Yesterday’s Doubleheader Was==>A+!!

A+!! Yes my loyal and faithful readers yesterday’s entertainment doubleheader was totally mind-blowing, even better than I had anticipated ... so let’s get right to it ... with the usual ...

Billi Pod’s report card on DANCING AT LUGHNASA, about 5 unmarried sisters set in a small town in Ireland in 1936==>A+.

It is every bit as good as the critics said, plus some. It is amazing what they were able to stage in the cramped confines of The Irish Repertory Theatre. The acting was superb. Had very little difficulty with the Irish brogues.

My only problem with the show was that I had some difficulty in keeping the characters straight in some of the fast moving scenes and dialogue.

And yes, since it is Irish ... there was the usual “Irish Factor” (a phrase which Billi Pod just created) in the interaction between all of the characters. What do I mean by “Irish Factor” you are no doubt breathlessly asking? Well ... this is it ...

"I friggin hate ye ... but I really love ye ... but I still friggin hate ye."

You are welcum.

It ends its extended run on January 29th, so if you haven’t seen this theatrical gem==>do it now!!

The show was over about 5:15 so I had to rush back to PHC to change clothes and have a quick fruit and cheese snack before heading uptown for the second part of the doubleheader ... which was ...

NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA @ Avery Fisher Hall and it also gets the highest grade==>A+<==because of Lang Lang’s blazing performance of the extremely difficult Bartok Piano Concerto No. 2.

He didn’t appear to be as “animated” in this performance as he had been in others I had seen. When it was over he got a roaring ovation, but not a standing one, which was a bit of a surprise to me.

Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 2 was beautifully performed by the orchestra. I don’t remember ever hearing it before.

The only downside of the evening was the opening number, “Feria,” a piece of atonal dreck written by Magnus Lindberg, who is the orchestra’s Composer-in-Residence. Thank God it was only 17 minutes long. It got a very tepid response even when Lindberg came on stage.

When the concert was over I was really feeling good and happy and would have walked back to PHC while reliving the concert in my head ... except for the fact that it was 21º and windy ... no way.

Today’s entertainment event is certainly something different ...

8:00==>A TRIBUTE TO HOROWITZ @ Carnegie Hall. “A gala benefit for the American Cancer Society, hosted by Donald Trump and Julie Andrews, featuring Lola Astanova, who will play works by Chopin, Scriabin and Rachmaninov, all performed on the legendary Horowitz Steinway.” (complimentary ticket)

Now this time I am certain my comp. seat will be way up in the nosebleed section. Yesterday I received an email from my ticket service asking me to pick up my ticket at least 1 hour before curtain time.

I am confident that the reason is ... “they” don’t want the freebies rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous donors. I will, of course, honor the request.

Folks out there in the vast hinterlands ... Billi Pod has already scheduled some AWESOME entertainment events for the remainder of the month and he wants to share the basic details with you now ...

Jan. 19 - Thurs - 8:00==>A TRIBUTE TO HOROWITZ @ Carnegie Hall. (complimentary ticket)

Fri - 8:00==>AMERICAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA @ Carnegie Hall - Stravinsky Outside Russia (complimentary ticket)

Sat - 7:00==>CEMETERY GOLF (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket); 8:30==>HONOR AND FIDELITY (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket) - at the same theater.

Sun - 3:15==>FALL TO EARTH (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket); 6:30==>GIANTS/49ers on Fox

Mon - 8:00==>YOU ONLY SHOOT THE ONES YOU LOVE (Off Broadway - $9.00 TDF ticket)

Tues - 7:00==>HOW TO SUCCEED AT BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING (Broadway - discounted TDF ticket) - Nick Jonas and Beau Bridges join the cast.

Wed - 8:00==>THE NIGHTMARE STORY (Off Broadway - $9.00 TDF ticket)

Thurs - 8:00==>RENT (Off Broadway - discounted TDF ticket) - FaceBook friend Josh Grisetti joins the cast

Fri - Jan 27 - open at the moment

Sat - open at the moment

Sun - open at the moment

Mon - 8:00==>STONE AND STONE (comedy show - complimentary ticket)

Tues - Jan 31- 6:00==>WAGNER’S GOTTERDAMMERUNG (Metropolitan Opera - full price expensive ticket) - gets out at 11:30pm

WOW!! How about this ... Nick Jonas, Josh Grisetti, Beau Bridges and Wagner ... WOW!!

The opera is part of THE RING SERIES being staged by The Metropolitan Opera Company. I have seen the complete RING SERIES twice and had no interest in doing it for a third time ... but ... I very much like the music from Gotterdammerung, the final piece in the series, so I thought I would give it a shot.

And yes ... it starts at 6:00pm, has two rather long intermissions and gets out, hopefully, at 11:30pm. No need to say any more.

In closing ...

As I write this posting my oldest grandson and new father Alex Falletta aka Army Guy is on his way back to Kuwait. Gina and Saylor were at Tampa International for an emotional farewell ... just the three of them.

Hopefully he and his unit will return in late April or early May to be deactivated. MAY GOD BE WITH YOU ARMY GUY!!

LOVE TO ALEX, GINA AND SAYLOR.

Bill aka Great-granddaddy.

ALEX-149

Billi Pod Says==>TGIF To All Of His Worker Bee Friends

Good morning all of my loyal and faithful readers out there in the hinterlands and in the wilderness known as cyberspace.

I want to start this posting with a major TGIF shout out to all of my Worker Bee friends who are eagerly awaiting the 5:00pm bell so they can begin their weekend festivities/chores/whatever.

Just remember==>Worker Bees can’t start the weekend until the FINAL bell rings. It is your duty to remain active and productive until the very end of the your work week, but, of course, most of you Worker Bees know this ... but ...

Billi Pod feels it is necessary to specifically warn ...

Worker Bee #1 - whose name rhymes with==>Peed;

Worker Bee #2 - whose name rhymes with==>Beers;

Worker Bee #3 - whose name rhymes with==>Cypher; and

Worker Bee #4 - whose name rhymes with==>Bris

that he has received information from reliable sources that each of you have been attempting to leave your employment sites early on Friday afternoons. This is totally unacceptable so you are each warned that further transgressions will place you on Billi Pod’s Time-Out List and, trust me, you don’t want this to happen. So ... you are each warned, and ... you only get one ... so ...

Anyway ... moving on ...

Last night’s NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA concert earns another grade of==>A.

My discounted TDF ticket seat was excellent, in the orchestra, row S, seat 20. The performance, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8, clocked in at 83 minutes and when it was over the audience gave the orchestra and guest conductor, Zubin Mehta, a roaring ovation.

We had hoped for an encore performance ... but ... alas ... it didn’t happen.

I am happy to report that no cellphones went off during the performance. The New York Times had a very interesting story about the culprit, who was ... tada ... a senior citizen ... with a new iPhone. Check it out ...

“Ringing Finally Ended, but There’s No Button to Stop Shame”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/13/nyregion/ringing-finally-stopped-but-concertgoers-alarm-persists.html?_r=2

Interestingly, the people seated around me were all talking about the incident and everyone, including moi, double checked to make sure our phones were silenced. Now ... if we could only silence coughing and sneezing ... oh well ... one thing at a time ... I guess ...

Tonight’s entertainment event is ...

8:00==>INSTINCT - “Four cohabiting epidemiologists fight to contain a potentially devastating virus, while trying to keep their relationships from unraveling - but nothing is more contagious than human desire.” (Off Broadway - $9.00 TDF ticket)

Without a doubt this show will fall into the “love-it or hate-it” category. It is playing at a theater on my block.

Looking forward to the weekend==>Billi Pod will be in a pro-football couch potato mode, without a doubt. Will make all of my entertainment plans around the BRONCOS/PATRIOTS game on Saturday night and the GIANTS/GREEN BAY game on Sunday afternoon.

Now before you get too judgmental I need to report that the weather in The Big Apple over the weekend is gonna be frigid. On Saturday the low will be 19º and on Sunday it will be 21º. I rest my case.

I am happy to report that Christian and Kelly Smith of Columbia, SC, and their posse, will descend on Polk F**king County aka PFC this weekend to visit Gina, Army Guy and Saylor. Nice!! Have fun!!

GO GINA! GO ARMY GUY!! GO SAYLOR!!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

ALEX-143

Nasty Weather & Last Monday Night’s Dinner Party Guest List

Good morning my loyal and faithful readers out there in the vastness known as cyberspace.

Man, it is majorly nasty out this morning in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World. It is raining, very windy and cold==>43º @ 7:30am.

Unfortunately, Billi Pod will have to brave the elements this morning because he has a 10:00am dental appointment. Yeah, I know ... a great combination ... nasty weather and a dental appointment. Oh well ... ain’t nothing he can do about either one ... so ...

Moving on ...

Last night’s entertainment event was ...

8:00==>THREE SHEETS - “Three one-act comedies set to a bedroom theme.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

Billi Pod’s report card==>B+<==each piece was well-written and funny and the cast was excellent.

Tonight’s entertainment event is ...

7:30==>NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA @ Avery Fisher Hall - “Zubin Mehta conducts Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8.” (discounted TDF ticket).

Yeah, Billi Pod is definitely in the mood for some classical music.

According to the local newspapers ... at Tuesday night’s performance of Mahler’s 9th Symphony a cellphone went off in the front row, at the ending of this monumental work. It was absolutely the worst possible time. The musical director and conductor, Alan Gilbert, stopped the orchestra and directed the person in the front row to turn off the phone. The person was apparently having trouble turning it off. The audience was really hostile toward that person. When the phone was finally silenced, the concert was resumed.

You know ... I don’t want to play the stereotype card ... but ... I’ll bet the person involved was a ... ahem ... senior citizen. Now ... hold on ... don’t get mad ... I am just commenting, as a senior citizen myself ... that the majority of the cellphone disturbances I have observed over the years have involved ... ahem ... senior citizens ... jus sayin ...

Which is a nice segue into responding to the avalanche of emails and texts I received regarding my posting about Monday night’s dinner party guest list. Well ... as you no doubt are aware ... my notes were 100% incorrect ... yes ... it was obviously a senior moment, without a doubt ... my bad ... here is the list as I originally reported and who they actually ... really ... were/are ...

Rick & Jam Fudzina-->Nick & Pam Sudzina

Naggie & Tim Manditalker-->Maggie & Jim Vandewalker (the host and hostess)

Ron & Merry Crossed-->John & Terry Frost

Rue Gently-->Sue Bentley

Marilyn Bulmer-->Carolyn Fulmer

Kim Prickland-->Tim Strickland

Rob Jung-->Bob Young

So ... thank you everyone for taking the time to call this transgression to my attention and I will overlook the snideness of some of the communications. You are soooooooooooo welcum!!

On this happy note ... it is time to head out .... so ...

GO GINA! GO ARMY GUY!! GO SAYLOR!!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

ALEX-142

1/1/12==>HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Good morning my loyal and faithful readers.

HAPPY 2012!!

It is a bright, brisk and beautiful morning in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World. It was 43º @ 8:30am. What a wonderful way to begin 2012.

Billi Pod is happy to report that yesterday’s doubleheader was everything that he had hoped it would be, starting with ...

2:00==>LYSISTRATA JONES - “A musical about Lyssie J. and her girl-power posse who won’t “give it up” to their basketball playing boyfriends until the boys win a game.”

Billi Pod’s second report card==>A.

Yes, the cast was still as vibrant as they were when I saw the show in early previews. This show is what it is ... a lot of fun with a mega-talented and energetic cast giving 110% to put smiles on the faces of their audience members.

Everyone around me seemed to be having a ball. I am just sorry that the show hasn’t created the buzz necessary to remain open during the dreaded months of January and February. It seems to me that the show would really fit into one of the larger Off-Broadway spaces at New World Stages, joining Broadway transfers AVENUE Q, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, and RENT.

Oh well ... ain't nothing I can do about it, is there ... so ...

And then for the evening was ...

8:00==>NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA @ Avery Fisher Hall - New Year’s Eve Gala.

The house was soldout and the program was carried live on PBS stations nationwide.

The highlight’s of the evening, for me, came in the second act, starting with Bernstein’s “Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.” It was divinely beautiful and brought back so many fond memories. Earlier in this blog I had posted about how lucky I was to have been present at a pre-Broadway out-of-town performance of WEST SIDE STORY in Washington, DC, in 1957. I still consider this to be my No. 1 theatre experience of all times.

The audience gave the performance a roaring ovation ... but ... things got even better with the final number of the evening, which was Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” performed by pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. OMFG!! It was beautiful and the audience gave the performer and the orchestra a well deserved and earned roaring standing ovation.

What a wonderful way to say hello to 2012.

The concert was over at 10:00 and I left with a smile on my face. I headed back to The Port Authority on the 1 train, which was packed with revelers, many already blitzed, heading to Times Square.

When I got off the subway and exited onto 42nd Street the crowd had already begun to gather even though this spot was blocks from the ball dropping site, which wasn’t visible. The police presence was everywhere and they didn’t appear to be too happy.

Anyway ... it was 10:30 when I opened the door to PHC. The party was already underway in PHB, the 2 BR apartment next door. The nice asian guys who live there had made a special effort, earlier, to invite me to attend but I had politely declined.

My plans had been to grill one of the awesome Allen Brothers steaks, along with a baked potato and grilled onions, but I just wasn’t that hungry, so instead I fixed an awesome salad and settled in for the final countdown.

At midnight I said “good-riddance” to 2011 and fell to my knees to thank my Higher Power for allowing me to welcome in 2012.

Then ... Billi Pod officially celebrated 2012 with a toast with his favorite libation==>Fresca.

Yes, in all honesty I can say that 2012 is already shaping up to be an interesting and eventful year.

It was around 2:15am when I finally crashed, thus ending a remarkably good day.

What about today you are no doubt breathlessly asking?

Well, my loyal and faithful readers ... in the name of fair and unbiased reporting Billi Pod will have to admit/confess that he has deliberately planned to be a 100% pro-football couch-potato today/tonight. Yes, it will be ...

1:00pm - JETS/DOLPHINS (a must-win for The Jets)

4:15pm - BRONCOS/CHIEFS (Go Timmy!!)

8:15pm - GIANTS/COWBOYS (Loser goes home with heads down - season over)

OK ... OK ... it is all right with Billi Pod if you want to be judgmental ... that is your prerogative as my loyal and faithful readers out there in the vast hinterlands ... because ... I acknowledge that ...

I report - you decide.

GO YANKEES AND GO GATORS!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

ALEX-130

Billi Pod Says==>HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE EVERYONE!!

Good Morning!!

Happy New Year’s Eve to each and everyone!!!!

It is bright, cool and brisk==>47º @ 8:30am on this final day of 2011.

In response to your emails and texts ... no, Billi Pod will not be in Times Square tonight for the dropping of the ball, saying good riddance to 2011 and ushering in 2012 - been there done that.

Instead ... he has a terrific doubleheader scheduled ... beginning with ...

2:00==>LYSISTRATA JONES - “A musical about Lyssie J. and her girl-power posse who won’t “give it up” to their basketball playing boyfriends until the boys win a game.” (Broadway - complimentary ticket)

This will be my second visit to this Broadway musical that has received very mixed reviews. I saw back in November and gave it a grade of A.

Unfortunately, it has failed to develop an audience and I have my doubts about how much longer it will remain open and that is sad because it is a lot of fun with an extremely talented young cast.

Then for this evening is ...

8:00==>NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA @ Avery Fisher Hall - New Year’s Eve Gala. The program is:

Bernstein: Overture to Candide and Symphonic Dances from West Side Story; and, Gershwin: “Rhapsody in Blue” and Concerto in F - each performed by pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. (full price extra ticket)

This has become a New Year’s Eve tradition for Billi Pod. I have done this event for the past 7 years and it has always been a very enjoyable evening.

It will be carried live on PBS stations nationwide.

When the concert is over I will come back to warm and cozy PHC, grill a steak (with baked potato and grilled onions), watch everything on the tube and then toast the New Year with my favorite libation==>Fresca.

Before I give you my report card on last night’s entertainment event, the Off Broadway show HOW THE EARTH BEGAN, I want to share a bit of drama about the event.

What, you are no doubt breathlessly asking ... well ... I had recorded on my log and reported in this blog that the show had an 8:00pm curtain time. It is playing at a theater directly underneath my apartment building, so I didn’t dress in layers as I usually would, just a light sweater and my trusty windbreaker.

I knew that a couple of my theater buddies were also going to the same performance so I had decided that I would leave PHC at 7:30 so I would have time for a brief visit.

As I was gathering my stuff, including my voucher, I noticed that ... OMFG ... the curtain time was 7:30, not 8:00 ... OMFG!!

OMFG! I knew that the actual starting time, as is theater custom in NYC, would be between 7:35 and 7:37. Could I make it? Was it even worth the try? OMFG!!

Yes, said Billi Pod ... and ... out I went ... got on the elevator, watching the time on my iPhone. Of course, the elevator made 3 stops. The lobby was packed. I rushed out of my building and arrived breathlessly at the ticket booth at 7:34. OMFG!!

Got my ticket ... row A, seat 15 ... not good for a late arrival. The ticket booth guy called up to the theater. The theater was on the 4th floor, of course. OMFG!!

It was 7:36 when I got off the elevator and was at the theater entrance. An usher was waiting for me. The show had just started. Luckily there was a seat available in the next to last row near the aisle so I didn’t make a scene getting seated

Thank goodness I hadn’t layered because I couldn’t have taken anything off without creating a big disturbance.

OMFG!! I had made it. Billi Pod took a deep breath ... briefly thanked the Theater Gods ... and settled in to watch ...

HOW THE WORLD BEGAN, a drama about a high school biology teacher who leaves Manhattan for Kansas and becomes engulfed in controversy over an offhand comment about the origins of the universe.

Billi Pod’s report card==>B+<==excellent acting, especially from the young guy who plays the protagonist.

The only reason it didn’t receive an A is that I thought it had a kinda formalistic story line but it doesn’t “neatly” wrap up everything at the end, and that works.

I recommend the show and think it will receive good reviews.

Let me close this end of year posting with something that I copied from a FaceBook posting that I think is very thought provoking ...

WHO ARE WE?

“Your car is German. Your pizza is Italian. Your falafel is Lebanese. Your democracy is Greek. Your coffee is Brazilian. Your movies are American. Your tea is Tamil. Your shirt is Indian. Your oil is Saudi Arabian. Your electronics are Chinese. Your number's Arabic, your letters Latin. And you complain that your neighbor is an immigrant? Pull yourself together!”

GO YANKEES AND GO GATORS!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

ALEX-129

Tuesday Was A Strange/Different/Unusual Day

Let me begin this posting by again apologizing to you loyal and faithful readers on Billi Pod’s email list who were bombarded by spam yesterday from my AOL account.

I really don’t know how that came about because a scan of my hard-drive by my antivirus program shows nothing ... nada ... When I contacted AOL (not a fun process) they suggested I change my password and not put it in my computer key chain ... and I have done that ...

So ... again ... sorry about that. It is just as frustrating for me as I know it is for you.

Anyway ... yesterday was a strange and unusual day that can be summarized as:

“Got hacked, finished all of my Christmas shopping, dentist appointment, runny nose, and awesome concert.”

You already know about the got hacked bit ... so let’s move on to ...

Yep, on the way over to my dentist’s office on the Eastside I was able to get the final two items on my Christmas gift-list. Awesome!!

My dentist had worked me in for a 5:00pm appointment to re-cement a loose crown and address some other issues. He gave me a hard time about failing to schedule the semiannual cleaning session (it had been a year, my bad), so he personally made the appointment for early, like 8:00am, next Wednesday, for a 2-hour session. I just may have to be shipped down to Columbia for Christmas in a body bag.

It was about 6:15 when I left his office with instructions not to eat anything for 2 hours. Oh well ... and ... my nose had begun to run ... damn. Took the subways up to Lincoln Center for my entertainment event, which was ...

7:30==>NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA @ Avery Fisher Hall - “Handel’s ‘Messiah’ performed with the Westminster Symphonic Chorus.”

Billi Pod’s report card==>A+<==it just doesn’t get any better than this. The soloists were uniformly excellent as was The Westminster Chorus.

This was part of my subscription series so I had a good seat. Speaking of seats, I was appalled at how many empty seats there were in Avery Fisher Hall for what is considered to be one of the highlights of the season for The Philharmonic. There wasn’t a weather issue either, so that made it even more mystifying. I guess it is just another indication that the economy still basically sucks.

The performance was almost 2:30, with intermission, meaning it was 10:30 when I got back to PHC, and I was starving, to put it mildly. Had a slice of pizza, some turkey meatballs, a handful of red grapes for dessert, and all was well again in Billi Pod’s world.

When I woke up this morning at the usual 8:00am I have to admit feeling just a bit blah. Fortunately the weather is clear but it is cold. Nose is still runny. And, of course ...

Today will be another entertainment doubleheader for Billi Pod ...

3:00==>BURLY-Q! A Gay Burlesque - “In the time-honored tradition of ‘When Pigs Fly’ and ‘Hellzapoppin,’ BURLY-Q! pays tribute to the best of burlesque comedy - with a decided twist!” (Off Broadway - free ticket)

Yeah, I know ... but it sounded interesting at the time I booked it.

It is playing down in The Village at The Players Theatre on MacDougal Street, not one of my favorite venues.

Then for tonight is something very special ...

8:00==>FOLLIES - “A revival of the 1971 Stephen Sondheim musical, now starring Bernadette Peters and Elaine Paige. A group of former ‘Follies’ stars return to the site of their former glory, the Weismann Theatre, which is about to be demolished. Old wounds resurface as two Follies stars and their husbands reassess their lives and what could have been.” (Broadway - discounted TDF ticket).

This show has received generally very favorable reviews and its limited run will close on January 22, 2012, so I am glad I was able to score a discounted ticket for it.

In the name of fair and unbiased reporting Billi Pod has to admit that even though he is a mega-theater nut and lover of musicals==>he has NEVER seen FOLLIES. Yep ... never ... yeah, I know ... anyway ...

Folks ... I think this headline in today’s NY Post pretty much sums up what is happening in the Republican party ...

“WHY RIGHTY ELITE CAN’T STOP NEWTZILLA.”

NEWTZILLA==>Love it!!

GO YANKEES AND GO GATORS!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

ALEX-112