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Archive for June, 2007

blue moon special

30 Jun

Heck, no one comes by on weekends anyway. The choice was to sit around and twiddle my thumbs… OK… one thumb twiddles the other just sits there not doing much of anything… or perhaps do a random post. Random post won out… after which I just may pop in a movie.

Speaking of movies… I re-watched Towering Inferno yesterday. Yes, I’ll cop to the fact that I do own several disaster movies from the 70′s… that I’ll also admit I enjoy quite a bit. It’s a guilty pleasure I’ve had for years. Yeah, most of them are cheezy… but that’s half the fun. I think what has stuck in my mind is going to see them in the movie theaters and taking minor bets with the friends I went with on which characters would make it and which would bite a movie death. The bets were always taken out in the lobby as we looked at the cast pictures displayed on the poster. I remember that there was also always a display of production stills. Do they do that anymore? So, disaster movies became sort of a perverse sport. The only thing I do not own yet are the “Airport” movies. (The first one is still the best of the lot.) I still laugh out loud at “Airplane” because it is such a great take-off on those. George Kennedy sure got a lot of work when that genre hit. I think he was in just about every “Airport” ever made as well as “Earthquake” (dang, talk about cheezy).

My other guilty pleasure are horror movies from Hammer Studios… also from the 70′s. Yeah, there are a lot of things from the 70′s that I like. Can’t help it… those were my formative years. Anyway, those movies still tickle my fancy. OK… admittedly the gratuitous and copious cleavage shots did help “up” the appeal quotient… but those guys knew horror. Really… the English have the blood and gore down to an art form from centuries of indiscriminate blood letting in their history. It really shows in these movies… and they are not even really trying… just cranking them out. I suspect that the tale of Sweeney Todd is just a charming bed-time story for the kids over there. Even watching these movies today… the blood seems redder than red. (For us color blind guys… this is big.) Plus, many of the movies actually had plots… bonus! Hmmm…. perhaps a Hammer movie is in order tonight. Vampire Lovers or Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde? Perfect for a blue moon night, don’t you think?

I think most of what needs to be set-up for tomorrow has been taken care of. Now, all we can do is hope that a decent audience turns up to the gig. It’s not exactly Shakespeare… but it will be a fun show for those who turn up. What happens tomorrow and how it happens will be a major factor in some decisions that I’ll be making soon.

Now I think I’ll pop a movie in… hmmm… let’s see… oooh … Taste the Blood of Dracula…

EDIT: 10 AM, Sunday
Speaking of Sweeney Todd… did you know a movie version of the Sondheim musical is currently in production directed by Tim Burton with Johnny Depp in the title role? Yeah… cool, huh?

 
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Posted in movies, random

 

mind meanderings on this and that

29 Jun

It seems as if I always have to start it… get it going… then they will jump on board… maybe.
To be honest… I’m getting a little tired of this. It’s not one project… this is the case in several things I have my hot little hands on at the moment. “Oh yeah… we support you… 100 percent behind it.” So, then I send out emails requesting assistance in certain aspects… crickets chirp. Discussions lead to decisions that affect these projects… yet I (who technically am spearheading these projects) am not informed of these decisions. Some aspects of these projects affect a few other folk… but… crickets chirp loud.

Yes, I am passionate about what I do. I also have very well thought out ideas and methods of achieving goals in the short and long term. I am very emphatic about expressing them too. However, I am also open to other ideas. Even if I am still not convinced that those ideas are as good as mine… I will capitulate to the majority. But, dammit… let me know what the final decision is. Lately, all I’ve been getting is the cricket chorus.

I very rarely voice my opinions unless I get all sides of the story (especially on the big stuff)… and even then it is iffy.

More often than not… this is not a luxury that has been afforded to me. Look, I am used to the slings and arrows of criticism in a lot of what I do. Heck, I imagine other toddlers when I was born had issues with my thumb sucking techniques. I take it as part and parcel of my lot in life. Sure, I do have views and opinions and I do express them… and more often than not only after weighing in what the other side has to offer. And in the immortal words of a certain very wise Mr. Gump… “That’s all I have to say about that.”

My other lot in life is facilitating opportunities for others.

These incidents have happened of late and made me smile wider than the man in the moon inside. It is really astounding to watch something creatively gel. And to watch the sparkle of greater possibility glinting in the eyes when it happens. It’s a quiet rush that has no equal. OK, perhaps as equally rewarding is being present for the entire process that eventually ignites that moment. This one balances off the first two.

OH, and if you live in the Toronto area…

The Fringe is coming up. I highly recommend you catching the shows of THIS & THIS performer friends of mine… and pass the word, won’t cha?

So much for now… perhaps more later.

 
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Posted in bits and pieces, perception

 

Da Count – memory trigger

28 Jun

dacount

So… on Monday, I finally burned the songs from Frogway. I popped it into the cd player in the house. Mum listened to it and it triggered memories from 27 years ago when it was first produced. Happy memories. Memories of pride. I finally told her that it was being produced again. She beamed. I know that in her mind… that is the only show I have written… but thats OK with me… very OK. If that doesn’t count… I don’t know what does. For the past few days… that is all she has been buzzing about. Thank you, Mike.

If you want to find out what Da Count is all about… click the flashing button above.

EDIT: 9 AM Friday

These fine talented folk are appearing on stage July 1.
So, we’ll see you there… right?

 
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and thus it begins!

26 Jun

Well, rehearsals for both shows are in full swing. Hopefully, my promo promiscuity works its magic and we get a good house for the gig. My tactic at the moment… sheer annoyance. Bombard the internet with notice and hopefully folks will turn up just so we will shut our traps. If you have a MySpace and have friended any of the entities that are connected to me… you’ll definitely catch some of the blitz. Several bloggers from other parts of the continent have also picked up and posted the video (two posts down)… thank you! If you have a MySpace… copy and paste and send this out as a bulletin and help us spread the word!


We had a rehearsal for Tale End… and it is not the same old hat. The cast and I are infusing some new stuff into it. With the time away… ideas have percolated even more.

On other fronts… it has been a good week with Mum. All in all she seems a lot more settled this week than most.

Perhaps updates in the AM.

EDIT: 9:15 AM
Just purged some dead links off my blogroll. It’s always a little sad to do that but I do understand that folk give up blogging for various reasons. Glad I had a peek into their insight and perception for the time when thewy were active.

The Garage (Turtle Dove) Theater is being reset today. It was left a shambles from the time of the Rogue. I’ve decided to get it back to where it was and perhaps even more than it was by maybe buying THIS… I said maybe.

Well… off to do some damage.

 
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Posted in life

 

my body clock is all out of whack…

25 Jun

… from pulling an all-nighter. If you haven’t seen the video yet… check it out in the post below. I’ll probably add more content to this post later in the AM.

EDIT: 9:45 AM, tuesday
Oh yeah… feel free to steal the video if you are so inclined. I looked at it this morning and thought to myself… “Self, that turned out pretty good.” Sometimes looking back a day after creation I look at it and go “eh.” or “what was I thinking?” … but this one was “yeah.” And BTW… I posted on daily motion and they flagged it as “inappropriate content”… WTF? Anyway, here is the code if you want it:

It’s going to be a busy week around here. Rehearsals for both shows… more promo… general chores… but I think it will all be fun.

Perhaps more updates later.

EDIT: 1:00 PM
So, this is how much of a promo ho I am… the video has been posted HERE.

 
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Posted in life

 

You just got to be there… the show features me & me

25 Jun

There’ll be more later when I’m more lucid.

EDIT:
So, I stayed up all night editing the video. Got up at 10 AM and am still a little out of it. Been busy blitzing via the internet to promote the show. Myspace, email lists, blogs… I can be such a promo ho, ya know?

Well, the real news is all of it was done on the new equipment I acquired recently. I really like it and there is still going to be a “getting to know you” period before it fits me like a second skin… so to speak. Good hardware does make a helluva difference… and it doesn’t have to break the bank.

Anyway, if you are in the area… come by and see the show. Oh yeah… the song in the soundtrack on the video is one from Frogway.

ROGUE YEAR ROUND with Suicide Lounge & Tale End!
A double header you can’t afford to miss!

$10
6:30 PM (Doors open at 6)
Sunday, July 1

STARLINE Performance Venue
831 E. Fern

more info: at the Rogue Year Round Page!

 
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Posted in video

 

come by later for…

25 Jun

a post and a new video!

 
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Posted in video

 

tagging me self silly

22 Jun

I first saw this meme over at Mark Leslie’s then over at Addict’s so I decided to tag myself. I haven’t done one of these in a while… so, why the heck not?

  • Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
  • People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
  • At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
  • Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog

LECRAM’S RANDOM FACTS/HABITS (or boring things you never wanted to know about me.)

1. Even though theatre is my life and I have lived in America for over half my life I have never seen a show on Broadway (even though I have been to NY)… but I have seen several in London’s West End. Yeah… strange but true.

2. Whenever I acquire a DVD (even for a movie I have never seen before) I always watch the “extras” before the movie. I hear that this is one of the sure tests for a true nerd.

3. My life is broken up into periods of being ultra high profile social or super hermit recluse. I enjoy both but not all the time.

4. Somewhat related to # 3… friends over the last few years have commented that going out in public with me feels akin to being part of a rock star’s entourage. OK… actually they complain that they can’t take me anywhere because I seem to know everyone. This is plainly false… everyone seem to know me. LOL!

5. If I am creatively blocked or come to a cluster-fuck while developing a project… a trip to the toilet usually fixes the problem. Further evidence that my work is crap inspired.

6. I rather let things pile up (like the dishes) before taking care of it in one fell swoop. Somehow it brings a greater sense of accomplishment when the task is completed.

7. I hated the taste of chocolate until my mid-20′s. That’s all I’m going to say about that.

8. Some of the most terrifying scenes I have ever seen on the screen that still haunt me today are from Disney movies – Snow White running through the forest and the “death coach” from Darby O’Gill and the Little People. Even now if the low branches of a tree brushes up against me in the dark of night – I will freak. Yet I have never had problems camping in the jungle. Go figure!

I’m not tagging anyone (I think self fulfillment is best kept as just that) … but if you want to tag yourself… have at it until you have hairy palms. Just let me know you did so I can go read.

 
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Posted in meme

 

Da Count – when it quietly goes right.

21 Jun

dacount
No fanfare. No earth shattering epiphany. No big production number. Just when things fall into place what a rush that can be… albeit a private moment… and anything intruding is on yout list to be beheaded. And on the surface it all seems so… almost mundane. But for that moment it makes all the difference in the world. You know it is not going to be forever… but for the moment it is prime. It is those moments that makes your heart well up and you know you are in the “groove”. It can be as ordinary as achieving just the right crease whilst you are ironing…. or something more momentous. I’ll let you fill in that blank via the comment function.

To find out what Da Count is about… click the flashing sign above.

EDIT: Time Wasters.

 
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Posted in Da Count

 

sour green mango

20 Jun

I just devoured one dipped in a little salt. Bought at a local Asian market a couple of days ago. Best eaten when it hasn’t ripened yet. I’m still floating in the afterglow of that tart euphoria. One of my uncles had a huge tree of that particular variety growing in front of his house. I remember picking them off the low branches as a boy. This same uncle had a cockatoo who was quite the diva. He would sing two lines of O Sole Mio and actually take a bow right after by tucking his head under his right wing. Taste does indeed trigger memory recall. Sure, you can find them (green mangos…not cockatoos) pickled in brine or a chutney… but nothing beats fresh.

So, of late references to food have been bombarding my psyche. Recently I quoted something I heard my father saying a long time ago. “Love truly begins after the flash of passion has boiled down to a simmer.” That’s cookin, baby. Where’s Hank Williams when you need him? I’ve even been dreaming about nosh. OK, admittedly a fair amount of these dreams also involved sex… but food was prominently featured.

I can only surmise that this convergence of the culinary in my life at the moment is directly related to the current play I’m developing. Yeah, it’s about a terrorist chef. The pace of development is actually occurring pretty fast. This one is coming quite easily. No, I haven’t written a lick yet. Waiting for an opportune moment when I feel that it’s fully cooked enough before I will allow myself to be lost in my bliss.

What surprises me is that it took me this long to actually attempt writing a food related play. I originally come from a culture that is practically obsessed about food. It’s not unusual for people over there to drive for miles in the quest for a certain dish that is served in some shanty hole in the wall. Really, Malaysians make no bones about the fact that we live to eat. BTW… HERE is a really good Malaysian food blog if you’re so inclined.

I cook. I have even “trained” most of my friends here to the point that if I do serve a “full tilt” curry that they will gobble it up while sweating and tearing profusely without moaning about the hellish heat index. I’ve run a food business… and may again soon. Some of my favorite movies are food related… Tampopo, Like Water For Chocolate, Big Night… just to name a few.

So, yeah… I think it’s about time, don’t you?

 
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Posted in food, theatre

 
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