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Here's to a relaxing holiday for all...
Here's a prime example of the type of simple humor that tends to make me laugh hysterically:
I only wish I had thought to provide that deliciously mocking answer on some random high-school geometry test as a show of protest for being forced to clutter my brain with such useless crap.
I was already relishing the simple fact that it's Friday and that tonight is our office Christmas party (complete with fabulous wine and food from the most wonderful, imaginative caterer). If that weren't enough to make me a happy little lady this morning, along comes this most welcome of news:
Senate Rejects Extension of Patriot Act
I grinned especially widely upon reading the final line of the opening paragraph: "...dealing a huge defeat to the Bush administration and Republican leaders." Ahhh... the sweet smell of defeat.
Yes, it seems Christmas has arrived early for all of us proud Americans who cherish our rights and freedoms under the Constitution. It's a good day for personal liberties and a bad day for Bush and Co. My favorite kind of day.
Want to know what happened when, in an attempt to wrest myself from under the flood of spam that has afflicted us humble hotmail users, I attempted to open a gmail account? Here is the response I received:
awordsmith is not available, but the following usernames are:
wordsmith.ayelet
ayeletenator
ayeletorama
ayeletmeister
That's it! From this moment forward, I shall answer only to "ayeletmeister." HA! As an alternative, do you think Herr Schwarzenator would have a problem with me being "ayeletenator?" Gmail may be on to something big here... perhaps I should change the name of this site to "Ayelet-o-rama?" It has a much nicer ring to it than "Ayelet Like It Is," wouldn't you say? The mind reels at the possibilities: "ayeletville?" "ayelet-r-us?" "ayelet-uber-alles?"
Finally, I've done it. After more than 30 years of missteps, follies and brilliant mistakes, I win the grand prize. The Palm d'Or of Errors.
Craigslist has become the center of the online universe for many of us, whether it's to buy or sell random belongings, find a roommate or new home, or post cryptic messages of longing on Missed Connections.
In preparation for yet another significant move in my life, I posted a few ads this week in the hopes of unloading some furniture and other household detritus I'd prefer not clutter up my moving truck. Knowing it would facilitate my sales, I surveyed my apartment with digital camera in hand, taking photos of various items I'd hoped to rid myself of before moving day.
Late last night, upon returning from a co-worker's 30th birthday festivities, I found this bizarre message in my inbox:
"I am a female, mom and wife and extremely open minded so don't think any less when I say that......you were topless when you posted this sale!"
I read it two or three times, trying to make sense of the puzzling message. I wondered if it was someone's strange idea of a joke or if I had as a neighbor some perverted soccer mom who likes to peer through my windows as I hover over my laptop, posting things on Craiglist.
Thankfully, I'd saved the "publishing kit" that CL sends posters in order to edit or delete their postings. I hurriedly located it, opened it and gasped at what I saw.
In the corner next to the 5-drawer dresser I hope to sell is a full-length mirror propped up against the wall. In the reflection was me, clad in lime-green striped pajama bottoms and very obviously sans pajama top.
Yes, I inadvertently posted a topless photo of myself on Craigslist, to the delight of random deviants and soccer moms alike. No wonder I got so many fucking responses.
After receiving a few emails on the topic of my "glowing" review of RENT (below), I must clarify. I enjoyed the movie. I feel a deep connection to several of the characters and I was pleased that this connection withstood the often-difficult transfer from stage to screen.
However, I can't deny there was some over-acting, nor was I pleased that a few key songs were omitted. I can see why Columbus would leave out unessential songs like "Contact," but "Goodbye Love" and "Halloween" should have been preserved. The minor plot details that were changed led to their omission, but those plot changes made little sense to me. And I still can't find any acceptable explanation for setting it in 1989, especially when there were so many anachronisms. Note to filmmakers: if you're going to set a piece during a period of history that's years past, make sure you don't have 2000-era cars in your shots or a mural of Celia Cruz that was painted after her death in 2003 (this was actually seen more than once in the film!).
It's hard not to wonder how the film would have turned out at the hands of another director, perhaps one better suited to focusing on the dramatic elements of a story and its characters. How would it change? I wish I could see a "sample" of what Baz Luhrmann or Sam Mendes (both attached to the project early on) might have done with the material.
I have to say, the emotional connection I felt with the characters in the stage version suffered only slightly when reintroduced to them on film. But, as I said before, I enjoyed being able to see facial expressions and interactions closer up and thus, appreciated what the film does for the story that the stage version couldn't.
I believe those who haven't seen the stage version will have a completely different experience with the film, even if they're familiar with the music. I can't say how well you might connect with the characters had you not "met" them prior to seeing the movie. Either way, it's hard not to be moved by the story, even while wanting to bitch-slap some of the characters at various moments and rolling my eyes at others. It's all part of the grand, frequently over-the-top magic of drama.
P.S. I can't believe I've spent so much time talking about this.
P.P.S. I still lust after Jesse Martin.
OK, I couldn't let "Another Day" go by without expounding on my RENT experience. Having seen the stage show three times with three different casts (alas, never the original), I was understandably somewhat nervous about a big-screen version. After all, musicals don't always translate well on-screen (Phantom of the Opera, anyone?) and this one, in particular, held such a special place in my life that I was afraid to see it transformed into an entirely different beast when shot on film instead of performed on stage.
So it was with some trepidation that I passed my pesos to the cashier through the little gap in the bullet-proof glass at the cinema and--along with my sister, who first introduced me to RENT back in 1996--skipped anxiously up the pukeworthy, hideously-carpeted stairs to Theatre #8.
Thankfully, we found a patch of seats with few people surrounding us, as we knew we'd be unable to suppress neither our running commentary nor the urge to sing out loud. Loudly. From the first chords of "Seasons of Love" and the shot of cast members lined up singing Chorus Line-style, I was mesmerized. Though one of the occasions I'd seen the Broadway version happened to be front-row center, I so appreciated being able to see the actors' expressions up close. It lent a totally different feel to the music and the action than the stage version presents. Strangely, the film version felt more intimate at times than the stage show. That was an upshot I hadn't expected.
I was perplexed by certain things (why set it in 1989?), amused by others, impressed with the performances (Rosario Dawson had me worried, but was wonderful) and generally happy with the way the majority of the scenes were shot. I loved what Columbus did with the Life Support meeting sequences and enjoyed his take on the "Tango:Maureen" and "La Vie Boheme."
I appreciated certain songs being relegated to dialogue, though I found the new orchestrations a bit overpowering in some spots. Lyrics in musicals should never be overpowered by the music. Former drama geeks like myself (Chatsworth High School Thespian Troupe Secretary, thank you very much) know this well. And so does just about anyone who's ever seen a live musical and knows how it should sound, dammit.
It was thrilling to see the original Broadway cast, whom I'd never seen in the roles but with whose voices I've become intimate in my years of wearing out my copy of the Broadway soundtrack. I'm lucky enough to have seen some talented performers play these roles, but something about knowing these actors were the first--the ones handpicked by the late Jonathan Larson as the embodiment of his characters--was awe-inspiring.
Just as it always does in the stage version, Act II in the film version had me sobbing. But, perhaps because of (as I mentioned before) the intensity of seeing the actors' faces so close up, there were moments in the movie that moved me in ways the stage show didn't. The show has always moved me tremendously, both in ways I understand fully and ways I don't quite grasp. Perhaps that's why parts of the soundtrack still bring me to goosebumpy tears, no matter how many times I listen. Other parts, I must admit, cause me to dry-heave just a little bit. But hey, that's to be expected. It's a musical, after all, and despite my faithfully embracing my drama-geekiness, I'm not completely sold on the idea of telling stories via characters bursting into song. That probably explains why I wasn't too big on Cop Rock.
Lastly, I must inform everyone that I'm off the market as far as romance goes. In the course of two hours, I fell head over heels for one Jesse Martin, who so masterfully embodies the most beautiful character in the show, Tom Collins. Sadly, I never saw Jesse in the stage version, though I've swooned to his singing on the soundtrack. But after seeing him steal every scene with his brilliant range of expression, charisma and heartbreaking emotion, I am spoiled for any other man. Jesse, I have just one thing to say: "I'll cover you..."
