LONELYPOND PRESENTS

Haven’t talked Shakespeare in a bit, but the calls about Merchant of Venice (#merven) auditions are already starting so it’s moving back into the mull over space in my brain. And my holdover obsession from my last reading is RINGS. Three of them: Portia’s, Nerissa’s and Shylock’s.

Shylock has a ring, you say, I missed that. If you did, go back, because I can’t get the thought out of my head that it is THE pivotal moment for his character. As Shylock is having a meltdown over his daughter’s disappearance with his goods, having only just paused that to finish his meltdown over the unfair treatment of Jews and moneylenders, his fellow moneylender Tubal reports he saw a ring Jessica traded for a monkey. Shylock’s wife had given him that particular turquoise ring before their bethrothal. Tubal’s revelation comes at the end of a scene mixing Shylock’s rage and thirst for revenge over his daughter’s betrayal with Antonio’s ill fortune and the opportunity it affords Shylock to settle a lifetime of grievances (III i) This scene changes the whole tone of the play and Shylock’s interaction with the world around him. And Shakespeare tosses in this moment of sentiment/personal history/real emotion(?) after Shylock’s totally over the top, playing to the balcony seats, possibly staged and well rehearsed rant*. So we come to the make or break scene, but while most seem to focus on the big dramatic “Hath a Jew not eyes” speech, I find myself focusing on what Shylock says after, when left alone with his only peer in the play and discussing the trigger of his raging sorrow (Jessica’s betrayal). Taming of The Shrew (#tamingshakespeare) taught me to only pay as much attention to the “BIG” speeches as the play actually requires so what I find myself wondering is not does Shylock bleed but does he shed a turquoise tear over wife’s loss and daughter’s treason.

And now to the shredding. Well, it’s going to take an exceptional actress to convince me that Portia’s not just a bubbling fountain of egocentric, self important, smart ass cruelty. What she does to Shylock could be justified as over protectiveness of Bassiano but then I stumble over the cruel trick she and Nerissa play on their newlywed husbands. First, they give Bassiano and Graziano rings and make them swear never to take them off, give them away, etc. Then, Portia and Nerissa, disguised as learned doctor of laws and his clerk, demand the men give them the rings as payment. Later in the final act, Portia and Nerissa claim to have lain with the doctor and the clerk by virtue of their possession of said rings. Oy. I must say the men show remarkable forbearance. Almost (only almost) more than finding a Portia, I worry about finding a Bassiano who can make Portia seem lovable. And Portia never bothers to explain that it might be a response to some of Bassiano’s protests of his loyalty to Antonio during the trial. Shakespeare often leaves a kick in the teeth for directors in Act V (if he hasn’t earlier aka Act I, sc ii of The Tempest, which should just be a prequel titled The Duke Of Milan).

So while many people focus on the three caskets, gold, silver and lead, that challenge Portia’s suitors, I find myself obsessed with three rings.

*I admit to pre prepping the occasional rant while pacing in my office/backyard/empty theatre; haven’t you?

Wishing you health, happiness and prosperity in this Year of The Metal Tiger.

Aside from that, in an Olympic mood — waiting for curling + snowboarding while watching women’s hockey. Blink Kitty Love has a new post up about their favorite Canadian musicians + Winter Olympic sports.

Getting through Chuck, Season 2 in between sports and LOVING IT. GuestStar-A-Palooza — so far, I think my favorite is Dominic Monaghan in Chuck vs. The Third Dimension — I have never seen Lost so this is just a straight forward nod to good comedy. Gayle was surprised to be reminded that he was one of the hobbits.

Missing working on my new Twitter fiction, The Lady Lost or Turning That Corner Wasn’t The Brightest Idea I Ever Had, but too many other things going on and I really want to get back to it when I can get into a good writing zone.

Loved Phonogram: The Singles Club #7 (5 page preview or review) and am mulling over some art, interpretation and communication thoughts which might steep into something worth sharing. I am currently at the fulcrum of art is an individual understanding/effort/experience but communication makes us a community. And sometimes, you just howl. There will be a Phonogram: Singles Club book with all seven issues collected; it’s worth the read.

But right now, Olympics….I’ll catch up with FT links sometime. Snow delayed mail delivery so there’s a pile to go through. Which is always kind of fun.

Good night, happy New Year and thanks for stopping by.

Well, this is the question that’s been bugging me. Where’s the new Blink Kitty Love? What’s the band up to?* It’s been a month.

Yes, it’s been a month, but I think the whole Streamy push tired me out…Yes, it would be GREAT to be nominated for a Streamy and I really do think that Blink Kitty Love deserves consideration in both the Best Animated Series and Best Experimental Series categories, but I find that the energy required to promote something drains the energy required to create something.

Did you look outside, there’s winter (and snow).

I’m learning how to draw tigers for my two week Chinese New Year artistic meditation — very exciting; I love focusing on one animal a year. Here’s the collection so far and the current year.

Meanwhile, there’s been the The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe set, which I am helping with but the designer is an amazing artist who has a vision in his head and doesn’t want anybody else raising a brush near it. I respect that but it is also draining in its own way.

More exciting is that I’ve been discussing (early for me) Merchant of Venice (#merven) with a really cool artist who is planning to do the logo so I’ve been getting up to speed on that (and trying to coordinate a conversation — scheduling is one of the more annoying things to do while also being one of the more important).

So I’ve been drawing less, tweeting less, blogging less and stressing more. Which is just the low point of a natural cycle so it’s time to swing back the other way.

I did remember to catch Smallville: Absolute Justice. Their viewing numbers must be a huge increase over other weeks since I think everyone I know who has ever loved a comic book watched it. Smallville has caught a lot of interest now, so we’ll see where it goes. There were some great moments in Justice - Dr. Fate putting the mask on tops the list, a moment of heroism that made you catch your breath, and the newsreel footage was excellent. It was nice to see heroes without the shades of murky grey that Smallville likes to muck everything up with. I hope this can continue without the presence of Geoff Johns’ writing. But WAY TOO MANY COMMERCIAL BREAKS, CW. You abused your audience’s tolerance there. There are other ways to make transitions.

Looking forward to The Lightning Thief opening next weekend. Finally got the books back from my mom because Gayle saw the movie trailer and said do you have the books?

What I have been reading is the Hopeless Savages collections. Finally ordered the second and it’s better than I remember (I have all the original issues but I need to sort my comics out and find them). I was initially turned off by Bryan Lee O’Malley’s art, so different from the first series, but decided to give it another go now that I’ve had the “fall in love with Scott Pilgrim (or maybe Kim Pine) experience.” I recommend both series; there need to be more comics like that. Read ‘em.

*The band continues chatting on their Twitter feed and their blog so you can still continue the Blink Kitty Love love while we’re all hibernating (warning: food cravings may occur). And I do have some live footage I’m planning to experiment with (warning: food cravings may occur) soon.

Stay warm, darn it.

Greetings, o most loyal and amazing blog visitors. Happy 2010. I’m going to give you a fairly thorough round up as I would really like to be taking a couple of weeks for some R + R while it’s cold and all my baser instincts are saying, “Stay under the covers, it’s warm.” I am not particularly good at the R + R things so I may be forced to resort to things like read all the Harry Potter books, read all the Sarah Caudwell books, read all the Terry Pratchett Watch themed books, read my MFK Fisher + Elizabeth David, dig out my Raymond Chandler and Peter Cheyney, read through the pile of newspapers, watch all the movies I’ve borrowed from friends (Tristram Shandy, Bubba Ho-Tep, Steam Boy), watch the movies I watch every year and skipped in ‘09 (the original 3 American Pies, Tomb Raider, Bring It On, The Bandwagon, Strictly Ballroom, etc.)

So to tide you over, there’s the new Blink Kitty Love, all the old Blink Kitty Love, the band website and this:

Lunch With Tristram Stuart who feeds people from discarded food to highlight wastage.

Article about really cool jazz pianists CD collections I can’t afford.

The FT’s this year in culture quiz…

Stefan Stern’s suggestions for movies to watch and pick up business tips from this season (for the rest of you who don’t do R + R).

Very cool story about a native Gypsy theatre experiment/troupe in Spain. I am always amazed by the effect theatre can have on both audience and performers.

Umberto Eco’s latest looks to land on a list of fun reads.

Hoping to catch Nine at the local cinema…doesn’t look like Orson Welles and Me or The Station will make an appearance here; bumped Moon to the top of the Netflix queue and may soon give in to the buy Star Trek and/or Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie DVD urge…also on that list, the Cary Grant double feature — The Bachelor and The Bobby Soxer and Walk, Don’t Run, which I just saw on TCM and laughed at the frequently priceless moments.

TV: Zeke and Luther’s I, Skatebot episode looks cool, a bit worried about Wizards vs. Werewolves (Wizards of Waverly Place) — perhaps too soon after Wizards vs. Vampires and what will be left for Max, Wizards vs. really grumpy mythological creatures left out of the Twilight series — not really watching much on Nick at the moment except for late night What I Like About You, Top Gear kicks off a new season soon (Gayle very excited), I still miss Warehouse 13 and I really need to spend more time reading.

Merchant of Venice (#merven) planning not kicking into gear — but it’s early yet. Trying to get an artist for the logo, Gayle’s scheduling shows, I’ve decided to have people audition with their cool electronic gear (cell phones, laptops, etc.) Need to read through the play again; concerned about the Bassiano/Antonio axis –and no, I don’t mean in the gay way, just in the everybody’s always so concerned about Portia and Shylock, but hey without these two, I’ve got two right side wheels on a vehicle that needs two on the left as well.

The Lonely Pond Productions, Inc. annual meeting went in unexpected directions. But Google Wave worked well when the snow prevented travel. I need to put together scripts for a short live action adaptation and a few animations. And mull over movie related issues some more.

And Sarah Hemming’s “Twelfth Night” review left me grumping about people who weight down comedies with misery so I have been considering exactly how tragic the characters of Malvolvio, Sir Andrew, Wile E. Coyote, Elmer Fudd, et al are. And her Rope review makes the show sound like an excellent experience to have in a theatre.

Speaking of Hitchcock, there was a Vanity Fair photospread (thanks @njtam, a fellow Hitchcock fan) of modern stars in classic Hitchcock scenes…the women do better than the men, who seem to suffer from not being Cary Grant or Jimmy Stewart.

My current favorite breakfast is oatmeal with hot apple cider for a drink, my current most likely to be worn shirt is this one (it amuses Gayle) and I heard this amazingly goofy song at one of our favorite restaurants that Google has been no help with finding the title of…the lyrics as we can remember go something like this: “you’re good cause you don’t do things like (or that) you should…you’re cool cause (cuz?) you don’t do things by the book.” Sounded like a guy singing, it was a Spanish-Peruvian restaurant where music usually has spanish lyrics, it was chanty, and if you drop the title/artist in the comments, there will be a reward.

And I think that gets you up to date — and should tide you over for awhile. Wishing you the best of 2010’s. Stay warm.

P.S. Cool toasters…I need one.

This was just going to be about me swearing off entering film festivals, considering film festivals, reading about film festivals, worrying about film festivals, et al on the advice of Gayle who remembers me complaining about nearly frying my computer every time I think I ought to enter one. So Blink Kitty Love is going to continue its merry musical way without the imprimatur of the Nick Animation Fest — which does look fun + is free to enter so points for them (entries closed for this year; try next if that’s your flavor). But there I am looking for approval or safety or a production deal again, and I’m not sure that’s what I’m actually trying to conquer — not that I’d turn down a production deal ; ) And I really do nearly fry my computer every time.

But (second half swearing off reference, cue segue)…

Entertainment Weekly listed its top 20 animated films ever and not only do they have Chicken Run in (instead of Fantasia for instance), one of the main criteria seems to be will it make you, the viewer, cry. The goal is not even like that of old school tragedies — will you learn a lesson while someone’s eyes are being plucked out offstage and tears are being rent unwilling from yours or as you just stare at the stage in horrified understanding, just maudlin basic level Dumbo separated from his Mom issues. The easy stuff. That and September 11th references + articles, made me remember when and why I swore off tragedies for the summer Shakespeare Theatre Under The Trees experience.

September 11, 2001 I had a touring show rehearsal (acting) in the morning, Gayle had a day off, Beau was a little past teenager + living with us…I walked into the theatre some time after nine (I am not prompt in the morning; rehearsal started at 8:30 a.m. Diane plans around me). There was an atmosphere I hadn’t felt since the watching the Challenger disintegration at Northwestern’s student center or the couple of times I listened to the World Series on the radio (one of those times was in college, in an effort to study while it was happening — total fail; the other was grade school when I had a manic Phillies fan as a teacher). All of the parents were huddled around the table, a news type voice was saying something about Logan airport and I remembered my sister lived in Boston. And so I jumped to the conclusion that something had happened there. Then the full + awful story unwound while the rapt silence continued. I found a phone to call the still sleeping Gayle, so glad that both she + Beau were safe and that I knew where they were. I was still worried about the Boston branch of the family. My father watched the Towers fall from the roof of the plant he worked at in Rahway, NJ, came home that night and hung up an American flag from the eaves.

So that summer, the plan was to do Julius Caesar. I had even applied for a Nike grant — I thought football uniforms and a sports theme might add an interesting flavor. But one afternoon, I just decided not to watch people die on stage. If I did it well (and I planned to), it would be riveting + horrifying. That wasn’t what the universe needed. I asked myself, because it suddenly seemed possible, if the world were going to end, what play would I regret not doing. I had always loved Beatrice + Benedict; the wonderful wordplay that was their relationship. So the summer of 2002 turned into the summer of Much Ado About Nothing. And I continue to shake my head at gifted comedians who would rather play Ophelia than Beatrice or Rosalind or Olivia(although one of them recently told me she’d rather play Gertrude than Ophelia; it’s a much better part.)

September 11, 2001…so much happened then + since. My thoughts are with the victims’ friends + families and the soldiers who fight for our country. I often think they all deserve better politicians.

I now have a favorite Pixar movie…Ratatouille. Watched it on the Disney Channel last night + was very impressed with the animation, the story, the directing, the authenticity of the characters, the way everything moved. Wow. And none of the usual Pixar tinge of maudlin to interfere. Great animation — there were so many scenes that relied on action rather than words (I could tell because Flash came in and stared at the screen since no one was talking). Great stuff. It’s on my list of DVD purchases to watch again and study the how to features. Oh, and Peter O’Toole continues amazing.

Bandslam — yes, I went to Bandslam on opening day…me and a paltry 100,000 or so other people. And I’m going to go again, because I think there’s chunks of story in the music that goes along with the story + I need to hear it again. I found myself disappointed at the end + I’m not sure why. The movie needed a rock star doing that final number. I think Vanessa Hudgens is an excellent actress, nay, I will go so far as to say a MOVIE STAR, and Aly Michalka rocks out and I think that was part of the trap. I kept switching them in my mind; it happens once you start directing things — you think you can do better…But then I continued thinking about it. Part of the problem was each one of the three main characters goes through major issues/changes — and the narrator’s seemed like the least interesting of the story arcs (gee, two hot girls want to hang out with me, I’m a freaky musical genius, but shock, dark Dad secret). So we spend the most time hearing the voice of the character I was least interested in. I loved the band they made up; it’s going on my list of favorite fictional bands: Dusted Bunnies, Josie and the Pussycats (also the cartoon), 5 Leo Rise, No Man’s Land and now I Can’t Go On I’ll Go On — I’m pretty sure there’s another couple and when I remember them I’ll do a favorite fictional band entry (suggest yours in the comments)…

I suggest seeing Bandslam because there are excellent parts in the middle, it made me laugh, it made me care, you want to see Aly Michalka fronting the band, Vanessa Hudgens can dominate a scene seemingly effortlessly and Lisa Kudrow does an excellent job at being a mom, a cool mom, a funny mom, a big sister groupie and then back to a mom.

Aly and AJ have changed the name of their band to 78violet and have an album coming out this fall. You can still get in on the design the 78violet logo contest (until 8/30).

I saw Ferris Bueller on a hot summer day in Chicago when the heat peeled off the asphalt and you ducked into movie theatres to get cool. It was one of those rare and vivid days. I need to buy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off(+ a Ferrari) so I can watch it again.

John Hughes died today. Here’s Edgar Wright’s* tribute.

This quote from Ferris Bueller is all over the Twitterverse: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Take a look.

*Directing Scott Pilgrim — the other Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz guy.

Two articles in the local papers about Taming of the Shrew and Theatre Under the Trees. The Dispatch’s does a great job of giving you a sense of what the Theatre Under The Trees experience is like and the Record’s article is a fairly lively overview of the play.

Newest internet finds:

Have been having fun with Shirt.Woot — a new t-shirt for $10 posted each night at 12:01 a.m. They have a Derby every week with new designs — this week’s theme was Tatoo (finalists); it’s a fun and relaxing way to get a look at (and vote for) some cool art. @apelad tipped me to it and his was the Monday shirt.

The Cabonauts starting following me — new web series — and I got to thinking that I might want to find out more about what’s out there. And then The Web Files starting following me, I caught their trailer, I’m a sucker for a good hat and a trenchcoat, I followed back, watched their first interview with Tay Zonday, liked the questions and thought this is a good way to get to know what’s out there…They’re up to 3 episodes so far — Safety Geeks SVI looks like a fun and funny show.

A flash of enthusiasm/inspiration visited and I decided it might be fun to put host Kristyn Burtt in a Blink Kitty Love episode and we exchanged a few e-mails. They are hoping to cover animation at some point, they’re just not sure how. I don’t think Blink Kitty Love is ready for the big time yet, but I am mulling over how to increase your favorite crazy crushing band’s fan base (as well as redesign their website) and it was nice to be taken seriously. So best of luck to The Web Files…I’m looking forward to picking up some tips from your future episodes. And maybe Ms. Burtt and Tammy can go out in their hats + trenchcoats for cupcakes and coffee (yes, in the next episode, Tammy puts on the hat + trenchcoat disguise to find out more about Ty’s girlfriend –TY HAS A GIRLFRIEND??????? Don’t worry, you’ll find out more about it after #tamingshakespeare’s over. Until then, check out your favorite episodes –and drop some redesign comments PLEASE — on the Blink Kitty Love site. Tomorrow (Friday), we do a special Guess or Sneak the 80’s Sax Solos.

And I really enjoyed the Apollo 11 rebroadcast. Thanks and props to John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum for the experience. And NASA for joining in on Twitter.

And the Fourth Plinth is still happening. I pop in a couple of times a day — random bits of weirdness and/or mopping. Right now, very energetic guy with a guitar who just turned in his doctoral thesis.

Miss The Big Bang Theory, haven’t really had a chance to watch Eureka — although S.A.R.A.H. is tweeting about TIRDS?, still looking forward to the Wizards movie but can’t catch the first half of the vampire saga as we have SHOWS (very exciting; see articles above), haven’t see the newest Harry Potter yet, annoyed that (500) Days of Summer isn’t in town, a little excited about G.I. Joe, and tired. Don’t forget to pick up your Middleman DVDs next week and take care! I’ll miss you, but SHOWS! Taming of The Shrew rocks a park maybe not near you, but you’ll hear the laughter.

Have a great afternoon — and wish me nice weather.

Vanessa Friedman on what Emma Watson as a fashion icon represents — I’ve been noticing the Burberry ads, but after seeing Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett photos, I know what Friedman means. Stewart is one of those chameleons who takes on a role with such force that it burns itself into your mind, even in a photo. And no, I still can’t convince myself to watch Twilight…if only I’d actually been able to finish the book. I might rent Adventureland though. And The Runaways is now on my calendar. And on a tangent, the New Moon trailer will run exclusively before Bandslam, the rocking summer movie I’ve been looking forward to, opening August 14th.

Stella McCartney introducing a touch of Disney into her winter fashions advertising campaign…I’m not sure if that means cute is coming back or we’re taking aim at Bambi with a rifle scope. Actually, it does kind of look like Disney meets Stewart so McCartney’s probably doing something right.

I have been up the past couple of nights watching in fascination, horror and amazement as #iranelection scrolled by on my Twhirl and Twitter screens, as avatars slowly became a column of green — my Tweetdeck background is green so that’s really fun. And I am amazed that the invention/discovery/engine changing the world isn’t a hydrogen engine, affordable solar power, a way to zap waste, cure AIDs or the discovery of the Babel Fish, it’s Twitter — a simple service that connects people any way they want to connect to it…amazing, awe inspiring and a little scary. I bet governments are having meetings concerning what if #iranelection happened here and Great Britain has appointed a “Twitter czar” (I hate the use of the word czar in government positions; it’s lazy and inappropriate.)

Back to #iranelection, Twitter is a game changer. People are using it to make friends, plug products, exchange ideas, share links, support, learn, laugh, inspire, lead…Tweetdeck will translate tweets for you (I have done that for Hebrew, Japanese, German and Spanish) — it’s not a perfect translation, but a huge wall now has a window into the culture you want to connect with.

I have been trying to fit Twitter with a metaphor that works for my experience– and the one I came up with was college campus, with friends in various quadrants/classes that you can talk to when you’re in the sort of a mood you talk to that person in, or when you call up your movie going friend or your drinking or book buddy. There are friendships and flirtships and coteries. You meet people, you connect, you break up, you drift, you wonder, you roam, you howl at the moon, you learn the etiquette, you cheer for your team, you wake up the next morning and think what did I say, you create new patterns, you talk on a digital front porch, you smile, you LOL or LMAO, you frown, you : \ or ; ). And it’s voluntary — your Twitter quilt is what you make it.

And you stay up all night watching the world in a mix of green and flames and wonder…Twitter, campus or country? If the end of the world comes, I want my iPod Touch (with de Blob, darts and the complete works of Shakespeare), my cellphone and my Twitter peeps on my team. I’ll be the one with the twinkling green eyes, quoting Henry V’s St. Crispin Day speech…

“we tweeps, we happy tweeps”

Good night…that’s what too much Twitter + Shakespeare will get you.