High-Kickin' It

I know, I know.  Here I am, writing about an a cappella group, and it's not Rockapella, and I still haven't written about Napa.  That will come in due time.


Last night, I saw Ladysmith Black Mambazo at the Lewis Family Playhouse in Rrrrrancho Cucamonga.  If you're not familiar with the Spike Lee documentary "Do It A Cappella", you may have heard them on Paul Simon's "Graceland" CD.  I haven't seen them perform live before.


LBM is a South Afircan group founded by Joseph Shabalala back in 1960.  He's still the leader of the group, and can still do a few high kicks! Amazing.


I don't know most of the song titles, so I won't be doing a set list for this show.  

•   I like the soothing tone of their voices.
•   I loved seeing the dancing and the kick lines.  They kick high!  I would have fallen down trying to do those moves.
• Two guys in the front row (I was in the 2nd row) were obviously big fans, and were encouraging the guys to kick higher.  Later on, when Joseph Shabalala was pointing to people in the audience to join them on stage, these two guys went up there and danced, too.  They couldn't kick as high as the guys in LBM, but I applauded their efforts.  Two other men joined them on stage and tried to do the kicks, too.  That whole part was funny.
• They were promoting their Grammy-nominated CD, "Songs from a Zulu Farm", so we got to hear songs about a rooster, a duck, and a bad donkey, among others.  I bought that CD.  
• The only song that I was familiar with during the show was "Homeless", which they had sung on the "Graceland" CD.
• For their encore, they asked us to sing along if we knew the song.  It ended up being "Old Macdonald had a farm."  
• I really liked the shirts that they wore after intermission, because they had different animals on the lower portion, as well as on the back, covering their butt.  I was amused by the lion butts.
• Joseph's youngest son, Thamsanqa, seems to be the one that's being groomed to take over the leadership of the group.  He's cute!  I liked how he smacked his own butt when he danced at one point.  
• One of the guys kept acting like he was in pain from all of the moves, but he did end up doing some high kicks later on.  He signed my CD.
• i wish I knew all the guys names, so that I could write down the names of the 2 guys that signed my CD.  At this moment, you can see the picture on their home page.  The 2 guys that signed were the guy on the right of the top row, and the 2nd guy from the right in the bottom row.

I was able to go out for dessert at The Cheesecake Factory with Jeff and Wendy, who had volunteered at the theatre that night.  None of us actually had cheesecake.  But the Godiva Chocolate Brownie Sundae was quite yummy.  Thanks for the company, J&W!

Quelle heure est-il?

I was going to see "Midnight in Paris" in the theater, but just figured I might as well rent the DVD from Redbox on this one, too, since it would be cheaper and the viewing time would be much more flexible.

• I haven't seen a lot of Woody Allen movies, so I didn't really have any preconceived notions about seeing this film, which is a good thing.  At first, I didn't get it, then the clock struck 12, and I said aloud, "Ohhh."
• Well, of course Owen Wilson plays a screenwriter. It's a Woody Allen movie!  I do know that he likes to write about writers.
• "I see...a rhinoceros."  I heart Adrien Brody.
• I loved the scenery.  I want to go to Paris and walk in the rain at night.
• Oh, dude, I was annoyed by the annoying Paul practically immediately.  I don't know how any of the characters could stand to listen to him at all.  I know he was written to be that way, and I'm glad that I don't have to hang out with anyone like that.  I usually like Michael Sheen, so this is some good acting (and makeup) where I didn't even recognize him.
• I liked hearing the Cole Porter tunes integrated in the score.
• I don't know much about art history or literature, really, but I smiled whenever I figure out who each famous person was. The other ones just flew over my head.
• Kathy Bates as Gertrude Stein: awesome.
• Totally loved Corey Stoll as Hemingway.  Spot on how I thought Hemingway actually acted.
• "What is it with this city?  I need to write a letter to the Chamber of Commerce."

I enjoyed this movie (pssst....it involves time travel, how could I not?).  It also has Salvador Dali being surreal.  I would totally see this again, probably several times.

All nine of the Oscar Best Picture nominees have been viewed.  I'm looking forward to the ceremony.

Winning By The Numbers

Part 2 of Brad Pitt day:  "Moneyball".

• I think that I like baseball movies more than I actually like baseball.
• I was worried that I'd have to think too much about math when Pete started talking, but they didn't go into too much detail. I can do math, I just didn't want the movie to be all about it.
• I liked the relationship between Billy and his daughter, especially the scene in the music store.
• Brad Pitt, why must you still look good as you age so beautifully?  Sigh.
• Interesting story on the DVD about Stephen Bishop actually being a baseball player and idolizing David Justice, whom he portrayed in the movie.
• I think it's weird to have a meeting with people sitting behind you while you're looking at the guy holding the meeting.  It felt to me like it was rude for Billy to have his back to the rest of the Indians' scouting staff. But I guess that's a power thing.
• I didn't realize that was Phillip Seymour Hoffman at first, maybe because of the lack of hair.
• I like how Billy strategized with the players once he had their respect. That's when I thought he finally looked like a true leader.
• "How can you not get romantic about baseball?"
• "I hate losing even more than I want to win."

Enjoyable movie, especially if you like strategic stuff, or baseball, or Brad Pitt, or all of the above.

Family Tree

Still on the Redbox vibe, and today is Brad Pitt day.  First up: "The Tree of Life".

• I was one of the people who really wasn't interested in seeing this movie, and really only picked it up because it's nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.  At the beginning of the movie, it was heavy on images of non-people.  Then I finally understood that Malick was trying to show Creation after the questioning of whether or not God was there.
• The "Lacrymosa" portion was way too long for me, probably because I felt sorry for the Soprano having to sing so dang high.  This almost had me turning off the movie, thinking it was all going to be like it, but I'm glad I didn't.
• Really glad.  I was bawling toward the end.
• Yes, it's weird that Sean Penn plays Brad Pitt's grown-up son.  I couldn't figure out which son he was supposed to be playing until the very end, but I guess that's what was supposed to happen.  
• I don't understand why Penn was the only one at the current age during that last portion.  Was it because we were seeing it from his point of view, and he'll always see his family at that particular time of his life?  I don't know.  
• Boys are mean to frogs.
• Why, at the beginning, were the insides of Pitt's and Chastain's mouths so black?  It looked lke they had rotted out teeth.
• Whoa.  That butterfly was real?  Awesome.
• Aside from "Lacrymosa", I enjoyed all of the classical music that Alexandre Desplat used.  
• "I didn't know how to name You then.  But I see it was You.  Always You were calling me."

This movie isn't for everyone.  Heck, it's barely for me.  But I liked seeing that family relationship evolve, so I liked it.  ;)

You is Important

It's getting down to h wire, and "The Help" is in very limited release right now, so I rented he Blu-Ray DVD from Redbox.  This was my first time to use Redbox, and it's quite convenient, so I'll be relying on it for most of the other films that are nominated for Best Picture this year since they're not really in theaters anymore.  I would do the whole AMC marathon thing, but Saturdays are not good for me, and, of course, the movies that I have not yet seen are the ones that are playing at the precise time that I need to be at church.  I do prefer to see these movies as they were meant to be viewed in a theater, but sometimes that just doesn't work out.

• Here's the other movie this year that has me amazed by Viola Davis.  Her portrayal of Aibileen left me feeling inspired after all of the anguish she suffered.
• I really enjoyed Octavia Spencer's performance.  It turns out that her role was written in the book with her in mind.  Minny was a hoot.
• I kept wondering how I knew Hilly.  Duh, Sher.  That's Bryce Dallas Howard.  You've seen her in several movies. I guess I'm not used to seeing her with that Southern hair.
• Emma Stone did a great job.  I haven't yet seen "Easy A", but I've wanted to do so.  This makes me want to see it even more.
• So NOBODY in the bridge club could stand up to Hilly except for Skeeter?  That's just sad when women are clearly uncomfortable about things, but don't have the courage to leave or do anything about them.  I think that's why Skeeter and all of the maids who told their story were such heroines to me.
• Alison Janney: awesome as always.
• "You is kind. You is smart. You is important."
• When Aibileen left, my heart broke for that little girl.
• Those bridge club women sure don't hide very well.
• I wonder if Crisco sponsored this film.
• Chocolate pie is going to scare me for a little while.

I enjoyed this film.  I think I want to read the book now.  I do know already, though, that the ending for Minny is not  the same in the book, due to the deleted scenes.  Still, I'm interested in seeing the original material.

Door to Door

I saw "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" in the theater last week.  I had kind of put it off because I knew that the subject matter would make me really emotional, but since I was on an emotional movie blitz due to the upcoming Oscar awards, it was time to see it.

• Where are they getting all of the amazing kids for these movies?!  Thomas Horn wowed me, and this is his first movie. Wow.  I mean, that is a LOT of dialogue to learn, and then he has the emotions, too.  Wow.  Of course, that could be an editing trick, but I'm still wowed.
• The images of the man falling from the WTC make me think of "Mad Men".  This makes me both excited for the upcoming season of MM, and anxious because the main image animation of MM is of a man falling from a skyscraper.
• I totally knew who the Renter was as soon as they showed him in the window.
• Yup.  Emotional level was very high during the scenes of The Worst Day.  Those scenes happened several times during the movie.  I completely lost it when they showed the WTC collapsing. I even cried the next morning when I thought of the movie again.  (I'm doing OK right now, though).  I think it's because this is one tragedy in American history that I actually remembering seeing, and those images are burned into my brain, triggering that pained American in me that day and the days that followed it.
• I kind of like how they kept some questions unanswered at the end of the movie.  It's like real life, where you don't always get all of the answers that you seek.
• Viola Davis sure doesn't need more than one scene to get me crying.  She would end up amazing me again a couple of days later (see next post).
• It's like the year of silence in the movies.  Max Von Sydow doesn't need to speak to get his emotions across to the audience.  
• Everyone needs a tambourine.  Or something like it to help calm them when they're anxious.
• "If things were easy to find, they wouldn't be worth finding."
• Loved the fact that his mom seemed to be absent for most of his quest, because it's Oskar's story, and he was largely ignoring his mom.  But if you see things from her point of view, the story is quite different.

I really liked this movie.  As emotional as I became, I think that I could still do repeat viewings when it comes to satellite TV.  I'll just make sure that I always have tissues nearby for all of the tears.

One Big Machine

I saw "Hugo" in 3D today after work.

• That kid with his eyes reminds me of Elijah Wood.  He's got the talent like Elijah, too.
• I'm not one of those Scorcese fans that wants to watch his films over and over again, and at the beginning of the movie, I thought that maybe this would be the case once more.  But no. This one is lighter than his usual dark stuff, so I would see it again.
• All of that clockwork stuff amazed me visually.  So did all of that beautiful cinematography.
• The automaton kind of creeped me out, especially during the dream sequences.  
• Spotted Martin Scorcese and giggled.  Thought I saw Johnny Depp, but APPARENTLY, that was a lookalike, as Johnny wasn't available due to his schedule.
• I love the way that this is clearly a tribute to film, and I loved the silent movie homage with the hanging from the clock.  It also reminded me of "Back to the Future", but I don't think that's what Scorcese meant to do.
• Reading as much as Isabelle does makes her have quite a large and interesting vocabulary.  I liked her a lot.
• I liked the way that Hugo talked about existing to serve a purpose, just like each piece in a machine. 
• How can I not like a movie that has a reference to Jean Valjean, mermaids, and  Camille Saint-Saens' "Danse Macabre"?
• It's nice to see Christopher Lee in a non-sinister role, although at first glance, I thought of Saruman.
• Ben Kingsley was amazing, as usual.  
• "Which one?  I've mastered 3."

Beautiful movie.  I'm glad that I saw it in the theater, despite my initial resistance to it.

Pal Joey

I finally saw "War Horse" last Friday after work.  I had been wanting to watch the movie since the first time I saw the trailer.  I also have been wanting to see the stage play, which will be showing at the Ahmanson Theatre later this year.  Ooh, I need to buy my ticket soon!

• This movie reminds me of "The Red Violin", what with all of the different "owners" of Joey.  Except that this one had much more death.
• It's a horse movie.  I cried, like, 8 times.
• Brilliant usage of the windmill panes.  Absolutely brilliant.
• The barbed wire scene made me cringe a lot...and then later, it made me giggle.
• Great score by John Williams.  It helped me get all weepy.
• I loved the friendship between Joey and Topthorne.
• Dude, that horse needs to JUMP!
• I really liked the character of Emilie.  I think I would have been just like her in her situation, hiding horses in my room.
• Gorgeous cinematography.  I'm really glad that I saw it in the theater.
• Be brave.

I loved this movie.  I think that I need to purchase it when it comes out on Blu-Ray.  Great story, great characters, and if anyone dislikes that horse, they have no soul.

DLR LotD 02/05/12

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day


Sunday, February 5, 2012


"Maybe every Saturday, people are supposed to get dressed up when they go to Disneyland." -- someone in line at the corn dog cart


Happy Dapper Day!

Silence is Golden

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?

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

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!!!!

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

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

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

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

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