Good Songs for a Rainy Day

With this constant rain, sometimes all you can do is embrace/ accept it. However, that doesn't mean you can't have an awesome soundtrack to go with it. Here are some rain-inspired tunes that might help you accept what you cannot change (even though global warming might just change things for us):

"Singin' in the Rain" by Gene Kelly - It doesn't get any better than this.


"Rain" by Madonna


"Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" by B. J. Thomas - A random piece of trivia I learned from NPR: this was President Lyndon Johnson's favorite song. He would listen to it whenever he needed a boost, and the song was part of the tour of the LBJ Ranch at one point.

Sites to Help You Survive Without Wheels in Beantown

As I near my anniversary of my move to Boston three years ago, I've been thinking of all of the services I have found that have made things a little easier. Here are a few services and sites that can help you get things done if you are carless in Boston:

• RunMyErrand - I did an earlier post about this site, and while I still think that using it all of the time can get rather pricey, it is a great concept. Plus it has wonderful customer service (I actually had someone who worked for the site call me to get my feedback), and the runners I have used have all been very prompt and professional. If you need a little help getting things in the city, I highly recommend using this!
  
• Zipcar - Despite my fear of driving in Boston, Zipcars can be very helpful. You rent cars for a set amount of time (anywhere from an hour to a day), and gas, parking, and insurance are all included! Also, the cars are located throughout the city, so it is pretty easy to locate one close to you.
  
• Hopstop.com and MBTA.com - Public transportation in Boston can be a little unpredictable, but it is still the cheapest way to get around the city. Both of these sites have tools that let you plan out your trip using the bus, subway, and commuter rail. Just be certain to check out the Red Sox schedule if you want to avoid insanity on the Green Line.
  
• Roche Bros Grocery Delivery - For a long time, I was convinced that Peapod was the only delivery grocery company in town. However, I found Roche Brothers and am now a complete convert. Besides having a bigger selection of items that Peapod, the delivery people are very courteous and the entire company seems very concerned with the customer. I also recommend their stores, which a friend of mine described as "Whole Foods quality with Shaw's prices."
• Foodler and GrubHub - Sometimes you just don't feel like cooking. However, food delivery is just a few mouse clicks away. Both of these sites show various restaurants that deliver in the Boston area. When you enter your address, they will only show the restaurants delivering to your area. It doesn't get much more simple than that!

One More Great Michael Jackson Moment

"Rockin' Robin" - Look at how young and happy they all seem to be! If you look at this video on YouTube, there are some funny/ sad comments by viewers who couldn't figure out which one was Michael (for people who were only familiar with MJ in the 1990s and later, this is an understandable mistake).

Remembering Michael Jackson's Best Moments

Although the past two decades of Michael Jackson's life have been the stuff that tabloid dreams are made of (the marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, the charges of child molestation, the bizarre personal behavior), I have been heartened to see that the various news specials that have aired tonight have also acknowledged his incredible talent as well as his immense influence on music and popular culture. Before the internet and the iPod, Michael had a following that, at the time, seemed impossible to comprehend.

During the 1980s and very early 1990s (before the insanity of his private life started to eclipse his career), everything that Jackson did was a major event. For a moment, try to forget all of the craziness and scandal in his later years and enjoy some of my favorite MJ memories:

"Do the Bartman" - Besides guest starring on an episode of The Simpsons ("Stark Raving Dad"), Jackson also decided to write a song for Bart. While it is one of his lesser-known compositions, this song and video always makes me smile, if only because it was a combination of two titans of pop culture (at the time).

"Black or White" - I remember when this video premiered (it was a HUGE deal). While the song and the ending of the video (where Michael vandalizes a car) were criticized, this is one of last songs Michael released that I truly enjoyed.

"The Way You Make Me Feel" - Immortalized in the insane final ballet in the movie Center Stage, "The Way You Make Me Feel" is one of the quintessential Jackson tunes. While the video is kind of creepy (Michael is essentially stalking a girl with a bunch of guys egging him on), seeing him dance almost makes up for the squick factor.

"Smooth Criminal" - Superior to the Alien Ant Farm version in every way.

RunMyErrand: Making Life in Boston a Little Easier (for a Price)

Although I have lived in Boston for several years now and enjoy the fact that I don't have to deal with car ownership (no insurance, no parking woes, no paying for gas), there are times when having a car would be very helpful. Despite my ZipCar membership, I am a little skittish about driving in Boston, particularly areas that I do not know very well. Consequently, that can make life a little difficult.

However, through the magic that is the ZipCar newsletter, I found out about RunMyErrand.com, a website that allows people to sign up and post errands, such as picking up dry cleaning or dropping off a package. The runners who do the errands are then paid in credits the senders have purchased through the website. So far I've used the service twice and have had a positive experience both times.

Of course, this convenience comes with a price. According to the site, most errands go for 10 to 15 credits (each credit equals $1.00). The price is determined by level of difficulty, location, and the time it will take to complete the errand. You set your price, but you can also make it negotiable in order to entice runners to sign up for your errand. When you purchase credits through the site, there is an additional fee added. However, the upside to all of this is that you don't need to have cash on hand to pay your runner, and you can even pay the runner for unpaid purchases they pick up using the credits.

While this isn't something that I will use frequently since it can get a little pricey, it does make a great alternative to using a ZipCar to run a simple errand. As an added bonus, RunMyErrand is currently offering the first errand ($10.00 or under) for free. If you are carless in Boston or just need an occasional hand running errands, RunMyErrand might be the answer to some of your problems.

The 2009 Tony Awards: Proving that You Can Be "Whelmed"

Finally, here is my take on the dizzying highs and terrifying lows of the 2009 Tonys:

The Highlights:

• I have never been a big fan of Hair, but their showing at the Tonys won me over. "Hair" was fun and energetic, and "Let the Sunshine In" was transcendent. Watching the cast run into the aisles, dance with the other nominees and audience members (Elton John looked so happy), and throw flowers was a nearly perfect moment. Overall, the cast's overwhelming enthusiasm and passion were infectious, and I liked how humble the entire cast and production team seemed, even as they won for Best Revival of a Musical. I also loved how happy Gavin Creel looked when he was giving a standing ovation to the three actors who won Best Actor in a Musical for Billy Elliot. That's class.
• Neil Patrick Harris wasn't given much to do, but he was a great host (for the little time that we saw him). He was smart, charming, funny, and subtle, which made him a breath of fresh air after the insanity that was Whoppi. His closing number was also fantastic. Dear Tony producers: Please bring NPH back next year (and let him do more)!
• Angela Lansbury's speech was lovely - very articulate and gracious. She also did a wonderful job presenting Jerry Herman the Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Anne Hathaway looked so damn happy to be there, and it was nice to see a young, talented Hollywood actress (I know, she started off in theatre, but still) be so excited at the ceremonies. Whether she was introducing "Hair," enjoying Liza's performance, or just reacting to whatever was happening onstage (the cameras kept cutting to her for some reason), she looked like she was psyched.
• I know that this is complete schadenfreude, but I'm convinced that the theatre gods were smiting Bret Michaels. I've watched his collision with the set numerous times on YouTube, and it never fails to make me giggle like a schoolgirl.
  
• The three boys who won for Billy Elliot (David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish) were adorable. Even though they were a little flustered, it was obvious that they had rehearsed what they were going to say. More importantly, their speech was heartfelt.
  

The Lowlights - There were so many, but here are the worst of the worst (at least in my book)

• The technical aspects of the show were atrocious! As a former theatre techie, I hope that someone (perhaps multiple someones) got fired for the shoddy, shoddy work that was done on Tony night. The horrible sound problems, the ADHD-inducing camera work, and other technical snafus were inexcusable, especially when you consider that this show was for THEATRE AWARDS!!! I loved how Audra McDonald and Marcia Gay Hayden were very quick to point out the technical problems that occurred during their brief segments. Honestly, I've worked with high school kids who might have done a better job.
• Usually the Tonys does a pretty good "In Memorium" segment. In past years, the audience was very respectful (unlike the Oscars, no one clapped until the end of the montage). However, this year's was painful on several levels. In addition to the producer/ director's questionable choice of using a choral version of "What I Did for Love," the camera work made it impossible for us at home to see who was being shown on the screens. Also, for the first time in my memory, the audience clapped for specific people during the montage, which made a potentially moving moment a morbid popularity contest.
  
• Oh Alice Ripley - I and many others had a great deal of good will towards you, and you managed to diminish it or completely kill it with your acceptance speech for Best Actress in a Musical. Yelling at the audience was jarring and unnecessary (for a moment I wondered if she was channeling her mentally unstable character from Next to Normal), and a lot of people thought the entire speech was condescending and pretentious. This is unfortunate because you are talented, and from all reports, your Tony was well-deserved. Next time, work being likable instead of insufferably arrogant and loud.
  
• While featuring some touring shows might have seemed like a good idea in theory, the reality was a terrible, confusing, off-key mess. The worst of the three definitely was Mamma Mia!, but Jersey Boys and Legally Blonde the Musical were awful as well. Jersey Boys needs to be retired from the Tonys for at least a decade or two - according to one site, the show has been featured three times in the past four years. There were other shows, like the straight plays, that deserved to be featured.
• The straight plays continue to get the shaft. While they actually got to have a tiny clip on the broadcast this year, the clips were less than 20 seconds each (I got my stopwatch out and timed them). I would much rather see the straight plays get some respect than suffer through another damn performance of "Dancing Queen."

The Tonys (part III)

For those of you in cyber world who want even more about the Tonys, here are my thoughts on the production numbers from the "Best Revival of a Musical" shows for your reading pleasure:

• West Side Story - WSS opted to go the classic route with "The Dance at the Gym." However, I've got mixed feelings about this. On the plus side, Jerome Robbins's choreography was still a feat to behold, the cast was very talented, and this number was a great way to incorporate the entire company in a very organic way. It also did a good job showcasing the leads (particularly Karen Olivio), and even Tony and Maria got a nice moment in the frenzy. Unfortunately, the camera work was sub par (an ongoing theme in this year's broadcast), which made the translation to television a little odd. Also, compared with the great version of the same number done at the Tonys for Jerome Robbins' Broadway, it didn't quite live up to its potential greatness. All in all, however, I thought it was one of the better numbers of the night. It was infinitely understandable and accessible, even people who aren't that familiar with the story (are there people not familiar with WSS?).
• Guys & Dolls - Poor G&D. Not only were they critically trounced, they also had some horrible sound issues, resulting in a stage hand running onstage at the beginning of the number to give Tituss Burgess a new mic. Their offering was the perennial favorite "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat," and Burgess recovered admirably to deliver the number, but the number seemed a little low-energy. What could have been an electrifying showstopper was only "meh." Another problem was the insane backdrop - it was unnecessary, and I initially thought that the Tony crew screwed up and were showing a screensaver behind the cast. Sadly, this was a G&D production choice, and it shows us just why this revival didn't work out so well. Also, why did show's producers decide to not use their leads (Lauren Graham, Oliver Platt, Craig Bierko, and Kate Jennings Grant)?
  
• Hair - The highlight of the monstrous opening number was Hair's giddy "Let the Sunshine In." Sadly, since they had already used that song, they had to go with something else for their main number, and so they turned to the show's title song. On the plus side, the cast was very energetic and their enthusiasm and excitement was palpable (please take a lesson from them, touring companies - they are the real thing). I wasn't crazy about the staging - personally, I thought that they either should have stayed on the stage or had more actors start out in the audience. However, Gavin Creel managed to practically molest James Gandolfini (which seems like a double-edged affront since Gandolfini is bald) without getting a hit placed on him, so it was successful on that account. Best line regarding this goes to Dave Itzkoff on the NYT live blog: "Yeah, you go up to James Gandolfini and run your fingers through his scalp. I dare you."

Coming up in a future post: the highlights, lowlights, and WTF? moments. Stay tuned!