Saturday, June 4, 2005

Guilting for Gelt

It's been many months since I formally solicited donations on this site...which may be why it's been many months since I've received many. In the last half-a-year, the number of visitors here has almost doubled while the "take" has dropped to a trickle. I'd like to see this site start paying for itself again, so I'm going to post a banner and hope it'll move some of you to send some bucks. If enough of you do, I'll be adding a few new departments to this site in the next month or two.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This solicitation does not apply to anyone who has sent me more than $200 in the past. I have a couple of loyal readers who, every time I ask for money, send me large amounts. I am more than appreciative and don't want any more of your money, people. In fact, I'll send it back if you send it. This means you too, Frank.

Okay, here's the banner...

• Posted at 4:53 PM · LINK

Toad in a Hole

On Wednesday, I cautioned you all not to click on a link that would take you to an animation for a Crazy Frog. If you did, you might be interested in this article about the critter. Thanks to Alan Light for the links.

• Posted at 1:24 PM · LINK

Award Winners

The Tony Awards are tomorrow night. I was going to post the winners after the ceremony but I expect to be busy then so here they are now...

• Best Musical: Spamalot
• Best Play: Doubt
• Best Revival of a Musical: La Cage aux Folles
• Best Revival of a Play: Twelve Angry Men
• Best Special Theatrical Event: 700 Sundays
• Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical: Norbert Leo Butz, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
• Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical: Victoria Clark, The Light in the Piazza
• Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play: Brían F. O'Byrne, Doubt
• Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play: Cherry Jones, Doubt
• Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical: Dan Fogler, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
• Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical: Sara Ramirez, Spamalot
• Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play: Michael Stuhlbarg, The Pillowman
• Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play: Adriane Lenox, Doubt
• Best Director of a Musical: Mike Nichols, Spamalot
• Best Director of a Play: Doug Hughes, Doubt
• Best Choreography: Jerry Mitchell, La Cage aux Folles
• Best Book of Musical: Rachel Sheinkin, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
• Best Original Score: Adam Guettel, The Light in the Piazza
• Best Scenic Design of a Musical: Michael Yeargan, The Light in the Piazza
• Best Scenic Design of a Play: Santo Loquasto, Glengarry Glen Ross
• Best Costume Design of a Musical: Catherine Zuber, The Light in the Piazza
• Best Costume Design of a Play: Jane Greenwood, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
• Best Lighting Design of a Musical: Christopher Akerlind, The Light in the Piazza
• Best Lighting Design of a Play: Brian MacDevitt, The Pillowman
• Best Orchestrations: Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel and Bruce Coughlin, The Light in the Piazza

Maybe I should have put up a SPOILER ALERT but I didn't feel like it. Enjoy the show even though you already know who's going to win.

• Posted at 9:28 AM · LINK

Leon Askin, R.I.P.

Another great character actor has died. You might think of Leon Askin as being to Nazi officers what Fritz Feld was to maitre d's, what Parley Baer was to small town mayors, what Jack Norton was to drunks, what Mary Wickes was to sharp-tongued housekeepers, what Eddie Deezen is to nerds, etc. Most folks probably remember Mr. Askin for his role as General Burkhalter on Hogan's Heroes but he actually played a wide range of non-Kraut roles in his long, illustrious career on stage and screen. A few years ago, I chanced across his website and found his bio fascinating. Now that he's passed away in his native Austria at age 97, the website will probably go away. Before it does, you might want to read up on Leon Askin, an actor who could do a lot more than threaten to send Colonel Klink to the Russian Front.

• Posted at 1:37 AM · LINK

Dopey Drive

Donald Wildmon's American Family Association has for some time tried to run some sort of boycott against the Disney company for being "gay-friendly." Now, they're calling it off, citing some kind of vague, limited success. One suspects it's more a matter of them realizing their impact was microscopic and that it was time to claim some feeble gains, declare victory and get out before too many people noticed how ineffectual they were.

Actually, I think something like 99% of all boycotts are utterly ineffectual, except maybe to get the boycotters a few moments in the spotlight to express their outrage. Most Americans don't alter their buying patterns much, at least over so-called moral issues. Some of them will even write indignant "I'll never buy your product again" letters and then, on their way home from mailing the letter, stop off and pick up the product. It would not surprise me if the Disney organization noticed zero loss — and perhaps even an uptick — due to Wildmon's hysterical boycott.

• Posted at 1:18 AM · LINK