tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39946592024-03-15T21:09:46.269-04:00Blog About Town<b><i>Arts! Entertainment! Other! Since 2002!</i></b>David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.comBlogger3398125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-22051260368773034902009-07-23T14:23:00.000-04:002009-07-23T14:24:52.680-04:00The Odd CoupleHere's an excerpt from a show my Dad enjoyed. I recently noticed that it's airing in the wee hours....Source (6:04)David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-28935324519743235352009-07-22T00:23:00.001-04:002009-07-22T00:23:00.409-04:00Literal Video: "Daydream Believer"Source (2:45)David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-20139552298826217672009-07-21T00:23:00.000-04:002009-07-21T00:23:00.497-04:00Frank McCourt (1930-2009)I'm pleased to see the many tributes to Frank McCourt that celebrate his contributions as a teacher as well as his more "glamorous" contributions as a writer.Here's Daniel Radosh remembering McCourt.David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-57319057890176120242009-07-20T14:23:00.001-04:002009-07-20T14:23:01.215-04:00Cartoon Caption/Anti-Caption Contest Continues!The winner of Caption Contest 197 (Drew Dernavich's plane with stiletto landing gear) is"She's a lover, not a fighter."Robert McLean (Tampa, FL)The nominees in Caption Contest 199 (Michael Crawford's snorkeler in court) are“You think Alcatraz can hold me?”Joshua Rosales (Rosemead, CA)"Go ahead, waterboard me."Lester Craft, Jr. (Basalt, CO)“Well, the menu did say ‘Choose your own lobster.’”Donna David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-38039898817097789492009-07-19T16:23:00.000-04:002009-07-19T16:29:26.933-04:00Literal Video: "Penny Lane"In the grand tradition of "Total Eclipse of the Heart."Source (3:04)David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-75700867022362779912009-07-18T23:23:00.001-04:002009-07-19T16:14:24.028-04:00Give Blood, Get Citi Field TicketsI just got a postcard inviting me to donate blood and receive of a pair of Mets tickets in the process. I did this last year, and it went very smoothly.This year it seems even more relevant, considering the injuries and anemic playing affecting the Mets!The details:Donation on Thursday, July 23, 200910:00am through 5:00pmCiti Field First Base VIP EntranceFlushing, NYPeople can donate as along as David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-71942941287606895942009-07-17T20:31:00.000-04:002009-07-17T20:32:13.979-04:00Walter Cronkite (1916-2009)Icon of television journalism Walter Cronkite is dead. Katie Couric just hosted a brief tribute to him on CBS, which plans to report extensively on Cronkite's career over the days ahead. Source (3:11)David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-50623936150537163692009-07-16T18:23:00.000-04:002009-07-16T18:23:01.033-04:00Charles Trenet Performing "La Mer"Song Referenced in LostSource (3:03)David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-65953848774393656462009-07-15T16:23:00.000-04:002009-07-15T16:23:00.754-04:00Michael Bloomberg's Idea of a Mayoral CampaignSource (00:28)David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-22827030750017630362009-07-14T08:23:00.000-04:002009-07-14T08:23:00.682-04:00While Dan Radosh Was Away......Deborah Grumet and I were among those who acted as "guest bloggers."Once again, we worked on Family Circus panels: here and here and here.And Deborah contributed excellent solo efforts here and here and here. Check 'em out!David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-52489634973954726592009-07-13T14:23:00.000-04:002009-07-13T14:23:01.047-04:00Cartoon Caption/Anti-Caption Contest Continues!The winner of Caption Contest 196 (lab professionals observing rodents attired like lab professionals)—the first caption contest with a nominee from Canada—is"O.K., let's slowly lower in the grant money.”Todd Bearson (Arlington, MA)As noticed previously, this wasn't far from my own"We've been using the Nobel Prize instead of cheese."Anyway, Massachusetts now has 10 wins, tying it withDavid Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-81834930884101185222009-07-12T16:23:00.002-04:002009-07-13T13:25:21.297-04:00"No Sail" (1945)In Which Donald Duck Grows Beak HairSource (7:31)David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-34348403820354967562009-07-11T16:23:00.001-04:002009-07-11T16:42:59.403-04:00Free Outdoor Screening: The Taking of Pelham One Two ThreeThe Original!I can't enthuse enough over the original Taking of Pelham One Two Three. I love the suspenseful plot, I love the Peter Stone screenplay, I love the gritty New York City feel, I love the David Shire score, and I love the cast, which includes Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, James Broderick, Tony Roberts, Doris Roberts, Jerry Stiller, and Lee Wallace as The David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-79319939989799512572009-07-10T00:23:00.002-04:002009-07-10T09:06:58.883-04:00Billboard SynergyHey—look what Debbie noticed—a Vivienne Tam billboard imagine "reaching" into an HP billboard! By way of partial explanation: Click here. And I suspect the Harry Potter font must connect the tech "HP" with the wizard franchise.The magic angle is on a line with the front of the Palace Theatre, so the image greets alert audience members leaving West Side Story who aren't too distracted David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-14690983994789018672009-07-09T10:23:00.004-04:002009-07-09T13:42:06.692-04:00Mary StuartAttend—through August 16!Are you, by any chance, prejudiced against plays about British royalty? Are you afraid they'll be stuffy and stodgy? I know I am!And that means that I'm often pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy plays about British royalty. I mean, the reality is that "stuffy" and "stodgy" aren't usually the kind of adjectives playwrights, directors, and producers want to see David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-28903096747819940032009-07-08T17:08:00.000-04:002009-07-08T17:08:48.743-04:00Breaking: Governor Paterson Appoints Lt. GovernorIn a formal address to New York State, Governor David Paterson has named Richard Ravitch to fill the vacant spot of Lt. Governor.David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-71392200765584334132009-07-08T00:23:00.002-04:002009-07-08T00:34:20.088-04:00Blithe SpiritClassy Comedy Closes July 19!I say! These have certainly been the veddy best of times for me and Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit—the comic story of a man haunted by the spirit of his first wife. Back in September I saw David Lean's movie version; more recently I fulfilled my longtime desire to see the musical version, High Spirits, during its short, sold-out, Musicals in Mufti run.And just lastDavid Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-28792295930315272872009-07-07T12:23:00.003-04:002009-07-07T12:23:01.646-04:00"Black or White"Source (11:00)David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-75578639668912890392009-07-07T00:23:00.002-04:002009-07-07T00:23:00.387-04:00"The Love You Save"Source (3:09)David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-2208847883568263362009-07-06T15:23:00.001-04:002009-07-06T15:27:19.153-04:00Anti-Caption Contest ContinuesThe winner of Anti-Caption Contest 199 (Michael Crawford's snorkeler in court) is"Court is a depressing place, where the permanent regime reinforces its absolute power with a due process charade that no longer bears even the appearance of legitimacy."J.D.My loser:"Judge, you've got to believe me! I'm from a distant planet where everybody wears snorkel gear unless they're going snorkeling!! David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-69928657552589836592009-07-05T12:23:00.002-04:002009-07-05T12:48:19.862-04:00Paul Ben-Haim (July 5, 1897-January 14, 1984)I've been meaning to note how impressed I was by the U.S. premiere, on May 31, 2009, of Paul Ben-Haim's Second Symphony (1945) courtesy of conductor Leon Botstein and the American Symphony Orchestra (ASO).That's right: It took nearly 65 years for this work to receive a live performance in the United States. Paul Ben-Haim, born Paul Frankenburger in Munich, served as conductor of the Opera in David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-85149251848449587732009-07-04T10:23:00.001-04:002009-07-04T10:33:00.119-04:00The Speech Turns 70Seven decades ago, Yankees star Lou Gehrig—diagnosed with ALS, gave his famous "Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth" speech at Yankee Stadium.Source (2:06)David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-49987929070642337662009-07-03T16:44:00.002-04:002009-07-03T19:51:20.111-04:00Breaking: Sarah Palin to Resign as Alaskan GovernorPresidential Campaign Expected Possible but Not Necessarily InevitableIt's Christmas in July for Tina Fey! Sarah Palin has announced that she will step down as governor of Alaska on July 26. That's the date of a picnic when lieutenant governor Sean Parnell will take over the responsibility of defending Alaska from the Russkies. [NOTE TO ALASKANS: Make sure there are provisions for full successionDavid Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-24073200526824348822009-07-02T14:23:00.000-04:002009-07-02T14:23:00.975-04:00The Norman ConquestsSee All Three by the Scheduled July 26 ClosingIf there's a conventional way to approach the three plays comprising The Norman Conquests, directed on Broadway by Matthew Warchus, it might be to see them in one "trilogy day" starting with "Table Manners," proceeding to "Living Together," and finishing with "Round and Round the Garden."But that's not at all how I went about it. I saw "Round and David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994659.post-70828008714782930552009-07-01T17:23:00.003-04:002009-07-01T17:23:00.807-04:00NYC's June 2009 Rainfall: The Results!So all of that rain...and what do we have to show for it? An "almost."June 2009's overcast skies dropped 10.06 inches of rain on Central Park—00.21 inches short of the 2003 record of—quick, figure it out!—10.27 inches.Oh well. Better luck next time? I should have made this a BAT Challenge....Anyway, here's the commemorative article from Ralph Blumenthal at The New York Times. David Marc Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588125246383851752noreply@blogger.com0