More Max & Laura News

More news on the Max and Laura Grease thing: See photos, watch a video and read about what has been happening in the past forty-eight hours. Not that anybody cares, but we spent ten weeks with these people- we can't forget about them now. At least on the video and in the pictures they look as if they have a bit more chemistry than on the show.

Spanking Article

This is an article from the March 27, 2007 issue of The Franklin Press.

Currently in North Carolina, the only people who can smack someone on the buttocks as part of their paid professional duties are prostitutes, porn stars and educators employed in schools that practice paddling. Medical science has long recognized, and documented in great detail, how being struck on the buttocks can stimulate sexual feelings. Children of school age are especially susceptible. The tragic consequence for some who are subjected to this kind of maltreatment is that they form a connection between pain, humiliation and sexual arousal that endures the rest of their lives. We can never know how many innocent children have had their sexual development derailed by school paddlings. Any number is too many.

Give me a freakin' break!!!! How ridiculous is that statement. If anything, the lack of spanking creates more promiscuous behavior. I heard recently that in a western state of the U.S. a law was trying to be passed that would not allow parents to spank their own children! Is there not enough lawlessness and immorality in the world? The lack of discipline in a society creates a chaotic state of of self-promotion, self-righteousness and self-gratification without any regard for anyone else. We as Americans have listened to too much psycho mumbo jumbo and are creating a society that is paralyzed due to what these "doctors" have deemed appropriate and inappropriate. God created rear ends to be smacked when being disobedient- if that wasn't true, there wouldn't have been padding. Now, don't get me wrong- I do not believe in abuse, but I do believe in spanking and I don't believe that a truly disciplined spanking creates a screwed up person as an adult. It is time that people of moral, social and God believing values took a stand against those trying to tell us how to raise our children and dictate that we live our lives according to the social and psychological crap that they call appropriate. I am sick of it!

Craziness

This has been one of those days- whew! One of those days where as soon as you walk in the door the craziness begins. From programs in the FAB to people wanting to book programs in the FAB and wondering why we can't tear down an entire set for them to do a one night event to new heat and air installation, not knowing for sure when it will be finished (Aida?!?!) to people asking to borrow this or that and not understanding it is packed away, buried beneath a pile of stuff to trama-filled teenagers to my fridge is empty- no Dr. Peppers! EEEEK! I think the last is the worst. Tuesdays always tire me, but hey look at all I have going on successfully. Footloose is coming along nicely (we get to concentrate on set and costumes heavily beginning tomorrow), the weather is amazing, and spring break is in thirteen days. Yay! I guess if it wasn't for crazy days, we wouldn't know we had really, really good ones- they'd all be really, really good ones and then they would merely be mediocre. Once I heard a little kid ask an older man why people had to die? The older man's answer: Without death, we wouldn't truly know how to live. Dr. Pepper is calling my name- that's what I call living!

Grease Finale

So, here we are. Grease has finally been cast, even though it is not the way I would have cast it. Yay, for Laura, Max... well, nevermind. Look at the chemistry in this picture- zipo! But compared to the rest of the cast that they showed at the end of last nights finale, Max and Laura look like they are in preschool. If you haven't read the Grease message boards about the show, check it out here- some of them are too funny. Here are some other articles about the new stars, the other cast members and misc. stuff. O-o-o-, honey!

Ahhhh, Spring!

Today is a beautiful day! Flowers are blooming, the trees are budding, everyone's eyes seem brighter in the spring. What a beautiful world the Lord has created!

I Love Easter

Look Nikki, chocolate... it's almost Sunday!

The Wrap Up

Ok, ok Amanda, here you go...
Footloose is going well. We are actually on schedule- shocker! The kids are doing a great job and the adults will be too now that they are actually required to come to rehearsal. Life is good, but fast. Interesting things I know... the casting is complete for the Broadway bound Little Mermaid musical by Disney. Two of my favorite actors are in it- Sherri Rene Scott (who was the original Amneris in Aida) will be playing Ursual and Norm Lewis who has the richest, most amazing male singing voice ever, will be playing King Triton. If you have never heard him sing, find a cd and listen. I think we should all go to Colorado and see this show at the end of the summer- I'm trying to figure out how they are going to accomplish all that underwater, fins no feet stuff. Go to broadway.com and read the article. Will post some more show news in the next few days- Footloose, Aida and Annie Get Your Gun.

Footloose Update #2

The stagecraft class is working hard to get scenery and props to a point to where we can at least rehearse with them- some are getting done completely. I like it when things are being completed a month before we nee them.

While some paint, Anna and Elise rehearse their "Holding Out for a Hero" number (Taylor had to take a writing test today).

And others think they are the heroes...

The Phantom Returns

I just read that Andrew Llyod Webber is once again working on a Phantom of the Opera sequel, which he originally aborted in the late 90's. The next edition is called The Phantom of Manhattan and is told by a dying Madame Giry. Seems after the Phantom disappers at the end of the origianl, he flees to New York City and becomes a wealthy mogal who opens his own opera house to which Christine, who is now married to Rhoul and has a son, comes to perform. Hmmm? I don't know if this sounds cheesy or interesting- maybe a little of both. After seeing the origianl Phantom five times, I would be happy to see what comes next. I'm a sucker for sequels, although they are never as good as the original... other than Toy Story 2.

Footloose Update #1

Footloose rehearsals are coming along nicely. I've been meaning to post pictures and such but have been so busy at rehearsal that I've forgotten to take the photos. Here is from last night where we were wroking the "I'm Free" song at the end of Act One. This cast has lots of energy- it is going to be a great show! Notice the concentration on Jarrod's face in the bottom photo. Ha!

Justice League

I just read that there are plans for a big budget mega studio release of a Superfriends Movie!!! How excited am I about that! I remember watching the old Superfriends cartoon on Saturday mornings and now it comes on the Boom cartoon network. Wow- that made my day!

Too Funny...

MELANIE (age 5) asked her Granny how old she was. Granny replied she was so old she didn't remember any more. Melanie said, "If you don't remember you must look in the back of your panties. Mine say five to six ."

STEVEN (age 3) hugged and kissed his Mom good night. "I love you so muchthat when you die I'm going to bury you outside my bedroom window."

BRITTANY (age 4) had an earache and wanted a pain killer. She tried in vainto take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a child-proof cap and she'd have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked: "How does it know it'sme?"

SUSAN(age 4) was drinking juice when she got the hiccups. "Please don't give me this juice again," she said, "It makes my teeth cough."

DJ (age 4) stepped onto the bathroom scale and asked: "How much do I cost?"

MARC (age 4) was engrossed in a young couple that were hugging and kissing in a restaurant. Without taking his eyes off them, he asked his dad: "Why is he whispering in her mouth?"

CLINTON(age 5) was in his bedroom looking worried. When his Mom asked what was troubling him, he replied, "I don't know what'll happen with this bed when I get married. How will my wife fit in?"

JAMES(age 4) was listening to a Bible story. His dad read: "The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city but his wife looked back and was turned to salt." Concerned, James asked: "What happened to the flea?"

Great Quote

I just read this great quote which said, "Never say someone was reduced to tears, but rather say they were elevated."

More Footloose

Look who stoped by to lend a hand! Painting that burger looks like it might be a blast! (It's actually a sign for the burger blast where the kids in the show hang out- hence my play on words.)

Show Art

I was looking over the web for different ideas on Aida, Footloose and Annie Get Your Gun logos and got completely sidetracked by the different show posters that have been presented over the years. When looking at the window cards, you can see how each poster represents the essence of what that show is truly about. Some of them are quiet beautiful to look at, a piece of art in their own right. Some of them even become iconic- with out even seeing the title we recognize that the little face of Cosette represents Les Mis or the mask and rose belong to the Phantom and what about those cat eyes? You can also trace the "fads" of show posters through history by the style they were created. In the mid 1990's, photo collages were big, like shown in Chicago and Rent. In the early 2000's photos of the stars were used on the posters, such as The Boy from Oz and The Producers. All in all, I think show posters are wonderful to look at- just seeing one makes me excited to imagine what might be on the stage.

Here We Go...

Effie and Paul are working hard so we have a place to cut Footloose!

Did You Know for V-Day?

• 110 million roses, the majority red, will be sold and delivered within a three-day time period.
  
• California produces 60 percent of American roses, but the vast number sold on Valentine's Day in the United States are imported, mostly from South America.
  
• 15% of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day.
  
• About 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are exchanged each year. That's the largest seasonal card-sending occasion of the year, next to Christmas.
  
• Hallmark has over 1330 different cards specifically for Valentine's Day.
  
• More than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine's Day.
  
• The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare's lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine's Day.
  
• About 3% of pet owners will give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets

National Day of LOOOOOVE!

Wow!

What a difference a year makes. This time last year we were just begining rehearsals for Love Makes the World Go 'Round, Beauty and the Beast was merely a goal and the Christmas show didn't even exist- not to mention a few other important things didn't exist... really important. But now, Footloose is getting ready to take off, if all goes as planned , Aida is finally going to be on our stage and Annie Oakly will be firing away (which is, a show I swore I would never do- I must be softening in my old age). Looking back at our last "season" I am proud of all of our choices- especially the really important ones.

Eternal Embrace

I found this interesting picture on yahoo news today. It is kind of gross, yet at the same time very sweet and heart-warming. Archeologists discovered these skeletons embracing one another and suppose they are several thousand years old. Gets you in the gut, doesn't it? Hints of Aida and Radames- eh?
Read the article here.