Category: Human Interest

Wednesday wordplay: Margaret Cho, Jim Henson and Dilbert

Quotations

The fact is, sometimes it’s hard to walk in a single woman’s shoes. That’s why we need really special ones now and then to make the walk a little more fun.
            — Jenny Bicks, Sex and the City, A Woman’s Right To Shoes, 200

When people think the world of you, be careful with them.
            — Margaret Cho, Margaret Cho Blog, 09-26-05

When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope still is to leave the world a little bit better for my having been here. It’s a wonderful life and I love it.
            — Jim Henson, It’s Not Easy Being Green And Other Things to Consider

Frankly, I知 suspicious of anyone who has a strong opinion on a complicated issue.
            — Scott Adams, The Dilbert Blog

 

Urban Dictionary

 

blinker beat

  • When the tic-toc of the blinkers syncs with the music playing on the car radio.
  • dude check it out, I got blinker beat happening on this Jay-Z song.  

go primitive

  • Instead of keyboarding or texting a long and detailed story someone suggests a phone call as a more direct way to have the conversation.
  • Dude, I’m good with texting but this is giving me carpel tunnel, let’s "go primitive" I’ll call you tomorrow at 8.
August 19, 2009 | 0 Comments More

If websites were people, what would they look like?

if-websites-were-peopleNote: Though the definitions are a bit racy at times, I find the descriptions amusing. My favorite is the Facebook personification. (but, oddly, the pics they supply don’t always match up with the descriptions.)

From reddit.com:

  • Facebook would be a middle-aged woman using company time to play text-based games and sending people invites to shitty applications.

  • Twitter would be a self-righteous douchebag with a speech impediment.

  • Myspace would be 13 year old brat, doing free advertising for porn stars and their friend’s shitty bands, be covered in stickers of "sparkly" cartoon bimbos (that resemble transvestites), butterflies or some shit. It sure as fuck wouldn’t be using headphones because it’s rare to see a myspace page where annoying music doesn’t turn you away.

  • Wikipedia would be getting molested by hundreds of thousands of random hands.

  • Deviant Art would actually be a 19 year old guy drawing generic anime characters, furries, and slutty pictures of their favorite cartoons.

  • Youtube would just be a picture of Dustin Hoffman from Rain Man. He has a special talent but everything that comes out of his mouth is just flat out retarded. But only if Rain Man was edited with Windows Movie Maker, and if Barry Levinson called himself "LevDog420 Studios"

  • Google would be a guy hard at work in a trendy lab eating a free lunch and using a pile of money for a chair. In beta.

August 18, 2009 | 0 Comments More

Think Fast: “High Fidelity”, Jude Law in “Hamlet”, oyster-eating at the theatre, “Spiderman” schadenfreude, etc.

 
081709_judehamletsignage
  • Another big Hollywood name has (once again) caught the Broadway bug: Jude Law is set to star in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet on September 12th, running through December 6th.  Jude Law previously received a Tony Award nomination for the 1995 play Indiscretions. More info here.
  • Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of Dublin’s Smock Alley Theatre, which dates back to 1662.  The excavations are part of an 8-million-euro project to reinstate the theatre on its original site. The school’s director, Patrick Sutton, said the excavations had uncovered part of the theatre’s original walls as well as stage timbers. Among the artifacts found were an actress’s ceramic wig curler, clay pipes, a broken wine bottle and oyster shells. “Oysters were obviously the popcorn of the day,” he suggested. More here.
  • Rumors started among the Broadway fanatics (okay, I guess you can count me in as a member) last week that the musical-in-the-works, Spiderman, the Musical, must be in trouble when it was announced that the multi-million dollar renovation of the Hilton Theater had been halted.  It was called a "cash-flow problem", which is corporate for, "we’re not putting up another cent." Accordingly, Broadway producer Kevin Davenport’s theatre blog “The Producer’s Perspective” has a snarky well-deserved post titled “Schadenfreude for Spider-Man?”. 
August 18, 2009 | 0 Comments More

Think Fast – Jerry Springer, theatre ticket refunds?, Tim Gunn, and Writers’ Theatre London tour

  • Is it a good idea for theatres to offer your ticket money back if you did not enjoy the play (as the Goodman Theatre did in El Grito del Bronx)? Chicago Tribune’s Chris Jones thinks not.
springer-in-chicago-the-musical
heidi-and-tim
  • Starting this Thursday, August 20th, The Coach House (950 W. Wolfram – map) will kick off its weekly “Project Runway” viewing parties with the hit show’s new season premier.  Come play drinking games with Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn with many of the bar’s drinking specials. (maybe a shot every time Tim Gunn says “Talk to me”? or “Work, work, work!”??).
  • Writers’ Theatre is offering a London Theatre tour, December 30th thru January 6th, which will be led by Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and former chief theatre critic of the Chicago Tribune Richard Christiansen.  Enjoy some of the world’s greatest theatre; visit with some of the world’s greatest actors; experience insider encouters with local theatrical leaders; fine dining, fascinating conversation, exhilarating drama!   For more info, contact Rachel Weinstein at 847-242-6005.  Space is limited, so act fast. 
August 16, 2009 | 1 Comment More

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” – museum scene. (R.I.P. John Hughes)

In loving memory of John Hughes (1950-2009): your movies were an important part of my teen years (whether for good or bad). In loving memory, here’s:

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – Art Institute Museum Scene – Dream Academy.  the music is entitled "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want"

August 10, 2009 | 2 Comments More

Think Fast: Project Runway, Footloose, The Color Purple, kids hate shots

  • A study by the National Center for Policy Analysis finds that children are overwhelmingly against children’s health services (especially shots….).
July 19, 2009 | 0 Comments More

Random thoughts: School theatre-trips cancelled, “Bruno” banned, “Harry Potter” Vatican-approved

cohen-bruno
  • Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Bruno” has officially been banned by the Ukranian culture minister, saying that “Bruno” presents an “artistically unjustified exhibition of sexual organs and sexual relations, homosexual acts in a blatantly graphic form, obscene language, sadism,” and “anti-social behavior which could damage the moral upbringing of our citizens.”       (hmmm…sounds like fun to me….LOL) 

harrypotter
July 15, 2009 | 1 Comment More

Think fast: Little Mermaid, David Mamet, Joan D’Arc

 

  • Broadway’s Little Mermaid will close on August 30th, after 685 performances. A national touring company has been assembled, with Chicago being one of its stops (produced by Broadway in Chicago).
  • Gary, IN has requested that Michael Jackson be buried in his hometown, with the preferred burial site near a proposed Jackson family museum and performing arts center.
  • 17 years after it was written, Chicago native David Mamet’s play Oleanna will finally open on Broadway on October 11th.
July 1, 2009 | 0 Comments More

Filipino inmates pay their respect to Michael Jackson: dance to “I’ll Be There” and “We Are The World”

A tribute performed by 1,500 CPDRC Inmates (Filipino prisoners) on June 27, 2009 in memory of Michael Jackson. Completed in 10 hours after receiving word that the King of Pop passed away. May he always be remembered. “Ben” and “I’ll Be There” were sung by Michael when he was still younger! “We are the World” was composed and organized by Michael Jackson. Enjoy.

June 29, 2009 | 0 Comments More

Happy Pride Everyone!!

raising the rainbow flag

It’s been 40-years (to the day) since gay men and women finally said “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!”.  On that day, a haphazard group gay men and women, fought back against the New York police after one too many police raids on the Stonewall Inn..  These brave acts are now referred to as the Stonewall Riots, and mark the beginning of the modern-day gay rights movement.  Truly a reason to celebrate and be proud of!

But, as pointed out in the following Frank Rich New York Times op-ed, our community still has a long ways to go, including here in Illinois:

40 Years Later, Still Second-Class Americans

 

June 28, 2009 | 1 Comment More
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