"You must be somewhere in London, you must be lovin' the life in the rain. You must be somewhere in London..." ~the national

I'm leaving for London and Wales tomorrow, so this will be my last post before I return. I had a perfect send-off today; my friend Kelly came to visit, and it was so good to see her and spend the day with her. We ended the evening by joining Nic and seeing Next to Normal, my favorite Broadway show (it was my sixth time seeing it). It was the first night of a new group of cast members. It was wonderful, as always. I'll return in August, hopefully with lots of good pictures and stories!

"Said you didn't love me, didn't want a thing, English girls can be so mean." ~ryan adams

Oh, how I love that song. Notice my England-themed lyrics in my last two posts, and expect that trend to continue. I leave for London on Tuesday!

Our Town was absolutely brilliant. First of all, the Barrow Street Theater is TINY; it doesn't seat many more than 100 people (which is incredibly small for a theater). I was sitting onstage and I felt like I was part of the play, but I imagine you'd feel like that wherever you were sitting. I left the theater (silently) crying. The play (by Thornton Wilder) is simply beautiful, and this production is stunning in its simplicity. Helen Hunt is performing a brief stint as the stage manager, and I can't say enough good things about her performance. She is perfect. I'm so glad I was able to catch her in it. I could only find one critic who reviewed the production with her (she has a very short run), but here's some of Michael Glitz's review from the Huffington Post:

"Oscar and Emmy winner Helen Hunt fits in perfectly, her no-nonsense demeanor just right for the Stage Manager. She's matter of fact at first, but allows just enough wryness to leaven the play's brutal attitude, allows just enough emotion to color the edges of her lines to soften the blow of the finale. Unlike most productions of Our Town, this one comes much closer to the heart of Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece....
....But what a punch it still packs. Hunt (who played Emily during that Lincoln Center run back in 1989) keeps the audience on its toes, not allowing anyone to settle back in anticipation of homespun wisdom. And as the lights dim for the third act, everyone is drawn in completely. As usual, the set is bare-bones. But the theatrical coup of presenting Emily's flashback in a realistic set hidden behind a curtain is breathtakingly effective, especially in the small confines of Barrow Street Theatre where the room is so small it almost seems like magic.
If Cromer drops in every once in a while to keep the performances in line and they continue casting Stage Managers as acutely sensitive to the text and the tone of the piece as Hunt, this Our Town can be strongly recommended for a long time to come."

I want to go back and see it again. Here's a nice CBS piece on it. Note the small theater. Helen Hunt is currently playing the role originated by Mr. Cromer. You might not want to watch it if you aren't familiar with the play and don't want to be spoiled.


Ooh, funny story. I was sitting next to a very nice older gentleman visiting from Florida, and we chatted quite a bit before the show. As Helen Hunt entered, he said to me, "Oh, she looks like..." but didn't finish the sentence because the play had begun. During the first intermission, we had this conversation:
Him: What I was about to say when the show started was that she looks like someone who was in a movie with Jack Nicholson.
Me: Helen Hunt? From As Good As It Gets?
Him: Yes! She looks like her.
Me: That is her.
Him: Really? Are you sure?
Me: Yes.
Him: Did you know she was in it?
Me: Yes.
Him: Is she in here? (pointing to his program)
Me: Yes.
I pointed her out in the program and he was amazed. I thought it was funny.

"Famous angels never come through England. England gets the ones you never need." ~the national

My crazy-busy week continues. On Friday I saw the Broadway production of Lend Me a Tenor. It's got a great cast, it's directed by Stanley Tucci, and I thought it was hilarious. I'm such a sucker for farce. It was just a really, really good time.


Yesterday Nic and I went to the Siren Music Festival. We went last year and had a good time, so we returned this year. We got to see the wing-eating contest again (the same person won), and we saw some good bands. It was at least 95 degrees, and even though I wore sunscreen, my back got burned a little. I can't complain, though; it could have been worse.

We headed straight from Coney Island to Central Park to get in line for stand-by tickets to The Winter's Tale at Shakespeare in the Park. It's much less popular than The Merchant of Venice (which we already saw), so we had no trouble getting tickets. I wasn't familiar with the play beforehand, but I enjoyed it. Like Merchant, it's difficult to classify. I guess it's a romance, but the first act in particular is very dark and the whole thing seems tinged with melancholy. I think the two plays go well together. This year Shakespeare in the Park is doing it's plays in rep, which means the plays alternate nights and they share actors. It was nice to see Jesse L. Martin and Jesse Tyler Ferguson with more to do than in The Merchant of Venice.

This morning I went to the movies and saw Inception. I loved it. It's a smart, visually impressive film. I wasn't confused, but I would still like to see it again. I would say more but I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I'll just say go see it.


Tonight I'm seeing the critically-adored off-Broadway production of Our Town, starring Helen Hunt. I have a front row seat. I'm excited. I'll report back.

"But I can't help the feeling I could blow through the ceiling, if I just turn and run. It wears me out, it wears me out. It wears me out, it wears me out." ~radiohead

Spending a good portion of the day waiting in lines (outside) is quite exhausting. Yesterday I went from line to line to line. It was worth it, though. The first line was to see Sting. He was taping a segment for the Early Show, and he performed four songs. I was especially glad he did "Roxanne." And "Englishman in New York." He's promoting his new album Symphonicities, which consists of reworked hits backed by an orchestra. It was interesting to hear "Roxanne" with a whole orchestra behind it.



From the Sting concert, I went straight to a screening of Charlie St. Cloud. Oh, Charlie St. Cloud. The best thing I can say is that it got me out of the hot sun and into air conditioning for a couple of hours. I love the trailer for the film because it uses a song by The National ("Around the Bend"), and the use of Snow Patrol doesn't hurt either, but it's downhill from there. I wanted the movie to surprise me, and for a few minutes in the second half I thought it would, but then of course it....didn't. Maybe most people will like it, but I'm going to use Nic's word and say I thought it was a bit too schmaltzy. I really liked the little kid, though. And by the way, when did Ray Liotta get so old? I still love him and he's still quite handsome, but boy has he aged recently.


From the movie screening, it was down to Castle Clinton in Battery Park with Nic for a Duncan Sheik concert. Duncan Sheik is a Grammy and Tony winner, and I really like his music. I overheard a guy telling his friend who Duncan Sheik is, and he said, "He did that song 'Barely Breathing' a long time ago, and he wrote Spring Awakening." I guess that covers what he's best known for. He was a one-hit wonder with "Barely Breathing," and he went on to compose Spring Awakening (which has some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard onstage). He sang "Barely Breathing" last night, and he also sang a few songs from Spring Awakening. His "Touch Me" was breathtaking. I love that song. "Don't Do Sadness/Blue Wind" was also great. I need to go back and listen to Spring Awakening now. It's just so full of heartbreaking, gorgeous music, and I feel like it stands perfectly on it's own; you don't need to know the show to enjoy it.
He closed with a cover of Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees," which is one of my favorite songs. I had to film that one.


Tonight I'm off to Lend Me a Tenor!

"So I will wait on the edges in between these New York streets, where you and I would meet." ~the gaslight anthem


First, another Weezer tidbit. I know, I know. But this is funny. I met a journalist in the elevator, and he included me in his article. Here's the snippet:

"HP has also gone all-out in social media — on the elevator ride up to the studio, I run into Claire, who won tickets to this intimate show via Twitter contest. The longtime Weezer fan has only followed the band [on twitter] for a few months and never won anything before on the social network. Across the way, I see her bop up and down as Cuomo dances and sings — is she blushing?"

He caught me. I'm sure I was blushing. But how can you not when Rivers Cuomo is singing to you? Hopefully I'll post video soon. It should be up this week.

I have a crazy week this week. I'm seeing five different plays, four concerts...it's crazy. Here are the events that will fill my upcoming days:

Today I saw a new play called Bachelorette. It was funny and dark and I enjoyed it. It's got a great cast. I haven't seen Celia Keenan Bolger in anything since The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (in which she was wonderful), and she looks so different. Maybe because she was playing a kid in that show. Anyway, she was great.

Tomorrow's a concert day; I'm seeing Sting in the morning (I have a ticket to his performance on The Early Show) and Duncan Sheik at night.

Friday I'm seeing Lend Me a Tenor. With Justin Bartha, Tony Shalhoub, Anthony LaPaglia, and Jan Maxwell onstage, you can't go wrong.

Saturday's the Siren Festival in Coney Island. I hope it doesn't rain. I also want to see The Winter's Tale on Saturday. We'll see.

Sunday's Our Town, with Helen Hunt. I can't wait; it's supposed to be a fabulous production. And I do love Helen Hunt.

Monday Kelly's coming!

Tuesday I leave for London.

So yeah, I'm busy. But it's a good busy. I can't imagine having a job where I didn't have my summers off. This is when I cram in the entertainment.

I discovered this fun app and played around with it today; you paste in a writing sample of yours andit tells you what author's style you use. I used two different writing samples (one more academic and one from this blog), and this is what I got:

I write like
Douglas Adams

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

I write like
Kurt Vonnegut

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

It's fun to play around with.

"I have many fears about rejection. I have many memories of pain. I have always been a little shy, So i'll turn and look the other way." ~weezer

Weezer update:

Oh my freakin' goodness, I am freaking out. Rivers Cuomo (yes, that's right, Rivers freakin' Cuomo) serenaded me today. He sang part of "Beverly Hills" to me. I can't even believe it. I was basically onstage in the smallest concert ever; there were fewer than 20 people in the room. He made a lot of eye contact with me, and he shook my hand during one song (yeah, during a song). Luckily it was filmed, so hopefully I'll get ahold of that and can actually watch it. More later when my head is screwed back on. For now:



ETA: I wanted to add this video. They played this song, and I think it's so catchy. It's pure pop, and although I'm not a pop person, I love it. Rivers shook my hand during this song.

They also played this song, and Rivers sang to me (and I sang back).


Annnddd editing again to add one more video. Sorry, but this one is my favorite Weezer song. Unfortunately they didn't play it yesterday. That's okay, though.

"I wish I could get my head out of the sand, 'cause I think we'd make a good team. And you would keep my fingernails clean. But that's just a stupid dream that I won't realize, 'cause I can't even look in your eyes without shaking, and I ain't faking, I'll bring home the turkey if you bring home the bacon. I'm a lot like you so please, hello, I'm here, I'm waiting. I think I'd be good for you and you'd be good for me." ~weezer

I am so freakin' lucky. Seriously. Tomorrow there is a Weezer concert ("The Weezers" according to my mom) in New York. Only 25 people will be attending. I am one of them. Out of who knows how many people, I won a ticket contest. Seriously, a Weezer concert where there are only 25 audience members and my guest and I are two of them?! How amazing is that?! I can't get over it. Can you imagine how intimate a concert that will be? I can't imagine it, but I'll experience it tomorrow. It will be broadcast on the Nasdaq screen in Times Square, and it will also be streaming online here, so you can watch it at 2:30pm EST and look for me. If anyone wants to capture the video for me, that would be super. I'd love to go back and watch it. I love, love, love Weezer. I am so freakin' jazzed for this. I loved their most recent album, Raditude. I loved Make Believe. Of course I loved Pinkerton (which my favorite actor, Zac Levi, raves about here; Weezer is his favorite band). Can you tell I'm excited?

Be on the lookout for an exuberant fangirl post tomorrow, post-concert.

"Then when there's no one to care, I could protect like I've always been there. I'll become your bear." ~m. ward

I don't know why I was so moody this morning, but I totally was. I cried twice at the movies this morning, and I usually don't cry. First I cried during the trailer for Waiting for Superman (even though I've seen the trailer before). Yeah, I know, during the trailer. It's just so sad to me. I was excited to see Geoffrey Canada in the trailer because I saw him speak in person last week at an event for teachers and I was impressed with him. The term "Waiting for Superman" was coined by him.


I went to see the movie The Kids Are All Right this morning (not to be confused with Liz Welch's book with the same title; they're completely unrelated). It was really, really good. I absolutely loved it. All the performances were incredibly strong; Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, and Josh Hutcherson are all at their best here. It just seems so...real. Read better reviews than I can write at rottentomatoes (it has a 95% right now). I cried. And laughed.


Ooh, I went to another movie last night; it was the premiere of Life During Wartime. It was quirky as only a Todd Solondz movie can be (if you don't like his style, don't go see it), but I thought it was good. He introduced the film, which was very cool, and I was sitting among scattered actors and actresses.

"Well, I heard you had the blues again. Seems like all those little things add up in the end. Well, I know that you heard a lot about things you can't control. So many things we like to have, we just cannot hold. You gotta be kind to yourself. You gotta be kind to yourself. You gotta be kind to yourself. You gotta be kind to yourself." ~she & him

photo by sam jones

So I saw She & Him last night at Terminal 5 (an intimate venue that I love). They were amazing. It was just such a fun show. I love their music. I love how it sounds like nothing else being made today. I love Zooey's voice. And Matt's voice. And Matt's guitar. I'm just full of love for this band. They really are amazing. Zooey and Matt are very different; she's bubbly and energetic and he's soulful and quiet. Together, though, they compliment each other perfectly. And their feelings about music are the same.

Zooey is adorable. Here's the official video for "In the Sun" as proof (it really seems to show both of their personalities). I love Matt's obliviousness and I love watching Zooey walk down the hall at the end. It's just so cute:


When she's onstage, Zooey plays a bunch of different instruments (a toy piano, a tambourine, and a ukulele). She also jumps around a lot. Seriously, she just jumps up and down and she's so full of energy that you want to do the same. It's just adorable. Her stage banter is also adorable. Last night she had major problems with her Wurlitzer. Here are some choice quotes from her (all in the recording below):

"I've got a problem with the Wurlitzer. Middle C is totally not in tune. Um...maybe I'll play this song up here, how about that? (begins the song in a really high octave) You know what, maybe let's try down here. It's really bad. It sounds jazzy. It sounds like I'm playing a major 7. Are you okay with major 7? Here we go then." (before "Home")

"Is there a Wurlitzer tuner in the house?" (before "Over It Over Again")

"I've got a problem with my piano. It makes it sound like a little jazz man is living inside. Because it's kind of like...never mind, I'll stop complaining." (before "You Really Got a Hold On Me")

"So let's start again. I just have to figure out where...I have to figure out where I can play this that it won't sound crazy absurd. It's kind of an essential, like, Middle C is kind of an essential, like, note. It's, like, kind of I'm like being faced with, like, a sort of...an issue. I mean, this is an A...okay, it's fine actually. Maybe it'll be okay." (before Don't Look Back")

Despite all Zooey's tuning problems, everything sounded fabulous. Unfortunately there were no cameras allowed. People took pictures anyway (Zooey gave a hilarious lesson on how to turn off your camera's flash), but I was near a security guard (I was very close to the front on Matt's side of the stage) so I couldn't really get away with it. The security guards were very intense, which seemed unnecessary considering it was She & Him, an indie folk rock band with pretty mellow fans. This was the best I could do while hiding my camera:
Zooey wasn't the only one with technical difficulties. I recorded the show with my video camera because I thought I would be allowed to take video. I wasn't allowed, so I just kept it in my pocket and used it to record audio. At the beginning and end of most songs, there's annoying static. It's my fault but I couldn't really avoid it. Most songs are okay, though; "Rave On!" is the only one that really suffered during the middle of the song. I had some really obnoxious people on one side of me who talked through much of the concert. I always hate that. And on the other side of me I had a girl who loved to "whoooo!" constantly. But I don't think any other tapers were there, so I suppose this recording is better than nothing.

"You Really Got a Hold On Me" is my favorite song of theirs, so I was really glad they played it. "Sentimental Heart" is my other fave and they played that one as well. From the new album, "In the Sun" and "Thieves" are my favorites, and they played both of those. I was really happy with the setlist.

Gege, I'm trying a new file host, so if you read this please let me know if you can hear the songs.

Get Your Own Player!

BrooklynVegan has a review of the concert with great pictures.

I'm now ready for a Zooey Deschanel movie marathon. I think I'll start with Almost Famous, my favorite movie ever, and they maybe I'll move on to 500 Days of Summer, because it's really good and Denise reminded me of it yesterday.

Scroll down for my 4th of July post/picspam if you missed it.

Ooh, I'm adding something. Because I love this song so much and I want to share it. During the Terminal 5 concert, there were some songs where the band left the stage and it was just She & Him. This song was one of them (obviously this video isn't from the show I went to, but it's the same situation). I loved those moments. All the She & Him MTVCanada videos are great.

"But I am older now and we did it when we were young. I am older now and we did it when we were young." ~the gaslight anthem

I spent the past five days staying with my friend Kim's family in NJ where I grew up. Our families used to spend the 4th of July together every year, so I decided to continue the tradition. It was a really, really good weekend. I was glad I managed to hit the highlights the area. Thursday was spent in classic Princeton haunts (lunch at Winberie's, ice cream at Halo Pub). On Friday Kim and I went to Great Adventure and rode all the roller coasters; we got there early, so we never had to wait more than 10 minutes in line. Then we went on a shopping spree at the Jackson outlets (and spent way too much money). Saturday morning was spent berry picking, and the afternoon was devoted to baking and games. On Sunday a bunch of people came over for a barbecue (there were 16 of us), and it was lovely. On Monday we stayed inside and played games because it was 102 degrees outside and we didn't want to leave the house. Monday night Matt and I headed back into the city. Kim's mom is an incredibly good cook, so I was spoiled while I stayed there; she fed me very well. I also appreciated the air conditioning. They keep their house very cold, and it was fabulous. The company was the best part, though.

Picspam (I may post more later because Kim has many more than I do, but who knows when she'll send them to me):

Picking raspberries (my favorite fruit):
Our crop:
Our delicious homemade chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting (decorated with our freshly picked fruit):
My patriotic nails:
Red, white, & blue (yeah, we went all-out):
A deer wandering into the backyard, wanting to join the festivities:
Out in Princeton one night:

It was a crazy fun weekend.

NEXT UP: Report from the She & Him concert at Terminal 5 last night. Which was amazing. Stay tuned. That post will be up later today.