Let's start this week with the big favorite: Muppet Peter Pan! Issue Four came out this week and it easily lived up to the promise of the first three issues. Great art? Check. Great story? Check. Heart tugging moment? Check. A moral that's not heavy handed in its delivery? Check. 'Lady and daredevil and hippie in distress!' Kermit Pan is the 'bad guy' only because he's been selfish. He needs to get past that to succeed and help everyone else. Janice remains a main character. Gonzo gets to shine as well. The ending isn't necessarily the ending one might want, but it's the ending that should be there, especially given the theme of the story. Quite simply, this is the Muppet comic that any Muppet fan MUST have. I don't need to explain it as 'it's good once you accept...' or 'it's funny even though...'; this is just flat out good Muppetness.
G-Man Cape Crisis #5 also completes this series. I'm keen to have a kid read this story. It strikes me as the sort of thing that I would have loved as a kid. There's adventure and excitement and some danger but nothing too dangerous. It's funny and the relationship between the super powered brothers is a highlight. Good stuff.
Transformers: Bumblebee #2 was interesting. There's a lot of stealth and intrigue involved in this post 'All Hail Megatron' world and the way things are playing out is interesting. The Autobot and Decepticon factions are largely gone in the fight to survive against the humans that want to capture the remaining Transformers and shut them down. Bumblebee struggling to becoming a leader is a more interesting story than I expected.
Simpsons Comics #162 was surprisingly solid. These comics are generally good but this was more of a 'why wasn't this an episode?' issue than most. 'Take Your Parent to Work Day' leads to Homer and Mr. Burns becoming brothers. Meanwhile, Bart's substitute teacher is Mrs. Skinner, a prank master whom Bart cannot defeat. The issue builds the story well and the final page punchline was completely unexpected but so in character. Good stuff.
23 January 2010
20 January 2010
Hello, I must be going...
For one show and one show only, Frank Ferrante's show came to town. Brookfield anyway, which is close enough to count. I got to see 'An Afternoon with Groucho' and it was time well spent.
I dressed up a bit for a show in a theatre with a stage rather than a screen. I was briefly concerned that my sportscoat and slacks would be too dressy but that was not the case. I was not over dressed but I was a bit underage. I think there may have been three people in the audience under the age of forty. Maybe. Lots of older folks but, at one in the afternoon, what do you expect?
There were still tickets available at the door when I arrived a half-hour before show time. I managed to get a seat on the aisle, three rows back. Outstanding.
The Kuttemperoor Auditorium in the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts is lovely. It looks brand-new. There's all this light colored wood and simple but attractive decoration. Up on the ceiling near the lights are a flock of carved pale white birds. It makes for a very warm environment. The seats are comfy as well.
The curtain was open to reveal the set, such as it was. A Steinway piano. A rose. A plant. A comfy chair and matching couch. An old candlestick phone. A couple books. A Pith helmet and stethoscope hanging from a hat rack. A small writing table with a mirror on it. A decorative rug.
To start the show, accompanist Jim Furmston emerged to sit at the piano. Applause rang out when he tried to sit, causing him to stand and bow. This happened three times, letting me know that Frank was in the audience. Jim played a medley of songs sung by Groucho over the years. At the end, Frank popped up from the audience to introduce the show. As he walked across the stage to the writing table, he shed his jacket, revealing his Groucho clothes, as well as his hat, revealing the Groucho haircut. He continued his speech as he sat before the mirror on the table and painted on the Groucho mustache and eyebrows. He tossed on a pair of glasses, picked up a prop cigar, and, BAM!, when he stood up, he was Groucho.
The show can loosely be summed up in this way: singing a Groucho song, performing a sequence from a movie, interacting with the crowd, telling a story of Marx Brothers history, repeat in some mix of those elements. I think there's about a dozen songs in the show. This mix also means the show moves at a good clip and it's hard to tell what's going to happen next. 'Groucho' also flies about the stage with all the manic energy you would expect from someone recreating the man from those early films.
The couch was dusty. In mid-story he flops down on it, generating a cloud of dust to emerge. The crowd laughed and he visibly fought a chuckle. Still as Groucho, he joked about it, and smacked it, causing more dust to fly. Later visits to the couch were made with excessive care, which caused more laughs.
In mid-Captain Spaulding routine, in mid-joke even, he abandoned the stage for the audience. Wandering about, he chatted with people, joking with them ala Groucho on 'You Bet Your Life'. He talked to a couple that had been married for 61 years. He flirted with ladies. He teased someone that was dozing. And then he came to my side of the theater. I was sitting on the aisle. He walked past me but stopped at the man behind me. That gentleman, also follicly challenged was urged to lean forward. I did as well, seeking to elude the spotlight, but Groucho had me lean back. Forward, back, forward, back, until our heads were near each other's. 'Ladies and Gentleman, my impression of Mae West!' We laughed.
For some reason, he name checked Pewaukee at one point and a whole side of the audience exploded in applause. A large group was from that city. Their response was so great that he would use them as a 'cheap pop', regularly saying 'Pewaukee!' to get them to react.
The first act ended with 'Lydia the Tattooed Lady', a song I learned first from its appearance on the Muppet Show album as performed by Kermit the Frog. Years later I was fascinated to learn it was a Groucho song and that his version has an extra verse, one that I still haven't memorized 100%. Still, I mouthed along the words with Frank and loved every second of it. I actually got one of the jokes in the song for the first time thanks to Frank's performance. I'm so used to knowing the words that I stopped thinking about what they meant. As he gestured, I went 'Oh!' in my head. Then I felt silly for not getting it before.
After the show itself was done, Frank took the glasses off and told one more story before we left. He spoke of the time he met Groucho at a book signing when Frank was young and Groucho very old. Groucho was physically quite ill and couldn't react as he used to do. As he took questions and mumbled responses, Frank noted that the crowd was rooting for Groucho to be, well, Groucho. An audience member asked "Are you working on any more Marx Brothers movies?" Since Harpo and Chico were long gone, this was an odd question to say the least. Groucho looked at the man and rasped "No, I'm here answering stupid questions." With that, it was better.
Most of the time when a performer is signing and selling merchandise after the show, they rest a bit before emerging. Frank's last act in the show was to bolt up the aisle of the auditorium as Groucho and head for the table in the lobby.
The DVD he was selling is his life of Groucho show, covering the man from 15 to 85. It's a 2001 release and I'm wondering if I already have it. If so, I didn't have it signed by Frank and Jim. Both were very friendly and warm gentlemen. I appreciated meeting them and discussing that which brought us together: Mark Evanier's blog. http://www.newsfromme.com/
Good times. Now if the guy that does the Jack Benny show would just come around...
I dressed up a bit for a show in a theatre with a stage rather than a screen. I was briefly concerned that my sportscoat and slacks would be too dressy but that was not the case. I was not over dressed but I was a bit underage. I think there may have been three people in the audience under the age of forty. Maybe. Lots of older folks but, at one in the afternoon, what do you expect?
There were still tickets available at the door when I arrived a half-hour before show time. I managed to get a seat on the aisle, three rows back. Outstanding.
The Kuttemperoor Auditorium in the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts is lovely. It looks brand-new. There's all this light colored wood and simple but attractive decoration. Up on the ceiling near the lights are a flock of carved pale white birds. It makes for a very warm environment. The seats are comfy as well.
The curtain was open to reveal the set, such as it was. A Steinway piano. A rose. A plant. A comfy chair and matching couch. An old candlestick phone. A couple books. A Pith helmet and stethoscope hanging from a hat rack. A small writing table with a mirror on it. A decorative rug.
To start the show, accompanist Jim Furmston emerged to sit at the piano. Applause rang out when he tried to sit, causing him to stand and bow. This happened three times, letting me know that Frank was in the audience. Jim played a medley of songs sung by Groucho over the years. At the end, Frank popped up from the audience to introduce the show. As he walked across the stage to the writing table, he shed his jacket, revealing his Groucho clothes, as well as his hat, revealing the Groucho haircut. He continued his speech as he sat before the mirror on the table and painted on the Groucho mustache and eyebrows. He tossed on a pair of glasses, picked up a prop cigar, and, BAM!, when he stood up, he was Groucho.
The show can loosely be summed up in this way: singing a Groucho song, performing a sequence from a movie, interacting with the crowd, telling a story of Marx Brothers history, repeat in some mix of those elements. I think there's about a dozen songs in the show. This mix also means the show moves at a good clip and it's hard to tell what's going to happen next. 'Groucho' also flies about the stage with all the manic energy you would expect from someone recreating the man from those early films.
The couch was dusty. In mid-story he flops down on it, generating a cloud of dust to emerge. The crowd laughed and he visibly fought a chuckle. Still as Groucho, he joked about it, and smacked it, causing more dust to fly. Later visits to the couch were made with excessive care, which caused more laughs.
In mid-Captain Spaulding routine, in mid-joke even, he abandoned the stage for the audience. Wandering about, he chatted with people, joking with them ala Groucho on 'You Bet Your Life'. He talked to a couple that had been married for 61 years. He flirted with ladies. He teased someone that was dozing. And then he came to my side of the theater. I was sitting on the aisle. He walked past me but stopped at the man behind me. That gentleman, also follicly challenged was urged to lean forward. I did as well, seeking to elude the spotlight, but Groucho had me lean back. Forward, back, forward, back, until our heads were near each other's. 'Ladies and Gentleman, my impression of Mae West!' We laughed.
For some reason, he name checked Pewaukee at one point and a whole side of the audience exploded in applause. A large group was from that city. Their response was so great that he would use them as a 'cheap pop', regularly saying 'Pewaukee!' to get them to react.
The first act ended with 'Lydia the Tattooed Lady', a song I learned first from its appearance on the Muppet Show album as performed by Kermit the Frog. Years later I was fascinated to learn it was a Groucho song and that his version has an extra verse, one that I still haven't memorized 100%. Still, I mouthed along the words with Frank and loved every second of it. I actually got one of the jokes in the song for the first time thanks to Frank's performance. I'm so used to knowing the words that I stopped thinking about what they meant. As he gestured, I went 'Oh!' in my head. Then I felt silly for not getting it before.
After the show itself was done, Frank took the glasses off and told one more story before we left. He spoke of the time he met Groucho at a book signing when Frank was young and Groucho very old. Groucho was physically quite ill and couldn't react as he used to do. As he took questions and mumbled responses, Frank noted that the crowd was rooting for Groucho to be, well, Groucho. An audience member asked "Are you working on any more Marx Brothers movies?" Since Harpo and Chico were long gone, this was an odd question to say the least. Groucho looked at the man and rasped "No, I'm here answering stupid questions." With that, it was better.
Most of the time when a performer is signing and selling merchandise after the show, they rest a bit before emerging. Frank's last act in the show was to bolt up the aisle of the auditorium as Groucho and head for the table in the lobby.
The DVD he was selling is his life of Groucho show, covering the man from 15 to 85. It's a 2001 release and I'm wondering if I already have it. If so, I didn't have it signed by Frank and Jim. Both were very friendly and warm gentlemen. I appreciated meeting them and discussing that which brought us together: Mark Evanier's blog. http://www.newsfromme.com/
Good times. Now if the guy that does the Jack Benny show would just come around...
19 January 2010
Okay, One More Late Night War Post
Sometimes a detail can elude you. It remains tucked away until it pops out at you. Sometimes you wonder if the detail is really there. Sometimes you can seen nothing but that detail. Right now I have both.
While discussing the Jay/Conan conflict last week, I got hung up on the declaration that Jay had promised to retire in 2004 when it was announced that Conan would take over the Tonight Show in 2009 and that he had somehow reneged on that deal. Earlier posts on this subject have sought to find details about the situation but I'd spent no real time pondering the support.
Conan has traditionally appealed primarily to the 18-49 demographic. It's the age group of which he himself is part. I get the impression that the bulk of those supporting Conan are in that 'key demo'. Age wise, Jay is of the group older than that.
On a surface level, this is about the variation in comedy styles. Deeper down, could this be a lashing out at the baby boomer generation? Due to the economy, many older people are now expecting to retire later in life. To some eyes, they could be seen as in the way, perhaps keeping younger people from advancing to positions of authority or even just jobs in general. Conan then becomes the champion, the symbol, of all those younger people waiting for their turn at the top and hoping that they'll get a 'fair shake' when their turn comes.
Now that I've thought it, I can't unthink it so I think there's something to it. I think.
While discussing the Jay/Conan conflict last week, I got hung up on the declaration that Jay had promised to retire in 2004 when it was announced that Conan would take over the Tonight Show in 2009 and that he had somehow reneged on that deal. Earlier posts on this subject have sought to find details about the situation but I'd spent no real time pondering the support.
Conan has traditionally appealed primarily to the 18-49 demographic. It's the age group of which he himself is part. I get the impression that the bulk of those supporting Conan are in that 'key demo'. Age wise, Jay is of the group older than that.
On a surface level, this is about the variation in comedy styles. Deeper down, could this be a lashing out at the baby boomer generation? Due to the economy, many older people are now expecting to retire later in life. To some eyes, they could be seen as in the way, perhaps keeping younger people from advancing to positions of authority or even just jobs in general. Conan then becomes the champion, the symbol, of all those younger people waiting for their turn at the top and hoping that they'll get a 'fair shake' when their turn comes.
Now that I've thought it, I can't unthink it so I think there's something to it. I think.
18 January 2010
Music Monday - The Judybats
This is one of those bands that I've loved since the first moment I heard them. I am still annoyed at myself for not seeing them live as they played in Milwaukee more than once. Oh well.
The Judybats appeared from Tennessee in the early 1990s and got lumped into the 'alternative' umbrella. 'Alternative' music at that time is the same as most 'college radio' music from the 1980s: pop songs that weren't popular at the time. This is not meant to be a cut. It is not to say that they weren't inventive or anything like that, it's just that the music wasn't avant-garde or impossible for people to get into unless they were 'arty', they were just good songs that most people never heard and, therefore, didn't get played 7 Billion times a day on some Top 40 station to make you sick of them.
But I digress.
Their songs tend to be about relationships, mostly sad or failing ones. The lyrics are intelligent and show signs of being carefully crafted. They are like little plays, telling stories that come alive in your mind. 'Our Story' is a song filled with longing, regret, and love. A long-time relationship nears its end, or at least another in a series of ends, and the singer reflects on the problems and promises that occurred during it, of the love that held them together and the problems that tear them apart. It's not an official video but it works.
I can't embed 'Being Simple' due to the settings on YouTube but it's another favorite so I'll put up the link for it as well. The video features the single version of the song and has echo effects that don't feature in the album version. Considering it looks like the video takes place near a pool, I suppose the echo 'makes sense'. I do like the song this way as well. I love the way the song builds verbally, walking down a clever path and then suddenly they twist and you see what the point of the previous cleverness was all about. The beginning of the first verse also sounds like something I'd write or should write.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdu1ea4j7-A
At the same time, the band had quite a sense of humor. Later albums would feature covers of Bee Gees songs and things like that. They broke up, got back together again, broke up, and got back together for a brief tour a few years ago. It's hard to keep track of them.
It's been a while since I last checked but their two 'big' albums, 'Down in the Shacks Where the Satellite Dishes Grow' and 'Pain Makes You Beautiful', tend to haunt discount bins and can probably be picked up rather cheaply.
This is good stuff. I still need to find the single version of 'Being Simple'...
The Judybats appeared from Tennessee in the early 1990s and got lumped into the 'alternative' umbrella. 'Alternative' music at that time is the same as most 'college radio' music from the 1980s: pop songs that weren't popular at the time. This is not meant to be a cut. It is not to say that they weren't inventive or anything like that, it's just that the music wasn't avant-garde or impossible for people to get into unless they were 'arty', they were just good songs that most people never heard and, therefore, didn't get played 7 Billion times a day on some Top 40 station to make you sick of them.
But I digress.
Their songs tend to be about relationships, mostly sad or failing ones. The lyrics are intelligent and show signs of being carefully crafted. They are like little plays, telling stories that come alive in your mind. 'Our Story' is a song filled with longing, regret, and love. A long-time relationship nears its end, or at least another in a series of ends, and the singer reflects on the problems and promises that occurred during it, of the love that held them together and the problems that tear them apart. It's not an official video but it works.
I can't embed 'Being Simple' due to the settings on YouTube but it's another favorite so I'll put up the link for it as well. The video features the single version of the song and has echo effects that don't feature in the album version. Considering it looks like the video takes place near a pool, I suppose the echo 'makes sense'. I do like the song this way as well. I love the way the song builds verbally, walking down a clever path and then suddenly they twist and you see what the point of the previous cleverness was all about. The beginning of the first verse also sounds like something I'd write or should write.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdu1ea4j7-A
At the same time, the band had quite a sense of humor. Later albums would feature covers of Bee Gees songs and things like that. They broke up, got back together again, broke up, and got back together for a brief tour a few years ago. It's hard to keep track of them.
It's been a while since I last checked but their two 'big' albums, 'Down in the Shacks Where the Satellite Dishes Grow' and 'Pain Makes You Beautiful', tend to haunt discount bins and can probably be picked up rather cheaply.
This is good stuff. I still need to find the single version of 'Being Simple'...
17 January 2010
Late Night Wars - additional
Aware of the fact that yesterday's post may have sounded more pro-Leno than I would have liked, my intent for today was to talk up Conan a bit, try to balance things a bit. As I said yesterday, I don't watch the late night talk shows much because I don't find them all that amusing. If you do, good for you. I'm happy for you. I've seen Leno and Conan be amusing away from the Tonight Show and I feel that they are more entertaining away from the show. The format seems to control them more than they control the format.
I had planned to go into more detail than that but, really, not watching the shows, that's all I've got. Mark Evanier knows more about these things and broke down the whole thing much better than I could, going back to before Johnny Carson retired. so read that instead: http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2010_01_17.html#018381
While I see nothing to indicate the deal is done at this moment, it's possibly a matter of minutes before it's officially announced that Conan has left NBC and Jay is back in charge of the Tonight Show. The last I read stated that Conan would get paid $30 million and his non-compete clause would be up by the fall. The details may change but that sounds done.
If you think Conan got hosed in this whole deal, you may be right. Or not. This was a matter of simple ratings not getting it done. If Conan was getting a monster rating, none of this happens. I'll close on another nugget of wisdom from Mr. Evanier: 'You know, if everyone who's now behind Conan O'Brien had been watching his show at 11:35, he'd still have it.'
I had planned to go into more detail than that but, really, not watching the shows, that's all I've got. Mark Evanier knows more about these things and broke down the whole thing much better than I could, going back to before Johnny Carson retired. so read that instead: http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2010_01_17.html#018381
While I see nothing to indicate the deal is done at this moment, it's possibly a matter of minutes before it's officially announced that Conan has left NBC and Jay is back in charge of the Tonight Show. The last I read stated that Conan would get paid $30 million and his non-compete clause would be up by the fall. The details may change but that sounds done.
If you think Conan got hosed in this whole deal, you may be right. Or not. This was a matter of simple ratings not getting it done. If Conan was getting a monster rating, none of this happens. I'll close on another nugget of wisdom from Mr. Evanier: 'You know, if everyone who's now behind Conan O'Brien had been watching his show at 11:35, he'd still have it.'
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