I realized after I hit post for that last one, I may get a lot of traffic from people googling "Lindsay Lohan's breasts". (And I, for one, would love to google her breasts, if you know what I mean.) So, if you've come here looking for Lindsay Lohan's breasts, or more pertinently, pictures of said breasts, you aren't going to find them. Sorry. Just crude jokes about them. And for my regular readers, I apologize for the crude jokes about Linday Lohan's breasts. I also apologize for saying Linday Lohan's breasts three more - oops - four more times, perhaps leading more people astray in their quest for pictures of Linday Lohan's breasts. And that mention there, which has the words "pictures of Lindsay Lohan's breasts" in that exact order, will probably prompt another ton of google searchers. Oh my. I best quit while I'm ahead, before I write something like naked pictures of Linday Lohan's breasts, which would only lead another group of teenage (or more accurately forty-year-old) males here. And some females as well. Cause I'm sure there are some females who would love to see hot pictures of Linday Lohan's naked breasts.
Man, this is addicting.
Thursday, December 30, 2004
My Top Movies Of 2004
Okay, I think this list should only be movies I saw in theatres. I don’t think movies I saw at home on video or DVD should count. That will make it easier to do. So how many movies did I see in theatres this year. Hmm, divide by two, carry the one, hmm. Four. Four movies in theatres. That will make doing this list easy.
So, my top four movies I saw in theatres in 2004 were:
4. Shrek 2. I ranked this four because I only saw half of it. Ethan got cranky and I had to take him out of the theatre. I finally saw the rest of it on a plane. Wait. Seeing it on a plane is not seeing it at home. Hmm. If I count seeing movies on a plane, I saw six movies this year. But no one does a top six list. I’ll narrow it to five.
Okay, my top five movies I saw in a theatre or on a plane are:
5. Mean Girls. The best thing about this film is that it starred Lindsay Lohan’s breasts in various costumes. I give Lindsay Lohan’s breasts two big thumbs up! Yay the Lohan Two! Otherwise, it was okay.
4. Shrek 2. I still have Shrek 2 at number four because, ultimately, though it was funny and quite good, it doesn’t really have a heart. It was put on this earth to make money, not entertain. On the plus side, it doesn’t let Mike Myers ad lib. Mike Myers sucks when he ad libs. I think every Mike Myers movie should be required to have Eddie Murphy or Antonio Banderas in it. That certainly would have made the last two Austin Powers movies more bearable.
3. The Spongebob Squarepants Movie. Not as funny as Shrek 2, but much more of a heart. I wish it would have featured the regular cast more, but (aside from Dennis, the bounty hunter) the additions were good.
2. Hellboy. A very entertaining, very faithful adaptation of the comics. Ron Perlman in his Hellboy makeup makes me more comfortable with the idea of Michael Chilkis as Ben Grimm. A fun movie, and the best of film of the year I saw in a theatre or an airplane if not for:
1. Spiderman 2. The best superhero movie ever. A great, fun, entertaining film. Tobey Maguire is perfect as Peter Parker – hell, all of the casting is perfect. (Kristen Dunst may not have a pair of breasts as nice as Lindsay Lohan’s, but she’s still more of a hottie than Lindsay.) It was cool to see characters I’ve always loved on the big screen in a film I could love. I have high hopes for Spiderman 3. High hopes.
Almost making the cut – Miracle. Unfortunately, I fell asleep on the plane while this one was on. If it had had anything as stay-awake-worthy as Lindsay Lohan’s breasts, I would have stayed awake. But it didn’t. So I drifted off to sleep, just me and thoughts of the Lohan Two.
So, my top four movies I saw in theatres in 2004 were:
4. Shrek 2. I ranked this four because I only saw half of it. Ethan got cranky and I had to take him out of the theatre. I finally saw the rest of it on a plane. Wait. Seeing it on a plane is not seeing it at home. Hmm. If I count seeing movies on a plane, I saw six movies this year. But no one does a top six list. I’ll narrow it to five.
Okay, my top five movies I saw in a theatre or on a plane are:
5. Mean Girls. The best thing about this film is that it starred Lindsay Lohan’s breasts in various costumes. I give Lindsay Lohan’s breasts two big thumbs up! Yay the Lohan Two! Otherwise, it was okay.
4. Shrek 2. I still have Shrek 2 at number four because, ultimately, though it was funny and quite good, it doesn’t really have a heart. It was put on this earth to make money, not entertain. On the plus side, it doesn’t let Mike Myers ad lib. Mike Myers sucks when he ad libs. I think every Mike Myers movie should be required to have Eddie Murphy or Antonio Banderas in it. That certainly would have made the last two Austin Powers movies more bearable.
3. The Spongebob Squarepants Movie. Not as funny as Shrek 2, but much more of a heart. I wish it would have featured the regular cast more, but (aside from Dennis, the bounty hunter) the additions were good.
2. Hellboy. A very entertaining, very faithful adaptation of the comics. Ron Perlman in his Hellboy makeup makes me more comfortable with the idea of Michael Chilkis as Ben Grimm. A fun movie, and the best of film of the year I saw in a theatre or an airplane if not for:
1. Spiderman 2. The best superhero movie ever. A great, fun, entertaining film. Tobey Maguire is perfect as Peter Parker – hell, all of the casting is perfect. (Kristen Dunst may not have a pair of breasts as nice as Lindsay Lohan’s, but she’s still more of a hottie than Lindsay.) It was cool to see characters I’ve always loved on the big screen in a film I could love. I have high hopes for Spiderman 3. High hopes.
Almost making the cut – Miracle. Unfortunately, I fell asleep on the plane while this one was on. If it had had anything as stay-awake-worthy as Lindsay Lohan’s breasts, I would have stayed awake. But it didn’t. So I drifted off to sleep, just me and thoughts of the Lohan Two.
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
A Serious Interlude
I'm no stranger to death. I've seen my father; all my grandparents; various aunts, uncles, and cousins; and other assorted friends and acquaintances pass on. It's one of the drawbacks of getting older. Death, at least my own, doesn't particularly scare me. (As Woody Allen once said, I'm comfortable with the idea of my own death. I just don't want to be there when it happens.)
But the deaths of others scare me - my mother, my sisters, my friends, Lesa. But worst of those would be the deaths of either of my sons. And that is what hits the hardest of the pictures of the tsunami devastation I have seen. The pictures of parents carrying their dead children, or mourning same.
I realize it's a tight time of year - I know we are pretty well stretched to our limits and beyond. But if you can spare something, think about giving to one of the various relief organizations helping out the victims. (A number of relief organizations can be found listed here.) And if you can't do that, send some thoughts to the deity of your choice for these folks.
But the deaths of others scare me - my mother, my sisters, my friends, Lesa. But worst of those would be the deaths of either of my sons. And that is what hits the hardest of the pictures of the tsunami devastation I have seen. The pictures of parents carrying their dead children, or mourning same.
I realize it's a tight time of year - I know we are pretty well stretched to our limits and beyond. But if you can spare something, think about giving to one of the various relief organizations helping out the victims. (A number of relief organizations can be found listed here.) And if you can't do that, send some thoughts to the deity of your choice for these folks.
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
I Didn't Go Into Burger King
Which Pulp Fiction character are you? Take the test here. (Link courtesy of thndrkttn at OT.) I, of course, am Vincent Vega.
Christmas Gifts
A pretty good Christmas - nothing to complain about except the time goes too fast. I probably won't see my oldest nephew until he graduates from college - COLLEGE! - in May. It bites when my siblings and their families have lots of time off and I only have one day. But oh well.
But that's not why I'm posting. Save the lovey-dovey family stuff for the rubes. You folks want to know about gifts.
Well, Lesa and I got folding chairs from my mom. Which means Matt F. can finally take some of his back. We also got a book from her dad that lays out the history of Girdwood, Alaska, his hometown. (And at one point Lesa's. It's a beautiful little town, now in danger of being overrun by yuppies.) I got a Cardinal's NL Champs t-shirt, a Best Buy gift card (three CDs - the new Alison Kraus, the new Pat Green, and Green Day's American Idiot), an Iowa City community gift certificate (used at Target on Phil Gordon's book on poker and Trimuph the Insult Comic Dog's Greatest Hits DVD), and Ratchet and Clank 3 plus the game guide. The playstation was at mom's house until yesterday, but it's home now and I'm going to catch up on lost time.
Hope everyone reading had a good holiday as well. And I promise to stop ripping off Matt's post ideas. Although the favorite plays idea is a good one we need to run with.
But that's not why I'm posting. Save the lovey-dovey family stuff for the rubes. You folks want to know about gifts.
Well, Lesa and I got folding chairs from my mom. Which means Matt F. can finally take some of his back. We also got a book from her dad that lays out the history of Girdwood, Alaska, his hometown. (And at one point Lesa's. It's a beautiful little town, now in danger of being overrun by yuppies.) I got a Cardinal's NL Champs t-shirt, a Best Buy gift card (three CDs - the new Alison Kraus, the new Pat Green, and Green Day's American Idiot), an Iowa City community gift certificate (used at Target on Phil Gordon's book on poker and Trimuph the Insult Comic Dog's Greatest Hits DVD), and Ratchet and Clank 3 plus the game guide. The playstation was at mom's house until yesterday, but it's home now and I'm going to catch up on lost time.
Hope everyone reading had a good holiday as well. And I promise to stop ripping off Matt's post ideas. Although the favorite plays idea is a good one we need to run with.
Monday, December 27, 2004
Thursday, December 23, 2004
My Turn For Musicals
Matt over at Oasis (see link to the right) has a post up about musicals, particularly Phantom, said post inspired by Greenman at Crap Flinging Monkey’s (see link to the right) phantom posts. (It’s Phantom day in the Iowa City Theatre blogosphere! Kris, where’s your Phantom post?) At the end of the post, he lists his top ten favorite musicals. As I am always willing to be a follower, here’s my top ten:
1. Jesus Christ Superstar – Andrew Lloyd Webber must have put every ounce of talent he had into this one, cause God knows (there’s an Elvis Costello joke there for those in the know) he hasn’t put an ounce of talent into anything else he’s done. If he had never done another musical after Superstar, I think he’d be highly regarded – well, highly regarded as something other than a hack.
2. Les Miserables – See what I said above and change the name “Andrew Lloyd Webber” to Cameron Makintosh. And how is it that the Producer (as opposed to The Producers) is more famous for this show than the authors?
3. Guys And Dolls – Great songs all the way through. This show is almost always idiot-proof. I’ll get back to you in about a month to let you know if it is always idiot-proof.
4. Music Man – Harold Hill is on my list of parts I would kill to play. Again, great song after great song. And it’s set in Iowa!
5. Rent – I wish we could have gotten to find out if Jonathan Larson had what it takes to be a long term talent or if this was his Superstar.
6. Kiss Me Kate – The story is slight – probably the worst of the shows on this list - but the songs are great. C’Mon – it’s Cole Porter!
7. Cabaret – A dark, dark tale with great music.
8. Producers – Max Bialystock - another part I would kill to play. I had an opportunity to see this in the Chicago tryout. I still kick myself that I didn’t go.
9. Chicago – Hey! Another part I would kill to play! Billy Flynn. (Do you see a theme?)
10. Company – Yeah, it’s Sondheim. But the music is both funny and touching, and the story of a man who’s starting to realize that maybe it’s time to grow up hit me when I first saw the show.
1. Jesus Christ Superstar – Andrew Lloyd Webber must have put every ounce of talent he had into this one, cause God knows (there’s an Elvis Costello joke there for those in the know) he hasn’t put an ounce of talent into anything else he’s done. If he had never done another musical after Superstar, I think he’d be highly regarded – well, highly regarded as something other than a hack.
2. Les Miserables – See what I said above and change the name “Andrew Lloyd Webber” to Cameron Makintosh. And how is it that the Producer (as opposed to The Producers) is more famous for this show than the authors?
3. Guys And Dolls – Great songs all the way through. This show is almost always idiot-proof. I’ll get back to you in about a month to let you know if it is always idiot-proof.
4. Music Man – Harold Hill is on my list of parts I would kill to play. Again, great song after great song. And it’s set in Iowa!
5. Rent – I wish we could have gotten to find out if Jonathan Larson had what it takes to be a long term talent or if this was his Superstar.
6. Kiss Me Kate – The story is slight – probably the worst of the shows on this list - but the songs are great. C’Mon – it’s Cole Porter!
7. Cabaret – A dark, dark tale with great music.
8. Producers – Max Bialystock - another part I would kill to play. I had an opportunity to see this in the Chicago tryout. I still kick myself that I didn’t go.
9. Chicago – Hey! Another part I would kill to play! Billy Flynn. (Do you see a theme?)
10. Company – Yeah, it’s Sondheim. But the music is both funny and touching, and the story of a man who’s starting to realize that maybe it’s time to grow up hit me when I first saw the show.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Food, Glorious Food
Over at Off Topic, one of the best threads of the day asks “If you could eat dinner in a restaurant every night for a week, what restaurants and what would you order?”
Here’s my response (sticking to the immediate area):
Monday – Al and Irene’s Rib Haven, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Best ribs I’ve ever had, and I’ve had ribs all over the country. A law school friend who grew up in the South (and who prided himself on his abilities with a smoker) said Al and Irene’s sauce was the best sauce he had ever tasted. I’ll take a full rack and add in home made cole slaw and skin on fries for the complete meal.
Tuesday – El Dorado Mexican Restaurant, Coralville, Iowa. Fast, cheap, and good. I’ll order the beef and chicken fajitas.
Wednesday – Taste of China, Iowa City, Iowa. Again, fast, cheap, and good. (Kinda like myself.) I’ll order chicken with garlic sauce, pork egg foo yung, and chicken low mein.
Thursday – Lou Henri’s, Iowa City, Iowa. A great, eclectic diner. Thursday’s are vegetarian days, so I’ll go with a tomato, onion, broccoli, and cheese omelet, with home fries and wheat toast.
Friday – Pagliai’s Pizza, Iowa City, Iowa. A large pepperoni and beef. Sprinkle with garlic sauce and your ready to go. And what do you know – it’s fast, cheap, and good!
Saturday – Hamburg Inn, Iowa City, Iowa. The magazine articles on the wall proudly proclaim the time a decade ago or so where it was named one of the nation’s best hamburgers. There are also pictures from when President Reagan ate there (and was waited on by Ruddle – Ron left her a crappy tip). I’ll have a half-pound bacon cheeseburger with fries. Might add a bowl of chili too.
Sunday – Little Amana Restaurant, Williamsburg, Iowa. Traditional Amana food served family style. I’ll order the Harvest Fest – three meats (usually on a Sunday it’s Fried Chicken, Oven Baked Steak, and Pork Chops) served all you can eat. The sides are mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, kraut (mmm, kraut), and bread. Not cheap or fast, but very, very good.
Here’s my response (sticking to the immediate area):
Monday – Al and Irene’s Rib Haven, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Best ribs I’ve ever had, and I’ve had ribs all over the country. A law school friend who grew up in the South (and who prided himself on his abilities with a smoker) said Al and Irene’s sauce was the best sauce he had ever tasted. I’ll take a full rack and add in home made cole slaw and skin on fries for the complete meal.
Tuesday – El Dorado Mexican Restaurant, Coralville, Iowa. Fast, cheap, and good. I’ll order the beef and chicken fajitas.
Wednesday – Taste of China, Iowa City, Iowa. Again, fast, cheap, and good. (Kinda like myself.) I’ll order chicken with garlic sauce, pork egg foo yung, and chicken low mein.
Thursday – Lou Henri’s, Iowa City, Iowa. A great, eclectic diner. Thursday’s are vegetarian days, so I’ll go with a tomato, onion, broccoli, and cheese omelet, with home fries and wheat toast.
Friday – Pagliai’s Pizza, Iowa City, Iowa. A large pepperoni and beef. Sprinkle with garlic sauce and your ready to go. And what do you know – it’s fast, cheap, and good!
Saturday – Hamburg Inn, Iowa City, Iowa. The magazine articles on the wall proudly proclaim the time a decade ago or so where it was named one of the nation’s best hamburgers. There are also pictures from when President Reagan ate there (and was waited on by Ruddle – Ron left her a crappy tip). I’ll have a half-pound bacon cheeseburger with fries. Might add a bowl of chili too.
Sunday – Little Amana Restaurant, Williamsburg, Iowa. Traditional Amana food served family style. I’ll order the Harvest Fest – three meats (usually on a Sunday it’s Fried Chicken, Oven Baked Steak, and Pork Chops) served all you can eat. The sides are mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, kraut (mmm, kraut), and bread. Not cheap or fast, but very, very good.
Monday, December 20, 2004
Blogging Expansion
I'm going to be joining Matt from Thoughts From The Oasis Amidst The Corn (see link to the left) in doing a Survivor blog. Matt has many pics and names of the contestants from Survivor 10. He also correctly picked the final four order for Survivor 9. We'll be going in earnest when the season opens in February. You can find the blog here.
Four of us from the Friday night poker gang have decided to launch a joint poker blog. It includes the aforementioned Matt, Kris from Random Mentality, and Greenman from Crap Flinging Monkey. I'll post the link once we start going on it.
Four of us from the Friday night poker gang have decided to launch a joint poker blog. It includes the aforementioned Matt, Kris from Random Mentality, and Greenman from Crap Flinging Monkey. I'll post the link once we start going on it.
Friday, December 17, 2004
Poker Tonight
Come on over.
Yes, this is another in a series of lame posts to try to post every working day.
Yes, this is another in a series of lame posts to try to post every working day.
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Is It Just Me?
Does anyone else chuckle like Beavis when they see blogger say "This may take a few minutes, if you have a large blog?"
Baseball Musings Part Two
Okay, so what should the Cardinals do? There are holes at SS, 2B, and C. We need a fourth outfielder, someone we can rely on if Walker goes down or Sanders does not produce like he did last year. Finally, we need to upgrade the starting pitching. So how to do this? Can we do all this? Here’s are two thoughts:
Go after Carlos Beltran. See if either he or Edmonds will play left, then platoon Walker and Sanders in right. It will cost a lot, and certainly mean that we can’t spend money to address any of the other needs. But with a 2-6 of Beltran-Pujols-Rolen-Edmonds-Walker/Sanders, we won’t need any better starting pitching. We can also put Molina at C, Luna at SS or 2B, and maybe find a low-cost middle infielder somewhere.
Go after Jason Varitek. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a catcher who can hit? It won’t cost anywhere near what signing Beltran would cost. We would still have money left to pursue a Clement or a Milton.
Obviously, neither of these is going to happen. But Beltran and Varitek are the two best players out there, and none of the pitchers are really spending much on. So take my advice Redbirds – it’s free!
Go after Carlos Beltran. See if either he or Edmonds will play left, then platoon Walker and Sanders in right. It will cost a lot, and certainly mean that we can’t spend money to address any of the other needs. But with a 2-6 of Beltran-Pujols-Rolen-Edmonds-Walker/Sanders, we won’t need any better starting pitching. We can also put Molina at C, Luna at SS or 2B, and maybe find a low-cost middle infielder somewhere.
Go after Jason Varitek. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a catcher who can hit? It won’t cost anywhere near what signing Beltran would cost. We would still have money left to pursue a Clement or a Milton.
Obviously, neither of these is going to happen. But Beltran and Varitek are the two best players out there, and none of the pitchers are really spending much on. So take my advice Redbirds – it’s free!
Political Thoughts
Will Gonzalez’s inability to detect Kerik’s many, many flaws affect Gonzalez’s prospects for becoming Attorney General? And why are so many Republicans NOW calling for Rumsfeld to step down? Questions, questions, questions…
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Baseball Musings
The great thing about blogging is that you can be anything you want to be. Today? I am a baseball blogger. If you don't like it, get your own blog. Of course, I think everyone who visits here has there own blog, so I'm too late with that advice. But still.
ESPN is reporting that the Red Sox, frustrated in their attempts to grossly overpay a 32-year-old starting pitcher who is past his prime and starting to decline, are going to be successful in their attempt to grossly overpay a 29-year-old shortstop who is past his prime and starting to decline. That’s right, Edgar Renteria is going to Boston.
I can’t say that I am either surprised or disappointed. This move was obvious the moment the Mets signed Pedro. And I can’t help but think that Cards GM Walt Jocketty is probably breathing a sigh of relief right now, that same sigh you breathe when you are finally outbid on an eBay item you had no right bidding so high on in the first place. I mean, the four years, $32 million the Cards offered was too much. The four years, $40 million the Sox are offering is insane. So good luck Edgar – glad you could make it back to the Series with the Cards. You won’t be getting there anytime soon with the Sox.
But, coupled with the losses of Womack to the Yankees and Matheny to the Giants (and I really, really hate to characterize those as losses, considering the money involved), what do the Cards do now? My thoughts on that – tomorrow.
(I’m really getting into this continuing posts thing.)
ESPN is reporting that the Red Sox, frustrated in their attempts to grossly overpay a 32-year-old starting pitcher who is past his prime and starting to decline, are going to be successful in their attempt to grossly overpay a 29-year-old shortstop who is past his prime and starting to decline. That’s right, Edgar Renteria is going to Boston.
I can’t say that I am either surprised or disappointed. This move was obvious the moment the Mets signed Pedro. And I can’t help but think that Cards GM Walt Jocketty is probably breathing a sigh of relief right now, that same sigh you breathe when you are finally outbid on an eBay item you had no right bidding so high on in the first place. I mean, the four years, $32 million the Cards offered was too much. The four years, $40 million the Sox are offering is insane. So good luck Edgar – glad you could make it back to the Series with the Cards. You won’t be getting there anytime soon with the Sox.
But, coupled with the losses of Womack to the Yankees and Matheny to the Giants (and I really, really hate to characterize those as losses, considering the money involved), what do the Cards do now? My thoughts on that – tomorrow.
(I’m really getting into this continuing posts thing.)
Toy Of The Day
Thanks to Boner over at Off Topic, I present Virtual Light Bright . (And yes, someday I’ll talk about Off-Topic.)
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
The Englert (Part II) - ICCT
So where were we? When we last left, our intrepid band of Iowa Citians had just taken upon the task or raising $500,000 in a little over eight months. Can they do it? We’ll get to that in a minute. First, I’d like to talk a little about the Iowa City Community Theatre (ICCT).
(Disclaimer: ICCT is near and dear to my heart. I acted in high school, but when I got to college, there weren’t many opportunities for people who weren’t theatre majors. So I didn’t act again. As I grew older, I often had contact with people who were involved in theatre or acting in one way or another. I guess I should have taken that as a hint, but never did. Finally, in the fall of 1998, a friend from work got cast in ICCT’s production of Arsenic and Old Lace. When a member of the cast was hospitalized, my friend suggested that I audition to fill the departing person’s role. I did, I got it, and I haven’t looked back. I’ve averaged two shows a year since that time. I ran for, and won, a seat on the ICCT Board of Director’s in 1999. I ran for, and won, the presidency of ICCT in 2000, a post I held until June 2004, when the by-laws prevented me from running again. ICCT has been very good to me, and I’ve done my best to be very good to ICCT in return. So yeah, I’m a little biased. But that doesn’t mean I’m not factual.)
ICCT was founded in the spring of 1956 by a group of actors looking for an outlet for their theatrical urges. At the time, there was nothing in town but the theatres connected with the University, and if you weren’t a student, you were out of luck. They performed two shows that first season, starting with 27 Wagons Full Of Cotton. The group opened its second season in the fall of 1956, starting a tradition that extends to this day of the season running from the fall to spring.
After performing for about ten years in a variety of schools, churches, and other places, ICCT found a semi-permanent home in Montgomery Hall at the Johnson County Fairgrounds. A few years after that, it moved to a semi-semi-permanent home in Exhibition Hall at the Fairgrounds.
Why semi-semi-permanent? Because ICCT only has use of the building from mid-August til mid-May. During the summer months, the building is used for the Mennonite Relief Sale, the Johnson County Kennel Club Show, and most importantly, the Johnson County Fair. That means, every May ICCT has to move everything out of the building – the shop, the lobby, the stage floor, the risers, the chairs, the green room area, the costume changing area – everything. And each August ICCT has to move everything back in again.
And though that is a pain, it’s just a volunteer problem – with enough people, it can go pretty quickly. We can get it torn down or set up in about a week’s time, with the major stuff going up (or down) over the course of a long weekend. A more serious problem is that the Fairgrounds location is about five miles from downtown Iowa City, with no bus service. (But plenty of free parking!) This makes walk-up traffic almost non-existent. It also means that ICCT is out of sight for a lot of people.
These were the reasons ICCT was so exited about the Englert. We had long been looking for a new home, and the Englert opportunity provided us with a chance to gain a new venue, publicize ourselves, and reduce volunteer effort. So when we were approached, we jumped at the chance. We entered into negotiations with the original Englert group, and eventually we hammered out a deal. In exchange for $50,000 from our building fund and $2.25 from each ticket sold, we would receive
Two seats on the Englert Board Of Directors
Thirty-six performance nights each year
Sixty rehearsal nights each year
First chance at any black nights (nights when no events were scheduled)
Concession revenue
This deal was presented to the ICCT membership and approved by that group. It was signed and a copy given to each group. More on that in a later installment.
And so ICCT joined the fray. Not hesitatingly, not reluctantly, but feet first. We provided many of the initial volunteers for the group. We took part in the official campaign kickoff. I acted as the first Englert Secretary. (Note to all – never bring a laptop to a new group to take notes. They elect you to positions you may not want.) But our contributions didn’t end there.
A clause in ICCT’s by-laws stated that we could donate funds to other arts groups. This was an important thing for Englert fundraising. Because the Englert did not yet have 501(c)(3) tax exempt status, donations to the Englert cause did not qualify donors for a tax deduction. If you’ve ever taken part in a major fundraising campaign, you know that the tax deduction is a big incentive for many donors. Since ICCT did have tax exempt status, people could donate to ICCT and receive the deduction. Because of ICCT’s by-laws, ICCT could then donate those funds to the Englert cause. But we did more.
An ICCT person wrote the Englert’s 501(c)(3) application. (Me. I did it.) ICCT volunteers served on many of the Englert committees. And ICCT members, and people otherwise connected to ICCT, donated. At one point in those first eight and a half months, almost 70% of the donations came from people who had come to the Englert because of their connection to ICCT.
But it wasn’t just ICCT people. Volunteers from all over the community took part, all of us sharing that dream of a community performance space. And at the end of the eight months, we had done it. We had raised the $500,000 needed to buy the theatre from the city. We banked $400,000, and the Englert President and I (as Englert Treasurer) went to the city with a check for $100,000. The building was ours, and it was time for the next step. Raising the money to renovate and open the building.
(To Be Continued)
(Disclaimer: ICCT is near and dear to my heart. I acted in high school, but when I got to college, there weren’t many opportunities for people who weren’t theatre majors. So I didn’t act again. As I grew older, I often had contact with people who were involved in theatre or acting in one way or another. I guess I should have taken that as a hint, but never did. Finally, in the fall of 1998, a friend from work got cast in ICCT’s production of Arsenic and Old Lace. When a member of the cast was hospitalized, my friend suggested that I audition to fill the departing person’s role. I did, I got it, and I haven’t looked back. I’ve averaged two shows a year since that time. I ran for, and won, a seat on the ICCT Board of Director’s in 1999. I ran for, and won, the presidency of ICCT in 2000, a post I held until June 2004, when the by-laws prevented me from running again. ICCT has been very good to me, and I’ve done my best to be very good to ICCT in return. So yeah, I’m a little biased. But that doesn’t mean I’m not factual.)
ICCT was founded in the spring of 1956 by a group of actors looking for an outlet for their theatrical urges. At the time, there was nothing in town but the theatres connected with the University, and if you weren’t a student, you were out of luck. They performed two shows that first season, starting with 27 Wagons Full Of Cotton. The group opened its second season in the fall of 1956, starting a tradition that extends to this day of the season running from the fall to spring.
After performing for about ten years in a variety of schools, churches, and other places, ICCT found a semi-permanent home in Montgomery Hall at the Johnson County Fairgrounds. A few years after that, it moved to a semi-semi-permanent home in Exhibition Hall at the Fairgrounds.
Why semi-semi-permanent? Because ICCT only has use of the building from mid-August til mid-May. During the summer months, the building is used for the Mennonite Relief Sale, the Johnson County Kennel Club Show, and most importantly, the Johnson County Fair. That means, every May ICCT has to move everything out of the building – the shop, the lobby, the stage floor, the risers, the chairs, the green room area, the costume changing area – everything. And each August ICCT has to move everything back in again.
And though that is a pain, it’s just a volunteer problem – with enough people, it can go pretty quickly. We can get it torn down or set up in about a week’s time, with the major stuff going up (or down) over the course of a long weekend. A more serious problem is that the Fairgrounds location is about five miles from downtown Iowa City, with no bus service. (But plenty of free parking!) This makes walk-up traffic almost non-existent. It also means that ICCT is out of sight for a lot of people.
These were the reasons ICCT was so exited about the Englert. We had long been looking for a new home, and the Englert opportunity provided us with a chance to gain a new venue, publicize ourselves, and reduce volunteer effort. So when we were approached, we jumped at the chance. We entered into negotiations with the original Englert group, and eventually we hammered out a deal. In exchange for $50,000 from our building fund and $2.25 from each ticket sold, we would receive
Two seats on the Englert Board Of Directors
Thirty-six performance nights each year
Sixty rehearsal nights each year
First chance at any black nights (nights when no events were scheduled)
Concession revenue
This deal was presented to the ICCT membership and approved by that group. It was signed and a copy given to each group. More on that in a later installment.
And so ICCT joined the fray. Not hesitatingly, not reluctantly, but feet first. We provided many of the initial volunteers for the group. We took part in the official campaign kickoff. I acted as the first Englert Secretary. (Note to all – never bring a laptop to a new group to take notes. They elect you to positions you may not want.) But our contributions didn’t end there.
A clause in ICCT’s by-laws stated that we could donate funds to other arts groups. This was an important thing for Englert fundraising. Because the Englert did not yet have 501(c)(3) tax exempt status, donations to the Englert cause did not qualify donors for a tax deduction. If you’ve ever taken part in a major fundraising campaign, you know that the tax deduction is a big incentive for many donors. Since ICCT did have tax exempt status, people could donate to ICCT and receive the deduction. Because of ICCT’s by-laws, ICCT could then donate those funds to the Englert cause. But we did more.
An ICCT person wrote the Englert’s 501(c)(3) application. (Me. I did it.) ICCT volunteers served on many of the Englert committees. And ICCT members, and people otherwise connected to ICCT, donated. At one point in those first eight and a half months, almost 70% of the donations came from people who had come to the Englert because of their connection to ICCT.
But it wasn’t just ICCT people. Volunteers from all over the community took part, all of us sharing that dream of a community performance space. And at the end of the eight months, we had done it. We had raised the $500,000 needed to buy the theatre from the city. We banked $400,000, and the Englert President and I (as Englert Treasurer) went to the city with a check for $100,000. The building was ours, and it was time for the next step. Raising the money to renovate and open the building.
(To Be Continued)
Monday, December 13, 2004
Laugh Lines
You never quite know what lines are going to work for an audience and what lines will do nothing. I’ve read scripts that seem flat on the page that jump to life in front of an audience, and scripts that read well that do nothing for the paying customers.
My character in Cinderella had a line that got a laugh each night that I never dreamed would get a laugh. Here’s the set-up: Because the Prince came back from his travels without a bride, the King (me) developed constant hiccups. So I spent my first scene hiccupping through my lines. After the Prince meets Cinderella and falls in love at the ball, the King says “I knew something had happened. I haven’t hiccupped for the past half hour!”
Like I said, this got a laugh opening night. As all good actors do, once I realized something was working, I started to tinker a bit with it. I found that the more I hiccupped in the earlier part of the scene, the more the audience laughed. Likewise, the more ecstatic I seemed to be about the hiccups going away, the more the audience laughed. By the end of the run, I was getting a really good laugh on the line.
You can rehearse and rehearse and rehearse, but until you are actually in front of an audience, you can’t know what your final performance will be like. I’ve worked with actors who didn’t vary what they were doing in rehearsal a bit from what they did in performance, going so far as to step on their own laugh lines or applause lines. I’ve worked with others who realize that it is a collaborative medium, and the audience is part of the collaboration, and that you have to take what they are giving you and modify what you are doing accordingly. The latter are people it is a joy to work with. The former? Not so much.
My character in Cinderella had a line that got a laugh each night that I never dreamed would get a laugh. Here’s the set-up: Because the Prince came back from his travels without a bride, the King (me) developed constant hiccups. So I spent my first scene hiccupping through my lines. After the Prince meets Cinderella and falls in love at the ball, the King says “I knew something had happened. I haven’t hiccupped for the past half hour!”
Like I said, this got a laugh opening night. As all good actors do, once I realized something was working, I started to tinker a bit with it. I found that the more I hiccupped in the earlier part of the scene, the more the audience laughed. Likewise, the more ecstatic I seemed to be about the hiccups going away, the more the audience laughed. By the end of the run, I was getting a really good laugh on the line.
You can rehearse and rehearse and rehearse, but until you are actually in front of an audience, you can’t know what your final performance will be like. I’ve worked with actors who didn’t vary what they were doing in rehearsal a bit from what they did in performance, going so far as to step on their own laugh lines or applause lines. I’ve worked with others who realize that it is a collaborative medium, and the audience is part of the collaboration, and that you have to take what they are giving you and modify what you are doing accordingly. The latter are people it is a joy to work with. The former? Not so much.
Friday, December 10, 2004
The Englert (Part I) - In The Beginning
The Englert opened last weekend. If you have no connection to Iowa City, this means nothing to you. If you are in the Iowa City theatre scene, this is probably something that brings out a lot of mixed feelings in you. I know it does in me.
See, a lot of us have contributed a lot of time to making the dream of the Englert a reality. And now that it is, a lot of us feel betrayed. Betrayed because the dream we were working on is not the dream that the current Englert Board is pursuing.
Here’s the short back story. In 1999, the owners of the Englert, an old vaudeville theatre that had been converted to a movie theatre during the depression and then further butchered into two screens in the mid-80s, decided to shut down the movie theatre and sell the building. The original sale was to a bar owner from Chicago who planned to convert the space into yet another downtown Iowa City bar. Needless to say, many were unhappy with this course of events.
Among the people unhappy were a few who decided to do something about it. A group composed of some independent business owners, a fundraiser for the public Library, a banker, and representatives of some arts and historic building groups decided to see if they could purchase the building from the bar owner who had bought it. Those arts groups included the Iowa City Community Theatre (ICCT), of which I was then a board member (and within a few months, president). In fact, I was one of the ICCT people attending the meetings of the small group – my first meeting was in November 1999.
The dream of the group, the dream that fueled the early effort, was a dream of a community performance space. A place where community actors, dancers, singers, writers, and artists of all type could perform. A place where you could see your family, your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers onstage doing whatever arts they did. There was no space like this in Iowa City – hell, there’s probably few spaces like this anywhere – but we knew that, given the nature of this community, there would be support for a place like the place we envisioned.
Oh, we knew there would be a need for touring productions. For traveling stage shows, for touring dancers, for professional musicians. We knew productions like those were essential to keeping the building open. But they weren’t the first focus. After all, there was already a space for such productions in town – Hancher Auditorium, on the University of Iowa campus.
The group was able to reach a deal with the bar owner wherein he would sell the building to us for $750,000, and we began raising funds for the purchase. However, before the deal could be executed, someone had the bright idea to see if the city would purchase the building. The bar owner was receptive – I think he felt more confident of receiving full payment that way. He was so receptive that he was willing to sell the building to the city for less - $700,000 instead of $750,000. A proposal was worked up and agreed to in principle with the city council. The city would purchase the building for $700,000 and then resell the building to the group (now calling ourselves the Englert Civic Theatre Group) for $500,000, thus giving the city credit for a $250,000 donation to the cause, the $200,000 difference between what the city paid and what it sold the building to us for plus the $50,000 difference between the original purchase price offered us and the purchase price offered the city.
There were two catches: first, we had to cover the cost of issuing the bonds for the purchase, approximately $50,000. We had that money on hand from what we had already raised, including some $10,000 from ICCT. So that was no problem. The other condition was a bit of a problem – we had to raise the remaining $500,000 by November 1, 2000.
This proposal was approved by the City Council in early February 2000, giving us approximately eight and a half months to raise $500,000. To say it was a daunting task is an understatement – there were many who said we couldn’t do it. Hell, we were unsure if we could do it. But we knew we were going to try. (To Be Continued)
See, a lot of us have contributed a lot of time to making the dream of the Englert a reality. And now that it is, a lot of us feel betrayed. Betrayed because the dream we were working on is not the dream that the current Englert Board is pursuing.
Here’s the short back story. In 1999, the owners of the Englert, an old vaudeville theatre that had been converted to a movie theatre during the depression and then further butchered into two screens in the mid-80s, decided to shut down the movie theatre and sell the building. The original sale was to a bar owner from Chicago who planned to convert the space into yet another downtown Iowa City bar. Needless to say, many were unhappy with this course of events.
Among the people unhappy were a few who decided to do something about it. A group composed of some independent business owners, a fundraiser for the public Library, a banker, and representatives of some arts and historic building groups decided to see if they could purchase the building from the bar owner who had bought it. Those arts groups included the Iowa City Community Theatre (ICCT), of which I was then a board member (and within a few months, president). In fact, I was one of the ICCT people attending the meetings of the small group – my first meeting was in November 1999.
The dream of the group, the dream that fueled the early effort, was a dream of a community performance space. A place where community actors, dancers, singers, writers, and artists of all type could perform. A place where you could see your family, your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers onstage doing whatever arts they did. There was no space like this in Iowa City – hell, there’s probably few spaces like this anywhere – but we knew that, given the nature of this community, there would be support for a place like the place we envisioned.
Oh, we knew there would be a need for touring productions. For traveling stage shows, for touring dancers, for professional musicians. We knew productions like those were essential to keeping the building open. But they weren’t the first focus. After all, there was already a space for such productions in town – Hancher Auditorium, on the University of Iowa campus.
The group was able to reach a deal with the bar owner wherein he would sell the building to us for $750,000, and we began raising funds for the purchase. However, before the deal could be executed, someone had the bright idea to see if the city would purchase the building. The bar owner was receptive – I think he felt more confident of receiving full payment that way. He was so receptive that he was willing to sell the building to the city for less - $700,000 instead of $750,000. A proposal was worked up and agreed to in principle with the city council. The city would purchase the building for $700,000 and then resell the building to the group (now calling ourselves the Englert Civic Theatre Group) for $500,000, thus giving the city credit for a $250,000 donation to the cause, the $200,000 difference between what the city paid and what it sold the building to us for plus the $50,000 difference between the original purchase price offered us and the purchase price offered the city.
There were two catches: first, we had to cover the cost of issuing the bonds for the purchase, approximately $50,000. We had that money on hand from what we had already raised, including some $10,000 from ICCT. So that was no problem. The other condition was a bit of a problem – we had to raise the remaining $500,000 by November 1, 2000.
This proposal was approved by the City Council in early February 2000, giving us approximately eight and a half months to raise $500,000. To say it was a daunting task is an understatement – there were many who said we couldn’t do it. Hell, we were unsure if we could do it. But we knew we were going to try. (To Be Continued)
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Got Some Crap - Wanna See It?
I won’t go into the origin of that phrase – but we owe Greenman for creating it. Aw hell, I’ll go into the origin. A couple of years ago, after we had decided on what the shows would be for the following season at ICCT, some of us were trying to think up a theme, something we could hook our advertising on. Greenman suggested “Got Some Crap – Wanna See It?” We didn’t use that one, but it would have been appropriate.
Anyway, I discovered Done Deal through low culture (link to the left), a humor site you should be visiting. Done Deal is a daily round-up of movie deals – either full scripts, spec scripts, or just pitches – that were sold the day before. It’s a fun read on several levels. First, there is the “Hey, that would be cool to see” level, when you come across a listing that actually sounds worthwhile. There’s also the “OMG” level, when you come across a listing that is so bad, so unreal, that you just rub your eyes. Finally, there is the “So that’s where they come up with so much crap” level, as you see the blinding similarity from pitch to pitch. You can also roam through the archives to see things that actually made it to the screen. All in all, worth the effort, if you love movies.
And I love movies. I just don’t get to see them in the theatre anymore. But when the boys are older, look out cineplex!
I should also restart my account at the HSX. HSX is an online game where you invest fake money in movie and star futures. You are given a base level of cash which you spend creating your portfolio. You can buy and sell stocks in movies or stars. The final payoff is the amount a movie makes in its first week of opening, so the trick when investing in movies is to try to pick winners. But you need to pick sleepers too, cause the obvious winners cost more to invest in. I did this a lot a few years back – not sure why I quit. Maybe we could form a league? Matt? Greenman? Kris? Any OTers? Is there interest?
Anyway, I discovered Done Deal through low culture (link to the left), a humor site you should be visiting. Done Deal is a daily round-up of movie deals – either full scripts, spec scripts, or just pitches – that were sold the day before. It’s a fun read on several levels. First, there is the “Hey, that would be cool to see” level, when you come across a listing that actually sounds worthwhile. There’s also the “OMG” level, when you come across a listing that is so bad, so unreal, that you just rub your eyes. Finally, there is the “So that’s where they come up with so much crap” level, as you see the blinding similarity from pitch to pitch. You can also roam through the archives to see things that actually made it to the screen. All in all, worth the effort, if you love movies.
And I love movies. I just don’t get to see them in the theatre anymore. But when the boys are older, look out cineplex!
I should also restart my account at the HSX. HSX is an online game where you invest fake money in movie and star futures. You are given a base level of cash which you spend creating your portfolio. You can buy and sell stocks in movies or stars. The final payoff is the amount a movie makes in its first week of opening, so the trick when investing in movies is to try to pick winners. But you need to pick sleepers too, cause the obvious winners cost more to invest in. I did this a lot a few years back – not sure why I quit. Maybe we could form a league? Matt? Greenman? Kris? Any OTers? Is there interest?
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