Les Miserable – Segerstrom Center For The Arts (OCPAC), Costa Mesa, CA

An all around decent production. Nice to see it on the big stage again. Biggest problem? The pace. Now it’s Les Mis, so I know what you’re thinking, and you’re wrong! 😉 The pace wasn’t too slow, but too fast! When we got to intermission, we felt like we were both out of breathe and that we had just run a marathon! Fantine was not impressive. How did a white baby Eponine grow into a black adult Eponine? A reverse Michael Jackson??? And why did she have to try and turn her one song into a pop ballad? No turntable. Instead they had a giant projection screen for a cyclorama. Didn’t really notice it as an awesome effect until Valjean drags Marius from the barricades to the sewer….it was AMAZING!! Speaking of the barricades…meh.. My first major encounter with Les Miserable had the barricades being formed by massive rotating robots … Continue reading →

The Rock Church Worship Service

Paul So I came here tonight with a list of songs to do, but then I started playing them and it felt weirdo until I got to the one hymn I had on the list So then I set it as “no song under 50 years old” night Charlie Matt and I have both participated with VBS previously This year we are fully signed up with kids We still need some more volunteers (10 more) Even a one day volunteership would be a blessing Wednesday the 11th especially Matt I volunteered and then got asked to be in the skits – I was Chef Pierre So then I could have chilled or do what Katie wanted and wander around in character The kids loved it so much that when I went on break, the kids threw a fit when I wasn’t there to give them snack and put on paper … Continue reading →

Men In Black 3 (2012)

Men In Black 3 – Ultraluxe Cinema 14 at Gardenwalk, Anaheim, CA

An excellently crafted third outing with the MIB. Josh Brolin was amazing as a young Agent K. Just absolutely, 100% nailed it. Wait, time travel makes sense to me, but the film’s climactic battle doesn’t. *Wifey fix* Oh, so traveling back in time less than 10 minutes or so doesn’t create a major paradox where you occupy the same physical space as yourself 10 minutes ago, but functions more like the Omega-13 device in Galaxy Quest where you basically hit the Undo button, but only the person pushing the button on the device remembers what’s going on, regardless of who else travels. And I’m desperate to understand why Agent K was so cold to Agent J in the original normal timeline. Is it really as simple as the fact that Boris lives and justice wasn’t really served? Wifey seems to think so and I’m inclined to accept it after watching … Continue reading →

The Outsiders – The Rock Church Worship Service

Paul Jon Luke 14:1-14 The Pharisees were in charge of rules of hospitality, etc Break those and you weren’t blessed by God Moving from synagogue to Sabbath meal It’s a continuation, not a switch If you take these practices and apply them to us today We receive hospitality from God We also get together to remind one another of God’s goodness and His grace After 6 days we come together to rest If you’re a human being you probably had some stress Conflict with other human beings If you’re around people, your hearts take hits Worship and meal is God’s hospitality to us Extending it back to the people around you Sabbath is about feeling God’s presence I like being with you all Sharing life with people I care about I need you and I need you to remind me that God is good to you, remind me to say … Continue reading →

Renaissance Pleasure Faire 50th Anniversary Visit

Why oh why did we think we’d actually have time to get to Faire this year when we bought the half-off tickets last Christmas? Regardless that I took emergency time off from work in order to go, we had a fairly decent time! We went as mortals with fancy masks (she found hers and then made me a matching one). Agenda: Arrived around 1pm and did the valet parking The Wit Of Will (hey, that’s a Bold and Stupid Man!) Lemon ice! Magnificent Humble Boys (ah Shelby) A spot of Broon on our way to the back of faire (why is this car getting larger and larger? I know, right?) Sky Kings Falconry Merry Wives of Windsor Poxy Boggards Wander for food and drink (only one public water fountain? O_o) Glance at the Joust To The Death (pretty) Moonie and Broon’s final show of the day Valet the car and … Continue reading →

The Rock Church Worship Service

Paul Stephen Agora, SBA May 17th the Bredows are hosting Paul As I was getting the music together this week, I kept being led to sing about the cross Is it a real bummer if I sing about the cross today? My mother taught me about Jesus Last week was supposed to be communion and we had communion outside, the real deal, by sharing a meal together / Jon Luke 14:15-24 Brennan Manning’s memoirs The book begins with a poem Professional at screwing up All Is Grace was written in a certain frame of mind-that of a ragamuffin. This book is by the one who thought he’d be father along by now, but he’s not. It is by the inmate who promised the parole board he’d be good, but he wasn’t. It is by the dim-eyed who showed the path to others but kept losing his way. It is by … Continue reading →

The Rock Church Worship Service

Paul Announcements by Katie Short video to show about last year’s VBS We have VBS July 9, 11, 13 9am to noon Probably need about 20 more volunteers for the event Women’s Dessert at Nancy’s tomorrow night at 730 Nice time for the ladies of the rock to come together Meet new people and fellowship and laugh and hang out Agora Thursday May 17th Talk to me or Chrissy Reaching out to pre-kids group and fellowship Paul I told them if they show pictures of the Barnreuther’s people would be bummed out And I heard an audible groan It sucks when people move away Let’s make a rule about no more of that I wanna thank Jon for letting me speak on potluck night It’s like opening for a really good band Talking about temptation what pops into your head This picture of a woman and an apple is the … Continue reading →

Million Dollar Quartet – Segerstrom Center For The Arts (OCPAC), Costa Mesa, CA

A delightful romp that, unlike the fanciful show Tin Pan Alley that theorized a meeting between the legendary Irving Berlin and Scott Joplin, details an actual event where four legends of rock and roll met under the same roof. On December 4th, 1956, Sam Phillips – creator of Sun Records, has coerced and cajoled Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley to “come home” and visit the place where they all got started (or in Lewis’ case where he was about to get started). So aside from having an evening of chart-topping rock-and-roll hits, you’re also treated to a bit of a history lesson regarding rock ‘n’ roll and how it came about. My knowledge of the events were sketchy at best and influenced mostly by Scot Bruce’s speech about Sun Records during his show and the Johnny Cash biopic Ring Of Fire. But it was absolutely … Continue reading →

The Ultimate Marvel Movie Marathon – AMC 12 @ DownTown Disney, Anaheim, CA

$40, 6 movies, 14 hours. Special intro segments for each film (part of our “training package” for the Avengers Initiative) by SHIELD Agent Phil Coulson. An absolutely amazing and incredible experience. Not only to be packed in a theatre for 6 movies with a like-minded crowd of enthusiasts, but to experience, in it’s entirety, the subtle weaving and artistry that Marvel Studios has been constructing since they first gambled on taking control of their own movie properties in 2005, “after Marvel Enterprises declared independence by pacting with Merrill Lynch to produce a slate of films that would be distributed by Paramount Pictures” (PickMyVideo Review of Avengers). I can’t actually think of any other property in recent history that could result in this kind of amazing … “ness”. I mean maybe a Star Wars marathon would count, but nothing even really comes close. Marvel took a gamble, played their cards right, … Continue reading →