Month: July 2016

The kids have won me over, except one, who is insufferable in that way that some kids, who think they are so adorable and charming, can be. (Not naming names, can’t publicly diss a child, but God I hope he gets eliminated soon. Sorry.)

I guess not having kids I forget just how much depth children can actually possess. Also, I had no idea how genuinely accomplished they can become. All the other child-dancers I’ve seen fall into the category of “good for their age.” The kids they’ve selected are great for any age.

Also, this week one of the judges made the point that one of the routines was made special precisely because the choreographer (Travis Wall), and the adult dancer (Robert), had to incorporate a child (J.T.), and they did so with incredible creativity and feeling. You have to watch it. (THe video I linked to has been removed.). Robert pulls J.T. through a “mirror” and up into the air and down, something that two adults dancers could not have done to this degree. But it also highlights a relationship between an adult and a child (in this routine, the child is supposed to be the adult dancer in his earlier years) in a moving way. I’m rooting for you J. T. (And Tate and Emma.)

The show perfectly addressed my disappointment about not having the pleasure of watching adults dance by pairing up the children with former SYTYCD favorites, and including adult-only routines. The only downside at this point are the eliminations. They are still children after all, and it’s heart-breaking to see them voted off. Much, much, much more so than with the adults. (I’m also going to miss their adult partners.)

So, I was wrong. This version of the show is great.

A shot from inside the library at the New York Academy of Medicine, where I happily conducted some research this week. Except I didn’t find what I was looking for. But still. Look at this place. A very lovely room to spend time, surrounded by books, some of which were hundreds of years old.

Last night I went to my second rehearsal for the public domain at Saint Patrick’s Old Cathedral. I’m going to be part of a group singing a piece by David Lang that will be premiering at the Mostly Mozart festival at Lincoln Center next month.

I took some pictures of two statues I noticed while we were rehearsing. They’re a bit creepy looking. I decided the first one is unnerving because it looks like those dead saints who are on display at various places around the world because they’re supposedly not decomposing. Except they are and the only reason they sorta look like they’re not is because they’ve been covered in wax and painted. This first statue looks a little like that, like a corpse that has been fixed up to look like it’s not decomposing.

The second one didn’t look quite as creepy when I walked up to it, but then I decided to try shooting it without a flash …

It’s the exact same statue as the one above! Except now it appears to be looking at me! It’s not a malevolent look. She’s more ever so slightly annoyed. Like, ‘Okay, I see you. What?”

I knew it! The first night I actually used the mosquito net, Bleeck decided it was a toy. I sewed the one rip he made, but what do you want to bet this thing will be one big mass of patched rips by the end of this year’s mosquito season?

I love The Bachelor, and the Bachelorette, and the show about it, unReal. But I could never bear the hometown episode, the one where the bachelor or the bachelorette goes to the hometowns of the final four “contestants” to meet their families.

It’s just so unseemly, cruel and wrong. Why drag these poor families into it? They just want what’s best for their child or sibling, and they are doing and saying whatever they can to prevent them from getting their heart broken. It’s horrible to watch. No more hometowns! Please!

I want flowers but it’s too hot out there to get any. I will make do with a picture of flowers from my past, although this is a slightly sad one. That’s Buddy, who is no longer with us.

I saw Ghostbusters in 4DX, something I hadn’t even heard of until I checked the movie times. What is this? Super duper 3D? No, it’s like a super duper William Castle Percepto/Emergo type experience, except your chair doesn’t vibrate a little, it buckets around in all directions and air and water is blown in your face and lights flash.

It was great at first, but pretty soon I started to dread any sort of action in the movie, because my chair was going to go crazy again and I’d gotten over the fun of that. It added nothing after the first time, it was just annoying. Filmmakers don’t want the audience to dread action. I feel bad saying that because I’m sure it cost a fortune to equip the theatre.

About the movie, I think the leads all did the best they could with the material, but it wasn’t a great script. I agree with everyone, Kate McKinnon is amazing, steals the whole show. I also adored Leslie Jones. Her character is an amateur historian, so of course I loved her, but there’s just something about her. She should be given a lead role, she just has this … godamnit, I can’t describe it. She has that thing where she feels like someone you grew up with, so whatever story she’s telling, you pay attention.

Thank god we were given the choice. I chose water off, although I got some spray from the people in front of me.