Yes, Virginia, There Is A New Post

Hey, all. Sorry I haven't posted, blah blah blah. I can never say that enough so I guess I'm just not going to bother with it anymore. However, I would be remissed not to thank my friends for picking up this blog and running with it through the comments on the previous post. It was quite fun reading what I was up to while not posting.

I'm single again. Which is part of the reason, but not an excuse for not posting in so long. Kind of sucks, but life goes on. It's all definately hitting me late so that sucks - pile on top of that the fact that I've got personal reasons that I already hate this time of year anyway and I'm not doing too well right now. But you forge ahead, face reality, and move on.

I haven't delved too much into this relationship on here (by choice) as I did with my previous one (by force) - and I'm not going to now - but suffice it to say, she's an incredible and extremely talented person, we are still good friends, and I hope nothing but success and happiness falls her way.

O.k., then. What else....?

I finally saw Borat and LOVED it. Offensive? Yes. Uncomfortable at parts? Sure. Fall out of my seat laughing? More than once. It was just a great comedy that reflects a side of America that many of us don't really want to acknowledge or choose to not face, but it's more alive than any of us care to admit. Sascha Baron Cohen is already being compared to Lenny Bruce and Andy Kaufman in terms of where his comedy is going - and with the recently announced Bruno movie set to begin filming in 2008 (based on his third outrageous character from Da Ali G Show), there's just more funny to look forward to.

But all is not well in moviedom...

So far, the biggest and most unfortunate let down of all the movies I have seen this year is definately Christopher Guest's For Your Consideration. The now infamous Guest troupe are easily the most talented group to ever tackle the 'mockumentary' style of filmmaking...and yet this film strays from that formula and is shot entirely like a normal film. No one-on-one interviews or anything. Now I am one that totally supports trying something new, and after three pretty successful improvisational films helmed by Guest, I applaud their effort to branch out. Yet something just seems to not fit quite right in here and I left the theater feeling hollow. The characters are all wonderful - and I want to know more about them, but am never afforded that opportunity. I genuinely think if they kept a lot of the same footage, but went back and spliced in interviews and one-on-one sit downs with the characters that this film could still be saved. There are some very funny moments and some emotional ones as well, but this is the first Guest film that I'm just not that enthused about. I hope that their next project together goes back to what 'brought them to the dance,' so to speak.

Proving to everyone that I am certifiably insane, I am one of the very few people in this country (about 300,000 to be exact) that pre-paid and then bought a PlayStation 3 at launch....and....(wait for it)....actually kept the damn thing instead of putting it on eBay. I know - crazy right? God forbid, I actually enjoy the console and use it for it's intended purpose, but I guess I'm just weird that way. On the other hand, I'm enjoying BluRay goodness (Superman Returns on BluRay = awesome, and Talledega Nights came bundled with the system!) and if you consider yourself a fan of videogames, you haven't lived until you've played Resistance: Fall of Man in surround sound. Better than Xbox360's Gears of War? Quite possibly. At any rate, only 299,999 of you out there will know what I'm talking about anyway so I'll shut up about it.

I went to Chicago for Thanksgiving to visit with family and friends and, although it was a bit of family overload, it was a fun time. I've definately now got relatives that will become characters on stage at CSz at some point, so I guess this was also a 'creative work research' trip as well. I wonder if that means I can write that off my taxes...

The Prenzie Players' King Richard The Second staged and ended with much praise and ballyhoo. We got very positive reviews in the papers and the pressure is now officially on as we gear up to deliver parts II & III of The Henriad Trilogy (Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V). If you did not see Richard II, it's o.k. to still come check out the other shows as they are being treated as indivudual shows, but for those that attend all three, they will get to see a continuous cast and everyone reprising their roles from the previous show - something that has never been done in the U.S., as far as our research goes. If you've never seen a Prenzie show before, you really should as its Shakespeare more accessable than it's ever been before.

Alright, it's finally below freezing here in the crappy Midwest and I've got a jaunt to Galesburg tonight for a show - which is supposed to be getting hit with 10-12 inches of snow. So if this is the last post I ever make due to some unforeseen and horrific accident on the drive down, know that each one of you that are reading this right now I like better than all of my other friends.