San Francisco May Name Sewage Treatment Plant After Bush

And this is why I love Perez Hilton. Perez mentioned this on his blog so I did a little research and found this short article in the International Herald Tribune. I might also add that this is why I love San Francisco, and am so thrilled to have grown up there. I hope this initiative does make it on the November ballot, it would be small justice for all the damage he has done to the country. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/25/america/bush.php

Sharron's Party

Sharron Matthews is a local cabaret performer/actress. She has also been a Fashion Crimes client for a while. We exclusively dress her for her cabaret act. I had not seen her perform until this past Saturday, and she did not dissapoint. Her show is so funny, and she is such a talent. I hope that she posts her cheater medley on you tube so I can post it for all of you. And I also hope that she finds a way to add Smell Yo Dick by Riskay to the song (just a thought.) It always amazes me how small the world is, that I met this amazing talent through Fashion Crimes, and I hope that she and I can collaborate in the future. I think that she would be amazing as the Judy in Wood, which some of you know is a new musical that I am working on bringing to Toronto.

"I just can't take him seriously as a candidate of change"

Matt Gonzalez is a fellow San Franciscan, who worked with my mother at the SF public defenders office. He went on to become a city councilor and ran a very compelling campaign for mayor against Gavin Newson - the political darling, who you may have recently seen rallying behind California's same-sex legislation. Gonzalez, had he been elected mayor would have been the first Green party mayor in the United States. Now he is Ralph Nader's Independant running mate for the 08 Presidential election. Most progressives in America have chossen to evaluate Obama, not based on his political program or how measures up vis-a-vis their own liberal ideals, but rather, based on the abstracted qualities and slogans developed by his well oiled public relations machine. (He's a great package!) Whenever I speak to pro-Obama Americans I find many of them know very little about Obama beyond his image, charisma and oratorial style. But in the above clip Gonzalez gives a point by point breakdown of what, at the very least, can be described as Obama's questionable Senate record. He does not even mention Obama's one eighty on Isreal-Palestine and his unwavering committment to the long term occupation of Iraq. I wish all Americans, whoever they vote for, would do a little research, check websites, and actually read the candidates' platforms before falling in love with a guy because he reminds them of a Kennedy. If you feel compelled, Gonzalez's full article is here http://www.counterpunch.org/gonzalez02292008.html .

TCCA photoshoot

This is the first image I have seen from the Toronto Centre Island Airport photoshoot. I can't wait to see the rest of the images. Thanks to Riot Creative. Check out their website @ http://www.riotcreative.com/ . This is the low res. shot - I can't wait to see them when they have been glossed over.

YouMom

My parents moved to Geneva, Switzerland almost six months ago, because my Mom became the Deputy Director for International Bridges to Justice. IBJ is an NGO committed to legal reform in the developing world. They have focused a lot on China and Southeast Asia, but my mother recently returned from The Republic of Burundi, a small country in central Africa, and they are hoping to establish links in India and Central America. The above clip is from her trip to Beijing earlier this year. She is speaking to a group of lawyers about lawyer/client relationships, and how to best defend a individual that you do not know, nor likely understand. The clip starts out a little "soft t torture" but it picks up. I was mostly just glad to see her on YouTube, since I don't get to see her in person enough. If you want to see the clip on YouTube enter Jean Amabile and IBJ. Also check out the IBJ blog at blog.ibj.org.

More from [Title of Show]

Susan Blackwell is my idol... I can't wait for this show to be on Broadway!! Fast forward to 2:10, that's where it really gets good.

Lady Gaga - Just Dance

I just found this video for Lady Gaga's single Just Dance... I thought it was interesting considering Northern and I are planning our video shoot - which will be released later this summer. Northern Yonge's first video is going to be for Lost My Keys and our concept is strikingly similar. I hope our video is realized as well as this one is.

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[Title of Show], which opens at the Lyceum Theatre in July, is the shit! It's a musical about writing musicals and living the Broadway dream. And these guys not only wrote it they did it. The show is brilliant; I have no doubt that it will be a smash hit, get nominated for and probably win the Tony. What really impresses me though, is their ability to develop this project on every level. They're master marketers and clearly understand the power of promotion. This clip from their video blog, which has chronicled their journey, is hilarious. I mean how did they know? I have been dying to do a series exactly like this, and Susan is genius in it. I almost died laughing when they did the infamous song scrawl towards the end. These guys are taking musical theatre to the next level with their wit and resourcefulness. They are revolutionizing theatre and how to present it to the audience. I also love that they call their fans TOSers, as in, Title of Show-ers. Kudoos!

another Day another Dollar

Yesterday morning on my way to rehearsal at NYU's graduate musical theatre writing centre - 113A 2nd ave, I passed a newsprint store with the latest edition of Fantastic Man. Since I'm on vacation, ahem working, I thought I'd splurg. I am not in love with the new format. I think the old cover paper, which had a more matte finish was much more elegant, but that's an aside. Not only was Tobais Meyer, the head of contemporary art at Sotheby's featured, so was this guy. His name is Scott Schuman, and he is dreamy. His blog www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com, is amazing. I don't know how I didn't know about him. Not only are his photographs stunning, and his sense of style nearly impecable, but he is quoted as saying that as far as his tastes in casual style are concerned nothing beats American - Levi's and Brooks Brothers. Anyway, I was in love with my Fantastic Man all day, I even took it out to show it to Virgina when she and I met her mother at MOMA to see Alfie, (the original ) this evening. Devastatingly, and much like in the movie my enthusiasm and over attention lost me my Fantastic Man when I left it behind, but I am so glad that I now know about Mr. Schuman I almost feel like it was woth it. Even more so because I think I am going to replace it today...

Sunday in the Park ...

Here is a clip from the Roundabout's revival of Sunday in the Park with George, which I saw at Studio 54 last night. Roundabout is an inspirational company, and I always love seeing stuff they have produced. The fact that they bought 54 was genius and I enjoyed seeing a show there for the first time. Sunday is up for best musical revival at the Tony's this year. I can't remember the last time that the musical revival was the sexiest catagory of the night. Some feel that Sunday is the front-runner, and even though it was amazing, I think it will go to South Pacific. Guess we'll have to wait and see. Don't miss the Tony's June 15th. Tonight I hope to see August Osage County, which is going to win best play. And thursday I am going to see saved, which opened yesterday Off-Broadway.

Manhattan by Midnight

So I finally made it down to NYC. I got in on Monday morning and went straight to Joe's at 49th and 9th. I’m here stage managing a reading of Wood, a new musical by the NYU graduate writing duo, Dan Collins and Julianne Wick Davis. The show is amazing. The music is super sophisticated, and very difficult. I am totally impressed by the cast, which includes: Jason Michael Snow, currently starring in Saved Off-Broadway, Sally Wilfert, Joe Cassidy, Adam Heller and Kate Wetherhead, just to name a few. Most of the cast are performing in other shows both on Broadway and Off, and yet they still make it to rehearsal everyday for this reading. The dedication is impressive. I am thrilled to be a part of the show, and I am hoping that Dan and Julianne come up to Toronto to stage a reading there. I’ll try to be better at updating you guys for the next week or so. But until I get back to Toronto posts will probably be sparse. Don’t worry though cause I’m getting lots of good blog material.