Author: News on Shuffle

When Two Loves Collide

If you are a regular follower of this blog then you should notice at this point certain musical artists and television shows get more coverage than others. You probably have also figured out my love/obsession with the new series “Glee”. You have not been exposed to my obsession with Doctor Who and all things related (mostly that means David Tennant and John Barrowman).
Now usually I try to keep it as professional as possible around here. That means it’s ok to talk about something I love, but try to be objective and not, well, squee like a little girl just because I am excited about something. I also try to not use the word “I” all the time (which was doing good up till now, I think). See, there I go again. And again. It’s all downhill from here. But that’s what love does to you. It makes you forget yourself sometimes. So pardon me as I share my story: when two loves collide.
As I said before, I love “Glee” with a passion only other musical geeks could possibly understand. So when I found out one of my new favorite actors, John Barrowman, was in talks to possibly be on the show, of course there was joy. In fact, I screamed. One of those silent screams that makes people wonder if you’re having an episode of some kind. I already had heard about his upcoming appearance on Desperate Housewives (another of my favorite shows). And I knew there was a small chance he could be appearing in the American version of Torchwood. (He claims that he doesn’t know but my theory is that it just isn’t official yet). But, I digress.
So Glee. And John Barrowman. Who has a new CD and has already shown he has talent both acting and singing. Yeah, sounds good to me.

Glee hits the road for spring tour

Things we already know about the hit show “Glee”:

1) Well, it’s a hit. Ratings are good and people are talking.
2) It’s a show about a glee club. That means lots of singing and dancing.
Knowing these two things it should come as no surprise that the cast of Glee will be going on tour this spring. The list of dates is short, but they’re hitting most of the big cities (including two dates in New York City).
May 18 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre
May 20 Los Angeles, CA Gibson Amphitheatre
May 21 Los Angeles, CA Gibson Amphitheatre
May 25 Chicago, IL Rosemont Theatre
May 26 Chicago, IL Rosemont Theatre
May 28 New York City, NY Radio City Music Hall
May 29 New York City, NY Radio City Music Hall

So, who else is Glee-ful over this latest announcement?

Olympic Update – Men’s Hockey Final

This afternoon we saw possibly one of the greatest hockey games of our time. I have never seen a level of play this caliber before. Both teams gave it their all and left their hearts on the ice.

It all started with a goal in the first period by Canada. They may have gotten the first goal, but now the question was “how would Team USA respond?”
The answer seemed to be “not very well” when Canada scored again in the second. It appeared that Team USA would be defeated. They had something to say on the matter though. They scored once in the second to bring the score to 2-1. And that wouldn’t be the last we heard from them.
Third period. Less than a minute to go. Empty net left by Miller for the extra man. That was when Zack Parise would get his chance to score, tying the game up at 2-2 in the final seconds. It would seem this game wasn’t over yet.
The game ended there and went to OT. Crosby would score about five minutes in, winning the game for Canada. Miller (USA’s goalie) looked incredibly dejected after the loss, but he should be proud of himself and how well he played throughout the entire tournament. He was named MVP, which I believe he greatly deserves. He made some spectacular saves and really proved to be an extraordinary player.
If we had to lose to someone I’m glad it was Canada and the level of play was as good as we saw. In my mind, neither team really lost, as they showed us what extraordinary players they all are.
At the end of the day the gold medal went to Canada, silver to Team USA, and bronze to Finland (who beat Slovakia by a score of 5-3 yesterday). The overall medal count for Team USA was 9 gold, 15 silver, 13 bronze, for a total of 37 medals. Germany was in second with 30 and Canada was in third with 26 (14 of which were gold). The medals aren’t what’s really important though. What matters most are the stories that we got to share, and the memories that will stay with us. Whether it’s Apolo Ohno’s record-breaking performance or the Canadian who skated in memory of her mother who recently passed away or Hannah Kearney’s gold medal in Skiing (which admittedly still makes me cry every time I see the replay), these memories will hold more weight than all the medals in the world. These are the moments that make these games truly special.

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.