roof wars

Holly Oak: Wilmington, DE
Holly Oak will always be my favorite roof because the millions of perfect hours spent there would be really hard to outshine.


Washington House: Newark, DE
The fact that my mom's condo in Newark had such a nice roofdeck (or 4) was a really nice surprise.


Nice tomato plants.


The second mermaid chair I have encountered.

The Markle Residence: New York City
My roof in New York was one that I heavily occupied. One of my favorite things about that roof was that I never had to share it with anyone. It was usually just me, my bag of crap, and a phone. I made so many phone calls to so many people...my sick dad, phone interviews, my oldest & newest friends. The best thing was the view. To describe the greatness of that view would be like trying to take a picture of lightning. That roof had three stories that you had to climb terrifying ladders to scale, but that was a baby price for getting to hold on to that view for a minute.

Oh hello, so very sub-par cell phone pic.

West Sheridan: Chicago
This Chicago roof has a lot of other people on it all the time, which is not awesome. But it does have a great view, in a completely different way than New York. To the left, you can see the Lake & to the right, you can see the Cubs stadium.


First impression.


Right-on baseball face.


Pretty sun.

LNC-NYP

Went to NYC



I had lovely times at the Met.
It was not very crowded at Versailles that day.


So much to say.
No time/energy to say it.
Sham on NYC, I miss you a little bit and maybe will forever.

HAIR

I finally got to see Hair. After watching it win the Best Revival Tony from my brother's couch in Colorado last June and failing to get a ticket on my birthday, this day has been a long time coming. The day arrived when it did because this cast is being sent to London and being replaced by a younger, unappealing group (Diana DiGarmo as Sheila says enough). So the performance I saw ended up being the original cast's last time on Broadway.


I don't know if it was that, the familiarity of the songs, or just being a popular show, but I have never been part of a more enthusiastic audience. The opening song, Aquarius, recieved a standing ovation. And that was one of four standing ovations given before the curtain call. After curtain call, they invited everyone onstage to dance. Obviously, this is not my style but it was pretty to see.


Also, Frank Langella was there.


I love Hair and I love Caissie Levy and want her to be a bridesmaid at my wedding and I love my mom for convincing me NYC is not as far as it feels.

the golden age

Incidentally, in the time that my computer was busted and I abandoned my blog, I turned 26 on Sept. 26, which made it My Golden Birthday. That was a month ago today, but I would just like to say I have really nice friends and family who took care of me as I entered a new year with only one parent at the party. Rachael and I went to NYC to try to see HAIR, but didn't, and stayed at a sick hotel that looked like The Hatch from the top floor

and went to see pretty Mandi

That's all.

on the road again

Highlights from the June travels:

New York

the biggest piece of pizza ever for only $2!


of all the upper west side's millions of statues, this was the best.



Wescher's Currywurst! This is where I worked in New York, but I left the city before the restaurant actually opened, so this was the first time I got to see the baby all grown up.

Colorado

This day Jeff led a group of about 60 volunteers to work on trailbuilding and nature maintainence.


cheyenne my parrot friend


this river is wild


teva games

Mass.


Father's Day morning on West Beach :(


the Bali Hai=my favorite Chineses in the world


the view from Marissa's deck


FIZZMAN


thanks to mapquest + the george washington bridge

hallelujah, i adore it.

antoinette perry

My 2009 Tony Award opinions.

Best Play

Dividing the Estate
God of Carnage
Reasons to Be Pretty
33 Variations

* I vote Reasons to Be Pretty bc Neil LaBute is clever and Moises Kaufman has had his day. Kaufman has good ideas that I don't think translate quite as well, but LaBute's actual writing is so much sharper. I don't know too much about God of Carnage but it does seem kind of awesome [or boring].

Best Musical

Billy Elliot, The Musical
Next to Normal
Rock of Ages
Shrek The Musical

* Obviously, it will be Billy Elliot & that is ok by me.

Best Revival of a Play

Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Mary Stuart
New Version: Peter Oswald
The Norman Conquests
Waiting for Godot

* I'm hoping for Mary Stuart since it's a Donmar import, but Waiting for Godot is more of an easy, name-casted production, so boo.

Best Revival of a Musical

Guys and Dolls
Hair
Pal Joey
West Side Story

* It's funny that G&D and WSS could have pretty easily had great, crowd-pleasing productions & both have gotten terrible reviews. Hair would have been my first choice anyway, but now I think it actually has a shot. But stupid Pal Joey will probably win since it's gross and people love gross revivals.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

Jeff Daniels, God of Carnage
Raúl Esparza, Speed-the-Plow
James Gandolfini, God of Carnage
Geoffrey Rush, Exit the King
Thomas Sadoski, Reasons to Be Pretty

* Geoffrey Rush is in his own category here.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Hope Davis, God of Carnage
Jane Fonda, 33 Variations
Marcia Gay Harden, God of Carnage
Janet McTeer, Mary Stuart
Harriet Walter, Mary Stuart

* What does it say about the quality of actresses in a season if they can only pull the nominees from 3 shows? Jane Fonda's a joke, Marcia Gay Harden is old news (but I think the front-runner), and the Mary Stuart ladies are gold.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish ‚ Billy Elliot, The Musical
Gavin Creel, Hair
Brian d'Arcy James, Shrek The Musical
Constantine Maroulis, Rock of Ages
J. Robert Spencer, Next to Normal

* Brian d'Arcy James is so 1990s & Constantine is an American Idol gremlin, so no. Gavin Creel is hott, so that would be fine. But I like it when children win Tonys, so cheers to the little tripping billies.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

Stockard Channing, Pal Joey
Sutton Foster, Shrek The Musical
Allison Janney, 9 to 5: The Musical
Alice Ripley, Next to Normal
Josefina Scaglione, West Side Story

* Alice Ripley & Sutton Foster are pointless. I want Josefina the underdog.

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

Jennifer Damiano, Next to Normal
Haydn Gwynne, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Karen Olivo, West Side Story
Martha Plimpton, Pal Joey
Carole Shelley, Billy Elliot, The Musical

* Karen Olivo is so pretty, but my heart belongs to Martha.

Best Choreography

Karole Armitage, Hair
Andy Blankenbuehler, 9 to 5: The Musical
Peter Darling, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Randy Skinner, Irving Berlin's White Christmas

* I just think it says something that both West Side Story and Guys & Dolls were both left out of this category when they could have had such easy nominations.

new @ the nederlander

On September 7, Rent closed at the Nederlander. My church was right next to the theatre and there were so many grievers & mourners. Every week, the lime green paint would have more and more little yearbook-entry type messages to the closed show. It annoyed me. I'm not a huge Guys & Dolls fan, but I do prefer classic musicals to those with an outdated cult following. So, the new Guys & Dolls revival gets my stamp of approval and I'm glad the Nederlander will be getting a paint job. And I like the looks of the cast, ESPECIALLY LAUREN GRAHAM. The casting of Miss Adelaide can easily go so good or no good, and I'm thinking so good.

Mox.ie Cou.ture NYC

My beautiful friend Jenna from New York has started a business selling stunning, vintage-style feather hair-pieces. It would be in your best interest to purchase the pretty now.

Examples

after miss julie

I remember when I was in England the summer after I graduated college and Sienna Miller was playing Celia in As You Like It. It was then that I learned of the style and sass that is Sienna Miller. Now, seven years later, Miss Miller has shown herself to be even more stylish & sassy than anticipated, and even more talentless than her reviews would have predicted. So, why has she been confirmed to be the lead in Patrick Marber's After Miss Julie on Broadway. I'm not opposed to film actors being Broadway star carriages. As long as they are deserving and can hold thier own. But it's bad enough that actresses who don't even feign talent or training are getting good roles, but getting good roles a in Patrick Marber play just breaks my little heart.

things are looking up.

on Broadway, not in my life.
There are shows opening next season that I am actually excited to see:

1. reasons to be pretty: Neil LaBute is always interesting and modern, even if not consistently my taste. It's about the American obsession with physical appearance, which is a pretty ordinary topic, but I think he could address it in a fresh way. The potential problem: Piper Perabo.

2. Mary Stuart: I had such England-envy when this was playing at the Donmar Warehouse. Everything pertaining to Elizabeth I is good by me, and this is supposed to a political thriller that is actually both politcal and thrilling. Plus, Janet McTeer can do no wrong.

3. West Side Story: This is exactly the type of musical that should be revived. It's a musical that warrants the degree of popularity it has accrued. It will probably never close and probably never should. I like that Maria (Karen Olivo) is accomplished but not already over-exposed. And I like her face.

4. Hair: Another good revival, it will be interesting to see which one wins the Tony (probably West Side though). I pretty much can't think of an old-school musical I would be more excited to see revived with the technology/avenues of artistry that they didn't have 40 years.

5. Waiting for Godot: I feel like I've lived this play. Nathan Lane can be annoying but he's good. And last year Bill Irwin was working at PTC, so that's fun.

6. You're Welcome. A Final Night With George Bush: Will Ferrell + Broadway is the new peanut butter and honey.

Maybe it's because we are in an election year, but things seem to be political and/or commenting specifically on American-ness. I likes.

pug hill

Pug Hill: The story
by Maggie the Pug

People think Pug Hill has always been. But it was created by deliberate design.

When I created Pug Hill in 1994 it was my idea that Pug Hill activities would bring people together with one sole love-the love of pugs. Over the years I have personally invited over 1,000 pugs to join Pug Hill and thousands more people to visit. As described in one book I was the “pug ambassador.” I am known worldwide for these activities (in various media interviews, book and articles).

Pug Hill was not just about “a place in the park but a place in the heart.” It was about introducing people from various backgrounds to each other. Their common love was their pug(s). We participated in pug shows, charity events, auctions and traveled to far off places.

Pug Hill was also about the “pug lore” I created. It was fact injected with preposterous fiction. It was meant to self deprecate. It was meant to educate. But most of all it was about fun.

There are those who never secured my permission for use of the Pug Hill name for commercial or creative endeavors. I wanted to make sure that the pug world understands that, the book “Pug Hill” was done without my permission.

There are reasons for withholding that permission. For example, the reason I did not cooperate with the author of some articles is because I did not want to see Pug Hill (or their owners) exploited. If money was to be made it would be donated to the pug rescues etc of my choice not someone else's. But in this case I was never asked for my permission.

It is a shame that there are those who appropriate ideas and exploit them. Even if these people believe they have the legal right to do these things it does not mean it is ethical or moral.

Pug Hill was not “Dog Hill” and that is why it was pugs only. There also can not be an “official” pug because no pug is singularly important not even my pug Maggie who was the first pug of Pug Hill. It would detract from all the pugs and their owners, some of whom are no longer with us.

How many times had people heard me say “Pug Hill has no dues because pugs have no money” and “Pug Hill has no rules because pugs have no rules”? But in a sense they did have rules.

Pugs are pure of heart. So let us learn from them. Love unconditionally and play fair.

"I retain the rights to the Pug Hill trademark, and I will pursue all available legal remedies to the extent necessary to protect those rights." But I will also do what is right.

With pug hugs,

John

© 2006 Manhattan Rose Press
Pug Hill (SM)1994 All rights reserved.

i was born.

and katie holmes said happy birthday.