Weezer - Pork & Beans

For all you web junkies out there. This video is for you.

Lawn Jockey II

Okay, this morning we noticed a smattering of little sprigs around the base of the tree.  This shocked me.  I didn't expected to see progress in any way, shape or form for a least two weeks.  Still, this news is not something that I am jumping up and down about.  We've still go a long way to go.

The impatient me is now wondering if it is too late to go this route.  I like the idea of my lawn kicking the other lawn's asses.

June Improv Blog-off.

Welcome to the June improv blog topic for the Kansas City improv community. I will take this time to blog about ALL the topics that got at least one vote in this months poll, starting with the one that got the most votes, then the second most, and so on and so forth. These are just my opinions and should be taken as such.

What's the importance of a troupe's Name?  

Here in Kansas City, I believe that the choice of name for your troupe, team, group or company is not relevant to the actual performance aspect of the group.  Growing up in improv, all I ever heard was that a name had to either be funny, sound funny, or have a term that means funny in the title.  I don't believe this.  Name yourself whatever you want to and throw "Improv Comedy" on the end of it.  It's simple.  It won't take you four months to decide.  And It will keep you less distracted from the more important things about your troupe.  Mainly the performance aspects of it.

Sure there should be some thought into it.  When the Trip Fives were coming up with a name, we thought of dozens.  All were awful.  But then one night while I was driving home from a poker game with Tim & Ed, I thought of giving ourselves a poker term as a title.  "Trip Fives" is another way of saying "Three of a kind" or "a set of fives". An improv performance or format is often called a set.  There were five of us going to perform a set.  So, a set of fives became the Trip Fives.  Our mindset was only on that first show, so we did not think about the name in the long run.  But does it matter.  Nope.  No one bit. It's just a name.  

What advice would you give new improvisers?

If you want to treat improv as more than a hobby, then move to another city.  If you wanna enjoy improv and performing the art, then find other things to occupy your time.  Then when a show is in your future, treat it as a gift to yourself.  Focus on it only at times that allow it.  Don't let all the inner-improv community politics, or the "Improv Man", bring you down.  Perform at your own pace and guidance.  Learn when you wanna learn.  Perform when you wanna perform.  Take a break when you wanna take a break.  There are more important things in life than improv.

How do you find your improv style and voice?

Challenge your comfort level on stage.  Keep doing it until something clicks.

How much rehearsal time is really needed to prepare for a show?

It all depends on the show itself.  New games?  New format?  New players?  If a troupe needs time to get comfortable with any of these, then the amount of rehearsals should be up to the troupe themselves.  

I do believe that there is such a thing as over-rehearsing.  I believe this because I have done it.  When you rehearse a structure or a format some many times that after a while it becomes a mockery of itself while rehearsing it.  I've mentioned this before about warm-ups.  Save some nervous energy for the show.  If you've got an idea of how the show will/should go, trust your instincts and the instincts of your fellow performers that come show time the right choices will be made.  

So, in my opinion, 3+ rehearsals are needed to prepare for a show.

Festival question: Is it important for the out-of-towners to see what the locals are doing?

Would it be nice if they did?  I guess it would.  Would it matter? Nope.  Is it important?  Hells No.  Do I personally think the out-of-towners care what goes on here in KC?  Not in the least.  Why should they?  They don't live here or don't live here anymore.  And if they did live here before, they moved for a reason. They have moved on to bigger and better things.  If they come back, it's only for once a year and it's only so they can be pampered by the local improv community. 

Even if people never lived here but only come around for special workshops or festivals, do you actually think the sit around the breakfast table and wonder what other cities are doing?  You're crazy. They've got families, jobs, other troupes to care more about.  People think that someone is going to attend a festival here and then all the sudden "KANSAS CITY WILL BE ON THE IMPROV MAP!!!"  Sheesh.  

If people want to be noticed in Kansas City, then they've got to force Kansas City to notice them first.

Leggy Blonde

This song is currently stuck in my head.

Lawn Jockey

Now that Collin is attending his summer enrichment program, I have got to program myself to enrich my summer.

(I know, I'm not too proud of that first sentence either)

I am going to tackle the lawn. Thanks to the gi-normous oak tree in our front yard, we've got little to no grass there. The tree is drinking the grass's milkshake. It is so ugly to look at and absolutely no fun to mow. So yesterday we went to Lowe's and bought fertilizer and seeds. Today I raked the area, broke up the soil, planted and watered.

Now..... we wait.

This is going to be extremely hard for me because I am a very impatient person. If I am doing something, I need results fast. If I do not get results fast, I go a little crazy.

If there isn't grass growing by tomorrow, I'm going to set the lawn on fire.

My New Latest Obsession

"It feels good in my brain!"

The Dark Knight opens on July 18th. I thought that this would be the only movie that is a "must see in the theater" for me. I was wrong.

There is another.



This opens August 8th.



Somthing about this stoner/action/comedy makes me smile.

HADOUKEN!

Summer School

I had blogged earlier about Collin's new school, what I did not blog about was the school's "Summer Enrichment Program" that started this week. A great way for children entering kindergarten (and/or a new school) a chance to meet some classmates before the school season begins. And to get used to the funny language the teachers speak.

The reason I did not blog about it was because our application for this program was turned in a couple days past the deadline, putting us seventh on the waiting list and no chance of getting him in. So we thought. Last Saturday we attended a school function where "new-to-the-school" parents could ask "old-to-the-school" parents questions. While we were there, we found out that they opened a new summer class, and that everyone on the waiting list go in. FANTASTIC!! Sure would have been nice if someone told us. So we called on Monday (A day the summer program began) and it turned out that they lost our application. EVEN MORE FANTASTIC!!! All we had to do was come in and fill a new one out, including information on the bus schedule, and they would place him in the new class. I'm happier now.

Cut to today.

After the school processed everything, Collin was officially on the class roster as of Thursday. He didn't go Thursday because, well, to be honest, we kind of had it out of minds that he was going, and we just weren't ready for him to be gone yet. So today was his first day. We dropped him off at 8:00 a.m. and picked him up at 3:30 p.m.

Here's a few pictures of this historic event:


Collin waking up, fully dressed and ready for breakfast. Pre-combed hair. As you can see by the look in his eyes, he is very serious.


Hair combed. Breakfast finished. He's ready to go.


We arrive. I think he is a bit nervous, but he doesn't want to show it.


When we picked Collin up, he and his classmates were sitting by the door, singing something in French. I have no idea what it was, and frankly, I don't think they did either. But it was cute.


The victorious "First-Day-Of-School After-School" ice cream cone. The happy look on his face went away when I showed up at the table with my rainbow sherbet. Collin did not choose his flavor wisely.


Random picture of me with puppy on my face, which did happen today.

Overall, it was a very exciting day. Collin seemed to handle himself really well. New school. New friends. New language. Pretty much new everything, and this isn't even officially kindergarten yet. This summer program lasts almost a complete month. But boy, aside from the kinks that happened getting into it, we are very excited. But it won't be the same without him around.

Happy Father's Day!

Get a haircut, you hippies!

Movies I Have Recently Seen.

Time to get the image of that last post out of my head, Now.

...

Okay, fine. Now.

...

Done.

Lisa and I used to frequent the cinema a lot B.C. (Before Collin). We were quite the Movie Watchers. We still are though, just not as much as we'd like. But thanks to Movies On Demand, we're able to catch up on some summer blockbusters and highly recommended indie films that we never made it out to see. We did however go see the Indiana Jones film in theatre. Though I liked it, I am not going to say anything about it other than, going into it, my expectations were very low. Therefore, I was very entertained by it.

Here are two that we recently purchased off the television:

Gone Baby Gone.



I only knew a few minor details about this movie before we watched it. I knew that Ben Affleck directed it, and I knew that Amy Ryan was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the last Oscars. I also knew that Ben's little brother, Casey, starred in it, but that alone wouldn't make me want to watch it.

I was very impressed. The movie is about a Boston private detective that gets hired to investigate a local missing childrens case by the aunt of the victim. The movie starts off kinda slow, but really starts to pick up. Casey Affleck is really good. His character has the same Bostonian accent and attitude that made Good Will Hunting so great (Afterwards I found out the Ben Affleck also wrote this movie, just like GWH). This movie also gets very disturbing. Not in a Se7en kinda way, but disturbing in the sense that it enters the world of child abduction and the perps that inhabit that world. A few disgusting characters and uncomfortable situations, but those sorta things can be what makes some movies so entertaining.

Throw in worthy performances by Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman, and you've got yourself a good movie. I highly recommend it. I'm still trying to figure out it the ending was happy or not.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street



I really wanted to like this movie. I really did. But it just wasn't that good. The music was good, and I can enjoy a good musical. But something about this movie just didn't do it for me. It wasn't the blood, I like blood in movies. It wasn't the acting, I thought everyone did a good job. It wasn't the set, the costumes, the lighting, the time period, the pies, or anything of that. It just wasn't good. Lisa and I both agree that perhaps this particular story doesn't translate well to the screen. I can very well picture that a live stage performance of Todd would be incredible. But this, like the bodies to the basement, just fell flat.

I would also like to say that I never thought I would see Timothy Spall play a character slimier than Peter "Wormtail" Pettigrew. His portrayal of Beadle was pretty slimy.

Nothing To Report

So chew on this...

Hitting the Schmooze Button

Tomorrow the Trip Fives are helping sponsor a local event connected with the KC Downtowners.  It should be fun, this will be my first trip inside the new Power & Light District.  The only thing I am not looking forward to is the talking to people.  I'm not a schmoozer. 

I've never been to anything like this so I am not really sure how things are going to go down.  I believe at some point, because we are a sponsor, the Trip Fives will be mentioned over a crowd of like 400 people.  Then we, the Fives, will be inter-mingling with our fellow guests.

I like talking about improv to other improvisers.  I even like talking about improv to my wife, it helps put her to sleep.  But talking about it to other people is not really my thing.  To me, talking about improv to a stranger is like talking about myself, which is another thing I don't like doing.  hell, my neighbors don't even know I'm a performer, and I talk to them every day.

Still, I now see the importance of the whole thing, so tomorrow I will put on my big boy pants and get my schmooze on.

It helps that there will be free beer.