Happy Birthday, Shane!

Look who's 8! (Dig that smile.)
Shane Bernier's birthday wish for "lots" of birthday cards has netted, as of this writing, over 1 million cards! (Actually, given that Shane's native language is French, the wish may have, in fact, been for "beaucoup" cards.)
Now, I don't know where that puts Shane in terms of world records, because Guinness doesn't seem to want to acknowledge it (wankers), and I think the current record is for "Get Well" cards and accumulated over a greater expanse of time. However, I get the impression that the whole "world record" idea was something that was tacked on later by ambitious well-wishers.
Shane just really likes getting cards. And get them he did. I imagine they'll still be counting them for a while to come, and they will probably update the numbers at this site here.
Also on that site you will find links with more information about Shane and about childhood leukemia, as well as ways that you can help.
Over a million birthday cards! See what we can do if we put our minds to it, piggies?
Now it's time to change the world.
Here are some places to start:
Rosie's For All Kids Foundation
The Gabby Krause Foundation
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Or find a cause that means something to you personally over here.
(And if you find one or know of one that you want to share, by all means, list it in the comments.)

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has. -- Margaret Mead

Movies: Seraphim Falls, Crackerjack, To Catch a Thief

Seraphim Falls(2006)

The plot (from IMDb): At the end of the Civil War, a colonel (Liam Neeson) hunts down a man (Pierce Brosnan) with whom he has a grudge.

I have to admit that this is a film that slipped under my radar, which is pretty rare for me where Pierce Brosnan movies are concerned. Plus there's Liam Neeson, and it's a Western, so the minute I heard about this movie, I sought it out to rent.
As is to be expected, the performances in this film are terrific, and the action sequences are very impressive. (No CGI as far as I could tell.) It's a brutal film in just about every sense of the word, and it's not your typical Western. Some movie-goers may take umbrage with the last fifteen minutes of the film, but to them I would say, "Open your mind."
I liked this movie, but I knew that I would going into it.

Crackerjack (1938)
The plot: Gentleman thief Jack Drake is a modern-day Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the needy.

This is a charming film, but I was hoping for a bit more of a swashbuckler myself. Still, it's witty and fun.

To Catch A Thief (1955)
The plot (from IMDb): Stars Cary Grant as a former thief suspected of a new series of crimes and Grace Kelly as the woman who romances him.

In the "they-don't-make-em-like-they-used-to" category, this Hitchcock thriller is high on the list. This film marked Cary Grant's return to acting, and he is as dashing as ever. Grace Kelly is much more than just another very, very pretty face, herself, as she absolutely sizzles on screen.
Humor, suspense, romance, and some of the best dialogue you'll hear on film make this movie a must-see for anyone who likes to consider themselves a film buff. A really, really great movie.

A Far Better Memorial Tribute Than I Could Write

William Shakespeare's Henry V
Act IV, Scene 3

King Henry V:
If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires:
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England:
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more, methinks, would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made
And crowns for convoy put into his purse:
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Back to the Future was very successful. It was so successful, in fact, that the decision-makers involved with the film felt that it warranted not just one, but two sequels, which were filmed concurrently. They took us some odd places with the characters, but, ultimately, they gave us the happy ending that we were promised in the first film.
The Matrix was very successful. It was so successful, in fact, that the . . . okay, you get the idea. However, the Matrix trilogy took the cool ending we had enjoyed in the first film and basically threw it in the garbage, leaving many of us, who were so amped up by the potential hinted at in the second movie, leaving the theaters shrugging our shoulders.
In both cases, the studios, and all parties involved, made money hand over fist. In the former of the two, fans of the series were not let down. In the latter, they most decidedly were.
So the "simultaneous sequels" experiment works out very well for the studios and somewhere between "fair" and "not at all" for the fans.
Disney, the home of the "totally-unnecessary-straight-to-video-sequel" (Lady and the Tramp 2, Cinderella 2 & 3) made the obvious choice.
As a result, the third Pirates movie is over-long (2:45), entirely too fond of its own cleverness (hey, let's shoot the monkey out of a cannon!), and so full of absurd character developments and bizarre twists that it makes "The Days of Our Lives" storylines (or at least my best friend's unsolicited descriptions of them) look like an after-school special.
In short, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is a disappointment.
It's also surprisingly brutal for Disney, and maybe even for a PG-13 movie. American morality: crushing human skulls, mass hangings (including a kid), and multiple eviscerations are still family fare, as long as there are no naked boobies. (I would say this even if I weren't the president of the American Lobby for Naked Boobies.)
The positives: the ship battles are still pretty cool (though increasingly reliant on CGI effects), and there are lots of great little "moments" throughout. Though, again, the whole is somewhat less than the sum of its parts.

Thank You, Mr. Newman

Paul Newman has announced that, at 82, he is retiring from acting because he feels that he cannot maintain the level of performance he would like.
According to Mr. Newman, at his age "you start to lose your memory, you start to lose your confidence, you start to lose your invention."
I don't know; even without those things, it seems to me that Paul Newman is a better performer than two-thirds of the current big movie stars. I won't mention any names.
At this time of the morning, most of the newspaper links to the story are overseas. Here's an article in the Herald Sun from Australia. (How cool is that?)
Thank you, Mr. Newman, for some of my favorite movies:
Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, The Sting, Cool Hand Luke, The Drowning Pool, The Verdict, The Color of Money, Nobody's Fool, The Hudsucker Proxy, Road to Perdition, The Mackintosh Man, Fort Apache the Bronx, Fat Man and Little Boy, Hombre, Harper, and Slap Shot.
In America, we don't bestow knighthoods upon our actors, but I will always think of you as Sir Paul Newman.

Red Herring and Upcoming Shows

What a fun show! Farce ain't easy, but all of the talented folks involved with Firehouse Theater Company's Red Herring sure made it look like it was. It's a shame a show like that can't run a little longer, but it's hard to predict how sales are going to go, and in the case of this show, I'm told there wasn't a big rush for tickets until the final weekend. Plus, most of the actors and techs in any show are usually lining up their next project. Nature of the beast, I guess.
If anybody out there knows what the next project for any of the members of this talented cast or director Christopher Leo will be, please feel free to chime in on the comments.
Firehouse Theater Company's 2007-2008 season will have Some Girl(s) (10/6-11/10), Music From a Sparkling Planet (1/12-2/16 and directed by your friend and mine, Bernie Cardell), and Tom Stoppard's Arcadia (4/12 - 5/17) helmed by Herring director, Christopher Leo.

Here are some of the current and upcoming shows on my "to see" list:
Empire Lyric Players are presenting The Mikado through June 10th at the Schwayder.
THAC's My Fair Lady, featuring David Ambroson and Chris Boeckx runs through June 24th.
Dog Sees God at The Avenue plays through June 9th. That highly-acclaimed show includes the lovely and talented Missy Moore and Elgin Kelley and is directed by the equally lovely and talented Nick Sugar.
Lobby Hero, directed by Terry Dodd, runs through June 17th at Miner's Alley Playhouse.

Coming up:
Spotlight Theatre Company will open Run for Your Wife by Ray Cooney June 9 and run through June 30. That will be directed by Pat Payne and feature Bernie Cardell and comic kitten Haley Johnson. Spotlight will follow Wife with its sequel,Caught In the Net, featuring the same cast July 12-August 4th.
Just a bit farther off is Performance Now's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat which runs June 22- July 1st at the Lakewood Cultural Center. I mention it now because the show runs only two weekends and current ticket sales indicate that they will most likely be sold out. Get your tickets soon. I already got mine. (No, I won't tell you what night. You can't avoid me forever.)

Okay, that's it for now, piglets. If you want to mention your show or a friend's show, be it in Denver or anywhere else in the world, feel free to do so in the comments. Spread the word. Support quality theatre, locally or abroad.

Red Herring selling fast!

I went to see Firehouse Theater Company's Red Herring last night, and I found myself having to be wait-listed to get in. After a few minutes, local playwright and my good friend, Marcus France (also author of The Dynamic Center blog) walked in the door. Marc, too, did not have reservations, so we both waited. They were just about to squeeze us in when someone showed up whose reservations had apparently been lost. Marc and I elected to give up our seats (since we had both just "dropped in" anyway), and we made reservations for tomorrow night's closing performance. Tomorrow night, too, is selling very well.
So, if you have not seen the show yet, you are going to want to make your reservations as soon as possible, and, since I believe that they're doing general seating, get there early. Show is at 8pm at the John Hand Theater located at the Colorado Free University Building in Lowry. (7653 E. 1st Place) For reservations, call 303-562-3232.
Maybe I'll see you there.