I direct community theater musicals in Northwest Indiana. I'm particularly proud of "Mary Poppins", a show we completely invented (by, um, "borrowing" from the movie a bit... well, a LOT)) for the summer program in Highland, Indiana, and "Baby", "My Fair Lady", and "The Baker's Wife" for Crown Point (IN) Community Theatre. You can see pics from the CPCT shows in the archive section of their web-site at cpct.biz.
I also peddle silver-age (1960's) and bronze (70s) super-hero comic books on e-Bay. My user name is bnwflix, so stop in and have a look!
I'd like to meet:
Anyone who wants to work hard to put on the best damned theater humanly possible.
Music:
I like my music poppy and peppy, with a strong dose of artistic integrity. My favorite bands are (in no particular order) The Ramones, The Beach Boys, The Kinks, and The Beatles. Other favorite artists are Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Elvis (Costello and Presley), Frank Sinatra, and on it goes...
I have a soft spot (in my head) for 1970's bubblegum music.
Movies:
Don't get me started. I began making student films in high school (super-8), and went on to major in film directing and cinematography at Columbia College-Chicago. My favorite directors are Frank Capra, Ernst Lubitsch, and George Cukor. Favorite actors: William Powell, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant. Actresses: Kate (Hepburn, Blanchett, and Winslet), Carole Lombard, Myrna Loy, Clair Danes (um, I could actually go on for quite some time in this category, so I'm going to move on).
My favorite film of all-time, after careful consideration, is "Casablanca". Followed closely by the usual subject, "Citizen Kane". Then there's "King Kong" (the original, duh), "The Philadelphia Story" (true story; on the night my daughter was born the hospital showed "Casablanca" and "The Philadelphia Story" ..d circuit. I took it as a very good sign), "The Shop Around The Corner", "The Godfather", "Yankee Doodle Dandy", "Notorious", "To Be or Not To Be", "Vertigo", "Shall We Dance", "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", "Trouble in Paradise", "It Happened One Night" ... and a few hundred others. Recent (well, somewhat) faves include "Ghost World", "The Royal Tananbaums", "Signs" and any Coen brothers movie up to and including "O Brother Where Art Thou" (except "Barton Fink").
Television:
Margaret and I watch all of about 3 shows regularly: "The Office", Scrubs", and "30 Rock". We mourn the passing of "Gilmore Girls".
My all-time favorite show is "The Honeymooners".
Books:
Love Dickens and Austen. Poe and Shakespeare. Read a lot of sci-fi, particularly Philip K. Dick and Robert Heinlein (polar opposites, but both great for different reasons). Also love Vonnegut, although we'd end up brawling when it came to politics.
My current recommendation is Harlan Coben. The absolute master of the twist ending (and then another and another), but with tons of heart. His latest, "The Woods" explores some deeper themes and comes damn near close to being "literature".
Heroes:
My wife and children. They make everything else possible. I tell them, but they don't get it.
