California Dreamin' (Part VI)

Wow, so much has happened since Wednesday, I almost feel like I need to split this up into two posts, however, I want to talk about it before it all becomes too old. In saying that, I apologize for the length of this post, but I tried to include pretty pictures for the magazine readers out there. First, on Thursday night, I saw the third installment in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle), Siegfried. And let me say, with each opera, the LA Opera is raising the bar. I can’t even imagine what will happen tonight, with Götterdämmerung, but I’m excited.

Siegfried is a much happier, more uplifting and playful opera than the rest of the cycle, and it showed in the titular character through the superb acting of John Treleaven. The music was as powerful as the exuberant joy that shone through his movements and smile. However, I still have to say that my favorite, though this has always been my favorite part in the Ring Cycle, is Vitalij Kowaljow as Wotan, or as he’s known in Siegfried, The Wanderer. Wotan’s deep bass has always brought the power of the Ring Cycle to my heart, and Kowaljow is, in my opinion, the best Wotan I’ve ever heard. I may be limited in my exposure, as I’ve only heard recorded versions of the Ring, this being the first time I’ve ever seen my favorite operas live and in person, but Kowaljow brings a presence to the voice that rocks the very theatre. I find myself forgetting to breathe as I watch Wotan command the stage just as well as he commands the heavens.

I could go on forever about this production, but I’ll save that for the post on tonight’s Götterdämmerung, which is still my favorite opera in the whole Cycle, though as you know, LA Opera’s Die Walküre almost changed that. Now, verging on creating too long a post, the following day I went to work to find out that I was to travel around the city delivering things to studios and offices. I wasn’t exactly phased, as I felt it would be nice to get out and explore the city a bit and not be cramped in the office. The “amazing” part of this came when I found out where I was going. WB Studios, Ellen Offices, Culver Studios, FOX, agencies, etc. were my destinations and I finally got that “giddy” feeling one gets when they come to LA to see the stars and feel connected to the movies. I even got a drive-on pass to the Warner Brothers Lot (pictured below), where I, subsequently, got lost for half an hour and ended up in a movie set somewhere. Still, great experience.

That night, my friend Larissa asked me to join her for a screening of Killers, the new Kutcher/Heigl romcom (romantic comedy for the non-film majors), at her place of work. I was not exactly entering the theater with high expectations, as I’ve never particularly enjoyed Kutcher or romcoms. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Though the pair were very good together, what made this movie was the comedy and the supporting cast. Heigl’s parents were played by Tom Selleck and Catherine O’Hara, two actors whom I love in everything they do, and the rest of the cast was rounded out with former MADTV and Daily Show cast members. Really, if you even slightly enjoy a romcom or just want a good time or a date movie, then Killers is a recommendation I would give.

And that was just Friday. Saturday, I woke up and had lunch with Chris Baty, the Founder and Executive Director of the Office and Letters & Light, better known for their annual National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). He was an amazing guy, brilliant, insightful and genuine. Our conversation lead me to thinking a lot about my own work and even spurred me to want to get back into some avenues I hadn’t considered in some time. I HIGHLY encourage you to check out what they do and consider adding your own help or ideas to their pool. They truly are fantastic people who do inspiring work.

http://www.lettersandlight.org/

Finally, Saturday night, I went to the Downtown Comedy Club. OH, that’s right, I forgot to tell you that Thursday morning I actually accidentally bumped into Garrett Morris (pictured below), original SNL cast member, best known for his Director of the School for the Hard of Hearing bit, at my apartment’s gym. He gave me his business card and told me he does the Downtown Comedy Club on Fridays and Saturdays, so I decided to check it out and hopefully get to know him better. Sadly, he got sick Saturday, but I stuck around and watched everything from the open mic to the main events. The open mic was probably the weakest and bluest (meaning crass) open mic I’ve ever seen, but it gave me a bit more confidence in my own idea to try getting back into stand up, and knowing how accepting that venue is, I may even do it as soon as while I’m still in LA. We’ll see. However, the rest of the acts were very good and I left feeling great.

So, that’s it for this last weekend. I’ll be back soon with a post on Götterdämmerung and a general overview of the majesty and wonder that is the Ring Cycle. Hope you all enjoyed your weekend as much as I did.

le grá,

Cody