Hugh & Daniel premiere "A Steady Rain"

These boys both sure know how to work a suit. OK, I could do without the mustache on Daniel Craig, but he and Hugh Jackman look great, as usual. These pics are from opening night of their Broadway play "A Steady Rain." I am not really familiar with the play at all but it seems to be already raking in the dough, surely due to the casting of these two men.

I am most amused by the way they responded (in character, no less) to a gentleman (or not) who repeatedly allows his phone to ring during the play. Watch here:



If you go to the theatre, TURN OFF YOUR PHONE! If you don't know how to, why do you own a phone? But fine, just leave it in the car or at home or something.

So excited to see Parade in November!

So I am going to see Parade in Los Angeles in November with Vance at Tapeworthy! It is the Donmar Warehouse production and will be put on at the Mark Taper Forum, presented by Center Theatre Group. It stars T.R. Knight (George O'Malley from Grey's Anatomy, RIP).

Anyway, Vance just sent me this link with pics from the production, which started previews last week. Now I can't wait til November 14! I can't really tell you what it is about because I have been avoiding reading any synopses.

What I find myself watching this fall (so far)

Thought I would give you a run-down of the TV that currently has me captivated! Here it is by day:

Monday
How I Met Your Mother - You could say I watch HIMYM for Neil Patrick Harris. I like Marshall and Lily, and occasionally like Ted and Robin, but everyone knows that Barney makes this show (including the rest of the cast). But the whole cast meshes well together and makes me laugh.


House - You could say I am late to the party on House. I happened on Season Two when I was in India, and desperate for good TV, watched it every day. Then my sister forced me to watch the end of last season and now I am hooked. Especially after that devastating season finale! So I am two eps and enjoying the ride so far. Still DVRing old eps that rerun and watching those, too!

Tuesday
So You Think You Can Dance - This last season I just wasn't into SYTYCD as I have been before. But that doesn't mean I am not willing to stick with it for its first appearance on the fall schedule. I never really LOVE the show till the competition starts, so here's hoping this season is a good one! Also, I signed up today for tickets to a taping, so I am expecting to get to go some time this season!

Wednesday
So You Think You Can Dance

Glee - Definitely may very favorite new show this season. I am completely obsessed with it. I watch every episode at least twice and have seen the pilot maybe five or six times. I am a choir nerd and this show was MADE for me. I have all the music on my iTunes and bug my husband with it on a near-constant basis. If you aren't watching, you are missing great music, witty writing, and the amazingly hilarious Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester. Set your Tivos!


Modern Family - I wasn't planning to watch this but Ducky kept going on and about it so I added to my Tivo list. It was laugh out loud funny. Even my husband liked it, and he is more picky than me. I love family dysfunction!

Thursday
Vampire Diaries - Come on. It's about vampires. Not that that is enough because I never really got into True Blood. Or Moonlight. But I do love vamps and am always willing to at least give them a try. So far VD hasn't blown me away, but it also hasn't turned me off. I like the three main actors. I did NOT like Paul Wesley on Everwood and The OC, but I don't even think of those old characters when I am watching Stefan. And he is hot... Speaking of hot, so is Ian Somerhalder who plays Stefan's brother Damon (RIP Boone...). This show is definitely not for everyone, but I can see why The CW decided to cash in on the success of Twilight, and it seems to be paying off.



The Office - The Office isn't quite as good as it used to be, but that doesn't mean it has taken a nose-dive (see Grey's Anatomy), and I still find it humorous enough to watch. Michael is still ridiculous and makes me cringe with being uncomfortable, but the writers and actors have managed to keep us interested after they got their "will they/won't they" couple together a couple of seasons ago.



Community - I want to like this show more than I do. That is why I am sticking it out and hoping it gets its legs a little. I love Joel McHale on The Soup (and find him oddly attractive; does anyone else have this issue?). My biggest problem is that I just don't find his character Jeff likable. I know he isn't SUPPOSED to be liked, but they need to give him a likable quality or else we can't care about him. I am sure the whole point of the show is that he will nice-en up a little. We'll see if I make it that far.

Friday
Dollhouse - I watched Season One of Dollhouse over the course of the last couple of weeks, finishing just in time to see the Season Two premiere last Friday. You can see my thoughts on it here!

How I Met Your Mother - Season 4 gag reel

You know what stinks? When you go to watch a gag reel for a really great show or movie, expecting lots of laughs, and getting very few. Well, fret not, because the cast of How I Met Your Mother certainly delivers in this Season 4 gag reel. I love these guys!



My favorite part: When NPH tells Jason Segal that what they are doing could be on the cover of TV Guide, and then Jason Segal says something like "Yeah, but it would be just you."

Muse: The Resistance

I have posted about Muse before. They are one of my all-time favorite bands. I saw them on the cover of some magazine recently and it said they were the biggest band America had never heard of. They are huge EVERYWHERE else but here. But they certainly do have an American fan-base. Helps that they made an appearance on the Twilight soundtrack (as well as the upcoming New Moon soundtrack). And, at least in my town, they are getting some good air play with songs from their latest album, The Resistance.

I was waiting anxiously for this album to come out. Their last album Black Holes and Revelations (the tour for which I attended), was beyond amazing. In fact, they have yet to put out an album I don't like. So I purchased The Resistance the very morning it came out via Amazon's MP3 Downloader (cheaper than iTunes!). And now here is my opinion of some of the songs on the album, as well as youtube videos of each song.

1) Uprising

Uprising was the band's first single and it has quickly gotten a lot of radio play. It has a classic Muse sound and a very heavy beat that makes you want to stomp your feet. They performed this on the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, their first live US televised performance.

2) Resistance




3) Undisclosed Desires

Since I am still getting used to this album, when this song comes up on my iTunes I always think it is Britney Spears for a sec. Yeah, that is really sad, but once the song starts, I think this song is really radio friendly and I always find myself singing along.

4) United States of Eurasia [+Collateral Damage]

For some reason, the opening chords of this song remind me of John Lennon's "Imagine" (don't know why because they really don't sound alike at all...) but I am quickly reminded it is not. In fact it goes very quickly into a Queen almost shout that drowns that out. With this song, Muse continues to make political and social commentaries via their music.

5) Guiding Light

Really the only slow song on the album. I can't resist singing along on this one but I don't know the words so I just sing the wrong ones (which is normal for me anyway).

6) Unnatural Selection


7) MK Ultra


8) I Belong To You [+Mon Coeur S'Ouvre A Ta Voix]

This song will appear on The Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack. Well, some form of it because they have been asked to re-record it as a soundtrack exclusive track. I love the almost campy sound of this song. And, as I have said before, Matt Bellamy can sing to me in French any time he wants.

9) Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1 (Overture)


10) Exogenesis: Symphony Part 2 (Cross-pollination)


11) Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3 (Redemption)


If a major world-dominating rock band has the balls to put a symphony on their album (and three of the 11 songs, no less), then they get credit from me. On top of the fact that I love this side of the band and the fact a song can seamlessly go from heavy rock to a solo piano performance within seconds. See Butterflies and Hurricanes as an example.

Overall, I really like The Resistance. In my opinion, their sound is a little more mainstream on most of the songs, possibly an attempt to get more American air play. Seems to be working so far. I would have liked a couple more songs on the album, but I will live. So now maybe you have given the songs a listen, or not, but if you are even a little bit a fan of Muse, get this album.

Dollhouse Season Two Premiere: "Vows"- My thoughts

Let's talk about last night's episode of Dollhouse. For a few reasons.

1) First, off, I worked on this episode. I was an extra during all the wedding stuff. I saw myself twice, which is always fun. And it was an easy and relaxing shoot (only about 6 hours). Also, the set was GORGEOUS. It was someone's real house. But more importantly, that means I saw Jamie Bamber in person.

2) So that brings me to my second reason for discussion. Jamie Bamber. And I touched him. I am not gonna lie. I might have stood in his way so he had to brush past me. OK, enough of that. I want to talk about Jamie in the episode. He finally got to use his British accent! He wasn't Lee Adama anymore. Also, he got to play the bad guy and I liked seeing a different side of him.



3) Tahmoh Penikett is even more likable as Paul Ballard than he was as family man Helo on BSG. And he is DARN hot. In this episode, he reunited with former co-star Jamie Bamber,and they got to beat the crap out of each other. Which was great. I love the dynamic of him with Caroline/Echo and am very happy to see him as her handler.



4) Joss. Huge Joss Whedon fan here. I fangirled over Joss as much as I did over Jamie that day. (Not so much over Eliza) But critics can't claim that Joss shied away from risky storylines, especially if they have seen "Epitaph One" which was more confusing than anything else, but finally made me feel like I was watching a show worth investing in. I was happy with the direction they took with "Vows" and look forward to where the story is going.



5) Alexis Denisof. Buffy and Angel Alum, Alexis (Wesley) appeared as a politician looking to take down the dollhouse. But more importantly, that means we are THIS much closer to a Fred/Wesley reunion. Fingers crossed.

And since the episode has aired, I think I can post this pic. A friend on the set took this snap. I was standing right there! So close to the action. haha

Review: August: Osage County

Thursday night I went to see August: Osage County at the Ahmanson in Los Angeles. I've been interested in seeing it since it got heaps of praise and tons of awards while it was on Broadway. Even my husband had heard of it, which is saying a lot.

I purchased my tickets through Center Theatre Group's Hot Tix program, so I got them for cheap ($20) but had a limited view. It didn't limit my enjoyment of the show, especially since I was in the fourth row.

I was vaguely familiar with the story line. A dysfunctional family in the midwest, no, make that the Plains. Well, the Weston family gives new meaning to the term "dysfunctional". Each of the members of this family is dealing with something different: betrayal, guilt, self-loathing, settling, self-discovery. While the show is really funny, it is overall a very dark humor and the audience finds themselves laughing at this family's major issues. It's only funny because they aren't real. The end of the play left me feeling completely depressed! So I think they did what they set out to do.

As for cast stand-outs, there was Estelle Parsons, who reprises her role as Violet Weston. That lady is nuts and Estelle played the part amazingly. I also was quite impressed with Shannon Cochran who played Weston daughter Barbara Fordham. Barbara may be the meatiest role in the whole play, and I thought she played the heck out of the role.

This show was almost 3 1/2 hours long with two intermissions, so plan on being in the theater for a good long while, but it is definitely worth it, and the time goes by quickly. I highly recommend August: Osage County!


Here is a list of things that can really ruin a theatre experience, all learned from that night's show!
1) The person directly behind you had just eaten a meal of sauteed onions.
2) When said onion-breathed person uses BOTH intermissions to imbibe copious amounts of foul-smelling liquor (the onion/liquor combo was more than I could take).
3) When the person next to you does a "hey everyone, look at me!" guffaw during the non-funny and very quite parts of the play