I saw Les Misérables four times on Broadway when it first came out. I have listened to the soundtrack hundreds — if not thousands — of times, and used to be able to sing the entire thing from start to finish. And yet… I didn’t like the movie. [Spoilers follow.] I’m struggling to say exactly why I didn’t like it. The theater production is magic. You get chills...
My neck started to feel better last night, so I treated myself to a run this afternoon. I normally listen to podcasts with the Couch to 5K running program on them — they were recommended to me by a friend, and they’re incredibly helpful. But today was an unplanned bonus run. Today, I listened to music. Today’s Top Tunes for Running* Do You Wanna Date My Avatar, The Guild As Cool...
Back at Cosmic Toast Studios, creator/composer/actor/singer/goofball Andy Pagana has released the first album of Nonsense Box songs on iTunes! Nonsense Box is a very silly collection of very silly skits involving puppets, animation, goofy dialogue and songs intended for kids and silly adults of all ages. (Think Monty Python’s Flying Circus, but for a younger audience.) Practically everyone...
In the 1950s, my (amazing, wonderful, awesome) uncle* recorded two songs for a record label. I’m thrilled that he’s now put the songs on YouTube, along with some photos of the recording sessions. (* aka “Doctor Uncle Reverend Herbatroid” — although only the “uncle” part is accurate.) Without further ado, here’s the uber-talented Herb Bohler:...
I didn’t buy any new holiday music this year, but here are some of my favorites (in no particular order) in case you’re looking for something different. 2009: HOLIDAY ALBUMS Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas (Ella Fitzgerald) What’s not to love about Ella Fitzgerald? She infuses this collection of classics with such jazzy joy that even the Scrooge sitting next to me...
As everyone knows, a new project calls for a new playlist! (Don’t you just love good justifications for buying new music?) I’m looking for music that evokes a desert theme, preferably epic and sweeping. Horse-inspired music would also work. Think Laurence of Arabia, The Blue Sword, and one of my favorite musicals, The Desert Song. Please recommend music that is: 1. Desert-themed and...
One of the things I find most distressing about Michael Jackson’s death is the way in which people criticize and condemn the way other people grieve. I cried when Octavia Butler died. I’d never met her or even seen her in person, yet I cried. Sobbed, actually, and not even just once. This woman’s books and stories had profoundly affected me as a human and as a writer, and I felt...
I’ve been streaming radio stations through iTunes at work, bopping between classical and folk and Beatles and NPR. But yesterday I discovered my new favorite: StreamingSoundtracks.com! Some of the choice pieces I’ve heard since tuning in have been from: Totoro Battlestar Galactica (new) World of Warcraft (Lament of the Highborn!) Pirates of the Carribean Hero Final Fantasy VII (but...
Saturday night, my new company hosted a screening party for our new animated short, “Pronto!” Although I joined the Slangman team after the song itself had been recorded, I did get to see the process develop from script to storyboard to shoot to animatic to finished animation. You wouldn’t believe the amount of work that goes into something like this, and the amount of heart. I...
New Patty Griffin album called Children Running Through releasing on February 6th!
And an NPR interview with Patty later today!
*squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!*
Oh, happy Friday indeed!