Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Encore Performance




An Act of Madness: The Bath School Bombing has been invited by the township of Bath to perform our piece for the community. Tuesday, September 15 at 7 pm is the tentative date. As soon as the place is finalized I will post details. If you were not able to catch the show or were turned away at the door, you are invited to this performance. An Act of Madness tells the heartbreaking story of one of America's worst mass murders in a school at the hands of one individual. More information to follow

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Saturday, August 15, 2009

A Bird's "Eye" View



The sound of chirping birds can be heard at the Long Island Railroad waiting area in Penn Station. The birds, however, are recorded, and the sound is used to guide visually impaired travelers to an automated information booth with a talking map and telephone keypad.


From LKFAWKP : New York mentioned earlier

Friday, August 14, 2009

Deconstructing Columbine


I'm in the midst of reading Dave Cullen's book Columbine; I plan to go to a book reading where both he and Arnie Bernstein the author of The Bath Massacre will appear. With 20/20 hindsight and access to previously sealed documents, this book gives a complete accounting of the events that day. Along the way he debunks almost every myth you might believe about the killers, the last words of a dying student, the police, and the investigation. Incredible book. A MUST read!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The Great White Way



A few weeks ago Matt Lauer of NBC's Today show did a stint as a celebrity tour guide on one of NYC's Circle Line Tours. He was asked why New York was called The Big Apple and why Broadway was called The Great White Way. He didn't know the answer but you will.

"The Great White Way" was originally the title of a 1901 book about the South Pole. The term was applied to Broadway by Shep Friedman of the New York Morning Telegraph, after a snowstorm on Broadway in 1902 had turned the street into a "white way." Later, "white way" referred to the lights of Broadway.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

In a New York Minute


"Thanks to an uncanny knack for getting his guests to reveal more than they ever intended (without even asking questions), James Lipton, founding Dean of the Actor's Studio and host of TV's Inside the Actor's Studio has been asked by the N.Y.P.D. to coach homicide detectives in the art of interrrogation."


Today's random fact from Little Known Facts about Well Known Places by David Hoffman. Hereafter, the acronym LKFAWKP.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Bon Appetit

Julie & Julia opened this weekend. I've been dying to see this movie, so much so that I went to a 10:50 a.m. screening! Two of my favorite actresses Amy Adams and Meryl Streep; what could be better?

Meryl Streep is brilliant in this role. She channels Julia almost better than Julia. She's hilarious, tender and her relationship with her husband is a thing of beauty. Amy Adams is fabulous as well but it is really Meryl Streep's show unlike the book Julie & Julia by Julie Powell.

If you've read the book (and you should) you'll find the focus of the movie is a little different. We see and hear a good deal more about Julia than Julie. The movie is more about Julia's life than her impossible and improbable recipes. No hacking out bone marrow for gelatinous aspics of floating eggs, no puree of cauliflower and watercress with cream and sadly very little about her riotous friends. You'll have to read the book for all of that . And DO read the book.

I dug out my mom's old copy of Mastering the Art of French cooking just to see if she really described in such detail some of the processes and it did not disappoint. You could read this book for entertainment without lifting a copper pot. I think I've come to the conclusion, that although I am French through and through, French cooking would strain my delicate palate not to mention my patience. Give me Italian every time. Sorry Julia.

Saturday, August 08, 2009

Soups On!


I love soup but I don't really make it with one exception. This is an incredible soup! I've had a few requests for this lately so I thought I'd post it here.
Thanks to my friend Nora for passing this one along.

TORTELLINI SOUP

Chop 4 tomatoes
Brown 1 lb. Italian sausage
1 can (15 oz.) Italian tomato sauce
4 c. beef broth
1 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1 c. sliced carrots
1 tsp. basil and oregano
Combine and simmer for 30 minutes

Add: 2 c. sliced zucchini or squash
1 c. mushrooms
1 chopped green pepper
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley or 1 tsp. dried parsley
1 c. chopped dill pickle****
2 c. refrigerated type cheese tortellini
Simmer 1 hour

****this is the ingredient that makes all the difference! (of course unless you are allergic)
This recipe makes a LOT of soup. It can be frozen or give 1/2 to a friend


Saturday, August 01, 2009

On the Road

A bit of random trivia for Rothschild fans and cast.

Matt Ottinger, in his many travels, came across both the 1776 and Rothschilds programs from their pre/Broadway tours, in of all places an antique shop in Howell. He gave those to me the other day and I have read them cover to cover. Thank you Matt! What fun.

The Rothschilds is the most fascinating since it was on the way to its Broadway opening. As often happens a show will change along the way; scenes dropped or added, cast members changed, characters written in or out, songs rewritten or dropped. So here are some songs that we didn't get to sing:

Jew Do Your Duty
I Will Bow
Mayer's Fine Coins
William's Fine Troops
My Cousin Christian
You're a Fraud, Sir -
probably Hannah's song before they wrote in the love story
Gold Smuggler's Gavotte-
just think ensemble, you may have gotten to learn another dance