Yo Ho, Yo Ho

Well it's opening weekend for the much anticipated (by me at least) Pirates of the Carrabbean III. I've really enjoyed the last two films and in spite of many critics, I feel Jonny Depp is amazing in the role. He gives you what you want from a movie - TO BE ENTERTAINED!!! Some people want to make more out of the movie and the performace than needs to be. God Sakes Man, this is a Pirate Fantacy film - not Shakespeare! If you go to be entertained - you will be (ok I haven't seen III yet, but I will in a few hours). But based on the previous two films and Jonny Depp's acting ability, I'm sure I'll get my moneys worth!

I'm sure I'll have more to say on it after seeing it today!

Kermopoly Update

Well, it's time for another update - plus I was feeling like I've been ignoring my blog, so here we go. We're down to the final two weekends of shows! In some respects this is a sad milestone. This weekend will be Dylon Vox's last performances as "Dave" in the show. Some personal obligations require that he will miss the final weekend. I'm really sad to see him go because I think he's brought so much to the role, and in many ways a driving energy to the show and cast. He has a quick wit, and constant energy and enthusiasm which I for one have enjoyed and will miss for the remainder of the performances. Dylan - Much Props to you!

Dave will be performed by Derek Kent (yes, the multi-talented writer, director, and juggler of the show. So the role of Dave is certainly in good hands! It will be an adjustment for us as the cast though just because each actor brings something unique to the role they play and we've all grown comfortable with Dylan's portrayal of Dave, so getting used to Derek in the role will give us both a new energy and, for those of you returning, a chance to see the role in a different light.

Check all the many links on my site for show/ticket information if you still haven't caught it yet. (wWhat HAVE you been waiting for?)

Much Ado About . . .

Hi everyone I have some awesome news! Last week I tried out for, and was offered a role in the Culver City Public Theatre's upcoming production of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing"!!! Yes, you read that right - yours truly is going to be doing Shakespeare in the Park! The Culver City Public Theatre puts on several plays during the summer, and I believe throughout the rest of the year as well.

I have to give a special thanks to Leon Cohen for suggesting that I try out for the play. Leon as many of you know plays the narrator in King Kalimari the Musical which I'm currently performing in. Well he told me the CCPT was looking for some good actors and suggested I try out. I actually tried out for another of their summer plays as well, but was delighted to find out they'd offered my the role of BALTHASAR for Much Ado About Nothing.

I also want to give a tremendous thanks to Ken McFarlane who will be directing the production and is the one who Auditioned me, and offered me the role in the play. I am truly thankful, grateful, and excited to work with him and the rest of the cast on this production!

To say I'm flattered is an understatement. I consider Shakespeare to be both a challenge, and an honor to perform so I'm REALLY excited about this opportunity. The play will run for three weekends in July. It's an open air stage and people can come and picnic, enjoy the day and get your Shakespeare ON! I'll have more information about things as they progress. Stay tuned for further details.

Kermopoly Update

Hi Everyone! Well we just finished week 6 so that means only two short weeks (4 shows) left for King Kalimari the Musical (at least in its current incarnation). I have been having a BLAST! This show has continues to be such a great learning experience for me.

Things I have learned from/about live theatre:

• It's a true challenge to bring the same energy (and remember your lines) for every show from week to week especially when there aren't any rehearsals in between the shows.
• The actors become like a family - especially since we spend a good deal of time together (several months in this case). And as in a family, you develop people whom you're closer to and you also discover things good and bad, about each other, but like a family there is a love and a respect (at least I think so) between all the members. Despite our differences, when it comes to the show - we all pull together to make it the best we can.
• Audiences are fickle and unpredictable. By that I mean each one as a personality and it's really interesting as a performer to discover what parts of the show different audiences find entertaining. We perform (basically) the same show every time yet, we often get very different reactions from the audience to various parts of the show. Certain lines which often GET laughs, sometimes don't and vice-versa.

There are a ton of other things I am learning but for now I'm getting tired so I'm going to end this blog entery. Thanks to everyone who reads my posts regularly (or not so regularly) and especially for the love and support I've had throughout this whole show.

Remeber two more weeks so if you still want to check out the show there's time.

Also of note, a few of the characters are going to be played by understudies at some of the final 4 shows. Several of the actors have other obligations which of course is GREAT for them - I wish everone involved with this show MUCH SUCCESS in their endeavours, but it also is sad for me because I've come to enjoy, and respect each actor in their own ways and will miss then not being with us in the show.

Kermopoly Update

Hi all, I just saw a new review of the musical King Kalimari which as most of you know I'm playing the Chef in. The review was on plays411.com and it has some nice things to say about the show and the actors. There are actually several short reviews which have been there for a few weeks, but there's a new one I just noticed. Thanks to Laurie Senit and KCLA Internet Radio for the nice review. CLick here for the link to the original review on Plays411.com.

DSLR Love - Nikon D80

Well today's post is a little different. I wanted to express my new love! Actually, it's not THAT new. Most of you who really know me, are aware that about a year ago I finally got into the world of Digital SLR camera photography. While I've been snapping digital pictures for years (to some of your horror and dismay) I couldn't afford the luxury of the elusive DSLR.
Well Nikon changed all that with their introduction (last year) of the D50. I got one and LOVE it. Then, they pulled a nasty trick on my and came out 4 months later with the awsome D80! If I thought it couldn't get any better than the D50 for "cheap" DSLR's, I was wrong. Althought the D80 is significantly more expensive than the D50, in my humble opinion it was worth it (for me at least). Of course it all depends on what you're looking for and can afford in a camera, but I now confess, I LOVE the D80 (sorry D50). Is it possible to have two loves? (maybe in Utah).

Well that's all I'm going to say on the subject for now. I just felt like sharing this morning. There are plenty of reviews of the D80, D50 and their even newer (but less feature-packed) D40, all over the Internet so I won't bore you with endless reviewing here but I'll post some links to various sites as I find them. DPReview of D80,

A Motivational Poem

This is a poem I received in an email. I liked it so I thought I'd share it. I don't know who the original writer is so if you do, you can let me know and I'll give the appropriate credit.

Enjoy:

Don't Quit

"When things go wrong as they sometimes will
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill.
When funds are low and the debts are high.
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit.
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns.
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out:

Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are.
It may be near when it seems so far:
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things seem worst that you must not QUIT.

Kermopoly Update

Well another weekend has come and gone and we've now reached the 'half way mark' meaning we've done 4 weeks of shows and have 4 more left! It's been great so far and it's been interesting to see how everyone involved with the show is getting more comfortable with their roles. It's interesting too for me to see that you can't get too comfortable. It's good to always keep and edge - so things stay fresh and you don't get sloppy with the performances. I want to thank everyone who's already seen the show and for those who haven't I hope you can make it sometime in the next few weeks.

We had a couple of 'official reviewers' attend this weekend but I haven't seen any of the reviews yet. Most notably (that I know about) is LA Weekly! They were there on Friday night. I think their paper comes out on Thursdays, so I'm going to be looking for a review this week. I'll keep you posted on any reviews I hear about, and if you know of any, please feel free to add a comment to this (or any of my posts) and let me know about where online (or offline) the review appears.

Blog Surfing Tip

Just a quick tip for you guys who are checking out the site. If you want to quickly view all the posts relevant to a particular topic it's easy. Just find the appropriate label from the list on the right of my blog (I have several like, Acting, King Kalimari, Photos, etc.) then click on the link and it will show you all the posts on that topic. So if you want to read all the King Kalimari posts for example, just click on that Label link and Viola! You can see all my KK posts. Same for Technology, photos, and the like. Hope that helps you in case you want to read everything I've posted on a particular topic. Enjoy, have a great weekend and hope to see you soon!

King Kalimari Update

Well, it's that time of the week again - time for another weekend of King Kalimari Shows! For the uninformed (or the forgetful - you know who you are) we perform Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 pm now through June 2nd. This will be week 4 for anyone who's counting. I can't wait! I find myself looking forward to each weekend and each show so much. It's such a thrill to be a part of such a fun show, with such a great cast! Speaking of the cast, last week was unfortunately the last week for Amy Haffner to play Rosenberg. She had to take a job in her profession of costumer so she could pay the rent and eat. Amy, YOU WILL BE MISSED! That's not to say that the show doesn't go on - we all know it does, and the roll of Rosenberg will now be perfomed by the very capable and talented Kim Mackenzie who has already been playing multiple roles including, the mermaid, dancing, squid, dream girl and especially, the show choreographer.

Firefox (and IE) Browser Shortcut

Hi, here'a a link to a great article about using the spacebar to assist with your web page viewing. Lifehacker shortcuts


Let me know if you have any other great shortcuts and time-savers!

450 Windows Freewarz

Since I'm somewhat of a computer junkie, I'm always interested in new hardware and software for my PC. I've been wanting to create a few tech tips, but there are already so many good ones on the net that it's hard for me to add anything of merit. But I found this great site which has tons (OK, ONLY 450) free Windows programs. Some useful, some not so much, (at least to me) but it's a great resource for (did I mention free) Windows programs which can make your computer do, more, and in better ways. Check it out! I'll probably be personally recommending various programs from that site and from my own experience as I go along.

Exercise Humor

Another bit of exercise humor!

For You Dieters Out There