"Jesus said, 'Mother, I couldn't stay another day longer.' He flies right by and leaves a kiss upon her face. While the angels are singin' his praises in a blaze of glory, Mary stays behind and starts cleaning up the place." ~patty griffin

I'm going to try and post more often now. My latest catch-up entry was a long one (scroll down), so I'll try to stay more up to date so I don't have to do those catch-ups.

My initial reaction to the Emmy nominations, announced this morning:

I'm disappointed that the Emmys still fail to recognize that Parks and Recreation is the best comedy on TV. At least Amy Poehler was nominated (she better win this time). Where's the nod for best comedy, though? And why didn't Adam Scott get a nomination this year? And Nick Offerman? I honestly believe this is the best comedy on TV, and I'm baffled as to why the Emmys continually fail to acknowledge it. 

I'm happy for Homeland. Of course Claire Danes and Damien Lewis were nominated for their leading roles, which is awesome but not surprising. I'm SO thrilled that Morena Baccarin and Mandy Patinkin were nominated in the supporting categories, and Rupert Friend in the guest actor category. Five acting nominations ain't bad! (Along with noms in the categories for writing, directing, and best drama.)

I'm super thrilled for Anna Chlumsky being nominated for best supporting actress in a comedy. She's my favorite thing about Veep, I've been a fan of hers since she was Vada Sultenfuss in My Girl (oh, My Girl, how I love you), and it's been lovely seeing her all grown up and showing her comedy chops on this show.
(Sidebar on Anna Chlumsky: I also love that she's a New Yorker and a theater junkie. She was super sweet when I met her at a show I was ushering for. And she just had a baby, so congrats to her! And I love the name Penelope.)

I'm also thrilled for Kerry Washington's nomination for best actress in a drama. She's fabulous in Scandal, so I'm glad she was noticed. I think the show should have been nominated for best drama, and it would have been nice to see Jeff Perry get a supporting nod, but at least Kerry Washington got nominated.

How did Hayden Panettiere not get nominated for supporting actress in a drama for her work in Nashville? Her performance in the season finale alone should have WON her the award. Seriously. I've watched it multiple times because I'm so in awe. I'm glad Connie Britton was nominated for best actress in a drama for Nashville, but her costar should have also been recognized.

I wish The Walking Dead, Parenthood, and Covert Affairs had been recognized.


On a related note, Covert Affairs is back! The fourth season premiered this week. This is one of those shows where each season is better than the last (I absolutely loved the third season), so I have high hopes. They're already dropping bombshells and bringing the action.


That's all for now. I'm heading to North Carolina for the weekend, and hopefully I'll return with some pictures to share.

Oh my goodness, it's summer and I'm busier than ever. I know I haven't posted in forever; I just haven't had time. I have many concerts and Broadway shows to write about and can't review in depth right now, so I'll give you some highlights. Here's some bullet points on the last couple of months:

Broadway:
Matilda was my favorite new show of the season. I absolutely loved it (and my students did, too; they also loved the backstage tour we were fortunate enough to take). It's a lovely, lovely show.

Concerts:   
Big Star's Third was a highlight. Big Star is a tragically under-appreciated band, so it was wonderful to see this tribute to them. I was thrilled to see Pete Yorn, Sharon Van Etten, Kurt Vile, Mike Mills (those four are pictured in the first four photos on the left), and many other talented musicians sharing the stage to perform this brilliant album. I'd pay money to see each of those artists, so to see them all together was perfect. The concert was at Central Park Summerstage, one of my favorite venues, and I got a spot in the front row.

Another highlight was Dave Matthews Band at Woodstock. This is an ideal venue for the band; it's a beautiful outdoor setting. I went with my friends Bill and Amy and a bunch of hikers (more about that later). We tailgated before the show (let me tell you, DMB fans know how to tailgate) and then grabbed seats on the lawn to enjoy band, who definitely know how to put on a live show. They seriously are one of the best live acts around; they're all incredible musicians, and they've spent so much time touring over the last couple of decades that they're constantly exploring their music and continue to find new ways to make their songs fresh and meaningful. Highlights of this show for me were "Warehouse" (oh my goodness, I love that song), "Jimi Thing," "So Damn Lucky," and the closer, "Ants Marching." I remember memorizing "Ants Marching" in high school by listening to it over and over and over again, and by looking up the lyrics so I could perfect the "Candy man, tempting the thoughts of a sweet tooth..." part. I still have the song completely memorized more than ten years later, and hearing it close out the concert was a perfect ending to the show.

Visits: 
I've spent time with my friend Kim, and I also stayed with Bill and Amy. Bill and Amy live right next to the Appalachian Trail, so they give thru-hikers a place to stay. A bunch of hikers came to the DMB concert with us, and even more came to Bill and Amy's Fourth of July party. Every year they have a party on the 4th, and they invite hikers along the trail. This year there were 38 hikers (and 50 people total at the party). It wasn't just a day-long party; for the few days that I was there, the house was filled with people. I got to meet so many interesting characters; it was an incredible experience. I already can't wait for next year.

Movies: 
I went to the premiere of The Way, Way Back, which was a blast. I loved the film, and it was cool to rub elbows with Toni Collette (LOVE her, and she's even more gorgeous and sweet in person), Steve Carrell,  Sam Rockwell, Allison Janney, AnnaSophia Robb, and more. The movie is funny and bittersweet and I highly recommend it.

Another movie I really enjoyed was Fruitvale Station. It broke my heart. Even though you go into it knowing the story and knowing how it will end, it still has a tremendous emotional impact, mostly because of Michael B. Jordan's performance. I've been a fan of his since Friday Night Lights (and I enjoyed him on Parenthood), and it's great to see him carrying a film.

Random: 
I went to a taping of Live with Kelly and Michael (Nick Cannon and Sasha Alexander were the guests), I went to Random House's Annual Author's Event for NYC Educators, and I've seen some cool performances at Lincoln Center through the class I've been taking.

 

So basically I'm busier than ever, even though school's out. I have lots of mini-vacations coming up, which I'll share about. 

ETA: Today's a sad day for a few reasons. Here's one of them. I took this photo a few years ago, and I love his smile in it. RIP Cory Monteith. 

Today I'm cheering myself up by going to see Zachary Levi on Broadway in First Date and then going to ASSSCAT at UCB in the evening. 

I'll leave you with a recent cuddle session. 

 "You didn't see me, I was falling apart. I was a white girl in a crowd of white girls in a park. You didn't see me, I was falling apart. I was a television version of a person with a broken heart. You didn't see me, I was falling apart. I was a white girl in a crowd of white girls in a park. You didn't see me, I was falling apart. I was a television version of a person with a broken heart." ~the national

I can't believe I haven't written about meeting The National yet (and seeing them in concert from swanky box seats that I won). I've been busy, and this blog post seemed like a massive undertaking that I wasn't ready to handle. But it has to be written (even if it's just to remind myself that it happened, because sometimes I think I dreamed it up), so here goes. Get ready; this is a long one, and it's mostly for myself.

 (With Matt Berninger, lead singer of The National and my favorite musician)

I won a radio contest for a Meet-and-Greet with my absolute favorite band in the world, The National (included in the prize were box seats to their concert at the Barclays Center, but I already had two pairs of tickets to the concert before I won, so the tickets were just an added bonus to the Meet-and-Greet for me). I've seen the band live 16 times, I've memorized all their songs, and I cannot put into words how much their music means to me. My main goal was to remain sane when meeting them. I arrived in the suite before the show, and it was stocked with lots of yummy food and drinks. There were a few other contest winners there. After about half an hour, the band walked in. It was surreal; they were just some normal, friendly-looking guys walking into a room, and it seemed like such an everyday occurrence, yet it was also like I was watching their entrance from outside my body and completely freaking out because I knew these seemingly average guys were geniuses. They extended their hands in greeting; Scott approached me first and seemed surprised that I knew his name when I said, "Hi Scott, I'm Claire." I shook all of their hands, and they explored the suite; Matt poured himself a vodka and Red Bull. I started out talking to Scott and Bryce (I'm 99% sure it was Bryce; he and Aaron are identical twins, and although I can usually tell them apart, my brain is a bit fuzzy about that night). People mingled, and Matt (the lead singer) ended up starting a conversation with me. I miraculously managed to keep it together and maintain a conversation with him. I loved listening to him. He is funny, kind, humble, self-deprecating, and charming. I talked to him about the recent PS1 exhibition "A Lot of Sorrow" (which I attended and blogged about already) and told him that I was surprised to see the song "Sorrow" on recent setlists; I thought they'd be sick of it after playing it for six hours straight. He said he thought it was on their setlist for that night's show (Aaron writes the setlists so Matt wasn't sure at the time; they did end up playing it that night), and he said that the PS1 experience actually helped the band better understand the song. I asked if the band would consider doing another run of shows at the Beacon Theatre (they did six shows in a row there in December 2011), and he said possibly, although it was a tiring experience. I told him I liked that run because they varied the setlist each night, and he seemed surprised, like he didn't remember. He said on a tour usually 90% of the setlist stays the same (which I knew), but I told him they did a handful of rarities spread out over those six shows that I was thrilled to hear, like "Santa Clara." He seemed happy to hear that. We talked more about "A Lot of Sorrow" and about the Barclays Center and Brooklyn. There was more I wanted to talk to him about (like his brother's fabulous documentary Mistaken for Strangers), but the band had to go get ready for the show, so we took some photos and they left. I actually had a long conversation with my favorite musician. I wasn't distracted enough by those piercing blue eyes to be struck dumb; I actually spoke to him and listened carefully to him, soaking in everything he said. It's one of those occurrences that you dream about but never expect to actually happen, so I still can't believe it was real. It made the concert even more special, because I kept thinking about how those guys who were onstage captivating 18,000 fans had just been in the same room as me, talking to me.

(With the band and the other winners)

The concert was great. Given what I know about their setlists (I knew they weren't going to bring out some crazy, rare song like "The Thrilling of Claire"), I was thrilled with that night's setlist (and I'm proud to say I predicted the encore exactly). They played my favorite songs from the new album ("Graceless," "I Should Live in Salt," "Pink Rabbits," "Humiliation") and a good mix of older songs. I love hearing my favorites "Apartment Story" and "About Today," and "Mr. November," "Abel," "Squalor Victoria" and "Afraid of Everyone" are great arena songs. They somehow made the concert seem simultaneously epic and intimate. There are many glowing reviews (from professionals) about the concert which are interesting; Vulture's includes interviews and presents a nice look at the band's progress, Consequence of Sound's emphasizes the specialness of the hometown show (the band is from Brooklyn), The Village Voice's praises the ability of this indie band to captivate a large arena, The New York Post's marvels at the band's ability to achieve both power and intimacy, and Rolling Stone's raves about the band's triumph in doing what they do best and constructing a finely-tuned set that perfectly displayed their musicality. In some ways it's difficult to watch my favorite band become so popular that they end up headlining arena shows, because it makes it less likely for me to be able to see them in smaller venues, but I'm happy for their success. I honestly think Matt Berninger is the best lyricist currently writing music, so more people should be listening to him.

The show was broadcast on the radio, so here are the songs for your listening pleasure* (it's on two playlists because it wouldn't all fit in one; the second one is the encore). It's obviously great quality because it's from a radio broadcast, and it was a fabulous show, so you should listen:

Encore:

I haven't even written a review of the new album (Trouble Will Find Me) yet. Soon?

*Audio kindly ripped by solace and tracked by mgico at the forums.

 This is a theater post. I've seen four shows in the past week that I need to write about, but that will have to wait. For now, this is more important:

The Tony Awards are tomorrow! I love the Tony Awards, mostly because of the performances. I don't take the awards too seriously anymore because I believe the most deserving people often don't win just because of stupid factors, like celebrity (Tom Hanks will probably win just because he's Tom Hanks, and that really frustrates me because Tracy Letts was absolutely brilliant in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?). Anyway, I'll still enjoy watching the telecast. Here are my predictions (who I think will win, not whom I want to win):

Best Play	Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Best Musical	Matilda The Musical
Best Revival of a Play	Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Best Revival of a Musical	Pippin
Best Book of a Musical	Matilda The Musical - Dennis Kelly
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics)	Kinky Boots - Music and Lyrics: Cyndi Lauper
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play	Tom Hanks - Lucky Guy
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play	Cicely Tyson - The Trip to Bountiful
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical	Billy Porter - Kinky Boots
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical	Patina Miller - Pippin
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play	Danny Burstein - Golden Boy
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play	Judith Light - The Assembled Parties
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical	Terrence Mann - Pippin
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical	Andrea Martin - Pippin
Best Direction of a Play	Nicholas Martin - Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Best Direction of a Musical	Diane Paulus - Pippin
Best Choreography	Chet Walker - Pippin
Best Orchestrations	Ethan Popp and Bryan Crook - Motown the Musical
Best Scenic Design of a Play	John Lee Beatty - The Nance
Best Scenic Design of a Musical	Rob Howell- Matilda The Musical
Best Costume Design of a Play	Albert Wolsky - The Heiress
Best Costume Design of a Musical	William Ivey Long - Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella
Best Lighting Design of a Play	Donald Holder - Golden Boy
Best Lighting Design of a Musical	Hugh Vanstone - Matilda The Musical
Best Sound Design of a Play	Peter John Still and Marc Salzberg- Golden Boy
Best Sound Design of a Musical	Johnathan Deans and Garth Helm - Pippin

"In New York he is laid in a glass covered case. He pretends he is dead, people crowd 'round to see him. But each night she comes 'round, and the two wander down the halls of the tomb that she calls a museum. Often he stops to rest, then less and less, then it's her that looks tired, staying up asking questions. He learns how to read from the papers that she is writing about him, and he makes corrections. It's his face on her book, more come to look. Families from Iowa, Upper West-Siders. Then one day it's too much, he decides to get up, and as chaos ensues he walks outside to find her. She is using a cane, and her face looks too pale. But she's happy to see him, as they walk he supports her. She asks, "Are you cursed?" But his answer is obscured in a sandstorm of flashbulbs and rowdy reporters." ~josh ritter


I've posted a lot about The National lately, and there's more to come (including my thoughts on their newest album and a concert post after I see them next week), but for now I'm taking a break to write about a concert I went to last weekend. I've been so busy that I haven't had time to track and upload audio/video until today. It's a lot of work.

On May 18th, I went to see Josh Ritter and The Felice Brothers. I got a spot in the front row, which is always nice, especially for a shortie like me. I mostly went to see The Felice Brothers, who were the opening act. I think I've posted about them a lot; they're one of my favorite bands (in my top 5 at least). They're a lot of fun live, and this show was no exception. I always like to hear new songs, so a highlight for me was "Butch Cassidy." It was also nice to hear a couple of my faves, "Frankie's Gun" and "Saint Stephen's End." Here's my audio:

and some photos:

The coolest about seeing The Felice Brothers this time was meeting them after the show. They were hanging out at the merch booth, so I went and talked to them, and they were SO incredibly nice. They signed a CD for me (writing, Thanks Claire, we love you) and were perfectly happy to stand there and chat. I took a photo with Ian Felice (the lead singer). They were just so kind and friendly, and it made me really, really happy.

Josh Ritter was the headliner of the concert, and his set was one of the most uplifting, feel-good sets I've ever heard. He had the biggest smile plastered on his face throughout the show; he seemed so grateful and happy to be there, and he made the most of the experience. He played a lot of songs from his newest album (which is awesome) as well as some old favorites. I was most excited to hear "The Curse" (quoted in the opener of this post; I love the story it tells), "Change of Time," and "Joy to You Baby." Do yourself a favor and listen to my audio or video. I recommend starting with "The Curse," which starts my favorite part of the show. After that he does the two best songs from the new album (in my opinion), "Joy to You Baby" and "New Lover."

I took video of both shows, but my video of The Felice Brothers is really shaky because I can't help but dance to their music, so I was moving around a lot. I haven't uploaded those videos yet, but I might later, so check back here. I controlled myself a bit more during Josh Ritter. I uploaded my favorite videos from his set; I could only limit myself to eight (I loved the whole show). If anyone reading this is dying for a video of another song (or of The Felice Brothers), let me know. Here's the playlist (definitely check out "The Curse," "Joy to You Baby," and "Change of Time"):

Overall it was a great concert, and I was thrilled to be there.