Category Archives: Entertainment

May 6, 2023 · 19:33

The Highlight Of *MY* Ahmanson Season

We’ve seen a lot of great plays over the last several years at the Ahmanson. “2:22” earlier this year was great. “Come From Away” last year was unbelievable.

Coming up later this year are some more that I’m really looking forward to. “Into The Woods,” for example. And while nothing’s official for next year, there are lots of interesting rumors and possibilities.

But tonight? Tonight, at long last, is the one I’ve been waiting for since about 2020.

Over 50 years ago (jeez freaking Louise, that CAN’T be right…but it is) we read the play and listened to the soundtrack in an American Studies class when I was a junior in high school. I was in love.

Then there were plans to do a production of our own as our Senior Play. I wanted the primary part of John Adams so badly that it hurt. I practiced and memorized and listened to the soundtrack hundreds of times … and we did “Harvey” instead. (I played Dr. Chumley, it was a tremendous amount of fun. But it wasn’t “1776.”)

I’ve since seen it once on stage, probably 20+ years ago at a small theater production in Hollywood. Then this revival hit Broadway a few years back and I’ve been waiting. It was supposed to be here in the 2020-2021 season, but that got canceled due to COVID.

But tonight…

“I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is called a disgrace, that two are called a law firm, and that three or more become a Congress! And, by God, I have had this Congress!”

If our lead is suddenly ill at show time, put me in Coach!

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Filed under Entertainment, Los Angeles, Paul

April 29, 2023 · 23:17

Ten Years Of WLTSTF

It snuck up on me. It wasn’t until this afternoon that I realized that today is the 10th anniversary of my starting this website.

I guess this is sort of a big one.

10 years.

3,653 days.

3,745 posts.

8,921 images. (90%+ are taken by me. The rest are images from the news, from cell phone screen captures, and so on.) To be perfectly honest, some of my favorite images of those 8,921 were posted yesterday. Still just a bit gobsmacked by that.

72 videos.

10 audio clips.

2,978 total comments.

75,498 total views.

49,522 total visitors to the site.

11,438 total likes.

1,827 followers (730 from WordPress, 703 from Twitter, 280 from FaceBook, 10 from Tumblr, 58 from post.news, and 46 from Spoutible)

God alone knows how many words.

The last time I either was too busy or, more likely, simply forgot to post anything was April 10, 2020. Since they I’ve posted 1,115 days in a row.

In total there have only been fourteen days of those 3,653 days when I didn’t post anything at all.

I’m not only here (which is probably the most reliable source since I have the most control over the site’s existance) but also on:

  • Twitter (@momdude56)
  • Facebook (/paul.willett.56)
  • Mastodon (@momdude)
  • Post (@momdude)
  • Spoutible (@momdude)
  • Instagram (@momdude56)
  • Tumblr (pauljwillett)
  • Snapchat (pauljwillett)
  • Hive (@momdude)
  • BlueSky (waiting for an invite, but I’ll give you three guesses what it will be…)
  • Email (pwillett@ix.netcom.com)

I hope that at least a few of the 1,827 folks who get notified every day that I’ve posted something take a minute to look and/or read and get a moment of zen or pleasure from it. I enjoy creating it.

As always, I hope that in the next year there are many more occasions to share a pretty picture, a goofy story, or something clever.

As always, I hope that in the next year there will be many fewer occasions to descend into a venting rant about something stupid, annoying, or depressing.

As do we all, I’m sure.

As a lovely parting gift, couple of favorite pictures from the last year:

Stick around for the next year. It’ll be a slice!

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Filed under Airshows, Astronomy, Birds, Christmas Lights, Critters, Entertainment, KC Chiefs, LA Angels, LA Kings, Los Angeles, Paul, Photography, Sports, Sunsets, Writing

April 14, 2023 · 23:37

Odds & Sods, April 14th

It was cloudy and foggy last night again and I didn’t get to see Spacex’s Transporter 7 launch out of Vandenberg just before midnight, because the weather sucked for them as well and they scrubbed. The weather is looking much better tonight, both here and there, so in twenty or so minutes (23:48 PDT) maybe we’ll get to see a launch.

SpaceX also got it’s launch license from the FAA today, the last step they needed before launching SuperHeavy Booster 7 carrying Starship Ship 24. They’ll probably try sometime after 07:00 AM CDT on Monday morning.

My son in Texas immediately asked if I would be getting there Saturday or Sunday. It’s with truly great sorrow that I had to acknowledge that I wouldn’t be making a last-minute, surprise trip. As I noted, being an adult sucks. “…For I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.”

I randomly had two movies on cable on as background while I was working the other night, and didn’t think anything of it, but it hit me later how they both examine similar themes from radically different viewpoints. Things like what it takes to make us human and how we treat other sentient beings and what rights those beings might have. First it was “Ex Machina,” which has always been stunning visually as well as thought provoking. The second was “The Truman Show,” a philosophical horror show masquerading as a Jim Carrey comedy.

Are Eva and Truman all that different at their cores?

Time to try and go see a rocket launch!

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March 25, 2023 · 21:12

Life Goes On

At the Music Center, just after sunset, cool but crystal clear. The brightest object at the top right is the crescent moon, with Venus just above the tip of the tall, black building. All of the other shiny things in the sky are aircraft of one sort or the other.

Tonight we’re back at the Ahmanson for “The Secret Garden.” I know nothing about it except that friends have said good things.

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January 6, 2023 · 23:44

In Search Of Something New

I’ve been working on a tight deadline that’s going to keep me busy all weekend, and while plowing through it I found a Stanley Kubrick film fest on some cable channel. Three truly outstanding films that I’ve seen a gazillion times and they can just be background, comfort food for my soul while my brain is occupied elsewhere.

“2001”

“A Clockwork Orange”

“Full Metal Jacket”

This obviously isn’t new to anyone who’s been reading this site for nearly ten years. I started by titling this post as “Kubrick” and WordPress gave it a filename of “kubrick-3” which means this would be the fourth time that I used that exact same title…

It would be great to be watching something new. I’ve got a “to be watched” list of movies and streaming series that could keep me busy for years. I’ve got a “to be read” pile of books that could tip over and cause a 9.3 earthquake. But any of that, while intellectually stimulating, would require me to pay attention. And my attention needs to be focused. I don’t get to attack that “to be read” pile until I get past a couple of deadlines.

I hate making Chuck Wendig wait. (Read “Wanderers,” it’s outstanding. And once I get done with my re-read of that, I get to start the sequel, “Wayward,” which I am hearing amazing things about.)

Onward.

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Filed under Entertainment, Paul

December 20, 2022 · 23:25

Christmas Lights 2022 – Music Center

The place is fabulous pretty much all the time, but the holidays are special.

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Filed under Entertainment, Los Angeles, Photography

December 17, 2022 · 19:21

Final Play Of 2022

At the Ahmanson for our “extra” play of the season, “Ain’t Too Proud.” The season is six plays, each in town for 5-6 weeks, but there are a couple others that sneak in for just a couple of weeks.

As the panographic photo shows (as always, click on it to see it full-sized), the Music Center is resplendent for the holidays. The Mark Taper Forum’s on the left (with the Ahmanson behind it) and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is on the right (with the Disney Concert Hall behind it).

A big Christmas tree and City Hall off in the distance are in the middle. We also have the fountains and lights working in the middle, but with the temperature at 54° and dropping, no one’s dancing in the fountain. Go figure!

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and not stressing too much over the holiday prepar… HOLY CRAP, WE HAVEN’T SENT OUT THE CHRISTMAS CARDS YET!!! 🤯

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Filed under Christmas Lights, Entertainment, Photography

December 4, 2022 · 22:00

Review – “2:22 A Ghost Story”

A lot of what we see at the Ahmanson and Pantages here in LA are musicals and wildly popular plays. “Hamilton.” “Wicked.” “1776.” “Oklahoma!” “Evan Hanson.”

If you get a chance, I would recommend that you go see “2:22 A Ghost Story.”

It’s not perfect, but I enjoyed it a lot. It’s not a musical, it’s not a classic, it’s not perfect. It’s a ghost story. (It’s right there in the title.)

The run at the Ahmanson is the first US presentation after runs at several theaters in London, where it’s won awards and been very popular. The staging in interesting, as is the story.

And beyond that I’ll be quiet since, as the writer says in his notes in the program, all ghost stories are also mysteries.

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December 3, 2022 · 19:16

Music Center For The Holidays

It’s time to start the next season of plays at the Ahmamson Theatre in Los Angeles. The Music Center is all gussied up for the holidays.

That’s the side of the Mark Taper Forum on the left with the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion off in the distance on the other side of the Plaza where the Christmas tree is.

Tonight we’re seeing “2:22 A Ghost Story.” I don’t think there will be a lot of singing or dancing…

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October 15, 2022 · 19:26

Finishing The Ahmanson Season

The regular Ahmanson Theater season is six plays with a seventh “extra” which we added, plus the Taper production from last Saturday. The first play of this season (“A Christmas Carol”) was wiped out by COVID last December, so tonight will be our seventh of the year.

Not to worry that we’ll get bored, we’ve already gotten our subscription for next year, with the first play in December.

Tonight, LA City Hall is lit up in…pink? Purple? Lavender? Still no clue as to the whys for any given night’s color.

The big question of the night, of course, is if the Astros-Mariners game will be done while we’re at the play, or if we’ll come out at 23:00 to find it still 0-0 in the top of the 37th!

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