Webapalooza II

In honor of the 29th of February, it's time for another Webapalooza, where I throw out links to some of the more interesting things worth checking out on the web.



MythBusters in Photos - CNET's News.com went on-location with at M5 to check out Adam and Jamie working on their episode for this year's Shark Week, which will air on the Discovery Channel the last week of July.

Barack Obama Is Your New Bicycle - A new chapter in the internet campaigning revolution. Click or refresh the page to get a new feel-good Obama reference. Contrast with its sister site, Hillary Clinton Is Your New Bicycle.

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me - Those who know my fascination with game shows will not at all be surprised by this, but if you've never heard of NPR's long-running weekly radio quiz show I recommend hitting up the podcast. Always an entertaining spin on the current news of the week, it's one of my must-listen-to podcasts while sitting at work each week. As an aside, if anyone's a fan and wants to come check out a live taping this June when they'll be in Seattle, let me know.

The '80s TV Theme SuperSite - If you're as disappointed as I am that most TV shows these days have abandoned the opening theme song in favor of an extra 60 seconds of commercials, relive some classics from the "golden age of TV theme songs".

Elevator Rules - FINALLY someone has codified the rules that we all thought were common fact. A few selections:

"When talking on an elevator be considerate, talk softly and do not assume that everyone in the car cares about what you are saying."

"NEVER re-push the call button after someone has already pushed it. This indicates that you either do not understand how the button works, or you do not trust the person that has already pushed the button to do an adequate job of it."

Mame

Time once again for another thrilling theatre review from yours truly.

Wednesday night I went to Mame at the 5th Avenue Theatre. This is another classic from the legendary 1960's musical theatre genre. The plot revolves around a young boy whose father dies and he goes off to live with his eccentric Aunt Mame in New York City. The story takes a bizarre journey with many strange twists and turns, which are all but irrelevant to the musical itself. The plot is just compelling enough to tie the big, lavish production numbers together throughout the show.

And production numbers they were.

Despite the bizarre compounding of scenes, I was oddly entertained by this show.

The lead role of Mame, originally pioneered on Broadway by the equally legendary Angela Lansbury, was outstandingly performed by Dee Hoty, who has had multiple Tony nominations for various Broadway performances throughout her career. In fact, the entire ensemble (of over 30 actors) was probably one of the finest I've seen come out of the 5th Avenue in recent memory. The production numbers were exciting and fun to watch. Though if I had to cite a fault, on a few of them the dancing was not quite as polished and in-sync as you would hope.

The music was typical of the 1960's musicals... I hesitate to say boring, but definitely the composition of a bygone era. A few songs, including the title number, are still equally recognizable today, if not by words by the tune itself.

And I know you love my ratings, so...

Cast: 5 stars - Outstanding. I'd give this bonus stars if I could.
Script: 3 stars - Don't go for the story.
Technical: 4 stars - Another great production by the 5th.
Music: 3 stars - On the high-side of 3, but nothing to write home about.
Overall: 3 stars - I nearly gave this 4, but I want to resist rating inflation, and there's definitely a level between this and the top, so it needs a 3.

Infomercial Bingo

Infomercials. It's hard to avoid them, unless you're watching pre-recorded shows on your DVR. But if you can't avoid it, why not play along? Play Infomercial Bingo! I've compiled a list of some of the greatest catchphrases in TV infomercials today. Compete with your friends to find who can score a BINGO the fastest! How long will it take? Just one commercial? Maybe two? It's not as hard as you think! Enjoy!

B	I	N	G	O
Billy Mays	"Action"	"Cutting Edge"	"Powerful"	"A $___ Value"
"1-800-..."	"Absolutely Free... just pay separate shipping and handling"	"Cutting Edge"	"Instantly"	"Technologically Advanced"
"Amazing!"	"___ Easy Payments"	FREE	"Like New"	"Breakthrough"
"But Wait..."	Any miracle cleaning product	"Wow!"	Anthony Sullivan	"Free replacements for life... just pay separate shipping and handling"
Any obviously made-up technological-sounding word	"Developed by NASA"	"Double the Offer"	Any generic British voice	"Revolutionary"

I'm home!

Well, after a week and a half of moving, I'm finally completely moved out of my apartment and into my new house. That's not to say I'm completely unpacked, but I'm quickly getting things in order.

Moving kills me. I hate moving a lot. I don't mind so much the unpacking part, but the packing and moving part is just frustrating and tiring. At least it's done now. Woohoo!

When I started writing this, I thought I had something more inspiring to say, but apparently not. :)