tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127234722024-03-13T17:30:43.070-04:00my so-called lifeClairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.comBlogger758125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-34659647644970776162015-10-01T19:31:00.000-04:002015-10-01T19:31:14.713-04:00<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="580" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:5N81AGcPwThTM99QVogoVK" width="500"></iframe><br />
I love love love this song. I can't wait to see Waitress when it arrives on Broadway!Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-38558156771195870042015-09-04T10:45:00.000-04:002015-09-04T10:45:12.968-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Birthday to me.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-75463963076664941072015-08-30T10:54:00.001-04:002015-08-30T10:54:41.099-04:00<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JUO9442NHqU" width="560"></iframe><br />
Here's a video from my second Counting Crows show of the season, at the PNC Bank Arts Center. My friend Sandi and I had lawn tickets but paid $10 to upgrade, so we ended up paying a total of $30 each for what turned out to be pretty great seats (though not front row like we're used to). Anyway, obviously the video quality is crap, and you can hear me singing along, but I filmed this for myself. I love this song. Scroll down for much better video from show #1 (front row). More to come after Atlantic City next weekend!Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-69993279062846596822015-08-21T22:52:00.000-04:002015-08-21T22:52:20.480-04:00<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLQ618kopabsiGXI3UmsP-ju4dr9qGrntl" width="560"></iframe><br />
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This has been an awesome summer for concerts. I saw U2 three times, saw Dave Matthews Band once, and am seeing Counting Crows three times. The first of those three shows was absolutely fantastic. I filmed my favorite songs; watch them above. I can't stop watching.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-18247675012109559132015-06-24T19:04:00.003-04:002015-06-24T19:04:51.606-04:00I'm back, and so soon! Don't worry, this isn't about Fun Home; this time I'm here to further your musical theatre education with this lovely new article about <b>Hamilton</b>, which is an absolutely brilliant show (I've written about it before). <a href="http://www.vogue.com/13268121/hamilton-hip-hop-musical-broadway/" target="_blank">This article from Vogue</a> is definitely worth reading, and the photos (by Annie Leibovitz) are gorgeous.<br />
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Here's the White House video that the article references (I've posted it before, but it's handy to share it again here because it's mentioned in the article, and it does give me chills):<br />
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Here I am with the show's brilliant creator/Hamilton:<br />
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And with Jonathan Groff (King George III):<br />
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I can't wait to see this show again, this time on Broadway (though I worry that it will lose a bit of its charm in a huge Broadway house that holds 1,319 people). I'm so glad I saw the show at the Newman Theater, with a seating capacity of 232 people; it was so intimate, and I loved being able to see the tears on the actors' faces. I'm still excited to see it on Broadway, though; I have tickets for November, but I'd like to see it before then as well.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-21271935748791097872015-06-22T22:42:00.002-04:002015-06-22T22:43:14.741-04:00<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Okay, this'll be my last <b>Fun Home</b> post for awhile. It's just in my mind right now; since seeing the show again, I haven't been able to stop listening to it. The show won five Tony Awards: <span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori won Tonys for Best Book and Best Score, Michael Cerveris won for Best Actor in a musical, Sam Gold won for Best Director of a Musical, and the show won Best Musical. Sydney Lucas gave a beautiful performance of "Ring of Keys" at the ceremony. Have I mentioned I love this song? (Yeah, I have. I raved <a href="http://clairevoyant94.blogspot.com/2013/11/seen-lot-of-theater-lately-but-havent.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://clairevoyant94.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-drama-desk-awards-were-last-night_2.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://clairevoyant94.blogspot.com/2015/06/blog-post.html" target="_blank">here</a>.) I'll stop after this. Just watch. </span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Here I am with the lovely Ms. Lucas: </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">And Tony winner Mr. Cerveris, who is also brilliant in the show (plus my view of the stage from my seat, which was basically </span><i style="color: #141823; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">on</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> the stage): </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Finally, I'll end with a fun video of a song from the show that is guaranteed to make you smile. I promise. Aren't these kids fantastic?!</span><br />
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<embed src="http://www.cbsnews.com/common/video/cbsnews_video.swf" scale="noscale" salign="lt" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" background="#000000" width="425" height="279" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" FlashVars="pType=embed&si=254&pid=ZEEUrMvPE0_k&url=http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/behind-the-scenes-of-the-tony-nominated-musical-fun-home/" />Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-33171353036155657112015-05-05T18:37:00.002-04:002015-05-05T18:39:03.065-04:00Thanks John Oliver.
I think I need a sign that says "Don't f**k me on this!"
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I can't say enough good things about this show. It blew me away; it's definitely one of the best things I've ever seen. This man, Lin-Manuel Miranda, is an absolute genius.<br />
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Jonathan Groff plays King George and he's hilarious. He was also super nice.<br />
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Here's a throwback to Lin-Manuel's Tony acceptance speech for <b>In the Heights</b>. He's wonderful.<br />
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Okay, one more video:<br />
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Last one, I promise. This one's good:<br />
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Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-71709222875456123382015-02-05T17:20:00.000-05:002015-02-05T17:20:14.938-05:00The Stella sisters are one of the main reasons I watch Nashville (along with Hayden Panettiere). Here's a new cover of theirs:<br />
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I have to do a massive theater post soon, because I have a lot of shows to write about.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-32033480293510805022015-01-19T19:53:00.001-05:002015-04-12T12:57:59.456-04:00<iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/148655100&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
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One thing that really makes me fall in love with TV shows is the music. If I love the music on a show, I'm immediately hooked. This was on the latest episode of <b>House of Lies</b>, which is having a great season so far. Just the fact that the show stars Kristen Bell and Don Cheadle is enough for me, so songs like this are just a bonus. This same show was also used on <b>Scorpion</b>, another TV show I watch. (I watch way too many shows.)<br />
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Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-88758083185485137942015-01-16T17:33:00.002-05:002015-01-16T17:33:35.225-05:00This is really old, and it's very possible that I posted it here a couple years ago, but I can't remember so I'm posting it now because I love it. Probably my favorite Key & Peele sketch. Happy Friday!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Dd7FixvoKBw" width="560"></iframe>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-66012731778509082762015-01-11T23:51:00.001-05:002015-01-11T23:51:53.110-05:00Here are my quick Golden Globe reflections, before I go to bed because I have to work tomorrow. (Why are awards shows on Sunday? Ugh.)<br />
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Really happy that <b>The Affair</b> won Best TV Show (Drama) and <b>Ruth Wilson</b> won for Best Actress in a TV Show Drama for <b>The Affair</b>. I love the show, and I can't wait for next season.<br />
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<b>The Grand Budapest Hotel</b> won for Best Picture (Musical/Comedy). Hooray! <b>Birdman</b> was definitely the frontrunner, but I'm not sure that should even be considered a comedy, and although I enjoyed it, I didn't love it as much as most people seemed to. I did enjoy <b>Michael Keaton</b>'s performance very much, so I wasn't disappointed to see him win, but I'm glad the film didn't win Best Picture.<br />
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I'm thrilled that <b>Fargo</b> won Best Miniseries. I love love love <b>Fargo</b>. I just wish <b>Allison Tolman</b> had won for her performance.<br />
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Yay for Julianne Moore! Her performance in <b>Still Alice</b> is heartbreaking and beautiful, so I'm glad she won Best Actress in a Drama (Film). <b>Amy Adams</b> won Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy (Film), and although I loved her in <b>Big Eyes</b>, is that movie really a comedy? I don't know, sometimes these categories confuse me. On the TV side, I'm still not convinced <b>Shameless</b> and <b>Orange is the New Black</b> are comedies, either.<br />
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Anyway, I enjoyed the evening, even though I wish Tina and Amy had been more prominent. I'll miss them as hosts next year.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-49063298140537027542015-01-01T14:39:00.000-05:002015-01-01T14:39:01.543-05:00I absolutely love this combo of songs (which is made even better by the "I am feathered" alts from "A Murder of One" in "A Long December"), and this is a fitting video to share today as we begin a new year (which will hopefully be better than the last). Happy New Year!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/k1-qLq3PtzA?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-85100817467175877142014-12-11T17:24:00.001-05:002014-12-11T17:24:12.397-05:00I love love love this movie, and I can't wait to see it again!<br />
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Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-45910492271555351312014-12-07T16:16:00.005-05:002014-12-07T16:17:39.629-05:00<div class="p1">
<b><u>Claire’s Favorite Books of 2014</u></b></div>
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These are my ten favorite books I read that were published in 2014. There’s a long list of books from this year that I own but have not gotten around to reading, and it’s likely they will influence this list, but I probably won’t get to many of them before the year ends. They are listed at the end. </div>
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1. <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Station-Eleven-Emily-John-Mandel/dp/0385353308/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417985644&sr=8-1&keywords=station+eleven" target="_blank">Station Eleven</a></i></b> - Emily St. John Mandel</div>
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This is a gorgeous dystopian novel that takes place after the Georgian flu has killed 99% of humanity. The story alternates between a few different characters and time periods, but it mostly follows the Traveling Symphony, a group that travels around performing Shakespearean plays and music. This was my favorite book of the year; it’s hopeful and lovely and I didn’t want it to end but could not put it down. </div>
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2. <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fourth-July-Creek-Smith-Henderson/dp/0062286447/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417985676&sr=8-1&keywords=Fourth+of+July+Creek" target="_blank">Fourth of July Creek</a></i></b> - Smith Henderson </div>
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This novel focuses on Pete Snow, a social worker in Montana in the early 1980’s. The story focuses on one particular case he’s working (a young boy who lives in the wilderness with his radical father). The prose is gorgeous. This book broke my heart; I absolutely loved it. It comes in at a close second on my list. </div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">3. </span><b style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Big-Little-Lies-Liane-Moriarty/dp/0399167064/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417985719&sr=8-1&keywords=Big+Little+Lies" target="_blank">Big Little Lies</a></i></b><span style="text-align: center;"> - Liane Moriarty</span><br />
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I love Liane Moriarty. I loved <b><i>The Husband’s Secret </i></b>soooo much, and I didn’t think it was possible, but this novel might be even better. It’s just so entertaining. It’s a mystery, and it’s also hilarious. The characters feel so compellingly real. You will not be able to put it down. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k1ytw8VJhNw/VITDKt7RN0I/AAAAAAAAB5E/YDHcR3OUSNM/s1600/TPG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k1ytw8VJhNw/VITDKt7RN0I/AAAAAAAAB5E/YDHcR3OUSNM/s1600/TPG.jpg" height="200" width="140" /></a></div>
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4. <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Paying-Guests-Sarah-Waters/dp/1594633118/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417985753&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Paying+Guests" target="_blank">The Paying Guests</a></i></b> - Sarah Waters</div>
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You might not expect a historical fiction novel that takes place after World War I to be such a page turner, but oh, how this one is! It may start off slow, but it escalates into a wonderful thriller. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cT1Lu0Dy6ek/VITDK2fpq1I/AAAAAAAAB5Q/lWFIZT_MOHU/s1600/WWL.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cT1Lu0Dy6ek/VITDK2fpq1I/AAAAAAAAB5Q/lWFIZT_MOHU/s1600/WWL.jpeg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div>
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5. <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/We-Were-Liars-E-Lockhart/dp/038574126X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417985782&sr=8-1&keywords=We+Were+Liars" target="_blank">We Were Liars</a></i></b> - E. Lockhart</div>
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This book is pretty divisive, but I love it. I love the use of fairy tales. It’s tragic and intriguing and suspenseful and heartbreaking. It’s a YA novel, but I think it’s a wonderful book for all ages. I became a fan of E. Lockhart with <b><i>The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks</i></b>, and she didn’t disappoint with this novel. (I also met her and she’s absolutely lovely.)</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZziDvH9wrog/VITDKyYwiqI/AAAAAAAAB5M/9g7bj23986s/s1600/Vaulted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZziDvH9wrog/VITDKyYwiqI/AAAAAAAAB5M/9g7bj23986s/s1600/Vaulted.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
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6. <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Their-Vaulted-Arches-Flavia/dp/0385344058/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417985806&sr=8-1&keywords=the+dead+in+their+vaulted+arches" target="_blank">The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (Flavia de Luce #6)</a></i></b> - Alan Bradley</div>
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Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce novel’s are my favorite series. Flavia is one of my absolute favorite literary characters; she’s a young, brilliant chemist/detective who is way too smart for her own good. In this particular novel, she investigates the death of a mysterious stranger. More information about Flavia’s mother is revealed, and Flavia is just as marvelous as usual. The next book in the series comes out very, very, soon, and I have been waiting for it!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ouc7UQD6cqs/VITDKFiegBI/AAAAAAAAB44/EPClc8tIZHc/s1600/Sleep.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ouc7UQD6cqs/VITDKFiegBI/AAAAAAAAB44/EPClc8tIZHc/s1600/Sleep.jpeg" height="200" width="152" /></a></div>
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7. <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Donation-Novella-Kindle-Single-ebook/dp/B00HRGXNQS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417985830&sr=8-1&keywords=sleep+donation" target="_blank">Sleep Donation</a></i></b> - Karen Russell</div>
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Karen Russell’s <b><i>Swamplandia!</i></b> completely bowled me over a few years ago, so I was anxious to read Russell’s new novella, Sleep Donation. It’s not as good as <b><i>Swamplandia!</i></b>, but it’s haunting. It takes place in the near future, when America is facing a plague of insomnia. Trish works for a corporation that collects sleep donations from healthy sleepers to give to insomniacs. It’s an interesting premise with a deep, philosophical question underlying the story. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f7GeTS7IDmI/VITDKSvASYI/AAAAAAAAB5s/PK3eVKdojrQ/s1600/Sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f7GeTS7IDmI/VITDKSvASYI/AAAAAAAAB5s/PK3eVKdojrQ/s1600/Sun.jpg" /></a></div>
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8.<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ill-Give-You-Jandy-Nelson/dp/0803734964/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417985863&sr=8-1&keywords=ill+give+you+the+sun" target="_blank"> <b><i>I’ll Give You the Sun</i></b> </a>- Jandy Nelson</div>
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This is another YA novel that I think everyone should read. Jude and Noah, twins, alternately tell the story. Noah narrates when they are thirteen and Jude when they are sixteen. I love the way the story is told; alternating between the two time periods/narrators reveals bits of information that you have to put together, eventually leading to a clear picture of what has happened to the twins. The writing is lovely, and it will fill your heart with feels. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ruFS1rzg8-I/VITDKErAmxI/AAAAAAAAB48/F3xqLFJI_fs/s1600/Silkworm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ruFS1rzg8-I/VITDKErAmxI/AAAAAAAAB48/F3xqLFJI_fs/s1600/Silkworm.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></div>
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9. <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Silkworm-Cormoran-Strike-Novel/dp/0316206873/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417985891&sr=8-1&keywords=the+silkworm" target="_blank">The Silkworm (Cormoran Strike #2)</a></i></b> - Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)</div>
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I’m enjoying J.K. Rowling’s mystery series very much. Cormoran and Robin make an entertaining pair of investigators, and in this book, the mystery is compelling and unpredictable. I can’t wait for the next one.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A7kH6lbNBU4/VITDLM8ALcI/AAAAAAAAB5U/qaoQa72g9YI/s1600/vacationers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A7kH6lbNBU4/VITDLM8ALcI/AAAAAAAAB5U/qaoQa72g9YI/s1600/vacationers.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
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10. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vacationers-Novel-Emma-Straub/dp/1594631573/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417985911&sr=8-1&keywords=the+vacationers" target="_blank"><b><i>The Vacationers</i></b> </a>- Emma Straub</div>
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This was an entertaining summer read about a family on vacation in Mallorca. </div>
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<b><u>2014 Books That Are Currently in my Library Waiting to Be Read</u></b></div>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ugly-Girls-Novel-Lindsay-Hunter/dp/0374533865/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417985930&sr=8-1&keywords=Ugly+Girls" target="_blank">Ugly Girls</a></i></b> - Lindsay Hunter</div>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/All-Light-We-Cannot-See/dp/1476746583/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417985967&sr=8-1&keywords=all+the+light+we+cannot+see" target="_blank">All the Light We Cannot See</a></i></b> - Anthony Doerr</div>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Never-Told-You-Novel/dp/159420571X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417985991&sr=8-1&keywords=everything+i+never+told+you" target="_blank">Everything I Never Told You</a></i></b> - Celeste Ng</div>
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<i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Not-Ourselves-Novel/dp/147675666X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417986024&sr=8-1&keywords=we+are+not+ourselves" target="_blank">We Are Not Ourselves</a></b></i> - Matthew Thomas</div>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nobody-Ever-Missing-Catherine-Lacey/dp/0374534497/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417986054&sr=8-1&keywords=Nobody+is+ever+missing" target="_blank">Nobody Is Ever Missing</a></i></b> - Catherine Lacey</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Young-God-Katherine-Faw-Morris/dp/0374534233/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417986084&sr=8-1&keywords=young+god" target="_blank"><b><i>Young God</i></b> </a>- Katherine Faw Morris</div>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Build-Girl-Caitlin-Moran/dp/0062335979/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417986115&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+build+a+girl" target="_blank">How to Build a Girl</a> </i></b>- Caitlin Moran</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Missing-Reels-Farran-Smith-Nehme/dp/1468309277/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417986141&sr=8-1&keywords=missing+reels" target="_blank"><b><i>Missing Reels</i></b></a> - Farran Smith Nehme</div>
Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-43430546185587838312014-12-04T22:36:00.001-05:002014-12-04T22:54:38.017-05:00Are you watching <b>Peter Pan Live</b>? It's a fun show. <b>Allison Williams</b> is a great Peter Pan (she can sing <i>and</i> act!); I'm a fan of hers from <b>Girls</b>, and I was excited to see her in this role. <b>Christopher Walken</b> is absolutely hilarious as Captain Hook, just because he's Christopher Walken and he basically speaks all the songs and it's bizarre and ridiculous. Who knew he was such a good tap dancer?! Kelli O'Hara is wonderful. Anyway, I'm enjoying the show, despite a few complaints (it's not as good as it could be; I'm not crazy about the sets and the costumes and some wacky shots/camera angles/sloppy filming). I'll probably add videos later once they start popping up online, but for now I'll just post this video from July 30th's <b>Nightly News</b> because I thought it was sweet to see <b>Brian Williams </b>as a proud papa. I also think it's sweet that <a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/603764/brian-williams-skips-nightly-news-broadcast-to-watch-daughter-allison-williams-in-peter-pan-live?cmpid=tweol-manual" target="_blank">he missed tonight's Nightly News to watch the broadcast live</a>.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/85P4kDchyyA" width="560"></iframe>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-10286679625495610182014-12-02T21:08:00.006-05:002014-12-02T21:08:41.195-05:00Last night I was fortunate enough to attend the <b>U2 Minus One</b> concert in Times Square. It was a surprise show as part of World AIDS Day. Bono was the minus one due to his recent Central Park biking accident, but <b>Chris Martin</b> of Coldplay and <b>Bruce Springsteen</b> were kind enough to fill in for Bono and perform with U2. <b>Carrie Underwood</b> and <b>Kanye West</b> also performed. Despite the rain, the concert was a blast. Chris Martin sang "Beautiful Day" and "With or Without You" with U2 to open the show, and Bruce Springsteen sang with them on "Where the Streets Have no Name" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" to close the show. All of U2's songs were magical. I loved hearing Bruce Springsteen and Chris Martin sing with the band. I don't care whether or not you're a fan of U2, I don't see how anyone could not be moved by those anthems that they performed last night.<br />
There's a <a href="http://music-mix.ew.com/2014/12/02/sans-bono-u2-rises-to-the-occasion-for-world-aids-day/" target="_blank">nice review of the concert here.</a><br />
And the whole show is online. You should at least watch the first two songs (U2 with Chris Martin) and the last two (U2 with Springsteen, starting around the 37-minute mark in the video). Seriously, magical. I'm so glad I was able to be there. I posted four videos on <a href="http://instagram.com/Clairvoyant94" target="_blank">my instagram</a> so you can see a glimpse of my view (and a few of my photos are below).<br />
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<br />Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-14847089006583575182014-12-01T17:05:00.001-05:002014-12-01T17:05:10.385-05:00<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/YORG4MkCQds" width="560"></iframe>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-66354605347684813182014-11-23T15:30:00.000-05:002014-11-23T15:39:17.535-05:00I saw an advance screening of <b>Into the Woods</b>, and I signed a nondisclosure agreement so I can't give any specific details about the film, but I will say that I loved it. If you're a fan of the musical, I recommend putting aside your expectations. Some changes have been made, but I don't think any of the changes majorly detract from the story. It's a beautiful movie. Anna Kendrick and Emily Blunt's performances were my favorite, and I was also really impressed with Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen (oh my goodness, "Agony" killed!). I didn't like the performances of Lilla Crawford or Johnny Depp. I'll probably write more after the movie is released. For now, watch this snippet of "Stay With Me." I wasn't crazy about the casting of Meryl Streep as the Witch, but she won me over, mostly with this song.<br />
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I got into <b>Sharon Van Etten</b> through <b>The National </b>(which is also how I got into <b>St. Vincent</b>, whom I've also written about on here; The National works with some awesome women). I've seen her perform with them and I've seen her open for them. Aaron Dessner (from The National) produced her brilliant album <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tramp-Sharon-Van-Etten/dp/B0067FGYGQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415403941&sr=8-1&keywords=Sharon+Van+Etten+Tramp" target="_blank">Tramp</a>. I like that she's from my home state of New Jersey. She's incredibly talented, and I was really excited to hear this song of hers on last night's episode of <b>Elementary</b>. I've noticed that all my favorite TV shows feature really, really good music.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/145352751&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-9469269271693548082014-10-26T11:32:00.002-04:002014-10-26T12:10:41.764-04:00I've been busy with a lot of fun things that I haven't written about, and now I can't even remember everything I meant to post about but never got around to, so for now I'll leave you with a post about my most recent fun event.<br />
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This weekend was <b>the Outlaw Roadshow</b>, an annual event in NYC hosted by <b>Ryan Spaulding</b> and <b>Adam Duritz</b>. Adam talked about Ryan and the Outlaw Roadshow during Counting Crows' show at Irving Plaza this summer in the intro to "Holiday in Spain":<br />
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It really is an awesome event, full of free music by great bands. One of the things I love about it is that all the musicians are just hanging around during the other sets, enjoying seeing their buddies play. It's a special weekend. I mean, how many times do you find yourself sitting on the floor of a tiny, tiny room with Adam Duritz watching a talented musician like <b>Nate Leavitt</b> play? Nate Leavitt is awesome, by the way. I loved his solo set, and I also loved <b>OldJack</b> (the band he's part of). And I actually got to meet him and tell him how much I enjoy his music; he was really cool.<br />
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The highlight of the weekend was <b>Counting Crows</b>' set. It was actually just three members of Counting Crows (Adam, Dan, and Immy), and they played under the name Sonic Cow Grunt. They were wonderful. I filmed their set, and it's worth watching all the way through. The last song is really, really special. They played a cover of a K Phillips song called "I Only Want What I Can't Have." K Phillips was standing next to me when they played his song, and his reaction was beautiful. He and some of the other Outlaws joined the band during that song and it really was magical. So you should watch.<br />
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The whole set was fun and had a loose, playful vibe; the band seemed genuinely happy to be there. There is some absolutely killer banter. The band talks about the jalapeno KIND bars they were giving out (Adam describes them as "ass sandwich"), funny Robert Plant stories, the recent list that was released about the music smart people listen to (Counting Crows is on top, but Adam tells us not to pat ourselves on the back), their lack of rehearsal, knocking over beers, how "Richard Manuel Is Dead" really begins (they had to start it over three times), cliques (and the pre-CC band "The Clique"), funny fan comments...one of my favorite quotes from Adam to Dan and Immy was, "You figured out how to split the seven background vocals between the two of you?" (They definitely did, by the way.)<br />
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Anyway, trust me that this is a video worth watching:<br />
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Another exciting thing about the Outlaw Roadshow was seeing all my Counting Crows friends.<br />
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Here are some of my highlights from this year's Outlaw Roadshow:<br />
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Air Traffic Controller:</div>
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Ryan Spaulding:</div>
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OldJack:</div>
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Nate Leavitt (and Adam being a fan):</div>
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Mean Creek:</div>
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Dan:</div>
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Immy:</div>
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Adam:</div>
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Finally, here's one of the reasons I tape. I like sharing recordings and making people happy. CC fans are always super nice and I've already gotten a bunch of nice messages/thank yous (on a video that I posted less than a day ago), but this is my favorite:<br />
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<br />Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-55638702592473478702014-09-26T13:38:00.001-04:002014-09-26T13:38:15.159-04:00<br />
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I've been posting a lot of videos here lately, so why stop now?Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-48689077870625090352014-09-25T20:13:00.002-04:002014-09-25T20:13:44.771-04:00I'm Kate Mara's height. Does that mean I'm eligible to join these two ladies as a tiny detective? Because I love them both and this is completely awesome.<br />
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<a href="http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/1a75991cd1/tiny-detectives-with-kate-mara-and-ellen-page" title="from Kate Mara, Ellen Page, Jaclyn Fleming, DeMorge Brown, Colton Dunn, Steve Agee, Ify Nwadiwe, Aaron Ulrich, Andy Bush, Jake Fogelnest, Jason Carden, Funny Or Die, Sean Dacanay, Barry Elmore, Melissa Gould McNeely, Ben Forman, ian_skalski, Chris Poole, and Libby de Leon">Tiny Detectives with Kate Mara and Ellen Page</a> from <a href="http://www.funnyordie.com/kate_mara">Kate Mara</a> <iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?app_id=138711277798&href=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.funnyordie.com%2Fvideos%2F1a75991cd1%2Ftiny-detectives-with-kate-mara-and-ellen-page&send=false&layout=button_count&width=150&show_faces=false&action=like&height=21" style="border: none; height: 21px; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: middle; width: 90px;"></iframe>
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Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12723472.post-81955033685891152542014-09-24T21:44:00.002-04:002014-09-25T20:15:22.877-04:00I could watch this over and over and over. <br />
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What else is going on?<br />
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1. I watch <b>Survivor</b> (my friend Matt and I sometimes joke that we're the only two people who still watch it, but there are really lots of Survivor fans!). This season is shaping up to be very promising. <b>John Rocker </b>is on this season! I was at that famous, crazy game at Shea Stadium where Rocker pitched after getting himself in hot water after some comments he made. I'm a huge Braves fan, so I was there at Shea Stadium wearing my Braves jersey, surrounded by many very, very angry Mets fans. It was intense. The Braves won and I was happy. Anyway, I spent a lot of time watching Rocker pitch for the Braves, and although I'm not a fan of his and don't support any of those inappropriate comments he made, I want him to stick around for a long time this season because I think he makes for good television. If anything, he'll be an awesome villain. I love the Blood vs. Water theme, so this will be a good season.<br />
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<i>(If you're not familiar with Rocker, he pissed off a lot of New Yorkers by making some totally inappropriate comments, including the following statement about New Yorkers, and Mets fans were out for blood at that game I attended): </i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">"Imagine having to take the 7 Train to the ballpark looking like you're riding through Beirut next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS, right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time, right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It's depressing..."</span></blockquote>
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2. Theater: <b>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</b> is absolutely brilliant. I cannot say enough good things about it. This production won seven Olivier Awards (it transferred from the West End), and I expect it to do very well at the Tony Awards as well. I was a huge fan of the book when it came out, and this script is a wonderful adaptation. The staging is incredibly inventive, and Alexander Sharp is giving a tour-de-force performance. Go see this if you can.<br />
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3. I went to see <b>The Black Keys</b> this week thanks to my brother, who gave me tickets for my birthday. I'm not a huge fan of theirs (I've seen them live before and wasn't blown away), but for this concert I got a spot on the rail and was glad to see them from such a good spot in the (massive) Barclays Center.<br />
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4. Some fun stuff is coming up. On Saturday I'm going to the <b>Global Citizen Festival</b> for the third year in a row. This year features <b>Jay Z, No Doubt, Carrie Underwood, The Roots, fun.</b>, and<b> Tiesto</b>. Honestly, I'm probably most excited to see fun.. On Sunday I'm doing the Tunnel to Towers 5K (I will probably be walking much of it).<br />
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5. In other reality TV comments, watch the season premiere of <b>The Amazing Race</b> on Friday and you might see me. The starting line was in Times Square (at about 3:30am), and I was there. I met Phil! I love Phil.<br />
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<br />Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263531922262778737noreply@blogger.com0