Cowgirls at PTC

Last night I went to see PTC's production of Cowgirls and I must say that I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would!  Country is my very least favorite genre of music but, by the end of the show,  even my foot was tapping just a little bit!  Jo Carlson (Leenya Rideout) has inherited Hiram Hall, her father's country and western saloon, but she has also inherited his debts and the saloon is about to be foreclosed.  In a last ditch effort to repay the debts and save Hiram Hall, she has hired the Cowgirl Trio to perform during the grand re-opening.  Unfortunately, she has, in reality, hired the Coghill Trio, a group of classically trained musicians.  The Coghill Trio has reached the end of a disastrous three month tour and, eager to prove themselves, they convince Jo that they can learn to play country music to the dismay of Jo's waitresses (Karis Danish and Ashlie Roberson) who think they could do a better job.  As she coaches Lee (Jessica Bradish) a cello playing New Age lesbian, Rita (Lindsay Zaroogian), a pregnant pianist afraid of losing her identity when she becomes a mother, and Mary Lou (Angela Chatelain Avila), an uptight violinist, on how to play country music, Jo must deal with the fact that her mother abandoned her for a career in country music.  The songs they sing take each of  them on a journey of discovery and I particularly enjoyed "Kingdom of Country," "Songs My Mama Sang," "Looking for a Miracle," "Don't Look Down," and "Saddle Tramp Blues."  While the plot is simplistic, the songs and choreography are quite entertaining and I was extremely impressed by the fact that the actors play all of their own instruments on stage (much like the actors do in the musical Once).  The set of the saloon also reminded me of the bar in Once with audience members invited on stage to have a drink and watch the final performance of the Cowgirl Trio.  I did grow a little weary of the stereotypical portrayal of the down-on-their-luck and hard-living waitresses (they even sing a song called "Don't Call Me Trailer Trash") and the twang (a big reason why I don't like country music) is definitely over the top!  However, I highly recommend this thoroughly entertaining show about women learning how to take a risk!  Cowgirls plays at PTC through April 9 and tickets may be purchased here.

Eye in the Sky

It has been quite a while since I've been to the Broadway, my favorite art house theater, so last night I decided to see Eye in the Sky, a film I have been anticipating since it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. To say that it is intense would be an understatement.  Usually when I say that I was on the edge of my seat it is a metaphor but, during this film, I literally moved to the edge of my seat, balled my hands into fists, and held my breath during a particularly suspenseful scene.  I  may have even yelled, "Hurry!" at the top of my lungs!  Luckily, everyone else in the audience was in a similar state of agitation!  Katharine Powell (the always brilliant Helen Mirren), a general in the British army, has been tracking a British national involved in a terrorist cell for six years.  She receives intelligence about her location, along with two other high profile terrorists including an American, in a safe house in Nairobi and plans a joint operation to arrest her and the other terrorists with the USAF using drones for surveillance.  When the subjects move to a Somali occupied area in Nairobi, the rules of engagement change from a pick up order to a kill order prompting much debate among COBRA, a British intelligence agency comprised of military and political leaders (most notably, Alan Rickman in one of his final roles, and Jeremy Northam, one of my favorite actors).  Using an agent on the ground (with some really cool, yet scary, technology), the team discovers that the terrorists are planning two imminent suicide bombing missions.  This convinces COBRA to authorize dropping the Hellfire missiles on the terrorists.  However, the pilots of the drone discover a little girl who will most certainly be killed as collateral damage prompting more debate.  The film ends during the aftermath of their decision leaving the viewer to  wonder if they made the right one.  This film is highly charged, to say the least, as the various participants try to justify losing one life versus losing many lives as a result of a suicide bomb and multiple perspectives are explored so you are not sure what to think by the time they take action.  The tension builds and builds with incredibly affecting performances, especially Mirren because her character is motivated by personal reasons and she chafes at the inability of the committee to make a decision.  It is a film that will leave you thinking long after you leave the theater and I highly recommend it.

Spring Break Avalanche Game

Every year my Dad and I try to go to at least one Colorado Avalanche game and this year we picked a game against the Minnesota Wild during my spring break.  It's a long drive but we've done it so many times that it has become part of the experience!  We have traditions and rituals with things we do and places we stop.  Right before we left, Denver had a huge snow storm and I-80 was actually closed for a while which made us nervous to drive but we only had snow flurries here and there.  Whenever I travel to Denver alone I usually stay at the Motel 6 but with my Dad it is first class all the way and we stay at the SpringHill Suites downtown.  This hotel is so nice!  We checked in late Friday afternoon and the plan was to rest for a little while and then go to dinner (I love Old Chicago and we don't have one in SLC) but I fell asleep and, by the time I woke up, it was too late to go anywhere!  I'm such a party animal!

The game was Saturday afternoon and my Dad and I were so excited!  I think the Pepsi Center is such an amazing venue for hockey.  I can smell the ice as soon as I walk in the doors!

We had absolutely fabulous seats right at center ice!  This game was really important for the Avalanche because they are chasing the Wild for a playoff spot and it was intense during the first period.  It felt like playoff hockey to me with lots of shots on goal and really tight defense.  Then the Avalanche totally fell apart in the second period.  Their puck handling was terrible and there were so many giveaways that I stopped counting.  They had several power play opportunities but couldn't convert.  In fact, they didn't even get one shot on goal during one power play.

The only thing that enlivened the second period was a visit from Bernie, the Avalanche mascot.  The Wild scored twice in the second period and then got a short-handed goal and an empty-net goal in the third period.  It was disappointing but, like last year, we invited my cousin Blaine to go to the game with us and it was a lot of fun to talk to him (especially about Batman v Superman).  I love the Colorado Avalanche, so even though they lost the game, and most likely a chance at making the playoffs, I lhad a great time watching them play!  Next year my Dad and I are hoping to see the Avs play the Maple Leafs in Toronto!

Many years ago I started a tradition of getting an Avalanche hat at every game I went to.  Even though I have more hats than I know what to do with, I had to get another one!  I really wanted a hat with the new logo on it and my Dad wanted one, too!

Even though the Avalanche lost, at least we got matching hats!

Note:  Several years ago I almost ran out of gas while driving in Wyoming.  I could have stopped in Green River but I thought I would make it and then barely coasted into Little America only to discover that the power was off!  I vowed that I would never, ever, do that again because my Dad always tells me not to let the tank get that low!  Last night when we reached Green River, we had 1/8th of a tank left.  My Dad and I decided that we could make it to Little America and the gas light immediately came on!  I think we made it to Little America on fumes but, at least, the power was on this time!

Batman v Superman

Yesterday I had the chance to see an early screening of the much anticipated Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and, I must say, it did not disappoint!  It is an incredible spectacle and I absolutely loved it!  After a flashback to the murder of young Bruce Wayne's parents, this film picks up where Man of Steel ends with the epic battle between Superman (Henry Cavill) and General Zod (Michael Shannon).  We get an on-the-ground view of the battle through the eyes of Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) as he witnesses the collapse of one of his buildings.  Angry at the collateral damage, he deems Superman to be a threat and his alter ego, Batman, tries to find a way to stop him.  Meanwhile, Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), a tech savvy genius who also views Superman as a threat, finds kryptonite and wants to weaponize it. Batman intercepts the kryptonite and prepares to face Superman while Lex Luthor forces an epic showdown between the two.  Eventually, the two must unite, with the help of a mysterious stranger who turns out to be Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), to fight an even bigger threat to Gotham and Metropolis.  To be sure, this film is dark and gritty but I feel that the current incarnations of these iconic superheroes are appropriate for the tumultuous times we live in.  I particularly enjoyed the film's exploration of power and the responsibility that comes with it.  I also appreciated the fact that both Batman and Superman are flawed and (without giving too much away) that they meet on equal ground for a battle that is absolutely awesome!  The special effects are thrilling, to say the least, but, unlike most critics (see below), I found the story to be compelling, as well.  The performances are great, including, rather unusually, Ben Affleck's brooding portrayal of the caped crusader.  I'm not a big fan of Affleck, and I questioned his casting, but I have to admit that he is a great Batman.  I loved Jeremy Irons as his butler Alfred and, although I sometimes grow weary of Jesse Eisenberg, his twitchy Lex Luthor worked for me.  Gal Gadot is absolutely kick ass as Wonder Woman; in fact, the entire audience at my screening cheered when she appeared in battle!  I loved all of the cameos of Dana Bash, Anderson Cooper, Nancy Grace, Soledad O'Brien, and Charlie Rose as themselves reporting on the various incidents.  I also loved seeing Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Jason Momoa (sigh) as Aquaman, and Ezra Miller as Flash, in brief cameos setting up future Justice League movies (I can't wait for Wonder Woman in the summer of 2017).  This film is everything I hoped it would be and I would recommend it to fans of the genre!

Note:  I often wonder if the critics saw the same movie I did...

Spirit Week 2016

For the past month my student body officers and class officers have been working incredibly hard for spirit week.  They are friends with other student government groups from schools around the valley and have been helping to judge their spirit bowls.  They were really inspired by what other schools have done and wanted to go all out this year.  I told them that we could do anything they wanted as long as they were committed and willing to work hard!  They came up with some very elaborate plans and spent a considerable amount of time getting administrative approval for those plans.  They wrote a proposal and presented it to the administration with justification for everything they wanted to do.  They were so passionate about their ideas that the majority of them were approved (to my surprise).  Each class came up with a theme (Seniors in Space, Aloha Juniors, Sophomore Strong, and Freshmen on Fire) and picked a hall to decorate around that theme.  They spent three weeks during our student government class and after school creating decorations and we spent eight hours installing them last Friday.  Each class did an amazing job but the seniors blew everyone away!  I was so surprised that almost all of the decorations stayed up all week!  We also designed and sold shirts around the theme (thanks to my friend for making them!).  Our dress-up days were: Pajama Day, Tacky Tourist Day, Disney Day, and Sports Day.  We made pancakes for the student body before school on Monday which was a lot of fun once we got everything going (we blew all of the circuits in the Commons!).  Our spirit assembly was yesterday and it was a great success!

Freshmen on Fire

Sophomore Strong

Aloha Juniors

Seniors in Space

These students have made me proud so many times this year (go here, here, and here) but I can't even begin to describe how proud I am of them for all of their hard work and dedication to Hunter High this week.  Our principal has been at HHS for 26 years and he told them that he has never seen anything like this week!  They have definitely set the bar really high for future groups!

Note:  We had the officers from Taylorsville, Copper Hills, Granger, and Kearns come help us judge the competitions!  I want to give a huge shout-out to Kearns for staying to help us clean up after the assembly!  I have long considered the student government advisor at Kearns to be a mentor and his students went back to school with many positive comments about our assembly.  He took the time to email me and congratulate us on our successful spirit week.  That meant so much to me!