Sunday, March 19, 2006

RENT

Seasons of Love
Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundrend twenty five thousand moments so dear
Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year
In daylight, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee,
In inches, in miles, in laughter in strife
Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes

How do you measure a year in the life
How about Love? how about love? how about love?
measure in love seasons of love, seasons of love
Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundrend twenty five thousand journeys to plan
Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure the life of a woman or a man
In truth that she learned or in times that he cried
In the bridges he burned or the way that she died
Its time now to sing outthough the story never ends
Let's celebrate remember a year in the life of friends
Opening song from Rent, the musical and the movie (2005). Just finished watching this on DVD. I never saw the Broadway show, so the movie was new to me. Interesting storyline -- unique plot. I'm so used to watching musicals that are older and set in more historical times like Les Miserables or Phantom of the Opera. Nothing so modern and new. Fresh idea. I watched the special features and they did a story about the writer/composer, Jonathan Larson. I learned that Larson died the day before Rent's Opening Show at the age of 35, alone at his house from Marfan Syndrome. That was so sad because he had dedicated over 7 years in writing this play while waiting tables at a local diner because this was his passion, his dream. And he didn't even get find out whether this show was a success or not. (Of course this show was a huge hit). So Larson didn't get to enjoy the fame or recognition that he deserved for his work. Just soooo sad. His family used some of the profits from the show to start a Jonathan Larson foundation, which awards money to starving composers/writers who wait on tables, drive cabs, just to live to do what they enjoy most, so they too can fulfill their dreams. It is so inspiring.

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Blockbuster Online

It's another wet and wild one out there today, so what better to do than to stay in the comfort of your own home, snuggle in your warmest blanket & enjoy a movie or 2 on your big screen TV? That's exactly my game plan this weekend. Ever since we joined Blockbuster.com, my husband and I have been watching movies, a lot of movies. I think we average about 4-5 movies a week. But that's because we haven't watched any for the past couple of years! I think the last movie we watched in the theater was "The Incredibles," back in Nov 2004 when we were in Wash DC with nothing better to do. Anyhow, you get the picture : haven't watched any movies in ages so there was a lot to catch up when we finally joined Blockbuster.com. It's this thing about monthly charge & unlimited rentals that make you want to watch & return as fast as you can so you can make it all worth the money.

We just finished watching the Johnny Cash's movie Walk the Line. Ok, sorry if I'm totally ignorant but I didn't really know who Johnny Cash is or was before this movie. His name sounds familiar but I had no clue. But now I know. I guess he was just as big of a star as Bob Dylan or Elvis Presley. I enjoyed the movie - both the acting and singing were good by both Jaoquin Pheonix and Resse Witherspoon. The love between Johnny Cash and June Carter was romanticized throughout the movie and also in real life. They were married for 25 years and that's probably very hard to come by in the showbiz world ... but I was still very disappointed to learn that Johnny Cash cheated on his first wife to be with June Carter. He left his first wife and his kids behind to be with June Carter. I didn't like that part... and no one seems to care about that!