Some Enchanted Evening...

Holy Crap!!! I freaking saw THE Bernadette Peters. It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

So you already know I won the tix, and they were great. We were about 15 rows back...which is awesome in the new Symphony Hall. The sound was great... supposedly this building is a top rated acoustical experience... but I'm not an acoustician... I just know it sounded great.

This was a Nashville Chamber Orchestra event. The first half of the evening was a performance of some Celtic music. I cant say I was very excited about this at first, but it sounded so beautiful and wasnt anything like I expected. I dont know why I expected something hokey...b/c it wasnt at all. We really enjoyed it.

After intermission, it was all Berndette... along with a larger group of the NCO. I got no shame in my game admitting that I did tear up a bit during BP's performance. She was all that I expected and more. She had on a fabulous gown that was very slim fitting--totally opposite of another artist I love, Loretta :)---that was covered in tasteful sequins that looked beautiful sparkling in the theatre lights.

She seriously has the voice of an angel. I had a permagrin on my face the entire time. She sang "Some Enchanted Evening" and another song from South Pacific. She also did "Fever" and some songs from her most recent Broadway show, Gypsy. I wont go on about the rest of the playlist. I didnt know all the songs...and she didnt sing some things I wanted to hear ('Sunday in the Park with George' for example), but I have no complaints.

The show was also a benefit for the Nashville Humane Society and she came back out as an encore and was carrying the cutest puppy...and then she sang a song to him... the dog was loving it and was very well behaved... it was ADORABLE.

If I find a more comprehensive review from the show, I'll edit this post and provide the link. It was indeed a magical evening.

Random Bernadette Peters trivia.... Did you know she was Karen Walker's sister on 'Will & Grace'??? It was just one episode I think... but very funny... the episode was titled "Whatever happened to Baby Gin?" This was much later in the series and no one knew Karen even had a sister. Well, the episode just happened to be on Lifetime last week and I caught it. Too funny. BP liked to draw attention to herself by walking in a room and asking what everyone was looking at...havent they ever saw someone with one leg that is shorter than the other? The premise was that Karen felt bad all these years b/c she thought she was responsible for this childhood incident to BP, but in the end, that wasnt true and BP was just milking it for the wrong reasons.

There's your Bernadette Peters post for now. I hope you all get to see her one day... I definitely have her on my list of people I HAVE to see on Broadway.

Flugtag or Bust!!!

Ok... so we went to the Red Bull Flugtag event on Saturday. I was really looking forward to this. I have seen the commercials and always thought it was be an interesting/fun spectacle.

I saw on the news that the gates opened at 11am... first flight at 1pm...and that they expected 55,000 people to attend... I didnt buy that... BUT... DAMN...was I wrong...

We busted up in there right around 1pm and couldnt even see the launch stage from Riverfront Park... we finally decided to cross the river and view the event from the Titans stadium area... We could actually see from there but after about 5 different launches that immediately nosedived straight into the nasty Cumberland River...we left. It was way too hot and the lines just to get a bottle of water were too long.

So... anyway...Flugtag would be fun... but it was way too crowded for us...

On a more exciting note.... IM FRICKING GOING TO SEE BERNADETTE PETERS TONIGHT!!!!

She's a living Broadway legend and is performing with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra at the Symphony Center. I came really close to buying tickets...but didnt--b/c Hal is a party pooper and wasnt as interested as me--...

Anyway, I entered a contest to win tix... and....I WON!!!! So the event is tonight.... and I'm in gay, Broadway heaven...

I'll update you on the show later... sorry I dont have any Flugtag pics... we took the camera but were way too miserable with the heat and crowd to care about it though.

Back to Black....

Ok... so I'm still TOTALLY enjoying the Amy Winehouse album "Back to Black." I'm still ticked off I unknowingly bought the radio edit version...but I'm going to fix that soon...and get the adult version...now that is out of the way :)

I'm still singing "Sweet Charity" songs... and that got me through the remainder of the week... We got an early weekend start on Thursday night...we went out to dinner where our duplex neighbor is the manager...and suprisingly got our meal comp'd... nice, eh?

Friday night was fun... we went to Tin Angel...which is usually good...and was yet again... after I got over the disappointment of my desired entree being sold out :( boo hoo... always frustrating to have something in mind..only for the server to come back with bad news and having to pick something else out.

On Saturday, we went to Centennial Park for the American Artisan Festival. It was really neat... the coolest thing was an artist who repurposes old pinball machines into coffee tables--and other similar pieces of furniture. My favorite was an old Dolly Parton piece...which was already sold at the low price of $3000, gasp. What a great, contemporary idea though!

Sunday was a lazy sleep in morning for me while Hal went with his family to church...I had my annual dose of that a couple of weeks ago.

When he got home, we went to Bistro 215 for brunch... random note here... every time I hear the word Bistro... I think of "Three's Company" and Jack's Bistro... hehehe...

We went to Hal's parents for dinner... Even though we've been together almost 9 years... I'm still relatively new to their gatherings...but I always have a good time. I'm pretty opinionated about politics--including local politics--and it's soooo hard to keep my cool about it... but I managed to do so...perhaps due to the fact I was in the minority??? lol. It was actually only a brief bit of conversation... so that helped...but anyway...it was a good time... it's always funny seeing Hal's dad... they look so much alike... so I have a good idea what he will look like in 25 years.

Anyway...that was my weekend... back to work on Monday... I'm looking forward to the next one... they are having a Red Bull Flugtag event downtown...and I'm pretty sure we will go... if you are in Nashville and think that would be fun... holla!!!

Pretty in Pink

I saw Molly Ringwald!!!

Wednesday night, we went to see 'Sweet Charity.' I LOVED it. It was very entertaining and so my style of show. There was a lot of dancing which always excites me. I enjoyed the storyline as well... girlfriend just wants to be loved and has a knack for falling fast for anyone who says Hi to her basically--of course she always gets screwed over in the end, but she comes full circle by the end and realizes she is OK anyway.

The last show we saw was 'Putnam County Spelling Bee.' I blogged about it a couple of months back. I enjoyed it, but it was much shorter and didnt have as much dancing as I like to see.

I did watch the Tony Awards on Tuesday night to get me in the Broadway mood--as if that's hard to do. There are several Tony Award winning shows I'm anxious to see now. Fanstasia (American Idol) did a performance from the broadway version of 'Color Purple' and she knocked it out. I love love love that movie and cant wait to see the musical.

Anyway, I left the theatre Wednesday night in my usual state of mind after seeing a show... I friggin wish I could sing and dance so I could be involved in shows like that... but alas, I'll have to settle with being a spectator. Ole'!!

The weekend that was...

So... another weekend's come and gone... another fun one.

We went to some friends house Friday night for dinner and cocktails... always a fun thing.

We enjoyed Hal's sisters pool on Saturday and Sunday... she's out of town...and while we can go anytime we want, it's always nice to have it to yourself.

We had another couple over there on Sunday afternoon... and after a few beers by the pool...time seemed to fly by. I went inside for a minute...and had a moment of GAY PANIC!!! The Tony Awards were Sunday night at 7pm Central... I checked the clock..and it was 6:45...so I did what any theater loving guy/gal would do... I took off to come back to my house to set the DVR (it's only 10 minutes round trip at most)... I got back and they barely noticed I was gone :)

With a crisis averted, we then went to those same friend's house to watch The Sopranos... I admit I've only seen one episode (prior to last night's finale), but had a general idea of some of the details. What an odd ending??? I was hoping for a big shoot out...but alas... no fireworks.

Anyway, speaking of theater... Hal & I are going to see Sweet Charity starring Molly Ringwald on Wednesday. I'll keep you posted on that :) Needless to say, I'm quite anxious.

What a S.O.B!

I really hope karma is real...

I recently blogged about going to East TN for homecoming/decoration day at my family church. A major reason for that is to put new flowers on my mom's grave. It's not new that crazy people steal flowers and things from people's graves, but it's never touched me directly.

I talked to my grandmother today...and learned that someone stole a solar powered cross from my mom's grave... Can you friggin believe that???

They stole other things (flowers, etc.) from other people's graves..and fortunately left my mom's flowers alone, but they got the cross... while leaving an identical cross at the grave of one set of my grandparents (right next to my mom's)....

I dont typically wish bad things on people, but it's hard in a situation as this... I hope they break their arm or something... fu@#ers!

It's raining men... hallelujah...

The Nashville Gay Pride event was Saturday. I missed it last year b/c I was in East TN for my great grams 90th birthday...so I was glad to have the chance to go again this year.

It's usually a good people watching scene and this year was another one of those times. It's fun to see people I've known for years but have lost touch with...even if it is just for a brief moment.

How about this??? One of the entertainers was one half of the Weather Girls (the other one died)... yep... she sang "It's Raining Men" and it was a lot of fun. I attempted to take a pic with my phone..but alas..it's still too new and it obviously didnt work...b/c I cant find it on my phone...sorry :(

I blogged earlier about The Parthenon/Centennial Park...and that's where the Gay Pride event is held in Nashville.

I've mentioned before that I am going to Buenos Aires, Argentina in November. This is not exactly intentional, but it happens to be Gay Pride in BA the first weekend we are there... I cant wait!!!

The hills are alive...

...with the Nashville Sounds. The Nashville Sounds are the local minor league baseball team.

Thursday night, we went to a game with several friends (one of whom is a fellow blogger linked on my page "thisonegoestoeleven")... It was my first baseball game in 2 or so years. Honestly, I (and most people) go for the social aspect. I wouldnt be surprised at any moment to be smacked with a foul ball b/c I was chatting about some gossip and not paying attention to the actual game.

The Sounds soundly defeated Las Vegas...so it was a good time all around.

Memorial Day

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Memorial Day. It's sobering to think about all the people who've died in service to our country. Unfortunately, there's no end in sight. It's really something I think about each day when I read headlines about how many soldiers are dying in Iraq.

Moving on, Hal and I had a fun and relaxing Monday. We slept late (which is something I love b/c I stay up late if it isnt a work day) and then went out for a Mexican lunch...on an American holiday... lol

We also went swimming at his sisters pool... which is always fun...and then came home and had the necessary grill out burgers....then came the work week...and blah blah blah