QPORIT

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

2012-01-24T13:22:00.000-05:00

FEATURE FILMS

Best Picture

"The Artist" Thomas Langmann, Producer

"The Descendants" Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers

"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" Scott Rudin, Producer

"The Help" Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers

"Hugo" Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers

"Midnight in Paris" Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers

"Moneyball" Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers

"The Tree of Life" Nominees to be determined

"War Horse" Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Foreign Language Film

"Bullhead" Belgium

"Footnote" Israel

"In Darkness" Poland

"Monsieur Lazhar" Canada

"A Separation" Iran

Documentary (Feature)

"Hell and Back Again"

Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner

"If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front"

Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman

"Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory"

Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky

"Pina"

Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel

"Undefeated"

TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas

Animated Feature Film

"A Cat in Paris" Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli

"Chico & Rita" Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal

"Kung Fu Panda 2" Jennifer Yuh Nelson

"Puss in Boots" Chris Miller

"Rango" Gore Verbinski

ACTORS DIRECTOR AND WRITERS

Actor in a Leading Role

Demián Bichir in "A Better Life"

George Clooney in "The Descendants"

Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"

Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"

Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"

Actress in a Leading Role

Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs"

Viola Davis in "The Help"

Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"

Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn"

Actor in a Supporting Role

Kenneth Branagh in "My Week with Marilyn"

Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"

Nick Nolte in "Warrior"

Christopher Plummer in "Beginners"

Max von Sydow in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Actress in a Supporting Role

Bérénice Bejo in "The Artist"

Jessica Chastain in "The Help"

Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids"

Janet McTeer in "Albert Nobbs"

Octavia Spencer in "The Help"

Directing

"The Artist" Michel Hazanavicius

"The Descendants" Alexander Payne

"Hugo" Martin Scorsese

"Midnight in Paris" Woody Allen

"The Tree of Life" Terrence Malick

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

"The Descendants" Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash

"Hugo" Screenplay by John Logan

"The Ides of March" Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon

"Moneyball" Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin Story by Stan Chervin

"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan

Writing (Original Screenplay)

"The Artist" Written by Michel Hazanavicius

"Bridesmaids" Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig

"Margin Call" Written by J.C. Chandor

"Midnight in Paris" Written by Woody Allen

"A Separation" Written by Asghar Farhadi

SHORT FILMS

Short Film (Animated)

"Dimanche/Sunday" Patrick Doyon

"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg

"La Luna" Enrico Casarosa

"A Morning Stroll" Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe

"Wild Life" Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

Short Film (Live Action)

"Pentecost" Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane

"Raju" Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren

"The Shore" Terry George and Oorlagh George

"Time Freak" Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey

"Tuba Atlantic" Hallvar Witzø

Documentary (Short Subject)

"The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement"

Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin

"God Is the Bigger Elvis"

Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson

"Incident in New Baghdad"

James Spione

"Saving Face"

Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

"The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom"

Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

ART AND SOUND

Art Direction

"The Artist"

Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"

Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan

"Hugo"

Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo

"Midnight in Paris"

Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil

"War Horse"

Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Cinematography

"The Artist" Guillaume Schiffman

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Jeff Cronenweth

"Hugo" Robert Richardson

"The Tree of Life" Emmanuel Lubezki

"War Horse" Janusz Kaminski

Costume Design

"Anonymous" Lisy Christl

"The Artist" Mark Bridges

"Hugo" Sandy Powell

"Jane Eyre" Michael O'Connor

"W.E." Arianne Phillips

Film Editing

"The Artist" Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius

"The Descendants" Kevin Tent

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall

"Hugo" Thelma Schoonmaker

"Moneyball" Christopher Tellefsen

Makeup

"Albert Nobbs"

Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"

Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin

"The Iron Lady"

Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Music (Original Score)

"The Adventures of Tintin" John Williams

"The Artist" Ludovic Bource

"Hugo" Howard Shore

"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Alberto Iglesias

"War Horse" John Williams

Music (Original Song)

"Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets" Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie

"Real in Rio" from "Rio" Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Sound Editing

"Drive" Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Ren Klyce

"Hugo" Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl

"War Horse" Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

Sound Mixing

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson

"Hugo"

Tom Fleischman and John Midgley

"Moneyball"

Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"

Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin

"War Horse"

Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

Visual Effects

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"

Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson

"Hugo"

Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning

"Real Steel"

Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes"

Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"

Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

*** *** ***

2011 SUMMARY & TOPICAL INDEX OF STORIES IN QPORIT

PLEASE VISIT ALL OUR WEBSITES:

QPORIT - Quick Previews of Random Interesting Things

BOBOOBLOG - Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway Blog

SONNETS-BY-SHAKESPEARE -- Sonnets & other works by & about Shakespeare
QPORIT3D - A new blog about consumer 3D

TWITTER/QPORIT

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT IN STEREOSCOPIC 3D

*** *** ***

SHAMELESS

2012-01-23T00:09:00.002-05:00

Alas! In this episode, SHAMELESS (JAN 22, 2012), has taken a turn away from amusingly shameless, toward unpleasantly evil.

Episode #15 Season 2 #3 "I'll Light a Candle for You Every Day"
Director: Craig Zisk
Script: Nancy M. Pimental
January 22, 2012

LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE:
http://www.sho.com/site/shameless/home.sho

WIKIPEDIA:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shameless_(U.S._TV_series)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Shameless_(U.S._TV_series)_episodes

*** *** ***

2011 SUMMARY & TOPICAL INDEX OF STORIES IN QPORIT

PLEASE VISIT ALL OUR WEBSITES:

QPORIT - Quick Previews of Random Interesting Things

BOBOOBLOG - Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway Blog

SONNETS-BY-SHAKESPEARE -- Sonnets & other works by & about Shakespeare
QPORIT3D - A new blog about consumer 3D

TWITTER/QPORIT

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT IN STEREOSCOPIC 3D

*** *** ***

SNL -- JAN 21, 2012 -- EMMA STONE & COLDPLAY (rerun from Nov 12, 2011)

2012-01-22T02:07:00.001-05:00

Most of the sketches were funny, but only one or two were memorable. Emma Stone was not terribly visible (she had minor supporting roles in most skits). Actually, nothing seemed as visible as the commercials which seemed to take up more time than the sketches.

As is often the case, the wildest sketch was the last.

Here's a quick recap:

COLD OPEN -- The GOP Debate -- It was really like a trip back in time to see how the Republican field has changed. (This show originally aired in November 2011.) Here we had Perry crashing over his OOPS moment. Later, Weekend Update commented on the irony that one of the two departments Perry remembered he wanted to eliminate was... Education. Romney was as boring then as he is now.

Monologue -- Pretty lame. An amusing Spider-Man did come down from the sky upside down, and the movie Spider-Man showed up. (Emma will be in the next Spider-Man movie).

Secret Word -- It's the same joke we've seen a bunch a times. Seemed a little funnier than usual. Maybe just because they had the balls to do the same joke again. And again. And again.

WXPD News -- This is also a sketch concept we've seen before. The joke is that the aged street journalist keeps hitting people in the face with his mic, and does other unprofessional things that a decrepit, over-the-hill newsman might do. Same jokes. Still sort-of funny.

Digital Short -- ??? WTF ???

Coldplay -- They looked good on the set, and sounded good.

Weekend Update -- Except for the joke mentioned earlier, the jokes were kind of lame, as was the musical duo (another repeated sketch concept -- and, like the other repeats, it was based on incompetence-humor.) The Devil brought some wicked satire to the Penn State scandal.

Les Jeunes de Paris -- The best sketch of the night. It managed the trifecta/hat-trick! It was comedy; it was a story; and it was a dance. The comedy was actually funny. The story was clear. And it was all done with a good-looking/funny/story-dance.

Bridal Party -- This was possibly a concept that had promise -- one guest who seems the least cool provides the hottest gifts -- but the execution was just not quite right (partly because the actual skit was: the "nerdy" guest gave "crude" gifts).

Crying / Adele -- The perfect expression of an attitude.

We're Going To Make Technology Hump -- And they did! Nice way to end the show!

Here is one of the sketches. For more videos, see

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/

TECHNOLOGY HUMP

*** *** ***

2011 SUMMARY & TOPICAL INDEX OF STORIES IN QPORIT

PLEASE VISIT ALL OUR WEBSITES:

QPORIT - Quick Previews of Random Interesting Things

BOBOOBLOG - Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway Blog

SONNETS-BY-SHAKESPEARE -- Sonnets & other works by & about Shakespeare
QPORIT3D - A new blog about consumer 3D

TWITTER/QPORIT

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT IN STEREOSCOPIC 3D

*** *** ***

ALCATRAZ & LOST GIRL

2012-01-17T01:20:00.001-05:00

Two shows began tonight, ALCATRAZ & LOST GIRL...

ALCATRAZ is really two TV shows. The first is a standard crime drama, except that the criminal is known pretty quickly and he just has to be found before he kills again... oh, and he's also a criminal who disappeared from Alcatraz when it closed about 60 years ago... and he still looks the same. (That's the second TV show -- a standard (?) JJ Abrams what-the-hell-is-going-on premise probably to be played out with tantanlizing hints over as many seasons as the show runs.)

The execution is excellent. The cast is terrific. The writing is good. But we've seen both of these shows before, just not mashed up into the same show. (You can write the pitch: it's [INSERT A] meets [INSERT B].)

A = a JJ Abrams show, pick one
B = a crime show, pick one

ALCATRAZ ON IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1728102/

LOST GIRL is an appealing succubus story. The characters are very attractive, and the action is interesting and even a bit surprising, perhaps -- with a little SPARTACUS type gladiator-style action in the middle of the premiere. This seems to be an import by the SYFY channel of a show that is in its second succesful season in Canada.

LOST GIRL ON IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1728102/

*** *** ***

2011 SUMMARY & TOPICAL INDEX OF STORIES IN QPORIT

PLEASE VISIT ALL OUR WEBSITES:

QPORIT - Quick Previews of Random Interesting Things

BOBOOBLOG - Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway Blog

SONNETS-BY-SHAKESPEARE -- Sonnets & other works by & about Shakespeare
QPORIT3D - A new blog about consumer 3D

TWITTER/QPORIT

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT IN STEREOSCOPIC 3D

*** *** ***

SNL - JAN 14, 2012 - DANIEL RADCLIFFE WITH LANA DEL REY

2012-01-15T03:15:00.000-05:00

This was a middle-of-the-road average show with one great sketch. The performances were fine. Radcliffe is a real pro, though he's best in character comedy (where he plays a character who is funny, rather than telling jokes, or being wild).

Lana Del Rey, who stirred some controversy for being a bit green -- her first album is not quite out yet -- was not much worse or better in performance than most musical artists. I find the SNL mix a fairly unflattering pulpit for most artists, even really famous ones.

Here's some notes on the show:

Cold Open -- A rather confused Mitt Romney. Not a great impersonation. Poorly written. Some of the usual Romney jokes.

Monologue -- Pleasant enough, but it seemed lacking in inspiration.

Ricky Gervais -- was funny, but the real Ricky Gervais is funnier (though the impersonation was so good, maybe it was the real Ricky Gervais). This was also a not-so-subtle plug for the Golden Globes tomorrow (Sunday 1/15) on NBC.

Target -- The crazy clerk. Nothing that hasn't been done before. More strange than funny.

You Can Do Anything -- This was an homage to SNL's favorite source of comedy: incompetence. The character's anthem: "I tried and therefore no one can criticize me."

Spin the Bottle -- Radcliffe was game for a bit of gross-out humor.

Delaware Fellas -- Another sketch based on incompetence humor; but they've got the plot of musical-group movies down pat.

Hogwart's 2020 -- The inevitable Potter sketch. The renditions of Potter characters years down the road was spot-on! But not much else in the sketch was funny.

Lana Del Rey -- She looks pretty. Her sound is a bit strange but she seems to have a huge range. Her mannerisms are seductive in a way that, together with her unusual sound, might generate either passionate cult fans or hilarious parody (or both). How many words rhyme with "do"? (You, few, two, .............)

Weekend Update -- The jokes were just OK. The North Koreans were just OK. Casey Anthony's dog was a star.

X27B Theater -- Taking a page from Sleeper, an audience 100 years from now looks at a play about people's behavior in 2012 and they find it ridiculously funny. A great concept, but not that well written or executed. Some things the future people find funny: our clothes, our bathrooms, our food, our commute to work...

Glenda Okones -- A candidate provides attack ads against herself. Not that well done, but each new Okones ad in between other commercials improves the concept a bit.

Jay Pharoah Show -- A combination of the two leading types of SNL humor: incompetence and impressions. Pharoah is one of my favorite newcomers, but this sketch is just the usual incompetent interview when the interviewer knows nothing about the interviewee -- in this case Daniel Radcliffe as himself -- and just does impressions.

Concord NH Exit Poll -- This is the one best sketch of the night; a brilliant parody of the classic Exit Interview. (Maybe it's not a parody, and is more like a documentary reconstruction.)

Headz Up -- Second best sketch of the night: An App that tells you what's happening in front of you. (Driving, and texting, the App tells you when to turn, crossing the street and texting, it tells you when you are about to get hit by a car, etc..) Alas, too many people could really use this product if it worked.

Not a bad SNL, but not a really good one either. Three good sketches: the Dog, the App, and the Pollster.

VIDEO CLIPS:

GLENDA OKONES FOR MAYOR AD #1

CASEY ANTHONY'S DOG

GLENDA OKONES FOR MAYOR AD #2

EXIT POLLING IN NH

GLENDA OKONES FOR MAYOR AD #3

HEADZ UP APP

Look for more videos at:

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/

*** *** ***

2011 SUMMARY & TOPICAL INDEX OF STORIES IN QPORIT

PLEASE VISIT ALL OUR WEBSITES:

QPORIT - Quick Previews of Random Interesting Things

BOBOOBLOG - Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway Blog

SONNETS-BY-SHAKESPEARE -- Sonnets & other works by & about Shakespeare
QPORIT3D - A new blog about consumer 3D

TWITTER/QPORIT

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT IN STEREOSCOPIC 3D

*** *** ***

HOW THE WORLD BEGAN

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Women's Project Presents
The New York Premiere

Catherine Trieschmann's

HOW THE WORLD BEGAN

Directed by Daniella Topol

With Heidi Schreck,
Adam LeFevre and Justin Kruger

Tuesday through Sunday evenings at 7:30pm

with matinees Sundays at 3:00pm through January 29.

The Peter Jay Sharp Theater,
416 West 42nd Street

http://www.womensproject.org/

Justin Kruger, Heidi Schreck, and Adam LeFevreHOW THE WORLD BEGAN
Photo by Carol Rosegg

HOW THE WORLD BEGAN is a simple play about moderately simple people and fairly complex issues. Specifically, it is about small-town (Kansas) attitudes toward religion and big-city attitudes about science.

That's attitudes, because the play is about attitudes not substance.

A teacher, not that well prepared for the job, several months pregnant and sans guy, comes -- from the big-city to a Kansas town devastated by a tornado -- to teach biology.

The play begins when a student confronts the teacher over her use (before the play begins) of the term BOBBLEDYGOOK, apparently to describe Biblical views of (spontaneous -- God-given) creation.

The play is worth seeing for its attempt at portraying ordinary people in a situation that is getting out of hand, and for the performance of Justin Kruger. Although he is too big, too hunky, and many years too old to play a high school biology student; he is a big, hunky, strong actor in his New York debut, who captures convincingly the manifold aspects of his character's character, and he could have a nice career ahead of him.

Heidi Schreck and Justin KrugerHOW THE WORLD BEGAN
Photo by Carol Rosegg

The set design is interesting. Suggesting a schoolroom reconstructed after the old school was destroyed, a complete biology classroom is constructed on top of a set of cinder blocks. The light for the room comes from what appear to be skylight windows on the top of the schoolroom (with the theatrical lights out of sight).

Heidi Schreck, Adam LeFevre and Justin Kruger in the schoolroom set
HOW THE WORLD BEGAN
Photo by Carol Rosegg

SPOILER ALERT

THE NEXT SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS:

Here are some notes/observations about the play:

The play gets off to a somewhat rocky start, because the first scene seems stagey and unnatural. Aside from the fact that the boy seems too old to be in the class, the whole scene does not feel like any encounter that could happen in the real world of a high school.

There is something unreal and vague about the whole situation of the play -- it doesn't seem grounded: Does the teacher teach anything else? Why would she be hired to teach only biology? What part of the school year is this? The first class? What level is the class? A first class in science for seniors? How much preparation did the teacher have before she came to teach? Where are all the other teachers? the other classrooms?

The teacher (Heidi Schreck) is presented -- most likely with a deliberate intention -- as confused, unprepared, with personal baggage, and without "poetry" in her language. Adam LeFevre, as the boy's guardian, plays the role of "mediator" with straightforward reasonableness.

There is something admirable and important about trying to create "minimal" "normal" characters. I did not find, however, very much in the character of the teacher -- as it evolved over the course of the play -- that was very different, or more interesting, than the single sentence description above.

This play, of course, evokes memories of Oleanna -- student vs teacher -- and Inherit The Wind -- evolution vs. religion. This is a much more casual play than either of those.

I was most concerned, however, by the fact that the only objective of the teacher seems to be to keep her job. She does not ever confront (though they are briefly mentioned) the deeper issues of science and religion. Also, it is disappointing that any serious dealing with the religious views of the boy are undercut by revealing that he is very, very disturbed. His religious "convictions" are trumped by his profoundly troubled soul.

The final scene is most interesting. When the student reveals both tender feelings for the teacher, and how profoundly mentally shaken he is, suffering something like a seizure -- recalling the first scene -- the teacher comes to comfort him in a way that is almost inappropriate. But when he politely reacts to her joy that her baby is moving, she shuts him down immediately. Were this the beginning of the play, it would suggest a very promising dynamic, but at the very end, it just seems like an arbitrary piece of scripting to put a finish on the play.

Perhaps -- I mean this seriously -- the play is most interesting for how it dodges the serious issues and real questions that are raised in the first scene: teacher/student science/religion. For in the real world, most of the time, the truth is, these issues are dodged, not confronted, and never solved.

Here is a prizewinning film made by Justin at Rutgers:

2011 (Summary!) =>2012 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2011-12-31T16:28:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR

We wish everyone the best of

Health, Happiness,

Prosperity, Peace, Progress,

and Success in

2012!

* * *

Here is a summary/index of stories from 2011 in QPORIT.. And some glances forward into 2012.

SEE BELOW FOR OUR EXTENDED 2011 TOPICAL INDEX OF SELECTED STORIES!

Looking back, QPORIT continues to grow exponentially. December 2011 has been a record breaking month with the biggest traffic ever, beating our previous record holder (last month, November) by about 30% and almost doubling the traffic from a year ago.

Looking forward, we have two particular objectives:

1 --- We hope to increase our coverage of theater, especially Broadway! ... And Special companies like The Public Theater, EST, The Red Bull Theater, CSC, LAByrinth... etc! ... And cutting edge Indie OOB theater!

2 --- We also plan to extend our coverage of stereoscopic 3D, including more stories about the technology and theatrical and online content; and more 3D video production of our own, including interviews, webisodes, and music videos, all in stereoscopic 3D .

"3D CASTING" IN 2012: Beginning in the Spring, we will be actively looking to develop several projects:

1 - For film and theatrical projects you are involved in, we would like to interview you... or other principal cast or creative team members in 3D for QPORIT & BOBOOBLOG.

2 - We want to create a 3D music video with a brilliant new artist!

3 - We will be developing cutting-edge, edgy, pushing the envelope, 2D/3D webisodes, creating -- in addition to standard 2D content -- NEW 3D CONTENT FOR 3D HAND-HELD DEVICES & 3D TVs.

4 - We are looking to collaborate with an existing theatrical troupe to videotape in 3D their development of a short-short (4 min or less) dramatic piece with several characters, lots of physical action, nudity welcome but not required, and a strong story; Then, after documenting the development process we will film the resulting play in 3D.

We greatly appreciate all those who have participated in our projects, our stories, and our videos, and all those who have contacted us with information about potential stories.

Please let us know about 3D videos you'd like to participate in, or can help us to develop! (Contact QPORIT.webcast@gmail.com!)

And please Continue to send us Press Notices, (if we are on your list)! Or ADD US TO YOUR LIST for Screenings, Press Previews, Press Conferences Red Carpets, and other events if we are not already on your LIST!!!

OUR CURRENT WEBSITES:

(WE HOPE YOU'LL VISIT THEM ALL!)

QPORIT - Quick Previews of Random Interesting Things
http://www.qporit.com/

BOBOOBLOG - Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway Blog
bobooblog.blogspot.com

SONNETS-BY-SHAKESPEARE -- Sonnets & other works by & about Shakespeare
http://www.sonnetsbyshakespeare.com/

QPORIT3D - A new blog about consumer 3D
qporit3d.blogspot.com

TWITTER
twitter.com/qporit

VIDEOS
www.youtube.com/qporit

VIDEOS IN STEREOSCOPIC 3D
www.youtube.com/qporit3D

SELECTED STORIES FROM 2011
(+ A FEW OLDER STORIES THAT GOT LOTS OF TRAFFIC IN 2011)

This TOPICAL INDEX of stories and videos contains the following sections:

PERSONAL
MOST POPULAR STORIES
3D
PEOPLE
FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVALS AND AWARDS
FILM AND VIDEO
WEB AND WEB VIDEO
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - SNL
THEATER
PLAY WRITING COMPETITIONS WITH OPEN SUBMISSIONS
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
POLITICS AND ISSUES
MISC

Notes:
   Some items appear in multiple sections.
   Some older links within older stories may have expired.
   Within each section items are listed more-or-less in order from most recent to oldest.

=========
PERSONAL
=========

THE BLACKFRIARS CONFERENCE 2011
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/11/blackfriars-conference.html

SONNETS AS DRAMATIC SPEECH: Adapting the sonnets as plays
http://sonnetsbyshakespeare.blogspot.com/2011/11/sonnets-as-dramatic-speech.html

ANDREW SERBAN'S WEST SIDE GIRL (with me) SCREENS AGAIN ON 9/22
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/09/andrew-serbans-west-side-girl-with-me.html
Andrew Serban, Eric H. Roffman, Eric Kappenberg, John Newsome, Liane Wunderlich, Roland Uruci, Shannon Lower, West Side Girl

LOVE'S FINE WIT (with ME) April 23 AT THE CORNELIA STREET CAFE
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/04/loves-fine-wit-with-me-april-23-at.html
Cornelia Street Cafe, Eric Roffman, Hank Heijink, Heli Sirvio, Jessica Crandall, Katie Fabel, Love's Fine Wit, Shakespeare, sonnets, William Anderson

QPORIT - DAILY TWEET NEWS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/01/test-newspaper.html
PAPER.LI, tweet news, TWITTER

QPORIT - QUICK PREVIEWS & DAILY NEWS PAGE
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/01/qporit-quick-previews-daily-news-page.html
Beyond Broadway Daily, FACEBOOK, PAPER.LI, QPORIT: Quick Previews and Daily News, TWITTER

==============
MOST POPULAR
==============

JESSICA CHASTAIN
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/jessica-chastain.html
Al Pacino, Brad Pitt, Desdemona, Hamptons International Film Festival, HIFF 2010, Jessica Chastain, Othello, Salome, Sean Penn, Terrence Malick, THE DEBT, The Tree of Life

OTHELLO
http://sonnetsbyshakespeare.blogspot.com/2009/10/othello.html
Iago, John Ortiz, Jessica Chastain, LAByrinth Theater Company, Othello, Peter Sellars, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Shakespeare, The Public Theater

SHOOTING STARS 2011 AT THE BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/02/shooting-stars-2011-at-berlin-film.html
Alexander Fehling, Alicia Vikander, Andrea Riseborough, Berlinale, Clara Lago, Domhnall Gleeson, erlin FF, Marija Skaricic, Natasha Petrovic, Nik Xhelilaj, Pilou Asbæk, Shooting Stars, Sylvia Hoeks

ROONEY MARA IS THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2010/08/rooney-mara-is-girl-with-dragon-tattoo.html
Daniel Craig, David Fincher, Michael Nyqvist, Niels Arden Oplev, Noomi Rapace, Rooney Mara, Steven Zaillian, Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMERS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2010/10/breakthrough-performers.html
Anaïs Demoustier, Breakthrough Performers, Brittany Robertson, cartoonist HIFF, Freida Pinto, Jessica Chastain, Pihla Viitala, Rising Stars, Shooting Stars, Zrinka Cvitešic

VIDEO: Fragile: Sonnet 65
http://youtu.be/n4FRae1XRkI

VIDEO: HOLIDAY TRAIN SHOW AT THE BOTANICAL GARDENS (2007)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2iH0XqRwi0&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
Note: This year's show runs from Dec 19, 2011 to Jan 2, 2012

==
3D
==

HTC EVO 3D
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/12/htc-evo-3d.html
3D, GLASSES-FREE 3D, HTC, HTC EVO 3D, LENTICULAR, Magix, NO-GLASSES 3D, Phereo, QPORIT, qporit3D, STEREOSCOPY, YOUTUBE, YOUTUBE 3D

QPORIT IN 3D
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/09/qporit-in-3d.html
3D, justin.tv/qporit, qporit3D

QPORIT 3D ON YOUTUBE
www.youtube.com/qporit3D

3D VIDEO: YELLOW & BLUES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCazYnhs_O0&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

3D VIDEO: MITF Best Actress Allison Hirschlag
http://youtu.be/SwmqHliZmnc

3D VIDEO: James Keegan talks about Prospero
http://youtu.be/ek1FRt2vB_s

3D VIDEO: George Clooney at the DESCENDANTS' Red Carpet
http://youtu.be/kVomPIDdzH0L

3D VIDEO: Backstage with the cast of GIVE IN TO SIN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEO6syNqQKo&feature=related

3D VIDEO: Aktina Stathaki talks about BETWEEN THE SEAS
http://youtu.be/inD2bcusJ3c

======
PEOPLE
======

JESSICA CHASTAIN
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/jessica-chastain.html
Al Pacino, Brad Pitt, Desdemona, Hamptons International Film Festival, HIFF 2010, Jessica Chastain, Othello, Salome, Sean Penn, Terrence Malick, THE DEBT, The Tree of Life

BRIAN MALOW ON PHILIP K DICK
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/brian-malow-on-philip-k-dick.html
'Time, Brian Malow, film review, Philip K Dick

SIDNEY POITIER -- CHAPLIN AWARD
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/04/sidney-poitier-chaplin-award.html
Chaplin Award, Sidney Poitier, The Film Society of Lincoln Center

MIRAL JULIAN SCHNABEL RULA JEBREAL
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/03/miral-julian-schnabel-rula-jebreal.html
Hamptons International Film Festival, HIFF, Julian Schnabel, Miral, Rula Jebreal

ANAIS DEMOUSTIER
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/03/anais-demoustier.html
Anaïs Demoustier, Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, The Film Society of Lincoln Center

SHOOTING STARS 2011 AT THE BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/02/shooting-stars-2011-at-berlin-film.html
Alexander Fehling, Alicia Vikander, Andrea Riseborough, Berlinale, Clara Lago, Domhnall Gleeson, erlin FF, Marija Skaricic, Natasha Petrovic, Nik Xhelilaj, Pilou Asbæk, Shooting Stars, Sylvia Hoeks

LARA LOGAN
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/02/lara-logan.html
Cairo, CBS, Lara Logan

LETTERMAN - BROKAW - SWIMSUIT ISSUE
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/02/letterman-brokaw-swimsuit-issue.html
Alyssa Miller, Anne V, David Letterman, Egypt, Hilary Rhoda, Irina Shayk, Sports Illustrated, Swimsuit Issue, Tom Brokaw

ROONEY MARA IS THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2010/08/rooney-mara-is-girl-with-dragon-tattoo.html
Daniel Craig, David Fincher, Michael Nyqvist, Niels Arden Oplev, Noomi Rapace, Rooney Mara, Steven Zaillian, Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

THE TEMPEST & JULIE TAYMOR
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2010/12/tempest-julie-taymor.html
Helen Mirren, Julie Taymor, NYFF, Shakespeare, Spiderman - Turn Off The Dark, The New York Film Festival, The Tempest

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMERS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2010/10/breakthrough-performers.html
Anaïs Demoustier, Breakthrough Performers, Brittany Robertson, cartoonist HIFF, Freida Pinto, Jessica Chastain, Pihla Viitala, Rising Stars, Shooting Stars, Zrinka Cvitešic

KISSES, CHLOE WITH ROBIN SINGER & MIKAL EVANS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2010/10/kisses-chloe-with-robin-singer-mikal.html
HIFF 2010, KISSES CHLOE, Mikal Evans, Robin Singer

MIKAL EVANS FROM KISSES, CHLOE IN CONCERT
http://qporit.blogspot.com/search/label/Mikal%20Evans
HIFF, KISSES CHLOE, Mikal Evans

VIER MINUTEN AND HANNAH HERZSPRUNG
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2008/11/vier-minuten-and-hannah-herzsprung.html
Chris Kraus, Four Minutes, Hannah Herzsprung, Monica Bleibtreu, Vier Minuten

ISABELLE FOKINE - INTERVIEW and PETROUCHKA - SAN FRANCISCO BALLET PREMIERE
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2010/03/isabelle-fokine-interview-and.html
dance, Isabelle Fokine, Michel Fokine, Petrouchka, San Francisco Ballet, Stravinsky

3D VIDEO: MITF Best Actress Allison Hirschlag
http://youtu.be/SwmqHliZmnc

3D VIDEO: James Keegan talks about Prospero
http://youtu.be/ek1FRt2vB_s

3D VIDEO: George Clooney at the DESCENDANTS' Red Carpet
http://youtu.be/kVomPIDdzH0L

3D VIDEO: Backstage with the cast of GIVE IN TO SIN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEO6syNqQKo&feature=related

3D VIDEO: Aktina Stathaki talks about BETWEEN THE SEAS
http://youtu.be/inD2bcusJ3c

VIDEO: Amy Redford discusses THE GUITAR (HIFF 2008)
http://youtu.be/-OqSpPHpuWU

VIDEO: NYFF Press Conference: THE QUEEN with Helen Mirren (NYFF 2009)
http://youtu.be/pbB0wPlcfVE

VIDEO: NYFF Press Conference: Penelope Cruz & VOLVER (NYFF 2009)
http://youtu.be/J5DqGOtz55A

=======================================
FILM & VIDEO FESTIVALS AND AWARDS
=======================================

2012 FILM AND TELEVISION AWARDS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/12/2012-film-and-television-awards.html
George Clooney, Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globes, HELP, Jessica Chastain, Marilyn Monroe, Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn, Rooney Mara, SAG, SAG Awards, Screen Actors Guild, The Artist, Viola Davis
Note: Follow this item into 2012 for a continually updated and consolidated list of nominations and prizes from the Golden Globes, SAG, Academy Awards and others...

THE OTHER ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL - 2011
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/11/other-israeli-film-festival.html

NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL 2011 -- FILM DESCRIPTIONS - MAIN SLATE
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/09/new-york-film-festival-2011-film.html
48 New York Film Festival, Cronenberg, NYFF 2011, Pedro Almodovar, Polanski

HOBOKEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2011 - WRAP-UP
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/06/hoboken-international-film-festival_14.html
Andrew Serban, Calendar Girl, Carroll Baker, Foster Hirsch, Hoboken International Film Festival, Jason Yee, Jensen Bucher, Kenneth Del Vecchio, Nina Transfeld, West Side Girl

HOBOKEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL - OPENING NIGHT
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/06/hoboken-international-film-festival.html
Andrew Serban, Eric Roffman, Josh Folan, Kenneth Del Vecchio, Ryan Charles, Shannon Lower, The Great Fight, West Side Girl

ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL 2011 -- WRAP-UP
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/israeli-film-festival-2011-wrap-up.html
IFF, Israel Film Festival, Israeli Film Festival, Karen Goodman, Kirk Simon

THE ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL NY 2011 SCHEDULE
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/israeli-film-festival-ny-2011-schedule.html
Israeli Film Festival, Screening Schedule, Liev Schreiber

ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL 2011
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/04/israeli-film-festival-2011.html
IFF, Israeli Film Festival, Karen Goodman, Kirk Simon, Stanley Donen, Strangers No More

NEW DIRECTORS / NEW FILMS (ND/NF) 2011
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-directors-new-films-ndnf.html
MoMA, New Directors / New Films, The Film Society of Lincoln Center, The Museum of Modern Art

RENDEZ-VOUS WITH FRENCH CINEMA 2011
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/03/rendez-vous-with-french-cinema-2011.html
Anaïs Demoustier, Bertrand Tavernier, Catherine Breillat, Catherine Deneuve, Claude Lelouch, Gérard Depardieu, Isild Le Besco, Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, The Film Society of Lincoln Center

OSCAR 2011
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/01/oscar-2011.html
Academy Awards, Black Swan, Jeff Bridges, Natalie Portman, Oscars, The King's Speech, The Social Network, True Grit

SHOOTING STARS 2011 AT THE BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/02/shooting-stars-2011-at-berlin-film.html
Alexander Fehling, Alicia Vikander, Andrea Riseborough, Berlinale, Clara Lago, Domhnall Gleeson, erlin FF, Marija Skaricic, Natasha Petrovic, Nik Xhelilaj, Pilou Asbæk, Shooting Stars, Sylvia Hoeks

CANNES INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/02/cannes-independent-film-festival.html
Cannes Film Festival, Cannes Independent Film Festival, CIFF, withoutabox

SUNDANCE NEWS TWEETS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/01/sundance-news-tweets.html

SPECIAL ROUND-UP OF GOLDEN GLOBES NEWS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/01/special-round-up-of-golden-globes-news.html
Golden Globes, Natalie Portman, Ricky Gervais, Robert DeNiro, Robert Downey Jr.

GOLDEN GLOBES 2011
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/01/golden-globes-2011.html
Golden Globes

=============
FILM & TV
=============

2012 FILM AND TELEVISION AWARDS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/12/2012-film-and-television-awards.html
George Clooney, Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globes, HELP, Jessica Chastain, Marilyn Monroe, Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn, Rooney Mara, SAG, SAG Awards, Screen Actors Guild, The Artist, Viola Davis
Note: Follow this item into 2012 for a continually updated and consolidated list of nominations and prizes from the Golden Globes, SAG, Academy Awards and others...

THE ARTIST
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/11/berenice-bejo-artist-at-nyff-2011-photo.html
Berenice Bejo, Beth Grant, James Cromwell, Jean Dujardin, Michel Hazanavicius, NYFF 2011, Penelope Ann Miller, The Artist

THE DESCENDANTS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/10/descendants.html

CARNAGE
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/10/carnage.html

THE GREAT FIGHT - HOBOKEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/06/great-fight-hoboken-international-film.html
Frank Giglio, Hoboken International Film Festival, Kenneth Del Vecchio, Miguel Jarquin-Moreland, Sherri Kauk, Suzy Kaye, The Great Fight

EMPIRE OF SILVER
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/06/empire-of-silver.html
Aaron Kwok, Christina Yao, Empire of Silver, Hao Lei

THE WEISSENSEE SAGA AT MOMA
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/weissensee-saga-at-moma.html
Florian Lukas, Hannah Herzsprung, Jörg Hartmann, Katrin Sass, Stasi, The Weissensee Saga, Uwe Kockisch

THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/03/spirit-of-beehive.html
Ana Torrent, The Film Society of Lincoln Center, THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE

MIRAL JULIAN SCHNABEL RULA JEBREAL
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/03/miral-julian-schnabel-rula-jebreal.html
Hamptons International Film Festival, HIFF, Julian Schnabel, Miral, Rula Jebreal

LARA LOGAN
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/02/lara-logan.html
Cairo, CBS, Lara Logan

LETTERMAN - BROKAW - SWIMSUIT ISSUE
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/02/letterman-brokaw-swimsuit-issue.html
Alyssa Miller, Anne V, David Letterman, Egypt, Hilary Rhoda, Irina Shayk, Sports Illustrated, Swimsuit Issue, Tom Brokaw

EPISODES (TWO) ON SHOWTIME
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/01/episodes-two-on-showtime.html
Californication, Episodes, Shameless, Showtime

BARNEY'S VERSION
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/01/barneys-version.html
Barney's Version, Dustin Hoffman, Jake Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Rachelle Lefevre, Rosamund Pike

CALIFORNICATION & SHAMELESS - WINNERS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/01/californication-shameless-winners.html
Californication, Emmy Rossum, Episodes, Shameless, Showtime

==================
WEB & WEB VIDEO
==================

FACEBOOK ANNOUNCEMENT
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/07/facebook-announcement.html
FACEBOOK, Skype, Video chat

MS / SKYPE PRESS ONFERENCE LIVE
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/ms-skype-press-onference-live.html
Microsoft, MS, Skype, VoIP, web video

Live blogging and streaming today (5/5) TEST: JUSTIN.TV ON iPHONE
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/live-blogging-and-streaming-today.html
IFF, Israeli Film Festival, justin.tv, justin.tv/qporit, live streaming

TWITTER DOWN
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/04/twitter-down.html
Denial of Service, TWITTER

HERE'S THE LIVE STREAM FROM FACEBOOK AT SXSW
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/03/heres-live-stream-from-facebook-at-sbsw.html
Facebook Live, Livestream, SXSW

IPAD 2 ANNOUNCEMENT
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/03/ipad-2-announcement.html
Apple, iPad2, Steve Jobs

QPORIT - DAILY TWEET NEWS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/01/test-newspaper.html
PAPER.LI, tweet news, TWITTER

PUBLIC RELATIONS (THE WEBISODES)
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/01/public-relations-webisodes.html
Elisabeth Hower, Public Relations - the Webisodes, Robin Singer, Sarah Paige

==========================
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - SNL
==========================

SNL - Dec 17, 2011 - JIMMY FALLON & BUBLE
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/12/snl-jimmy-fallon-buble.html
Buble, Jimmy Fallon, Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live, SNL, Tebow, War Horse, Weekend Update

SNL - Dec 10, 2011 - KATY PERRY WITH ROBYN
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/12/snl-katy-perry-with-robyn.html
I got nothin' if I ain't got love., Katy Perry, Robyn, Saturday Night Live, SNL

SNL - Dec 3, 2011 - STEVE BUSCEMI AND THE BLACK KEYS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/12/snl-steve-buscemi-and-black-kids.html
Night Live, SNL, Steve Buscemi, The Black Keys

SNL - Oct 1, 2011 - WITH MELISSA MCCARTHY
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/10/snl-with-melissa-mccarthy.html

SNL - Sep 24, 2011 - SEASON OPENER WITH ALEC BALDWIN AND RADIOHEAD
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/09/snl-season-opener-with-alec-baldwin-and.html

SNL - MAY 21, 2011 -JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE & LADY GAGA
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/snl-justin-timberlake-lady-gaga-may-21.html
Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, SNL

SNL - MAY 14, 2011 - WITH ED HELMS & PAUL SIMON (OR VICE VERSA)
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/snl-with-ed-helms-paul-simon-or-vice.html
Ed Helms, Paul Simon, SNL, Saturday Night Live

SNL - MAY 7, 2011 - TINA FEY & ELLIE GOULDING FOR MOTHER'S DAY
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/snl-tina-fey-ellie-goulding-for-mothers.html
Ellie Goulding, Saturday Night Live, SNL, Tina Fey

SNL - April 9, 2011 - WITH HELEN MIRREN AND THE FOO FIGHTERS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/04/snl-with-helen-mirren-and-foo-fighters.html
Foo Fighters, Hellen Mirren, Saturday Night Live, SNL

SNL - April 2, 2011 - WITH ELTON JOHN
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/04/snl-with-elton-john.html
Elton John, Saturday Night Live, SNL

SNL - Mar 12, 2011 - ZACH GALIFIANAKIS & JESSIE J
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/03/snl-zach-galifianakis-jessie-j.html
Dukakis, Jessie J, Saturday Night Live, SNL, Zach Galifianakis

SNL - Feb 12, 2011 - WITH HOST: RUSSELL BRAND
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/02/snl-with-host-russell-brand.html
Russell Brand, Saturday Night Live, SNL, Weekend Update

SNL - Feb 5, 2011 - DANA CARVEY & LINKIN PARK
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/02/snl-dana-carvey-linkin-park.html
Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz, Justin Bieber, Kristen Wiig, Linkin Park, Mike Myers, Saturday Night Live, SNL, Wayne's World

SNL - Jan 29, 2011 - JESSE EISENBERG
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/01/snl-1292011-jesse-eisenberg.html
FACEBOOK, Jesse Eisenber, Mark Zuckerberg, SNL. Saturday Night Live, Social Networking

========
THEATER
========

THE BLACKFRIARS CONFERENCE 2011
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/11/blackfriars-conference.html
Sonnets, Shakespeare, Blackfriars Conference, THE TEMPEST, KING HENRY V, TAMBURLAINE, HAMLET, Stephen Booth, James Keegan

SONNETS AS DRAMATIC SPEECH: Adapting the sonnets as plays
http://sonnetsbyshakespeare.blogspot.com/2011/11/sonnets-as-dramatic-speech.html
Sonnets, Shakespeare, Blackfriars Conference, LOVE'S FINE WIT, Eric Roffman

SAM WATERSTON AS KING LEAR
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/11/sam-waterston-as-king-lear.html
KING LEAR, Shakespeare, Sam Waterston, the Public Theater

TWITTER, RAIN, & SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/07/twitter-rain-shakespeare-in-park.html
All's Well That Ends Well, King Lear, Measure for Measure, Sam Waterston, Shakespeare in the Park, the public theater, TWITTER

SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK... IS A THRILLING MASTERPIECE!
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/06/spider-man-turn-off-dark-is-thrilling.html
Reeve Carney, Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark

SPIDER-MAN SMASHES IDOL
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/spider-man-smashes-idol.html
Bono and The Edge, Reeve Carney, Spider-man

CHEKHOV'S UNCLE VANYA - PRODUCED BY ANDREI KONCHALOVSKY
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/chekhovs-uncle-vanya-produced-by-andrei.html
Andrei Konchalovsky, Chekhov, Uncle Vanya

LOVE'S FINE WIT (with ME) April 23 AT THE CORNELIA STREET CAFE
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/04/loves-fine-wit-with-me-april-23-at.html
Cornelia Street Cafe, Eric Roffman, Hank Heijink, Heli Sirvio, Jessica Crandall, Katie Fabel, Love's Fine Wit, Shakespeare, sonnets, William Anderson

HIGH WITH KATHLEEN TURNER
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/04/high-with-kathleen-turner.html
Evan Jonigkeit, Freddie Highmore, Kathleen Turner, Matthew Lobardo, Matthew Lombardo, Rob Ruggiero, Steven Kulken

MARGARET: A TYGER'S HEART - AT RED BULL THEATER - IN THE RAW
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/02/margaret-tygers-heart-at-red-bull.html
48 New York Film Festival, King Henry VIII, Margaret of Anjou, Red Bull Theater, Shakespeare, Shakespeare Society, War of the Roses

THE CAPE
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/01/cape.html
The Cape

Coming: THE WITCH OF EDMONTON
http://bobooblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/witch-of-edmonton.html

THE TEMPEST & JULIE TAYMOR
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2010/12/tempest-julie-taymor.html
Helen Mirren, Julie Taymor, NYFF, Shakespeare, Spiderman - Turn Off The Dark, The New York Film Festival, The Tempest

LOVE WITHOUT LAW
http://bobooblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/love-without-law.html
Anna Karenina, Kathleen Wilce, LOVE WITHOUT LAW, Mary Lee Kellerman

SOME GIRL(S) by Neil LaBute
http://bobooblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/some-girls.html
Betty Kaplan, Jody Lyn Flynn, Mariya King, Michael Scott King, Neil LaBute, Nunya Productions, Rebecca De Ornelas, Robin Singer, Some Girl(s), To Write Love On Her Arms

NEW YORK INNOVATIVE THEATRE NOMINATIONS 2011
http://bobooblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/new-york-innovative-theatre-nominations.html

FLACCID PENIS SEEKS VAGINAL DRYNESS
http://bobooblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/coming-to-fringe-flaccid-penis-seeks.html
FLACCID PENIS SEEKS VAGINAL DRYNESS, Fringe NYC, Mike Poblete, Rebecca A. Hengstenberg

AMERICAN THEATRE WING'S TONY AWARDS® 2011
http://bobooblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/american-theater-wings-tony-awards-2011.html
Book of Mormon, The Normal Heart, TONY's, War Horse

PLANET CONNECTIONS THEATRE FESTIVITY 2011
http://bobooblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/planet-connections-theatre-festivity.html
Planet Connections

THEATER FESTIVALS OOB SUMMER 2011
http://bobooblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/theater-festivals-oob-summer-2011.html
FRINGE

SUBMISSIONS TO BETWEEN THE SEAS FESTIVAL
http://bobooblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/submissions-to-between-seas-festival.html
Aktina Stathaki, Between the seas Festival, Les Manouches, The Wild Project

3 WOMEN
http://bobooblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/3-women.html
3 WOMEN, Anna Brenner, Columbia University School of the Arts Theatre Arts Program, Rachael Richman

Coming: COMPASSES POINTING PAST THE PAST AND PRESENT
http://bobooblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/coming-compasses-pointing-past-past-and.html
Matthew Ethan Davis, Shannon Lower

THEATER: INCREASING THE DEMAND
http://bobooblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/theater-increasing-demand.html
Demand for theatrical productions, National Endowment for the Arts, Rocco Landesman

Coming: THE WITCH OF EDMONTON
http://bobooblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/witch-of-edmonton.html
Jesse Berger, John Ford, Red Bull Theater, The Witch of Edmonton, Thomas Dekker, William Rowley

OTHELLO
http://sonnetsbyshakespeare.blogspot.com/2009/10/othello.html
Iago, John Ortiz, Jessica Chastain, LAByrinth Theater Company, Othello, Peter Sellars, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Shakespeare, The Public Theater

===================================================
PLAY WRITING COMPETITIONS WITH OPEN SUBMISSIONS
===================================================

MRT ONE ACT PLAY FESTIVAL SUBMISSIONS
http://bobooblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/mrt-one-act-play-festival-submissions.html
Submissions are closed for 2012; check in late fall/early winter for 2013 rules.

RED BULL THEATER: OPEN SUBMISSIONS FOR SHORT PLAY FESTIVAL (2010)
http://bobooblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/red-bull-theater-open-submissions-for.html
Deadline for 2012 submissions is February 28, 2012

SUBMISSIONS - O'NEILL THEATER, NATIONAL PLAYWRIGHTS CONFERENCE 2011
http://bobooblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/submissions-oneill-theater-national.html
The next opportunity to apply will begin in September 2012

=========================
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
=========================

THE MAKER FAIRE NEW YORK
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/07/maker-faire.html
Arts and Crafts, DIY, electronics, kites, MAKE, Maker Faire, puppets, robots

SAVING A WHALE
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/07/saving-whale.html
whale

ENDEAVOUR LIFTOFF -- AWESOME
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/endeavor-liftoff-awesome.html
Endeavour, Liftoff, NASA, Shuttle

AN AMAZING HAND MADE MACHINE
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/amazing-hand-made-machine.html

ANTI-HYDROGEN LIVES!
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/anti-hydrogen-lives.html
anti-hydrogen, anti-mater, anti-proton, CERN, positron

FISH TESTING
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/04/fish-testing.html
contamination, fish, Fukushima

UNEXPECTED PARTICLE(?) SHOWS UP AT FERMILAB
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/04/unexpected-particle-shows-up-at.html
Fermilab, high energy physics, particle physics, Standard Model

HEALTH DEPARTMENT RATINGS FOR NYC RESTAURANTS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/01/health-department-ratings-for-nyc.html
Health Department, Restaurants

===================
POLITICS AND ISSUES
===================

VIDEO - PRESIDENT OBAMA'S MAY 19, 2011 ADDRESS ON THE MIDDLE EAST
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/video-president-obamas-may-19-address.html
Middle East, President Obama

PRESIDENT OBAMA - OSAMA BIN LADEN
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/nbc-news-osama-bin-laden.html
Death of Osama Bin Ladin, President Obama

FISH TESTING
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/04/fish-testing.html
contamination, fish, Fukushima

PRESIDENT OBAMA - 2011 CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/president-obama-2011-correspondents.html
Correspondents' Dinner, President Obama

LETTERMAN - BROKAW - SWIMSUIT ISSUE
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/02/letterman-brokaw-swimsuit-issue.html
Alyssa Miller, Anne V, David Letterman, Egypt, Hilary Rhoda, Irina Shayk, Sports Illustrated, Swimsuit Issue, Tom Brokaw

HEALTH DEPARTMENT RATINGS FOR NYC RESTAURANTS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/01/health-department-ratings-for-nyc.html
Health Department, Restaurants

====
MISC
====

JFK - NOVEMBER 22, 1963
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/11/november-22-1963.html
John F. Kennedy, John Donne

11:11:11.11 11/11/11
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/11/11111111-111111.html

GILAD SHALIT
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/10/gilad-shalit.html

BELMONT STAKES - Saturday, June 11, 2011
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/06/belmont-stakes.html
Animal Kingdom, Belmont Stakes, Triple Crown, BRILLIANT SPEED, Horse Racing, Kentucky Derby, Preakness, RULER ON ICE, Shackleford, STAY THIRSTY

THE PREAKNESS - Saturday, May 21, 2011
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/preakness.html
Animal Kingdom, Preakness, Shackleford, Triple Crown

KENTUCKY DERBY 2011 -- with the NBC VIDEO OF THE RACE!
& THE RECIPE FOR A MINT JULEP!!!
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/kentucky-derby-2011.html
Belmont, Eddie Arcaro, Horse Racing, Kentucky Derby, Mint Julep, Preakness, Ron Turcotte, Secretariat, Triple Crown

TOMORROW'S HARVEST from STONE BARNS & DAN BARBER
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/03/tomorrows-harvest-from-stone-barns-dan.html
Blue Hill, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Dan Barber, Future of Food, Tomorrow's Harvest

AN EXTRAORDINARY MUSICAL EVENT - WED FEB 9
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/02/extraordinary-musical-event-wed-feb-9.html
Alan Gilbert, Dorothy Roffman, Glenn Dicterow, Sheryl Staples, THE GIFT OF MUSIC, Thurnauer Music School

MOTHER GOOSE ON THE STEELERS IN THE SUPERBOWL
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/02/mother-goose-on-steelers-in-superbowl.html
Green Bay Packers, Mother Goose, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl

HEALTH DEPARTMENT RATINGS FOR NYC RESTAURANTS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/01/health-department-ratings-for-nyc.html
Health Department, Restaurants

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2010/12/happy-new-year.html

GREAT HOSPITALITY & FOOD FROM CHEF TIFFANY AT BLACK ANGUS GRILL, WYNDHAM NASSAU RESORT, BAHAMAS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2010/12/great-hospitality-food-from-chef.html
Bahamas, Chef Tiffany, The Black Angus Grill at the Wyndham Nassau Resort

SNL - JIMMY FALLON & BUBLE

2011-12-18T02:56:00.001-05:00

2011-12-17 – Saturday Night Live (SNL) - JIMMY FALLON &; BUBLE

(Note: that's Buble as in “BooBLAY” not “bubble”. ... Not "bubbela" either).

Sparked by Jimmy Fallon's energy this was one of the liveliest and funniest SNL's. Even the few less funny skits were interesting, and the funny skits were very funny. But ENERGY is what sparked this show.

Also alumni. Lots of alums: in addition to Jimmy Fallon, alums Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and a whole bunch of others showed up.

Here’s some notes on the show:

Cold Open – Prom – Long past their glory days, a high school couple in Boston comes back to crash the prom. I didn’t quite get the point of the sketch -- except perhaps that it was an intro to this alum-heavy and energy-rich show – but it had a quirky manic energy that was entertaining.

Monolog – “So good to be home” – Again, the genial energy of this monolog sketch was the best part.

The Today Show – A fierce send-up of the women on the Today Show. The Regis part was not quite so effective.

Buble Album – Buble is like the polar opposite of everything else on the show, so it was satisfying to tie together the Buble spirit with the SNL style in a sketch that parodied the formulaic star-studded old-fashioned duet album.

Mirror – Nice; clever in concept, skilled in execution, tho' not particularly funny, Fallon asks his “mirror” image how he’s doing so far. Notable for the shirts he and his mirror are wearing.

1928 Holiday Party – Kristen Wiig was hilarious in her (frequently played) guise as a compulsive event interloper. In this case, after her, “You made us sing and dance!” … Every time the music intro comes to her cue, she does something other than sing her song.

One Man Show – Playing “Part Jewish, Part Italian, Completely Neurotic,” in an OOB house, plying a life story (in this case it’s a familiar kind of humor for SNL, the so-bad-it’s-funny comedy) to the one audience member. (I’ve been in that audience and it’s a strange feeling! No matter how good the show may be. –In real life, the hardest part of putting on a show OOB is getting an audience.)

Christmas Greeting – Fallon sings while other alums – Chris Kattan, Stacy Morgan -- do … something.

Buble – Even though this Buble’s music – style and content -- could not be more out of sync with the rest of the show, or the usual musical guest for that matter, it somehow kind of worked.

Weekend Update – There were some good jokes, with some “interview” sketches…

Get in the Cage w/ Jude Law on Weekend Update-- The first of the “interview” segments kind of worked. But it was all the usual Nicholas Cage jokes, and Jude Law (along with Sherlock Holmes) was pretty much ignored.

Joke-Off on Weekend Update – The title was the funniest part of the sketch. Starting from a pretty good joke on Weekend Update, Jimmy Fallon challenged Seth Meyers to a Joke Off. Alums Amy Poehler and Tina Fey came in to help. But the new jokes were not really better than the first joke. (There was a weird moment when Jimmy Fallon seemed to brush away a kiss tendered by his teammate Tina Fey.)

Beethoven in Vienna – Beethoven introduced the members of his orchestra. It was interesting, but not particularly funny, except when Ludwig got upset about one player offering a moment of music from Mozart instead of Ludwig. Also there was an unfunny Hitler joke. Hitler is not funny.

War Horse – The best sketch of the night. In an OOB house a version of War Horse with the puppet horse replaced by a Human playing the horse. And for the second act, the other Human was replaced by a hand puppet.

Jesus visits Tebow – Jesus comes to tell Tebow and the Broncos they’re making him work too hard – along with the other Country Music Award winners, and Beauty Pageant winners he must constantly help, along with all those other contestants that thank him for deciding contests in their favor. The sketch isn’t particularly funny, but it’s a good point.

The cast seemed to have fun at the closing gathering on the ice rink at Rockefeller Center.

For SNL clips:

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/

And here are two memorable sketches from the show:

WAR HORSE

TEBOW

HTC EVO 3D

2011-12-15T23:30:00.000-05:00

HTC EVO 3D

The HTC EVO 3D is amazing!

Take a short 3D video, with the 3D camera on your EVO 3D, of something interesting , like your family, friends, pets, flowers... and when you show it in 3D on the no-glasses 3D screen of the EVO 3D to anyone and everyone you meet, they'll say, "Hey! That's aMAzing!"

In addition to having amazing 3D, it's a solid smart-phone, with the Android operating system and 4G access from Sprint.

Here are some notes on the phone:

BASIC INFO:

The OS for the HTC EVO 3D is the Android operating system, with HTC Sense (a good front-end from HTC on top of Android). The EVO 3D has a nice, large, clear screen which shows 2D or glasses-free 3D.

It comes with a special App for viewing 2D or 3D videos from YouTube.

3D games and 3D movies that run on the HTC EVO 3D glasses-free video screen can be purchased.

For taking pictures and videos, it has a pair of lenses for 2D or 3D still photographs or videos.

There are a few controls -- adding a light, zooming in 2D -- but this is basically a point and shoot camera, with auto-focus and auto-exposure.

It has more or less standard Android smart-phone applications.

The User Guide and customer support applications on the HTC site are quite good.

The quality of Sprint stores varies widely in their knowledge of the HTC EVO 3D and their support, and inventory of accessories. Some (but not all) of the Sprint stores I've been to have been excellent.

Here are some specs:

SPECS:

Size: 126.1mm x 65.4mm x 11.3mm 4.96" x 2.57" x 0.44"

Weight: 170 grams (6.0 ounces) with battery

Display: 4.3-inch 3D touch screen

Screen: 109 mm (4.3")

Camera

Dual 5 megapixel color camera:

•Capture 2D photos with up to 5 megapixel resolution

•Capture 3D photos with up to 2 megapixel resolution

•Auto focus, flash, camera light

Front camera:

•1.3 megapixel fixed focus color camera

HD video recording:

•Record 2D/3D videos with up to 720p resolution

SOME DRAWBACKS (and some remedies):

The HTC EVO 3D is very sensitive to the touch, so it is very easy to navigate away from what you want to do, or even start an application when you really just wanted to scroll to another screen. A little practice holding and handling the phone can help avoid this problem.

When working with a browser as well as other applications, it can be difficult to navigate. In particular, it can be difficult to type correctly, and the problems with navigation can interfere with correcting the errors. More practice helps. (Note: the BACK button is hidden and you must push the MENU key -- the one with lots of parallel lines -- first.)

The volume is rather soft. (There may be an App or upgrade fix for this... check with HTC/Sprint.)

While it is amazingly fantastic to easily take 3D pix and videos and view them glasses-free, consumer 3D is still a work in progress; this is 3D for early adopters, or for simple uses. Using 3D is not for everyone's eyes. Fatigue, headaches and other issues bother some people, especially if you edit them offline and work on them for long periods. (3D in films like Avatar is very carefully made and carefully projected for maximum comfort. 3D on a smart-phone is not yet that good.)

(More on 3D below.)

The battery life is not too long, especially when Wi-Fi and 4G are on and the camera is in use. (Charge every night. Always try to start any project with a fully charged battery.)

There are not a whole lot of accessories. For example I wanted to get an adapter to hold and attach the phone to a tripod, but I have not been able to get one yet. The pouch I bought for carrying the phone on my belt seemed secure, but twice fell off my belt and I almost lost the phone.

SUMMARY

On the whole, I very strongly recommend the HTC EVO 3D for early adopters of 3D. You will have a chance to create 3D pictures and videos now that will be amazing! In addition, I recommend the phone as a solid, capable, 4G, general purpose smart-phone. There are negatives, but they are minor and there are fixes.

LINKS:

THE HTC EVO 3D AND OTHER 3D AND RELATED PRODUCTS FROM AMAZON:

Note: I just got an e-mail from Amazon, that there is a special promotion in effect 'til the end of the year. Make sure you take advantage of this offer if you do get the HTC EVO 3D, and your purchase qualifies for this:

"For a limited time, buy a hotspot-ready smartphone from Verizon or Sprint and receive a $100 Amazon.com Gift Card on select devices. Phones from AT&T and T-Mobile do not qualify. (Note: The HTC EVO 3D should qualify if you activate the Hotspot feature.) Offer valid between midnight PDT November 11, 2011 through 11:59 p.m. PDT December 31, 2011, for new lines of service and upgrade customers. Gift card codes will be sent via e-mail within 60 days of purchase, one per customer. Hotspot feature must be activated at time of purchase to qualify."

BOOKS

Shop Amazon's Kindle Accessories Store

HTC EVO 3D INFO

OVERVIEW

http://www.htc.com/www/smartphones/htc-evo-3d/

COMPLETE SPECS

http://www.htc.com/www/smartphones/htc-evo-3d/#specs

SOME SIMPLE HOW-TO's ILLUSTRATING THE CAPABILITIES OF THE HTC EVO 3D

http://www.htc.com/www/smartphones/htc-evo-3d/#how-tos

HTC ETO 3D USER GUIDE (about 3.75 MB!)

http://support.sprint.com/global/pdf/user_guides/htc/evo_3d/htc_evo_3d_ug.pdf

WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTC_Evo_3D

ABOUT 3D

The HTC EVO 3D (I'll call it HE3 for short) captures 3D video and 3D photographs in fairly high resolution by using two parallel lenses that record from slightly different positions. The two images then represent the picture as seen from the right and left eyes. When combined, the picture is three dimensional.

The screen of the HE3 displays three dimensional images by using a "lenticular" screen: The screen has finely striped material that alternately directs a strip of video for the left eye to that eye, next to a strip that sends video for the right eye to the right eye. Each eye sees only the video from the image intended for that eye. No glasses are necessary because the screen does all the work of sending the correct image to each eye.

A 3D image or video taken by the HE3 camera can then be viewed, immediately, without glasses, on the HE3 screen.

The camera creates a file on the HE3's memory which can be uploaded to YouTube; or it can be uploaded to a computer and edited, or displayed (with the right cables) on a 3DTV.

A 3D video uploaded to YouTube can be viewed in many ways. (YouTube does special processing for 3D videos.) There is a 3D button on the video which allows you to choose the way you want to view it.

Here are some of the options that you can choose when viewing a 3D video on YouTube:

1 -- It can be downloaded to an HTC EVO 3D and viewed there (in 3D without glasses).

...........(There's a special YouTube App on the HE3 that facilitates viewing YouTube videos.)

2 -- It can be downloaded and viewed on other glasses-free 3D systems.

3 -- It can be viewed on a 3DTV.

4 -- It can be viewed with Red/Cyan glasses.

5 -- It can be viewed with the NVIDIA 3D computer system.

6 -- And it can also be viewed simply as a normal 2D movie.

Here are some tips for shooting 3D:

For best results, shoot in good light that is somewhat contrasty, but not glaring.

For the best stereo effect have objects at a variety of different distances from the camera. (For example, if you shoot one person in the foreground with a mountain far in the background, it may look like a cutout, but if you shoot a few people near each other with something like a bush or plant behand them, the depth effect will be much more natural.)

The viewing screen is very shiny, making it a better mirror than viewer in bright sunlight. A plastic anti-glare overlay (which should be available from Sprint) can help somewhat. You can also shoot "blind," just pointing in the direction of the subject. You could also try to find shade, or even hold an umbrella between the camera and the sun.

When filming, the video can be interrupted by external events (like a phone call or a "roaming" alert). To prevent this, put the phone in airplane-mode.

Still photographs are saved in either of two formats: .MPO or .JPS, which are alternate ways of encoding the right and left eye images in one file. (HE3 has a menu for selecting the format.) Videos are saved as .MP4.

You can easily transfer media files on HE3 to your computer with the same cable you use to charge the phone.

The 3D .MP4 video files you have transferred will play as videos with side-by-side images on most current video players (for example Windows Media Player) enabling you to preview the video on your computer.

The simplest inexpensive editing program I've used comes from MAGIX. The MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX Premium supports editing 3D videos and then exporting the result to YouTube, NVIDIA, and other 3D formats and hosts.

.JPS files are simply two .JPG images side by side. They will display on most photo preview programs. If you are careful, some editing can be done with any photo-editing program. MPO files are a different way of encoding the two images. If the photo editing system supports .MPO files, then the editing will be similar to editing .JPS files.

3D photos can be uploaded to PHEREO (the site is still in Beta and some things are missing ... like English grammar and much of the HELP -- but they seem to respond to forum posts, and most everything is self-evident.) They support both .JPS and .MPO files. They support multiple methods of display including Red/Cyan (anaglyph), NVIDIA, and (with an Android App) displaying on the HTC EVO 3D.

The eco-system for consumer 3D is still developing. As time goes on, the quality of the 3D will improve, there will be more tools to edit it, and more ways to view it.

SOME MORE LINKS:

WIKIPEDIA ON 3D (STEREOSCOPY)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereoscopy

3D PHOTOGRAPH AND VIDEO HOSTING

SOME EXAMPLES OF 3D VIDEOS

SOME 3D VIDEOS FROM QPORIT3D

www.youtube.com/qporit3d

A GUIDE TO 3D VIDEOS ON THE WEB

qporit3d.blogspot.com

YOUTUBE 3D --3D VIDEO HOSTING AND 3D VIDEO SELECTIONS

http://www.youtube.com/3d

PHEREO WILL HOST 3D PHOTOGRAPHS

PHEREO (3D still photo display - currently in beta)

http://phereo.com/

NVIDIA'S 3D VISION SYSTEM FOR COMPUTERS

NVIDIA 3D VISION INFO

http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d-vision-about.html

MAGIX IS AN INEXPENSIVE YET EXCELLENT 3D VIDEO EDITOR

MAGIX

http://www.magix.com/us/

MAGIX EDITING SOFTWARE FOR 3D

MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX PLUS

MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX PREMIUM

http://www.magix.com/us/create-3d/

Notes:

So far, in my experience, (as of 12/12/2011), all the sites above have been safe. But 3D is a rapidly developing frontier and there may be some wildness. I suspect I may have encountered malware on other 3D related sites. I strongly recommend having good anti-virus software before you explore random 3D sites on the web -- especially outside the beaten track and especially, especially, especially if you venture to sites that have any sexual content.

Before you accept any TERMS OF SERVICE or other agreement (for example to upload videos), read the document! Some sites -- especially contest sites or sites that dangle the possibility of your making money -- may have agreements that allow them to use your content -- or even take possession of your content -- to make money for them. If the agreement looks suspicious at all or you have any question check it with a lawyer. The TERMS OF SERVICE could be binding.

As of 12/12/2011 QPORIT has an affiliate agreement with Amazon and one pending with Google; but no relationship (other than that of customer or user) with the other sites mentioned. We have no control over any of the sites we mention; all links are for your convenience; and any transactions are solely between you and the other site.

*** *** ***

2011 SUMMARY & TOPICAL INDEX OF STORIES IN QPORIT

PLEASE VISIT ALL OUR WEBSITES:

QPORIT - Quick Previews of Random Interesting Things

BOBOOBLOG - Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway Blog

SONNETS-BY-SHAKESPEARE -- Sonnets & other works by & about Shakespeare
QPORIT3D - A new blog about consumer 3D

TWITTER/QPORIT

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT IN STEREOSCOPIC 3D

*** *** ***

2012 FILM AND TELEVISION AWARDS

2011-12-15T23:00:00.000-05:00

FILM AND TELEVISION AWARDS

SAG & GOLDEN GLOBES

2012

We're going to keep a running tally of the nominations and awards for film and television, by the major events: The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards, The Golden Globes (GG) awards and, when they are announced, the Academy Awards (AA). By combining all the awards-givers into one list it will be easier to compare the different perspectives and see how they separately and together honor the programs and the performers and the creative teams.

So far SAG and GG have announced their nominations.

Some of my favorite films, THE ARTIST, MY WEEKEND WITH MARILYN, and MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, have gotten nominations.

I have not yet seen THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO but I'm looking forward to that. Rooney Mara was nominated for a GG but not for a SAG award.

I have not yet seen Angelina Jolie's film, IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY, which holds the distinction of being one of the few, perhaps only, films from the USA ever in competition as a FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM.

MELANCHOLIA, probably the most powerful film of the year and, perhaps, the one true masterpiece to come out this year was not nominated for anything, not even citing Julia Stiles for her (Cannes prize winning) performance.

I'd also like to have seen SHAMELESS (on Showtime) and Emmy Rossum acknowledged. It's quite an original, well acted, and kind of shameless series.

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN was cited for several awards, but Eddie Redmayne, who played "MY" was really the center of the film, and he is largely responsible for its charm, but he did not get any mention at all. That, and the failure to mention the cast as a whole in any of the group awards, seems to me a terrible omission.

Jessica Chastain, who seems to be the young actress of the year, appearing in the Cannes Prize winner, THE TREE OF LIFE (with Brad Pitt) HELP, THE DEBT, WILDE SALOME (with Al Pacino), and CORIOLANUS (with Ralph Fiennes), was nominated for THE HELP.

THE ARTIST, an enchanting silent black and white French movie with no subtitles (because it's silent!) is the brilliant work of the brilliant director Michel Hazanavicius.

George Clooney was nominated as director and screen writer for THE IDES OF MARCH and as actor for THE DESCENDANTS.

Here are some links to stories in QPORIT related to people and films that have been nominated:

49TH NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL 2011
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/09/49th-new-york-film-festival-2011.html
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/09/new-york-film-festival-2011-film.html

THE ARTIST
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/11/berenice-bejo-artist-at-nyff-2011-photo.html

THE DESCENDANTS
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/10/descendants.html

CARNAGE
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/10/carnage.html

JESSICA CHASTAIN
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/05/jessica-chastain.html

ROONEY MARA IS THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2010/08/rooney-mara-is-girl-with-dragon-tattoo.html

Here are the nominations from the GOLDEN GLOBES (GG) AND THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD (SAG)

SOME HANDY ACRONYMS

MPTV = Motion Picture made for TV

MSTV = Mini-Series made for TV

STV = Series made for TV

MP = Theatrical Motion Picture

SAG: actors and films are in UPPER CASE

GG: actors are in Title Case; “Titles” are in quotes

GG MP DRAMA

"The Descendants"
"The Help"
"Hugo"
"The Ides of March"
"Moneyball"
"War Horse"

GG MP ANIMATED

"The Adventures of Tintin"
"Arthur Christmas"
"Cars 2"
"P
"Rango" Puss in Boots"

GG MP FOREIGN LANGUAGE

"The Flowers of War" (China)
"In the Land of Blood and Honey" (USA)
"The Kid With a Bike" (Belgium)
"A Separation" (Iran)
"The Skin I Live In" (Spain)

GG MP COMEDY OR MUSICAL

"50/50"
"The Artist"
"Bridesmaids"
"Midnight in Paris"
"My Week With Marilyn"

GG MP DRAMA ACTRESS

Glenn Close, "Albert Nobbs"
Viola Davis, "The Help"
Rooney Mara, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"
Tilda Swinton, "We Need to Talk About Kevin”

GG MP COMEDY OR MUSICAL ACTRESS

Jodie Foster, "Carnage
Charlize Theron, "Young Adult"
Kristen Wiig, "Bridesmaids"
Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn"
Kate Winslet, "Carnage"

SAG MP ACTRESS

GLENN CLOSE / Albert Nobbs - "ALBERT NOBBS” (Roadside Attractions)
VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark - “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
MERYL STREEP / Margaret Thatcher - “THE IRON LADY” (The Weinstein Company)
TILDA SWINTON / Eva - “WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN” (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
MICHELLE WILLIAMS / Marilyn Monroe - “MY WEEK WITH MARILYN” (The Weinstein Company)

GG MP DRAMA ACTOR

George Clooney, "The Descendants"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "J. Edgar"
Michael Fassbender, "Shame
Ryan Gosling, "The Ides of March"
Brad Pitt, "Moneyball"

GG MP COMEDY OR MUSICAL ACTOR

Jean Dujardin, "The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, "The Guard"
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "50/50"
Ryan Gosling, "Crazy, Stupid, Love."
Owen Wilson, "Midnight in Paris"

SAG MP ACTOR

DEMIÁN BICHIR / Carlos Galindo - “A BETTER LIFE” (Summit Entertainment)
GEORGE CLOONEY / Matt King - "THE DESCENDANTS” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
LEONARDO DiCAPRIO / J. Edgar Hoover - "J. EDGAR" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
JEAN DUJARDIN / George - "THE ARTIST" (The Weinstein Company)
BRAD PITT / Billy Beane - "MONEYBALL" (Columbia Pictures)

GG MP SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Berenice Bejo, "The Artist"
Jessica Chastain, "The Help"
Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs"
Octavia Spencer, "The Help"
Shailene Woodley, "The Descendants"

SAG SUPPORTING ACTRESS

BÉRÉNICE BEJO / Peppy - "THE ARTIST" (The Weinstein Company)
JESSICA CHASTAIN / Celia Foote - “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
MELISSA McCARTHY / Megan - “BRIDESMAIDS” (Universal Pictures)
JANET McTEER / Hubert Page - "ALBERT NOBBS” (Roadside Attractions)
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson - “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)

GG MP SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Branagh, "My Week with Marilyn"
Albert Brooks, "Drive"
Jonah Hill, "Moneyball"
Viggo Mortensen, "A Dangerous Method"
Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"

SAG MP SUPPORTING ACTOR

KENNETH BRANAGH / Sir Laurence Olivier - “MY WEEK WITH MARILYN” (The Weinstein Company)
ARMIE HAMMER / Clyde Tolson - "J. EDGAR" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
JONAH HILL / Peter Brand - "MONEYBALL" (Columbia Pictures)
NICK NOLTE / Paddy Conlon - “WARRIOR” (Lionsgate)
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER / Hal - “BEGINNERS” (Focus Features)

GG MP DIRECTOR

Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
George Clooney, "The Ides of March"
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"
Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"

GG MP SCREENPLAY

Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon - "The Ides of March"
Michel Hazanavicius - "The Artist"
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash - "The Descendants"
Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin - "Moneyball"

GG TVS DRAMA

"American Horror Story"
"Boardwalk Empire"
"Boss"
"Game of Thrones"
"Homeland"

GG TVS DRAMA ACTRESS

Claire Danes, "Homeland"
Mireille Enos, "The Killing"
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"
Madeleine Stowe, "Revenge"
Callie Thorne, "Necessary Roughness"

SAG TVS DRAMA ACTRESS

KATHY BATES / Harriet Korn - “HARRY’S LAW” (NBC)
GLENN CLOSE / Patty Hewes - “DAMAGES” (DirecTV)
JESSICA LANGE / Constance - “AMERICAN HORROR STORY” (FX)
JULIANNA MARGULIES / Alicia Florrick - “THE GOOD WIFE” (CBS)
KYRA SEDGWICK / Dept. Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson - “THE CLOSER” (TNT)

GG TVS DRAMA ACTOR

Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Kelsey Grammer, "Boss"
Jeremy Irons, "The Borgias"
Damian Lewis, "Homeland"

SAG TVS ACTOR

PATRICK J. ADAMS / Mike Ross - “SUITS” (USA)
STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch “Nucky” Thompson - “BOARDWALK EMPIRE” (HBO)
KYLE CHANDLER / Eric Taylor - “FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS” (DirecTV)
BRYAN CRANSTON / Walter White - “BREAKING BAD” (AMC)
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan - “DEXTER” (Showtime)

GG TVS COMEDY OR MUSICAL

"Enlightened"
"Episodes"
"Glee"
"Modern "Family"
"New Girl"

GG TVS COMEDY OR MUSICAL ACTRESS

Laura Dern, "Enlightened"
Zooey Deschanel, "New Girl"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Laura Linney, "The Big C"
Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation"

SAG TVS COMEDY ACTRESS

JULIE BOWEN / Claire Dunphy - “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
EDIE FALCO / Jackie Peyton - “NURSE JACKIE” (Showtime)
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon - “30 ROCK” (NBC)
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett - “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
BETTY WHITE / Elka Ostrovsky - “HOT IN CLEVELAND” (TV Land)

GG TVS COMEDY OR MUSICAL ACTOR

Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
David Duchovny, "Californication"
Johnny Galecki, "The Big Bang Theory"
Thomas Jane, "Hung"
Matt LeBlanc, "Episodes"

SAG TVS COMEDY ACTOR

ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy - “30 ROCK” (NBC)
TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy - “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott - “THE OFFICE” (NBC)
JON CRYER / Alan Harper - “TWO AND A HALF MEN” (CBS)
ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron Tucker - “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)

18th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS® NOMINATIONS
THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
DEMIÁN BICHIR / Carlos Galindo - “A BETTER LIFE” (Summit Entertainment)
GEORGE CLOONEY / Matt King - "THE DESCENDANTS” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
LEONARDO DiCAPRIO / J. Edgar Hoover - "J. EDGAR" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
JEAN DUJARDIN / George - "THE ARTIST" (The Weinstein Company)
BRAD PITT / Billy Beane - "MONEYBALL" (Columbia Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
GLENN CLOSE / Albert Nobbs - "ALBERT NOBBS” (Roadside Attractions)
VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark - “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
MERYL STREEP / Margaret Thatcher - “THE IRON LADY” (The Weinstein Company)
TILDA SWINTON / Eva - “WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN” (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
MICHELLE WILLIAMS / Marilyn Monroe - “MY WEEK WITH MARILYN” (The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
KENNETH BRANAGH / Sir Laurence Olivier - “MY WEEK WITH MARILYN” (The Weinstein Company)
ARMIE HAMMER / Clyde Tolson - "J. EDGAR" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
JONAH HILL / Peter Brand - "MONEYBALL" (Columbia Pictures)
NICK NOLTE / Paddy Conlon - “WARRIOR” (Lionsgate)
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER / Hal - “BEGINNERS” (Focus Features)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
BÉRÉNICE BEJO / Peppy - "THE ARTIST" (The Weinstein Company)
JESSICA CHASTAIN / Celia Foote - “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
MELISSA McCARTHY / Megan - “BRIDESMAIDS” (Universal Pictures)
JANET McTEER / Hubert Page - "ALBERT NOBBS” (Roadside Attractions)
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson - “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
THE ARTIST (The Weinstein Company)
BÉRÉNICE BEJO / Peppy
JAMES CROMWELL / Clifton
JEAN DUJARDIN / George
JOHN GOODMAN / Al Zimmer
PENELOPE ANN MILLER / Doris

BRIDESMAIDS (Universal Pictures)
ROSE BYRNE / Helen
JILL CLAYBURGH / Annie’s Mom
ELLIE KEMPER / Becca
MATT LUCAS / Gil
MELISSA McCARTHY / Megan
WENDI McLENDON-COVEY / Rita
CHRIS O’DOWD / Rhodes
MAYA RUDOLPH / Lillian
KRISTEN WIIG / Annie

THE DESCENDANTS (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
BEAU BRIDGES / Cousin Hugh
GEORGE CLOONEY / Matt King
ROBERT FORSTER / Scott Thorson
JUDY GREER / Julie Speer
MATTHEW LILLARD / Brian Speer
SHAILENE WOODLEY / Alexandra King

THE HELP (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
JESSICA CHASTAIN / Celia Foote
VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark
BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD / Hilly Holbrook
ALLISON JANNEY / Charlotte Phelan
CHRIS LOWELL / Stuart Whitworth
AHNA O’REILLY / Elizabeth Leefolt
SISSY SPACEK / Missus Walters
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson
MARY STEENBURGEN / Elaine Stein
EMMA STONE / Skeeter Phelan
CICELY TYSON / Constantine Jefferson
MIKE VOGEL / Johnny Foote

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (Sony Pictures Classics)
KATHY BATES / Gertrude Stein
ADRIEN BRODY / Salvador Dali
CARLA BRUNI / Museum Guide
MARION COTILLARD / Adriana
RACHEL McADAMS / Inez
MICHAEL SHEEN / Paul
OWEN WILSON / Gil

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
LAURENCE FISHBURNE / Thurgood Marshall - “THURGOOD” (HBO)
PAUL GIAMATTI / Ben Bernanke - “TOO BIG TO FAIL” (HBO)
GREG KINNEAR / Jack Kennedy - “THE KENNEDYS” (REELZ CHANNEL)
GUY PEARCE / Monty Beragon - “MILDRED PIERCE“ (HBO)
JAMES WOODS / Richard Fuld - “TOO BIG TO FAIL” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
DIANE LANE
/ Pat Loud - “CINEMA VERITE” (HBO)
MAGGIE SMITH / Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham - “DOWNTON ABBEY” (PBS)
EMILY WATSON / Janet Leach - “APPROPRIATE ADULT” (Sundance Channel)
BETTY WHITE / Caroline Thomas - “HALLMARK HALL OF FAME: THE LOST VALENTINE” (CBS)
KATE WINSLET / Mildred Pierce - “MILDRED PIERCE” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
PATRICK J. ADAMS / Mike Ross - “SUITS” (USA)
STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch “Nucky” Thompson - “BOARDWALK EMPIRE” (HBO)
KYLE CHANDLER / Eric Taylor - “FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS” (DirecTV)
BRYAN CRANSTON / Walter White - “BREAKING BAD” (AMC)
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan - “DEXTER” (Showtime)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
KATHY BATES / Harriet Korn - “HARRY’S LAW” (NBC)
GLENN CLOSE / Patty Hewes - “DAMAGES” (DirecTV)
JESSICA LANGE / Constance - “AMERICAN HORROR STORY” (FX)
JULIANNA MARGULIES / Alicia Florrick - “THE GOOD WIFE” (CBS)
KYRA SEDGWICK / Dept. Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson - “THE CLOSER” (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy - “30 ROCK” (NBC)
TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy - “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott - “THE OFFICE” (NBC)
JON CRYER / Alan Harper - “TWO AND A HALF MEN” (CBS)
ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron Tucker - “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
JULIE BOWEN / Claire Dunphy - “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
EDIE FALCO / Jackie Peyton - “NURSE JACKIE” (Showtime)
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon - “30 ROCK” (NBC)
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett - “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
BETTY WHITE / Elka Ostrovsky - “HOT IN CLEVELAND” (TV Land)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch “Nucky” Thompson
DOMINIC CHIANESE / Leander Cephas Whitlock
ROBERT CLOHESSY / Ward Boss Jim Neary
DABNEY COLEMAN / Commodore Louis Kaestner
CHARLIE COX / Owen Sleater
JOSIE & LUCY GALLINA / Emily Schroeder
STEPHEN GRAHAM / Al Capone
JACK HUSTON / Richard Harrow
ANTHONY LACIURA / Eddie Kessler
HEATHER LIND / Katy
KELLY MACDONALD / Margaret Schroeder
RORY & DECLAN McTIGUE / Teddy Schroeder
GRETCHEN MOL / Gillian Darmody
BRADY & CONNOR NOON/ Tommy Darmody
KEVIN O’ROURKE / Mayor Edward Bader
ALEKSA PALLADINO / Angela Darmody
JACQUELINE PENNEWILL / Lilian
VINCENT PIAZZA / Lucky Luciano
MICHAEL PITT / Jimmy Darmody
MICHAEL SHANNON / Agent Nelson Van Alden
PAUL SPARKS / Mickey Doyle
MICHAEL STUHLBARG / Arnold Rothstein
PETER VAN WAGNER / Isaac “Icky” Ginsburg
SHEA WHIGHAM / Sheriff Elias Thompson
MICHAEL KENNETH WILLIAMS / Chalky White
ANATOL YUSEF / Meyer Lansky

BREAKING BAD (AMC)
JONATHAN BANKS / Mike
BETSY BRANDT / Marie Schrader
RAY CAMPBELL / Tyrus Kitt
BRYAN CRANSTON / Walter White
GIANCARLO ESPOSITO / Gus Fring
ANNA GUNN / Skyler White
RJ MITTE / Walter White, Jr.
DEAN NORRIS / Hank Schrader
BOB ODENKIRK / Saul Goodman
AARON PAUL / Jesse Pinkman

DEXTER (Showtime)
BILLY BROWN / Chicago Mike
JENNIFER CARPENTER / Debra Morgan
JOSH COOKE / Louis
AIMEE GARCIA / Jamie Batista
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan
COLIN HANKS / Travis Marshall
DESMOND HARRINGTON / Joey Quinn
RYA KIHLSTEDT / Michelle
C.S. LEE / Vince Masuka
EDWARD JAMES OLMOS / Professor Gellar
JAMES REMAR / Harry Morgan
LAUREN VELEZ / Lt. Maria LaGuerta
DAVID ZAYAS / Sgt. Angel Batista

GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
AMRITA ACHARIA / Irri
MARK ADDY / King Robert Baratheon
ALFIE ALLEN / Theon Greyjoy
JOSEF ALTIN / Pypar
SEAN BEAN / Lord Eddard “Ned” Stark
SUSAN BROWN / Septa Mordane
EMILIA CLARKE / Daenerys Targaryen
NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU / Ser Jaime Lannister
PETER DINKLAGE / Tyrion Lannister
RON DONACHIE / Ser Rodrik Cassel
MICHELLE FAIRLEY / Lady Catelyn Stark
JEROME FLYNN / Bronn
ELYES GABEL / Rakharo
AIDAN GILLEN / “Littlefinger” Petyr Baelish
JACK GLEESON / Joffrey Baratheon
IAIN GLEN / Ser Jorah Mormont
JULIAN GLOVER / Grand Maester Pycelle
KIT HARINGTON / Jon Snow
LENA HEADEY / Queen Cersei Lannister
ISAAC HEMPSTEAD WRIGHT / Bran Stark
CONLETH HILL / Lord Varys
RICHARD MADDEN / Robb Stark
JASON MOMOA / Khal Drogo
RORY McCANN / Sandor Clegane
IAN McELHINNEY / Barristan Selmy
LUKE McEWAN / Rast
ROXANNE McKEE / Doreah
DAR SALIM / Qotho
MARK STANLEY / Grenn
DONALD SUMPTER / Maester Luwin
SOPHIE TURNER / Sansa Stark
MAISIE WILLIAMS / Arya Stark

THE GOOD WIFE (CBS)
CHRISTINE BARANSKI / Diane Lockhart
JOSH CHARLES / Will Gardner
ALAN CUMMING / Eli Gold
MATT CZUCHRY / Cary Agos
JULIANNA MARGULIES / Alicia Florrick
CHRIS NOTH / Peter Florrick
ARCHIE PANJABI / Kalinda Sharma
GRAHAM PHILLIPS / Zach Florrick
MAKENZIE VEGA / Grace Florrick

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

30 ROCK (NBC)
SCOTT ADSIT / Pete Hornberger
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy
KATRINA BOWDEN / Cerie
KEVIN BROWN / Dotcom
GRIZZ CHAPMAN / Grizz
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon
JUDAH FRIEDLANDER / Frank Rossitano
JANE KRAKOWSKI / Jenna Maroney
JOHN LUTZ / Lutz
JACK MCBRAYER / Kenneth Parcell
TRACY MORGAN / Tracy Jordan
MAULIK PANCHOLY / Jonathan
KEITH POWELL / Toofer

THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
MAYIM BIALIK / Amy Farrah Fowler
KALEY CUOCO / Penny
JOHNNY GALECKI / Leonard Hofstadter
SIMON HELBERG / Howard Wolowitz
KUNAL NAYYAR / Rajesh Koothrappali
JIM PARSONS / Sheldon Cooper
MELISSA RAUCH / Bernadette Rostenkowski

GLEE (FOX)
DIANNA AGRON / Quinn Fabray
CHRIS COLFER / Kurt Hummel
DARREN CRISS / Blaine Anderson
ASHLEY FINK / Lauren Zizes
DOT MARIE JONES / Coach Beiste
JANE LYNCH / Sue Sylvester
JAYMA MAYS / Emma Pillsbury
KEVIN McHALE / Artie Abrams
LEA MICHELE / Rachel Berry
CORY MONTEITH / Finn Hudson
HEATHER MORRIS / Brittany Pierce
MATTHEW MORRISON / Will Schuester
MIKE O’MALLEY / Burt Hummel
CHORD OVERSTREET / Sam Evans
LAUREN POTTER / Becky Johnson
AMBER RILEY / Mercedes Jones
NAYA RIVERA / Santana Lopez
MARK SALLING / Noah ‘Puck’ Puckerman
HARRY SHUM, JR. / Mike Chang
IQBAL THEBA / Principal Figgins
JENNA USHKOWITZ / Tina Cohen-Chang

MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
AUBREY ANDERSON-EMMONS / Lily
JULIE BOWEN / Claire
TY BURRELL / Phil
JESSE TYLER FERGUSON / Mitchell
NOLAN GOULD / Luke
SARAH HYLAND / Haley
ED O’NEILL / Jay
RICO RODRIGUEZ / Manny
ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria
ARIEL WINTER / Alex

THE OFFICE (NBC)
LESLIE DAVID BAKER / Stanley Hudson
BRIAN BAUMGARTNER / Kevin Malone
CREED BRATTON / Creed Bratton
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott
JENNA FISCHER / Pam Beesly Halpert
KATE FLANNERY / Meredith Palmer
ED HELMS / Andy Bernard
MINDY KALING / Kelly Kapoor
ELLIE KEMPER / Erin Hannon
ANGELA KINSEY / Angela Martin
JOHN KRASINSKI / Jim Halpert
PAUL LIEBERSTEIN / Toby Flenderson
B.J. NOVAK / Ryan Howard
OSCAR NUÑEZ / Oscar Martinez
CRAIG ROBINSON / Daryll Philbin
JAMES SPADER / Robert California
PHYLLIS SMITH / Phyllis Lapin-Vance
RAINN WILSON / Dwight Schrute
ZACH WOODS / Gabe Lewis

SAG HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU (UNIVERSAL PICTURES)
COWBOYS & ALIENS (UNIVERSAL PICTURES)
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2 (WARNER BROS. PICTURES)
TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON (PARAMOUNT PICTURES)
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (20TH CENTURY FOX)

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
DEXTER (SHOWTIME)
GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
SOUTHLAND (TNT)
SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA (STARZ)
TRUE BLOOD (HBO)

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Screen Actors Guild Awards 48th Annual Life Achievement Award

MARY TYLER MOORE

GOLDEN GLOBES

Best Motion Picture — Drama
"The Descendants"
"The Help"
"Hugo"
"The Ides of March"
"Moneyball"
"War Horse"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama
Glenn Close, "Albert Nobbs"
Viola Davis, "The Help"
Rooney Mara, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"
Tilda Swinton, "We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama
George Clooney, "The Descendants"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "J. Edgar"
Michael Fassbender, "Shame
Ryan Gosling, "The Ides of March"
Brad Pitt, "Moneyball"

Best Motion Picture — Comedy or Musical
"50/50"
"The Artist"
"Bridesmaids"
"Midnight in Paris"
"My Week With Marilyn"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Comedy or Musical
Jodie Foster, "Carnage
Charlize theron, "Young Adult"
Kristen Wiig, "Bridesmaids"
Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn"
Kate Winslet, "Carnage"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Comedy or musical
Jean Dujardin, "The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, "The Guard"
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "50/50"
Ryan Gosling, "Crazy, Stupid, Love."
Owen Wilson, "Midnight in Paris"

Best Animated Feature Film
"The Adventures of Tintin"
"Arthur Christmas"
"Cars 2"
"P
"Rango" uss in Boots"

Best Foreign Language Film
"The Flowers of War" (China)
"In the Land of Blood and Honey" (USA)
"The Kid With a Bike" (Belgium)
"A Separation" (Iran)
"The Skin I Live In" (Spain)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Berenice Bejo, "The Artist"
Jessica Chastain, "The Help"
Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs"
Octavia Spencer, "The Help"
Shailene Woodley, "The Descendants"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Kenneth Branagh, "My Week with Marilyn"
Albert Brooks, "Drive"
Jonah Hill, "Moneyball"
Viggo Mortensen, "A Dangerous Method"
Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"

Best Director — Motion Picture
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
George Clooney, "The Ides of March"
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"
Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"

Best Screenplay — Motion Picture
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon - "The Ides of March"
Michel Hazanavicius - "The Artist"
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash - "The Descendants"
Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin - "Moneyball"

Best Original Score — Motion Picture
Ludovic Bource - "The Artist"
Abel Korzeniowski - "W.E."
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross - "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Howard Shore - "Hugo"
John Williams - "War Horse"

Best Original Song — Motion Picture
"Hello Hello" — "Gnomeo & Juliet," music by Elton John, lyrics by Bernie Taupin
"The Keeper"— "Machine Gun Preacher," music and lyrics by Chris Cornell
"Lay Your Head Down" — "Albert Nobbs," music by Brian Byrne, lyrics by Glenn Close
"The Living Proof" — "The Help"; music by Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman, Harvey Mason Jr.; lyrics by Mary J. Blige, Harvey Mason Jr., Damon Thomas
"Masterpiece" — W.E., music and lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry

Best Television Series — Drama
"American Horror Story"
"Boardwalk Empire"
"Boss"
"Game of Thrones"
"Homeland"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Drama
Claire Danes, "Homeland"
Mireille Enos, "The Killing"
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"
Madeleine Stowe, "Revenge"
Callie Thorne, "Necessary Roughness"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Drama
Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Kelsey Grammer, "Boss"
Jeremy Irons, "The Borgias"
Damian Lewis, "Homeland"

Best Television Series — Comedy or Musical
"Enlightened"
"Episodes"
"Glee"
"Modern "Family"
"New Girl"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Comedy or Musical
Laura Dern, "Enlightened"
Zooey Deschanel, "New Girl"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Laura Linney, "The Big C"
Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Comedy or Musical
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
David Duchovny, "Californication"
Johnny Galecki, "The Big Bang Theory"
Thomas Jane, "Hung"
Matt LeBlanc, "Episodes"

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Cinema Verite
"Downton Abbey"
"The Hour"
"Mildred Pierce"
"Too Big to Fail"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Romola Garai, "The Hour"
Diane Lane, "Cinema Verite"
Elizabeth McGovern, "Downton Abbey" (Masterpiece)
Emily Watson, "Appropriate Adult"
Kate Winslet, "Mildred Pierce"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Hugh Bonneville, "Downtown Abbey" (Masterpiece)
Idris Elba, "Luther"
William Hurt, "Too Big to Fail"
Bill Nighy, "Page Eight" (Masterpiece)
Dominic West, "The Hour"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story"
Kelly MacDonald, "Boardwalk Empire"
Maggie Smith, "Downtown Abbey" (Masterpiece)
Sofia Vergara, "Modern Family"
Evan Rachel Wood, "Mildred Pierce"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones"
Paul Giamatti, "Too Big to Fail"
Guy Pearce, "Mildred Pierce"
Tim Robbins, "Cinema Verite"
Eric Stonestreet, "Modern Family"

SNL - KATY PERRY WITH ROBYN

2011-12-11T01:33:00.001-05:00

SNL

KATY PERRY WITH ROBYN

Dec 10, 2011

This was one of the mid-level SNL's : A few big laughs. Not too much was hilarious. No really bad sketches. One great sketch: it wasn't very funny, but it was a classic.

Katy Perry seemed to appear in fewer sketches than most hosts.

There were about 13 minutes of commercials in the last 32 minutes of the show. Seems like a lot to me; actually too much.

Here's some quick notes on the show:

The cold open was very good. If Donald Trump keeps putting himself in the news during the campaign it will by Hyuge for comedians. Trouble is, he does nothing new, and the jokes are always the same: He boasts, he repeats himself, he fires people, he says Hyuge... and birth certificate jokes keep coming up. If Trump wants to stay in comedy as well as the news he'll have to give up some new material.

Katy Perry's monolog was flat, but she was hot! in blond hair and a red Christmas ornament dress.

The Michigan State Japanese-show sketch was unfunny and unpleasant.

The commercial for APOCALYPSE was a perfect send-up of both NEW YEAR'S EVE and MELANCHOLIA.

Kalle's interview of Katy Perry was lame, except for the notion that, for everything she says,"We have a clip!".

The SNL Digital Short -- best friends -- was pretty lame also.

And Doggie Duty (songs for dogs on jury duty) was poop.

Robyn was interesting only to watch her shoes. They were Hyuge.

On Weekend Update, for a change, the interview segments were way better than the news jokes. Flirty Girl was hilarious, and Capt Steve Rogers (Alec) commenting on the flighty flight of Alec Baldwin was a nice touch. Stefon kind of left me cold, except for his mentioning that the proceeds of the night at the Club would go to the charity, "Doctors Without Boners."

Katy Perry, as Pippa, telling off the Queen was her best comedic moment.

Al Sharpton was sharp and funny in his political show, but I don't like Nazi jokes. At all.

The highlight of the evening was the bittersweet, classy, classic final sketch, One Magical Night. Katy Perry finds love at the bar as the Jazz band crooner sings, "I ain't got nothin' if I ain't got love."

Check SNL for video clips from this show, and shows gone by:

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/

SOME CLIPS:

THE APOCALYPSE

ONE MAGIC NIGHT

Alas. (A real life tragedy renders this sketch unfunny and I've removed it from this story.)

REBECCA LARUE: FLIRTY GIRL

SNL STEVE BUSCEMI AND THE BLACK KEYS

2011-12-04T01:13:00.001-05:00

SNL tonight was -- up through the Weekend Update (WU) -- one of their best shows, hilarious, brilliantly written and executed, laugh-out-loud funny! With many great tag-lines.

After WU it seemed like almost 45 minutes of ads. The few skits were at best amusing.

Here's some raw notes:

Obama -- on the cold open -- presented a super-sharp description of the 20 most powerful forces in the US. Congress came out on top because they do nothing, and by doing nothing prevent anything else from happening.

Steve Buscemi's opening monolog was funny with a gallery of actors playing stock stock-characters, all of whom want to be promoted to lead.

The mockumercial for frozen Mexican dinner as a cure for constipation was moving. (Why wait 'til tomorrow when you can Ai Yi Yi today? !!!)

The Miley Cyrus Show was so-so, but it did feature Whitney Houston declaring, "I've been clean and sober since 2013".

The Batman SNL Digital Short was amusing and mercifully brief.

DATELINE nicely skewered Dateline. It was wierd in a good way.

The intense zeal with which the Coach was investigated for non-existent sexual predation was a terrific parody, right on the money, funny, and an important reminder of law-enforcement and media misconduct.

The Black Keys sounded good. It was the best mix on SNL in a long time. The vocals were clear and not down-volumed to a mushy sound buried in the muisic.

Weekend Update had some great jokes, at least up until Drunk Uncle, who was on point, but not especially funny.

The Promotion Surprise, The Sex Ed advertisement, and Happy Holidays from Sheila and Sheila were not particularly interesting. Nor were a gazillion ads in between these sketches.

If I'd gone to bed at 12:30, I'd've been really blown away by a great, tight show!

Check out the best of these sketches (and other's from episodes past) on the SNL site:

Saturday Night Live -- SNL
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/

THE ARTIST

2011-11-27T16:08:00.001-05:00

Berenice Bejo
THE ARTIST
At NYFF 2011
Photo by Eric Roffman

THE ARTIST is one of the best films of this year... or any year.

It is a brand new, modern, black & white (mostly), silent (mostly) film about the end of black & white, silent pictures. And love!

The film is chock full (yes, that's probably a vintage-ly accurate expression) of Gallic irony and humor, wisdom, cinematic wizardry, and intelligence. And love of films.

It's a French film, but it has no French (hey, it's silent!), and it was made in Hollywood by an American crew.

It was brilliantly written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius...

Michel Hazanavicius, Writer-Director
THE ARTIST
At NYFF 2011
Photo by Eric Roffman

The director and cast members(l to r) Michel Hazanavicius, Berenice Bejo, Penelope Ann Miller,Jean Dujardin, Beth Grant, James Cromwell
THE ARTIST
At NYFF 2011
Photo by Eric Roffman

...And perfectly executed by a large cast, toplined by the terrific pair of French actors, Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo, assisted by a powerful American cast of supporting players.

THE ARTIST ON IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655442/

NOVEMBER 22, 1963

2011-11-22T13:21:00.001-05:00

No man is an island
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent
A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manner of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.

Each man's death diminishes me
For I am involved in mankind.

Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls...
It tolls for thee.

John Donne, 1624

THE BLACKFRIARS CONFERENCE

2011-11-14T18:54:00.001-05:00

THE FIFTH ANNUAL

BLACKFRIARS CONFERENCE

AT THE AMERICAN SHAKESPEARE CENTER

OCTOBER 25 – 30 2011

THE AMERICAN SHAKESPEARE CENTER (ASC)

http://www.americanshakespearecenter.com

Last April, on Shakespeare’s birthday in fact, together with some great actresses, singers, and musical collaborators, I presented LOVE'S FINE WIT, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s sonnets as a 3 character play (with Elizabethan songs and music) about an intense love triangle. Here's a story about this play:

QPORIT: LOVE’S FINE WIT (with ME!)

http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/04/loves-fine-wit-with-me-april-23-at.html

Creating theater from the sonnets is a project I’ve been working on for some time. The play we did last April is one of several adaptations I've created of plays based on re-arranging the sonnets and using them as dialog. The play in April, in fact, was a staged reading of (a somewhat abridged version of) a full length play (with Elizabethan songs and music) about a fierce and passionate love triangle, created entirely using the sonnets as dialog, and songs from Shakespeare as the music.

On Twitter I heard about a call for papers for the “Blackfriars Conference” on Shakespeare at the American Shakespeare Center (ASC), and I sent in a proposal for a paper on "The Sonnets as Dramatic Speech." I was invited to the Conference.

Here is a post describing the ideas in this paper:

SONNETS BY SHAKESPEARE: SONNETS AS DRAMATIC SPEECH
http://sonnetsbyshakespeare.blogspot.com/2011/11/sonnets-as-dramatic-speech.html

Here are some notes about my visit to this year's Blackfriars Conference:

The Blackfriars Conference, held every other year at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton Virginia, celebrates, not surprisingly, Shakespeare (and his contemporaries), with scholarly papers, not-so-scholarly papers, conversation, networking, and lots of plays.

First of all, I enjoyed the Conference very much. The plays were terrific, the keynotes excellent, and the Select Paper Sessions very good (but the “Staging Sessions” and “Colloquies” were a mixed bag.) Many ancillary features and the generally relaxed, good-humored atmosphere added to the success of the event. The information, the interactions, and the plays were all at a very high level. And it was fun.

Not only were all the keynotes and many of the papers interesting and informative, but they were exceptionally well presented, with a sense of humor, good presentation style, and they were enjoyable.

The plays were terrific (The Tempest, Hamlet, King Henry V, Tamburlaine, and The Importance of Being Earnest on five consecutive days! in repertory!! – and with a random coin toss to determine which of two versions of Hamlet to present!!!) … with more about that later.

Stephen Booth

At the Blackfriars Conference 2011
Photo by Eric Roffman

The first keynote address was by the distinguished scholar, Stephen Booth, Professor Emeritus at Berkeley, and author of the classic study of Shakespeare’s Sonnets. (See below for more about Professor Booth.) His talk, which set the tone for the Conference, was both informal and witty, and presented important content that noted many ways in which lapses in Shakespeare’s plays’ internal logic challenges the audience.

In other keynote addresses, George Wright from the University of Minnesota, and later Scott Kaiser from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, discussed aspects of Shakespeare’s language in performance and Tiffany Stern from University College, Oxford, discussed the importance of commercial Faires in Shakespeare’s time, pointing out that Faires were publicly supported events, while theater was somewhat subversive.

The atmosphere at the Conference was light, rather than lugubrious. In that spirit, speakers who spoke beyond their allotted time would exit, pursued by a bear; and the Conference awarded a (generous!) truancy prize to the registrant who missed the most events, visiting attractions in the town. It seems to me this is very much in the spirit of the Faire, since the commercial exchange between the town and the Shakespeare Center is important for the welfare of both.

In the late evening there were short staged readings of new, mostly funny plays related to Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

The Select Paper Sessions dealt with a variety of topics. Many of the papers presented discussed ways that performance practices in Shakespeare’s time related to interactions with the audience. Several papers dealt with playwrights from the 1500’s and 1600’s other than Shakespeare. One interesting paper compared the structure of tragedy to the structure of a knock-knock joke: (The "who's there?" person -- plays the straight-man and the joke’s on him -- or her). Another paper pointed out that the actors in Shakespeare’s company were very skilled in many facets of performance.

Two other papers discussed the structure of the theaters that Shakespeare performed in, and the possibility that they had some quite sophisticated methods at their disposal for controlling the lighting of the performance.

Representatives from Shakespeare’s Globe in England presented a model of an indoor theater they are building, and talked about the fantastic plans they have for the Olympics, presenting 37 of Shakespeare’s plays (all his plays and nothing but his plays?), as part of the World Shakespeare Festival.

LINKS FOR THE WORLD SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/sep/06/shakespeare-festival-straddle-london-olympics

http://www.worldshakespearefestival.org.uk/

Less successful than the papers and keynotes were the Colloquy and Staging Sessions. The problems with the colloquy format were that

the participants had submitted papers, not knowing they were to be part of a "discussion” and many just tried to squeeze in their whole paper -- too much information in too little time -- and not as part of a discussion;
the organizers tried to create discussions, but the participants had been kind of shoe-horned into the topic and real discussion was hard to evoke;
when discussions did break out, they sometimes went on too long;
the format of the room had the participants around a conference table, so most of the participants, when speaking, had some audience members behind them;
and finally, it was frustrating because the participants had created specific papers on specific topics, but the papers themselves were ignored outside of the ten or so Colloquy participants that might have gotten them earlier, the titles were not even published, and the overall ostensible topic of the Colloquy was not a good fit for many of the specific papers or participants.

Here's a possible partial solution:

Accepted papers not part of Select Paper Sessions, should be presented in simultaneous Short Paper Sessions rather than Colloquies.
Colloquy sessions should be organized differently: Colloquy leaders and topics should be chosen first, and participants solicited after the topic and leader is chosen, so as to facilitate the discussion of the particular topic; and the rooms should be laid out like a panel discussion, with the participants grouped together facing the audience. Also, Colloquy sessions should perhaps either be longer or have fewer participants.

The Staging and Performance Choice Sessions were interesting simply because they called attention to interesting moments in the plays, but for the most part these sessions featured neither high level scholarship, nor expert stage craft or direction.

The volunteer actors from the ASC Ensemble, however, were exceptionally good in cold readings in these sessions with only the barest preparation. Also, it should be noted with great appreciation, that even the most senior members of the Ensemble participated in many sessions either as actors, assisting the speaker with illustrative readings from the plays, or simply as members of the audience.

Returning to the plays… Indeed, the play’s the thing wherein the American Shakespeare Center really distinguished itself.

It was exceptional to present, as mentioned above, five plays in repertory, brilliantly directed and performed (The Tempest, Hamlet, King Henry V, Tamburlaine, and The Importance of Being Earnest – with two versions of Hamlet selected immediately before the performance by a flip of a coin… and the audience of scholars loudly cheering for their favorite version like the audience at a Presidential Debate). The plays were very well done, in a style not common in New York, and the acting and interpretations were terrific.

The theater (called The Blackfriars Theater) at the American Shakespeare Center is generally a replica of Shakespeare’s Blackfriars. It has about 300 seats, and one or two dozen members of the audience are seated on the stage and the stage balcony. The lights are kept on in the whole house during the performance. (Their motto is, “We do it with the lights on.”) And the performers frequently interact with the audience in an extremely natural way. The presence of the audience is acknowledged.

The theater aims to implement some of the "original practices" used in Shakespeare's time. Very little scenery, furniture or props are used, except for weapons. Costumes, however, are quite elaborate. Exits, ending a scene, followed by entrances from the doors behind the stage, one on either side, are very rapid -- elapsed time between scenes must be understood by the audience from the dialog.

In keeping with the notion of "original practices," one Paper, noting that it was exceptionally cold around 1600, suggested that perhaps the heat should be turned off in the theater.

It occurred to me, hearing the discussions of some of the "original practices" around Shakespeare's time, that there might be some similarities to performing conditions in many off-off-Broadway theaters going back at least as far as the Cafe Cino OOB revival of the 60's, and continuing thru to today, with small stages, audience close by the performers, lighting cues a problem, limited rehearsal time, and heat not always working right.

The plays at ASC are presented by a repertory company, all of whom are quite exceptional. Most singular was James Keegan, who on four successive days played Prospero in THE TEMPEST; The King, Claudio, in HAMLET; the Bishop and the Welsh soldier in HENRY V; and the title character in TAMBURLAINE THE GREAT (PART I); and he was superior in each of the roles. It was quite a tour-de-force. (See below for a video – in 3D! – of Keegan discussing Prospero in THE TEMPEST.)

The interpretation of HAMLET they presented was interesting, though I have my own view of the play which differs in some respects from their production...

Gertrude in HAMLET is often played by a good – or even great – actress, but rarely one that immediately suggests why Claudius might commit fratricide to have her. Blythe Coons as Gertrude was one of the few actresses I’ve seen playing that part that made sense as a queen for Claudius to murder for.

Still, the behavior of the Royal Couple was well within the bounds of decorum. But I have always felt that Claudius is quite a lout, as suggested by the lines:

HAMLET
The king doth wake tonight and takes his rouse,
Keeps wassail and the swaggering upspring reels,
And, as he drains his draughts of Rhenish down,
The kettle-drum and trumpet thus bray out
The triumph of his pledge.

HORATIO
Is it a custom?

HAMLET
Ay, marry, is ’t.
But to my mind, though I am native here
And to the manner born, it is a custom
More honored in the breach than the observance.
This heavy-headed revel east and west
Makes us traduced and taxed of other nations.

I think Claudius and Gertrude should be quite explicit, exhibitionist, and vulgar in displaying their lust publicly. Similarly, I think the relation between Hamlet and Ophelia should be made clear (whatever one believes it to be) in their physical life together. (I’m personally in the: he really loved her once school.)

John Harrell as Hamlet was vocally excellent. His subtly fey physical behavior I thought was both irritating and suggestive. He had zero chemistry with Ophelia, and was quite intensely disturbed by his mother’s actions: all going to suggest an underlying element of sexual confusion contributing to his behavior. Also (either a plus or minus depending on your view of the play) I had a hard time telling when Hamlet was feigning madness and when he was truly overcome by it.

By the way, the staging of the Ghost scenes, and the matter-of-fact but still magisterial way the Ghost was portrayed by the fine actor, Rene Thornton, Jr., seemed just right.

I had never seen TAMBURLAINE (Part I), a play that helped make Christopher Marlowe famous in his day. It is quite spectacular – and quite extravagant in the scope of its story, the extremes of cruelty, and the fact that the violent, cruel Tamburlaine does not suffer tragic defeat, but rather extravagant success, culminating in marrying the woman he loves and making her queen. (But there is a Part II.)

Most interesting was THE TEMPEST. It was a terrific interpretation and production in every way but one. (Miranda’s costume was ridiculous.) The Prospero created by James Keegan is quite different from the usual cruel slave master, and the final scene is not a metaphor for the retirement of Shakespeare from creating magic. Rather, Prospero does only what is natural and necessary in the situation on the island to control Caliban and Ariel. This Prospero is using his magic one last time to bring his daughter, now grown, into the real world, with love, and to reclaim his ownrightful position, which had been taken from him when he slighted his responsibility to the office by choosing magic instead.

Here is a discussion of Prospero (in 3D!) by James Keegan.

(Note: To start, click on the arrow. It will start as a red/green 3D video, but at the bottom there will be a conspicuous "3D". Click on this to see the video the way you want. It can be viewed in 2D, in 3D with red/cyan glasses, on a 3D TV, and by using the HTML5 option it can be viewed using a computer with NVIDIA 3D. It can also be viewed on a no-glasses 3D screen like the HTC EVO 3D smart phone.)

Stephen Booth is a Shakespearean scholar (not to be confused with another Stephen Booth who writes crime novels), famous initially for his masterwork on the sonnets, but also known for other books and many critical articles. He was the initial keynote speaker, and is a long time supporter of the American Shakespeare Center:

STEPHEN BOOTH ON WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Booth_(academic)

BOOKS BY STEPHEN BOOTH

(Certainly these would be great presents for anyone interested in Shakespeare!)

..............

All in all, the American Shakespeare Center (ASC) is an important institution. In addition to the plays and the Conference, they have a year-long ongoing impressive collection of educational initiatives, and collaborate with Mary Baldwin College in providing graduate education in Shakespeare.

The style of performance – notably the way the performers interact with the audience – is quite different from any Shakespeare I have seen around the New York area, and it would be well worth looking to the American Shakespeare Center for an exchange of ideas.

11:11:11.11 11/11/11

2011-11-11T22:49:00.001-05:00

For the second time today, we are approaching the eleven hundredth of a second on the 11th second of the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year of this century and this millennium.

It happened twice today but won't happen again for about a thousand years ('til 3011 -- 2111 doesn't cut it millennium-wise).

But I prefer to think of it not as eleventhes but rather as ones. Here is a moment -- to a hundredth of a second -- when the whole time thing is ones, a beginning, a start! All new!

It's like the first of everything!!!

THE OTHER ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL

2011-11-10T13:54:00.000-05:00

LOST PARADISE

THE 5th ANNUAL

OTHER ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL

November 10th - November 17th

The Other Israeli Film Festival (yes, that is its actual name) features films with an Arab/Israeli focus.

Below is a short list of trailers for some of the films. Following that is a description by the Festival of all the films.

One very interesting, but possibly somewhat problematic feature of the Festival is that there is, on-line, a section with streaming videos of films, some that are in the Festival and some that are not in the Festival but are related -- for example they may be made by actors or filmmakers who have films in the Festival. Unfortunately, this site requires registration, and has a very complex set of TERMS OF USE, which seemed possibly objectionable, and was too complicated for me to agree to, and I strongly suggest carefully checking it before you register for the site. Note that some of the films on this site are free, but many are not free, costing slightly more than a day's rental from Blockbuster.

The quality of the films is mixed. Many of the films are long in heart, but a number of films could would benefit from better production values. Israel would do well to put more money into the production values of independent films that promote the values and visions of Israeli filmmakers. More sublety and better visual quality would help empower international distribution of these films.

Festival site:
www.otherisrael.org

For the complete program, see:
http://www.otherisrael.org/films#new-voices

Tickets for the Other Israel Film Festival are on sale

online
-- www.OtherIsrael.org
or
by phone
-- 646-505-5708.

FESTIVAL PREVIEW:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ytz1#p/u/0/ka0z4ffncMw

DOLPHIN BOY TRAILER/PREVIEW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_s-yZ7Yucw

77 STEPS TRAILER/PREVIEW

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSqH5y9t6HE

LOST PARADISE TRAILER/PREVIEW

Lost Paradise is a very interesting short film, highlighting the universality of humanity when in their raw flesh, but when in their customary wardrobe for their everyday world, perhaps universality takes more effort.

http://vimeo.com/7967019

Lost Paradise - Trailer from Oded Binnun עודד בן נון on Vimeo.

Here is the Festival's description of the films and the program:

THE 5th ANNUAL

OTHER ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL

November 10th - November 17th

For the complete program, see:
http://www.otherisrael.org/films#new-voices

The Other Israel Film Festival will present award-winning films and NY premieres by and about Arab citizens of Israel, as well as other minority populations in Israeli society.

The festival goes beyond the films with in-depth high profile conversations in the SpeakEasy Cafe.

This year’s festival will feature narratives and documentaries dealing with community and identity, social revolution and the experience of women, often autobiographical to the filmmakers.

Highlights of this year’s festival films include the U.S. premiere of the BAFTA-nominated British drama: The Promise. This epic mini series captures the British perspective on the establishment of the state of Israel as the mandate occupying Palestine. The series shows the relevance of the British Mandate of 1920 to the Palestinian question of today.

In addition, the festival will premiere award-winning films such as Eitan Tzur’s thriller Naomi. A favorite at the Venice Film Festival, the film has received international acclaim for combining suspense and comedy with subtle social statements.

Also among the festival’s award-winning documentaries, opening night film Dolphin Boy as well as The Human Turbine touch on environmental topics that pertain to Jewish and Arab societies in Israel.

Festival founder Carole Zabar notes the Dutch documentary Shout as “a rare opportunity to see inside the tumultuous Syrian society, as two Palestinians who grew up in Israel spend a year of school in Syria.”

The Festival will also once again present panels and conversations with soon to be announced filmmakers, scholars and special guests in the Other Israel SpeakEasy Café. Last year’s SpeakEasy guests included Oscar nominee Debra Winger, NY1’s Neil Rosen, renowned historian Professor Benny Morris and best-selling author Naomi Regan amongst many more directors, writers and actors.

The SpeakEasy Café aims to take the conversation beyond the films and provide a platform for in-depth discussions and audience interaction with filmmakers and protagonists.

Tickets for the Other Israel Film Festival are on sale

online -- www.OtherIsrael.org
or
by phone -- 646-505-5708.

FILM LINEUP

77 STEPS (NYC Premiere) Ibtisam Mara'ana / 2010 / Documentary / 56 min
The personal journey of the director, Ibtisam Mara'ana, who leaves her Arab-Muslim village and moves to Tel-Aviv. In an attempt to find an apartment in the city, she encounters discrimination and refusal by most landlords because of her Arab origins. She finally finds an apartment, and meets her neighbor – Jonathan, a Jewish-Canadian man who immigrated to Israel. A love story evolves as they both search for a sense of belonging and home, on the background of social and political turbulence.

A PLACE OF HER OWN (NYC Premiere) Sigal Emanuel / 2011 / Documentary / 68 min
This documentary was filmed over the course of four years and follows Reut, a teenager who spent most of her life moving between institutions and living on the street. The film opens when Reut is seventeen and giving birth to her first son, who is immediately taken away by welfare authorities. Reut’s battle with the State for custody of her son leads her to forge a relationship with his foster family – religious Jews who live in a settlement in the Occupied Territories. Meanwhile, Reut meets and marries a Palestinian man, moves to his village and has two more children. Reut is an introverted and intriguing character who longs for stability and a place to call home. Instead, life hands her surprising twists and turns, right up to its tragic end.

DAVID AND KAMAL (NY Premiere) Kikuo Kawasaki / Drama / 2010 / 78 min
David & Kamal is about two nine-year old boys – Kamal, an Arab Jerusalemite and David, an American Jew. David and Kamal meet in Jerusalem's Old City where Kamal is dodging bullies and trying to sell postcards. When Kamal sees David he assumes David is carrying a lot of money and pickpockets him. David chases after Kamal but runs into Kamal's tormentors. Kamal turns around and saves David and the boys escape together. Rooftop chases, secret passageways, and police cars and soldiers bring action to David and Kamal's adventure of a lifetime.

DOLPHIN BOY (NYC Premiere) Dani Menkin & Yonatan Nir / 2011 / Documentary / 72 min
After being brutally tortured by his classmates, Morad - a teenaged boy from an Arab village in the North of Israel - is suffering from a severe post-traumatic shock, disconnecting himself from the world around him. When told by doctors that dolphin-assisted therapy is the last treatment option, Morad's father leaves his job and family to move to Dolphin Reef on the Red Sea, vowing not to return unless the boy achieves full recovery. Surrounded by a dedicated doctor, new friends, and an Israeli Jewish girlfriend, Morad and his father embark on a remarkable four-year journey of recovery. This is the tale of a parent’s patient and tender love, and the friendship between a teenager and the group of dolphins who helped him heal.

HOMECOMING

HOMECOMING (NYC Premiere) Orna Ben Dor and Noa Maiman / 2011 / Documentary / 58 min
Homecoming follows three non-Jewish Israeli teens who were born in Israel to foreign workers. The film follows the teenagers as they visit their parents homes; in the Congo, Peru and the Philippines. Away from Israel and meeting their extended families for the first time, the kids are confronted with questions about the meaning of and about their own identities. This film deals with the politics of immigration and culture through a profoundly personal lens and is particularly timely as Israel has recently begun to deport illegal foreign workers and their Israeli-born children.

THE HUMAN TURBINE (US Premiere) Danny Verete / 2010 / Documentary / 54 min
The Human Turbine takes us to Susia, a Palestinian village in the Hebron Mountains. There, in a village surrounded by Jewish settlements, villagers and Jews have come together to generate resources that neither the Palestinian Authorities nor Israel provides. Together, this group has harnessed wind and solar energy to bring electricity to the caves and tents in which the villagers live. Now, they want to use renewable energy to provide running water to the residents of Susia. This film documents both the remarkable and enterprising efforts of this collaboration and the depth of the collaborators’ friendship.

LOST PARADISE A selection of cutting edge, award winning & engaging short films:
Lost Paradise Mihal Brezis & Oded Binnun / 2008 / Narrative / 10 min
A man and a woman are tenderly making love in a one-star hotel room. A moment later, when they are fully dressed, the idyll that seemed authentic is now gone.
Transparent Black (NYC Premiere) Roni Geffen / 2010 / Documentary / 20 min
African refugees attending a Hebrew class receive lessons in what it means to be Israel.
Stitches (US Premiere) Dana Keider / 2009 / Drama / 24 min
Nadine, an Arab young working fruit picker, is engaged to be married. While her mother sews her wedding dress, Nadine’s heart goes out to Shachar, her Jewish foreman. The two lead a forbidden love affair which forces Nadine to confront her reality.
*Adult Content

MY LOVELY SISTER (Special Limited Presentation. By Invitation Only) Marco Carmel / 2011 / Narrative / 91 min
A whimsical tale of the rivalry between superstitious Rahma and her sister Mary who followed her heart and married an Arab man. Starring Moshe Ivgy, Evelin HaGoel and Reymonde Amsellem, the film is based on a Jewish Moroccan folktale.

NAOMI

NAOMI (HITPARTZUT X) (NYC Premiere) Eitan Tzur / 2010 / Narrative / 90 min
This award winning thriller takes place in the mixed city of Haifa. Ilan Ben Natan, a 58-year-old Astrophysics Professor, is obsessively in love with his young wife, Naomi. When Ilan discovers that his deepest fears have come true – Naomi has a lover – he is unable to control himself. He confronts the lover and commits a horrible act, the consequences of which will weigh heavily on his conscience.

NEW VOICES: YELLOW MUMS (US Premiere) Firas Khoury / 2010 / Drama / 35 min
Nizar (9) is a young Palestinian introverted altar boy and a social outcast. During this years' Easter, Nizar decides to compete with the village children in the traditional "breaking eggs" games. He is cheating his way to win, all for the sake of Jesus. It would be the first time Nizar questions his faith.

DUSTY ROAD (US Premiere) Rukaya Sabbah / 2010 / Drama / 25 min
An unexpected meeting between 13 year old Tamer and Khalil, an old man who suffers post traumatic stress disorder, leads to a special friendship. A kid in Tamer's class does everything to ruin this friendship. And a sneak preview of a new film starring Mohammad Bakri.

THE OFFICE (US Premiere) Eitan Tzur / 2010 / TV Satire / 50 min
New episodes from the Israeli adaptation of the world famous comedy. The office is a microcosm of Israeli society, where an orthodox woman, Arab man, Russian immigrant, and gay man work under one roof with a useless, non-pc boss. Based upon the original series produced for the BBC, and created, written and devised by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.

THE PROMISE (US Premiere) Peter Kosminsky / 2011 / Narrative / 81 min Episode 1
In this groundbreaking Channel 4 Production, we follow the period leading up to Israel's establishment, mirrored in the ramifications in Israel today. Told through a young woman visiting Israel for the fist time, reading her grandfather's diary detailing his life as a soldier serving in British Mandate Palestine.

SHOUT (US Premiere) Sabine Lubbe Bakker, Ester Gould / 2010 / Documentary / 75 min
Young ‘Golanis’ – Druze born on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights – are given an opportunity to study in their parents’ homeland: Syria. Full of self-confidence, best friends Ezat and Bayan leave their village to discover their Arab roots. But Damascus proves to be a colorless metropolis where they often feel far from home. Shout is a film about friendship in one of the world’s forgotten conflict zones; a documentary about growing up and the search for identity and a sense of belonging.

TORN (NY Premiere) Ronit Kertsner / 2011 / Documentary / 52 min
Only twelve years after being ordained as Catholic priest Romuald Waszkinel learned that he was born to Jewish parents. The film follows Waszkinel from his church in Poland to a religious kibbutz in Israel. Waszkinel does not reject his Catholicism in favor of Judaism—instead he struggles with two identities, unable to renounce either. But though Waszkinel embraces both Judaism and Catholicism, the religions and the state of Israel refuse him. Can Waszkinel remain a Catholic priest and be an observant Jew at the same time?

SPECIAL EVENTS

OPENING NIGHT GALA Thu. Nov. 10, 7:30pm @ The JCC in Manhattan

DOLPHIN BOY

DOLPHIN BOY (NYC Premiere) Dani Menkin & Yonatan Nir / 2011 / Documentary / 72 min Followed by an exclusive reception with guest filmmakers and honorees.

NEW GENERATIONS DINNER Fri. Nov. 11, 7pm @ The JCC in Manhattan
Join the New Israel Fund's New Generations and other young leadership groups for a Shabbat dinner and intimate discussion with festival guests. Co-presented by New Israel Fund

ANOTHER LOOK
Join Other Israel and The Taub Center for Israel Studies at NYU in special presentation of two festival favorites and in-depth conversation with the filmmakers, protagonists, and renowned scholars.

77 STEPS (see films listing for description) Sunday, Nov. 13, 3pm @ First Floor Screening Room, NYU King Juan Carlos Center (53 Washington Square South) Followed by panel discussion of the recently published book Israel's Palestinians, The Conflict Within with the co-authors, Ilan Peleg and Dov Waxman, and director of 77 STEPS Ibtisam Mara'ana and other participants.

DOLPHIN BOY (see films listing for description) Tuesday, Nov. 15, 7pm @ Jurow Lecture Hall, NYU Silver Center (100 Washington Square East, entrance on Waverly Place) Followed by panel discussion with producer Judith Manassen Ramon and protagonist Dr. Ilan Kutz.

OTHER ISRAEL FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Saturday, Nov. 12

Snow in Jerusalem
2pm at the JCC in Manhattan

Story-telling from Deborah Da Costa's book, telling the story of Avi and Hamudi, two boys who live in Jerusalem's Old City, unknowingly caring for the same beautiful white stray cat.

FREE. Recommended for ages 5-10.

David and Kamal
4pm at the JCC in Manhattan
A screening of Kikuo Kawasaki’s feature drama. See films listing (above) for the description.

FREE. Recommended for ages 10+.

FESTIVAL BROCHURE:

http://www.otherisrael.org/assets/default/misc/2011/oiff-2011-brochure.pdf

ABOUT THE OTHER ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL Founded in 2007, The Other Israel Film Festival uses film to foster social awareness and cultural understanding. The Festival presents dramatic and documentary films, as well as engaging panels about history, culture, and identity on the topic of minority populations in Israel with a focus on Arab/Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up twenty percent of Israel’s population. Our goal is to promote awareness and appreciation of the diversity of the state of Israel, provide a dynamic and inclusive forum for exploration of, and dialog about populations in margins of Israeli society, and encourage cinematic expression and creativity dealing with these themes. Our programming is guided by our mission to showcase quality cinema that brings to the big screen the human stories and daily lives of Arab Citizens and other minorities groups in Israel, often overlooked by mainstream Israeli society and culture.

SAM WATERSTON AS KING LEAR

2011-11-07T16:13:00.000-05:00

Sam Waterston is a brilliant King Lear at The Public Theater.

This is not a pompous stage King beguiled by evil daughters' flattery. For once the King is believably old, sick, and confused: profound in his humanity, but not his understanding. This is a human who is adrift in his old age. His story is much more accessibly real and touching than any Lear I have seen before.

The rest of the production is mixed, in some ways supporting this mythical yet modern version -- for example, with mostly modern dress and a mostly bare yet stylized stage design -- and in some ways confusing -- with weapons, explosions, and some costuming that clashed with each other anachronistically. It was not so much timeless as asynchronous.

The supporting actors were also mixed, with strong performances from Bill Irwin as The Fool, John Douglas Thompson as Earl of Kent and Seth Gilliam as Edmund. I would have liked Cordelia to be more instantly sympathetic, and Goneril and Regan to be less sympathetic throughout the play, and more physical in their lust for Edmund. (I do believe Shakespeare should be as fierce in its physicality as it is in its language.) It would have been interesting to see Thompson and Michael McKean (Earl of Gloucester) exchange roles. Most all the supporting actors were brilliant during at least some of their moments on stage; those mentioned first were powerful from start to finish.

I am still -- even after Irwin's performance -- not quite sure why The Fool, even when telling harsh truths, is acceptable to the King, while Lear is so outraged by Cordelia when she fails to fulfill the protocol of love at the beginning; however, Waterston's performance suggests that the physical and emotional traumas Lear endures help him to dispel the confusion he was suffering, and regain the understanding he once possessed.

Sam Waterston's performance as King Lear, which runs through November 20, should not be missed.

http://www.publictheater.org/

GILAD SHALIT

2011-10-18T14:05:00.001-04:00

Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who has been held captive since 20096 by Hamas has been released.

The release is part of a prisoner swap that suggests movement in Middle East politics and diplomacy as events that began with the Arab Spring continue to evolve.

Some commentators have linked the move by Hamas to exchange prisoners to the move by rival Palestinian Abbas to propose Palestinian membership in the UN.

Here is one of the first videos in English to comment on the release of Shalit:

THE DESCENDANTS

2011-10-17T12:08:00.000-04:00

George Clooney and friend, Stacy Kiebler
At the NYFF 2011 Closing Night
Red Carpet for THE DESCENDANTS
Photo by Eric Roffman - QPORIT

George Clooney plays an unusually befuddled character in The Descendants, the Closing Night film at the 2011 New York Film Festival (NYFF), and also a featured screening at the 2011 Hamptons International Film Festival (the same weekend)!

Returning home from a more-or-less perpetual business trip because his wife fell into a coma after a boating accident, Clooney must deal with two daughters who are somewhat alien to him, the fate of his wife, and a big decision on how to divest a huge parcel of spectacular, pristine Hawaiian landscape that he is heir to and, most important, the custodian for -- on behalf of his extended family of relatives.

The film is not perfect: the awkwardness of the characters with each other at the beginning is, well, awkward; and parts of the plotting and resolution (without giving away any spoilers, here) seem a little too pat, but over all The Descendants is a very interesting, thought-provoking and entertaining film,

Director Alexander Payne's camera and direction take us into the private as well as the lush Hawaii.

Director Alexander Payne
On the set of THE DESCENDANTS
PHOTO BY: Merie Wallace.

The acting is excellent by all the major characters, and the minor ones too. Three young actors create impressive, strong characters,

From L to R- Shailene Woodley as "Alexandra,"
George Clooney as "Matt King,"
Amara Miller as "Scottie"
and Nick Krause as "Sid"
In THE DESCENDANTS
Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

Judy Greer is emotionally affecting in her climactic scenes, George Clooney is terrific from beginning to end, and even his comatose wife is convincing, without moving or saying a word. It's funny, but in a film like this, which revolves in part around a silent, motionless woman, it is her presence which determines whether the film can succeed, for she must be believable as the someone who can be at the center of of attention.

And Robert Forster, as the aggrieved father of the comatose wife, mother, and daughter, adds punch.

A 3D video of George Clooney and friend, Stacy Kiebler
At the NYFF 2011 Closing Night
Red Carpet for THE DESCENDANTS
As the Press Photographers get a little wild.
3D Video by Eric Roffman - QPORIT

A note about 3D video on YouTube. It should start as a 3D video for Red/Cyan glasses. If it does not, or if you prefer one of the other viewing methods, follow the instructions to change the 3D viewing method. Sometimes it requires a few tries before YouTube kicks in with the correct format.

QPORIT 3D videos on YouTube SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE VIEWED IN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING FORMATS: (but as mentioned above, the current state of the art is that it may take a few tries to change the format).

1 - 2D

2 - 3D Anaglyph (Red/Cyan glasses or other color pairs)

3 - On a 3D TV

4 - On a 3D device (without glasses!) such as a 3D tablet, game console or phone (such as the HTC EVO 3D)

5 - Using the NVIDIA 3D system for a computer.

SNL WITH MELISSA MCCARTHY

2011-10-02T02:48:00.000-04:00

Melissa McCarthy is best known for Bridesmaids, but she has an extensive resume of films and TV, and won an EMMY for lead actress in Mike & Molly this year.

This was not SNL's best show, but it had moments.

The most inspired was a mockumercial for a doll that gave HPV vaccinations to little girls.

The Opening Monologue had a stylish dance routine.

There were several good jokes in the News segment, and Tyler Perry was well done.

The best and funniest sketch was a parody of a Mae West film on TCM.

Overall, Melissa seemed to be feeling her way a bit, except when she was doing physical comedy, when she went all-out and beyond and was hysterical!

The show ended with a tribute to "terrible love making."

CARNAGE

2011-10-01T14:00:00.000-04:00

Roman Polanski directing CARNAGE

New York Film Festival 2011

WARNING

These comments on CARNAGE contain

SPOILERS!

CARNAGE is a kind of downbeat, sometimes interesting film, that goes nowhere, while being both funny and kind of unpleasant.

It might seem a somewhat strange choice to Open the New York Film Festival 2011 (except that it features a quartet of brilliant actors, directed by Roman Polanski, from a well-regarded play, God of Carnage, by Yasmina Reza).

Well, perhaps it's not so strange or downbeat a choice in a year in which there are already at least two films on the End of Life on Earth in the Festival. Although there's some (social) carnage in CARNAGE; it's quite amusing and bloodless. Compared to MELANCHOLIA and 4:44 LAST DAY ON EARTH, I guess it's actually quite a cheerful way to start off the Festival.

It was made by Roman Polanski, originally from a play by Yasmina Reza. (She wrote ART, which was a kind of semi-entertaining somewhat stagy play about some people who discuss the merits of an all-white piece of art -- is it art?)

CARNAGE takes place in Brooklyn, but Polanski (with outstanding legal problems in the US) is not going to film in New York City any time soon, so it was actually filmed in Paris.

The film starts off with a long shot of kids playing in a field in Brooklyn. One kid swings a stick at another and injures him badly in the face. (It looked to me like he actually missed by a mile, but everyone on the field acts like he got hurt a little -- the parents of the kid act, later, like he was hurt a lot.)

The film then moves to an apartment where two couples are meeting. It turns out that John C. Reilly and Jodie Foster are the parents of the boy that was hurt, and Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz are the parents of the injuring kid. They begin to talk about the kids' "fight" and about how civilized they are that they are meeting to talk about it together. It all seems very artificial: not just artificial because the people don't really mean a word they say, but because they seem to be stage ACTING like people who don't believe a word of what they say. It is all very stagy at the beginning.

Soon Christoph Waltz -- whose character is a lawyer -- starts getting and making cell phone calls about a client who has some major problem with drug products that are really bad for people, just before a major stockholders meeting. Lots of phone calls. It becomes an irritation to the characters and a joke to the audience.

Then people start talking the way they "really" feel. The couples fight with each other, and in each couple the women and men fight with each other -- and the film gets quite lively and funny.

Jodie Foster, John C. O'Reilly, Christoph Waltz, Kate Winslet
Roman Polanski's CARNAGE
Photo by Guy Ferrandis
Courtesy of Sony Pictures
New York Film Festival 2011

Then, for no particular reason, the film kind of stops. It doesn't come to an end so much as, simply, stops.

In the final scene, the kids are all playing together. And a hamster (that was let loose earlier in the day by John C. Reilly's character -- to the horror of both women when they hear about it -- accusing him of murder (sic) ) seems a bit bewildered by his (her?) freedom but seems otherwise just fine.

The women, I think come off rather badly. The men, especially, Christoph Waltz would seem to be doing better, except that, of course, he is completely immersed in the business of protecting his client from the consequences of some really bad stuff.

This film is fun, I think, if (and only if?) you enjoy the humor when clever, sophisticated, unpleasant, dishonest people -- who think they are clever, sophisticated, and nice -- get "exposed" as the clever, unsophisticated, unpleasant, dishonest people they really are.

Here is a link to more information about the New York Film Festival:

http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/09/new-york-film-festival-2011-film.html

SNL SEASON OPENER WITH ALEC BALDWIN AND RADIOHEAD

2011-09-25T02:31:00.000-04:00

From the first word to the next-to-last line, (the flat and off-putting last line -"I'll tell my mom she's fat."), the SNL Season Opener with Alec Baldwin and Radiohead was one of the best SNL shows ever. Even stumbling through a few line readings, Alec Baldwin was funny, in character and terrific in almost every sketch. (Well, he didn't jam with Radiohead.) The Radiohead segments were OK. I never like the SNL mix, which makes the vocals hard to understand.

Here's a brief synopsis:

=> A great opener that slashed the Republican candidates to pieces.

=> Host Monologue was pretty good. The steroid test worked! But is it really funny to re-hash the who-has-hosted-more? issue every time Alec Baldwin or Steve Martin hosts? (Maybe it'll become funny again in a few years, just by repetition.)

=> Red Flag mockumercial. Great style. Just the right attitude. Not that funny.

=> All My Children / Susan Lucci / Farewell Party. An amusing sketch -- "or was it pushed!?"

=> WDHX was funny from beginning to end. A classic sketch. Kristin Wiig was on location as an anchor with a serious time delay (and apparently no live cameraman). Attacked by one after another creepy, crawly, biting things, she was not aware until -- after that deadly time delay -- the in-studio anchors warned her of the dangers.

=> Weekend Update was funny from beginning to end. Every joke worked. Alec Baldwin was pitch perfect as Tony Bennett (the film critic).

=> Who's On Top? SNL quiz shows are always fun and this was one of the better ones.

=> Top Gun. Hilarious riffs on different celebrity auditions for the movie.

=> The Power. A child psychologist who knows his kid!

=> Angel in the Trenches / Last Wishes. Except for that awful last line, this was a classic sketch.

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/

ANDREW SERBAN'S WEST SIDE GIRL (with me) SCREENS AGAIN ON 9/22

2011-09-20T20:05:00.000-04:00

Andrew Serban's WEST SIDE GIRL (with me! -- see below for more info) will be having a screening on Thursday (9/22) at the NY Short Buzz; and it had two earlier screenings in September at the New York Hell's Kitchen Film Festival (an appropriate venue for this film if ever there was one).

NY Short Buzz:

Nuyorican Poet's Cafe
236 East 3rd Street (btwn Ave's B & C)
NYC
Thurs., Sept. 22 @ 7 pm

More info:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=182408608495223

Past screenings:

New York Hell's Kitchen Film Festival: Thurs., Sept. 8 & Sat., Sept. 10 at the Producer's Club 358 West 44th St.

http://newyorkhellskitchenfilmfestival.com/

Earlier it was also screened at the Hoboken International Film Festival (http://www.hobokeninternationalfilmfestival.com/) and several other special screenings in New York.

Here's a little more about the film:

Roland Uruci, Shannon Lower (Patty Reilly), and Eric Kappenberg
Photo by Andrew Serban
WEST SIDE GIRL is a short film written and directed by Andrew Serban.

WEST SIDE GIRL had its WORLD PREMIERE

ON AUG 18, 2010 at 7:15 PM at Anthology Film Archiveas part of the Short Film Program at the NewFilmmakers Film Festival.
http://newfilmmakers.com/

Patricia Erin Reilly, the West Side girl of WEST SIDE GIRL is not an eight year old in pigtails hanging around Zabar's, but a tough young woman from Hell's Kitchen with a criminal record and dangerous friends.

I'm Bertelsman, the landlord, and I do not want Patty Reilly in my building.

Eric Roffman (aka Me)
As Bertelsman, the landlord
Photo by Andrew Serban

It's true I only have a few minutes on screen and a few lines. But as far as I'm concerned, this is my story.

Now, this movie could have been called "One Dark and Very, Very, Very Cold Night," because the action happens on... well, I just said it. And the long nights we filmed were just that bitterly freezing and windy.

In my scene, I'm coming out of one of my buildings where, according to Patty, in her vulgar speech, I've been "porking someone on the side".

Unfortunately, I am not a post-method actor. As a post-method actor I would have prepared for the scene by actually doing just what Patty said (in a nice warm place, too!), and then getting dressed and coming out into the street right when the director needed me. As a mere method actor, I used sense-memory and got ready for my long shot while waiting outside in the cold.

Perhaps in the sequel or prequel I get to present the intimate details of my story.

With a different cast, the director Andrew Serban, made another, earlier short film Patty Reilly Was Here, about the same character, Patty Reilly. This first film was shown recently by "New Filmmakers" at Anthology Film Archives.

Andrew has been doing excellent work as a professional photographer for years. And he has a strong visual style. WEST SIDE GIRL was shot at night, entirely in available light, on location on Hell's Kitchen streets. He worked slowly and with tremendous attention to detail, making sure that every shot was carefully framed, perfectly focussed, well lit, and properly played, according to his needs, and that the audio was cleanly recorded -- in between noise, stray lights, and raindrops... from passing cars, trains, clouds and airplanes. It was immensely careful work, taking great pains to get the acting, the creative storytelling, and the minute technical details in every scene all just right.

The cast, some of whom are pretty scary in the movie, did a great job of acting -- they're actually really nice people.

The story is tense and the look, film noir at its most contemporary.

The film has just been completed. As of this moment, I haven't even seen the DVD yet... it's in the mail!

I've been covering film festivals for QPORIT. My hope is that WEST SIDE GIRL will be accepted to one of the festivals I cover, so that I can interview myself live on the Red Carpet.

CREDITS:

CAST (in alphebetical order)

Eric Kappenberg (Tommy)
Shannon Lower (Patricia Erin Reilly)
John Newsome (Johnny)
Eric Roffman -- aka Me! (Bertelsman - the landlord)
Roland Uruci (Shane)
Liane Wunderlich (Sassy)

CREW

Directed by Andrew Serban
Produced by Andrew Serban and Liane Wunderlich
Written by Andrew Serban with additional material by Liane Wunderlich
Sound recording by Joe Savastano
Music composed by Richard William Flores
Music composed for the opening credits by Stuart Torrance