Friday, September 30, 2005

Last day of hols.

Mutterings continued.

Well, that three weeks has flown by! My body clock is still out of whack, so I must rectify it before Monday.

Slack day today, so far. Went shopping, bought some socks, cat food and apple juice (body double for whiskey) and now I'm doing some washing.

There are some very amusing "arguments" about our production of What the Butler Saw going on over on the Aust. Theatre website.

We had a small house last night - I left just before curtain up so I don't know how good they were. Tonight's audience is larger and tomorrow's numbers at 50+.

Not that we need any more evidence that the standard of English in this country is appalling, however...

" Education Minister Brendan Nelson has released examples of teachers' spelling and grammatical mistakes, in a push to overhaul English education standards.

One example included a teacher spelling Qantas as Quantas.

Dr Nelson said parents should be shocked. He blamed the shortcomings on the way Bachelor of Education students were taught at university.

"Parents have every reason to be concerned because a significant number of children are being let down," he said.

But university lecturers have hit back, accusing Dr Nelson of being an ignorant trouble-maker.

"Regarding the Qantas example, the teacher was right as far as the rules go (putting a U after a Q). Maybe the teacher had never flown Qantas before and didn't know how the company spelt its name," Flinders University primary school literacy and English lecturer Barbara Neilsen said.

"I assure you some young teachers graduating today are brilliant and we are not helped by people blaming us, but helping us to do better." "

How the hell could someone who has graduated from university in this country never have seen the name 'Qantas'?

Thanks to Leece for letting me know that The Goodies are coming to Perth in November.

I've got 'MTV Movies' on in the background and Joss Whedon is being interviewed about Serenity, which opened here yesterday. Reminds me, we are off to see it at Glod (TM) Class on Sunday.

Some internet bumper stickers.










This one is for Rob:











Thursday, September 29, 2005

Wind, rain, bit of sunshine

Mutterings continued.

A mixed bag of a day, weather-wise.

Last night's audience was small but I think they enjoyed the show. I got to sit with Leece and Ros - Leece's review can be found here. I even got to drink a glass of red at interval and didn't collect my props afterward. Slack Props Diva.

I received an email from Pat this arvo asking if I'd help out front of house on Saturday evening - said yes, of course.

Had lunch with Kim at Secret Squirrel (Garden), which was nice as always. And there was a nice parcel sitting on the doorstep this morning containing the soap and goodies I had ordered from Corryn's. Nice smells abound. The mail contained a credit card statement and a lovely Russian Exhibition postcard from Leece.

Horoscope

Mutterings continued.

Aquarius:

You're energized and inspired creatively and emotionally. Playfully and spontaneously be more willing to take chances. The dramatic and performing arts, sports and games, or other forms of self-expression and entertainment appeal strongly just now. New love affairs are also likely.


How did they know I'm involved in theatre?? Good lord, there must be something in this horoscope stuff!!

Not.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Visiting, housework, etc

Mutterings continued.

Did a fair bit of housework this morning - vacuumed, washed the floors, all the stuff I've been avoiding.

Earlier in the day I called into the flower wholesalers and bought some more roses (red and white and yellow and red for Butler and red for meeeee), then spent half an hour unleafing and dethorning them. They are now sitting very elegantly in a green bucket.

Had lunch with John who is babysitting his granddaughter.

And then it was on to Bunnings to buy some supa glue to repair the vase Dr Prentice broke on Saturday night. *sigh* Actors!

Leece and Ros are coming to tonight's performance; not sure if it's Rob's thing.

There was a message on the answering machine when I got home, asking me to call the Public Trustee's office about Dad's will. Odd, I thought, Dad didn't make a will. Apparently they go through the death notices and follow up with the rellies when the will isn't claimed. It seems that William Smith is a fairly common name (who'da thought it) and they just wanted to clarify that they weren't holding a will for him.

Lots of interesting mail over the last couple of days - a postcard wiv a train on it from Leece and Rob, three decent cattledogs (Lush, Office Works and Bunnings) and a cheque from Dept Vets Affairs for $1,000 to help cover the costs of Dad's funeral. That's the maximum amount they give and I was surprised to get it as I thought they would just make up the difference between what he had in the bank and the cost of the funeral (in this case a few dollars).

Yippee!

Mutterings continued.

My blog counter thingie has just clicked over to 10,000!

Go me!!

Oh, and go everybody else who has read my mutterings.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Wild and Woolly Again


16c, winds WSW 30kph, occasional squally shower – not nice weather to be out in.

Just back from a stroll around the art gallery and lunch in the Krishna café in Northbridge. We didn’t end up visiting the St Petersburg Exhibition as neither of us was in a mood for culture. We had a cursory look at the Wembley Ware, a job lot of kitsch created in Oz which features swans, crayfish, etc etc and then enjoyed a cup of tea in the incredibly breezy gallery coffee shop, before heading for the Krishna eatery. Great value – Indian vegetarian goodies, semolina and custard and yoghurt drink for $6! Oh, and a poppadom.

The Blue Room Theatre is undergoing some interesting-looking renovations. It’s a great, albeit small, theatre space so I hope they’re not taking too much of the character away. Any venue where you have to cross the ‘stage’ to get to the bar is cool.

Saw a travel doco on Moscow today – their underground railway stations are fabulous! Have a look at some of the photos here. Have a look at the murals in Komsomolskaya. I think I'd like to visit Moscow.

More props work needed tomorrow - a trip to the flower wholesalers for more roses (cast and director were very pleased with the ones I got last week and want the same colour).





This is one that didn't achieve theatrical immortality by having its stalk cut off before being shoved into a vase.

Monday, September 26, 2005

Seven things

Mutterings continued.

Grabbed this from the Going Underground blog:


Seven things you plan to do before you die



  1. Visit Paris again

  2. Visit all the bits of Scotland that aren't on the mainland

  3. Learn to speak French fluently

  4. See all of Shakespeare's play

  5. Visit Canada and Alaska

  6. Grow old disgracefully

  7. Earn enough money to do all of the above

Seven things I could (or should) do



  1. Eat healthily

  2. Exercise more

  3. Learn French

  4. Ride a motorcycle

  5. Buy myself flowers

  6. Go the theatre more often (theatre I'm not involved in, that is)

  7. READ MORE!!!


Seven Celebrity crushes (well, not so much crushes, as slebs I deeply admire and wouldn't say 'no' to if they offered <g>)



  1. Derek Jacobi

  2. David Troughton

  3. Ian McKellan

  4. kd lang

  5. Michael Maloney

  6. Judi Dench

  7. Danny Webb


Seven often repeated words



  1. Fuck!

  2. Bugger!

  3. Cool!

  4. No!! (usually to the cats)

  5. ACTORS!! (usually uttered when frustrated with the buggers)

  6. Wow!

  7. Great.


Seven traits I look for in the opposite sex



  1. Sense of humour

  2. Integrity

  3. Sense of humour

  4. Intelligence

  5. Sense of humour

  6. Compassion

  7. Did I mention a sense of humour?

Marketing

Mutterings continued.

I'm back from trawling the Fremantle and Stock Road markets (and Elizabeth's Bookshops) for booty. It's been a rather costly exercise but I don't care 'cos I got loads o' goodies including: Midsummer Night's Dream (the play GRADS is producing next summer), complete with neat pen drawing of Will himself that a previous owner must had drawn; bottle of home-made lemon curd (to which I'm addicted); yummy home-made spearmint and pine soap and Japanese Rice Scrub (I use their Fuller's Earth mud pack); Wombah coffee beans; a Yorkie Bar ("They're not for girls!") and 3 small bags of Walker's Crisps (including Marmite flavoured); some apples (Pink Ladies, my absolute favourite) ; and, drawing a big breath, the BBC The Comedy of Errors, All's Well That Ends Well, Two Gentlemen of Verona and Coriolanus, as well as Stoppard's Every Good Boy Deserves Favour and a 1977 Cinema Papers.

Whew!

Theatre news from the British Theatre Guide website:

On the Ceiling to Close Early

The Birmingham Rep production of Nigel Planer's On the Ceiling (Garrick) is to close early on 1st October. It began previews on 30th August and opened on 12th September to universally poor reviews. Comparatively kindly, the BTG's Philip Fisher described it as "like an extended version of one of those productions on the Edinburgh Fringe that cannot make up its mind whether to list under comedy or theatre," and concluded, "Ron Cook and Ralf Little give the show their all but it is still not enough to lift a light comedy with a single comic idea to anything that would justify a night out, even if tickets are still apparently selling (for Saturday matinees at least) at preview prices."

Nicholas de Jong called it "piffle", Benedict Nightingale decribed it as "glum" and Charles Spencer said it was "the theatrical equivalent of painting by numbers." Oh dear.

Oh, to be visiting the National in London - Playing With Fire! Now, some reviews (well, only the important bits *g*):

From The Stage Online: "Carefully researched, it makes for a tough evening of theatre in which New Labour technobabble comes head to head with blunt talking councillors, brilliantly led by David Troughton as the bluff leader of the council, backed by Northern sideswipes from Trevor Cooper as a pipe-sucking socialist."

From The Telegraph: "Emma Fielding is authentically irritating as the smug, jargon-spouting Blairite, David Troughton is persuasively agonised as the decent, baffled council leader, and Oliver Ford Davies attacks the follies of multiculturalism with alarmingly persuasive bravura."

Most reviews, unfortunately, aren't terribly good.

A propos of nothing, my electronic car door unlocker thingie doesn't work at Spotlight in Cannington. The first time it happened, I thought it was broken, however it worked when I got home. The second time it happened I thought it was more than coincidence. The third time I went to Spotlight I parked in a different place, at a different angle, and it worked. Odd. Very odd.

Some reviews for What the Butler Saw - from the Theatre Australia website.

Sunday, September 25, 2005

A Sunday

Mutterings continued.

Non-performance days feel strange - I keep looking at the clock, working out how much time I have left before I have to start getting ready.

I've had a very slack day - got up about 10am, which is really, really late for me; did a bit of washing and caught up on the telly programs I've recorded during the week. Recorded on my new DVD recorder, I might add. The History Channel showed a doco on the history of London, a city I love.

I've changed my blog mirror site to: http://www.livejournal.com/users/possbert/ I didn't like MSN's blog space very much as it was impossible to copy and paste from other blogs into it. I rather like the look of Live Journal.

Think I'll take myself to Freo Markets tomorrow and then to Stock Road - I want to visit the second hand bookshop for more BBC Shakespeares. I'm hoping they have Midsummer Night's Dream, GRADS next production.

Saturday, September 24, 2005

That's that for this week

Mutterings continued.

Performance 2 over; we're free until next Wednesday. Smaller audience tonight, though very appreciative. Only one broken prop, no props lost. A good night, all in all.

I did front of house, sold programmes and ushered. This means I got to see the play from stage left as I sat on the right side of the theatre.

Season = Summer
You're Most Like The Season Summer ...

Whoa.... Passionate eh ?? Typically you're a fiery,
zesty dominant person. As the hottest season,
you certainly ooze Sex appeal. You have
confidence which draws people to you, and you
have the makings of a good leader.
However sometimes your exterior is stronger then
you are and so you scare people off before they
can get close.

Well done... You're the most memorable of seasons
:)


?? Which Season Are You ??
brought to you by Quizilla

But...but...I HATE summer!

Friday, September 23, 2005

O + 3 hours 24 minutes

Mutterings continued.

Anothing opening, another show. The tech side of things went well, the props all worked, pity the actors didn't! The same actor managed to break one of the glasses and lose another vital prop!

Still, the audience laughed a lot and Winnie's Willy went down well....snigger.

We had a good crowd, though most of them were comps (complimentaries). I'll be doing front of house tomorrow as well as props setting.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

O minus 1 (final dress rehearsal tonight)



Just back from lunch with Kim (hi Kim!).   We went to a Chinese/Thai restaurant in South Perth, not far from the Zoo, and had one of their lunch time specials – curry chicken and rice for Kim, satay chicken and rice for me.

Got the last of the props done this morning – the ‘brooch’ halves have been giving me grief and falling apart.  Silver doesn’t stick well to metal, no matter how much super glue you use so I ended up making a ‘brooch’ out of cardboard, painting it gold, cutting it in half and sewing one half to a brooch back.  The other half is hanging from a chain and just needs to be ‘fitted’ into its pair on the brooch.  Thank the small gods for Blu Tac; what did we do in theatre before its invention?  Oh, that’s right, duct tape.

And I found pairs of black stockings (the ones without the elasticy stay up stuff in the tops) for Jen for an amazing $2.86 a pair!  Picked up 3 pairs for her.  As I was on my knees in front of her last night, attaching her stockings to her suspenders, I made the comment that I always seem to be doing something to her undergarments.  During the run of Winters Tale I had to take her bra off just before she is revealed as a ‘statue’.  I didn’t have to take it all the way off, just undo it and tuck the straps into her dress as the back of the dress was too low and a white bra back just didn’t look right.

This time last year I was in Middlesbrough with Ash and her Mam, preparing for our trip to Scotland.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

O minus 2 and counting

Happy 2nd birthday to my blog.

This time last year I was in York with my mate Ashleigh.

While Stephen the director was giving notes to the cast last night he told them I'm one of the best props people he's ever worked with.  *grin grin ever-so-slightly-smug watch it all go pear-shaped”

Nicked this from friend Fiona's site (who in turn nicked it from someone else).  Top 100 films as determined by....someone.  In bold are the ones I've seen.


1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. MAS*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)


I guess 41 out of 100 ain’t bad.

Sad news:  Nazi Hunter/ Holocaust Survivor Simon Wiesenthal (1908-2005) died in Vienna today at age 96.  He also spent the latter half of his life fighting anti-Semitism and prejudice against all people.  He is best remembered for tracking down Nazi war criminals, in particular one-time SS leader Adolf Eichmann and the policeman who arrested Anne Frank.Having experienced hatred first hand by surviving five Nazi death camps, Wiesenthal spent more than 50 years hunting Nazi war criminals, speaking out against neo-Nazism and racism, and remembering the Jewish experience as a lesson for humanity. It is said because of his efforts & those who worked with him, some 1,100 Nazi war criminals were brought to justice.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

O minus 3 and counting

Mutterings continued.

More props shopping and a very nice lunch. I bought four sacrificial roses for tonight's rehearsal - gorgeous red they are, shame they have to get the chop (literally). I'm visiting the wholesale flower sellers in West Leederville tomorrow to see if I can get them any cheaper than $14 for four (!!). Fake ones won't do as they have wire and heavy plastic up the stems, making them impossible to cut with scissors. It all makes for a very funny couple of scenes.

I also bought a standby large vase in case the existing vase gets broken. 'appens. The cast of Nightingale were shockers for breaking and losing things - two gold chains, two rosaries, a shoe, a pack of cards, an ARP badge and a British Communist Party membership card were either broken or MIA. And we still can't find Jesus! He was last seen in the Dolphin dressing room but vanished on the final night.

I also managed to find a cardboard box small and sturdy enough to hold Winston Churchill's willy. It was sitting on a shelf in the Clearance section of Target - dunno what had been in it but there were six of them according to the sticker on the bottom. I showed it to the spotty faced herbert doing security and said, "Can I have this? It's for a play and it's just the right size." Don't think he believed me; should have told him what I planned to put in it.

This morning I caught the bus into town and met up with a friend I haven't seen for about 10 years. Interesting. Not sure where it's headed. Anyway, we had lunch in the Asian food hall in James St (he had curry, I had Malay) and swapped My Life So Far stories.

Rehearsals tonight are in the Dolphin. Hurrah! I don't think the set is finished, but then it wouldn't be amateur theatre if the paint was dry on opening night.

I've got a bio in the program this year.

Monday, September 19, 2005

Speaking of (and, indeed, like) Pirates...






My pirate name is:


Dirty Ethel Bonney



You're the pirate everyone else wants to throw in the ocean -- not to get rid of you, you understand; just to get rid of the smell. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

Where did Sunday go?


Mutterings continued.

Not quite sure what happened to yesterday. Grant called by in the morning to pick up the wheelchair, then I went for a drive to Gosnells Markets, came home and the rest of the day seems to have gone. Did get a phone call from a friend I haven't seen for 10 years or so; we're catching up for lunch tomorrow.

Saturday night was fun - BSG (ended on a cliff hanger, dammit), Atlantis, Rah Xephon (incomprehensible as usual), and a very, very bad (ie good) MST3K - the Mad Monster.

From JMS on the r.a.s.t.b5.m newsgroup:

"For years, I've been at conventions and had fans come up with
photocopied scripts they'd purchased from script stores or dealers for
$20 a pop, many times in poor condition...with loose or missing pages,
hard to read, and thought, there has to be a better way for fans to get
these scripts without paying that much for copies that are often
inferior.

So now, at some point in October, we're going to fix this.

All 91 Babylon 5 scripts that I wrote are going to be made available
through an independent publishing firm in trade paperback form. We're
still working out the final details in terms of how to put the scripts
together, but right now the plan is to do 7 scripts per book, each
volume released every two weeks or so, at a cost of about $29 per
volume if ordered in the first week or so it comes online) or $39 per
for those who buy later. That's four bucks per script if purchased
early, about five per script if published later...which saves fans a
HUGE amount of money."

Boi the way, it be Talk Like a Pirate Day, arrr me hearties.

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Poss's Pat on the Back

Mutterings continued.

I think I may have mentioned in the past that I am rubbish when it comes to do with anything technological. That is, I'm rubbish with the hardware side of technology; I'm fine with software. Indeed, I once had a working knowledge of Microsoft NT (now, mercifully, all forgotten) when I was Acting IT Support. I could create new profiles, etc etc until the cows, or other ruminants, came home, but if anyone asked me to install a new printer on the network and I'd be cowering under the helpdesk. Dunno what it is; my brain just isn't hardwired for hardware.

Today, however, has seen a turning point. I've just bought my latest shiny thing - a rather nice, albeit cheap ($394) DVD recorder. The really, REALLY cheap one I had has died (no, I haven't had it that long) and I really couldn't be fagged going through all the hassle of taking back to DS, etc etc. JBs cattledog came along in the nick of time and so I trotted off this morning to pick up a rather nice Panasonic.

And I plugged it all in myself!! In the past when I've bought a new shiny thing it's been a case of, "Robbbb!!!!! Help!!". But today, because I was smart and just pulled the plugs out of the old recorder and then put them into the same holes in the new, I actually got the thing to work. Sort of. Couldn't see the telly or the vid player so I plugged some more cables in the front, played around with the channels and WOO HOO!! I've tested all the recording bits and it actually works. And it's possible to erase stuff from DVD-R disks, which my other one wouldn't do.

And the Top Menu function has a live menu - you can watch and hear the menu items.

On the downside, DVD+RWs are incompatible and I've got half a dozen laying about. I can probably use them on the PC; not sure, will have to check.

On the upside, DVD+RWs are more expensive and not as easy to find as the -RW disks.

HP and the GoF - mild spoilers

Mutterings continued.

For people who haven't read the book. The cast list is interesting: Gary Oldman is back as Black; ditto Timothy Spall as Peter Petigrew; also starring Miranda "Queenie" Richardson, Ralph Fiennes, Jarvis "Pulp" Cocker, Eric Sykes, David "How long will he have the role of Doctor Who?" Tennant.

BTW, Shirley Henderson, who plays Moaning Myrtle, is really 40 years old.

Friday, September 16, 2005

I think it's Friday

Mutterings continued.

I'm losing track of the bloody days!

Just got back from seeing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Glod Class - the only way to go. Fab movie and Johnnie Depp is so good. Some gorgeous graphics and very funny self-referential stuff from Tim Burton. I thought the narrrator sounded familiar but couldn't place the voice. Turns out to be Geoffrey Holder who played Baron Samedi in Live and Let Die.

One of the previews was for Harry P and the Goblet of Fire. Looking good.

Thursday, September 15, 2005

A lovely sunny day...

Mutterings continued.

....in which I got very little done. Had such plans - bit of housework, off to lunch with The Gels, thence to JBs and assorted op shops. Got as far as lunch... Ah well, it was nice sitting outside eating lots, drinking coffee and dissing directors, actors, etc etc.

Rehearsals tonight. Must remember to tell the director I have a wheelchair for him.

Some Douglas Adams pilots that never made it to air: (taken from TV Cream)

THE GUINNESS BOOK OF RECORDS (1975) - Not Castle territory, but, bizarrely enough, a comedy sci-fi dramatisation of the famous book, wherein aliens challenge the UN to a Guinness record-based Olympic Games. Written by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd, this one actually came frighteningly close to being made.

OUT OF THE TREES (1976) More ChapAdams comedy (with Bernard McKenna), this time a very sub-Python sketch show. Sketch where Simon "Arthur Dent" Jones and Maria Aitken caused the destruction of the world by nicking a neighbour's flower presaged Adam's Hitch-Hiker's themes.

SNOW SEVEN AND THE WHITE DWARFS (1975) Yet another Douglas Adams/John Lloyd script about two astronomers isolated from the world in a remote mountain observatory on top of Mount Everest. The idea was that with just one set and two cast members, cheapness alone could convince the curmudgeonly BBC Light Entertainment department to give it the go-ahead. They didn't, but later on they green-lighted the similar cheapo spacefest COME BACK, MRS NOAH! which cannot have been any worse than this effort.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

A lunch time blog

Mutterings continued.

12:06pm and I've visited two shopping centres and Office Works (mmm...Office Works. On aus.tv we stationery junkies had a long conversation about how we could happily live in Office Works as it supplies all 5 basic requirements - pens, paper, computers, chocolates and biscuits. I staked out the paper aisle as my home.).

I found the pill boxes I needed for Butler - one is supposed to be white, the other red. Well, I got a white and a pink one. Close enough! I bought a rather lovely In Tray at Office Works; looks like red leather and will go rather nicely with the leather blotter I won on Ebay. I also nicked a carboard box to put Churchill's willy in. I couldn't get to the mailing boxes as the staff had left two ruddy great ladders in front of the shelves, and another one in front of the in boxes, so I felt very justified in taking a empty carton from the pile. I declared it at the checkout, though I didn't declare what I wanted it for...

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Tuesday

Mutterings continued.

More props shopping - found a vase that is large enough to hide a nightie, wig and woman's shoe. And I've made Winston Churchill's willy. I covered the dildo from UDS in a couple of cardboard tubes to make it longer and more rigid and then painted the lot in bronze and black.

I didn't win the globe drinks thingie on Ebay. Not to worry, it was only set dressing.

Off to rehearsals shortly; run of Act 2.

Monday, September 12, 2005

Spam

Mutterings continued.

I'm starting to get comment spam on this blog and have instituted one word verification. This means that when you want to leave a comment you'll have to type in the wavy word that will pop up. Stops bots, apparently.

A mid-morning blog.

Mutterings continued.

Shopping! I've been out shopping, for myself and for props. Got swabs, rubber gloves, hankies and syringes (which, at $1 each, are considerably cheaper than I thought they'd be) for the play and clothes for myself. There's a small boutique at Carousel that sells Indian goodies, including lots of lovely cotton and velvet Goth gear. I picked up three tops, maroon, black and purple, for $15 each. Bargain! They also have some gorgeous velvet frocks that would suit my mate Kim.

I have a couple of bids in for some stuff on Ebay, including a globe drinks caddy that would look good in Butler and may be useful in other plays. The guy selling it is located in Perth so I'll save on postage.

Sunday, September 11, 2005

The things you hear...

Mutterings continued.

...and read. Heard on the radio: announcer talking about the effect captains have on their teams, "It's donkey see, donkey do." And this description of a perfectly ordinary vintage desk on Ebay, "Double desk with ink well hole, metal frame, wood back seat. Needs sanding and relaquering or folk art.Local pick up only. Perfect for the strict school mistress and naughty school student." Or you could use it to write on.

I've just come back from a rehearsal of Butler, which turned out to be quite profitable. As I was walking past the rear of the Dolphin, a young chap said hello. Knew I knew him, but had to come clean that I had no idea where from. He was the SM for Winter's Tale earlier in the year. I've decided to be honest about my lack of recognition of people; it's so much easier than trying to remember who the hell they are. Anyway, he's with the University Dramatic Society and in their props store they happen to have a dildo the right size and shape to stand in for Winston Churchill's penis. I asked if it was solid and he said it could be made rigid. Talk dirty to it, do you? I asked.

At the moment it's attached a light sabre handle, apparently, which makes one wonder about UDS's interpretation of Star Wars.

Good night last night - chicken kiev with asparagus and prosciutto and salad, and apple strudel and ostrich feet for afters. Ep 2.1 of Atlantis (woo hoo!) and ep 1.1 of MST3K. Yay Dr Forrester! No Frank yet, but. The movie was the Crawling Eye which, despite the cheapness of the sets and paucity of dialogue (it was almost Pinteresque), the Eye itself was rather cool.

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Summer is Def. in the Air. Dammit.

Mutterings continued.

Had recourse to use the air con in the car this arvo. Just to cool things down inside as I'd parked in the sun and the ambient temp. in the car was higher than I like it*.

Notes from the SAGE quiz night we attended on Wednesday:

Of the 10 people at our table, more than half were West Aussies, ie Local, so I came up with the name for our team - A Local Team for Local People. Only Leece and Rob got the reference. When our name was read out by the MC, only a couple of people in the room got it. Most strange; I would have thought the League of Gentlemen was the kind of thing your average geek...er nerd....I mean Sys Admin would watch.

The couple sitting opposite me were Perl trainers (wouldn't have thought there was much call for specialised knitting teachers these days, but there you go) who do in-house training. One of their clients assured them they had the latest equipment, data projector, that sort of thing. They got to the training room to be told, "We don't have a data projector but we do have a television." Not quite the same thing, really.

Amusing send up, or piss take if you will, of the Carlton Big Ad (for which a friend of mine auditioned, have I said?) - A Small Ad.

Shiny thing purchase - bundle of 10 DVD+Rs for $13 and two CDs from JBs - Manfred Mann's Mann Made Hits (which includes all the tracks from their great As Is album) and, wait for it, the Best of Peter Sarstedt. I was most surprised when I turned the disk over to see more than two songs listed; hadn't realised he actually recorded more. Where Do You Go to My Lovely, I can take or leave, but I adore Frozen Orange Juice. It's one of those songs that transports me back to being 12 years old in 1969 and spending summer days at my friend Donna's house. Ditto Russel Morris's The Real Thing.

Props purchasing - got an overnight case for $3.50 and a really tacky ice bucket with a golfer on top of it. 60's kitch.


*On the I Like It scale, 20c is good, 25c is pushing your luck and 30+ is I Don't Think So! Anything over 40c is Just Plain Wrong.

Friday, September 09, 2005

On Leave

Mutterings continued.

I've got the next 3 weeks off; the first two will be spent in props procurement panic.

Yesterday was really only day 4 of the wild and woolly weather; it just felt like longer. Today has been most pleasant. Light winds, blue skies, bloody cold.

Watched a fascinating prog on UKTV last night - the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? The first episode was about Bill Oddie who had a very sad upbringing. "Oddie grew up in Birmingham, the only surviving child of Lilian - said to be mentally ill - and Harry, his distant father. He was brought up by his grandmother, Emily. His mother's illness cast a shadow over the family, as did the deaths of the two previous children of the family. One of them was stillborn, the other choked to death within months of being born." She was actually 5 days old when she died.

According the Fuel Watch, the cheapest petrol near here is $1.31 a litre. Fuck!

More stage managers' reports:


Show: Oedipus
"Mr Edwards (MD) was almost late for one of his cues and made a bit of noise dashing to the piano."

Show: Nativity
"During show, a child who was angry for not being chosen as the lead
sheep, pulled the fire alarm. The show had to be stopped for fifteen
minutes while the fire department came and figured how to shut it
off."


Show: A View from the Bridge - rehearsal note "Ms. Deans would like
two imaginary windows"

Show: Annie
"Tony the dog sniffed something interesting in the wing just before
his entrance at the end of Act 1 scene 6. He was very late and walked
across the stage as the lights faded to black."

Show: Bartered Bride
"Sprat the dog was able to perform although contracting an infestation
of fleas, he did not, however take a curtain call."

Show: Jerry's Girls
" ... and photographer shot during rehearsal"


Show: One of Many
"When the LX op was under the influence and was missing most of the
cues the report read F.E.B.C.A.D. (fault exists between chair and
desk)."

Show: Oh What A Lovely War
"During the Irish Rangers scene the sound operator accidentally
triggered two samples at the same time thus instead of the sound of a
single shot being fired the sound of a horse neighing was also heard.
R____ B______ exclaimed in his broad irish accent, 'Bejesus them
filthy Huns is shooting the horses an' all.'"

Show : Guys and Dolls
"The house was plunged into darkness during the interval due to the LX
op putting his phone onto the 'Cut' button. This was made up for
during the second half by the houselights accidentaly rising when some
quick plotting had included them by mistake."

Show : La Pietra Del Paragone
"Could an ASM please be available in the wings to pass water?"

Show: Face (a musical)
"Mr Kenah aided Mr Dudley (No.1 Sound Engineer) with sound today due
to Mr Dudley going deaf."

Show: TIE tour of Nativity
"Miss R (Stage Manager) cut herself on the first aid box."

"LXQ 53 went early because Mr. Hay's headset fell off and hit the GO
button"

Show: Sleeping Beauty - Northcott Theatre, Exeter "A child in the
audience told Mr Hall to "get on with it" during the joke sequence,
and then told him he wasn't funny, Mr Hall continued anyway, however
the audience seemed to agree with the child."

"Due to slight problem with the keyboard Andy MacLeod went into the
pit during the first scene, whilst trying to sort the problem out his
bottom came into contact with the tubular bells used for fairy magic,
this was heard onstage but fortunately no adverse spells were cast."

"Mr Guerrini fell over a prone Mr Hall during the duet reprise. Mr
Hall was unhurt and Mr Guerrini managed to prevent himself from
laughing until after the scene."


Show : Dick Whittington
"Inexperienced flyman misunderstood that whilst he was on standby for
House Tabs out, the 'GO' was in fact for LX (as suggested by q lights).
House Tabs flew out before LX had begun House lights and tabwarmers
out.
On realising his error, Flyman stopped 1/2 way out and paused...
Dancers on stage confused but made a good effort to cover as did MD. -
Head flyman had 'nipped to the loo'"

Show: A Christmas Carol
"A metal coat hanger was attached to Scrooge's gravestone as it was
brought on in Scene 12."

Show: Educating Rita
"Due to the large number of short scenes separated by blackouts, Mr C,
the Professor, found that towards the end of the first half, the
audience started to leave believing the interval was due. On finding
people leaving as the lights came up for the scene, Mr C asked the
audience where they were going? The audience members, embarrassed, sat
down and Mr C asked them politely to remain for the following two
remaining scenes. He then asked the crew to go to blackout and start
the scene again. The crew and audience obliged."

Show: The Greeks
"LXQ18 was nearly late"


Show : Gypsy
"Mr. ______ entered Goldstone scene without any pants and with his
dresser hysterically shouting after him. He later claimed he had
forgotten to under dress, but didn't want to be late for his entrance
by putting back on his recently shed Kringelein pants. He spent the
entire number in a chair perched atop a steamer trunk in his boxers."


Show: Wizard of Oz
"During Munchkinland scene, small munchkin kicked out BOTH wedges from
the house truck causing it to head for the orchestra pit. 6 stage
hands hanging onto the back corner for the rest of the scene averted
disaster!"

Anon
"During rehearsal when a single shot was supposed to be fired from
pistol, sound got over enthusiastic and a burst of machine gun fire
rattled round the auditorium. Actor Mr.... looked at gun and said
'Didn't know it could do that!' "

Show: Someone Who Will Watch Over Me
"After a very short rehearsal period our preview night opened to an
invited audience. The first actor on stage walked to the front of the
stage, flung his arms apart and said loudly 'PROMPT'. We were 15 mins
late because of the laughter."

Show: Aurora Borealis
"A fast run. 1 sound cue nearly gave SM heart attack but I succeeded
in surviving to the end of the show. Director rewrote show after
performance"

Show: Stage apart II
"a silence from a group upstage caused the DSM to give a prompt, still
nothing so the DSM prompted again, the reply that came was 'We know
the f****** line, who says it?' "
>


"Musicians playing in the locker rooms had to be threatened with
physical violence before they shut up"

Show: Flibberty and the Penguin
"P___ B_____ condescended to turn up 6 minutes before curtain up, his
excuse was that he was saving his voice"

Show: Country Wife
"Mr S___ laughed hysterically when exiting as the doctor in scene one,
frightening the shit out of the DSM & causing her to GO too early on
LXQ2"


"Mr A____ set his coat alight with the candle but only realised when
he heard the front row of audience muttering about it. He then saw the
flames,said 'OOEER' and put himself out"

Show: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
"End of show tabs follow on Q a little late as flyman hypnotised
himself whilst flying out the 2 slatted screens before"


"Psycho nutter audience member sat on MD's pit piano stool and refused
to move, curtain up held by 6 mins"

Show: Juno and the Paycock
"Mr ______ refused to go on in Act 2 saying that the Act 1 Guinness
was flat, eventually persuaded by SM"

Show: The Beaux Stratagem
"Mr Duncan's hat landed where he was trying to miss"

Show: The Bunnet and the Bowler Tour
"Some cast late because ruffian gave them wrong directions"

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Wild and Woolly Weather Day 44


Forecast for rest of today and tomorrow:

FORECAST:
Showery this evening, easing overnight then clearing by noon tomorrow. Strong and gusty W'ly winds shifting cold, squally SW'ly this evening. Winds moderating overnight and shifting S/SE tomorrow.

TEMPERATURES: Minimum: 7 Maximum: 15
UV INDEX: 5 [MODERATE]

I went to my first Butler rehearsal on Tuesday – very, very funny stuff. Confronting too, despite being 40 years old. It’s a great farce, which means lots of running in and out of doors, half-clothed.

Went to the SAGE trivia night and nosh up last night. We did really well and then crashed and burned to be joint second-last. Ah well. A good time was had by all and much dosh was raised for the Thornlie Anglican Church which distributes food and school supplies to needy families. The auctions alone raised $1,900.

Latest on zoos in the wake of Hurricane Katrina:

From the American Zoos Association:

The Audubon Nature Institute staff is aware that the AZA community has responded — and continues to respond — to this crisis in an overwhelming way and is extremely thankful. AZA is maintaining a list of offers of assistance by category. This will be a long-term effort and our colleagues at the Audubon Nature Institute appreciate all that has been offered.

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
A small team of staff is working around the clock to care for the collection and is preparing to move some animals out of the facility. Unfortunately, without a fully functioning life support system, most of the fish in the collection were lost. But the good news is that the sea otters, penguins, leafy and weedy seadragons, macaws, raptors, an electric eel, and the white alligator are fine.

Midas, the infamous 250 lb. sea turtle, survived and has been coaxed into the holding area in the Gulf of Mexico Exhibit.

Please keep the Aquarium staff in your thoughts and prayers. This is a heartbreaking time for all of them.
Audubon ZooThe staff at the Zoo is supporting the efforts of their colleagues at the Aquarium of the Americas. They have received needed supplies and are continuing to clean up the Zoo and providing care for their animals.
Audubon Center for Reproduction of Endangered SpeciesThe staff at ACRES is doing well and they are in clean–up mode as well. There is a plan in place for them to receive needed supplies very soon.

BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo
Baton Rouge, LABREC's Baton Rouge Zoo re-opened on September 1. Most of clean-up has been completed and power is back on. A baby zebra was just born!

Alexandria Zoo
Alexandria, LAThe Alexandria Zoo has resumed normal operations. No loss of animals.

Jackson Zoo
Jackson, MSThe Jackson Zoo has resumed normal operation. There was no loss in the animal collection and no major damage to any of the exhibit areas.

Birmingham Zoo
Birmingham, AlThe Birmingham Zoo has resumed normal operations. No loss of animals.

Miami Metrozoo
Miami, FLMiami Metrozoo reopened as planned on Saturday, September 3rd. They are continuing clean-up in the non-public area and are doing very well. No animal loss reported.

Montgomery Zoo
Montgomery, ALThe Montgomery Zoo has resumed normal operations. No loss of animals.
The ZOOGulf Breeze, FLThe ZOO reports only minor damage and no loss of animals.

More news articles:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4223288.stm
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/zoo-orleans-fares-well-naturally/2005/09/07/1125772586347.html?oneclick=true
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/09/05/katrina.zoos/


Monday, September 05, 2005

Storm warnings

A wild and woolly evening coming up, by all accounts.  There’s a very strong wind whistling around the flats and my clothes horse was blown over.

From the I Wish I Was There file, from UIP Australia:  

“To celebrate Joss Whedon's impending visit to Australia, we have arranged a special event: Browncoats, We are thrilled to announce that Joss will be taking time out from his busy schedule here in oz to answer all your burning questions about Serenity and the Whedonverse. As special screening of Serenity followed by a Q&A with Joss has been scheduled! Screening will take place at Hoyts Fox Entertainment Quarter (formerly Hoyts Fox Studios) on Monday September 12 Film commences at 6pm Q&A with Joss Whedon to follow at 8pm Tickets are $30 each. Available over the counter at the cinema now Available online from 5pm today. Go to www.hoyts.com.au Melbourne Browncoats - stay tuned for details on a similar Melbourne event.”

Shakespeare as it was spoke – or was it?


Sunday, September 04, 2005

Sunday

Took myself for a drive around the outskirts of Fremantle/Spearwood this morning. Quite by accident – took a wrong turn coming out of the Stock Road markets and ended up not being where I wanted to be. Not that it mattered – I just headed for the coast and finally found some familiar landmarks. Saw the coast, ogled at some huge houses and generally had a good time.

I called into the Last Chance Bookshop at the Markets and came away with some more books in the BBC Shakespeare series – Henry IV, Parts 1, 2 and 3, and Henry VI Parts 1 and 2. Mark (the only true Zaphod Beeblebrox) Wing-Davey played Warwick in Hank 6.

Dinner last night at the Good Fortune Restaurant was great. We had the Peking Duck and some other dishes and ended it all with deep fried ice cream and coffee. Happy birthday for tomorrow, Steveg.

I was going to a production meeting tonight however it’s been cancelled. I’m so behind with the props and there are some doozies I have to get. Straight jackets, anyone??

Cool interview with Mythbuster Adam Savage.

Moi, South Parked:

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Prove yourself

Prove yourself

You are the move you make
Take your chances win or loser.

It’s been a Danny Webb kind of week. I’ve had Yes’s Greatest Video Hits on high rotation in the DVD player, especially Owner of a Lonely Heart. The vid for this is very 80s and seems to about snakes, scorpions and washing your face in meal worms. Danny’s character escapes from what appears to be a black and white totalitarian world into the colour of an underground foundry where he gets beaten up. He then escapes to a building rooftop where he’s surrounded by members of Yes. This leads to him throwing himself of said rooftop – not sure why, perhaps they told him Rick Wakeman was rejoining the band. Or:

Jon Anderson: “If you’re very lucky, I might even read you some of my poetry first.”
Danny Webb: “Nooooooooooo!!”



Danny contemplates Mr Anderson's offer....


and takes the only logical course of action.

(Despite my taking the piss out of Yes (who are so eminently piss-takeable) I’m a great fan of wank rock*).

Danny’s Thomas Cromwell came to a very sticky (painful, undignified) end in Thursday night’s Henry VIII at the hands of a 16 year old executioner (to say he botched the job is putting it mildly). Henry VIII was responsible for an unexpected Derek Jacobi moment – he did a voice over at the end which I don’t think was credited.

And Danny played a soldier in last night’s episode of Witless Silence (aka Silent Witness).

Off to celebrate Steveg’s birthday tonight and tomorrow I have a production meeting for Butler. And then I’m on leave at the end of the week. I erroneously thought I had another week to go, which means that I’m one week closer to production, with one week less to hunt for props!


*Wank rock – overblown, overproduced, self important, self indulgent, ego-driven stadium rock as personified by Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Pink Floyd and Deep Purple. I have several albums by all the foregoing, as well as their antecedents and derivations (King Crimson, The Nice, Rick Wakeman [Journey to the Centre of the Earth and The Myths & Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table, god help me!], etc).

Friday, September 02, 2005

Turned Out Nice Again.

Turned Out Nice Again.

A cold start to the day, which turned grey, followed by a little precipitation and then blue skies and sunshine.

I didn’t go to Secret Squirrel (Garden) for lunch; I had to make do with soup and tuna on crackers and fruit.  I feel very virtuous however I’m in the mood for Lasagne for dins.

I saw an ad on Fox 8 last night for Firefly – it starts screening on the last Wed of this month.  Fox 8 is a strange choice – I would have thought TV1’s SciFi sector more appropriate.

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Sunny Thursday

Sunny Thursday.

Went to Secret Squirrel (aka the Secret Garden) for lunch.  Yes, I know, that’s two days running.  Today I had the chicken and mushroom crepe with lots of veggies.  Sooo tasty.

Got home to discover I couldn’t open my mailbox.  I subbed to Scoop Traveller magazine and they’re sending me two copies for some reason.  Both copies had been shoved into the letter box and I couldn’t open the back flap properly.  It took some manoeuvring and bending of the magazines to get them out.

I’m typing this in Blogger for Word, an add-on to Blogspot.  I’ll see how it works.

I had a delivery of flowers today – the lovely people in the Australian fauna section send me a lovely bouquet and sympathy card.

I have a busy weekend coming up, which is nice.  Steveg’s birthday celebration is on Saturday night and I have a rehearsal and production meeting of Butler on Sunday.

I’ve just received an email from Fuel Watch and the cheapest petrol near me is 121.9c a litre.  Bloody nora!  Time to drag out the 4c off vouchers from Coles and Woolies.