Real Men DO Enjoy Showtunes!

I made sure to TiVo the Tony awards this week, and I am sure glad I did, because this year, the producers went out of their way to cram in as many musical numbers as possible - most of them from familiar shows, too! In fact, I'm pretty sure they spent more time doing music than they did presenting awards - which were, blessedly, almost an afterthought.


For some reason, it is considered unmanly in some circles to enjoy show tunes - a stereotype that is both untrue and somewhat offensive. Now, it IS true that a large segment of the Male Broadway community is gay - but there is also nothing wrong with that - and in many many ways, Broadway embraces its gayness in a way that I find kind of endearing... but I digress...


In any case, I really enjoyed the Tonys this year, despite numerous audio troubles that were really distracting. It was really tragic that they had to have a stage manager run in a handheld microphone for the singer in "Sit Down, You're Rocking The Boat" from "Guys and Dolls". I love that number, but it was really distracting to watch the poor guy trying to perform for a national TV audience in that way.


Just as I found it fun and comforting to see familiar bits from "Guys and Dolls" and "West Side Story" and "Hair" and "Mamma Mia", I found it equally disappointing to see numbers from new Broadway shows, which certainly don't seem like they are going to be making any revival tours anytime soon. The big winner was "Billy Elliot", a musical that's apparently about a working-class British kid who wants to learn to dance as his family struggles through some sort of union labor dispute - or something... The show won 10 Tonys, including "Best Musical", but the number they did from the show - involving a kid who danced great, but with a Tourettes-like wail, and with a wall of plexiglass behind him - did not exactly endear me to the story or its music. I guess I could do a better job of describing this mess, but if you care to watch, here's a video of the performance...



There was also a performance of the title track of the revival of "Hair". What was presented 40 years ago as revolutionary is presented today - virtually unchanged - as nostalgia. Go figure. All I could think of as I watched the performance was "Those hippies look unclean - and they all need haircuts!". That didn't make me feel nostalgic - it made me feel old!





What I really DID enjoy was watching the show's host, Neil Patrick Harris. Doogie Howser did himself proud as the host of the show. Some of his jokes fell a little flat, but Harris delivered them well, and he hosted with an enthusiasm that I found to be energizing... He was having a good time, and therefore, so was I. And Harris saved the best part of the show for last - performing a closing number that recapped-the entire evening. Watch the video below, then make sure to go and read the backstory in the New York Times!

I Was (And Still Am) A Teenage Drama Nerd!

No time to write my own blog entry today - I've been called in to work! - So I'll follow the leads of all the great writers and just steal material! I read this essay written by Cheryl Kravitz of Silver Spring in this morning's Washington Post - She was responding to a challenge by the Post to complete the sentence, "You know you're really a nerd when..." Here's a portion of Cheryl's response...

When I was growing up in Chicago, we lived in a blue-collar neighborhood on the South Side. It was not unusual to hear about fights at some local schools that involved things like switchblades and brass knuckles (whatever they are). This was around the time "West Side Story" hit the movie theaters, and my equally nerdy friends and I decided we were similar to the Sharks. I have no idea why, except we loved Bernardo's purple shirt and we thought Anita was cool.

Anyway, we formed a gang. We also called ourselves the Sharks and wore outfits made from our fathers' old undershirts. We drew sharks on them that looked like inebriated porpoises. One day we went to a playground with a layout similar to the one in the first scene of "West Side Story" so we could sing or dance our hearts out.

Years later, I told a colleague this story, and he shook his head in disbelief. "Are you saying you were in a gang that performed scenes from Broadway musicals?"

You can read Cheryl's entire essay here.

I can completely relate to Cheryl, because I used to, and in fact, STILL do the same kinds of silly things - especially with music. My college choir used to take over restaurants when we'd be out on tour, and sing impromptu (and often drunken) concerts on demand. I also enjoy humming or whistling the "Colonel Bogey March" in crowds, just to see if I can get others to join in!

It's the same kind of nerdiness that prompted me to create my own choir website... and also to launch "singalongs" among my friends on Facebook on a regular basis.

And I will confess that on more than one occasion, I, too have found myself stealing a dance step or two from Jerome Robbins and snapping my fingers at the sight of a barren playground.

I'm a nerd!

Tuesday Talking Points

I have a couple of things to share - and a piece of news to follow! Read on...

My son, Spencer, must be a great actor... Just ask Michael Savage! Anyway - As mentioned last week, Spencer made his acting debut on the stage at Camp Airy - and the folks there were kind enough to record the show and send home a DVD. Here's Spence's big scene on the lean, mean streets of New York City:


Did you hear his fellow campers cheering Spence on at the end? Way to go, Spencer!

Next we move from the stage to the screen... With the boys home from camp, the Matthews family took in WALL-E yesterday afternoon. Being Disney (and Pixar) fans, we had long been looking forward to seeing this film, which drew universal praise from critics, and has even been mentioned in some circles as a Best Picture nominee at next year's Oscars.

Oddly enough, WALL-E left me flat. I found its "green" message to be preachy and somewhat condescending, and I thought the basic story could have been told in half the time. It's almost enough (ok - it is enough) to make you believe there really IS a liberal media conspiracy out there sometimes - at least among movie critics. It also doesn't help when the Disney publicity machine kicks into overdrive... that sometimes makes it impossible to not be underwhelmed by some of its films. I felt the same way about "Finding Nemo"... Just as many say it was the best of the Pixar films, for me, Nemo lingers near the bottom... just above "A Bug's Life" and WALL-E.


Next topic - the coffee business... I find it hilarious that there are several grass-roots efforts underway to keep some of those 600 shuttered Starbucks shops open. These stores are being closed because they don't get enough business, and now, faithful customers are signing petitions and whatnot to keep the shops open... But Starbucks doesn't need to be preached to by the choir... it needs new converts... And at upwards of four bucks a cup, those converts ain't comin'... The Missus and I do not see eye to eye on this... She's a Starbucks queen... Give me a buck-39, and I'll get a 24-oz. vat o'joe at the 7-Eleven!

And speaking of the 7-Eleven... I will resume my once-daily early morning trips to the land of "Oh Thank Heaven" beginning tomorrow morning. My friends at WBAL Radio have graciously asked me to do some fill-in work for the next month - writing newscasts for my good friend, Bill Vanko, just as I once wrote them for Bryan Nehman at WMAL. I will also be anchoring the odd newscast outside of morning drive, so be sure to tune in to 1090 WBAL to hear yours truly!

I am half excited and half terrified to be going back to work. I do want a fulltime job, of course, and I had hoped it would have come long before this. I know in my heart that I will get back on the bicycle and be just fine, but there's just a pinch of irrational fear that I somehow lost 25 years of news skills in a few short months! We'll find out soon, won't we?

This blog has been a Godsend for me - giving me a voice to vent with, as well as a reason to get up and be productive every day. With my early morning work schedule (I HAVE A WORK SCHEDULE!!!), you will not find a fresh edition of "Life On The Beach" to read every morning, but please continue to check in most afternoons... I will continue to try to give you some daily nonsense to "enjoy"... Thanks to all of you for reading!

Now on to the next chapter!

Weekend Odds And Ends!

Several little items for you from this weekend... Enjoy!


We open with kudos for my boy Spencer, who made his off-Broadway debut (way off Broadway... OK - Thurmont!) as Officer Krupke in the Camp Airy production of "West Side Story"... Details of his performance are sketchy, since the show was for campers only... However, we have managed to sneak a peek at our own little "Man in Blue"...

Playing a cop... eating donuts! A part that Spencer was BORN to play! Your parents are WAY proud of you, Spence!

Speaking of Spencer, Robin and I are re-doing his room while the boys are away at camp... In Spencer's case, it's a bit of EXTREME MAKEOVER. We had to dismantle the loft bed that he's slept in the past four years, and now outgrown... The unit has both a desk and dresser underneath the bed, and rather than just toss it all away, Robin and I decided to take the bed portion off the top, and remove the back half of the piece, which was used for storage space. The only problem was that we needed to literally saw off the back half of a piece of furniture that was never designed to be removed.

There's nothing more manly than going out and buying a power tool! By Saturday afternoon, I was the proud owner of a Craftsman reciprocating saw, which I used to hack off about 50 pounds of finished wood! 10 minutes and four cuts later, I had successfully performed a storage unit-ectomy! The surgery did leave a small scar - about a 6 inch gash in the carpet, but we'll find something to cover that up, I promise! Now all I have to do is pay a visit to the Montgomery County Solid Waste Transfer Center to drop off all of the surplus wood, and we'll be all set. The "MCSWTC" is a fancy way of saying "the dump", but this is Montgomery County, where taxpayers obviously pay by the word, hence the fancy name...

So - now that Spencer's loftbed had been reduced to sawdust, the Missus and I drove up to Costco to buy him a new bed for his room... That was no sweat. After Costco, I treated Robin to dinner at our favorite Frederick eatery, the Double-T diner, which was delicious as always... However, when I went to pay, I reached in my pocket and found... nothing.

This was troubling, because I had checked my cash at Costco and had about 85 bucks in my pocket. The only guess I could hazard was that the money had fallen out while I was wrestling the mattress and boxspring into the back of the minivan... On a complete lark, we drove back to Costco just as dusk was setting in and pulled up to the space we had parked in. Robin looked out the window and promptly spotted a wad of cash. There was 60 bucks right where we'd left it! Robin and I spent the next several minutes inspecting every bit of trash in the vicinity, and just as we were set to give up, Robin found another 20 dollar bill! I did end up losing five bucks, but given the circumstance, getting 80 dollars back felt like winning the lottery!

One more thing to mention for today. The Redskins have won the latest round in their ongoing battle to keep their trademark. You can read the details of the case here, but all you really need to know is that the victory was on a technical matter, and the plaintiffs in the case are appealing. A group of Native Americans is suing the team, making the claim that the name "Redskins" is racist and disparaging. The team insists the word "Redskins" honors native Americans.

Now, I must tell you... I have been a Redskins fan since I was eight years old. I have not missed watching one of their games in at least a decade. I do call them the Redskins, and I would probably continue to call them the Redskins out of habit even if their name was changed. But let's at least be honest. Having a native American as a mascot is racist. Basing a sports team's name solely on the color of a group's skin is racist. This is not even a close call. In a world that demands political correctness... where virtually all colleges have long since abandoned their American Indian nicknames and mascots... the Redskins are an endangered species. I am no more anxious to give up the tradition of their name than any other fan of the Burgundy and Gold. But this is one battle I hope the Skins lose, and I think it's just a matter of time before they do.

That's My Boy!

When I was a kid, the only way my parents knew what I was up to at summer camp was when I chose to send them a letter. But thanks to the wonders of the internet, I can follow my kids' exploits whenever I want! Brad and Spencer's camp provides updates pretty much 24/7... telling us what activities they've been doing every day and what they were served for lunch and dinner. They also upload dozens of photos daily so we can see them having fun (What a GREAT marketing tool, by the way!)... AND - we can send e-mail to our boys as often as we want, so it makes writing them much easier. The emails are printed out and delivered to the kids... They still have to write us by hand, just as God intended!

So last night, I checked in and discovered that 10-year-old son Spencer auditioned for the camp play, "West Side Story", and won the role of Officer Krupke! I suppose I should ponder the fact that Spencer's main responsibility will be to stand on stage and receive the verbal musical abuse of several other kids singing "Krup You" to him, but instead I'll choose to bask in the glow of my son getting his first dramatic role! As you may have read earlier, we're big supporters of musical theater for kids in the Matthews household!

We always knew Spencer would be our artsy child... He enjoys singing in the school chorus, and played clarinet in the orchestra this past school year. Hopefully, this taste of musical theater will make Spencer hungry to continue in the arts.

Now I just hope he'll pick up a pencil and write us to tell us about his good news - Last year, Spencer failed to write even one letter from camp - but at least he was having a good time!