“King of the Hill” the animated Fox show that has been around for the last 13 seasons, finally came to an end Sunday night.
The show has a lot of critics. Most people just don’t get it, or why it has been around this long…
But I think it’s one of those simple pleasures… It has a slower pace, it’s isn’t on the cutting edge, and the family actually sits around the dinner table often. Plus, most plots lines involve ordinary occurrences and small every day victories.
Basically, it’s the picture of every day life.
And that why I’m going to miss it so very much. They don’t really make shows like these anymore. (And to think, this is from the guy of “Beavis and Butthead” fame eons ago!)
The finale was satisfying, even to this vegetarian. Father and son both found what they were looking for.
Some of you might have heard about Jay-Z’s concert to support the families of rescue workers who lost their lives on September 11th that was held this past Friday night on the anniversary of that fateful day.
There were so many wonderful moments in that show. I was not lucky enough to be in the audience, but I watched it at home on Fuse. (We just stumbled on it, but were glad we did.)
Here are the best moments from what we saw:
1.) Jay-Z more than once said, “We’re celebrating life here tonight.” And he meant it… He was glad to be up there, glad to be performing and connecting with his fans to celebrate that we’re here at this moment, and how fleeting these moments are — so it’s best to just embrace them.
2.) There was an amazing graphic on the screen behind him made up of pictures of those who had fallen that day. Their pictures were in boxes, stacked in graphic shapes to represent the skyscrapers, and the skyline of our fair city. It was fresh, modern, and elegant. (I saw it clearly on tv… I’m not sure what it looked like from the audience’s perspective at the concert.)
3.) He took off his glasses (his “sunnys”) to physically look his fans in the eye and thank them. Jigga-man went on thanking his fans for a good solid ten minutes at least. He literally pointed to people, and said things like, “You in the orange shirt, I feel you…” “You in the milk man outfit, you really stand out, but I like that, man…”
More than anything, he was humble… something most in hip-hop wouldn’t ever know how to be. And though the occasion marked the anniversary of a solemn day in our history and lives, he was dignified, and focused on the positive… that we’re here now, and stronger for it.
Great entertainers can be found in all arenas… and when they do their jobs, they can unite us with their gifts.
The stewardship of the Jujamcyn Theaters has changed hands recently.
The new President is Jordan Roth, 33. There are two other dynasties on the Great White Way : The Shubert and the Nederlander organizations, which are led by Philip J. Smith, 78, and James M. Nederlander, 87.
“I am a different person than we’ve had in this kind of position in our business… Let’s just state the obvious: my age provides for a different perspective, a different way of looking at the world.”
Roth has already ushered in shows to make audiences and critics take a second look at Broadway like “Spring Awakening” and the revival of “Hair” (both garnering Tony Awards).
So many wonder how to target mine and Jordan’s age group (thirty-somethings). But the answer is simple: Put us in charge! Give us a chance to put our work out there. It seems Rocco Landesman (the former President of Jujamcyn, and now head of the National Endowment for the Arts) had the faith to do just that.
We rented a movie I wanted to see in the theatres, but had never gotten around to it. From the commercials, I could tell it would be good, and I was right.
“Last Chance Harvey” was certainly pleasing for the lovely cinematography in and around London’s swankiest locations, it was gratifying in a very real and down to earth sense. It’s a story about a regular guy… He’s a little older, and he hasn’t found his way just yet.
Even the smallest things seem to trip him up, and you get the sense that he could have been more, but never got there.
Dustin Hoffman plays this everyman to Emma Thompson’s brilliant ‘woman of a certain age who never found the one’…
And though they both seem to stumble a bit as they reach out for one another, they do it so gracefully that there’s rarely an awkward moment.
The best part though, was in the interviews as part of the special features section where Hoffman says, “I kind of find that I’m more comfortable being the person that we are rather than the person we want to be.”
Both character and actor embrace their strengths and weaknesses to not only be the people they are, but to open their hearts to accept and love others for their quirks as well.
The journey, and ultimate triumph of the heart made me realize it had been a while since I cared so much about a movie or its characters — and for a few moments, I even forgot that I was watching a movie.
I imagine Harvey’s last chance opened up a new whole of first chances as well…
“No,” is a favorite word of toddlers. As we grow older, we sometimes find it hard to say — especially to those we love.
Scott has been attentive to the fact that I’ve been upset for the last few days about this character in this musical I’m working on. He’s listened patiently, nodding, offering words of encouragement.
We were watching an episode of “Theater Talk” the other night when I mentioned my frustration in passing.
It was then that my husband challenged me… as gently and tenderly as he could. “Well maybe you’ve never written a character like him before. Maybe it’s not easy for you because you’re trying to make him into something he’s not… He might not have an arc… He might not have the anger you’re looking for.”
I’m still pondering the character in the musical, but boy, did my husband remind me of how much character he has! More than my husband, he’s my friend… willing to stand with me when I’m not sure, ready with a kind word, or strong ones… whatever the case may be.
Last night, Scott spoke to a friend of his who had done theatre with him in high school. I heard him saying, “It’s a lot different being on the other side of the casting table at the audition.”
When he hung up, he recapped the conversation, telling me how amazed his old buddy was about our company. This friend is a very successful neurologist, who has testified for the state he lives in for health care reform.
And he was blown away by our company.
Today, we went to check out a possible set piece for “Disillusioned” (the reprise). I must have sent an email back to this guy with my signature tags (complete with all of my websites), and he was tickled… I think he might have even checked out one of our pages (or was at least curious about them).
It’s something I run into over and over again. And I LOVE IT.
I’m not full of myself (most who know me well know I can be shy and modest)… I’m just amazed. It doesn’t matter how many times we encounter it, I love hearing or seeing a person’s imagination run wild, to know that they’ve been inspired, even if it’s just for a moment.
After all, isn’t that part of why we started all this in the first place?
Today I remembered that frustration, and channeling it into something constructive is one of the heaviest loads to lift with writing… especially when getting back to a project after a long absence.
I recently connected with my friend Elizabeth on Facebook. She’s a talented young woman, and one of her passions is theatre. Her current project uses some of her learned skills, as a journalist. (Her parents allowed her to pursue theatre in college if she agreed to take on a sensible major in tandem, and journalism was her choice.)
I’d never known she was a journalist once upon a time. (She’s the kinda gal who could do lots of things and be great at them). I shared with her that I almost pursued the same path.
She remarked on how ironic it is, that she’s using her journalism skills for theatre… having abandoned being a journalist years ago…
But it sounded just about right to me… I’ve been remarking to those in my circle for the last few weeks that the people we are now — at this very moment, is not only because we are a product of our experiences, but we had those experiences so that we COULD BECOME who we are now.
As I was sitting down to write this post, I remembered seeing Weepin’ Willie Robinson (an old time bluesman) perform live in Boston one cold night about 8 years ago.
He had been playing the club circuit in Boston and NJ since the 50’s until just a few years ago. I went up and spoke to sweet Willie at the end of his set. (Even at his age, he was still a ladies’ man.) I shook his hand, and asked for his autograph. He was in his 70’s when the album debuted in 2000; his wish of having his own album finally came true. For years, he’d been playing on the albums of others, or promoting the albums of others. Until finally it was his turn. And so, his album is called, “At Last, On Time.”
His debut album was his only album, though he performed for many years after its release. He was 81 when he passed away on 12/30/2007… and despite his then physical frailty, had performed only a few days before at his nursing home’s Christmas party.
When Willie told me his story (as I’m sure he’d done many times before, and many times after) I was in my early twenties. Though I “got it”, I didn’t really get the depth of it until now… having been at this a few years now myself…
Willie laughed when he said, “It’s just right… That’s why it’s ‘At Last, On Time.’”
He needed all that life (a life many others would have never persevered with) in him to sing the blues the way he did on this album. My friend Elizabeth needed to sharpen those skills so many years ago, and let them rest a while, until she was ready to use them again.
I needed to get to the point where I am now in my own life to move in the direction I’m moving.
