December 2009 Archives

The plan was to see Sherlock Holmes on opening day. We got to the ticket window only to find the showing we wanted to see was sold out as was the next one. We were there. What to do? We decided to go see Up In The Air instead.

The three main characters in Up In The Air are played by George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick. Clooney and Kendrick are in a tough business. Firms hire them to lay their workers off and they're shown telling the workers some of the most ridiculous things like "Don't take it personal" and there's another one I won't quote that is even more ridiculous. Business is bad for everyone else so business is good for Clooney and his young associate. They spend most of their time flying from one job to the next. Farmiga plays a love interest of sorts for Clooney. He meets her in a hotel bar and they swap travel anecdotes. They hook up on the road as their paths cross. They're always on the go but you think one or both of them may want something more. Clooney turns in his usual excellent performance. He's money in the bank for most film goers these days. If he's in it, it's bound to be good. What surprised me was how well the two women were able to keep up. The three of them should all get academy awards if you ask me. There's more to this fantastic, smart film for adults than those three delicious performances but I don't want to spoil it for you. Patsy and I both loved it and are both glad we didn't turn around when we saw our show sold out. See it when you can.

PS - We saw Sherlock Holmes the next day. It was OK but I think the next one is the one that the franchise is riding on.

After an outstanding dinner at Liuzza's on a cold and rainy night in New Orleans, we went to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert at the New Orleans Arena.

First, Liuzza's: Patsy had a shrimp remoulade po-boy that she is still raving about this morning. I had a very messy, quite delicious roast beef po-boy. Pure heaven. I miss New Orleans food, particularly the po-boys, and especially Liuzza's. What we get on the NorthShore just isn't the same.

About TSO: We've seen them three years in a row now. I can't say that they get better every year but they surely get bigger every year. This is an enormous production. Love the HD flat screens but could probably do without the flames and the blinding lights and maybe they could cut down on the narration and chit chat a little. Would also like to see them do a better job getting the music mixes right (Leads a little more in the foreground, singer's microphone turned down a little, etc). It was still a great show. We had decent seats last night except for having a stairway between us and the stage. The audience's constant traipsing back and forth on the stairs blocked our view too much of the night to suit me. Katie, Lars, and Amy had better seats in the same section. The stairs were behind them in relation to the stage. It was all Christmas music and Night Castle music this year. No covers, no special guests. Catch them if you can.

New Orleans needs a better concert venue, one that is big enough to attract the good shows but not so big that it swallows them (SuperDome), one that is also built for great sound and where all of the seats face the stage.

Speaking of New Orleans, ESPN's Wright Thompson wrote a lovely tribute to New Orleans and the Saints. Fabulous read.

If you missed it last night like me, Jay Leno's 9@9 with Drew Brees below.

More than a few Drew Brees fans read the blog here..

Something came up today and I was instantly reminded of a scene from Northern Exposure. Through the glory of YouTube, here it is:

What a great show that was.