tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651Wed, 06 Nov 2024 03:07:42 +0000cultureartbooksyoutubecommentaryhorrorvideosreadingliteratureBram StokerDraculamusicballetpersonalgothicreviewsdancetechnologymoviesmmorpgsfunnysecond lifephotographyjury dutyinternetcourtnew yorkfanvidWarcrafthealthexercisevideo gamesamerican ballet theaterfashionnewsfilmmakingcomputersfoodpsychologyfairy talefeminismrantsexsexismtelevisionvirtual realityhistoryholidayshoppingaddictionconcertdesignfandomoperaparodysymbologywritingLotte Berkcrimescreenshotsalchemyjournalismlingeriemachinimamuseum8tracksbloggingfat acceptancemiscellaneouspoliticsavatarsipodmetropolitan operaSarah LaneactingadvertisingeroticaquizzesHarry PotterT-Tappbarsbody dysmorphiacatscomedyeve onlinejoy womackmodern dancenew york city balletpatriarchyreligionAlfred HitchcockCallaneticsclassismcookingfascismfitnessmythpoetrysciencesocial mediatheaterDisney WorldGame of ThronesHerman CornejoKubrickcommercialdictatorshipdigital artellen von unwerthfanaticismfantasyfinancekremlin balletlibertinemafiamagazinesmythologyplayssarcasmsteampunktravelwomen's rightsDance Theater of HarlemFrancesca WoodmanGelsey Kirkland AcademyPhysique57adaptionsanalysisatheismbrooklyncommunismdramaeconomyevolutionextra infofree market capitalismgalleriesinspirationlegendpaintingplagiarismpornographyracismrole playscience fictionshock doctrinesingularitywarhammer onlinewebster hallASMRBallet MemphisBuns of SteelDiane ArbusDonna FerratoGelsey Kirkland BalletGeorge BalanchineJoseph GorakJoyce TheaterKaty BowmanLGBTLaurel NakadateLiberty of LondonLotte Berk TuckMOOCNaomi KleinSaturday Night LiveSons and DaughtersSuzanne FarrellTargetThe Suzanne Farrell BalletWilliam ShakespeareWindowsapplebakingchoreographycomicscomposersdebatedecoratingdreamseducationenglishetchingsfallaciesfanficfanmixflickrhuman traffickingiconsitunesk-popliteracymac gamesmangamariinskymass hysteriamiddle eastmovie starsnetflixoccultpetsroboticsrockrussiasalonsecurityself-portraitskinsportssupernaturaltermsterry rodgerstroubleshootingupirverdictviolencewealthweirdhttp://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)Blogger840125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-8931270484171137673Mon, 30 Jan 2017 20:12:00 +00002017-01-30T15:14:50.100-05:00american ballet theaterartballetcommentaryculturedance Of course, I was very excited to discover that Sarah Lane was cast as Giselle for ABT's spring season.  As soon as tickets go on sale, I will be sure to snap that performance up as well as Devon Teuscher's Swan Lake (her DC performance received rave reviews). The company will also be performing the ballet in Muscat, Oman for only 3 performances in April. There has been speculation about http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2017/01/giselle-sarah-lane-and-daniil-simkin.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-2701725809798691674Sun, 15 Jan 2017 15:49:00 +00002017-01-15T10:49:39.567-05:00artcommentaryculturemetropolitan operaopera Happy New Year! I finally saw the Met's popular and famed Zeffirelli production of Puccini's La Boheme yesterday.  I was not disappointed at all! Ailyn Perez was a lovely Mimi and sung with a gentle, sure voice.  Her Rodolfo was Michael Fabiano who handled this tough tenor role very well and had great acting skill.  The rest of the cast was very good which included Alessio http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2017/01/la-boheme-met.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-121764360230474189Fri, 30 Dec 2016 04:10:00 +00002016-12-29T23:10:00.800-05:00commentaryculturefoodpersonal I just realized, after so many years, that when I posted this half joking, loving, snarky memory of childhood dinners long past: http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2013/08/wasp-meals-in-days-of-yore.html I neglected to post recipes or at the very least cookbooks to get insight into those old fashioned meals long gone. Well family recipes are not possible.  My WASP grandfatherhttp://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/12/food-of-my-grandfather.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-4011579682049872123Sun, 25 Dec 2016 00:59:00 +00002016-12-24T20:00:37.030-05:00artballetculturenew york city balletvideosyoutube Merry Christmas!http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/12/waltz-of-flowers-allegra-kent-1958.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-6462132242632177653Thu, 22 Dec 2016 16:33:00 +00002016-12-22T11:33:42.843-05:00culturefandomfunnyholidaymusicvideo gamesvideosWarcraftyoutube This is so geeky but I had to share it.  Blizzard entertainment made their own hour long version of the yule log but with all the Christmas carols sung by Murlocs.  So funny.http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/12/a-warcraft-murloc-christmas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-2723962098745307211Wed, 21 Dec 2016 15:58:00 +00002016-12-21T10:58:35.203-05:00culturemusicvideosyoutube Another recent song I'm listening to until it breaks on my Ipod.  Love the Banjo music.  This video is also incredibly goofy.  :Dhttp://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/12/humbug-mountain-song-fruit-bats.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-5726237403734080221Sun, 18 Dec 2016 01:19:00 +00002016-12-17T20:19:08.937-05:00artcommentaryculturemetropolitan operamusicoperareviews So as the few people who read my blog know by now, I'm a horror fan.  So, naturally, I've been a fan of Richard Strauss' Salome since I was a teenage music student.  There is nothing like it in the opera world, seriously creepy, gorgeous, lush, and rotten.  It is a production sure to invoke discussion.  Mainly on how far Opera houses will wade into the muck and emphasize http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/12/salome-met.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-6211225333689708854Thu, 15 Dec 2016 18:54:00 +00002016-12-15T14:01:41.014-05:00culturemusicyoutube Heck, it has been a long time since my last post. Not much going on by me right now.  But I have this new band and their song that I love. Yeah, it's kind of middle age crazy on my part but I don't care.  LOLhttp://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/12/love-infinity-looshuss.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-961900056136442001Sat, 19 Nov 2016 22:38:00 +00002016-11-19T17:39:04.427-05:00artballetculturedancevideosyoutubeI've never seen a polished dancer, ready for professional Principal status at such a young age until now.  Lee Soo Bin is only 18 years old and already she has a definitive Giselle for this decade.  She is definitely a superstar in the making.  The video below is her performance at the Vaganova Gala.   The audience was in hysterics and if a dancer can make discerning Russian http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/11/giselle-lee-soo-bin-and-lee-sang-min.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-2145208553635920561Fri, 18 Nov 2016 15:58:00 +00002016-11-18T11:35:17.020-05:00commentaryculturetelevisionyoutube I have to admit, Twin Peaks at the time it blasted onto the airwaves completely bypassed me.  I don't even think I watched the first two episodes.  It was something my Mom was into and being a teen at the time....watching things your parents are into is not cool. Anyway eventually I decided to look into it because of the hype.  And I liked it or at least I thought I had to like http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/11/twin-peak-pilot-episode-2.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-5670979755841840186Thu, 10 Nov 2016 14:20:00 +00002016-11-18T11:32:24.984-05:00culturemusicvideosyoutubeHilarious http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/11/never-come-down-trump-version.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-7297950268283627293Wed, 02 Nov 2016 00:18:00 +00002016-11-01T20:18:31.772-04:00american ballet theaterartballetcommentarydancereviewsI did catch the matinee performance of ABT last Saturday and it was definitely a mixed bag. Monotones 1 was still a bit uneven.  This time the cast consisted of Daniil Simkin, Sarah Lane and Misty Copeland.  To my relief, Copeland wasn't that distracting.  Although I still wish she would hammer her shoes better because she is still stomping around the stage.  She definitely http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/11/monotones-her-notes-prodigal-son-abt.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-6764326671242405412Wed, 26 Oct 2016 18:45:00 +00002016-10-26T15:06:47.907-04:00american ballet theaterartballetdance I'm now deep in thought on how to wrangle my work schedule around Devon Teuscher's Swan Lake debut.  Just one random day in the middle of the week is crazy.  Maybe I'll turn it into a mini-vacation and take extra days around it.  But I'm going to miss out on Shevchenko's Don Quixote debut because it is also in the middle of the week.  Dang. Luckily, Sarah Lane's ABT http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/10/spring-dance-scheduling-decisions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-3478724082704080632Tue, 25 Oct 2016 20:30:00 +00002016-10-25T16:30:16.832-04:00Ironically after my last post, the ABT Spring schedule was finally announced. http://www.abt.org/insideabt/news_display.asp?News_ID=562 What do you know?  All the little Board pets run away with the most plumb assignments.  Gee, what a surprise.  NOT! At least there are a few good appointments with Sarah Lane and Gillian Murphy cast in Giselle.  Also Stella Abrera will http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/10/abt-2017-spring-announcement.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-7775718718901586466Tue, 25 Oct 2016 13:26:00 +00002016-10-25T09:26:24.850-04:00american ballet theaterartballetcommentaryI'm not a babe in the woods regarding entertainment careers, believe me.  It's a world of nepotism out there or incredible against-all-odds luck.  The lucky horses?  Maybe 1 to 2 percent of entertainment performers.  The rest knew someone who knew someone or was the son/daughter of someone.  But usually favoritism is not shown to be so blatant. Usually except for http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/10/have-board-will-travel.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-8583572649562862186Mon, 24 Oct 2016 12:57:00 +00002016-10-24T08:57:01.585-04:00commentaryculturehorrorKubrickmovies Apparently for the past few years TMC  has been sponsoring the return of The Shining to regular movie theaters for the Halloween season.  The next showings will be on October 26, so check the following site for showtime locations: http://www.fathomevents.com/event/stanley-kubricks-the-shining-second-showing I was far too little to see this movie when it was originally released in http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-shining-on-big-screen.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-8896145856751465266Mon, 17 Oct 2016 13:00:00 +00002016-10-17T09:00:25.629-04:00artcommentaryculturemetropolitan operamusicoperareviewstheaterWell, yet another Mozart opera and yet another production showcasing middling singers. I think it is really poor of the MET to invite performers (if you want to give them that name) onto their stage when they can't even be heard over the harpsichord during recitatives.  Obviously this is the new normal.  This is the end result of cronyism and nepotism; pure, unadulterated mediocrity. http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/10/don-giovanni-met.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-6576822942582494758Sun, 09 Oct 2016 00:53:00 +00002016-10-08T20:53:13.196-04:00commentaryculturehorrorreviewsscience fictiontelevision The original Westworld film was one of my spine chilling favorites as a child.  Who could forget the relentless Yul Brenner chasing down Richard Benjamin through the wild west straight back to medieval world than roman world.  It was such a low, trashy, grind house,sci-fi sploitation funhouse that James Cameron decided to remake the last half hour and call it Terminator.  So http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/10/westworld.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-348794282173007369Mon, 03 Oct 2016 23:28:00 +00002016-10-03T19:28:08.571-04:00artballetculturedanceHerman Cornejojoy womackkremlin balletvideosyoutube Joy Womack acquits herself quite well against superstars Cornejo and Kochetkova.  I'm excited she was able to dance with them both. Incidentally, Cornejo is not dancing in ABT's fall season.  Which is a bit of a disappointment since they are performing Prodigal Son.  Anyway he looks perfect in this clip.  I've read around the ballet sites that some are speculating that he http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/10/clips-from-la-bayadere-herman-cornejo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-2011742126362509300Mon, 03 Oct 2016 03:21:00 +00002016-10-02T23:26:05.569-04:00artballetcommentaryculturedancenew york city balletreviewsyoutubeI haven't seen Jewels in many years.  So I purchased a ticket for the recent performance scheduled of it at NYCB. I'm sorry to say, the company has let standards fall for this Icon of their company.  The saddest element is that the fallen state of the ballet is completely avoidable.  It would only require the ballet masters, AD and others to put their egos aside and call back http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/10/jewels-new-york-city-ballet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-6120927287179138468Sat, 01 Oct 2016 21:06:00 +00002016-10-01T17:06:45.472-04:00commentaryculturedramareviewstelevision I didn't subscribe to Netflix until recently for Stranger Things.  There has been another Netflix only series that has a lot of hype and that is Peaky Blinders. This show.  This show is a red, hot mess.  But a very watchable mess.  I must admit. It is entirely too impressed with itself, treading in the wake of its more expensive and adept inspiration Boardwalk Empire.&http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/10/peaky-blinders-pilot.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-6477298136484317130Fri, 23 Sep 2016 13:04:00 +00002016-09-23T09:04:26.573-04:00classismcommentarycommunismcrimeculturedesigndictatorshipfascismComrades, remember my Kommunalka resurgence post from Palo Alto, San Francisco and other areas in the tech corridor of CA? http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/03/welcome-to-your-san-franciscan-housing.html Well there is a juicy update my fellow workers. Sob!  Poor Widdle Zuckerberg is barred from knocking down a whole neighborhood of houses that he purchased near his home. &http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-living-revolution-continues.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-6741511422867154237Tue, 13 Sep 2016 17:17:00 +00002016-09-13T13:17:37.974-04:00culturemusicyoutube It is finally starting to feel like Fall now, my favorite time of year.  And it gets me into the mood to look back, remember, refresh then renew.  Ever since I was little, Fall always felt like the natural beginning of the new year. The trees haven't turned yet but I can't wait for colored leaves. This Glen Campbell song takes me back to my childhood and Fall seasons past in Alaska http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/09/wichita-lineman-glen-campbell.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-2510001729640464Mon, 05 Sep 2016 19:01:00 +00002016-09-05T15:01:33.979-04:00commentaryculturenetflixreviewstelevision There was buzz about this Netflix show long before it even aired earlier this summer.  Netflix cannily marketed it as a Winona Ryder comeback vehicle since she was the 80s/90s go to face of the moment.  And that of course could only help a project that was paying "homage" to 70s, 80s, and 90s conspiracy films.  So the excitement was mostly about seeing her in a starring role. &http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/09/stranger-things.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33341651.post-7215727499751263488Thu, 01 Sep 2016 21:16:00 +00002016-09-01T17:16:10.071-04:00american ballet theaterartballetculturedance Rehearsing #aurora Act 1 entrance:) A video posted by Sarah Lane (@sarahlaneps103) on Sep 1, 2016 at 12:58am PDT If you are in Paris during ABT's Sleeping Beauty run, do not miss Sarah Lane's gorgeous interpretation.  She is the only dancer who is period correct to the reproduction style.  See her dance on September 10 at 2:30pm at the Opera Bastille.http://musingsandscribblings.blogspot.com/2016/09/sarah-lane-sleeping-beauty.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (melponeme_k)0