The story takes another turn so I chose Wheels Within Wheels as the "fractal cookie" for today's rant. Enjoy it unless you have other plans.
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So, after years and years of kvetching by the Birthers Barack Obama FINALLY released a long-form Birth Certificate from the State of Hawaii which (if there's any rationality left in the world) should prove once and for all that he IS a Citizen of the United States--and thus able to hold the office of President. Will it silence the "Birthers" once and for all? Honestly, I hope so but my faith in sheer stubborn stupidity tells me they'll find something else equally spurious to latch onto so they can keep up their irrational campaign.
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Why it took Obama so long to actually RELEASE the long-form Birth Certificate I have no idea and right now I lack the imagination to speculate. That being said, I always thought things like Birth Certificates were a matter of public record: am I wrong to assume that ANYONE can go to a County Records Office and request a copy of a Birth Certificate? That should have been enough to silence the questions once and for all. And yet it wasn't...
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In my humble opinion Donald Trump really took a credibility hit by championing the Birther cause. He has said--in multiple interviews--that the investigators he hired were finding "astonishing things". I, for one, am still waiting to be astonished. Did they find ANYTHING? I think we all know the answer to that: no, they didn't find anything BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING TO FIND! Now that the long form Birth Certificate is out I'll be very interested to find out if Trump lets this drop. Further, I'll be interested if the Media decides to let this drop should Trump decide to run for the Presidency in 2012. (Anyone want to take bets?) So I guess we'll just have to wait for the next turn of the wheel to see how this story shakes out...
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'nuff said.
Here's the logic for choosing Samba as today's fractal cookie: the Samba is a uniquely Brazilian dance that was created in Rio de Janero and Rio takes place there--thus the choice. Now you know, on with the review!
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Robyn and I finally saw Rio Friday April 23 but I didn't get around to writing the review until today. Plot-wise you've seen this movie before--unlikely couple find themselves forced together to overcome a bad situation and find love in this process all to a bouncy soundtrack complete with spectacular production numbers: this time it's done with tropical birds (Blue Macaws to be exact). What raises Rio above the average is the spectacular animation and voice casting who manage to bring the script to life.
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Visually, this movie is a love-letter to Rio de Janero: the beauty and squalor of the city are there as well as the boundless energy of the city. The jungle and the birds have never looked better and this is a movie that makes me wish I'd seen it in 3D instead of on the cheaper version: that being said, professional reviewers (most notably Sam Rubin of KTLA) says this movie DOESN'T need to be seen in 3D. (But honestly, what movie besides Avatar really does?)
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The voice cast is as close to perfection as you can come: nobody does appealing nerd better than Jesse Eisenberg and he manages to lend charm to the role of Blu (which could easily become quite annoying). Look up "spunky" and you're sure to find a picture of Anne Hathaway (a characteristic she has in spades a Jewel). George Lopez has another vocal star turn as Raphael (a Toucan in love with love and willing to share advice and guidance with the hapless Blu). Jemaine Clement has the deepest, plumiest voice since Cyril Richard and his turn as evil cockatoo Nigel is worthy of Captain Hook: too bad he can't sing his way out of a paper bag (but he "singspeaks" right up there with Rex Harrison). The rest of the cast (including some unexpected voices like Jamie Fox and Will i Am) are equally spectacular.
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The script is clever enough to hold your interest even if you've seen it all before. There's enough complexity to keep adults interested with enough action for the kids and not too much mushy stuff to turn them off. In short--this is the kind of movie the whole family can see and enjoy. Is it one of the greats? I dunno--but it certain ranks right up there with the extremely good.
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FINAL GRADE: A
It is a thorny question indeed--and yet I feel the need to ask it of GOP Central Committee Representative Marilyn Davenport. Therefor I chose Thorned Rose as today's fractal cookie. Now--on with the rant!
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I didn't think I was going to comment on the situation involving Marilyn Davenport and the e-Mail she sent depicting President Barack Obama's face superimposed over a chimpanzee in a family grouping. I think we can all agree the "tacky factor" meter has COMPLETELY pegged and that this is the height of stupidity for ANYONE involved in politics. (I mean, when your own party calls for your resignation that should tell you something right?) Then the dear lady had to go open her mouth and make a few comments and I suddenly felt the need to put in my two cents. Here's what got my panties in a bunch...
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I'm cherry picking a few of her choicest comments from an Associated Press report.
- "I feel that it was inappropriate and I offended people. I think it's only racist when the intent in my heart is to make it that way, and that was not the intent in my heart." Really--come on--really??? Is Ms. Davenport so oblivious that she doesn't get the completely racist overtones of something like this? Well maybe--the lady is 74 years old and is a product of a different time so maybe, just maybe, she didn't understand the ramifications of this kind of image (particularly in light of other e-mail scandals involving Obama.) Furthermore, she admitted that she hadn't sent it to certain friends (blacks and some whites) she knew would find the content offensive so obviously Ms. Davenport isn't completely unaware.
"It struck me as political satire." Someone is going to have to explain this to me. (The e-Mail is a picture of a chimpanzee family with Obama's face superimposed over the baby's above the caption "now you know why no birth certificate". You really have to wonder if someone would have sent pictures of a white President superimposed on an ape's body. I LOVE satire but I know the difference between satire and just plain filth.- "My position would be I am concerned, knowing what the responsibility is of a president. I guess we should know his origin, shouldn't we? ... I guess I wonder why he doesn't tell us." Honey Mike Huckabee (as conservative a Republican as they come) said it best. I can't quote it exactly but he said something like "if there was anything to the notion Hilary Clinton's team would have exploited it in the 2008 Primary." Not to mention the Republican political machine and the folks charged by the Constitution to certify the eligibility of a Presidential Candidate. And--as to why he didn't tell you--HE ALREADY DID!!! How many times does this controversy have to be addressed before it dies?
Finally, (and I dearly wish I had the whole quote here) Ms. Davenport described herself as "an imperfect Christian" but, I really have to wonder--why would anyone who labels themselves a Christian feel comfortable with sending something so hurtful and frankly hateful? Maybe I missed something in Sunday School.
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Here's the last quote from the AP Article: Davenport said constituents are asking her not to resign, and the feelings of those outside the 72nd Assembly District don't matter. It'll be interesting to see what happens with the situation. The simple truth is the feelings of those outside the 72nd District DO matter when it affects the perception of the Republican Party. Social Moderates will think less of the party if they tolerate this. This is a pretty little black eye for the GOP and Ms. Davenport would be wise to go quietly and leave the scene.
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'nuff said.
I chose Topspin 2 as today's fractal cookie for two reasons. First the scipt takes many twists and turns and secondly the colors resemble several costume color palettes in the show. So--on with today's review.
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There were several clues that I was doomed to be disappointed by Curtains. Although it was the last show written by Kander and Ebb (creators of Cabaret and Chicago) it failed to take home any of the musical Tony Awards. Secondly, the show closed after a relatively short Broadway run with an equally short national tour that never made it to Southern California. Last, but not least, the show was released to Regional Theaters with surprising speed. All of those should have been clues that I wasn't going to be in for one of the great shows of a lifetime but, for reasons I can no longer recall, I decided I wanted to see it. (I wanted to see the show so badly I bought an entire season to Performance Riverside). And, maybe--just maybe, I didn't enjoy curtains because I went to the theater with a blinding sinus headache. Still, the Baroness didn't enjoy the show as much as she might have (and when Robyn, the most UN-critical person on the planet doesn't love something you know there's a problem).
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Curtains is billed as a musical whodunit (except there really aren't any clues to help the audience figure out who the culprit might be). I fingered the killer mainly because I looked at the plot and figured out who was on stage LEAST (not a good way to solve a mystery). The script has a lot of funny bits (and an equal number of bits that fall flat). There are some truly classic songs, (the poignant Lunch Counter Mornings And Coffe Shop Nights and the romantic duet Tough Act To Follow to name just two). Sadly, there are a few songs, (mostly big numbers) that sink like a lead ballon (Thataway and Wide Open Spaces for example) but, by and large, the music is the best part of the show.
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Frankly, I was very disappointed by lead Actor Jason Webb in the role of theater-crazed Lt. Frank Cioffi. As an accent-hobbyist I can tell when an accent wanders (and his wandered from Charleston to London with occasional stops in Brookly (but seldom landing anywhere NEAR Boston). (A SIMPLE RULE OF ACTING: if you can't get an accent right--and hold it--DON'T DO IT!!!) Still, his singing and dancing are more than adequate so his performance wasn't completely excruciating.
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As the song-writing team (and exes) Aaron Fox and Georgia Hendricks Angel Castellanos and Rachel McLaughlin were a bit hard to swallow. (He looked like he was twelve and she on the dark side of 65--Sarcasm ON) but they sang, danced and acted nicely. Debbie Prutsman as, brassy Producer Carmen Bernstein struck all the right notes in her strong, supporting role. Dustin Ceithamer is weirdly-tall (and toothpick thin) but there's no denying he can sing and dance like a champ in the role of Choreographer Bobby Pepper. Jeff Wilson brought his best "fussy queen" as Director Christopher Belling: yes, his performance was frankly sterreotypical but he made it work for him. I found Noelle Marion's thanksless role as inginue Nikki Harris to be completely sterreotypical and frankly grating. Still, she's pretty and can sing and dance so maybe I shouldn't complain that she failed to rise above the script.
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It wouldn't be a Performance Riverside production if there weren't some technical problems: usually the shows are so over mic-ed that they drown out the band--but in Curtains they were so UNDER mic-ed the singers (in every chorus number) were drowned out by the band. Oh, and speaking of the band, the Orchestra, led by Scott Smith (who became a character in the show) were top-notch as usual. Sets ranged from adequate to excellent but the costumes looked cheap and flimsy (and quite a number were in obvious need of repair). The choreography was mostly marching around but on the few occasions when the cast actually got to DANCE most of them did a good job.
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Curtains, while hardly as classic, has enough good moments to save it from being completely excruciating: it didn't hurt that we didn't have to pay a lot to see the show. Honestly, the show isn't BAD--it's just so "un"good... Should you beat feet to see the show, probably not--but Curtains isn't a bad way to spend an afternoon or evening if you haven't anything better to do.
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FINAL GRADE: C
