Month: February 2010

Memphis Sings the Music of My Soul

I already wrote a review of Memphis when it was in previews, so instead consider this a spotlight on one of it’s cast members: Bryan Fenkart.

Bryan is part of the ensemble and understudy to the lead (usually played by Chad Kimball). Last night, Bryan played the lead part for both performances. I was in attendance at the evening show. Everyone in the cast did a fantastic job, no question about it. Montego Glover has a stunning wardrobe and an evening more stunning voice to match. Chad Kimball plays the part of Huey with an energy that grabs you from minute one. And Bryan? He’s usually in the ensemble, most likely only noticed by those who are looking for him. That is, until he gets the chance to be a star. Then everyone notices.

It’s always different when you know the performer. You want to be objective, but recognize that is almost impossible. So when everyone else in the theater is talking, it tells you that you were right about this one. He really is something special. Bryan did a splendid job taking on the lead last night, pushing the bar higher than ever before. His performance was fantastical. Afterwards, people waited by the stage door for pictures and autographs as if he was a star. Which he was, at least for that night. And I predict his star will keep rising a bit higher yet.

Olympic Update – Men’s Hockey Semifinal + Short Track

Today’s Olympic action brought us both men’s hockey semifinals and the final races in short track for both the men and women.

In short track, Apolo Ohno skated in both the men’s 500m and the 5,000m relay. He was disqualified from the 500m for touching another skater, which caused him to go down. Ohno didn’t let this setback stop him from scoring a bronze medal win in the relay, however. Canada received both gold and bronze for the 500m and another gold for the relay. On the women’s side, the 1,000m saw a silver medal go to American Katherine Reutter. Gold went to Meng Wang of China.

In the first semifinal, Team USA defeated Finland by an impressive score of 6-1. All six of our goals were scored in the first period in the span of 11 minutes, two of which were less than a minute apart from each other. The second semifinal was between Canada and Slovakia. Canada dominated throughout the game, scoring 3 goals in the first two periods and shutting Slovakia out. That was until the third period, when Slovakia started to make a comeback. They scored two goals, making it seem as if they might win in the final minutes. Canada was able to hold them off though, and won the game by a score of 3-2. The gold medal game will be Team USA vs. Canada. The bronze medal will be between Finland and Slovakia. May the best teams win.

The medal count as of now is 8 gold, 13 silver, and 13 bronze, for a total of 34 medals for Team USA. Germany is in second with 27 total while Canada is in third with 21.

More to come tomorrow.

Olympic Update – Women’s Hockey Final + Figure Skating (Women’s Free Skate)

Tonight’s Olympic action brings us the women’s hockey final and the women’s figure skating free skate.

In women’s hockey, the bronze medal game was between Finland and Sweden. Finland took that game by a score of 3-2. The gold medal game was between Canada and Team USA. This was possibly the closest game either team has had all tournament. In the end Canada proved the better team, winning by a score of 2-0.

In figure skating, Canada received a bronze medal with an elegant performance by Joannie Rochette. I spoke before about the support of the crowd after the loss of her mother. This support continued tonight, and, I think, contributed to her win. This will be one of those moments she will never forget. I’m sure it was bittersweet for her, but hopefully she can find some sunshine through the rain. The other medals went to Mao Asada of Japan (silver) and Yu-Na Kim of South Korea (gold). This was not only the first gold medal for South Korea in this event, but the first medal the country has ever received for figure skating.

That’s all for tonight, folks. More to come tomorrow.

Johnny Weir Speaks Out

Johnny Weir has responded after comments made questioning his gender and the example he sets for future skaters.

I thought his response showed a lot of class for a number of reasons. First of all, even though he was obviously offended by the comments made, he did not ask for an apology for himself. Rather, he wanted one for others who may have been hurt by these remarks. He also spoke of his belief in free speech, which, in my opinion, is what we call “taking the high road”. After all, it is hard to say that someone who speaks ill of us has every right to do so. I am proud of his reaction and think, contrary to belief by some, he has proven himself an excellent role model for future skaters. Bravo!

I end this with one final quote, which Weir shared during the press conference. “Out of ugly I think the most important thing to do in life is to make something beautiful.” If the world could follow this same philosophy, oh what a beautiful place that would be.

Neil Patrick Harris and Joss Whedon Both Get Glee-ful

Back in October there were rumblings of Joss Whedon directing an episode of Glee. Now we are also hearing that Neil Patrick Harris is going to be starring in an upcoming episode of the hit show. As many of you know, Neil was the star of Joss Whedon’s internet hit “Dr Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog”. What are the chances that the episode Whedon is to direct will star his former Doctor Horrible? It would definitely be a huge ratings boost for the show (not that they need it). As of yet this is just speculation on all our parts, but it would be fantastic if it turned out to be true. I guess we’ll just have to stay TUNED to find out more.

Olympic Update – Men’s Hockey Quarterfinal

The Men’s Hockey Quarterfinal has just finished, and boy was it a good one. Both teams remained scoreless through the first two periods. Team USA scored a goal at the end of the second, but it didn’t actually cross the goal line until after the horn sounded to mark the end of the period. The third period saw a power play goal by Zach Parise, bringing the score to 1-0. The score would remain that until an empty net goal at the end of the period, also by Parise. Final score: 2-0. I good day for Team USA. We will play either Finland or Czech Republic in the Semifinal.

More Olympic action to come tonight.

All Points West’s Future In Question

We have been hearing the rumblings of partial line-ups for a number of summer festivals recently, but one such festival remains conspicuous in their absence: All Points West. The NY Times (among other music news sources) have reported that the outlook for the festival remains in question. It was noted that most festivals rely on a big name headliner, and the fact that APW has not announced such an act as of yet means it is very likely the event will not take place this year. APW has not had an easy time since it’s conception two years ago. In 2008 there were complaints about the ferry service between NJ and Manhattan, and last year they were plagued with heavy rain. I myself was deterred from making an appearance last year because of the torrential rain that hit the area. It would seem that APW has a rain cloud hanging over it that it can’t seem to shake.

Olympic Update – Figure Skating (Women’s Short Program)

The highlight for tonight’s Olympic action was the women’s short program for figure skating. Especially worth note are two skaters who performed towards the end of the night. The first is a Canadian skater, Joannie Rochette. Even though she found out her mother died on Sunday, she still showed up for practice and performed her short program tonight. The crowd was inspirational, cheering her on every step of the way. I found myself routing for her over the American skaters even. She finished third tonight, giving her a good chance at a medal.

The other spotlight for tonight shines on the 17-year-old American skater, Rachael Flatt. As I watched her perform her short program I couldn’t help but think “17 and full of spunk”. Her program was both sassy and fun, proving she is someone the other skaters should watch out for. She finished fifth tonight, making her far from out of the race for a medal.

The top three skaters at the end of the night were Yu-Na Kim of South Korea, Mao Asada of Japan, and Rochette.

The total medal count at this point is 7 gold, 9 silver, and 10 bronze for a total of 26 medals for Team USA.

More to come tomorrow.

Player nominations announced for World Cup

The nominations for the World Cup have been announced as well as when and where each match is scheduled. Team USA is set to play Serbia March 5-7. The players for USA are John Isner, Sam Querrey, Mike Bryan, Bob Bryan. The captain of the team is Patrick McEnroe. The Serbian team includes Novak Djokovic, Viktor Troicki, Janko Tipsarevic, Nenad Zimonjic. The captain of their team is Bogdan Obradovic. The matches will be held at Belgrade Arena in Serbia. More information will be posted here as it is made available.

Olympic Update – Women’s Hockey + Figure Skating

Tonight’s Olympic action brought us the women’s hockey semifinal and the free skate for ice dancing.

In women’s hockey, Team USA beat Sweden in their semifinal by a score of 9-1. The other semifinal, Canada vs. Finland, had Canada win by a score of 5-0. USA and Canada will meet in the final on Thursday.

In ice dancing, the final component (the free skate) was performed by all teams. The gold medal went to Virtue and Moir of Canada. The silver went to Davis and White of USA. The bronze went to Domnina and Shabalin of Russia. Another American team, Belbin and Agosto, just missed the podium at fourth place.

The total medal count at the end of the day was as follows: 7 gold, 8 silver, and 10 bronze, for a total of 25 medals for Team USA.

More to come tomorrow.