Black

Stratford's Cabaret
Was quite a disappointment,
All icing, no cake.

Those who know me well know that Cabaret is near and dear to my heart for many reasons. It was unfortunate, then, that this production missed the boat on a great many counts. It spent all of its time trying so hard to be clever -- and even worse, trying to TELL us how clever it was -- that the impact of the story was sacrificed. The whole thing played out with such emphasis on technical gimmickery and "big dance numbers" that the the audience was kept at an arm's length from the characters themselves. A series of missed opportunities ran into another series of missed opportunities; the director seemed to throw things in just for the sake of it -- seemingly "setting rules" for the world she created -- and then threw them out the window just as randomly. And the Emcee? Just a non-entity. Wandered through the show without power over anything, least of all the audience. I'm not saying it's the actor's fault (though I think he was miscast, in any case) since the director didn't seem to want to give his character any focus, any teeth, regardless.

Shadow

The end is in sight,
The writing is on the wall;
I'll soon lose Martha.

Martha's been showing signs of weakness and difficulty quite a bit lately. Gets run down very easily. Drops things without warning. Spotty vision. Which is sad, but not as sad as one might think. Martha's one of my phones (the other is George) and she hasn't been right for some time. I can see that her days are numbered and I'm going to have to have her replaced. So sad. So sad.

Maroon

Tiny rooibos leaves
Drift downward in slow motion;
Suspended beauty.

I noticed how cool and lovely my steeping tea was today in my Tea Master from Teaopia. It completely beats any lava lamp. It also reminded me of American Beauty and the blowing bag scene, to which I could completely relate.

Yellow

Seussical, Jr.
Performed by a happy bunch
Is a joyful thing.

Such fun to watch while a whack of kids put on the show, having a blast doing it. They were great, they were clearly having a great time, and were very much dedicated to the theatre of it Yay, Brenda! Fun!

Atomic Tangerine

A&E felt that
Graphic violence could stay in
But bleeped coarse language.

I was watching A&E's The Andromeda Strain mini-series tonight and found it very odd that, as an A&E co-production, they were fine making the mini-series with some coarse language, but that they weren't fine with showing it without bleeping it. (Okay, it technically wasn't bleeped, it was blanked.) Furthermore, they blanked quite mild language common on network TV. Don't worry, though. Unpleasant scenes of violence (prehaps most notably, a suicide by chainsaw) was apparently permissable.

In the end, I'm undecided about this remake. A lot of updating and story expansion going on. I do have an affinity for the old movie that won't leave because of a hot new version. In any case, I preferred the book to either. (Surprise.) I remember reading it in a single day years ago while at a cottage with the family.

Edited to add: Oh, I forgot to mention that they stopped bleeping/blanking in Part II. Funny.

Green

During a phone call
My dad became excited
Thinking this was me.

Seriously. Mid-conversation (well, really it was a monologue starring him), he suddenly said, "Were you just on TV?" and then realized that, no, it was quite unlikely that I was starring in a big budget movie about the Incredible Hulk.

Okay. I guess I should visit more often.

Wild Watermelon

Mid-afternoon naps
Produce dreams elusive and
Bizarre by nature.

Spring Green

Is it really true?
Has Spring finally arrived
With weather to match?

Seriously. This had better be the start of a long stretch of good weather.

Laser Lemon

I'm glad I could help
Sonya in her hour of need
On a Friday night.

It's not like I did anything else productive.

Carnation Pink

Sweet Turkish Delight
Why have I come to love you
All over again?

Seriously. I'm having a serious resurgence of Turkish Delight love. Sweet jelly goodness!

And yes, Sonya, I will certainly keep my eyes peeled for The White Witch.

Antique Brass

David Cook's mother,
What are you doing sneaking
Into his spotlight?

So I don't particularly care for David Cook, but betwixt the two of them, I suppose I'm glad he won. Why, oh why are the winners' chosen songs so freaking schmaltzy and sappy? They're always these big, "Oh, my dream has finally come true," songs. Hey, here's an idea. They could just sing a song that's good and stands on its own.

In any case, Sonya will be glad the season's over so she doesn't have to read any more updates here.

Of course, So You Think You Can Dance starts tomorrow, and thanks to Melanie, I have come to enjoy it, too. Yeesh. I guess it will help fill the void formed as every show on North American television holds its season finale this week.

Brick Red

Back from a good walk
All I want to do is eat.
Counter-productive.

Oh well. To cave to my snacking cravings or not to cave? Hmmm.

Sonya will at least be relieved that I didn't write about how disappointing the "War of the Davids" was on the penultimate Idol of the season. Yack. Not impressed, people.

Edited to add:

DARN! I should have thought to write an haiku about how horrible Usher was at lipsynching on Dancing With the Stars which I didn't actually watch, but which came on "already in progress" after American Idol.

Granny Smith Apple

Apple with Skor bits
And caramel might just be
Why I'm gaining weight.

But it does taste good. Notice that I'm pretending all of my other poor eating habits have nothing to do with it.

Cotton Candy

A haphazzard day
Of merry mix-ups spent with
Shoshana Gunday.

Despite numerous changes to original plans, a good time was had in the presence of the soon-to-be-dubbed "Shoshana Gunday" (whose name, if I knew how to put accents in this text, would be spelled "Gunde" instead). We put in an appearance at Canada's Wonderland, went to see Prince Caspian, and enjoyed a tasty meal. Aahhh. Good times. Thanks, S.G.!

Sunglow

Early One Morning
As performed by Melissa
Is a sweet, sweet thing.

White

How sad to admit
I have nothing to report
Worth even three lines.

Hmmm. Sorry.

Fuzzy Wuzzy Brown

Yes, Jack Astor's girl,
I do know you from somewhere,
Though I don't know where.

Tonight while enjoying a meal, a waitress (though not our waitress) came up and asked me where she knew me from. She, in turn, seemed very familiar to me, also. Try as we might, we couldn't figure out from where we would know one another. Neither of us felt it was from the Jack Astor's. Who knows?

Sunglow

David Archuletta,
6:15 AM, we know,
Is in the morning.

"It's 6:15 AM in the morning," says little boy David on tonight's episode of American Idol. Thank you, David. Thanks for clearing that up.

As for the episode as a whole, no surprises there. As much as I would have loved to see some surprising twist have one of the Davids voted off and to watch the jaws drop, it just wasn't likely to happen. Both Davids sing well, but I don't really take to either of them. Which is unfortunate, because I really think wee David is probably a genuinely nice kid, even if his dad is as overbearing as rumour has it. (Incidentally, do you think his father's bald under those caps?)

And Simon's face during Fantasia's performance? Hilarious. (I love Fantasia and think she's massively talented, even though the style of music she's performing these days doesn't necessarily rock my proverbial boat.)

Tumbleweed

Agressive cashier,
Be gentle with my melon;
Abuse not my buns.

I stopped in for some groceries on the way home from work. (Haul yourself up off the floor and read on.) The cashier was surprisingly violent with ... well ... every single item she passed over her scanner. I'm convinced that she deliberately upturned, tipped over, and otherwise flung every last tub, box, and package on its way past. Relax! Don't take it out on the produce!

Tropical Rain Forest

Does nobody think
That Jeff Probst's Survivor script
Could use rewriting?

Seriously? So much of it is verbatim from week to week, from season to season. You'd think someone would say, "Let's let him say this in a slightly different way this year."

Carnation Pink

To all the females
Who have brought life from their loins
Happy Mothers' Day!

Razzmatazz

Watching Speed Racer
Sitting still at the Drive-In
Seems incongruous.

Silly and energetic and enjoyable.

Unmellow Yellow

Explain it to me:
After the day's exhaustion
I'm now wide awake.

Isn't that always the way it works? Suddenly I come to life late at night.

Sky Blue

Bitter cold morning
Makes way in the afternoon
For the sun to shine.

Having spent pretty much the entire day outside, the gradual transition from ridiculously cold weather before lunch to the springtime sunshine of the afternoon was of great personal significance. Thank goodness it warmed up.

Gray

The grey sky falling
In speckles and dots and spots
Taps rhythms on stone.

That's right. It's raining and I love it.

(And yes, I know the title's spelling is American.)

Sunset Orange

Sunset on the porch
Spent with Dennis and with June
Plus tea and cheesecake.

Ahhh. The first porch-sitting visit of the season. So enjoyable.

Blush

Lying on your back,
Point your butt the other way
Stretching for your run.

When I came out of Subway with my supper (don't judge me), a guy at the running store was preparing for his run. Unfortunately, he was making a spectacle of himself in crazy circus-yoga positions with his posterior end pointed out in public. POINT IT AT THE WALL, MOONDOGGY! None of us want to see it!

Tickle Me Pink

I'm a bit taken
With a little girl, Pucca,
And her ninja friends.

Have you ever seen Pucca? I bought the DVD (Ninjas Love Noodles) based on a whim and a poorly translated gift bag. Far too amusing and delightful for words. And the TV show's made in Canada!

Dandelion

I spent far too long
Outside in the drizzling rain
Popping yellow weeds.

It's not that I care that much about the dandelion content of my lawn. I certainly lose no sleep over it. The neighbours are a bit uptight, though, so I figure they may hate me a little less if I make some attempt to reduce the dandelion content of my yard. Yippee.

Wild Blue Yonder

As if to spite me,
McDonald's discontinued
My dear Big Xtra.

Sigh.

Pacific Blue

A little bit late
The April showers have come
On the First of May.

I'd just been saying the other day how our spring has not been very rainy, and lo and behold the showers have arrived promptly at the first of the month. Those who know me, of course, know that I love a good rainy day. I only wish it were warm enough to sit out on the porch with a book while it rains just beyond the railing.