Sookie Stackhouse

I am OBSESSED with Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse novels, aka the TrueBlood books.

So far she's written ten books, but I'm almost done with the last one, Dead in the Family. What am I going to do when I finish? I've flown through them so fast.

Vampires! Shape-shifters! Witches! Fairies!

It's all so exciting!

Season 3 of TrueBlood started this month, and since I'm currently sailing with Royal Caribbean, I'm missing it. But, I've heard it good.

I'll have to catch up when I return to the Continental US.

But until then I had my books. Now what?

Charlaine ... please, please, PLEASE ... release a new one soon! I'm dying to find out what happens to Sookie next!

(Although, I guess I can't complain. Dead in the Family was just released in May. It'll probably be another year before a new one comes out. Boo-hoo!)

Narnia

I super-duper love CS Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. I always have. Read them over and over and over throughout my life-time.

I thought both movie adaptions (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian) were extremely well executed, faithful to the books and entertaining.

However, I was under the impression that the second movie had underperformed and that neither movies became the behemoth phenomenon the studio was expecting hoping. Thus, no more Narnia movies.

So it was with great excitement that I have just discovered the third movie adaptation: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It looks just as good as the previous movies!

Release date is December 10, 2010. Can't wait!

NOTE TO THE STUDIO HEADS: Please film the final movie now so the Pevensie kids don't grow up before you get there.

(For those of you who haven't read the series ... the intervening books don't include the same children.)

I Heart Seth Rudetsky

I'm absolutely obSESSed with Seth Rudetsky. He wrote Broadway Nights and The Q Guide to Broadway which (I'm ashamed to admit) I haven't yet gotten around to reading ... but I WILL! I promise, Seth!!!

He does these funny deconstructions of singers where he breaks down certain things about how a singer forms vowels or riffs or changes their vibrato. Check them out on YouTube if you're interested in music. And more specifically ... musical theater.

His Playbill.com blogs are HI-larious. He discusses his New York experiences with auditions, benefits, interviews, and such and is very self-deprecating. I love him ... cubed.

His website is here.

But ... what ... is ... this ... ?

My bestie Patrick met Seth at an Only Make Believe benefit and asked him to say hi to me. So I had to post it for you. Enjoy:

Book Review: Jeffrey Overstreet

It's been a while since I last discussed my reading thoughts ... so today, I thought I would recommend the excellent Jeffrey Overstreet's Auralia Thread series.

The series begins with Auralia's Colors where the Four Houses of the Expanse are gifted with the presence of a unique and mysterious girl who brings color and light wherever she goes and threatens the kingdom with an unimaginable revolution.

Auralia's Colors, in my opinion, struggles somewhat with focus. The land is inhabited by many, many people and Overstreet has too many chapters jumping from one character to the next, never to return. As a reader, it's difficult to keep track and sympathize with anyone. However, the story definitely kept me turning the pages.

But, it is Overstreet's second novel Cyndere's Midnight that truly captivated this reader. Taking the themes and characters from the first novel and greatly expanding them, I was drawn into a delightfully imaginative and wondrous world on par with Tolkien's Fellowship series or C.S. Lewis's Narnia series.

Thankfully, someone decided to include a character breakdown at the back of the second and third books, so it was much easier for me to figure out who-was-who.

Then there's Raven's Ladder, the third book. This one felt like a bridge to me; both a continuation and an explanation of things to come, it nevertheless captivated me and made me hungry for the conclusion.

By now the Four Houses are in various states of disarray, the Seers are more maniacal than I would have originally dreamed, and the people are ready to fight.

What will happen to the Expanse? What of House Jenta? What will the Seers do? And I'm dying to learn more of The Keeper.

I've been told that Overstreet is hard at work writing the fourth (and final?) book in the series. I don't know, but I'm anxiously awaiting to see how he brings all the different plot threads together and concludes the story.

If you enjoy fantasy with a side of ethical and moral themes, try Overstreet's Auralia Series. The prose is quite beautiful; the characters intriguing; and the plot unusual.

Perfect for some not-so-light summer reading.

Sad

The iPhone is not coming to Verizon this year, it seems.

Guess that means I'll be getting and Android when my contract runs out.

*sigh*

We Need the FairTax!

This video is a concise explanation of what the FairTax is about. With the US still struggling economically, I think this could be an excellent solution to our money woes:

More Next to Normal fun!

Love love love these videos:

How did we let this happen?

The BP Oil Catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico is absolutely heart-breaking on so many levels. We must work to develop cleaner energy sources.

Here is a pictorial story on the horrific results of this disaster. Please take a moment to look at the pictures and remember ... this was in May. It will only get worse until the oil flow is stopped.

Spider-Man The Musical. Oh, how I love you.

I didn't realize the Julie-Taymor/Bono saga is currently estimated to cost $22 million more to produce than The Lord of the Rings musical flop.

Reports now say rehearsals for Spidey will begin this summer with previews in October and an opening in November.

Will it happen? Oh, yes, my friends. Spider Man will open, and I have no doubt it'll be stunning.

But will it be a good musical? That remains to be seen.

Will people go to see it? Definitely.

Will it break even or make money? Doubtful.

Do you like Celine?

I do, and I think this is funny.

Ouch.

So, I was galavanting around Trafalger Falls in Dominca, an island in the Caribbean last week. Beautiful, beautiful place BTW.

But I slipped on a rock and gouged my shin. Deep.

I rushed back to the ship and had to get seven stiches. I've never had stitches before and now I have seven.

It was also a show night so some of the dance numbers had to be reblocked to prevent the wound from reopening. The cast was great and took it all in stride.

Luckily, I can still dance some so the changes to the shows haven't been too major. The doctor just didn't want me going down to my knees or doing too much jumping.

But, the doctor also said I'll have a nice scar to show for the ordeal.

Great. No more swimsuit modeling for me!

Tony Nominations 2010

The Tony Nominations have been announced. Sucks to be The Addams Family. Have you seen the show?

Nominations for the 2010 American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards®
Presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing

Verizon vs. Apple

Is Verizon getting an iPhone?

Rumors persist with the optimists believing the announcement comes this summer proclaiming a fall release.

Well, you know what that means for me? If true, I'll be getting an iPhone this fall when my contract with Verizon runs out. Whoo-hoo!

BUT ... if the rumors turn out to be false (and there are a lot of people who think the hype is just hype), then I'll be getting an Android. Both my sisters have one.

One raves about it; the other hates it.

I don't want to leave Verizon, so I have a few more months to see.

Unfortunately, I think if Apple doesn't produce an iPhone for Verizon this year, the'll have missed the boat. Already, their market share is sliding as the Android grows in the US.

There's still a lot of unknown variables in the whole Verizon/Apple quagmire, but I'm crossing my fingers for that iPhone. We shall see.

Phantom 2

I finally got to listen to the soundtrack for Phantom 2: Love Never Dies, and the verdict is ...

Not as bad as I expected.

I actually like some of the music. There are hints of Sunset and another show ... Aspects, perhaps? I forget right now. And of course, the title song was originally heard in The Beautiful Game (though with different lyrics).

However, the whole thing sounds much more entertaining than I had thought possible. I also forgive my initial reaction to the Coney Island setting. I think it works.

Obviously, this is no critique of the show (which I haven't seen, and whose Broadway arrival has recently been postponed.)

I still think the show is probably going to be disappointing, if not completely awful. Why?

Raoul's character is a full 180 degree turn from the original. While that may happen in a real-life span of ten years (the time elapsed since we last saw him), audiences don't like to see such vastly different characters.

The Phantom, too, has lost most of his mystery ... his anger ... his devilishness ... that makes for such an intriguing character. Originally we pitied the Phantom for his situation, and yet were scared of him at the same time. But in the new production, he seems (on the soundtrack) to be just ... meh.

Overall the production appears to be lacking the pathos and horror that made the original such an entertaining phenomenon. The Phantom story is more than just a love story, it's a Gothic horror story surrounded by romanticism. I love the original set design for just such a reason: beautiful drapery could quickly create claustrophobia while the ornate Opera House was really just a facade for the dungeon below.

But perhaps the most egregious error is the plot point the entire show hinges on: Beneath a Moonless Sky is completely laughable in its total disregard for the original story. Listen to the song and then return to the cast recording of Phantom 1. No where can I find a plausible explanation for the events that transpired between Phantom 1 and 2.

And perhaps, ultimately for me, that will be the downfall of the show.

Rumor has it, the show will be undergoing major revisions before the Broadway transfer. Many have especially criticized the musical's lyrics.

Yes, okay. But I'd rather see some major retooling of the characters and their story.

We shall see what happens.

Until then ... I'll continue to enjoy the cast recording, for I actually rather enjoy the music.

More Spider-Man News

I think Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark just has to come to Broadway now. There's too much invested: emotionally, financially, publicly.

But with the loss of Rachel Evan Woods, Alan Cumming and the increase in budget ... I don't know ... is it headed for colossal failure or ultimate triumph?

I think a lot of people in the Broadway community are secretly hoping for a flop, but personally, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I want it to succeed and be a boon to the NY community.

But, the other side of me worries this show could put another nail in the coffin of traditional musical theater, instead paving the way for more Cirque-like spectacles.

Of course, who knows what the show will look like until it premieres, but by all accounts, it sounds to be a Vegas-style show: heavy on style and lean on substance.

Regardless, one has to admire the chutzpah of the investors and creative minds putting this thing together.

Now if it would just get here!

N2N Fan Video

I love the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical Next to Normal, and I love this video. If you've seen the show, you might get a kick out of it, too:

Traveling to St. Marten

Some of the cast and I went to Airplane Beach in St. Martin, officially known as Maho Beach.

The airplanes literally fly over the beach and land on the other side of the road. One of a kind experience and very fun!

** SIDE NOTE ** Don't worry. I wore 85 SPF to protect my virgin skin.

Love Never Dies. Or does it?

I'm dying to see the Phantom sequel: Love Never Dies.

I thought it was a hideous idea at first:

*A sequel to one of the most famous and successful musicals of all time?

*A continuation of the haunting, gothic, mysterious Phantom's life?

*Coney Island? Really?

And the reviews are all over the place.

However, one thing is for sure. There's lots of buzz.

Will it be as successful as the original? Doubtful. But if it flops I want to be there! And if it does succeed, I want to cheer it on!

Why? The idea of a successful sequel intrigues me. It's practically uncharted territory. Not that I want the musical sequel genre to gain traction. I'd rather see some new shows being developed.

But I give Sir Webber credit. He's willing to take one heck of a calculated risk!

What do you think? Want to see Phantom 2: Love Never Dies?

UPDATE: here are a few articles that kind summarize the Phantom sequel experience. The Daily Mail review and The Telegraph review.

Tell me a secret

I'm IN LOVE with Post Secret.

I discovered the Post Secret blog about a year ago, and I'm addicted. Every Sunday new secrets are published. Some are sad and heartbreaking and some are funny and whimsical. There's usually always a wide variety.

Some are probably fake, but maybe not. If you lie about a secret and it's true for someone else, is it a lie in this kind of forum? Besides, the creativity itself is always entertaining.

I have yet to send a secret in, but I want to. Now it's time to think about what kind of secret I should tell ...

Back on a ship

Just a quick note to say:

Yes, I'm out on another ship. This time it's Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas.

Blogging is difficult when I don't have internet access. But never fear, I'm still around.

And my website has been updated so if you haven't checked out www.taitmoline.com recently, you should!