Billi Pod Says==>My Bad!!

OK, my loyal and faithful readers==>yes, I failed to make a timely posting yesterday and I beg for forgiveness from all of you out there in the vast wilderness known as cyberspace.

In the name of fair and unbiased reporting==>I have no excuse for this act of sloth other than the fact that Monday is the usual errands and stuff day and sometimes after doing all of that crappy stuff I am just not in the mood to sit in front of this ‘puter and fulfill my obligation to bring excitement and wonder into your otherwise drab lives out there in the hinterlands.

So==>MY BAD!! Billi Pod asks for your foregiveness ... please ... so ... now he will bring you up-to-date, starting with ...

Sunday night’s Actor’s Fund benefit performance of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT EVEN TRYING, starring Daniel Radcliffe, raised $118,000. The cast and crew donated their salaries to the fund.

It was an extremely enjoyable evening’s entertainment. This was my third time seeing the show and I still can’t fathom why the Tony Nominating Committee failed to nominate Radcliffe, it just doesn’t make any sense. He sings, acts and dances, giving 110%. Oh well, they didn’t ...

I have to say that the show was just what Billi Pod needed to help him overcome his blue funk from Saturday’s loss to the Auburn Tigers.

Did you know that Billi Pod hates Tigers? Well, he does.

The baseball world is now settled==>Rangers vs. Cardinals in The World Series. The first game is Wednesday @ 8:05pm on Fox. The Cardinals have home-field advantage because the NL won The All Star Game. Billi Pod wants the AL team to win ... kinda ... sorta ... I guess ... actually ... he really doesn’t give a flying f**k who wins ...

Now we are into Monday’s report ...

Monday was the usual errands and stuff and then for the evening was ...

7:30==>WITH GLEE - “A staged concert celebrating the release of the cast recording about five wayward, eccentric, isolated, awkward, sweet, naive, nerdy teenage boys who are sent away to a boarding school in Maine.”

Billi Pod’s report card==>A. This was sooooooo much fun. The Producers were able to bring back the entire original cast, with one exception, and they were all spot-on.

Now I have to admit to being a little biased because I saw this show 3 times during its 2010 Off-Broadway run on Theatre Row. I loved it and was very sad when it finally closed, after several extensions.

My FaceBook friend Julie Miller is one of the Producers and we got a chance to briefly visit before the show.

One major bummer==>the CDs weren’t available because they got lost in the mail.

Moving on ...

Today’s entertainment event is ...

7:30==>NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA @ Avery Fisher Hall - “Lorin Maazel returns to conduct works by Mozart and Debussy.” (subscription series)

Well, my loyal and faithful readers, this brings you up-to-date and Billi Pod will bask in your forgiveness for his sloth ... so ...

Oh, did you know that it is alleged that most Tigers are suspected of being pedophiles? Jus sayin ...

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-55

Saturday Was Bloody Awful!!

It is a beautiful fall morning in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World, which is nice because yesterday was a bloody mess for Billi Pod, starting with ...

The New York Musical Festival show BLOOD (BY THE MUMMERS) was bloody awful, and that is being kind.

Billi Pod fled at intermission, partly because the show sucked and partly because it was late starting and he wanted to be back in PHC for the beginning of the GATORS/AUBURN TIGERS game, which started at 7:00pm.

Well, as you loyal and faithful readers know, the game was also a bloody mess. It was another ass-whipping by ... gasp ... Tigers. This time it was the Auburn Tigers who kicked Gator butts in a 17-6 victory in a game we were never really in. It was our 3rd loss in a row, just like last year. WTF!!

To call our offense anemic is to be too generous. What is really off-putting to this mega-Gator is the total lack of discipline on and off the field, both among the players and the coaching staff. Our new coach seems to think that things can be solved by shouting and screaming at the referees and then doing the same thing to the players as they come off the field.

Looking forward to the rest of the season is also very disheartening, because ... unless things turn around rather quickly the once virtually invincible, and always contending, Florida Gators could be in for a pathetic 6-6 season. That is majorly barfy.

As I said in an earlier posting, Billi Pod really hates Tigers, and this is a reminder why ...

The Detroit Tigers knock the Yankees out of post season;

The LSU Tigers ass-whip the Gators 41-11; and

The Auburn Tigers kick Gator butts 17-6.

Get my point? I hope so ... anyway ...

Moving on ...

Billi Pod’s entertainment event for tonight is ...

8:00==>a special Actor’s Fund benefit performance of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, starring Daniel Radcliffe.

I have a $40 ticket to this event and am really looking forward to it. This will be my 3rd time seeing this wonderfully performed show and Billi Pod is definitely in the mood for some fun.

Oh, did I share with you that fact that Billi Pod HATES Tigers? I think I did ...

Also, in response to several texts and emails, the following blog errors are admitted:

Wraith should have been Wrath (Although, wraith means “a mental representation of a some haunting experience.”) and,

It’s Jesse Eisenberg, not Jessie Eisenberg.

Corrections have been made.

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-53

Worker Bees==>Beware The Wrath of Billi Pod!!

Yes, my loyal and faithful readers, Friday’s entertainment doubleheader packed a punch, without a doubt. The only downside was the steady flow of snarky emails, posts and texts from my Worker Bee “friends” who were in their usual jealousy/envy modality.

Hey guys/gals==>just accept the fact that you are and forevermore will be WORKER BEES. It is your fate in life, so just deal with it.

You don’t want to have Billi Pod come after you and bitch slap you ... remember ... he knows who you are and where you live/work ... you are so warned ... especially the following who are on the borderline of incurring the Wrath of Billi Pod ...

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

Anyway ... now about the shows ...

SAY GOODNIGHT GRACIE was informative and very well performed. It clocked in at 75 minutes, without intermission.

Billi Pod’s report card==>A. See it.

But ...

It is playing at the St. Luke’s Theatre on W. 46th Street, one of my least favorite venues because the box office manager there is a flaming asshole who alienates everyone he comes in contact with. One of these days someone, maybe even Billi Pod, is gonna deck him, thereby winning thunderous applause from everyone.

Damn, doesn’t it sound like I am in a bitchy mood this morning? I’m really not, but it certainly looks like it doesn’t it?

Oh, do you loyal and faithful readers understand that Billi Pod thinks the box office guy is an ASSHOLE? Just wanted to make sure.

Anyway, then there was last night’s ...

THE BUS. It is provocative, hair-raising and features a stellar cast, especially the 3 younger performers. It is - small town, big church and lots of secrets. Billi Pod’s report card==>A+

It is playing in Theater C, the smallest venue at the 59th Street Theaters, so the audience really feels the emotions on the stage.

To my NYC theater friends==>folks, you gotta see this show. If you do, keep an open mind until the very last scene. Things aren’t as they originally seem.

This afternoon Billi Pod is seeing a show that is part of the New York Musical Festival (NYMF)...

4:30==>BLOOD (BY THE MUMMERS) - “Birnam High School is a hotbed of supernatural bloodshed and rest assured, blood will spill on the righteous and the damned alike.” (NY Musical Festival - discounted TDF ticket)

Then, back to PHC for ...

7:00==>GATORS/AUBURN TIGERS on ESPN.

Hopefully Tiger blood will spill. As I have posted earlier - I have a bad feeling in my gut about this game.

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-52

A Friday Doubleheader & Stuff

A big TGIF shout out to all of my Worker Bee friends out there in cyberspace.

Last night’s LAUGH, SING, DANCE! @ Town Hall was a totally enjoyable evening. Billi Pod gives it an A.

Chita Rivera still has charisma and she can still dance; Mark Nadler can really belt a song; and, Bill Cosby is still Bill Cosby. Cosby got off to a rather slow start, almost Alzheimeristic (now there is a new word for you) but he picked it up and soon had the audience in the palm of his hand with his unique style of story-telling humor.

And, Billi Pod is happy to report that his comp. ticket seat was not in the upper nosebleed section of Town Hall, as anticipated. He was in the orchestra, row L, to the side. Nice.

The only downside to the event was the utter chaos in obtaining our tickets before the show. It was a madhouse and the venue staff generated tons of bad PR for themselves and Town Hall. Oh well ...

Today is an entertainment doubleheader, something very unusual for a Friday ...

2:00==>SAY GOODNIGHT, GRACIE - “The return of the 2002 Broadway hit invites you to spend a hilarious, heart-warming evening in the uplifting company of the world’s favorite and funniest centenarian, George Burns.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

I saw the show when it had its Broadway run and remember enjoying it a lot.

Then, for the evening is ...

8:30==>THE BUS - “The play explores the story of two boys who meet, late at night, for regular rendezvous in a parked church bus, just to be “close.” When their secret meeting place is in danger of being discovered, the boys find themselves in the middle of a conflict between a large church and a small-town gas station - and the clash proves explosive. (Off Broadway - discounted TDF ticket)

This show is playing at the 59th Street Theater, one of my favorite venues.

Other random thoughts and stuff ...

Both The Tigers and The Brewers are hanging tough although I have a gut feeling that neither team will make it to the World Series.

And, speaking of Tigers ... the countdown to Saturday’s GATORS/AUBURN TIGERS game @ 7:00pm on ESPN, has begun.

The current line has the Gators favored by 2 points, to which Billi Pod says==>No Way Jose.

Our QB John Brantley is still out, so we will have to rely again on true freshmen Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett. Our running game has yet to catch fire.

Add all of this to the fact that we are playing at Jordan-Hare Stadium, which has never been Gator-friendly, to put it mildly. It will be a nail-biter, that is for certain.

So guys Billi Pod says==>guys, it is time to man-up and kick some Tiger butt.

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-51

Jesse Eisenberg & The End of the World.

Last night’s first public performance of Jesse Eisenberg’s new play ASUNCION was excellent.

The house was virtually sold-out with a young and enthusiastic audience. But ... Damn ... my seat was in the next to last row and I was concerned. Just before the show began the House Manager moved my row to much better seats closer to the stage. I was seated next to the Publicity Agent for the show and we had a nice chat at intermission. I was hoping for an invite backstage, but that didn’t happen. Oh well ...

Jesse Eisenberg has a compelling stage presence and the interaction between the cast members is spot-on. I found the show to be very funny, well written and thought-provoking.

Billi Pod says==>See it.

I have a very interesting event for tonight ...

7:30==>LAUGH, SING, DANCE! @ Town Hall - “National treasures Bill Cosby and Chita Rivera join music virtuoso Mark Nadler for a one-night-only gala evening of comedy and musical entertainment.” (complimentary ticket).

OMFG!! I can’t believe I have a comp. ticket for this event. Yes, I know that it will probably be in the nosebleed section, but no matter - the important thing is being there for free. Awesome!!

OK, Billi Pod will close this posting on a serious note ...

As a gentle reminder to you loyal and faithful readers out there in the vast hinterlands==>THE END OF THE WORLD occurs on Friday, October 21, 2011, according to the Christian broadcaster Harold Camping and the “prophets” that occupy the walkways in The Port Authority Bus Terminal.

You will recall that Camping originally predicted that the end would begin on May 21st. When nothing happened he had a stroke. He has now recovered enough give us the benefit of this new prediction.

Actually, according to my internet research, the event will occur here on the East coast @ 6:00 EDT on Thursday the 20th.

Billi Pod thought you would like to have this advanced warning. No need to thank me because this is my calling and my responsibility as a fair and unbiased reporter here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World.

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-50

Stuff and Stats for September 2011

Good afternoon everyone out there in the vastness known as cyberspace.

Not much to write about for yesterday because Billi Pod stayed in last night to watch the Tigers/Rangers game, won by the Tigers in a very exciting game.

As I have watched the various post-season games it has struck me how many players are playing with injuries, and, therefore, below their usual performance levels. I guess this is the product of a 162 game season that begins in March.

It is still dumbfounding to me that the two teams with the best season record in the major leagues, The Yankees and The Phillies, were both eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Oh well ... it happened ... so ...

Billi Pod’s entertainment event for tonight is ...

8:00==>ASUNCION - “Written by and starring Academy Award nominee Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network). A humorous and heartbreaking new play exploring the complicated ways we exploit culture and politics for our own needs.” (Off Broadway - discounted TDF ticket).

I am really looking forward to seeing this show because I am a HUGE Jesse Eisenberg fan, beginning with his breakout performance in The Squid and the Whale.

I will end this posting by giving you loyal and faithful readers what you have been breathlessly anticipating==>Billi Pod’s entertainment stats for the past month ...

In checking my daily log (log, not diary - real guys don’t keep diaries) I find that during the month of September 2011 Billi Pod attended/saw/did the following:

16 Off Broadway shows; 1 Classical music concert (New York Philharmonic); and, 8 Yankee games (7 wins and 1 loss).

The Yankee’s regular season record for games attended by Billi Pod: 23 win and 18 losses - not that great.

He was able to spend quality time with John Scott Reed, Justin Allen Pifer, and his theater-buddy Dian Crystal.

The month also marked 1 year since he lost his dear friend J. Papa Hall and 8 years for Ray Coker.

During the month there were 4 days/nights that Billi Pod stayed in without attending some entertainment event, each as a direct result of baseball and/or the weather.

So, there you have it my loyal and faithful readers. In my humble opinion September was yet another stellar month for Billi Pod ... but ... remember ... it is up to you to decide because ...

I report - you decide.

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-49

Lady Gaga Is No. 1

Hi out there in cyberspace.

BREAKING NEWS==>Lady Gaga tops The Forbes list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Celebrities.

I will share with you loyal and faithful readers The Top Ten:

Lady Gaga

Oprah Winfrey

Justin Bieber

U2

Elton John

Tiger Woods

Taylor Swift

Bon Jovi

Simon Cowell

LeBron James

You are welcome. A complete list can be found at:

http://www.forbes.com/wealth/celebrities

Wow, The Bieb ranks No. 3. Not bad for a 17 year-old, is it. I have to admit, in the name of fair and unbiased reporting, that Lady Gaga has never caught Billi Pod’s attention. Apparently he is in a definite minority in this regard.

Oh well ... on to other stuff ... like ...

Yesterday Billi Pod got all his errands and stuff done, including the preparation and filing of his various tax returns. Barf!! Then he stayed in and watched baseball - hey ... back off ... don’t judge.

I have to admit that I want The Brewers and The Tigers to make it to World Series.

It was a beautiful day in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World and the weather is supposed to be good for the remainder of the week. We will see about that.

I am writing this posting in the early evening and, yes, Billi Pod is not going out to some entertainment event for the second night in a row. Why, you are no doubt breathlessly asking?

Well, he spent most of the afternoon in some pretty intense physical activities and then when nothing of interest showed up on any of his ticket services he opted to stay in, watch some baseball and, for the benefit of you loyal and faithful readers, finish the entertainment stats and posting for the month of September.

So ... have a great evening everyone ... talk with you tomorrow.

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-48

CHINGLISH Last Night Was Interesting

Last night’s pre-preview/dress rehearsal performance of CHINGLISH, the new Broadway show by David Henry Hwang, about the misadventures of miscommunication in modern-day China, was an interesting theater experience.

The show is both funny and thought-provoking. Act 1 needs to be tightened up IMHO. Will it find a Broadway audience? I really don’t know. It got very favorable reviews when it played to sold-out houses at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.

Since it was the first public performance I don’t think it would be fair to give it a report card grade at this juncture. Later, perhaps, if I see it again.

My new FaceBook friend Kenny Howard's company, The Broadway Consortium, is one of the Producers of the show. Thanks for the invite Kenny and good luck on a long and profitable run.

Before the show I met up with John Scott Reed and we had an early meal at Shake Shack at 44th and 8th Ave. The burgers there live up to the hype, trust me on this.

What about today? Well, as you loyal and faithful readers out there in the vast hinterlands know, Monday is Billi Pod’s usual errands and stuff day.

Plus ... gulp ... as is his want ... Billi Pod got the usual extension for filing his respective taxes ... and ... the filling date is coming up (October 15th) ... so ... this afternoon will be the preparation of the various returns and then paying the balances due. Followed, as usual, with a promise to self that he will make a timely filing next year to avoid the penalties, interest, etc. etc.

Why does he do this? Honestly ... there is no reasonable or logical explanation ... because the actual preparation time is about 30-45 minutes max. ... it is just something he has done for the past 20 years.

Anyway ... now it is time to do things and stuff ... and then later tonight perhaps a movie.

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-47

Billi Pod Hates Tigers

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

It is a beautiful morning here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World.

The skies are blue with almost no cloud cover and ... can you believe this ... it is early October yet the high for today is predicted to be ... tada ... 84º ... yes ... that is right ... 84º!!

Wow, had better savor this while we can.

Moving on ...

Although I made a separate posting late last night about BLAME IT ON BECKETT, I want to give the show the formal report card treatment, so ...

Billi Pod’s report card on BLAME IT ON BECKETT==>A+<==loved everything about this comedy/drama, with a stellar cast delivering an insider look into the theater-world. See it.

It runs through Oct. 31st. For more details check out the previous posting.

I have to say that seeing this show helped Billi Pod avoid a complete burial in the pity-pot because, folks, as you know, his Gators got their butts kicked for the second game in a row, losing to LSU 41-11.

In the last two games, ‘Bama and LSU, we have been outscored 79-21. Ouch!! This really hurts and it was done each time in prime-time on national TV. Ouch again!!

Looking forward Billi Pod comes to the unfathomable conclusion that ... gasp ... sob ... help me ... this could be a 5-loss season. OMFG!!

Man, does Billi Pod hate Tigers. They have made the past week nothing but misery for him. Thursday night the Detroit Tigers ended the season for his Yankees and on Saturday the LSU Tigers chewed up the Gators.

And ... this coming Saturday who do the Gators play but ... barf ... the Auburn F**king Tigers. Double WTF!! Where is Jack Hanna when he is needed?

Anyway ...

Billi Pod’s entertainment event for tonight is ...

7:00==>CHINGLISH - “An Ohio businessman travels to China in a desperate attempt to revive his family’s sign-making company. It is a comedy about Sino-American relations.” (Broadway).

Seeing this special pre-preview performance with John Scott Reed, thanks to his friendship with one of the backers of this highly anticipated show. We will meet up early for a quick bite before the show, probably at the hugely popular Shake Shack at 44th and 8th Ave.

Oh, I Hate Tigers!

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-46

Billi Pod Says==>See BLAME IT ON BECKETT!!!

Yes, my loyal and faithful readers out there in the hinterlands, I am writing a separate posting on a terrific show I saw tonight, The World Premier of BLAME IT ON BECKETT, playing at the Abingdon Theater Company at 312 West 36th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues, here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World.

As you know, I posted about it yesterday, but to bring you up-to-date this is an expanded synopsis:

“Meet Heidi Bishop, a bright-eyed, tenacious literary intern with big dreams and an even BIGGER problem: Jim Foley, her bitterly sarcastic boss with a penchant for caffeine and chaos. Set in a literary office of a regional theatre company, Blame It on Beckett follows Heidi's struggles to balance her artistic integrity against the demands of her personal and professional life.”

If you are a theater-nut like moi, this is the show for you because it has many many insider theater references, delivered by a uniformly stellar cast, headed by Warren Kelley in the crucial role of Jim Foley, the resident dramaturge for the theater company.

A lot of gut-busting laughter but with a deeper story line regarding the integrity, or lack thereof, in the theater-world and the choices that sometimes have to be made that pit character vs. desire.

The small venue was sold out and a few extra chairs were brought in. When the show was over the audience gave the cast a roaring ovation and it was well deserved.

As I was leaving the theater I had an opportunity to meet the playwright, John Morogiollo (who is also a Yankee fan). I told him how much I enjoyed the show and also, how much I enjoyed reading his blog about the early stages of the production process. I made reference to this in yesterday's posting.

He seemed to really appreciate my comments.

Bottom line==>see this show. It runs through October 31. It is currently listed on the $9.00 TDF list for October 12, 13 and 15. Tickets can also be purchased online at:

https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?t=tix&e=4cfd83c176e0d9b62ecb0edd505c0b53

Yeah, I can say that the show rescued what was otherwise a sucky day because of the ass-whipping my Gators got from LSU.

Will post more details and stuff later on today.

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-46