Tenn99

During my last semester of high school, I took a drama literature class. Of course no one took it seriously. My teacher wasn't so great, and everyone was diagnosed with senioritis. I couldn't bear his lectures and spent most of the time studying or doodling pictures. One of the plays we studied was The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. My teacher made Tennessee a bore but I still enjoyed the read. I love reading about faulty people and finding out where the flaws come from, whether its pride, insecurity, or materialism.

As part of (what would've been) Tennessee Williams's 99th birthday, LAByrinth Theater Company staged a marathon of readings. It's was a 24/7 event that began on Friday and went on until Sunday midnight (just a while ago). Many actors took part of this celebration including Ellen Burstyn, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michael Shannon, Sam Rockwell, and Michael Stuhlbarg.

My Sunday freed up last minute and I was able to go! We got there just in time for Period of Adjustment. What I really love about Williams is how you can read a character in the matter of minutes. Within a couple of dialogues, an entire person's life is revealed. Where they come from and how they are the way they are. It definitely helps me understand people much better in life. You can read a lot about a person without them saying so.

One of my favorite plays is Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. It's the story of a family gathering for Big Daddy's (the grandfather) birthday. But in reality they all know that he's dying and were there to brown-nose for his inheritance. All but Big Daddy knows that he has cancer. It definitely relates to the obligation of family gatherings and the fake smiles everyone puts on in life. Tensions run high; everyone knows each other too well. Isn't that why we hate our family sometimes? We can't seem to hold onto our masks. Above all, the play is about love, and the fight for it. Sometimes nature does win over nurture, money can't buy love.

I appreciate Tennessee Williams and the brutal honesty he forces people to accept. I only wish he wrote a play about bad high school teachers. Then they'll have to teach the curriculum without being hypocrites.

Seabear

We finally got to see Seabear last night. I've been waiting a few years for them to tour the US. It was their first time playing here, with their new album "We Built a Fire" released earlier this month. It was pretty much a spectacular experience. One of my friends had to cancel at the last minute (and by that I mean 15 minutes before their scheduled stage time), but it all worked out in the end. We didn't know the show was sold out and there were a few people waiting for non-profit scalpers.

What we did not enjoy was the drunk girl singing behind us. She was yapping away and yelling out the violin solo, which received some glaring ovation. Her boyfriend cheered her on and danced with her. And then she spilt beer on Rae. Not cool. She eventually left, probably to throw up in the bathroom.

It reminded me of the couple grinding and dancing wildly at an Iron&Wine concert some while back. But I'll save that story for next time.

What was great about last night was that every time someone yelled out a request, Sindri will just reply it with "We don't know that one."

"Um. Well, we're suppose to walk off the stage and you clap for encore. Should we leave and come back, or just play?" They ended with "Seashell" with a choir of audience.

Looking forward to Dark Dark Dark and Micachu next week. Happy Friday =)

Storytellers

I thought it looked familiar.

My ears are a lot more alert to musical compositions than to lyrics. That's why when I first listened to Joanna six years ago, her voice didn't bother me so much. In fact, I found her voice very whimsical and so I kept the music to myself! Not like anyone at Prep would've cared for her, HA. Sometimes I can be selfish like that.

I guess all I really want to say is that Joanna Newsom is one of the greatest storytellers. Her songs can evoke all kinds of emotions, that sometimes all I can do is sigh. And I cannot say that I'm not glad that her voice "matured". It almost reminds me of Kate Bush. She is who she is and I love her.

Spring is in the air!

Despite the lack of sleep and the amount of work I've been getting, I'm so happy spring is here! I feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day! I hate the winter.

This morning, while riding the subway, I heard someone playing Take Five by Dave Brubeck at the train station. And it's been stuck in my head all day. Just counting the beats all day. One two three four five One two three four five...

Wanted to share this. It's Carey Mulligan at the Oscars. With her new hair. And her TOOLS! Hurray!

Oscar the Grouch

Not sure if I want to watch the Oscars this year. 10 Best Pics, really? Producers are just getting more and more desperate to win every year. (ie Nicholas Chartier) It's really sad.

Here are my favorites!

1. A Single Man

Versatility always inspires me. Especially when an architect fashion designer like Tom Ford turns toward another passion and makes a wonderful film like this. It's about a man coping with the unexpected death of his lover. Each step becomes heavier and heavier for George (Colin Firth) as he continues on with life. I loved its cinematography. The usage of color cleverly communicates with the emotions of not only the character, but also with the viewers. The Playlist had mentioned that the film is reminiscent of Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which I agree. I got excited during the opening credits when I saw Shigeru Umebayashi's name alongside Abel Korzeniowski's. It's an exquisite film. And did I not mention how gorgeous Nicholas Hoult is now?

2. Moon

Sam. Rockwell. He's an amazing actor and should've been nominated for Best Actor (although I have high hopes for Jeff Bridges and Jeremy Renner). It's about an astronaut who learns more and more about the secrets of Lunar Industries (the company that hired him). I am not much of a sci-fi fan but this movie really surprised me. Don't want to write too much without revealing the plot. But I will say this: During the film, I wanted to hand Sam Rockwell a tissue and give him a big hug. (Catch him in A Behanding in Spokane. Great crew and cast, would definitely see it again).

3. A Serious Man

The Coen Bros. is the reason why I love outrageous characters. Sometimes I feel like I'm best friends with Jesús (The Big Lebowski), Chet (Barton Fink), and Marge (Fargo). A Serious Man is just full of it. The film is about an unfortunate man surrounded by absurd people and situations. The film whirlpools into a lot of WTF moments that are just random and eerie. Definitely not for everyone, but hilarious if you appreciate Coenhumor. Side comments: (1) Sy Ableman reminds me of Brother Richard from my Catholic high school. (2) Ginnifer Goodwin practically shows up as her character Margene (from Big Love). (3) About a week after we watched this film, my boyfriend saw Richard Kind on the streets, haha.

yoko oh no

This past weekend I searched Yoko Ono online and found this:

It says:

Life with John Lennon: Ono was Lennon's Bitch. She sucked when he told her to, and probably shit where he told her to. She is a dirty whore for what she did to that great man

The section was deleted and replaced by the wiki-nazis about five minutes later. But it totally made my day and I'm glad I caught it. Oh, rants.