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The Charleston Christmas Special runs from December 12th through the 21st.
I went to see it on its opening night, and I have to admit, I was a bit impressed.
Brad and Jennifer Moranz produced, directed, choreographed and even starred in the performance.
About 18 singers took turns coming to the stage, singing their own rendition of some of our favorite Christmas carols, and even a handful I had never heard before. In addition, 9 dancers took to the stage, changing costumes nearly every time I turned my head.
The singers were very good - better than expected. They all have a long history of stage performances, not excluding Broadway, as well as a few T.V. moments for some - Star Search, American Idol, All My Children, and Matlock.
There were a few songs I thought were odd choices, and other songs that were good choices but the singers, while all good, were not necessarily the best choice to sing that particular carol.
The Good:
It stuck to the name! "Christmas Special" Key word - CHRISTMAS! They did not sing 30songs about happy holidays, they sang about Merry Christmas and even the birth of Jesus! If you are one who cringes every time someone says 'Merry Christmas' instead of 'Happy Holidays', then don't spend your money. But if you are like me, and enjoy hearing the "C" word, then this will be two hours well spent.
The Bad:
Other than a few song and singer choices that I did not agree with, however I am well aware that this is totally subjective and probably most other people would disagree with me, the only other thing that rubbed me the wrong way came right after the intermission. All of the men took to the stage and announced that they would be singing their unusual version of the '12 Days of Christmas.' With that said, I immediately held my breath and thought to myself, "Oh no, they are not..."
They did.
If you have not seen it yet, scroll down to the December 8th entry of this blog and take a gander at the '12 Days of Christmas' by Straight No Chaser. This is THEIR original arrangement, composed by these men back in 1998. Other than Brad Moranz implying that this was his version, the rest of the show was very well done.
As a professor of Critique, I would have to grade this musical a B+. The singers and dancers were great, set design - great, overall, I would definitely recommend others to go check it out.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Common Sense Is Not That Common
I have never considered myself to be the most brilliant person in the world, however, I am discovering that I have one thing that A PLETHORA of people in this world of ours are missing.
This is an important element that helps get most people through their day....common sense.
I do not know what kind of grades these people pulled in high school and college, but when it comes to everyday critical thinking, problem solving, and any other thought process that does not require memorizing facts, these people fall flat on their face.
I honestly do not know how they function from day to day. It is simply amazing.
I know some who do not know their right from their left, some who do not know the difference between woman and women, and some who appear so damn stupid I would swear they were mentally disabled if I knew nothing else about them.
I WAS THERE when a woman, while turning on a series of lights from a breaker box, forced the switches to the "OFF" position even though they were duct taped down with "DO NOT TURN OFF" written over them.
I WAS THERE when a man at work told me a video camera was 'not working.' As it turns out, actually turning the camera ON was the brain busting solution.
I WAS THERE when a man, attempting to count down a news segment, started at 10 but then stopped at 8 seconds. The remaining 7 seconds just went by the wayside.
I see the lack of CS on the roadways, in department stores, and with people on the phone. I see it more and more each day and it makes me wonder what has happened to us?
Could it be that our dependence on so many technological devices is causing our brains to crumble away into mush? Calculators and tip cards have taken over even the most basic math. Spell check has gotten rid of that nuisance of looking up words in a dictionary or proof reading. Hardly anyone practices that nasty habit of memorizing phone numbers anymore, and why would they when all you have to do it click on the person's name to call them? We are quickly becoming a world reflective of one of my favorite cartoons growing up, The Jetson's.
We have cars that can park without human assistance and one day this type of technology will most likely do all of the driving for us. Almost your entire house can be operated by voice or remote control, whether it be lights, windows, heating/air, music, the list goes on and on. You can order pizza from your television! Thank God! All of that walking into the kitchen to find a phone book and dial the pizza joint was really starting to wear on me. And actually talking to someone? FORGET IT!
We have gone from seeing people face-to-face to talking to them on our cell phones, and now an extra impersonal step, texting. Talking is too hard, remember? Email has replaced writing letters with a pen and paper, various internet sites have replaced going to the library and sifting through books. There are even pens that, when scanned over the words on paper, will actually read to you what is written.
Every day it appears They are advancing ways for us to be just a little bit lazier. Glad They are not spending that time, money and energy on something like healthcare or education.
SHEW... dodged THAT bullet.
The thing is, blaming the lack of common sense on things like technology or your parents (cause they're the reason for everything wrong in our lives, right?), or any other scape goat you can think of is just a way of justifying your own stupidity.
We all have the occasional brain fart, and that is excusable, believe me, it happens to everyone.
What is not excusable are these dimwitted everyday blunders that a chimp could figure out.
It has gotten to the point that I seriously am starting to believe that an actual "Common Sense" class might help resolve the issue. I mean, these people, at least the ones I know personally, many of them did well in school so maybe that is what they need - Common Sense 101.
The more examples I witness of this absence of CS, the more I cry inside because these people cannot possibly be from the same planet as me.
Everyone is entitled to an intellectual blunder every once in a while. But there are many people out there that are not the occasional visitors of this doltish city - they are the residents, no, check that...they are the government, the very foundation that makes up this municipality of dimwittedness.
This is an important element that helps get most people through their day....common sense.
I do not know what kind of grades these people pulled in high school and college, but when it comes to everyday critical thinking, problem solving, and any other thought process that does not require memorizing facts, these people fall flat on their face.
I honestly do not know how they function from day to day. It is simply amazing.
I know some who do not know their right from their left, some who do not know the difference between woman and women, and some who appear so damn stupid I would swear they were mentally disabled if I knew nothing else about them.
I WAS THERE when a woman, while turning on a series of lights from a breaker box, forced the switches to the "OFF" position even though they were duct taped down with "DO NOT TURN OFF" written over them.
I WAS THERE when a man at work told me a video camera was 'not working.' As it turns out, actually turning the camera ON was the brain busting solution.
I WAS THERE when a man, attempting to count down a news segment, started at 10 but then stopped at 8 seconds. The remaining 7 seconds just went by the wayside.
I see the lack of CS on the roadways, in department stores, and with people on the phone. I see it more and more each day and it makes me wonder what has happened to us?
Could it be that our dependence on so many technological devices is causing our brains to crumble away into mush? Calculators and tip cards have taken over even the most basic math. Spell check has gotten rid of that nuisance of looking up words in a dictionary or proof reading. Hardly anyone practices that nasty habit of memorizing phone numbers anymore, and why would they when all you have to do it click on the person's name to call them? We are quickly becoming a world reflective of one of my favorite cartoons growing up, The Jetson's.
We have cars that can park without human assistance and one day this type of technology will most likely do all of the driving for us. Almost your entire house can be operated by voice or remote control, whether it be lights, windows, heating/air, music, the list goes on and on. You can order pizza from your television! Thank God! All of that walking into the kitchen to find a phone book and dial the pizza joint was really starting to wear on me. And actually talking to someone? FORGET IT!
We have gone from seeing people face-to-face to talking to them on our cell phones, and now an extra impersonal step, texting. Talking is too hard, remember? Email has replaced writing letters with a pen and paper, various internet sites have replaced going to the library and sifting through books. There are even pens that, when scanned over the words on paper, will actually read to you what is written.
Every day it appears They are advancing ways for us to be just a little bit lazier. Glad They are not spending that time, money and energy on something like healthcare or education.
SHEW... dodged THAT bullet.
The thing is, blaming the lack of common sense on things like technology or your parents (cause they're the reason for everything wrong in our lives, right?), or any other scape goat you can think of is just a way of justifying your own stupidity.
We all have the occasional brain fart, and that is excusable, believe me, it happens to everyone.
What is not excusable are these dimwitted everyday blunders that a chimp could figure out.
It has gotten to the point that I seriously am starting to believe that an actual "Common Sense" class might help resolve the issue. I mean, these people, at least the ones I know personally, many of them did well in school so maybe that is what they need - Common Sense 101.
The more examples I witness of this absence of CS, the more I cry inside because these people cannot possibly be from the same planet as me.
Everyone is entitled to an intellectual blunder every once in a while. But there are many people out there that are not the occasional visitors of this doltish city - they are the residents, no, check that...they are the government, the very foundation that makes up this municipality of dimwittedness.
Don't Touch The Pen!!
A "Common Sense" entry is planned for the near future. This is a nice lead in to that.
Please to enjoy the "Dumbass of the Day."
Please to enjoy the "Dumbass of the Day."
Monday, December 8, 2008
Straight No Chaser
These guys deliver a non-conventional A Capella performance to get us in the Christmas spirit.
Check out their story!
Check out their story!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
9th Annual Celebrity Chili Cook-Off
The Charleston Animal Society hosted its annual Celebrity Chili Cook-Off this past Saturday, and just as it has been in years past, it was an enjoyable time.
There is always an interesting variety of chili recipes at the cook-off, some very tasty and some...well, let's just say I would not go back for seconds.
The one thing I have not been able to figure out in my past three years of attending this event, is exactly what is going through the "professional" chefs' minds as they are judging each recipe.
I am sure when it comes to making (& judging) dishes of smoked salmon, duck magret, and petit fours, these men are at the top of their class. However, when it comes to the blue collared meal of chili, they have the expertise of a bubble dancer.
There is always an interesting variety of chili recipes at the cook-off, some very tasty and some...well, let's just say I would not go back for seconds.
The one thing I have not been able to figure out in my past three years of attending this event, is exactly what is going through the "professional" chefs' minds as they are judging each recipe.
I am sure when it comes to making (& judging) dishes of smoked salmon, duck magret, and petit fours, these men are at the top of their class. However, when it comes to the blue collared meal of chili, they have the expertise of a bubble dancer.
The winners of the past three years are as followed...
BEST IN SHOW
Cook-Off '06: Tanya Brown, 95SX
Cook-Off '07: Brad Franko, NBC 2
Cook-Off '08: Tanya Brown, 95SX
Now I remember my reaction to these chili recipes over the past few years and only the first year I took part in the cook-off ('06) did I think the winner was a good choice. I would have put the 95SX chili in the top 3 of all contenders that year.
Last year, the Brad Franko chili made me confused and sad after the first bite. It was not even so much a chili, as much as it was a beef stew. Terrible choice. Perhaps a good candidate for "Most Unique", but definitely no "Best In Show" chili. If the chili cook-off had Razzie awards (that is the movie award ceremony for the year's worst films) then NBC's '07 chili should have taken the award for "Worst Impression of a Chili Dish."
Then this year...Tanya Brown takes home the gold once again - but why? Were these judges tasting the same chili as me? It was by no means the worst chili at the Maritime Center but, let me put it this way...I wouldn't go bragging to my friends about it.
What is also funny about this year is that channel 2's chili was actually pretty damn decent. I would rank that one in the top 3 this year, even though they came away without a single award.
Maybe the judges need to 'cleanse the palette' between cups of chili. I think they are tasting something different.
But whether I agree with the choice or not, Tanya still wears the belt for best chili, so to her I say, "Congrats."
Even if she did slip some money under the table. ;)
My chili picks: ABC News 4, NBC 2, & NBM Construction
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