A day of nothing.
Today, I have the day off! From both of my jobs! YAY! So far, I've been occupying myself with copious amounts of television, web surfing, and unread magazines.
One of the programs that I TiVo'ed that I'm now finally getting to is Spike Lee's documentary on New Orleans' experience of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath - When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. So far, I've only watched Acts I and II. I'm hoping to get to the rest sometime later. The first half has been riveting. I love the way that Spike Lee is letting the people involved in the event speak for themselves, instead of employing cheesy voice-overs. He has captured some really powerful statements from many of the major players, as well as heartbreaking stories from several survivors that he chose to focus on. (One, about a man whose aging mother died at the Superdome, almost made me lose it. I can't believe he held it together.) In the first half, there is also some footage of New Orleans after the hurricane that is very difficult to watch, but it helps you remember and understand the magnitude of what went on down there last year. On the film's website, there's also an interesting interview with Lee, where he discusses why he wanted to make the film and what his own experiences were, recording these stories.
Oh, the Millsaps Arts and Lecture Series recently released its season. They've got an interesting lineup of Southern songwriters, authors, scientists, and more scheduled for this year. You can check out the complete program in their online brochure (PDF). Millsaps has also announced its roster for the Southern Circuit Film Series. These are great events; the audience screens an independent film and then usually has a question/answer session with the filmmaker. They have what looks like a gripping schedule of films, including State of Fear by Pamela Yates and Interkosmos by Jim Finn. Check out the full season here.
Rehearsals are clipping along. Yesterday, we ran through the show, and I felt reasonably good about how it went. We have a week of rehearsals left, and then we'll open! It's getting exciting!
One of the programs that I TiVo'ed that I'm now finally getting to is Spike Lee's documentary on New Orleans' experience of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath - When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. So far, I've only watched Acts I and II. I'm hoping to get to the rest sometime later. The first half has been riveting. I love the way that Spike Lee is letting the people involved in the event speak for themselves, instead of employing cheesy voice-overs. He has captured some really powerful statements from many of the major players, as well as heartbreaking stories from several survivors that he chose to focus on. (One, about a man whose aging mother died at the Superdome, almost made me lose it. I can't believe he held it together.) In the first half, there is also some footage of New Orleans after the hurricane that is very difficult to watch, but it helps you remember and understand the magnitude of what went on down there last year. On the film's website, there's also an interesting interview with Lee, where he discusses why he wanted to make the film and what his own experiences were, recording these stories.
Oh, the Millsaps Arts and Lecture Series recently released its season. They've got an interesting lineup of Southern songwriters, authors, scientists, and more scheduled for this year. You can check out the complete program in their online brochure (PDF). Millsaps has also announced its roster for the Southern Circuit Film Series. These are great events; the audience screens an independent film and then usually has a question/answer session with the filmmaker. They have what looks like a gripping schedule of films, including State of Fear by Pamela Yates and Interkosmos by Jim Finn. Check out the full season here.
Rehearsals are clipping along. Yesterday, we ran through the show, and I felt reasonably good about how it went. We have a week of rehearsals left, and then we'll open! It's getting exciting!
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