Opening night bumps made for a stormy journey for “Refuge from the Storm,” but it is an easy and interesting ride overall. The play seems simple enough. Bert (Austin Graham) and Martha (Barbara Keegan) work at a tavern on the sea cliffs of Maine. Todd (Seth Caskey), sitting on a bar stool beside his friend Joe (Rod Davidson), is mourning over his father’s recent death. The bar closes for the night and into the empty tavern enters Doris (Gretchen Koerner) and Tom (Michael Harrity), an unhappily married couple. Their boat has crashed on the rocks and they are lucky to have made it to shore. Throughout the night a series of characters come into the bar: Michael (Dane Bowman), a seaman; Eileen (Kassandra Woodley-Connolly), daughter of the owner of the bar; Jim (David Love), an accountant, together with Candy (Chase McKenna), a cheerful prostitute; and Father Gray (Steve Gunning), a priest.
About: Guest Writer
This Bendable Foldable/ Do-what-you're-toldable/ Easily moldable/ Buy-what you're-soldable/ Washable Mendable/ Highly Dependable/ Buyable Saleable/ Always available/ Bounceable Shakeable/ Almost unbreakable/ Twistable Turnable Man... Is one of our favorite writer's because it could me ANYONE... Guest Writer, is collection of different writer's who send us stories without becoming a full member of the team. Hope you enjoy!
Theater Review: Refuge from the Storm
July 8th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · No Comments
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Theater Review: The Sweepers
July 2nd, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · No Comments
I went to review The Sweepers, at the International City Theater in Long Beach and my first thought came about fifteen minutes into the play. “Why does this play exist?” It was a miracle my mind was quiet for that long. But I realized later it was hard at work for those fifteen minutes. It was searching for something while I was dumbly enjoying the pretty set. I dismissed the buzzing fly that was my mind several times before I began to swat at it (internally of course). Another part of my mind said “Listen to the part the you’re about to swat.” I swear all this went on in my head. I thought I better listen to both of these thoughts because maybe my mind was trying to communicate with me (duh). Like a game. It asks a question and I have to find the answer. The cumulative effect of this game would be that I had an interesting experience. Some doctor’s might categorize that as schizophrenic or something else along the lines of mental illness. I like my mind so doctor’s be damned, I decided to trust it and play the game.
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Reality Round-up: Big Brother!
July 2nd, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · No Comments
Reality round is slowing down little-buckaroo’s, but this week in RR I’ll do a little bit of info on Big Brother 10, and me. Then I will ride off into the sunset for a few weeks, only to reemerge with the last slate of summer reality shows, when the reality returns like the Swans at Capistrano…so will TeeSmith.
I was a BIG BROTHER 10 Semi-Finalist…no shit! Yep, I can talk about it now because in the FINALS they chose 30 other A-holes to put in the fish bowl, maybe I was lucky, but you that know would relish in me Tee’ing off of some people with a national TV audience. I went to an open call of 1,000’s and against over 50,000 applicant’s I advance to a small pool of about 60, was brought into a secret bunker far beneath Universal city, and signed NDA’s and was painstakingly interview. I rocked that shit; I even lead by saying….
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Concert Review: Van’s Warped Tour Ventura
June 25th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · 1 Comment
Last Sunday’s Warped Tour in Ventura left me with a wicked sunburn, sore joints, and a deep appreciation for the bands who distracted me from my discomfort with their infallibly upbeat attitudes and earnest performances.
At the Smartpunk stage, The Higher set the mood for my day with cheerfully energetic renditions of songs from their On Fire album. The catchy-as-hell “Histrionics” kept the audience dancing and singing along and put the lyric “One check, one love” in my head for the next half hour or so. An unexpected rocked-up cover of ‘N Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye” elicited a few boos from the crowd, although most people seemed to appreciate and enjoy the novelty. Undeterred, lead vocalist Seth Trotter kept things light afterward with a quick quip: “I think some of the metal crowd were mad that they knew that song.” The set ended with Trotter jumping onto the barricade during the crowd pleasing “Insurance?” to the delight of front-row fans.
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Concert Review: Van’s Warped Tour Ventura
June 25th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · 1 Comment
Last Sunday’s Warped Tour in Ventura left me with a wicked sunburn, sore joints, and a deep appreciation for the bands who distracted me from my discomfort with their infallibly upbeat attitudes and earnest performances.
At the Smartpunk stage, The Higher set the mood for my day with cheerfully energetic renditions of songs from their On Fire album. The catchy-as-hell “Histrionics” kept the audience dancing and singing along and put the lyric “One check, one love” in my head for the next half hour or so. An unexpected rocked-up cover of ‘N Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye” elicited a few boos from the crowd, although most people seemed to appreciate and enjoy the novelty. Undeterred, lead vocalist Seth Trotter kept things light afterward with a quick quip: “I think some of the metal crowd were mad that they knew that song.” The set ended with Trotter jumping onto the barricade during the crowd pleasing “Insurance?” to the delight of front-row fans.
[Read more →]
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Reality Round-up!
June 25th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · No Comments
Yeeeee-Hawwwwwww kiddos!
The reality round up is here again, and even through the reality shows of summer are slowing down a few strong one’s remain, like HELL’S KITCHEN (love it), AMERICA’S GOT TALENT, and I SURVIVED A JAPANESE GAMESHOW. There are also a few yet to come, the late bloomers will premiere in the next couple of weeks like GREATEST AMERICAN DOG, BIG BROTHER X (10), JINGLES, and CELEBRITY FAMILY FEUD. Now, I have to admit I love HELL’S KITCHEN and I think the star, chef GORDON RAMSEY, is a lovable dickhead from England even if he curses and throws stuff and the contestants. In FOX’S hit cooking-reality show, chef Gordon Ramsey is a drill sergeant type of chef screaming at the contestants’, a.k.a: Oafs, losers, A-holes, as he struggles to make a quality product…and good television. He also tried to please “swank” diners with a meal that doesn’t suck, or taste like ash. This year’s contestants were obnoxious moms for Jersey, and more than one fat-disgusting person that I wouldn’t want in the same room as my food, but under Ramsey’s supervision I would try the meal. The show is nearing its end and the competition is heating up, but still worth checking out, if you like food, restaurants, incompetent fat people or mean British A-holes.
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Theater Review: In Heat
June 19th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · No Comments
What’s the best way to pound pelvis? In Heat doesn’t answer that question but rather hints that that specific part of the body needs a lot of pounding. That joke is the only common thread between the four, one-acts that comprise this light hearted play. Call me overly passionate or whatever you want to call me but I like a thread of something meaty in a play. Even in comedy there has to be something crackling under the cheap one liners and quirky situations for it to stick with us. This play and it’s all star cast kind of crackle for me. But despite my laughter it was missing something
Carbs features Robin Thomas and Rebecca Klingler. Like the rest of the cast these two have impressive credits. So impressive that I stopped reading their bio’s because it made me feel inadequate as an actor. Call me another name, but I never really understood why one would include a bio in a play they’re doing. I like the feeling of not knowing who someone is outside the distilled experience of watching them in front of my own two eyes. That way as an actor you can never rely on your past work, you’re forced to bring the pain to each and every audience member. Not that these two phoned in their performances, that wasn’t the case at all. I just like figures appearing from the dark for my eyes and ears to feast on without wondering if I saw them in the movie that’s listed in their credits.
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Theatre Review of Outbursts: Oneâman show by Gordon James
June 13th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · 1 Comment
Gordon James has a captivating presence from the moment he walks out on stage. His booming voice proclaims, “Life is Love. Love is Universal. This could be anyone. Outbursts me. Outbursts you.” And so begins our journey as James is embodied by seventeen different “spirits” that use his body, voice, movement and expressions to share with us a “burst” of their life. A moment in which the universal theme is the search for love…a love the could be a yearning for sex, friendship, trust, lust, companionship and even perhaps just being the preferred cab fare.
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Reality Round-Up: To Live and Die in L.A
June 12th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · No Comments
The city of Angels; The city of Dreams; the city of the damned, or perhaps both of them with a dash of city of lost children, as so many people in LA are creative’s struggling to realize their dreams, their destiny. With the recession choking us all to death like the pollution looming overhead or the storm of bullets leaving fourteen dead over the weekend - from June sixth, to the ninth â maybe life in LA for most is the equivalent to a tornado. A social shit-storm slowing killing everyone below a determined income level, as just the realization that our lives are lived, reduced to being lived, for the mighty dollar. Sadly, many people are falling prey to Reality and going on these shows, many of the shows are cast in L.A and use lots of locals. Many reality show cast are broke, frustrated, and desperate people that may actually have talent but we will never know as they are exploited and tossed.
However, reality television is (sadly) showing no signs of slowing down, nor will until we (collectively) decide not to watch the new summer reality roll outs like NASHVILLE STAR, CELEBRITY CIRCUS, and WIPEOUT; a adaptation of a Japanese extreme game show airing on ABC that had casting calls for local LA contestants.
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Theater Review: Herpes Tonight!
June 11th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · No Comments
I was never a huge fan of health class (yes, I faint at the sight of blood) and I was raised hard core Catholic where I was never even aloud to swear let alone talk about STD’s. I had rebelled during my college years and performed in The Vagina Monologues, so how shocking would be a show called Herpes Tonight be?
I knew nothing about the show and asked a friend to come along with me because how humorous does the title sound? As I sat awaiting the show to start I was entertained by a projection slide show of movie posters edited with herpes humor and I even learned fun facts like how Mr. Robin Williams was sued for millions by an ex-girlfriend for giving her herpes (it ended up being settled out of court).
As the show begun, the audience was packed. Were all of these people interested in Herpes? No more than 3 minutes into the show I was exposed to two shocking photographs (side by side) of the opposite sex genitalia with an out break of, of course, herpes. Mr. Corey Moosa (who looked a lot like Seth Green) explained that this was not his penis but this is what herpes looks like with an outbreak.
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Reality Round-Up: The Mole, Big Brother, & Denise Richards. Whew.
June 6th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · 1 Comment
“Yeeeeeeeee haaawwww pard’ner; is ya’ll ready for week two of the rootin tootin reality round up? So, brothers and sisters, it worked! My mantra, “pray with me brothers and sisters for Celebrity Rehab 2″ worked because my sources tell me that Celebrity Rehab goes back into production on Monday the 9th. Amen!
But now, it’s back to reality.
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Interview: Get Down With Djavan
June 6th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · No Comments
There’s a repertoire of songs you’ll hear in Brazil, again and again and again. It will happen while watching novellas, sitting in bars and restaurants, while shopping in shopping centers and when you’re drinking caipirinha at the beach. While certain artists such as Maria Bethania, Vinicius de Moraes, Caetano Veloso and other deities represent the pantheon of M.P.B. (música popular brasileira, or Brazilian pop music), there are also different levels which hold their own demigods, dryads and nymphs. And this is where Djavan comes into play, a singer and song writer who will be performing in L.A. on June 13th at the Ford Amphitheater.
Hailing from the nordeste state of Alagoas and recording albums since 1976, Djavan is a fixture for M.P.B. and a welcome sight for fans, lusophiles, and/or nostalgic expatriates. His sounds are appropriate for the quasi-elevator music soundtrack of certain Brazilian spaces and anywhere else for that matter. With mellow, funky rhythms that carry the sentiments of a smooth jazz station, this is what fictional jazz-flutist and 70s news anchorman Ron Burgundy might have referred to as “baby-making music.” But when listening deeper, one learns that Djavan is a cool operator who uses electrically infused funk that carries living ties to Chick Corea, Tim Maia and other soulful brasileiros.
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