The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio
Caught an advanced screening again yesterday at Lincoln Center, for The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio starring Julianne Moore and Woody Harrelson.

It's based on a true story and book, The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less.

Evelyn Ryan (Moore) is a devoted housewife and mother of ten in the 1950s. A time period perfect for Moore since she looks so classic and has played a 50s housewife in Far From Heaven and The Hours. Her husband (Harrelson) can't seem to make ends meet, especially since most of his paycheck goes to liquor. The mortgage payments and putting food on the table falls to Evelyn, defying conventions of the day. She continually finds a way to keep her family together by applying her resourcefulness and wit to winning poetry contests and writing jingles for prize competitions. She wins a supermarket shopping spree and other contests that provided washing machines and other appliances the family couldn't afford, and even delivered cash to pay the milk man.

Harrelson who I've admired ever since his play appearances in Rainmaker and An Average Day, does a good job playing a jealous and hapless 50s husband. Although it gets really annoying that they call each other mom and dad, I hate that, but it's a true story so I guess they have to ;). People in the audience got so annoyed at the father's destructive character that there were numerous hisses and yells at the screen. I even heard two women mutter, "I'd kill him!" Thus he does a good job playing the loser dad.

Moore meanwhile is good in anything, so I don't even have to go there. Her character though is so perfect that I often got annoyed at her turn-the-other-cheek persona, however it's also very admirable as is her wit and endurance.

The film starts a little weird with Moore talking directly to the camera, but I enjoyed the television commercial like feel to the audience address. Overall the film is sentimental and aims to pull at the heartstrings, but "cute" and enjoyable none the less.

I felt bad that I invited a male friend to this women's film, but I brought him some candy from work and didn't seem to mind as much ;) Thanks Jesse.

DVD Review: 3rd Rock From the Sun--The Complete First Season.

I totally forgot how adorable and creative this show is. I always enjoyed it but I didn't watch every episode, since they kept changing what day it was on and so forth. Anyway, since receiving the first season on DVD, I've been popping through the different episodes like they were potato chips and laughing out loud. Jane Curtain plays such a straight lace neurotic, John Lithgow is brilliant maintaining that shocked child-eyed wonder throughout too. I kept looking forward to see what trouble the aliens would get into next and how they would embarrass poor Dr. Mary Albright and their secretary Nina. The first season is really endearing and I'm glad I got a chance to refresh my memory with these episodes.

Also, the coolest part is that the DVD talks, yes talks. Like some action figure there is a button on the box set and when pressed it has Dick saying "You are ... judgmental and completely self-absorbed, won't you be my friend?" I loved the idea of making the DVD more than just a DVD, too cool.

DVD Show Season Score: A+
DVD Sound & Vision: B
DVD Packaging/Layout: A
DVD Special Features Score: B
DVD Show Collection Overall Score: A-

Spelling Bee & Avenue Q
I finally saw the coveted new Broadway show, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on Saturday evening with K. The musical comedy is about a group of grade school misfits who compete in the county spelling competition.

The theater is decorated with school banners and hand painted signs, just like a real educational institution would be. Even the stage and theater are made to look like a gymnasium with wooden floors, basketball hoops and a circular seating arena. It's really fun and creative, putting you in the scholastic mood right from the start. And the setting really made me eager for the live performance.

The show is partly interactive since they pick four audience members to come sit on the bleachers with the other contestants and even have them spell words with the actors. It's pretty funny. Even funnier are the sentences they give the children to describe the words that they are asked to spell.

The students, played by adults, range from a shy Asian girl yearning to rebel and not be so perfect, to a heavy boy who uses his foot to spell out the words he's given. Then there is a lonely girl in pig tails; a lesbian named Logann who is raised by two dads; an Asian boyscout who is more interested in the ladies at the bee; and a lispy red head boy who does not think he's smart. All of whom are under pressure to win in order to make their parents happy and eager to prove that they are the smartest.

Overall, it's a fun show, lots of laughter and enjoyment. The songs are cute but not memorable, since I can't recall any of them off the top of my head except the Unintended Erection one. However, the story line, humor and cast members make up for the lack of creative/catchy music.

Spelling Bee was nominated for six 2005 Tony Awards and won two, including Dan Fogler's performance as an overweight speller blessed with the magic foot.

Starting Oct. 2, they will be having 'Mature Audience Only' shows on certain set days, where there will be more naughtier words to spell.
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After a theater going dry spell, it was a Broadway weekend for me, because the following day another friend and I took in the matinee showing of Avenue Q. This musical includes puppets, so yes another kids theme, yet again more for adults and their life lessons.

Avenue Q is the story of Princeton, a typical bright-eyed college grad who comes to NYC seeking a purpose but with a tiny bank account. He soon discovers that the only neighborhood in his price range is Avenue Q, which doesn't exist but makes fun of how far out it is, since the avenues in Manhattan only go up to D.

There he meets neighbors under similar circumstances, including a single girl who is a "monster" and his building's superintendent the former child star, Gary Coleman (played by a woman). Together, Princeton and his newfound friends struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive "purpose" in life.

Despite winning the Tony for best Musical, I was hesitant to see this production. The whole human and puppets idea seemed freaky, but who knew puppet sex would be so funny, lol. And unlike Spelling Bee, the songs are catchy and more memorable. They include original titles like, "Sucks to Be Me," "It's OK if You're Gay," and "Everyone's a Little Racist."

The songs are sometimes interrupted by Sesame Street like cartoon lessons being shown on side TVs, but they aren't G rated e.g. a lesson about one night stands, haha.

Celeb Sightings: Saw David Hyde Peirce at the Broadway Flea Market & Auction, who by the way I've always had a crush on. I know, I know, shut up. He looked really good too. And the red head guy (Alan Tudyk) from A Knight's Tale walked by me on 45th Street on the way to the theater, but he looked upset and in a rush so I didn't say anything.

CultureFest 2005
The fifth annual CultureFest 2005 takes place on Saturday & Sunday, September 24-25, in Battery Park and features the complete range of New York City's diverse arts community from all five boroughs.

I didn't plan on going to the fest but it was so beautiful out that my friend and I walked down the Hudson River Path along the water from 14th Street to Battery Park. We took the subway back though, shh.

Here I am learning to play the drums, not well though. There were also some really cute little girls doing Irish Step Dancing:

The Block Party
Last weekend my friends and I went to The Kitchen High Line Block Party in Chelsea.

The High Line is a 1.5 mile-long historic elevated rail structure on the west side of Manhattan, and ends or begins, depending on how you look at it, right near my street. The current proposition is to preserve and reuse the above bridge as a park over the streets. I hope the plan goes through, it seems like a fun idea.

Below are some of the photos I took of the block party for my photojournalism grad class:


PS: Met yet another blogger last night while at 1849, because evidently this city is full of them, he writes Terry McMahon's Awesome Blog.

PPS: Today my sister Serina would have turned 27 years old. Happy birthday!

That's Amore, The Art of Making Pizza With My Dad
My father would tell people he was a "cook" never a chef or proprietor of many successful restaurants, although he was both. His hands, large and calloused from years of burns and cuts left un-fussed over, were his battle wounds to prove it. Those same hands could move quickly around his no thrills kitchen like an expert piano player over his keys. The speed of which he moved always made me cringe when he rapidly chopped, cut and diced ingredients for some patron’s meal. To me, it looked as if he was just about to chop off his fingers right before my eyes, but luckily his expert moves always narrowly missed doing so. Although I’d retreat to making my own mixed concoctions from the soda machine while he was cooking different entres, I’d always watch intently when it came time to making pizzas. Forever mesmerized over the process and being involved in making the final ambrosia.

He’d start by showing off to me and the customers, tossing and catching the flour dabbed homemade dough. The flour dust forever clinging to his clothes and making him smell like the ingredients of a pizza pie. The trick to throwing dough, he’d say, was using your fists and moving them quickly in circular movements underneath the pancake flattened dough, building momentum. That, I could do, but catching the wobbly dough after it’s carelessly flung into the air and not letting it stretch to the floor by my feet or puncturing the stretched-thin raw bread with my eagerly waiting fingers, was a different story. My dad was far from being a gentle man. Yet, the big brute could toss and catch pizza dough as if he was in an Olympic egg tossing competition and the heavy dough merely a feather floating down into his outstretched hands.

Once the dough was laid onto the wooden block and lengthened to the right size, his homemade marinara sauce could be poured on top. He’d guide my hand to the large metal ladle, filled to the brim with cold sauce, and to the very center of the dough. Together, circulating outwards to only an inch away from the edge, saving room for the crust to form, we’d drop the sauce leaving a bloody red trail in its wake.

He could fill a whole pizza with shredded mozzarella with just a quick magical circular gesture with his arm, covering the scattered pieces of cheese evenly on the pie. Under my breath I’d whisper “Bippity Boppity Boo,” while looking down to see if any of the shredded strings missed the wet pizza dough. He never did, so I’d have to sneak some cheese out of the metal container to munch on.

When the restaurant wasn’t too busy he’d sometimes let me put on whatever toppings were needed for the order. I’d take my time making sure each disc shaped pepperoni and cold mushroom were laid out evenly across the surface, while my dad pretended to be annoyed and huffed and puffed behind me. But once the toppings and preparations for the pie are accomplished, came the more challenging part, the javelin thrust it takes to shove the raw pie off the heavy wooden paddle board and into the pizza oven. I could barely lift the large wooden paddle or see over the formidable furnace looking ovens, never mind being able to slide the uncooked pizza off and into the waiting heat without destroying what we just made.

Like all good “cooks” my dad didn’t have to use a timer or peak into the oven to know when the pie was ready, he just did. If the pie was going in the display area, he’d sneak me a warm piece to go with my root beer, 7up, cherry coke drink.

When the pizza was meant for take out, I’d proudly watch the delicious pie being taken away in a cardboard box that we folded and assembled in between the business rush. And the whole time wondering: do they realize all the steps and movements that went into making them that pie? I can’t help but recall all of that work each time I eat a slice of pizza pie, do you?