Julie Reyburn!

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Multi-Award winning singer and recording artist JulieReyburn brings her acclaimed show, WinterSongs to Urban Stages   Friday Dec. 7th  at 7PM.Joining herwill be Mark Janas as Musical Director with special guest, Joshua Dixon.
 Winter Songs is a show Mark Janas and Julie created along with Lennie Watts for Feinstein's last winter.  The focus was to take the audience on an emotional journey of what winter is all about: family, celebration, tradition, and then the new year.  At the time Julie was 6 months pregnant with her son, Jude so the show took on even deeper meaning for her.
A major portion of this journey was showcasing new songs by New York based composers/songwriters.
A few of the songs were actually written for the show.  Julie gave each writer an idea and it went from there.
The result was so special and really exciting.  It was very special to perform the show with the writers in the audience.
Explore the beautyand joy of the season with classics old and new from Maury Yeston and Comdenand Green, to new compositions by New York based composers and lyricists;Napolitano and Ward, Bill Zeffiro, Mary Liz McNamara, Brett Kristofferson andScott Evan Davis.Julie and I sat down recently to dig a little deeper andcelebrate her body of WORTH! Today, I celebrate Julie Reyburn!When it comes to a personal creed or motto in her life,Julie Reyburn has so many but the one that rises above all others is, “Webelieve what we tell ourselves.” It is something she tells herself every day asshe tries to live in a positive way telling her that she is important.  She isworthy of great things. She is lovable. The time is NOW. She says we all canuse all of those affirmations in our daily lives in how we choose to live ourlives. She believes we definitely tell ourselves. As a parent, another quotethat she loves to live by is that she is basically an observer in her children’slives. Her job is to guide them but not live their lives for them.  She lives that credo role in her duel role asa an artist and a human being and as a mother. 
It continues. It all started for Julie because of herparents. Her parents were a folk rock duo in the early ‘70s. They were calledBrandywyne. Instead of leaving her home with her Aunt Georgie to take care ofher ,they had Julie miss kindergarten and they took her on the road with themfor the better part of the year when she was six. It was an amazing experience.They would take her on stage with them or they would leave her with thebabysitter while they went to do their gigs. The bottom line was she got to bewith them and tour around the country. It was always in Julie’s mind to be anentertainer. Watching her parents do it, it was just a natural progression.
The turning point in Julie’s life that made her to decide toforge ahead took place in 1995. She was on a tour of A Christmas Carol with American Family Theater. It was a great groupof people and she is still friends with all of them today. They were all tryingto get their Equity Eligibility. Back then once one got enough hours and/orsalary, they could get their Equity cards. That would allow them all to go to “professional”auditions in New York. Julie was still living in Massachusetts at the time. Oneof the people on the tour knew of a sublet that had just opened in New York.Julie and another girl decided they were going to go for it. Julie quit herjob, broke up with her boyfriend, sold her car, put everything she could intothe back of her dad’s station wagon, and he drove her to New York City. OnMarch 7^th, 1996, she found herself in that sublet on West 48^thStreet. Ironically, that is directly across the street from her daughter’selementary school. Her dad dropped her off with nothing more than her clothesand her music. The two of them took around midtown, he wished her luck, and hewas on his way and there she was.
The most embarrassing thing that ever happened to Julie tookplace back in Massachusetts. She had a quick change.  She had to get out of one dress and intoanother. She was to go out, sit on the piano, and sing The Music That Makes Me Dance. They could not get the zipper up andit was a strapless dress. She had to walk out holding up the dress with herelbows.  Someone had to place her on thepiano and she had to sell the song and not show her boobs. It was hilarious andthe piano player was trying not to crack up. She was mortified but it was alesson in focus. The trajectory of Julie’s career began with singing with herparents, then singing in the choir in school, and doing musicals, taking voicelessons, going to college to be a music therapist and a music teacher.
Juliedecided not to go to conservatory because she wanted a liberal arts education.She continued to study voice and continued to do musicals and theater aroundthe Boston area. She then had the opportunity to go to New York as statedabove. She went on auditions. As a result, she did tours and regionalproductions. Ellie Ellsworth of the Cabaret Symposium heard Julie sing atBirdland, after she had won an award from the Singers Forum, and invited her toaudition. That is when cabaret came into Julie’s life. She did the O’Neill in1998.
She worked with wonderful teachers and artists. The art form struck herand it was a good fit for the kind of entertainer she is and she turned tocabaret. It took off. It was the perfect niche for her. From that, she didreadings of new musicals and fringe festivals and got higher level auditionsfor Broadway and off-Broadway. While she hasn’t gotten cast for a Broadwayshow, her singing and her cabaret work has given her an opportunity to auditionfor major people which has been very exciting. She has also sung in major roomsin NYC like Feinstein’s.
She has recorded some cds and worked with greatmusicians. She keeps going, doing what she loves and makes her feels good. Julie has two young kids at home. There is no such thing asa routine when it comes to working on her craft. She grabs those moments whenshe can. She also has a full time job outside the business. Her family comesfirst. She will lull her son, Jude, to sleep by running lyrics. As she washesdishes and other assorted activities, she multi-tasks while running lyrics inher head. For Julie, it takes away the nervousness of “Oh my God, I have towork on my craft.” It makes it more an everyday occurrence. 

Sondheim! — with Molly Pope, Julie Reyburn, Timothy Oliver Reid, Stephanie D'Abruzzo and Lucia Spina.(Photo taken by Phil Geoffrey Bond)

She tries to bring her “real life” into hercraft. It makes it stick better and it also makes it more real. What artists dois shed light through the windows of real life. Her job as an artist is toshare her journey and have the audience identify with the emotions that we allhave as human beings. She walks to work with her IPod on running lyrics andsinging out loud. People walking past her think she’s crazy but she has to takeit when she can get it. She tries to incorporate her life and art at everyopportunity. As a result, she feels she is a more accessible entertainer.

With Scott Coulter, Bill Daugherty, Jack Noseworthy, Julie Reyburn, Carole J. Bufford, Noah Racey, Milla Ilieva and Michael Winther at Feinstein's at Loews Regency The Nightclub of New York.(Photo credit Russ Weatherford)

When it comes to dispensing advice for anyone desiring tofollow in HER footsteps is to first of all know who you are, what’s importantto you, and what your priorities are, and then try to balance all of that. Onlydo those things that mean a lot to you in your heart of hearts.
That isbasically what your mission statement is. If you don’t have a missionstatement, you really need to sit down and think about it. Julie’s is to dogood work with good people. She desires to take the talent God has given her tomake people happy and to bring about positive change. In that, she picksprojects that fit within that paradigm and also picks people to work with thatdesire to do that as well.
Remembering that she has a family, all of this HASto be balanced. She admits that it is much easier without kids. One is able totravel more and practice their craft a lot easier in different areas than shecan right now. She chose this. She desired to get married and be a mom. Shedesired to have it all and that was a big goal of hers. She has always been amulti –tasker, that’s her nature. It’s not for everyone!  It is definitely something that takes a lot ofwork and a lot of prioritizing. Once again, you really have to know who you areand ask those questions of yourself. Is this something you really want to do?Is it going to be fair to you? Is it going to be fair to your kids? Is it goingto be fair to your partner? Those are the soul searching questions and all ofthese questions are based on that one over arching mission statement that youhave in your life…as an entertainer, as a human being, as an entrepreneur.
Abusiness plan has to also be in effect. JULIE REYBURN LIVE from Julie Reyburn on Vimeo.Julie would love to meet Bonnie Rait. Her father was JohnRait and she has that experience of being the daughter of an entertainer. Sheis a great songwriter. She knows about sticking it out and being who she is.She has ebbs and flows, not to mention all those Grammys! She calls the shots.It’s not another record label, it’s not a bunch of corporate suits, it’s her.  

From the musical/theater world, Julie wouldlove to meet Patti LuPone (who happens to be singing in the background as Itype these words!). Julie has seen her and even has her autograph. Julie lovesher autobiography, as do I! She is another strong willed woman who lives by herown mission statement. Julie is most proud of the work she has done with MarkJanus, her musical director.
She likes to call him her musical husband. Overthe years they have worked on arrangements together and done shows that havelived on. They have been able to pull from different shows and arrangementsthat are really close and dear to their hearts.
They still continue to haveideas. My next question is from actress and singer Linda Purl. Whodoes Julie pray to when she is in trouble? She calls “it” spirit.The one change that Julie would like to see in today’sindustry is the importance of individuality. People in this business on bothsides of the footlights are intimidated by individuality. They think it’s notgoing to make money. When someone comes along that IS a real individual andsucceeds, everyone tries to copy that. Artists are bending to try and be likeAdele or Amy Winehouse or someone else rather than embracing who they are.
In terms of marketing and promoting herself, Julie hasembraced social media. It is easy for her. She can do things quickly,especially with her busy schedule. On her lunch hour, she sends out evites andputs information on Facebook. She can post it on her artist page. There is asite called Reverb Nation that she posts on. That keeps track of her shows, howmany people show up, and where they are. She also utilizes Twitter. HectorCoris has created a “web card” for her. She has created a newsletter on Mailchimp.com....SierraRein uses it for Julie's Marquee Five newsletter...She finds it very userfriendly. You can have up to 2,000 on this list.

With Scott Coulter, Bill Daugherty, Jack Noseworthy, Julie Reyburn, Carole J. Bufford, Noah Racey, Milla Ilieva, Michael Winther and Scott Siegel at Feinstein's at Loews Regency The Nightclub of New York.(Photo credit Russ Weatherford)

Photo credit: Russ Weatherford

Once you surpass that, theystart charging. It keeps track of who signs up and  it notifies you of out of date emailaddresses. It is a great tool and Julie just recently started using it. Shealso is part of the MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs) Googlegroup. She has hard copy cards that she drops at wherever the gig is and aroundtown. She takes advantage of open mics around town.
She announces from thestage where she’ll be appearing. It’s wonderful when people are seeing her forthe first time that she doesn’t know. She tries to get out and do actualappearances here and there.
She gives out cards. These days she can’t get outas much. She really does rely on social media. She sends out press releasesabout a month prior to an appearance.
 To all my singer friends out there, this is how Julie dealswith throat ailments. She learned this from her allergist. Drain the juice of afresh lemon. Take multi vitamins loaded with “C” and honey down the throat.Julie does that for three days in a row twice a day.

Nine times out of ten, hercold will be gone or it won’t last as long. She concentrates on her breathingand drinks lots of tea. She tries to get as much rest as she can. She findsthat if you focus so much on the fact that you’re sick and not being able tosing, you WON’T be able to sing. Mind over matter: “This is something that isjust moving through me and I can sing over it.” Everything is going to be finenine times out of ten. Julie can still sing through a cold. A lot of it ispsychological.
What inspires Julie? She loves dance. She loves watchingdance interpret music. She can imagine lyrics in her head. It adds a newdimension at “looking” at music. She also loves rock and roll and folk music.That is what she grew up with. Her husband, Thor, plays guitar in a Led Zeppelin coverband. They inspire her.  All of thisteaches her to be freer on stage and not to be so strict with rhythms, tointerpret more, and not to be right all the time.When putting a new show together, Julie always has a runninglist of songs that she wishes to sing. She draws upon that list. She brings newmusic to Mark Janus and they sit down and start going through different ideas.Usually a theme presents itself organically.

Julie and ME!

They then try to stick with thattheme or Julie’s point of view in terms of what she desires to say with thatshow. She brings in a director with a third eye to let her know if it is makingsense, the flow of the show, the arc, the journey. The song choices AND thepatter has to be important.
She rehearses what she is going to say and thenlets it go. The last two shows that Julie have done have been directed byLennie Watts. Her voice teacher is Bill Zeffiro and he also contributes to hershows. He is also a great songwriter and she has been featuring his songs in afew shows. Lennie Watts is able to bring out the best in Julie, who shereally is. He has this ability to key in on what her strengths are. He bringsthat out in how she puts a song across.
If it is not coming across as truthfulor honest, he will let her know. What separates Lennie from other directorsthat she has worked for is that he just wants what is best for the entertainer.He is there as a channel to basically be a set of eyes. A lot of directors arein it for different reasons and have different focuses for their entertainers.Lennie’s focus is all about the entertainer.Preparing for an appearance, Julie, once again, runs thelyrics through her head. She basically reads everything out like a fullmonologue with lyrics and patter.

She tries to do that at least two or threetimes the day of the show.
She tries to get enough sleep which is sometimesdifficult.
She now averages between four and five hours of sleep each night.
She tries to get her head in a space to clear it. If she is nervous, she tries toremind herself to use the nervous energy rather than have it work against her.She tries to remember to have fun. Is there an entertainer that Julie wishes she had seen live?

Yes, a full Rosemary Clooney show, Elvis (especially his Vegas shows), EllaFitzgerald, Janis Joplin, Sinatra’s 60^th birthday comeback concert, thereal greats. There is an energy that doesn’t come across on film. As an entertainer, Julie’s fondest memory is performing withher parents. They shaped her for who she is today. Off stage, her fondest memories are marrying her husband, Thor, and giving birth to her twochildren. Those are life changing experiences she would not trade for anything.  
He is the reason she can still perform...his support keeps her going.

Julie Miller (Producer of the 2011 MAC Awards show), Julie Reyburn and Mark Janas broadwayworld.com

 Wednesday December 5th @ 7pm @ Urban Stages
"Songs from a Wedding, A Penthouse and a Pinocchio"
Julie will be performing excerpts from three original musicals
by Peter Napolitano, Barry Levitt, Mark Janas and Matthew Martin Ward:
Featuring Robert Cuccioli!

Tickets for Winter Songs: 212-868-4444 or smarttix.com
Urban Stages - 259 West 30th Street (between 7th & 8th Ave.).

Thursday December 13th @ 7pm @ Urban Stages

ALSO:THE GOOD GIRL, an original musical by Mary Liz McNamara - in a concert version at Urban Stages as part of their wonderful Winter Rhythms series. www.urbanstages.org

CAST:
Raissa Katona Bennett
Leo Ash Evens
Ritt Henn
Mary Liz McNamara
Tanya Moberly
Julie Reyburn
Tracy Sallows
James Stephens

Musical Direction by Beth Falcone

THE GOOD GIRL is about family, love and other really messy problems, in the here and hereafter. A daughter is left to care for her impossibly difficult father, as her newly-dead mother watches from that great jazz club in the sky, under the tutelage of a cool-cat Bass Player.

Tickets $25
www.smarttix.com
212-868-4444 

Thank you Julie Reyburn for the gifts you have given to the world and continue to give!


With grateful XOXOXs ,

Check out my site celebrating my forthcoming book on Hello, Dolly!
I want this to be a definitive account of Hello, Dolly!  If any of you reading this have appeared in any production of Dolly, I'm interested in speaking with you!

Do you have any pics to share?
If you have anything to add or share, please contact me at Richard@RichardSkipper.com.

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.  FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!


Please do what YOU can to be more aware that words and actions DO HURT...but they can also heal and help!    
                My next blog will be...My exclusive interview with Melissa Hart on Hello, Dolly!


Thank you, to all the mentioned in this blog!

  Here's to an INCREDIBLE tomorrow for ALL...with NO challenges!


TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED DAYRichard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com                              
This Blog is dedicated to ALL THE DOLLYS and ANYONE who has EVER had a connection with ANY of them on ANY Level!

There's Nothing On...Wednesdays

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New series are blocked in red; returning series in a new time slot are blocked in orange.

One of the chief complaints about television programming is that there's nothing on.  This is the fourth part in a daily series to look at what actually is on each night.  The focus will be on broadcast network programing and some of the key offerings on cable; there's no way to cover the hundreds and hundreds of cable networks.

The Big Gun: Modern Family (ABC)

ABC hit the goldmine when it sent Modern Family to series three years ago.  It raised not only the shows around it, it raised the profile of the network.  While I don't find the show to be as consistent as it once was, I know I will never miss an episode.  I have nothing but the fondest hope that each next episode will be a great one.

DVR Gridlock:  Wednesdays at 8:00

I've been a big fan of Survivor since the very first episode, which I saw in Sister #2's condo during a re-airing on a Saturday night.  I've mostly loved The Middle, especially as Modern Family waned.  Arrow is based on one of my absolute favorite DC Comics super heroes, Green Arrow.  FOX has The X Factor, which will garner lots of eyeballs, but probably not mine every week.

Survivor rises and falls solely on those cast, and this season not only some longtime players returning to play after having to be medically removed from the game, but there's also Blair Warner and Jeff Kent.  And since Survivor is sports for non-sports watchers, you really can't watch it later that week, so it gets priority.  The Kid loves The Middle, so it will get the other spot, and deservedly so.  The cast on that show is terrific.  Arrow concerns me enough that it will get the OnDemand slot.  My fear is fully grounded in lofty expectations, both mine and the creators.  I want it to be more like the early Smallville and fear that it will be more like the later Smallville.  I want Arrow to take its time and let the series and concept naturally build to a point; I fear that Arrow will pile on unfounded conspiracies and needless complications from the start all in the name of kewl.  I fear I want it to be something that the current television landscape won't allow it to be (see the overly complicated runs and early demises of Alcatraz, Ringer, The Secret Circle, etc.).

Most Eagerly Anticipated Returning Show:  Suburgatory

After Happy Endings finished it season early last spring, Suburgatory was the best comedy on ABC on Wednesday nights.  The creepy subtext between Tessa and George was excised, and the kids became one of the best ensembles working on television.  Jane Levee (Tessa) had been good from the beginning, but Carly Chaikin (Dahlia), Maestro Harrell (Malik), Parker Young (Ryan "Scarlett Johansson.  Dead." Shay) and especially Allie Grant (the hopefully adopted Lisa Shay) really clicked together and propelled the story in positive ways.  The adults were still mostly played as bizarre grotesques, which would be fine if the show was only interested in presenting the teenagers' perspective and their skewed view on the adults in their life (like Suburgatory soul sisters Awkward. and Easy A do).  But the show wants to tell realistic stories with both age groups.  There was good movement in that direction with the adults last winter, even as late as Alicia Silverstone's first appearance, but then the adult storyline became very childish.  Which in and of itself could be a very cool concept, but one that the show isn't willing to commit to.  I hope that this will be ironed out as the show moves into its second season.  It's moved to a post-Modern Family time slot, which gives Modern Family its most compatible lead out ever.  They've also cast Tessa's runaway mom (with Watchmen's Malin Akerman) which is a story direction I want to follow.

Most Promising New Series:  Nashville

I need to follow another prime time soap, like I need another dog.  But Nashville has Mrs. Coach, Connie Britton, and an intriguing All About Eve/country music premise.  I know I will be in for at least a few weeks, and I'm pumped to see where it might go.

Also:

--Okay, so ABC is launching The Neighbors between The Middle and Modern Family.  The Neighbors is about a family that moves to the suburbs only to find out that the people that live there are very weird.  While this sounds very much like Suburgatory, in this suburb all the residents are aliens.  From outer space.  Even The Kid is a bit skeptical.  It will either flop enormously or be a moderate sized hit.  Here's what I would like to see happen:  Happy Endings and Don't Trust the B--- falter a bit (but not enough to be cancelled on Tuesdays); The Neighbors is a moderate hit; then Endings and Trust can move back to Wednesday and The Middle and The Neighbors can move to Fridays which would make two pretty killer comedy blocks.

--Animal Practice and Guys With Kids are NBC's new beachhead into a Wednesday comedy block, this follows last year's attempt of Up All Night (now on Thursdays), Whitney (now on Friday) and the cancelled Free Agents and Chelsea.  Animal Practice is NBC's The Neighbors--it could go either way, a moderate-sized hit of a complete bomb, but I had absolutely no reaction to the pilot.  It exists; there's that.  And Guys With Kids looks awful.  It sneaks tonight, before it's official debut next week.

--I know I will at least watch a little of Britney and Demi on The X Factor, but unless something miraculous happens, I can't see any way that I'll be in for the long haul.  Too many other good things to watch.

--I love the idea that American Horror Story will be a new series every year.  I love that most of the cast will be returning in new roles.  I want to love the series more.

--Supernatural used to be one of my favorite shows.  The show was elegantly structured and had great performances.  The past two seasons were difficult to sit through, with last season being almost unbearable.  But I'm nothing if not an optimistic creature of habit.  I have every hope that the series will get better (and there's a new Executive Producer to that end), and if not I will see it through to its bitter end.

--I often suffer from Top Chef fatigue.  Thankfully the producers are trying something new, instead of another edition of Top Chef:  Just Desserts.  The new series is titled After Top Chef, and follows four of the favorite past cheftestants as they ply their trade and deal with their newly found fame.  It sounds slight, but that's not always a bad thing.

--I'm a recent convert to the Storage Wars franchise, and while I won't watch it live, I can't imagine a world without the series now.

--Key & Peele is a fine sketch comedy series, and I expect that the election cycle will give it plenty of material, but I petered out by the end of their short first season.  I'm willing to try again, but my patience isn't infinite.

Series blocked in green get an unequivocal recommendation; series blocked in yellow are recommended but cautiously.

There's Nothing On...Thursdays

To contact us Click HERE

New series are blocked in red; returning series in a new time slot are blocked in orange.

One of the chief complaints about television programming is that there's nothing on.  This is the fifth part in a daily series to look at what actually is on each night.  The focus will be on broadcast network programing and some of the key offerings on cable; there's no way to cover the hundreds and hundreds of cable networks.

The Big Gun:  The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

I don't think there is a more powerful scripted show on television right now than The Big Bang Theory.  It's original broadcasts are at the top of the ratings pile each week.  The reruns on TBS regularly beat new scripted programming on the broadcast networks.  Famous pop astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson recently made a twitter joke about the soaring popularity of the comedy series over the actual big bang theory.  and the show is one of the best comedies around.  Sure, it's still a bit too raunchy at times, but the addition of Mayim Bailik (Amy Farfah Fowler) and Melissa Rauch (Bernadette) really made the show shine.  The have even been successful in mining the serialized nature of the characters and their relationships. 

DVR Gridlock:  Thursdays at 8:00

CBS has The Big Bang Theory and the transplanted Two and a Half Men, which will dominate the night in terms of numbers.  Fox airs more X Factor for them that care (and they are legion).  NBC airs the final season of 30 Rock and the second season of the revamped Up All Night, which will focus more on the home storylines, as Ava (Maya Rudolph) finds her show cancelled.  The CW airs the super fine and super cool The Vampire Diaries.  In a somewhat smart move of counter programming, ABC launches the submarine thriller Last Resort.

Excising X Factor, I have four shows I really dig.  I can't see abandoning 30 Rock in its final run.  Up All Night was uneven at best, but I always found it heartwarming; it gets the pity DVR-slot by being paired with 30 Rock.  We'll tape Big Bang Theory in the bedroom, because we like to watch it instead of a Seinfeld rerun sometimes.  That leaves the Sophie's Choice of Vampire Diaries or Last Resort.  The Vampire Diaries is the old favorite.  I have an unnatural attachment to Candice Accola and her Caroline, but I know that contractually she won't be on every episode.  Last Resort has to be one of the most shocking hours of television.  Shocking only because of how involving it is.  It is an intense thrill ride that brings up the best of 24 and Crimson Tide.  I'm writing up a full review soon, but if you at all like action thrillers, then this is the must watch of the season.  I have to give the other lot to Last Resort and count on The CW's multi-platform distribution system to get me my Caroline and company.

Most Eagerly Anticipated Returning Show:  Scandal (ABC)

I can't rave enough about Scandal, the Kerry Washington vehicle about a former Presidential campaign consultant who now runs a Washington D.C. firm that specializes in controlling headline grabbing scandals for the wealthiest and most powerful of our nation. How good is Scandal?  Remember how good Grey's Anatomy was when George was alive and running off to get married to Callie and Yang was with Burke and Addison was a regular?  It's better, and Kerry Washington should be a much bigger star than she currently is.  I love this show.

Most Promising New Series:  Last Resort (ABC)

Andre Braugher stars as a submarine captain who when refusing to follow suspicious orders finds himself fired upon by his own country.  He leads his crew and their nuclear sub to a tropical island, where he declares himself president.  I know it sounds hokey and I question the long term prospects of sustained storytelling, but boy howdy is Andre Braugher great and the first act the most intense 17 minutes I've seen on television since Breaking Bad.  It's phenomenal.  Really, and I only hope enough men will pull themselves away from Big Bang Theory to give it a decent shot.

Also:

--I was shocked to realize that I was anticipating Scandal more than Parks and Recreation, one of my all time favorite shows.  Perhaps last season didn't start well.  Perhaps the season finale would have made a more than satisfactory series finale.  Perhaps I have the overwhelming feeling that NBC is wanting to move away from niche comedies to more mainstream fare like Guys With Kids and Go On.  Don't get me wrong, I won't miss an episode; I love these characters and Pawnee too much.  But there's a feeling of bittersweet that I can't shake.

--I really want to like Elementary.  I love Sherlock and I don't want this to be a carbon copy of that.  I hope that it can stand on its own.

--Oh, Glee.  I once really liked you.  I will watch a few week, because it's starting early, and I am curious to see how the split storytelling of high school and post high school stories actually works.  But I remember all too well the Degrassi episodes when Paige, Marco and Ellie went away to school.  Ugh.

--I am excited that early series mastermind Greg Daniels is returning for the final season of The Office.  We've been told that we will learn something about the people filming the documentary this season.  I'm hoping for one last Michael Scott episode.

--It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a show I constantly forget that I love.  I don't know why that is.

Series blocked in green get an unequivocal recommendation; series blocked in yellow are recommended but cautiously.

There's Nothing On...Fridays

To contact us Click HERE

New series are blocked in red; returning series in a new time slot are blocked in orange.

One of the chief complaints about television programming is that there's nothing on.  This is the final part of the daily series to look at what actually is on each night (Saturdays you get Doctor Who and Saturday Night Live).  The focus will be on broadcast network programing and some of the key offerings on cable; there's no way to cover the hundreds and hundreds of cable networks.

The Big Gun: ...ummm...CBS?

CBS should dominate in the ratings, but Friday has its own threshold for success.  FOX has been able to keep Fringe on the air for the last two year despite anemic ratings because it's Friday night.  Which of course means great things about the long term chances for Whitney and Community.  That said there isn't anything here that is going to tap into any sort of zeitgeist.

DVR Gridlock:  None

How nice, or how sad, that there's never more than two shows that you really need to be watching.

Most Eagerly Anticipated Returning Show:  Fringe (FOX)

Fringe was not one of my favorite shows last year, but that won't mean I won't be here to see how the final 13 episodes play out.  I am a completist.  More than that, I really liked the episode last year that was set in the future after the Observers have taken over the world; I understand this final season will be set there.

Most Promising New Series:  None

I like the concept and cast for Malibu Country and Made in Jersey looks solidly made, by neither are going to get me to set my DVR.

Also:

--Paul Lee, chief guru at ABC, made his smartest programming decision yet when he decided to resuscitate the TGIF brand from the late 90's.  You'll remember TGIF as ABC's Friday night comedy providers of shows like Full House, Family Matters, Boy Meets World, amongst others.  Right now tweens, families and younger people look to Nick and the Disney Channel to find programming that will appeal to them. I say if broadcast networks want to compete with the growing cable programming, then they should compete on all levels.  I'm not a fan of Last Man Standing, and I'd like to like Malibu Country but don't see myself doing so, but I understand their broader appeal.  This is a genius way to capitalize on a discontinued brand and serve a vital segment of the populace.  My only thought is that this is a half measure.  I want to see The Neighbors be a moderate success, and then move it and The Middle here.  You could have an unbeatable family night of programming with broad appeal that may start slow but could build major dividends.

--I have been underwhelmed by Grimm since it's return.  The coyote episode was both the best the series had ever been and the most ludicrous (Was it only budgetary reasons that kept the final showdown in full daylight?).  I liked the easy streamlining away of some of the grander and more esoteric parts of the mythology, but am still waiting for that great hook to draw me in for good.  For future reference that hook will never be amnesia.

--I am on Team Whitney for the foreseeable future.  The show got quite good towards the end of its first season, and I'm curious to see how they restructuring of the show around the central couple works, because they were always my favorite part.

--The biggest NBC programming shake-up amongst its existing properties was with Community.  Producing partner Sony Pictures chose not to renew the contract with beloved series creator Dan Harmon.  Fans of the quirky, but low rated series were apoplectic.  Why not just cancel it outright, rather than rip the very heady heart out of the show?  Well, Joel McHale, Allison Brie and Danny Pudi are going to be big stars in their next series.  Donald Glover is on the cusp of being a star everywhere.  It is smart business to keep these folks around and away from the competition.  Plus, without Harmon, there is a chance that Community will become what NBC always wanted, a smart series focused on wildly different people who create their own kind of family.  Kind of like Go On.

--Take it with a grain of salt if need be, but Real Time with Bill Maher is still one of the most engaging and entertaining talking heads show around.

Series blocked in green get an unequivocal recommendation; series blocked in yellow are recommended but cautiously.

It's funny.....

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Not funny "haha", but funny "weird", "odd", "hard to describe".

My mother-in-law gave me my DH's high school class ring after we were married. DH smashed up his hand senior year in a football game and never was able to wear it again. It spent years in my jewelry box. I put it on the day they announced they were closing "our" school- the one he went to and where I taught so happily for 10 years. I wore it constantly until shortly before I started at my new school last fall.

I took the picture above yesterday. 

Last week I discovered a wonderful group- The American Soldier Memorial Project. They make hand-stitched memorials for the families of service men and women who died in Iraq and Afghanistan. I immediately thought that this would make a wonderful project for me for the summer. Sure, I have more WIPs (works in progress) than I can count already, but this one would have meaning.

I joined the group, and Tuesday evening I was emailing back and forth with the Pennsylvania rep about picking a name from their long list- there are way more heroes than there are stitchers volunteering. In between emails I checked my messages- and got a kick-in-the-stomach piece of news: another CD grad had died, this time in Afghanistan. John was from the class of 2009, and still only 19 years old. 



It turned into a long evening of reading messages and posts from the stunned CD community. The question, whispered before, was again asked: "Did closing us down also curse us?" It really is beginning to feel like it might be true.


At some point Tuesday night I emailed to the ASMP rep and told her to ignore all the previous emails- I now had a soldier to stitch for who was very personal to me. 


Since Tuesday night there have been newspaper and TV reports to read and watch, messages to answer and chats to try to comfort the kids. 



Next week there will be a funeral. Until then there is the sadness and the waiting.

I went to bed Tuesday night but was unable to sleep. I don't know what made me think to do it, but about 1AM I got up, went to my jewelry box, and put on the ring. It is large and heavy- a man's ring- and I am always aware of it when I wear it. I fell asleep almost immediately.

It's "just a piece of jewelry" is what anyone would say. I cannot explain. All I know is that I am again wearing "our" CD ring and somehow it has comforted me in the last few days. 

Losing Vince, age 18, to cancer in January was terrible. Losing Mark, age 19, two weeks later, to the gas explosion at which he was a first responder, was terrible. Losing John now, age 19, as a hero who died in the service of our country, is terrible.

Losing our school was an awful experience and continues to cause pain to so many. Not having a "home" as we go through these tragedies makes the pain a little worse and the grieving even more difficult. 

But I know that this wonderful community will again come through, this time for John's family and friends, and for one another. The ring reminds me that although the building may be closed, the REAL CD is in its people and their amazing spirit. As long as any of us are alive to remember and share that spirit, CD lives. And, in our memories, so do Vince and Mark and John.

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It's been a long time since I've been here. August was hectic- most of it good, some of it not so. 

Our landlord at our beloved "little house" at the shore died. He was a good man and a good friend and I will miss him. We do not know yet the disposition of the house, so we don't know if we will be able to go back.

Much of August was spent in Florida- with Auntie for almost a week, then a week at Disney World. We had a wonderful time throughout. We did some preliminary house-hunting in the area north of Tampa and found a neighborhood we really like- so we are that much closer to my dream of a home in Florida!

We drove home being chased up the coast by Hurricane Irene- it was an interesting trip, lol! I attended the funeral of the father of 3 of my students, who had died suddenly, the morning the hurricane started here. Lived through the hurricane with minimal damage, thank goodness, then as soon as the weather cleared, drove to the shore to attend our landlord's funeral the day after the hurricane.

We were able to spend Labor Day weekend at the shore and it was quiet and relaxing, except for all the packing up. 

Then came THE STRIKE! We, the Catholic high school teachers in Philadelphia, are on strike. The issues are too many to go into here, but it comes down to changes in work rules that would be so punitive that we could not agree. Those changes were proposed in March and in May we had a general meeting where the teachers voted unanimously to strike if certain clauses remained among the demands of the Office of Catholic Education. Well, come the end of August and OCE continued to demand their way. The teachers' union has offered, repeatedly, to work under the old contract with a mediator during continued negotiations, but the Archdiocese refused and closed the schools.

Now we are walking picket lines and kids are at home. OCE officials go on TV and talk to the newspapers and run us down. One of the Archdiocesan negotiators, an assistant superintendent, said on TV the other day that the union members "are not educators"! Parents are calling us lazy, greedy union thugs. How can I go in front of a class of students who have been hearing and reading all this? Needless to say, I am severely depressed.

Those who have read here for any length of time know how I feel about my students and my job. However, after the pain of the closing of Cardinal Dougherty, the stress of adjusting to a new school, and now this, I am so discouraged I don't know what to do. 


For now, I think I'll just go back to bed, pull the covers over my head, and wish it would all be a bad dream.

Media Rants: Scott Walker and the WI Media's View From Nowhere

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Scott Walker and the Wisconsin Media’s View from Nowhere

Media Rants

By

Tony Palmeri

Back in January of 1991 I traveled to Milwaukee to participate in a protest against Bush #41’s invasion of Iraq. Thousands rallied. An hour into the event, less than a dozen counter protesters showed up to back Bush. I went back to Oshkosh and eagerly anticipated news of the event.

Watching the mainstream media coverage, a few things stood out. First, the protest event itself was framed as a kind of political Olympics, an arena battle between competing teams. Second, the reporters and editorialists situated themselves as being outside the arena; just spectators watching and commenting on the action. Third, the coverage seemed lazy; i.e. simple “here’s what team ‘A’ says about the claims of team ‘B’” as opposed to a systematic and rigorous search for the truth. Fourth, after concluding that both teams were “outside the mainstream,” the media referees announced their own “moderate” views that were supposedly “objective” and ruled by reason and common sense not found in the rhetoric of the passionate Olympic teams.

Media treatment of the revolt of large numbers of working Wisconsinites against Governor Scott Walker’s plan to decimate public sector unions reminds me of that war coverage. Bill Lueders of the Madison Isthmus sees the pattern in the Wisconsin State Journal’s editorializing: “Two days after saying that moves to strip the collective bargaining rights of almost all public employees ‘aren't justified,’ it now urged that this be done, albeit just for the next two years, until June 2013. It also opined, ‘The chaos we're experiencing in Wisconsin is simply the extreme manifestation of politics as usual,’ suggesting that all sides are equally to blame for their inability to let go of excessive partisanship.”

The local Oshkosh Northwestern has been more critical of Mr. Walker’s bill, including a fine February 15 editorial exposing its draconian and unfair features. But then on February 19th the paper went back to an “objective” stance and concluded that both Republicans and Democrats were at fault for practicing a “politics that push issues to the far edges of ideology.” Thank goodness the editorial writers are always so moderate and responsible. (Sarcasm intended).

Mainstream television and radio coverage of protest events is typically much worse than newspapers, and that’s certainly been the case in Wisconsin. From TV especially it’s almost impossible to tell who is telling truth in the conflict. Instead, the “objective” newscaster tells us what each side says, with sensational pictures as a backdrop.

New York University Professor of Journalism Jay Rosen refers to the dominant style of American journalism as “the view from nowhere.” When I first became aware of Rosen’s idea in the mid 2000’s I thought he was perfectly describing the coverage of that earlier Iraq War protest and virtually all other substantive issues. As we shall see, the idea captures what’s going on in the Wisconsin media’s construction of Scott Walker’s row with unions.

Influenced by philosopher Thomas Nagel’s book of the same title, Rosen describes three elements of the “View from Nowhere”:

In pro journalism, American style, the View from Nowhere is a bid for trust that advertises the viewlessness of the news producer. Frequently it places the journalist between polarized extremes, and calls that neither-nor position “impartial.” Second, it’s a means of defense against a style of criticism that is fully anticipated: charges of bias originating in partisan politics and the two-party system. Third: it’s an attempt to secure a kind of universal legitimacy that is implicitly denied to those who stake out positions or betray a point of view. American journalists have almost a lust for the View from Nowhere because they think it has more authority than any other possible stance.

I can guarantee you that the folks who run the Wisconsin State Journal and Oshkosh Northwestern, along with every other mainstream print and electronic news source in Wisconsin, would defend their reporting and editorializing as “balanced.” They would say something like, “pro Walker readers think we are too liberal. Pro union readers think we are too conservative. We must be doing our jobs very well if we offend every side of the political spectrum.”

In contrast Rosen says “The View from Nowhere . . . encourages journalists to develop bad habits. Like: criticism from both sides is a sign that you’re doing something right, when you could be doing everything wrong.” Allowing constant repetition of false or inaccurate claims is one of the worst characteristics of a View from Nowhere news operation.

To their credit, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tries to hold public figures more accountable with a “PolitiFact” section. Reporters research statements of public figures and rate them on a “Truth-O-Meter:” True, Mostly True, Half True, Barely True, False and “Pants on Fire” for utterly ridiculous statements.

The Governor’s political opponents have shown some blatant distortions in Walker’s rhetoric, and even the Journal Sentinel gave him a “pants on fire” rating for the claim that the budget keeps collective bargaining “fully intact.” Media still let Walker and his fans get away with that claim or variations on it.

All news outlets need a Truth Meter to apply not only to statements of public figures, but to their own reporting and editorializing.