Further Into the Woods

Guilty - total musical theater queen here. Maybe not in the "traditional" sense, but I do own more than my fair share of cast albums and have certainly appeared in major hitters by the A-list of showtunes composers. There is something about breaking into a great song to tell your story. Which is why the cabaret genre is turning out to be such a great fit for me.

Every few years we are given a teaser of another great big screen adaptation. Some fail like the recent Les Miz, others ramble but are entertaining like Rock of Ages or Nine. But I still believe we are capable of new masterpieces like Moulin Rouge, Dreamgirls and Chicago. With much anticipation we now wait 12 mos for the upcoming Into the Woods.

I have been on top of every new cast addition and eagerly await to see how it transfers to the big screen. I am disappointed that we won't get to see Jake Gylenhaal in tights, but have full confidence in Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp to pick up the slack. Curiosities like Emily Blunt and Chris Pine - can they sing or not? I love it when I am surprised. Here are the first round of photos circulating coming out of England where it is in production. What do you think?

 

Little Foxes

For some reason, there have been many dog tales in my personal life lately. Friends having to say goodbye to life friends, finding new pets, a visit to Annapolis MD - the most dog-friendly city in the country, I'm sure. It got me thinking.

Waylon is as loyal as they come. And smart, understanding and perceptive. I'm sure every owner says that. But I am convinced this dog was a destined match.

Most of you probably also do not know that I had pet red foxes as a child. I don't remember all the details, but my dad had a friend that was a trapper and sometimes he would stumble onto a den of pups. Inevitably, one of them would find its way into our household. (We were known to house racoons, rabbits, chickens......) There were two named Freddy & Shane. Both adorable pets that were very playful just like a puppy would be. They had an affinity for shiny things like you have heard and Freddy in particular had a nook in the backyard where he would stow away these things like pieces of jewelry, silverware or even my shiny astronaut GI Joe.
 
Shane gave us a unique sighting. They would eventually revert to their wild instincts and venture back into the wild on our 10+ acres. At first for a day or two, but finally at large. But Shane came back once after a month or two, scratching on the back door, and when we looked out into the evening field we could see he had mated and brought the female back for us to see. I'm not sure if it was a quest for food or approval, but it was an awesome moment to take in.

For Real????

Has Minneapolis really come to this? I get postings everyday at work and some come from the on-line papers around town. The headlines today in the Southwest Patch sound more like clippings from the Enquirer. I had to click it for myself to make sure it was not an Onion parody:

Man's Body In Freezer Identified

Edina Man Dies After being Hit by Car in Wendy's Lot

Woman Charged with Stabbing Co-Worker in Back 5 Times

Hopkins Cheerleader Admits to Prostitution Charges

For real people. Check this shit out!
Southwest Patch

Scary Amusement Parks

I found these amazing and haunting pics on my Google Currents read last night. They seemed appropriate as we morph from summer days into the haunted houses of Fall. They are curated by Francesco Mugnai. I originally thought he was the photog, but on digging a bit more I can see credits for each photo and am guessing he edited them into a collection. Here are just a few of these magical photos and a link to a feature page for him.
Haunted & Abandoned Parks 

Dartmouth MA; remains of the Comet

 

Bumper Cars in Prypiat Ukraine

 

Racetrack in Tanzania

Gaga for Gaga

I have posted on her a few times prior. I was a skeptic at first because she comes with a lot of bells and whistles. So I wondered what all the fuss was about. I have watched from the sidelines as she continues to amuse and sometimes amaze.

I do think she is very talented although often the hype drowns out much of it. She has proven to be creative as well as outspoken. This is from a recent Sirius radio interview and I enjoyed it most because she speaks a lot to fame, work ethic and being humble if that is possible. I bought a lot of what she had to say about artists in the current day and how they are subjected to media craze where it is less about who you are than what you are doing. Something Miley Cyrus will likely never comprehend.