tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2039686409843112542024-03-21T04:15:05.341-04:00DeLisa OnlineBy popular demand!!!
(Okay - like, TWO people, but STILL... :-))DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-19289395274620733342011-03-14T15:25:00.002-04:002011-03-14T15:29:22.910-04:00THINGS opens TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<span style="font-style: italic;">Manhattan Theatre Source Playground Development Series<br />Proudly presents</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/797455">THINGS AT THE DOORSTEP</a></span><br />...An evening of horror based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/svHZo7UHEDE" allowfullscreen="" width="480" frameborder="0" height="390"></iframe><br /><br /><br />Award-winning playwrights Greg Oliver Bodine and Nat Cassidy team up to present a disturbing double-bill of solo performances adapted from and inspired by the man whom Stephen King describes as "the Twentieth Century’s greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale," Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937).<br /><br />Written by Greg Oliver Bodine & Nat Cassidy<br />Directed by DeLisa M. White<br />Featuring: Greg Oliver Bodine* in "The Hound"<br />& Austin Lacher in "I Am Providence"<br />Lighting Design by Kia Rogers<br />Sound Design by Jay Spriggs<br />Property Design by Jason McKittrick<br />Stage Manager: Laura Schlachtmeyer.<br /><br />Running time: 1 hour-50 minutes with one 10-minute intermission.<br />An Equity approved showcase. (*appears courtesy AEA)<br /><br />Mon-Tues, March 14-15, 21-22 @ 8pm<br />Fri-Sat, March 18-19, 25-26 @ 8pm<br />Sunday, March 20 @ 7pm<br /><br />Manhattan Theatre Source<br />177 MacDougal Street<br />New York, NY 10011<br />Betw. Waverly Place and W.8th St.<br />(1 block north of Washington Square Park)<br />A/C/E, or B/D/F/V to W. 4th St.<br /><br />Tickets: $18 at www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/797455<br /><br />Listen to the podcast here: http://www.nytheatre.com/podcast.aspx?p=364<br /><br />THINGS AT THE DOORSTEP features:<br /><br />THE HOUND: Midnight. Late December, 1937. Reed, a discredited archeologist and Aesthete, is running for his life. Having stolen an ancient amulet from the fetid grave of a neglected Holland churchyard, he locks himself in the library of his London townhouse in order to evade the pursuit of some ‘malign being.’ In shocking detail, he recounts a gruesome testimony of unnatural occurrences surrounding the totem’s theft… and the appalling consequences for all who come to possess it. Critically acclaimed for his solo adaptations of Charles Dickens’ A "Christmas Carol" (2003 NYSCA Grant award-winner) and Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Cask of Amontillado" and "The Black Cat," playwright/performer, Greg Oliver Bodine, brings H.P. Lovecraft’s classic, short horror story, "The Hound," to thrilling life.<br /><br />I AM PROVIDENCE: In the realm of horror literature, H.P. Lovecraft’s reputation as the supreme cultivator of terrifying worlds and visions is unrivaled. However, there is one world so horrifying, so hopeless and bleak, that even Lovecraft himself couldn’t have imagined it: a life in the theatre. Written by NY Innovative Theatre Award-winning playwright Nat Cassidy ("Any Day Now" and "The Reckoning of Kit & Little Boots"), "I Am Providence" is a series of Lovecraftian adaptations and musings that highlight the master’s insights into our own ephemeral wants and fears, as well as an original portrait of a struggling actor and his reasons for connecting with such morbid material. It is a journey into the heart of an artist that is part biography, part abstraction, and all horror.DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-84278550120869515492009-10-08T14:49:00.001-04:002009-10-08T14:51:44.541-04:00Two Shows?????!!!Manhattan Theatre Source's Estrogenius Festival presents five, thought-provoking plays by some of today's hottest playwrights. For week two of the 2009 festival, the following plays have been selected:<br /><br />• The Big Bend by Isabella Ides<br />• Save Yourself for You by Joshua Conkel<br />• Overnight by Natalie Bates<br />• Last Meal by Julia Harman Cain<br />• Dorothy Parker is in the Bath by Laurel Ollstein<br /><br /><br />LAST MEAL stars Paula Hoza and Alexis Thomason and is directed by DeLisa M. White.<br /><br />Wednesday October 7 to Friday Oct. 9 at 8pm<br />Saturday Oct. 10 at 3pm & 8pm<br />Tickets $18<br /><br />To buy tickets - go to https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/931/1254438250675<br /><br /><br /><br />ManhattanTheatreSource<br />177 MacDougal St, NY NY 10011<br />email: estrogenius.festival@gmail.com<br /><br />212.260.4698<br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DZvgpS1ANog&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DZvgpS1ANog&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />THE UPPER BERTH<br />A solo performance<br /> <br />Adapted from the classic ghost story by F. Marion Crawford<br /> <br />Greg Oliver Bodine performs this spooky, nautically-themed one-man play outside on the Buoy Deck of the Historic Lighthouse Tender, LILAC, docked at Pier 40 on the Hudson. <br /><br />THE STORY: Pier 40, New York - October 1939. On the eve celebrating the transfer of the LILAC to the United States Coast Guard as the country prepares for war. The evening's Master of Ceremonies, Mr. E.F. Brisbane, recalls securing a haunted berth on another steamship, Kamtschatka, bound for Liverpool. He requests a state-room with a double bunk and is disappointed to learn that he will have a roommate in the upper berth. During the first night of the voyage, his roommate runs screaming out of the small room and throws himself overboard. Brisbane learns that three other men who booked into Room 105 have killed themselves in the same fashion, and he is determined to investigate matters that begin to strike him as altogether ‘supernatural.’ <br /> <br />WHERE: on board the Historic Lighthouse Tender, LILAC, docked at Pier 40 / North Side (intersection of West St. & W. Houston St.)<br /> <br />WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 8 & Thursday, Oct. 15 at 7:00pm and 9:00pm. Two nights -- four NY performances only!<br /> <br />TICKETS: $10 (at the door). No reservations accepted, sorry. Box office opens at 6:00pm. Arrive early -- seating is limited! <br /> <br />DIRECTIONS & PARKING: By Subway: Take the #1 train to Houston St., walk West to the Pier 40 Building. Turn right (north) to the walkway on the north side of the building. The LILAC is docked at the end of the walkway. Parking is available at Pier 40. The LILAC shares the walkway with other commercial cruise boats, so there may be lines at the entranceway. Just go straight to the entranceway and let them know that you are visiting the LILAC, and you will be ushered past any lines.<br /> <br />All aboard for this nautical treat of thrills and chills! Suitable for adults and for children (ages 12 and over). Running time: approx. 40 minutes. Written & performed by Greg Oliver Bodine*. Directed by DeLisa M. White. <br /> <br />Cash bar & concessions on board. 50% of ticket proceeds directly benefit the restoration and preservation of the LILAC -- New York's last historic steamship!DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-4539456105678325592009-06-10T17:58:00.003-04:002009-06-23T15:31:04.870-04:00Come see CROSSROADS - a new play!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8mIe1wvRF-aP_KfHUu0uEbRONarvaAbhAHJkMPeqn4CbeKD8IKp-EbRWeljdsGbWcAmH2-lalWtcXt_PhtpDERRY1dHpWH9AF96OBMc5CM6B5yESF3TuycB1NQmoTy1V0VcrFx0hmMnL/s1600-h/_MG_0068.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8mIe1wvRF-aP_KfHUu0uEbRONarvaAbhAHJkMPeqn4CbeKD8IKp-EbRWeljdsGbWcAmH2-lalWtcXt_PhtpDERRY1dHpWH9AF96OBMc5CM6B5yESF3TuycB1NQmoTy1V0VcrFx0hmMnL/s320/_MG_0068.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350607349652354994" /></a><br />What: CROSSROADS<br /><br />By Meri Wallace<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Directed by DeLisa M. White</span><br /><br />Featuring: Leah Vanessa Bachar, Edgar Caraballo*, Nat Cassidy*, Erinn Holmes*, Annalisa Loeffler, Kristopher Monroe,* Julio Neira*, Ron Sanborn*, Jason Xaysittiphone and Sheila York.* The production is an Equity Showcase.<br /> <br />Stage Manager: Laura Schlachtmeyer<br />Lighting Designer: Lauren Parrish<br />Fight Choreographer: Gregory Oliver Bodine<br />Sound Designer: Alan Dolderer<br />Costume Designer: Catherine Fisher<br />Produced by Howling Moon Cab Company<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">SYNOPSIS:<br />At the Crossroad’s Hair Salon, styling hair is a breeze compared to the employee’s personal lives. From infidelity, abuse, denial and outright lies (to others and to themselves), these employees are having the ultimate (and seemingly infinite) “bad hair day” in Meri Wallace’s comedy-drama CROSSROADS at the Midtown International Theatre Festival. When their boss decides to sell the shop, Angela and Nicole pool their resources in attempt to buy it and really stand on their feet for the first time in their lives. However, it’s not long before a deliberate act of violence may change the course of everybody’s future. Can the employee’s come together to repair the damage done, or will the scissors be silenced forever??</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukD9hW4HEmSf5jh4jpbvTqjf09RB2BkYGCIMS5cWuYAmG5Cm6HzgMhr-LGyMYQRNewixkxLpQlIcuUeUjy2HMDBYvL1dR_wLveP8jJwQsmwx3c-a-34nipmSkTGuwudI_I9_TIHGyCnOJ/s1600-h/_MG_0001.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukD9hW4HEmSf5jh4jpbvTqjf09RB2BkYGCIMS5cWuYAmG5Cm6HzgMhr-LGyMYQRNewixkxLpQlIcuUeUjy2HMDBYvL1dR_wLveP8jJwQsmwx3c-a-34nipmSkTGuwudI_I9_TIHGyCnOJ/s320/_MG_0001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350607069006723282" /></a><br /><br />WHERE:<br />WorkShop Theatre, MainStage Space<br /><br />312 West 36th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues)<br />4th Floor<br />Part of the Midtown International Theatre Festival<br /><br />(Please note: the theatre is wheelchair accessible)<br /><br />WHEN:<br />July 16th – August 2nd<br />Thursday, July 16th at 8:30pm<br />Sunday, July 19th at 12pm<br />Wednesday, July 22nd at 9pm<br />Friday, July 24th at 7pm<br />Monday, July 27th at 6:30pm<br />Sunday, August 2nd at 6pm<br /><br />TICKETS: $18.00. <br /><br />RESERVATIONS: 866-811-4111 or <a href="http://www.midtownfestival.org">www.midtownfestival.org</a>.<br /><br />SUBWAY INFO: Take the A, C, E, 1, 2, 3 Trains to 34th Street<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfSnMog18jRvvjd9H_Wdv5UODe1zo_g3Z0RCqylE-lt0x6osuaiBY6NYzADgMHsQzW4udoul-Yb28IPKHi9_7GrzTK8iaj-38xCvbJ1f9_P2_vyrxa5RTWgFgOs1zXr0jXl1SmdofCvf6/s1600-h/_MG_0033.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfSnMog18jRvvjd9H_Wdv5UODe1zo_g3Z0RCqylE-lt0x6osuaiBY6NYzADgMHsQzW4udoul-Yb28IPKHi9_7GrzTK8iaj-38xCvbJ1f9_P2_vyrxa5RTWgFgOs1zXr0jXl1SmdofCvf6/s320/_MG_0033.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350607179162991250" /></a>DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-81023317169553366242009-05-06T15:15:00.000-04:002009-05-06T15:16:34.995-04:00Augusto Boal (1931 - 2009)This is an <a href=" http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/1361/comment-page-1#comment-181519">extraordinary post</a> from an amazing teacher about a truly important artist and one of my great lifetime influences as well. It could never have been said better. Thank you, Shakespeare Teacher...DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-42415754490786782842009-02-25T11:45:00.005-05:002009-02-25T11:52:31.047-05:00The Yellow Wallpaper<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CvyatpryRyY&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CvyatpryRyY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Come see...<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">THE YELLOW WALLPAPER</span><br />a new one-woman play<br />adapted from the classic short story<br />by Charlotte Perkins Gilman<br /> <br />Adapted by Greg Oliver Bodine<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Directed by DeLisa M. White </span><br />Starring: Annalisa Loeffler<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">What if the one person who has vowed to love you… for better or for worse… in sickness and in health… took you away… from everyone that you cherish? From everything that sustains you? In essence, the sum of yourself. Where would you go? What would you do?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />THE YELLOW WALLPAPER tells the shocking story of one woman’s isolation, obsession, and descent into madness. <br /><br />The Story: New England, 1891. Jane, a sensitive and imaginative woman, finds herself sequestered on a remote estate that her husband, a physician, has rented for the summer. She is forbidden to write, and must hide her journal entries as she recuperates from what he has diagnosed as a "temporary nervous depression” following the birth of their baby. Without anything or anyone to stimulate her, Jane becomes obsessed by the wallpaper in her bedroom as the effect of her domestic oppression and stifled creativity begins to take a toll on her sanity.</span> <br /><br />Costume Design by Jeanette Aultz Look<br />Lighting Design by Lauren Parrish<br />Asst. Director / ASM: Jenny Rosenbluth<br />Stage Manager: Laura Schlachtmeyer <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Limited engagement: 2 performances only!</span><br /><br />Monday & Tuesday<br />March 23-24 at 8:00pm <br /><a href="https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/640655">Tickets: $15 </a><br />Reservations: (212) 501.4751<br /><a href="http://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/640655">www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/640655</a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Note: Due to stage configuration late comers will not be seated.</span>DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-20673977772730494502009-02-22T13:27:00.010-05:002009-02-22T13:59:26.067-05:00We've got tonight....So it looks at this point that the show itself will have more surprises than the winners, but I'm hoping I'm kind of wrong. Not in all categories. Just in some? Here's my "will" and "should" picks for tonight:<br /><br />Best Pic:<br /><br />Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire<br />Should Win: Milk<br /><br />I truly think our children will be astonished if MILK doesn't win Best Pic as they'll all be required to see it in history classes when studying civil rights. It's also - incidentally - by FAR the best film on the list. The Slumdog love affair will, I think, look very naive and silly...it's the CRASH of this year.<br /><br />Best Actor:<br />Will Win: Mickey Rourke<br />Should Win: This is an exceptionally impressive category, there'd be no one I'd be unhappy with winning. Rourke will give the best speech and by a slim margin Penn is the "should" winner.<br /><br />Sean Penn is one of my least favorite all-time (over)actors. But his work in MILK is subtle and seamless. It's the best performance of his career. He's unrecognizable in it. I would have to vote for him in good conscience (which I did for the Indie Spirit Awards), but I'm perfectly happy for a Rourke win.<br /><br />Best Actress:<br /><br />Will Win: Winslet<br />Should Win: Winslet<br /><br />There's a weird scenario where Streep and Winslet split and Leo or Hathaway surprises. But it's likely Winslet's LONG OVERDUE night finnnaaalllyyyy and I'm very much looking forward to it!!! :)<br /><br />Best Supporting Actor:<br /><br />Will Win: Heath Ledger<br />Should Win: Heath Ledger<br /><br />Nuff said.<br /><br />Best Supporting Actress:<br /><br />Will Win: Penelope Cruz<br />Should Win: It's tight but I'm going to go with Viola Davis.<br /><br />Tomei is astonishingly good in a role that no where near written as well as she plays it. Everyone else is terrific, including Cruz (who in some ways gave this same solid performance in BLOW) but I'm pulling for Davis who manages to convey - not a string of subtext - but a full TAPESTRY of subtext in a few short minutes. It's the best short story you've ever read and it's all in her face.<br /><br />Best Director:<br />Will Win: Boyle<br />Should WIn: Fincher<br /><br />Boyle's work is impressive. It is. But Fincher actually achieves the most impressive technological feat presently imaginable in cinema and he does it all to serve the story, the humanity and the sometimes brutal truth of life and death and everything in between, without EVER pointing out his own prowess (unlike Boyle) and saving the films most powerful moments from the surges of sentimentality in the script.<br /><br />Adapted Screenplay:<br />Will win: Slumdog<br />Should win: Doubt<br /><br />This is a pretty middling category actually. The screenplay is the thing I have the most problem with in Slumdog, but it's pretty much a shoo-in here. If this is BUTTON's "consolation prize" I may be inconsolable as the screenplay is singlehandedly the worst thing about it.<br /><br />Original Screenplay:<br /><br />Will Win: Milk<br />Should Win: Milk<br /><br />In fact, if it <span style="font-style:italic;">doesn't</span> win - then wherever you are - you will hear a vague screaming and smashing coming from somewhere in Brooklyn....<br /><br />Best Documentary:<br /><br />Will Win: Man on Wire<br />Should Win: Encounters at the End of the World<br /><br />Otherwise expect lots of well deserved technical awards for Button and annoying amounts of self-congratulations for the love affair with Slumdog (as if that somehow makes the Academy "humanitarians by proxy")... Last note: If Dark Knight wins Sound Editing I might break something. It's got TERRIBLE gaps and sticky mixes all over it.<br /><br />Enjoy!!!! :-)DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-6490375080318051842009-02-01T13:37:00.002-05:002009-02-01T13:47:47.231-05:00The Wrestler - A ReviewTHE WRESTLER may not seem like a new story. In fact it covers a lot of what we might think is familiar ground. The has-been looking for redemption, the stripper with a heart of gold and the disgruntled daughter are hardly new fodder for film. But the lack of showcase shots and the earnest, committed and infinitely understated performances - particularly by Rourke whose performance is a master class in completely inhabiting a character for the characters sake, rather than the actor's acclaim and consequently is sooooo rightly acclaimed - succeed in making us understand the complexity and ubiquity of the formulas on which they are based. While the has been athlete has a legendary treatment in Raging Bull - the wrestler succeeds not in evoking that precendent, but in unexpectedly mining the flaws and crippling failure that follows<span style="font-style:italic;"> any and every</span> man who has invested all of his self-worth in his work, no matter how spectacular or mundane the profession may be. At first, I wanted to take issue with the screenwriter for falling into formula, but as the movie settled in, it became ever so clear that the banality and brutality of the context of minor league professional wrestling gives us opportunity to refresh the formula and recapture it's emotional power. Note, that much like Darren Arronofsky's previous work, particularly REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, there are moments in the film that are not at all for the faint of heart. The brutal toll these men take for entertainments sake, no matter how "fake" the outcomes of matches are - is shocking. Arronofsky's direction is stunning, mainly because it's it's simple. PI and REQUIEM (two films close to my heart) make clear the showy cinematic wonders of which his camera is capable, but rightly and generously he foregos all of them to achieve the timeless mandate of a film director, <span style="font-style:italic;">which is to show you want you need to see, in precisely the way you need to see it.<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span> It's masterful - much like Rourke's performance - because it doesn't appear to be or announce that it is. It's dramatic and profound because he revels in precisely the moments that filmmakers have been cutting out of movies since their birth. A swig of beer, a silly thank you card, a a scoop of potato salad, a brief and somewhat awkward kiss...these are the tentpoles of life. Arronofsky honors our lives and his audience by lingering on them and leaving so many questions unanswered. Just like life.DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-77038600911611201642009-01-29T15:09:00.000-05:002009-01-29T15:10:04.602-05:00WWOW - The Shadow of FebruaryFebruary 2nd is Groundhog Day, a day when everyone anticipates the groundhog seeing his shadow because it's a harbinger of spring, along with baseball's spring training and the first robin. Around these parts, however, February 7th is the day that fills us with anticipation, because it means we'll be seeing The Shadow, and that just means a really good time. <br /><br />Both shows are already reserved full, but we get cancellations right up until the day of the show, so you might want to call the number below frequently and see if any seats have opened up. Also, if you're near the bookstore that evening, we start a waiting list about a half-hour before each show time. Again, often groups wind up being smaller than expected or people don't show, so there's a good chance of getting in. <br /><br />Here’s the lowdown:<br /><br /><br />THE DATE:<br /><br />February 7th<br /><br /><br />THE SHOWS:<br /><br />THE ADVENTURES OF SAM SPADE: "The Tears of Night Caper"<br />THE SHADOW: "The Isle of the Living Dead"<br /><br /><br />THE CAST:<br /><br />Alan Dolderer, Heather Edwards*, Karla Hendrick*, Michael H. Johnson, Annalisa Loeffler, Rebecca Roe*, Bob Rutan, Steve Viola and DeLisa M. White <br />(* denotes member of Actors' Equity Association)<br /><br /><br />WHERE:<br /><br />Partners & Crime Mystery Booksellers<br />44 Greenwich Avenue (between Sixth and Seventh Avenues), NYC<br /><br />TIMES:<br /><br />6 PM, repeated at 8 PM<br /><br />PRICE :<br /><br />$7<br /><br />FOR RESERVATIONS & INFORMATION CALL:<br /><br />212-462-3027<br /><br /><br />Hope to see you there!DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-77109045165462249932009-01-22T16:33:00.003-05:002009-01-22T16:38:36.163-05:00Deranged Penguins and other Encounters at the End of the WorldWerner Herzog - the filmmaker whose documentary <a href="http://encountersfilm.com/">ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD</a> – just received an <a href="http://www.oscar.com">Academy Award nomination</a> – once made good on his promise to eat a shoe (yes EAT A SHOE) as a motivation ploy for fellow filmmaker Errol Morris. It worked, Morris’ classic GATES OF HEAVEN was completed and released, and made the name of it’s now legendary filmmaker.<br /><br />This anecdote should tell anyone, whether their familiar with his work or no, that Herzog is wackier than your average bear (his last film was GRIZZLY MAN, get it? Get it? heeehehhheeee :-)), and - btw - no less effective.<br /><br />ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD chronicles Herzog’s trip to the South Pole. He makes it clear from the get-go that this is no travelogue, no NOVA episode, and no romantic mediation on the demands of life as a cute penguin. His explorations have the same wanderlust as its subjects, whose reasons for being at the South Pole count as many as there are inhabitants of this unfriendly terrain. Herzog avoids entirely the “checklist of important facts” approach of so many television science docs, instead asking the kinds of random questions which beset any curious mind in a bizarre environ. Nor does he over-sentimentalize. Herzog’s voice sways from so many extremes that he could seem scattered. He <span style="font-style:italic;">could</span>, that is, if these switches didn’t ultimately create a strange kind of balance. Just when you think Herzog is getting uncomfortably pretentious, he undercuts himself with self-aware humor. Just when he’s exploring the banal disappointments inherent in any visit to an exotic locale, he side swipes you with images full of true wonder. And where the film finds its most haunting resonance, in: the futility of nature, the isolation of the truly unique, the delay of science, the potential of extinction, etc. Herzog is savvy enough – and generous enough as a filmmaker - to refrain from stating those themes <span style="font-style:italic;">too </span>explicitly. Instead, Herzog invites the most powerful ideas swim through the audience’s thoughts like the deep sea divers under the world’s icebergs, who inspired his adventure in the first place...DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-87829515014894122692009-01-22T08:51:00.002-05:002009-01-22T08:56:54.662-05:00Surprises!! Yay!!!There seems to be a rather annoying delay on getting the full list posted on www.oscar.com... urgh...but from what we got from the TV announcements - just a couple of thoughts:<br /><br /> - They reaaaallllly liked the READER and really DIDN'T like REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, eh?<br /> - Melissa Leo and Richard Jenkins!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!<br /> - Sorry, Sally Hawkins.<br /> - No DARK KNIGHT for pic or director but THANK HEAVEN MILK wasn't overlooked.<br /> - The sheer number of BENJAMIN BUTTON nods gives it alot of momentum back....DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-1942329071348495982009-01-15T20:30:00.004-05:002009-01-15T20:43:20.731-05:00Man on Wire - A reviewOver the years, from time to time, my beloved friend and intrepid journalist <a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08346/934151-52.stm">Kate Luce Angell</a> has taken me to see people do the following things (among others):<br /><br />• swallow swords,<br />• swallow neon tubes in a sword shape,<br />• walk on blades of swords,<br />• lie on beds of nails,<br />• lie on a bed of nails while sandwiched between another bed of nails that people stood atop,<br />• eat fire,<br />• eat GLASS….<br /><br />…well, you get the picture. <br /><br />See, she’s been working on a book about the resurgence of Sideshow. She’s a great writer and it’ll be a fascinating book, I’m sure. I tagged along partly because I love her, partly because she has a way of explaining things that makes anything sound interesting, and partly because, well, I’m game. <br /><br />But at some point (I think it was around the time I saw a guy in Soho tape a bunch of firecrackers to his chest and then light them), the “side show” experience went from curious to profound.<br /><br />See, first off, side shows differ from magic shows in that there’s no trick. Prior to Kate’s exploration of this world and her introducing me to it, I didn’t really realize that. I may have sort of known it, but I didn’t REALLY know it.<br /><br />People ACTUALLY swallow swords. They ACTUALLY make themselves the meat in a bed-of-nails sandwich. They ACTUALLY eat glass. They are not a-foolin. <br /><br />Some part of me had always assumed swallowed swords were retractable or something. But no, these people are truly taking bizarre (I mean that in a good way) health risks for our entertainment. There are parameters and necessary requirements for how to do those things so you don’t die INSTANTLY, of course, but the acts themselves and the risks for injury - however well calculated – are real.<br /><br />For some people, that’s automatically thrilling. The potential for violent injury has a well-earned place in our recreational lives and rears its head in everything from car races to action films. And it should. Confronting and exposing ourselves to things we fear is how we conquer those fears. The process of desensitization is a necessary one or we’d spend our entire lives locked up in a padded bunker.<br /><br />But what captured my interest was something less reactive and more inspiring. It struck me that these people were staring human limitations – and all notions of impossibility - in the face and defying them. That they shared this defiance with us for our entertainment wasn’t just for our curiosity, but for our liberation. While watching these irreverent souls defy physical limitations, I found myself realizing that “Achieving what is presumed impossible doesn’t rest only with astronauts or Olympians, but with anybody who chooses to re-make the rules of their own bodies.” As we all age, the risk of becoming prisoners to the hue and cry of our bodies aches and pains increases. It’s startling to find new limitations in your own skin. But here are people who artfully refuse to accept the should/shouldn’ts or can/can’ts. They remind us that as crazy or foolish as these acts may seem, you can’t call them impossible.<br /><br />So when ones of the interviewees in <a href="http://www.manonwire.com/">MAN ON WIRE</a>, the James Marsh documentary (newly available on iTunes) about Phillippe Petit’s stroll across a wire connecting the Twin Towers describes his feat as “profound,” I knew what he meant.<br /><br />Because I’d seen the Sideshow. <br /><br />But not because of MAN ON WIRE.<br /><br />MAN ON WIRE is getting what seems to be uniform critical acclaim this awards season and is on the short list for Oscar. One can see why - it’s deftly constructed, sharply paced and has a compelling story.<br /><br />But it left me quite cold.<br /><br />James Marsh quite rightly makes no mention of the demise of the Towers. It would be inappropriate and exploitative. But the unspoken end of the story hangs over the piece like a dark and thunderous cloud. Perhaps in light of the extremely dark end of the Towers, Petit’s act seems to many to be particularly defiant, inspiring and glorious. But it struck me instead as frivolous. That could be just “where I’m at” with regards to the Towers, but I’m more inclined to blame the film, and I’ll tell you why.<br /><br />Marsh has indicated in interviews that part of his attraction to the story was his sense that it provided much the thrill of a good heist movie. I love me a good heist movie. I love the Robin Hood quality of a rag tag group of guys going up against the system and getting their own little slice of the big pie. I love the craft and suspense of the well-laid out victimless crime. The film plays into that delight, as the films beginning involves THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR style behind-the-scenes glimpses of the fake ids and disguises used to gain access to the Towers.<br /><br />MAN ON WIRE would have likely filled me with the same delight, if it weren’t for that ever present cloud. If it had been any other building, I too, might have thought it was thrilling and exciting. But the source of the suspense – that the gang Petit needed to support his elaborate goal might get arrested – seemed well, just irresponsible compared to the security needs of buildings which ultimately suffered three terror attacks, finally being felled by the last two. Marsh invites you to revel in the “crime”, which for me, simply served to remind me of crimes inextricably associated with those buildings and therefore made me feel a lot less sympathetic to criminals, as harmless their particular crime may seem. Rooting for Petit to succeed in his impertinent quest - and engagement with the film <span style="font-style:italic;">requires</span> that we see Petit as the righteous perpetrator of a victimless crime against a large institution - is difficult in light of the victims that the Towers and their tragic inhabitants became. And frankly, the idea of his potential death in pursuit of an acrobatic dream feels not romantic and idealistic, but disrespectful and narcissistic compared to those who felt no choice but to drop that distance as the Towers burned.<br /><br />I know I’m being DeLisa Downer here – I get that - and I’m glad for whoever might feel inspired by the film. But next time I need to see something “out there” and “silly” to remind me to set goals beyond my easy reach, I’ll be out at Coney Island looking for a man with a sword in his stomach.DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-68849046908363844182009-01-15T11:05:00.003-05:002009-01-15T11:28:18.238-05:00Baffling BAFTAsWell, some HUGE surprises at the <a href="http://http://www.bafta.org/awards/film/film-nominations-in-2009,657,BA.html">BAFTA</a>'s!!! And as my friend, E, knows - I've said for years - NEVER underestimate the impact of the British wing of the Academy. Anne Hathaway was completely denied, which after the GG loss makes her chances of winning look dead, dead, dead in the water. Brad Pitt got DOUBLE nods (for BENJAMIN & BURN AFTER READING) so he's moved solidly into second place with Penn behind Rourke. If Rourke's publicist takes so much as a weekend off in the next couple of months and he gaffes it up, Pitt could pull a surprise, as Penn already has a statue on the mantle... The Changeling did surprisingly well all around, which bodes very well for Angelina to secure a nod after being passed over last year for MIGHTY HEART, but decreases Eastwood's chance of an acting nod for TORINO. Winslet increases momentum with her double nods, but a READER nod in the Lead category confuses the issue a wee bit. DARK NIGHT misses a Best Pic nod, but it got so much attention in the technical awards that I doubt that will have to much of an impact on its chances for Best Pic Oscar nod. Amy Adams picked up momentum, but Supp categories are always full of surprises so that hardly takes Viola Davis out of the picture.<br /><br />The HUGE shocker????? Absolutely no mention of HAPPY GO LUCKY at all whatsoever. None. In ANY category. Was it not eligible for some reason??????? How could this be possible? It's a British film. By a beloved and legendary British Director. Sally Hawkins has been on an award parade. What happened there??? <br /><br />We are ONE week away from hearing the Oscar nominations. The BAFTA surprises suddenly make the roster seem more intriguing than they have in weeks!!! :-)DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-83346111774027497592009-01-14T12:44:00.000-05:002009-01-14T12:45:19.375-05:00Oscar short films to be shown in theaters (yay!!)(from AP) Shorts International has just announced that it will bring the Oscar-nominated short films (we'll know what they are when the nominations come out on Jan. 22) in the live-action and animated categories to U.S. theaters on Feb. 6, giving us a chance to see the quirky, fun, moving films before the 81st Academy Awards ceremony on Feb. 22.DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-8986051140287295862009-01-13T11:50:00.002-05:002009-01-13T11:54:32.428-05:00De-Lisa and De-Lurking Day!!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmWaw1-66Ze-8yad3EFY7jvV-gpfqk4bbzqVEQPJ6Fw0h8qqAsltqTCBh7byQgG9kqnaAKUdywAbYrWq_bXv1n5eXsCynpxhPdc67Xk87DyVdhpbm678scoGugxfSaRCj5l_A2jGfDdJK/s1600-h/delurk_delight.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 107px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmWaw1-66Ze-8yad3EFY7jvV-gpfqk4bbzqVEQPJ6Fw0h8qqAsltqTCBh7byQgG9kqnaAKUdywAbYrWq_bXv1n5eXsCynpxhPdc67Xk87DyVdhpbm678scoGugxfSaRCj5l_A2jGfDdJK/s320/delurk_delight.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290822666956116370" /></a><br />Hey Cats and Kitties!!!<br />So it's officially de-lurking day, which means if you're a DeLisa OnLine reader and haven't made a comment, it's a good day to come out of the closet and comment on sumpthin. No pressure - just welcome....DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-39546418449224215262009-01-12T11:21:00.002-05:002009-01-12T11:26:04.142-05:00Goldie Locked UpOkay – so CLEARLY everything has changed. Of course Oscar ballots are due TODAY, so if the Academy were to trump SLUMDOG for DARK NIGHT or MILK it’s game on, once again. And with BUTTON having lost momentum it’s wide open once again. There were many surprises, but all great ones, no? I could not love everyone associated with SLUMDOG more. They are divine and adorable. I look forward to actually seeing it and likely giving you my glowing review once I do ;)<br /><br />And can you say <span style="font-weight:bold;">KARMIC RETRIBUTION</span> for Ms. Winslet who was the best thing about the night!!! (She was also the most beautiful woman in the room on the inside and out although the ever stunning Laura Linney gave her a run for her money. ) Sally Hawkins win and Oscars’ past attention to Mike Leigh’s leading ladies bodes well for her, although let’s hope she eats something before March so she can have the strength to carry a clutch purse...<br /><br />All right, now – not <span style="font-style:italic;">everything </span>has changed. Mickey Rourke? Sewn-to-the-up. Of course, I stopped the Tivo just before his began his speech and turned to my very patient and enabling companions (I love you A&T!!!!) in watching the program and said “He wins or loses the Oscar in the next two minutes.” Clearly, he won it. Great speech. The doggie section was very touching and not just because I obviously love doggies, but because we all understand loneliness. And nice of him to pass off “gaffe” duties to my beloved Mr. Aronofsky (who hasn’t learned yet that he should have married me and not Rachel Weisz who I would hate for stealing him if she wasn’t so clearly awesome in every way.) And Christopher Nolan is doing an exceptional job in honoring Ledger, which must be truly difficult to rise to among the sadness we all feel for his loss...<br /><br />For TV, I’m thrilled that MAD MEN got the chance to reclaim the spotlight they didn’t get a chance to shine in last year, although it would have been nice to see HAMM get a chance to give a speech. Well, it’s nice to see HAMM do ANYTHING. He’s just breathtaking. I was disappointed that RECOUNT didn’t do better, but it’s hard to argue with the Giamatti, Linney, Wilkenson and Hanks corner.<br /><br />Those who know me know that I’m no fashion maven, but even I can make some obvious observations:<br /><br />- How did it become the hair style of the moment to look like you spent five hours on your hair only to mess it up after you got rough and tumble with someone in the coat closet minutes before the show started? (yes, Drew Barrymore I'm talking to you)<br /><br />- Furthermore - powder blue eye shadow??? Sequins??? Metallic dresses??? Do you people not realize that the only reason they got away with that at Studio 54 was because everyone was on cocaine????<br /><br />- Further furthermore - strapless dresses look WRETCHED on women who don't stand up straight. The stylist who starts making actresses practice walking around with a book on their heads will make a mint this season...<br /><br />- Furtherest - I’m putting Renee Zellweger on a fashion time out until Carolina Herrera recovers her mind. Or eyesight. Or both.<br /><br />- Lastly, Hollywood - please note: You do not look tan. You look like a pumpkin. Please stop.DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-40343144621980392732009-01-02T15:59:00.003-05:002009-01-02T16:02:01.187-05:00WWOW Radio in January!! :-)Hope you'll be able to join us this Saturday for our January show, as we celebrate the birthday of that master detective, Sherlock Holmes. (He'll be 155 on January 6th, and looks pretty darned good for his age. Must be the royal jelly.)<br /><br />Here’s the lowdown:<br /><br /><br />THE DATE:<br /><br />January 3rd<br /><br /><br />THE SHOWS:<br /><br />RICHARD DIAMOND, PRIVATE DETECTIVE: "Louis Spence Escapes"<br />THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES: "Murder in the Casbah"<br /><br /><br />THE CAST:<br /><br />Alan Dolderer, Heather Edwards*, Michael H. Johnson, Rebecca Roe*, Bob Rutan, Steve Viola, Ross Wade & DeLisa M. White (see picture above :-))<br />(* denotes member of Actors' Equity Association)<br /><br /><br />WHERE:<br /><br />Partners & Crime Mystery Booksellers<br />44 Greenwich Avenue (between Sixth and Seventh Avenues), NYC<br /><br />TIMES:<br /><br />6 PM, and/or at 8 PM<br /><br />PRICE :<br /><br />$7<br /><br />FOR RESERVATIONS & INFORMATION CALL:<br /><br />212-462-3027<br /><br /><br />Hope to see you there!DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-73423314196072106472008-12-26T00:38:00.003-05:002008-12-26T00:49:29.467-05:00The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - A reviewI’m not a big fan of magical realism. It always seems that the combination ends up being neither realistic or magical. Indeed, the only way to find the magic in the wild scenarios of the genre is to play them as straight and naturalistic as is possible. This begins to happen about one hour into Benjamin Button and there are certainly moments when the magic feels real and the movie achieves real magic. When it works - and by “works” I mean, actually achieves powerful emotional resonance – it connects you to your own life, loves and missed opportunities. There are indeed a couple of moments when you are watching a love story that mirrors any of your own, full of the necessity and terror of change.<br /><br />But there’s a whole lot of standard issue manipulative formula to wade through before you get there, and plenty of standard shlock remains sprinkled throughout once you arrive. So much so in fact that the power of those special moments get diminished in a sea of attempts to soar emotionally. It’s as if Fincher and Co were throwing such a cacophony of darts at a board, that when they hit the target you hardly notice through all the noise and traffic of flying sharp things.<br /><br />This is rather bizarre because the talents and skills of everyone involved are so very much in evidence. Cate Blanchett has never been more luminous or gorgeous and she elevates every moment of every movie she’s in by grounding it in inescapably recognizable humanity. BB is no exception. I can think of no other actress who will have as broad a repertoire of classic performances in her career and really she's just getting started still. Julia Ormond does a nice turn in a thankless role that she gives depth without overdramatizing. Taraji P. Henson turns a several stereotypes into a woman you care for – and root for. Tilda Swinson shows a giddy girly side we’ve often missed in her steely portraits of ice queens. And Pitt is superb in every way in an extremely difficult role technically and emotionally. Some may think him too reserved, but I think any ounce more of emoting out of him and the credibility of the film would have been forever lost. <br /><br />David Fincher is one of my all-time favorite directors ever. I’m rather in love with his work and have been for decades now since he was tearing up MTV with his superior video skills which Madonna owes at least in part to making her a superstar. BB is unsurprisingly technically stunning. From fine make-up effects to CGI, Fincher’s accomplishment in making the film not seem ridiculous or like a special effects showcase is massive and must be recognized. There is little if any self indulgence in the technical mastery, in fact the technical mastery here is in making the film not seem as technically masterful as it actually is, if you know what I mean. And there are individual images which haunt and shots which will be dissected by film students and film makers as long as such things exist. When the film is at its very best, the shared dark humor of Pitt and Fincher (not as dark as FIGHT CLUB obviously, but there are little glimpses which delight) goes on display and the film feels original and fresh and yes, magical. <br /><br />Again, the talents and skills of everyone involved are so very much in evidence. Ohhhhhh….wait. Okay – maybe everyone <span style="font-style:italic;">except</span> the screenwriter, Eric Roth, who is best known for writing FORREST GUMP. I don't like FG either, both films, imho, suffer from construction and dialogue that is <span style="font-style:italic;">so</span> paint-by-numbers-epic-kitsch that in lesser hands (than Pitt/Fincher or Hanks/Zemekis) both films would be <span style="font-weight:bold;">entirely insufferable<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span>. In BB, Roth can barely be bothered to replace “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get” with the far lazier “You never know what’s coming for you” as if “fate” or “kismet” or “predestination” (the movie uses all three terms in <span style="font-style:italic;">one</span> line - see what I mean by a lot of darts?) is a villain in life’s version of Friday the 13th. Which isn’t the point. Actually, I’m not entirely sure what IS the point of Benjamin Button, even though it’s trying to make a lot of them. There’s stuff about letting go, change, the evolution of love, maturity, missing people, missing opportunities, aging, destiny, communication, misunderstandings, pride, responsibilities to the less advantaged/beautiful, and probably many more themes I didn't get a chance to notice while I was noting all the others. I guess BENJAMIN BUTTON, much like a box of chocolates, is best when you take what tastes good to you and leave the rest. Maybe, like said box of chocolates, enough people will find pieces they like (and ignore the rest) to have the picture sail into Big Money and a Best Picture Oscar. <br /><br />I, however, would have appreciated not have to pick through the yucky marzipan to get to the dark chocolate truffle. <br /><br />But that’s just me.DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-56349908204708350562008-12-19T15:16:00.004-05:002008-12-19T15:38:10.611-05:00Reserve today to see DeLisa at COMIX Jan 21st!!!!New Venue, New Material AND A BRAND NEW DAY FOR AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)<br /><br />Come celebrate our new Commander-in-Chief AND see DeLisa (i.e. ME! :-)) <span style="font-style:italic;">Rock the House</span> at<span style="font-weight:bold;"> COMIX Comedy Club</span> on January 21st at 7pm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <br /><br />Wanna know if you'd think I'm funny? Check out the "comedy clips" hyperlink to the left over there --><br /><br />Cover charge of only $7. <span style="font-style:italic;">Instead of a two-drink minimum, they have a two-item minimum which means that a person can order a food item and a drink or no drinks at all if they so choose. And the food is YUMMEE, btw. </span> For people to make a reservation – they simply call the club! <span style="font-weight:bold;">Reservations required.<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span> Make sure you say you are planning to see DeLisa White! :-)<br /><br />353 West 14th Street<br /><br />(Just East of 9th Avenue)<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">call 212-524-2500 and let them know you're coming to see DeLisa White (that's me!) :-)<br /></span><br />Directions via Subway:<br /><br />The A, C and E will take you to 14th Street and 8th Avenue. So will the L train. Were located only half a block west on 14th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues. The 1, 2 and 3 lines will get you to 14th Street and 7th Avenue. Add another block to your route.<br /><br />If you can't make it - tell a friend and have <span style="font-style:italic;">them</span> come!!!! :-)<br /><br />Would LOVE to see you there!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br />Hugs,<br />DeLisa :-)DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-47938781782386813662008-12-18T11:14:00.001-05:002008-12-18T11:15:39.793-05:00SAG AwardsSAG Awards are in and my major comment is that I would be very surprised if the Oscar list doesn't look virtually identical to this. Your thoughts?<br /><br /><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081218/ap_en_ot/film_sag_awards_list">SAG Nods</a>DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-33747026979997654352008-12-13T14:51:00.002-05:002008-12-14T14:02:55.218-05:00And the winner of the best holiday prank ever is....<object width="512" height="296"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/ZpVTBKQ6pP1y_qr9SMGR7A/4/40"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/ZpVTBKQ6pP1y_qr9SMGR7A/4/40" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" width="512" height="296"></embed></object>DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-19509697581681565412008-12-11T11:58:00.007-05:002008-12-11T12:10:43.560-05:00Thank you, Mr. StewartMany people will post this, and many people should, so I'm going to be one of them.This issue has rarely been articulated as fairly and humanely as this representation (my personal attempt can be found on this site under the title "<a href="http://delisaonline.blogspot.com/2008/12/faith-and-reason.html">Faith And Reason</a>.") Mr. Stewart elevates the conversation and humanizes it at the same time. Frank and difficult conversations are the mandate of any democracy and the only path to understanding...imho.<br /><br /><style type='text/css'>.cc_box a:hover .cc_home{background:url('http://www.comedycentral.com/comedycentral/video/assets/syndicated-logo-over.png') !important;}.cc_links a{color:#b9b9b9;text-decoration:none;}.cc_show a{color:#707070;text-decoration:none;}.cc_title a{color:#868686;text-decoration:none;}.cc_links a:hover{color:#67bee2;text-decoration:underline;}</style><div class='cc_box' style='position:relative'><a href='http://www.comedycentral.com' target='_blank' style='display:inline; float:left; width:60px; height:31px;'><div class='cc_home' style='float:left; border:solid 1px #cfcfcf; border-width:1px 0px 0px 1px; width:60px; height:31px; background:url("http://www.comedycentral.com/comedycentral/video/assets/syndicated-logo-out.png");'></div></a><div style='font:bold 10px Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; float:left; width:299px; height:31px; border:solid 1px #cfcfcf; border-width:1px 1px 0px 0px; overflow:hidden; color:#707070;'><div class='cc_show' style='position:relative; background-color:#e5e5e5;padding-left:3px; height:14px; padding-top:2px; overflow:hidden;'><a href='http://www.thedailyshow.com/' target='_blank'>The Daily Show With Jon Stewart</a><span style='position:absolute; top:2px; right:3px;'>M - Th 11p / 10c</span></div><div class='cc_title' style='font-size:11px; color:#868686; background-color:#f5f5f5; padding:3px; padding-top:1px; line-height:14px; height:21px; overflow:hidden;'><a href='http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=213349&title=mike-huckabee-pt.-2' target='_blank'>Mike Huckabee Pt. 2</a></div></div><embed style='float:left; clear:left;' src='http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:213349' width='360' height='301' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' wmode='window' allowFullscreen='true' flashvars='autoPlay=false' allowscriptaccess='always' allownetworking='all' bgcolor='#000000'></embed><div class='cc_links' style='float:left; clear:left; width:358px; border:solid 1px #cfcfcf; border-top:0px; font:10px Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; color:#b9b9b9; background-color:#f5f5f5;'><div style='width:177px; float:left; padding-left:3px;'><a target='_blank' href='http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=166515&title=Barack-Obama-Pt.-1'>Barack Obama Interview</a><br /><a target='_blank' href='http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=167938&title=John-McCain-Pt.-1'>John McCain Interview</a></div><div style='width:177px; float:left;'><a target='_blank' href='http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?searchterm=Sarah+Palin&searchtype=site&x=0&y=0'>Sarah Palin Video</a><br /><a target='_blank' href='http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?searchterm=indecision+2008&searchtype=site&x=0&y=0'>Funny Election Video</a></div><div style='clear:both'></div></div><div style='clear:both'></div></div><br /><br />To express your appreciation for Mr. Stewart's addressing this issue in such a civilized and empathetic way on the Daily Show, <a href="http://www.couragecampaign.org/page/s/ThankYouJon">click here</a>.DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-54843306743954587312008-12-11T09:46:00.004-05:002008-12-11T12:48:50.534-05:00Golden Globe Nods are out<a href="http://www.goldenglobes.org/news/id/104">Click here for the official list</a><br /><br />Commentary to come...stay tuned and/or add your comments below! :-)<br /><br />But quickly - ONE nomination for MILK? And it qualifies to me as a SURPRISE that James Franco would be nominated <span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span> not for MILK but for PINEAPPLE EXPRESS??<br /><br />UPDATE: I have to say that it's a really weird irony that when I'm not angry about the nominations I'm a wee bit bored with them. So I'm going to be mad about MILK not getting more attention. I think that my predicts are holding up, SUPP ACTRESS excepted (although I still stand by that - I still think Winger may be the surprise of the season). Rather than rehash work that's been done well I will refer you to the <a href="http://oscar-watch.ew.com/2008/12/golden-globe-no.html">EW commentary</a> on the nods as I agree with their assessment with one major caveat: I think Streep will win in Comedy for MAMMA MIA canceling her out of the race for DOUBT and then Hathaway will waltz away with Actress and Winslet will rack up another "SHOULD have won."DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-46381191640809726842008-12-10T12:05:00.007-05:002008-12-10T12:19:08.879-05:00FAITH and REASON</span><span style="font-style:italic;">Looking out the window<br />All she can see<br />Are the dreams all made solid<br />All the dreams made real<br /> <br />All of the buildings and all of the cars<br />Were once just a dream in somebody's head<br /> - From Mercy Street by Peter Gabriel</span><br /> <br />Of all the arguments emotional and intellectual for or against the existence of God, the most compelling ones that disparage both sides involve the perils of arrogance. Atheism is given a bad name by the few atheists who assume that the absence of a "God" gives them the solipsistic authority to judge any or all. Religion is given a bad name by those who assume the presence of God gives them a right to judge any or all on "his" behalf.<br /><br />Frankly, I don't really care whether anyone "believes" or doesn't. I find in the course of my life that there is a spectrum of faith and reason and that wherever you fall on it there is a likelihood I have something to learn from you and something about you with which I relate. <br /><br />But I admit I tend to have a sort of "reason" fetish. Give me good science and elegant logic. There is a glory in reason that is as just inspiring as any religious ritual. Bring on the smart stuff. Me luvvvves it. Prayer didn't put a man on the moon. <br /><br />Or did it?<br /><br />Richard Dawkins - as vocalist an atheist as they come - decries "faith" as an archaic notion that is only useful for children who have an evolutionary need to take unquestioning instruction from their parents. Once puberty hits, <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87949769">he explained to Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air</a>, faith has outlived its usefulness and becomes dangerous.<br /><br />The easy historical and contemporary examples of holy wars and religiously motivated persecution provide intuitive empirical arguments for this perspective. You have to forget charity and community and other societal benefits of religious affiliations that present another view, but the argument is often begrudgingly compelling even to people of faith who care about social justice and can see these potential pitfalls and the damages done in the name of religion.<br /> <br />I'm not going to argue for or against religion. Honestly, if religion or lack thereof helps you treat people better and serve your family, friends, community, country and the planet as a whole in a predominantly constructive/productive (as opposed to destructive) way then you can believe in the power - or lack thereof - of multi-colored gumballs for all I care.<br /><br />But "faith", as a concept - faith as the belief in something that is not imminently provable, is - I think I can demonstrate - not without its uses post-puberty.<br /><br />I refer your attention to the quote which begins this posting. It seems to me, that "acts of faith" are very often the driving forces of most - if not all - accomplishments in life. I don't think that "if you can dream it, you can do it." I can dream all I want about doing a triple axel at the Olympics, but I'm certain beyond any reasonable doubt that I can't ever do that. (fortunately I'm fine with that :-)) But I'm also pretty durn sure that if you don't dream it - you WON'T ever do it. When I look around me I see acts of "faith" virtually <span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">everywhere</span><span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span>.<br /><br />A job interview? Act of faith. Not so sure? Try going into your next interview and saying "I can't <span style="font-style:italic;">prove </span>that I can do the job" and see how that works out for you.<br /><br />I just started exercising again. MAJOR act of faith. I've never been athletic. What on earth makes me think that I'll be able to get in healthy shape? When have I ever been able to demonstrate that I can live and active and health lifestyle? Why would I try?<br /><br />Faith.<br /><br />I believe that I want to be healthy, that it will help me be happier, more productive, more on the survive and thrive contingent than on the sit on my couch and rot in a prison of my own body contingent. Of course as I go along, it gets better, easier, more fun - you feel better, it seems more surmountable, you gain momentum, you hold on to the little proofs that add up to new realities.<br />I do know that this arc of triumph exists because my reason tells me that faith in the seemingly impossible has paid off before. Heck, once upon a time a dude played golf on the moon!<br /><br />In my own life, I've had faith in a whole bunch of other seemingly ridiculous schemes. For example, no scheme ever seems more ridiculous than “putting on a show.” If you don't believe in miracles, then you've never been through Tech Week. No one ever told me I could make a film. <span style="font-style:italic;">CERTAINLY </span>no one told me I should be a stand-up comedian. I don't know that anyone ever even told me that I was funny. Like ever. But I've been walking on and off of stages trying to make people laugh for...well, some time now :-) and while I can't empirically say that I'm funny, I <span style="font-style:italic;">can </span>say that I've made <span style="font-style:italic;">some </span>people laugh and that the more I do it, the more frequently and consistently that happens. The dirtiest little joke of every creative endeavor in the world is that you <span style="font-style:italic;">will always be unsuccessful<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span>. To <span style="font-style:italic;">someone </span>anyway. There will always be someone who doesn't get the joke, hates the song, loathes the movie, fell asleep during the play, etc. Shakespeare is the number one employer of actors on the planet and has been nigh onto 400 years. If you don't know someone who <span style="font-weight:bold;">hates </span>Shakespeare - the single most successful playwright in history - then you might be living in a cave with bad internet reception and won't ever read this anyway. The whole kit and kaboodle of creativity is that it's 100% subjective. And there are as many opinions as there are people. Surely, we all hold on to the good review, the sincere compliment, the unprovoked applause in our hearts and heads and play it like a record on a loop on discouraging days. But we <span style="font-style:italic;">could </span>also play the heckler, the critic, the boo-er and the eye roller on that same loop. And sometimes we do. But those of us who can't seem to walk away from doing this kind of stuff keep doing it with copious amounts of reason - and reasons - to tell us to stop. And those who do walk away have often had copious amounts of reason/reasons to tell them continue. I often wonder how many great books we'll never read, great symphonies we'll never hear, great movies we'll never see because some genius walked away from their gift because they ran out of....<br /><br />...faith.<br /><br />It helps my faith in my ability to be healthy that there are doctors, friends, advisors, websites, magazines, athletes and all manner of examples that such a thing CAN be done. There's no evidence so far that I can do it, except that there seem to be people out there who can, and as an act of faith, I'm trying to be one of them.<br /><br />Frankly, the greatest and most miraculous act of faith I've ever seen....is marriage. The most ridiculous scheme I've ever encountered is that of the healthy happy monogamous relationship. For <span style="font-style:italic;">crying out loud</span>, the divorce rate is 50 freakin 50. People are SO different and change SO much so very quickly, it seems to me that odds of <span style="font-style:italic;">any </span>two people finding each other and making a long-term "go" of it seem <span style="font-style:italic;">astronomical</span>. It's <span style="font-style:italic;">ridunkulous</span>. <br /><br />I've never been married. Like anyone else, I've had moments of glorious bliss and moments of profound grief (and everything in between) that have colored the romantic road I've tread. But reason tells me that marriage as a concept is more absurd an endeavor than a Beckett play on acid.<br /><br />Reason tells me that there are couples who have "made" it: my amazing parents, assorted relatives, special friends. But reason also plays the heckler just as often and our cultural obsession with celebrity gossip is no help. I do know that those who have "made" it and continue to struggle to make it - and it's quite obvious that however much it's worth it, i.e. A LOT - it remains a continuous struggle - have had the support of their own families, communities, their faith traditions, their legal and societal binds.<br /><br />Reason also tells me that there are couples who have committed their lives to each other and the struggle of family and riches of love and home who have had no support at all from family, faith, community, society or the law. There are couples who commit to each other and to raising families who are not only not supported societally, but often discouraged, harassed, denied. Those couples are gay.<br /><br />Reason tells me that if there were good excuses to abandon the ideals of marriage, gay people have plenty of them.<br /> <br />Reason also tells me that when I look for examples of commitment and love among my peers, the gay couples I've known and seen and love knock all my heckling loops out of earshot. Rather than being any sort of "threat" to marriage, it is gay couples who serve as an enduring paradigm of it. The desire of our gay friends and family to marry reminds me repeatedly of the value of it... as an institution, as a function, as an ideal and as an evolutionary necessity. Families care for each other. No human doesn't need that. <br /><br />But families - are an act of faith. I still have faith that I may build my own family with some fella or other one of these days. The hetero couples in my life have given me many <span style="font-style:italic;">reasons </span>to think about getting married one day.<br /><br />But it's the gay couples who have restored my <span style="font-style:italic;">faith </span>in it.DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-68686817670039809022008-12-09T13:15:00.007-05:002008-12-10T15:01:21.401-05:00Critic's Choice & LA Critics Awards are out!I'll stand by my predictions so far - in fact, I feel even MORE confident. And Winger may be left off this list, but all the peeps catching the Rachel Got Married screener for Hathaway's performance will remember Winger come Oscar time even if the critics and the Globes look her over.... :-)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iX6azkF1rjbKujI6eStIPSRs05HwD94VD5N00">Critic's Choice</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.popeater.com/article/wall-e-wins-la-critics-best-picture/272835?cid=35">LA Critics</a><br /><br />UPDATE: Here's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0625035/">New York Film Critics</a>. Ms. Penelope Cruz is starting to look like BIG TIME front runner, so this may be the first area where I'm wrong? :-)DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203968640984311254.post-35432578817623594472008-12-06T13:17:00.005-05:002008-12-06T13:26:09.097-05:00Best. Endorsement. Ever.<span style="font-style:italic;">Stunningly</span> - the magic that is <a href="http://www.shakespeareteacher.com">Shakespeare Teacher</a> has <span style="font-weight:bold;">endorsed</span> yours truly's blog venture!!!! Check it out and check out what remains one of the most fun, most brilliant, most eclectic blogs on the sphere!!!<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/1007">DeLisa Online<br /></a>December 2nd, 2008<br />Regular readers of the blog will be familiar with my friend DeLisa, whether she’s <a href="http://http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/374#comment-4203">posting a spirited comment</a>, <a href="http://http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/265">solving the toughest riddles</a>, or even <a href="http://http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/366">providing material</a>, she’s been an indispensable member of the Shakespeare Teacher community since the very beginning.<br /><br />But those of us who know her can attest that her contributions here only scratch the surface of what she could be offering to the hungry Internet. We have begged her to start her own blog. Finally, she has answered our wishes.<br /><br />You can find the wit and wisdom of DeLisa on her new blog, appropriately titled DeLisa Online. Memorize it. Bookmark it. Subscribe to the feed.<br /><br />It may very well become the second most intriguing blog on the Internet.</span>DeLisa Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712673570000782871noreply@blogger.com0