Yesterday, while traveling on the Atlantis cruise from Rome to Barcelona, I got word that award-winning actress/singer/dancer Vanessa Williams would be the surprise guest star on the cruise ship.
Longtime readers know I have been friends with the gorgeous super-star since we were both freshman music theater majors at Syracuse University in the early 1980s.
We quickly traded emails excited at the prospect of seeing each other live, in person.
This afternoon was the bestest catch-up you can imagine as V and I, with my hubby Michael, spent just the most delicious hours laughing and smiling off the French coast near Nice, on the Atlantis cruise today.
My apologies for the light posting today, but I had some really wonderful company to keep.
I don't think I can love this song more than I already do.
The simplicity and slow, deliberate tempo seems to create for the listener the silent world of "John Doe No.24."
Knowing Mary Chapin Carpenter wrote this based on an actual newspaper clipping she came across makes it all the more poignant. There's a kind of calm acceptance of life's situation in the way Mary Chapin writes as "John."
I've been affected by the song from the day I heard it. I've never really known why other than it's clearly theatrical sense of soliloquy.
Listening today I was reminded of growing up without my own mother and a father who, although he loved me, was somewhat absent. And, as a young child, I was very quiet and happy to be in my own world.
Then I found my "crepe jasmine" - my best friend Carlye - who opened up new senses, colors and confidence in me. For the first time in my young life, this "orphan shoe" was no longer missing the other.
I guess that's where John Doe and I diverged. Lucky me.
Loved the quick trip on Atlantis Cruise with Olivia: awesome few days aboard the Harmony of the Seas, but those were some long travel days there and back.
Since we joined cruise after initial departure, we had to be first off in Ft Lauderdale for immigration reasons. That meant a 5:30am call to disembark.
That gave me an 8-hour layover in Fort Lauderdale. Thanks to my buddy Chad for the chat and nap space before getting on to my 8-hour fly time home to Las Vegas.
It was sweet that one of my fellow Atlantis cruisers approached me at the airport to say he'd seen me on the ship and thought I was handsome but was too shy to say so.
He found his courage at my gate and I was really touched. Nice guy who lives in London and just wanted to finally say 'hi.' That was a cool postscript to the adventure.
And meeting Randy Report reader Devon on the ship was a highlight as well :)
Enjoying some chill time in my favorite space in the world. Bruno the wonder dog keeps wandering over to see if I have any food (nope), but I'm happy to have his company.
Hope everyone has a great weekend. #morewine #dogsrule #exhale
Barbara Hermal Bach shares this photo by Casare Brai on Facebook with a rather poetic description:
"A wolf pack: the first 3 are the old or sick, they give the pace to the entire pack. If it was the other way round, they would be left behind, losing contact with the pack. In case of an ambush they would be sacrificed.
"Then come 5 strong ones, the front line. In the center are the rest of the pack members, then the 5 strongest following.
"Last is alone, the alpha. He controls everything from the rear. In that position he can see everything, decide the direction. He sees all of the pack. The pack moves according to the elders pace and help each other, watch each other."
The photo and description have been circulating the web for years, and the 'breakdown' in rank has since been disproved.
At 10:30am today, my new iPhone 6s arrived at my door. Whoo-hoo!
I haven't upgraded my phone in years, and with the latest revision led me to indulge.
But I hate standing in lines, and I'd never stand in one of those "hours long Apple Store" kind of lines. A week ago, I pre-ordered my phone at an AT&T store, and here it is! Life is good.
Some folks still feel the need to do the line thing. But ,one woman found a way to "virtually" stand in line - with a robot taking her place.
In the smartest time management yet seen in an iPhone line, Lucy Kelly has outsourced the job to a telepresence robot, also called Lucy. The robot, created by Californian company Double Robotics, is an iPad attached to a Segway-type device that allows a person to be somewhat physically present despite not being there.
The robot arrived to take the position of fourth-in-line at the flagship Apple Store on George Street at 5 a.m. Thursday, with Kelly communicating through it from 6 a.m. It is believed to be the first time a robot has lined up and purchased an iPhone.
Kelly is meanwhile chilling in the warmth of her office, while her robot counterpart stands in the wind and rain.
Kelly says there is no jealousy from those diehard fans who have been freezing through the nights. "Everyone thinks it is pretty cool, they were happy to let a robot go ahead," she said.
JoeMyGod points out this trailer for an upcoming documentary that chronicles what has to be one of the craziest stories in a long time.
Matt Stopera, reporter for Buzzfeed, had his cell phone stolen while at a NYC bar last year.
The next thing he knew, pictures of a Chinese man started appearing on his phone's photo feed. One thing led to another, and soon he became famous in China via social media. All of this led to a trip there where the reaction to his visit will blow your mind.
Click here to read the incredible, unpredictable story of Matt and "Brother Orange."
Buzzfeed now plans a full-on documentary on Matt's adventure. The trailer below is just the tip of the iceberg of this amazing story.
I grew up in a "television household." I can't imagine not having TV.
Over the years, friends have more and more told me "Oh, I don't watch that. I don't watch TV. I don't have a television."
I couldn't imagine that. Period.
But, with the internet becoming more and more a part of our lives in every facet, I can see it now.
The price of a full spectrum of cable or satellite TV stations costs close to $100 a month. And then we flip through channel after channel saying, "there's nothing on" because so much is crap.
Well, now, I can actually see life without cable subscriptions at this point. Most of what I make a point to watch is on HBO. And starting in April you can subscribe to HBO via internet for only $14.99 a month.
Via press release:
Apple will give viewers the ability to enjoy HBO programming via HBO NOW. Upon launch, customers can subscribe using the HBO NOW app on their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, or directly on Apple TV for instant access. Users can purchase HBO NOW directly in-app for $14.99 a month. Upon registering, subscribers will also be able to watch at HBONOW.com. HBO will offer a 30 day introductory free trial period to new HBO NOW customers who sign up through Apple in April.
That's a deal. And if you sign up in April - you get a free month. I love free!
Plus, since you already have internet at that point, most networks offer the bulk of their shows online for free now. So even ABC or CBS TV series are available.
And if you want to watch all this on your TV, get an Apple TV unit (one-time purchase at $99 with cable), connect that baby up, and go! Widescreen wonderfulness.
Seriously, why do we need cable or satellite TV at this point?
So, I had to post this meme, slightly adjusting this famous line from the film, which I imagine (at least in my head) I heard over and over through life.
I was reading Kevin Fallon's review of last night's PETER PAN LIVE! telecast for The Daily Beast (which I find pretty spot on; very fair in my opinion) and came across this video at the end of the article.
This is quite the last word on believing in fairies, and seriously a must-see.
Had an impromptu pool party yesterday with our friends Greg Chase, Chad Saunders and Matt Zarley.
Someone on Facebook quipped that this looked like a new Bravo reality series.
Regarding the cups - I had others for the pool, but majority rule dictated that Olivia cups were the container of the day. Don't think of it as product-placement.
However, Olivia is currently holding court at the Flamingo Las Vegas with her new show "Summer Nights." Just throwing that out there :)
All credit goes to my hubby Michael - when we planted the courtyard in the front of our house, he wanted a really green, lush feel to the space, and he came up with a wall of jasmine.
In the desert.
When you walk by it smells amazing. Just the right amount of natural gorgeousness.
NOM President Brian Brown may want to consider his health when campaigning against rights of gays
A study in the February issue of the American Journal of Public Health shows that people who have anti-gay animus tend to live shorter lives.
The study included the responses of 20,226 heterosexuals who participated in General Social Survey interviews between 1988 and 2008, 4,216 of whom had died by the end of the study period.
People who espouse anti-gay views die younger than those who don't, found a sure-to-be-controversial study in the February issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
"Anti-gay prejudice is associated with elevated mortality risk among heterosexuals, over and above multiple established risk factors for mortality," wrote the researchers, led by Mark L. Hatzenbuehler of Columbia University.
In fact, those who were not highly prejudiced against gay people lived an average of 2.5 years longer than those who were.
Researchers hypothesize that the increased anger and stress of anti-gay prejudice could lead to risk of higher heart disease.
Brenda Braxton (L), me and Roz Ryan (R) drinking, boozing, having a few laughs...
I'm currently in Sacramento, Calif, choreographing a new production (in the round; with a stage that often spins) of CHICAGO the Musical at Sacramento Music Circus.
On a lightning fast schedule, we've already staged half the show (Overture, All That Jazz, Cellblock Tango, All I Care About, Both Reached for the Gun, Roxie, Tap Dance and My Own Best Friend) in three days. Whew!
Great cast and crew here, especially two of my FAVORITE peeps from my CHICAGO past - the fab Roz Ryan and Brenda Braxton - who I had dinner and drinks with last night as we head into our one day off before opening. Love these two stunning, talented ladies. I can't imagine a better time anywhere than laughing with them.
From cocktails with the ladies I got back to my hotel, showered up and headed to the Music Circus's closing night performance of The King & I, which featured old friends Alan Ariano and Telly Leung. Amazing production. Looked great in the theater, the cast was fantastic, and the theater of over 2,000 looked to be sold out! Congrats to Music Circus.
So proud of NYC bud (and former gym partner) Alan Ariano - his performance in The King & I was fab!
The billboard pictured here is real, it's located in Lima, Peru, and it produces around 100 liters of water a day (about 26 gallons) from nothing more than humidity, a basic filtration system and a little gravitational ingenuity.
The billboard is located in Lima, Peru, the largest city in Peru and the fifth largest in all of the Americas, with some 7.6 million people (closer to 9 million when you factor in the surrounding metro area). Because it sits along the southern Pacific Ocean, the humidity in the city averages 83% (it's actually closer to 100% in the mornings). But Lima is also part of what's called a coastal desert: It lies at the northern edge of the Atacama, the driest desert in the world, meaning the city sees perhaps half an inch of precipitation annually (Lima is the second largest desert city in the world after Cairo). Lima thus depends on drainage from the Andes as well as runoff from glacier melt — both sources on the decline because of climate change.
According to Mayo DraftFCB, the billboard has already produced 9,450 liters of water (about 2,500 gallons) in just three months, which it says equals the water consumption of "hundreds of families per month." Just imagine what dozens, hundreds or even thousands of these things, strategically placed in the city itself or outlying villages, might do. And imagine what you could accomplish in any number of troubled spots around the world that need potable water with a solution like this.
