get Jill to dance, and she still wasn't really dancing when it go to Kevin's turn. 

Geo sang "I Will Always Love You".  He said that, "Being the bass of Rockapella, you have to be cool all the time.  My job is to make the ladies' seats rumble." So we screamed.  "So I walk around like this.  This is called The Dip, y'all."

Papa Was A Rolling Stone

Carmen:  JT backed into his little stage after his solo.

Encore:

Shambala

Up On The Roof/Wonderful World:  Somebody's cell phone rang between the penultimate and last notes of the song.  Scott said to Kevin, "Was that a cell phone?" before singing the last note.  I wanted to throw that person's cell phone away.  I mean, Hello, Dummy.  

Meet and Greet

There was a picture of a carousel in the lobby.  It's too bad that there wasn't a picture of a ferris wheel as well, so that I could show the guys the difference.  I talked to Fred, and he asked why I was there.  I told him that it's a state that starts with a "C", so I had to be there.  Fred said that the guys were only a little bit late.  The show started late because there was a problem with the electronic ticket readers at the door. 

I couldn't tell which way the line was going, and neither did anyone else.  I went to the table where L'Shir was selling their CDs, bought one for myself and complimented them.  Yes, they love Glee and schedule their rehearsals around it.  :)  One woman was telling a L'Shir member that she should go on American Idol, and I told her to just audition for Glee.  

I met Pamela, whom had driven in from Ohio.  She was very nice, and we took pictures of each other with Rockapella.  For some reason, she doesn't think I'm psycho.  Perhaps she will after she reads this.  

The guys were surprised and pleased to see me, even JT!  I told them that I'd be in Boston tomorrow.  I asked the guys if they could please sing CSEG for Kev's last show in CA, and especially asked Kevin.  They all said yes, and Scott said, "Of course!"  John wondered why they wouldn't be singing it anyway, and Scott informed him that it would be a holiday show.  I told them that I had seen the Temptations, and they asked how it was.  JT had seen the show, too, and said it was great.  I told them that they don't do enough of the rolling-arms motion, and John said that it would be difficult while holding microphones. I told them all that I just met Pamela and  that I like her.  They said that Pamela is cool and they like her, too.  I totally forgot to rub their bellies and kiss them, but maybe then Pamela would think I was psycho, so perhaps that was a good thing that it didn't happen.  As IF I'd have the nerve to do that!  :)   They were already in picture-taking formation, so here we are.

JT's family was in town, and they were going to go to The Cheesecake Factory afterward.  Scott said that he was too full to go.  I said, "Full?  Of what?  Potato chips and Diet Mountain Dew?"  He said yes.  I told him that I wanted to shove a cake down his throat, but knew that it wouldn't go anywhere.  He laughed.  See his happy smile?

Sher & Scott  ... and some guy

I told Scott that he missed the memo on the suit colors.  He said that during the shows in the summer, John called him a snowman because he was wearing a white linen suit with a pink shirt, and all of the others were wearing black.  

I told Kevin that I'm crying already, but I'm happy for him.  I talked to him about his website, and the pictures of his straight hair.  He said that it was actually a wig, but perhaps his hair would have looked like that because it was long.  I pictured Kevin using a hair straightener for hours before each show.

Pamela and I chatted for a long time, and exchanged numbers so that we could keep in touch.  We were mostly chatting for a long time because Pella was taking pictures in the lobby with L'Shir, and we couldn't leave. She's going to tomorrow's show, so I hoped that I would see her then.

Helen somehow got me home in the dark, but not without a little bit of yelling again.  I swear, she hates me.

Rather than end this post with negativity, here is a happy moment for you to see.

Awww...Sher & Kev

Frozen No Longer

For Posterity:

A month or so ago, I got to get dressed up all pretty.

I was able to briefly see this guy in person, and tell him, "I love you!!!" quite emphatically.  He said, "Thank you very much!"

I was happy for the rest of the day.  A few years ago, when he passed by me, I just froze.  Not many people can make me do that.  But this time was different.  I only wish that I had time to tell him about Gloomy Bear. :)

Absolutely MJ

I didn't feel like doing the passing-out-candy thing this year, so Mox, Linda and I spent Hallowe'en together at the mall. We had dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, where I ordered my favorite, the Luau Salad.  When I arrived, one of the employees quickly pushed open the big door, almost hitting me in the face.  She ended up being our server, and said the word "Absolutely" at the end of every stop at our table. 
Her: "Is everything tasting OK?" 
Us: "Yes." 
Her:  "Absolutely."
I asked my friends to say the word to her sometime during the evening, and Linda quickly said it to her as the last word of our dinner time.  She, of course, was oblivious and probably didn't hear Linda because she was rushing around so much.  Thanks anyway, Linda!

I had thought of watching a Hallowe'en-ish movie, but sometime during the day, I realized that I wanted to see "Michael Jackson's This Is It" while it was still in theaters.  My companions graciously obliged. 

• What an exciting moment for those auditioning to be the dancers for the show!  They flew in from around the world for the chance to dance on stage with Michael, and just to have the audition was mind-blowing to them.  I would have felt the same.  I can't even imagine what it would feel like to hear Michael saying to the others in the production company, "She's the one."  I mean, WOW.
• The principal dancers were mostly male, and they were great.  I had seen them dancing on The Ellen Degeneres Show early this week, and enjoyed seeing them dance, doing the moves that were influenced by MJ.  I was not impressed by one of the gals, whom really just stood there and looked sexy, with rhythm.  I mean, *I* could have done that!  Move your feet, more!  She danced much more during the film, though. 
• As good as all of those dancers were, when MJ was on the stage, he made everything look effortless.  The guys were noticeably working their butts off, and he, at twice their age, would just move like the music flowed through every inch of his body.  I mean, you can have a million people dancing "Thriller," but my eyes will always focus on Michael, because it's all him.  More amazing was the fact that we knew that MJ was saving his energy, what performers term "marking", because it was rehearsals that we were watching.  Even knowing that, he still out-danced everyone else.
• I loved hearing him sing a cappella, in little bits and pieces of songs in order to demonstrate what he wanted from the musicians.  His voice was beautiful.  I wasn't crazy about his duet during "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" because my ear was telling me he was flat, but again, it was rehearsal, and he was marking at the time.  When he started jamming with the female vocalist, though, he got into the groove, then told Kenny Ortega not to let him do that, because he was supposed to be saving his voice.  Kenny told him that he knows MJ can't help it anyway.  It's hard to hold back when you're a performer and you know that people are watching you.
• I had avoided a lot of the news coverage surrounding MJ's death, because I didn't want to deal with that sadness.  It started hitting me, though, when they were rehearsing the Jackson 5 segment of the show, and he sang "I'll Be There".  What an amazing talent we were able to witness, from when he was that little boy until now.  And now I'm finally crying about it as I type this.  Yes, his legacy will be marred by several things, but I prefer to remember him as that little boy with the angelic voice that blew me away when he did the Moonwalk on the Motown Anniversary Special.
• I'll also remember him for those awesome videos that he produced.  And there he was, producing more videos for those same already-awesome ones as lead-ins to the live songs.  My favorite one was for "Smooth Criminal", which is a song I really like anyway, but the editing was great.  I also enjoyed the "Thriller" piece.  There's a big black widow spider that comes on stage, and MJ comes out from underneath it.  Neato.
• I enjoyed seeing how MJ worked with the musicians, saying that the music needs to be what the fans are used to hearing from the records.  Because he's so hands-on with the production of everything, he remembers every note.  Not all artists can accomplish that, and certainly not all of those with a repertoire as big as Jackson's.  He knows what the fans want to hear, and he wants to give it to them. 
• That female guitarist rocked the hell out of her axe.  I mean, Damn, Girl!
• I liked seeing all of the different sets.  They were going to have ghosts flying above the audience for "Thriller"; they had a silhouette of NYC a la "West Side Story" for "The Way You Make Me Feel"; and they had dancers popping out from beneath the stage, like bread from a toaster, for a few songs. 
• I loved it every time he said, "That's why we have rehearsal" whenever somebody didn't do whatever it was that he wanted.  That, and "It's all for the love."  So absolutely MJ.
• My favorite part was "Billie Jean".  That man can dance.  I liked seeing the reaction from the dancers, the "extensions of Michael", as they watched from the audience.  They were all going crazy, as they watched their idol do his signature moves.  I mean, hello.  The man that you've been trying to dance like for all of your life is *practicing* those moves in front of you!  O.M.G. 
• Whoever said that the man was frail during those days before his death needs to see this.  No frail man can do those dance moves.  Plenty of healthy people can't do them.  Nor would they have the energy to scream that signature "AAAAAHHHH!" as many times as he does, or do everything over and over again, to get it right.
• The female vocalist said that her first performance in front of an audience was "Man in the Mirror" as a little girl, and now she gets to sing it with Michael Jackson himself.  What a wonderful feeling that must be!
• I really enjoyed this film, because the musician in me loves to see the artistic process.  I love seeing stuff develop into whatever's going to be eventually performed for the audience.  I love seeing the wheels turn during the creative process.  It's mesmerizing to me.  Yeah, rehearsal can be a pain because of the repetition, but when done right, the results can be everything you wanted them to be.  I know that's why MJ is labeled as a Perfectionist.  You would be, too, if millions of people expected nothing less than brilliance.  That's what he would have given them.

We topped off our evening with a stop at Nubi, a self-serve yogurt place.  Linda and I got pumpkin flavor, so we were happy.  They didn't have candy corn topping, but that's OK.  The evening was fun enough without it.  Oh, and we did get to see some Hallowe'en in our movie:  "Thriller"!  I think that Gloomy and Diego (Skelanimal Bat dressed as a vampire) enjoyed the movie, too.

Thanks for the fun, guys.