Entering the Veil: Professor Snape - Alan Rickman

     January 14 ,2014 the world lost yet another amazing actor to cancer. Alan Rickman has entered the veil and left this world behind. He left behind of course his family but he also left behind many grieving fans and an everlasting movie legacy.

     I did not know who Alan Rickman was until the blockbuster film Harry Potter Sorcerers Stone came out. However I had seen him in several movies, liked him without knowing who this great actor was. Harry Potter did launch him to super star status as a villain you love to hate. Of course Severus Snape ended up being a good guy in the end but at first no one knew that. I wanted to see the kids win against Prof. Snape yet I was never so thrilled when he ended up being good. That love boiled over into a love for Alan Rickman as an actor.

     After realizing who he was I researched Alan Rickman and learned he was in many movies I loved. He played Hans Gruber in Die Hard with Bruce Willis. Yes he was a villain and even though he was a great actor Hans was not a villain you loved to hate. After discovering who he was and watching the film again though I found a greater appreciation of Mr. Rickman's talent.

     Mr. Rickman also played Elliott Marsten in Quigly Down Under. Once again he was a bad guy. In Quigly though he was not as "cool" a bad guy. This character was a bit more on the wimpy side however Alan did a great job with the role and well, even though you didn't love the character, you loved the actor.

     Another villain role was as Judge Turpin in Sweeny Todd. I knew who Alan Rickman was by then and so watched his character with appreciation. Yes of course I did not like him but I still loved Mr. Rickman.

    He has done several voice-overs, one as the Blue  Caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp. Actually the voice over for the Blue Caterpillar in Alice Through the Looking Glass is his last role.

     After knowing who he was I saw him in Sense and Sensibility where he played Col. Brandon-one of the first roles I saw him in where he was not a villain. His acting ability and versatility
shined through in this movie.

     Alan Rickman has been in several movies. I have yet to see all of them. A great actor enetered the veil on January 14 and he will be truly missed.

John Denver: Your Days Were Diamonds

     I was not blogging back when John Denver left this world so decided that I would write a tribute to him and his music. I absolutely loved John Denver's music. I can't even begin to explain how amazingly beautiful I find his voice and how sad I feel that we lost such a great talent so you. I remember hearing his music since, well, since as long as I remember listening to music. Some of his music sounds country, some rock and some had a folk sound to it. . He wrote beautiful songs he sang himself and he wrote songs
for other artists. He was one of the most well rounded musicians I think that ever lived.

     The first song I remember hearing John Denver sing was Take Me Home Country Roads which he did not actually write but it was the song that really put him on the charts for his vocal qualities. Many other artists performed it but none like John Denver. It always makes me feel happy and makes me want to take country roads home, to where I am not sure, maybe West Virginia even though it is not home to me. This song makes me feel like it could be.

     Later I remember hearing him sing Leaving on a Jet Plane which had been made popular by Peter, Paul and Mary however John Denver actually wrote the song and later sang it too.I loved it by both artists. I don't like to play it over and over again but enjoy it when I hear it. It also played in Taste Pilot Grill at Disney's California Park and I loved hearing it there.

     Annie's Song is another song I found beautiful I remember that he wrote it about his wife who he adored. I always thought it was a sweet tribute to the love he felt for her.

     One of my absolute favorite John Denver songs is Calypso, It was a tribute to Jacques Cousteau and his search for Calypso. It has a beautiful, yet eerie sound and makes me feel a sense of reverence when I hear it.It adds a new realm to John's vocal talent, the operatic/yodel.  I can listen to it over and over again without tiring of it.

     Another song of John Denver's that I find beautiful is Some Days are Diamonds. It is one of his songs that has a country sound to it rather than folksy but I don't care. I love it.

     Fly Away with Olivia Newton-John was a chart topper for years.. I remember that they were both extremely popular when they teamed up for this song and everyone was excited about it. Her lilting voice with his beautiful voice make for such a perfect harmony.

     Rocky Mountain High is a John Denver song that I am sure everyone has heard. It was extremely popular in its day and remained popular for years. John Denver was from Aspen and the Denver Bronco's used it for many years as a sort of theme song.. I remember it most from the John Elway days and it seems like they played it in tribute to him.

     Among the many songs John Denver wrote and performed I think Looking for Space is my favorite. It holds such a special place in my heart. I relate to this song very well because there are many times in life I am just looking for a space to belong and to find out who I am. I think I cry every time I hear Looking for Space.

     John Denver left the world way too soon. He was way too young. I did not even touch on all of the songs he brought the world. Many times when I hear him sing it brings a tear to my eye, brings back special memories of days gone by, a feeling of serenity for one who left so much beauty in the path behind him.

   

Farewell David Bowie: You Will Be Missed

     January 10, 2016 marked the day another wonderful musician left this world. I was sad to hear that he lost his battle with cancer, sad to hear that he has left us. David Bowie's music was a very important part of my teen years. I can't even begin to state how much his music meant to me. I feel like I grew up with David Bowie.

      One of the first songs that comes to mind when I think of David is Space Oddity, I think it is one of my favorite songs ever. It gives me a happy feeling and a feeling that we can do anything. It also just makes me feel proud, proud of what I am not sure but just a sense of pride. It used to play in Disney's Taste Pilot Grill which I loved. It added a lot to the atmosphere.

      The next song that enters my mind  is Fame, I think it might be what I always though of David by. It came out in my early teen years and was extremely popular with the kids during the day of Disco. It added a different feel to music. I can't say it was easy to dance to but we all loved it.

      When I hear Under  Pressure by David Bowie and Queen it reminds me of how beautiful two talents could be when working together. The song makes me want to dance and tap my foot along with making me feel good inside. It also makes me feel this sense of "I can do anything." That might come from it being in the movie Zoom. I thought it was most fitting to use Under Pressure in Zoom where the kids are finally working together toward the greater good of their remarkable powers.

     As I sit and think of David and his music, I remember how remarkably different he was, his British accent and the soft lilt to his voice brought us a new sound. I could name all of his songs and tell what they mean to me but well, that would require a book. Just about  of his songs have meaning to me and I am extremely saddened to hear of the worlds great loss.  My heart  also goes out to his family and friends who will not only miss his music but will miss the person they loved.

   

I had thought of saying the day he left this world was the day part of music died but it is not, the music did not die, the music and memories that David Bowie left is will forever live on.

Grandson is a Nightmare and Goofbot

     My grandson, Noah,  has loved Mickey Mouse Clubhouse since he was not even yet a year old. He has learned a lot from the show. He has also learned to be silly. At two he was singing songs he hears on TV along with acting things out. As he gets older he is even more animated. He also loves Nightmare Before Christmas. He sings and acts gongs from that movie out too.

     Noah acts out just about any show he watches now. I try to record all of his singing, or at least a great part of it. Kids are just so much fun.

     I have only uploaded his most recent songs. This is Halloween and Goofbot. Enjoy this adorable 3 year old boy singing and acting...

     This is Halloween by Noah 

     Mr. Goofbot

 

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; My Son the Child Catcher

This year has been an amazing one for my youngest son Kyle. He landed all of the roles he wanted in the high school plays. He was not going to be a part of the musical because he just does not do musicals until everyone told him that he would make a great Child Catcher. So, he decided to step out of his comfort zone and audition. He landed the role and was very excited.

Kyle did such an amazing job as The Child Catcher. The character is the villain of Vulgaria and really does not have a lot of stage time.However Kyle's portrayal of the character made him extremely memorable. He received many rave reviews from the newspaper and audience members loved his character.

The Child Catcher did have one solo song,Kiddie Widdie Winkies, which was so much fun for Kyle.  He also was able to be a part of the Bombie Somba and final Chitty reprise after bows.

Kyle showed that there are no small parts, that you can take a role that has little stage time and make it huge. The kids cowered when he was on stage and he loved it. But at the end of the show many of them wanted to meet him.

Playing the Child Catcher was a rewarding experience for my son. It also brought us some great memories for me as his mom. I loved watching him perform. I loved watching the entire show.
I will tell more about the rest of the show in another post.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEol9eSavL0

What This Blog is About

I didn't know where to put my son's play and other of my kids accomplishments until I decided that they are special memories so, this is the spot for those memories. I don't have time to write about the plays while they are happening so it is better to write about them once they are done. While my oldest son is getting ready to play shows it is busy too so not time to write.

My oldest son started out in  theater when he was in the ninth grade. He also played guitar at that time too but was ok back then. His theater experience was in tech and sound. He becamse one of those master sound designers. Later when he was 16 he gave up theater and focused on his music. He is now one of the best guitar players I've heard and many other people agree.

My youngest son started theater in the ninth grade too. He began in tech, he worked in sound some, mostly at first he was backstage crew and helped build. Then he decided to try his hand at acting and he was bitten by the acting bug. He did tech during musicals and acted for legit s. Then this year he ventured into the world of musicals and well, now he is twice bitten.

I have other special memories throughout my life too, family memories, holiday memories and well many memories. This blog is where I will share all of those memories that I hold special and dear except some that have their own blog. This blog will actually be more about my kids accomplishments and holiday memories.

Looking Back at New Year's Eve Past

And so here I sit on New Years Eve 2014 feeling a bit sad because I have no big plans to ring in the new year. But yet content to just be hanging out at home. It is strange to have both feelings but I do.  I wish I had something exciting to do but yet am glad to be safe in my warm home on this cold night.  So, as I sit here thinking about the holiday I recall some of the past New Year's Eve's in my life.

I don't remember much of what I did before I reached adulthood. I do remember that my mom and I spent many New Year's Eve nights watching Rockin New Year's Eve with Dick Clark and then we would watch the ball drop. Those are very fond memories of great times spent with my mom.

One year when I was either 18 or 19 years old I went to a New Years Eve sledding party. It was with my cousins and a bunch of friends. I think that is one of the most fun times I ever had ringing in the new year. It was cold but we had a fire and hot chocolate.

The following year I spent with a good friend, her mom and some other teen friends. We watched movies and made crank phone calls. We had so much fun. We did not drink, it was not that kind of party. It was just a fun time. It is a fond memory for me because that was the last year I spent with my friends mom who was also my moms best friend and a good friend to me too. She died in a car wreck that following summer.

The first year I was married my then husband and I spent New Years Eve bowling. We bowled on league and the alley had a special party. It was a lot of fun. We had games and contests and yes drinks. I didn't get as drunk as my husband but I did drink then.

Later years we really didn't do anything for New Year's Eve, I did not like how trashed my ex got and I also no longer drank at all so being around a bunch of drunk people was not for me. So, we rang in the new year with my ex husband passed out and I would watch the ball drop alone. I did call my mom as it dropped so that I was not completely alone.

After we had kids it was  a few years until we celebrated the holiday. When the kids were around two and five years old my husbands cousin, his wife and kids would come over for dinner, then we would pay games until the wee hours of the night.We laughed very hard as we played Pictionary and many other games. It was a lot of fun. The kids had fun too, they got to stay up late and we all counted down when it was time for the new year. My ex is the only one who got totally trashed but I had the others to enjoy. Those are some of the fondest memories I have of New Year's Eve with my ex husband.

After my divorce my boys and I would sometimes be up together to ring in the new year. There were several times we watched the ball drop and we also played games many times. Then there were times when they went to bed and I watched the ball drop alone. It is all good, I still called my mom to tell her Happy New Year.

After my kids hit their teen years none of us did much until this year. My oldest son is spending the holiday with his girlfriend and their room mates. I am glad they get to do that but am sad that I am here alone with their baby writing. I love to write and I love spending time with the baby, but it would be more fun playing games with friends. My youngest son is at work but I am sure will not want to spend the evening with his mom. I miss being able to have fun on the holiday but it is what it is.

My dream New Year's Eve celebration though is to someday watch the ball drop in Time Square. It will never happen but I can dream.