Category Archives: Los Angeles

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!

1 Comment

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!

2 Comments

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

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.

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment, Los Angeles, Photography

December 20, 2022 · 23:25

Christmas Lights 2022 – Music Center

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

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment, Los Angeles, 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.

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment, Los Angeles, Photography

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…

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment, Los Angeles, Photography

November 2, 2022 · 23:56

Danny Elfman At The Bowl

You might recall that on Saturday I and most of the family were at the Hollywood Bowl for the Danny Elfman concert. I posted at the beginning, then enjoyed the show.

It might have been absolutely amazing!

Excellent graphics to go along with the music, usually very bizarre.

“Only A Lad” – there were several classic Oingo Boingo songs, along with a lot of his other pretty hardcore rock and punk tunes. For starters.

The wide angle view, with the two big screens on each side, and then two more out even further to the side and closer to us. There might have been another set up behind us, but we were in a good location so I didn’t worry about what was behind us.

“The Nightmare Before Christmas” – mixed in with the Oingo Boingo and punk were selections from his dozens and dozens and dozens of movie scores and television theme songs.

This whole slection was done live with the primary singers, a full orchestra, and a choir. NOT a subtle or small production.

Amazing work to see done live, coordinated with the video from the movie on the big screen behind them.

The entire production was almost too much, just overwhelming. It’s so rare that he performs live these days, just one Coachella set a couple weeks ago and these two nights at the Bowl (plus an odd short show at the Bowl once or twice) since 1995. Twenty-seven years and you can count on one hand the number of his live concerts – and we were there!

Leave a comment

Filed under Los Angeles, Music, Photography

October 29, 2022 · 18:45

More Excellent Noise Tonight

Yesterday I noted that my watch warned me on Thursday about the noise levels at the Kings game.

There will be slightly fewer folks here than at the Crypt on Thursday. Capacity here is 17,500 vs 20,000 at Crypto.com Arena – but our band tonight will be a LOT louder.

It’s night #2 at the Hollywood Bowl for Danny Elfman’s Halloween 🎃 concert.

The moon was setting as we climbed the hill.

The crowd is packed – this is a hot ticket. The use of legal recreational pot is widespread, “No Smoking” signs be damned, and those of us not partaking are in danger of a contact high.

The opening act was loud and okay, but I didn’t catch their names and I have no urgent need to track them down.

Now, the full orchestra is assembled and momentarily it will be a Dead Man’s Party – literally!

Leave a comment

Filed under Los Angeles, Music, Photography, Uncategorized

October 28, 2022 · 23:35

More Where That Came From

Last night at the hockey game, my watch tried to warn me…

As they say, “No shit, Sherlock!”

There will be more of that tomorrow night. LOTS more. (That’s a good thing!)

Later, walking to the subway station (did you know that LA has a subway/light rail system, and actually a pretty good one that’s growing every year?) I could see that downtown LA at night can be spectacular and beautiful.

It’s also a very urban environment, with all that brings. Keep safe.

1 Comment

Filed under Los Angeles, Photography

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!

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment, Los Angeles, Photography