Saturday’s Doubleheader==>B+

Good morning to all of my loyal and faithful readers and followers out there in the hinterlands, boondocks and wilderness. I hope everyone is having a great weekend because Billi Pod definitely is.

Yesterday’s entertainment doubleheader was certainly different. In the name of fair and unbiased reporting I have to say that each show grew on me after I had time to mentally process the totality of the work. Both shows moved up a bit on Billi Pod’s final report cards, so ... let’s get right to it with ...

RADIANCE, about the emotional fallout of Captain Robert Lewis, the co-pilot of the Enola Gay, before he is scheduled to appear on the TV show "This Is Your Life"==>B+

When it was over I initially gave it a grade of B in my head because I thought that some of the scenes were totally unrealistic, especially Lewis deciding to appear on the TV show while drunk.

Wow, as we were leaving the theater we were handed a printout that gave the source material behind virtually every factual thing I had questioned.

I guess my initial problem was the depiction of Lewis as basically an alcoholic asshole when, it seems, that is exactly what he was. It also caused me to rethink my evaluation of the performance of Kohl Sudduth as Captain Lewis.

Having said all of this this==>Billi Pod  recommends this show so you can draw your own conclusions.

Then for the evening was another emotionally involving show down at the Abingdon Theatre Complex ...

ALONE, about Swedish playwright August Strindberg’s metaphysical quest for inspiration==>B+

Incredible acting and staging. Can’t say I liked Strindberg’s character but that was offset by a terrific performance from Timothy McCown Reynolds in the lead role. 

The story line was a bit difficult to follow at times but the show is definitely worth seeing.

Today entertainment event is ...

7:00==>SONGS BY LEONARD BERNSTEIN AND STEPHEN SONDHEIM - A concert benefiting the not-for-profit Abingdon Theatre Company. (Off Broadway - $9.00 TDF ticket)

The program will feature Bernstein and Sondheim canons including "Candide", "Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", "Wonderful Town" to name only a few.

Yeah, a very nice way to end the weekend.

Moving on to Billi Pod’s thoughts on yesterday’s incredible college football results ...

Well, the Gators beat St. Thomas High School (actually Jacksonville State, who we paid $500,000 just to show up) by a less-than-impressive score of 23-0 as our so-called offense once again did just enough to win. 

Frankly, the game did plenty to make everyone wonder just how Florida has beaten three top-10 teams, risen to No. 6 in the BCS rankings and remains in the hunt for a major bowl bid.

Folks, Billi Pod’s gut tells him that next Saturday Half Ass U is gonna make Gator stew out of us up in Choke Campbell Stadium. God, I hope I am wrong.

And, folks, can you believe that the Number 1 and Number 2 teams both lost? 

Number 1 Oregon lost in OT 17-14 to No. 14 Stanford and Number 2 Kansas State got the crap beat out of them 52-24 by unranked Baylor. WTF???

This unbelievable combination propelled Notre Dame to the No. 1 slot and reopened the door for ‘Bama.

Billi Pod’s predictions==>'Bama wins SEC, plays Notre Dame in the BCS Championship, and wins.

Just remember where you read it first.

Now on a totally different subject ... I have included a link below to a very very interesting article from Backstage about the world of being an actor.

I urge you to take a few minutes and check it out because it really gives an “insider” view of the travails of being an actor.

10 Sacrifices An Actor Makes

http://www.backstage.com/advice-for-actors/backstage-experts/10-sacrifices-actor-makes/

Well, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, it is now 12:30pm in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World, and the temperature is 48º, so Billi Pod feels the urge to head out and do a bit of outdoor walking and wandering ... so ...

HAVE A GREAT REST OF THE WEEKEND EVERYONE!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>6.64 miles (or, 14,517 steps)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>753.67

Mileage remaining until 4/23/13==>325.33

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.”

SKIN TIGHT==>B+

Good morning everyone out there in the morass known as cyberspace. 

Let’s get right to the important things because Billi Pod has a doubleheader today so he needs to post this and then head downtown for his first show, which is in the very West of the West Village.

So ... let’s start with Billi Pod’s report card on last night’s show ...

 SKIN TIGHT, about a couple who express their love with fierce poetry and potent physicality==>B+

I found this show to be immensely engaging yet also troubling with its underlying Sado/Masochistic theme.

The acting is excellent. The small theater was full. The one-hour running time flies by. 

Billi Pod says==>see it!!

The show is playing at the 59th Street Theater Complex in the Upper Eastside. I left the apartment a bit early so I could have some extra walking time. I actually got off the subway at 57th Street @ 7th Avenue and walked around the station there and then did the same thing at the 59th Street @ 5th Avenue station. Hey ... anything to get in the mileage on a cold and windy day/night.

Today is an entertainment doubleheader ...

2:00==>RADIANCE - “Inspired by true events, and laced with mystery and romance, Radiance delves into the emotional fallout of an unwitting hero, forever caught in the cross-hairs of history.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

This show involves the story of Captain Robert Lewis who was the co-pilot of the Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortress bomber that dropped the atomic bomb Little Boy on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

It has generated very favorable advance buzz.

Then for the evening is ...

8:00==>ALONE - “A portrait of Swedish playwright August Strindberg’s metaphysical quest for inspiration.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket).

Yeah, I know my loyal and faithful readers and followers, this looks like a pretty heavy doubleheader, doesn’t it?

As I had earlier posted the GATOR/ST. THOMAS HIGH SCHOOL game @ 1:00pm at The Swamp in not being carried locally. And ... oh, sorry ... I meant GATOR/JACKSONVILLE STATE game, I guess ... whatever ...

I will have to depend on my iPhone ESPN app to keep me up-to-date.

OK, gotta post this and get ready to head downtown to the West Village for my show. It is bright and chilly, 45º @ 11:00am.

HOPE EVERYONE IS HAVING A GREAT WEEKEND.

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>6.04 miles (or, 13,198 steps)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>747.03

Mileage remaining until 4/23/13==>331.97

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.”

TGIF For You Worker Bees

A big TGIF shout out to all of my loyal and faithful readers and followers who are Worker Bees.

Just a friendly reminder==>your weekend cannot, repeat, cannot start until at least 5:00pm so you have to remain 110% focused on your mundane jobs/tasks. Remember, your boss is watching your every movement, often through clandestine surveillance cameras and other devices located throughout your work environment.

Anyway ... when 5:00pm finally arrives==>HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!

And speaking of GREAT ... let’s begin with last night’s entertainment event ...

Last night’s concert, NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA @ Avery Fisher Hall, was==>AWESOME. 

Maestro Kurt Masur, the NY Phil’s Conductor Emeritus, conducted Brahms Symphonies No. 3. and No. 4 to the roaring delight of the audience. Both works were sublimely beautiful and it was just the performance that Billi Pod was in the mood for.

As planned, I got to the Lincoln Center area about an hour early and spent the time before the concert walking in the underground areas of the Center, out of the elements. On the one hand it is nice to have this option available, but on the other hand, it is getting boring boring boring. Oh well, at least I wasn’t in the cold and wind for very long.

Tonight’s entertainment event is ...

8:30==>SKIN TIGHT - “A moving and magical love story. A couple dissects their love with fierce poetry and potent physicality.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

This show has gotten very favorable reviews and it is playing at the 59th Street Theatre Complex, one of my favorite venues, as you loyal and faithful readers and followers know.

BREAKING NEWS FROM BROADWAY==>THE PERFORMERS, about the adult film industry, with Cheyenne Jackson and Henry Winkler, will close on Sunday after 23 previews and only 7 performances. It had received mostly flaccid reviews and, obviously, was unable to keep it up.

Along the same line, SCANDALOUS, the musical about superstar evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, just opened to mostly highly negative reviews and Billi Pod believes its days are also numbered.

The Great White Way is a tough scene, without a doubt.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>5.34 miles (or, 11,675 steps)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>740.99

Mileage remaining until 4/23/13==>338.01

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.”

Wednesday’s Doubleheader==>Disappointing

Good afternoon my loyal and faithful readers and followers.

You know, sometimes things just don’t work out as planned, even here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World. 

What do I mean I know you are all breathlessly asking your inner selves ...

Well, yesterday’s entertainment doubleheader just didn’t live up to my expectations, in fact, it was rather disappointing, starting with my first scheduled event ...

CABARET ÉMIGRÉ, about the so-called “epic” journey of displaced Eastern European, African, and Latino Émigrés to America==>F-.

Billi Pod fled this pile of donkey-dung at intermission. Why? Well, to begin with, the barrage of ethnic, sexual, racial, religious, and gender slurs spewing from the stage was puke-inducing. It wasn’t funny or entertaining. I was not alone in my exodus.

How this talented group of performers could remain involved in this barf-fest is beyond me. It has been a long time since Billi Pod has disliked a show this much.

Billi Pod says==>you are warned!!

Moving on ...

My evening’s entertainment event was scheduled at the Time Warner Building at Columbus Circle. I got there about an hour early to have some walk and wander time in the building, which is virtually a shopping mall in the bottom 5 floors. I am adding this site to my list of places to walk in during inclement weather.

The entertainment event was ...

I WENT TO THE HOUSE BUT DID NOT ENTER, the concert staging of works by T.S. Eliot, Maurice Blanchot, Franz Kafka, and Samuel Beckett, in three tableaus exploring themes of identity, reality and death==>C+

I really expected to like this show more. The virtually incomprehensible story lines in each tableau were saved by excellent performances from the 4-man Hilliard Ensemble and by the staging. 

The slow moving show ran for 1 hour 45 minutes without intermission, including stretches of just watching set changes. It seemed much much longer.

The show received a very tepid review in today’s New York Times.

Oh well, as “they” say==>you can’t win them all, even in the Big Apple.

Moving on to a more positive note ... tonight’s entertainment event will be something that Billi Pod knows will be outstanding ...

7:30==>NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA @ Avery Fisher Hall - Conductor Emeritus Kurt Masur will conduct an All Brahms program: Symphonies No. 3 and No. 4. (season subscription series)

I love Brahms and I am really looking forward to this concert. It will be my third consecutive concert of the week.

It is now 45º @ 1:30pm and Billi Pod feels the need for some outdoor walking time, so, will post this and head out.

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>5.74 miles (or, 12,542 steps)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>735.65

Mileage remaining until 4/23/13==>343.35

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.”

Wednesday==>Another Doubleheader

Good morning all of my loyal and faithful readers and followers.

It is a bright and cold Fall day here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World, with temperatures in the very low 30s at 8:30am.

We will start this posting with Billi Pod’s comments on last night’s entertainment event ...

CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER @ Alice Tully Hall==>EXCELLENT!

Alice Tully Hall was full. My comp. seat was also excellent, in the center orchestra, 6 rows from the stage.

I liked the two works by Mozart better than the two modernistic pieces by Adolphe (who??) and Mackey (who??).

For me the highlight was the performance(s) by clarinet virtuoso Alexander Fiterstein.

I was close enough to the stage to see his fingers move on his instrument and that, of course, brought back many many mostly favorable recollections from years past.

Yes, as some of you loyal and faithful readers and followers will remember from earlier postings ...

I began playing the clarinet when I was in junior high school, the seventh grade

I was first chair/solo clarinet in the Summerlin Institute Band my freshmen, sophomore, and junior years and was also Band President my junior year.

I had to leave the band in my senior year when I got into a physical altercation with the Band Director, Howard “The Asshole” Stivers.

But, that is in the past ... I mean ... burn in Hell you c**t ... I mean ... it has been years and years ... may your soul be eternally damned to roast in flaming lava ... I mean ... oh what the Hell ... damn you to Hell ... I mean ... oh, I guess it is time to forgive and forget and move on, right?

Wow ... sometimes things just won’t go away will they?

Well, let’s move on to today’s entertainment doubleheader ... 

2:00==>CABARET ÉMIGRÉ - “A tale of the thirst for liberty which unfolds through the epic journey of displaced Eastern European, African, and Latino Émigrés.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

This show is playing at a theater on my block.

Then for the evening is another concert ... 

7:30==>I WENT TO THE HOUSE BUT DID NOT ENTER - “A concert staged in three tableaus bringing to life T.S. Eliot’s “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock,” Maurice Blanchot’s “The Madness of the Day,” Franz Kafka’s “Excursion into the Mountains,” and Samuel Beckett’s “Worstward Ho.” (complimentary ticket)

This strange sounding event is a Lincoln Center Production and is playing at the Rose Theatre on the 5th floor of the Time Warner Center.

Oh, for some of you nit-pickers, that is not a typo in the Beckett thing, it is indeed “Worstward Ho” not “Westward Ho.

I have a strange gut-feeling about this event and am pretty sure it will be one of those “loved-it” or “hated-it” events.

Moving on ...

A few observations on the General Petraeus “scandal.”

I vividly recall back when I was in Counter-Intelligence Corp (CIC) training at the US Army Intelligence School @ Fort Holabird in Baltimore, MD, in the mid-50s, that the number one thing we were taught to look for in our security investigations were signs of marital infidelity.

The prevailing view was that old or current marital infidelity made an individual a prime target for blackmail, coercion and recruitment by those damned Commies.

Also, prime targets ... a male over the age of 30 who had never been married and who had no verifiable girlfriend.

That a four-star General and the head of the top intelligence agency in The World could be caught up in this kind of misconduct is behind my belief, it really is.

Unfortunately, I think there will be a lot more to come (no pun intended) as the investigations deepen.

On that happy note ... will post this.

Oh ... had a nice walking day yesterday ...

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>6.13 miles (or, 13,398 steps)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>729.91

Mileage remaining until 4/23/13==>349.09

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.”