Romanes Eunt Domus

My father-in-law is featured in the Shakespeare Theatre Company's current production of the Tragedy of Julius Caesar. He's officially a paid Equity actor in the ensemble. He's even on stage as a Senator when Caesar finds out who his friends are. Steve doesn't pile on and stab away, but he does look believably horrified when the blood starts gushing.

And speaking of horrified, watching this play again for the first time since high school, I had some ferocious 9th grade Latin flashbacks.



It's a very exciting and relevant production at the new Sidney Harman Hall If you can't make it, or are just pressed for time in general, there's always 60 Second Shakespeare over the BBC website.

On a related note, one of my favorite sketch comedy troupes of all time was recently in DC. The Kids in the Hall were at Warner Theatre as part of their Live As We'll Ever Be Reunion tour. I didn't go, as I have seen them twice live (once at the Warner and once at Town Hall in New York) but I heard they were good.

KITH alum Mark McKinney recently was in a great CBC series called Slings and Arrows. I enjoy and recommend it highly, particularly if you enjoy seeing thea-tah types fret.

"Who can turn the world on with a smile?"

My wife can, that's who. Here she is in downtown Minneapolis where 70s protofeminist Mary Richards raised the bar, and the hats, for professional ladies across the country. Yes, it's TV Land's Mary Richards statue.


Love is all around, Gwendolyn. C'mon, girl...



Yeah, that's right!

One of the most acclaimed television shows of all time, and frequently named the greatest sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show defined the era of ERA. I wouldn't have noticed this statue, as I walked right by it, until Gwen said, "Hey, there's Mary Tyler Moore". Turning, I saw it and remembered reading about the dedication a few years back. I recall the Ralph Kramden Honeymooners statue outside of the Port Authority in New York City. I used to see that one a lot in Manhattan. (I bought it a few drinks, actually.)

MTM First Season credits



MTM later season(s) credits. Notice the optimistic change in the last verse from "You might just make it after all" to "You're gonna make it after all". The 70s did seem full of hope at some point, I suppose. And how about that Fran Tarkenton jersey? And those pantsuits? Jesus. Did snow blindness bring those on?

"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."

Gwen and I are leaving for Thanksgiving a day early this week. We'll be in my hometown of Roanoke, Virginia, but first we'll spend Tuesday night at the Peaks of Otter lodge. Then Wednesday, before driving on to Roanoke, we'll hike to the summit. We were engaged there a year ago this weekend at Sharp Top. This time, of course, I have no ring to give her. (Gee, I hope the energy bars I packed go over equally well...)

'Round Midnight wishes you a happy, safe holiday weekend with your friends and family. Remember to give thanks for what's important in your life, and remember to get out of the way of objects quickly approaching the ground...

Movie Night!

Okay, Generation X'ers out there! Get the popcorn ready and see if you can guess roughly what years these were:
















And, of course, the coolest movie intro of them all. It depicts the escape velocity necessary to leave mere broadcast network atmosphere behind in order to enter the glorious galaxy that was 1980s cablevision:




Seriously, I get almost a Proustian rush watching those. How sad is that? (As sad as actually using the adjective "Proustian"?) Look at those miniatures in the last one again. I bet if you take that crosstown bus whizzing through, you'll end up somewhere over in the credits for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

Norman Mailer RIP

The Tasmanian Devil, if you will, of 20th century American letters has at last shuffled off this mortal coil. Well, more likely, God the ref waved Life off and called it a TKO. Norman Mailer may have been in corner near the end, but he was still trying to punch his way out of it.

I was working through The Executioner's Song earlier this year. It was my Delaware beach read. I remember thinking at the time that Truman Capote had done the real life crime novel better with In Cold Blood, which I reread last year in conjunction with the Oscar winning film. I will likely go back and finish TES now, as well as finally reading my dogeared copy of The Naked and the Dead.

Interestingly enough, last night, I watched The Hoax, a fine film from earlier this year about the early 70's faked autobiography of Howard Hughes. A McGraw Hill literary agent says Hughes probably chose Irving to write his book rather than Mailer because "Mailer would've made it about himself". That's likely true.

I once saw a clip of Norman Mailer actually slugging (and biting!) it out with none other than a very young actor named Rip Torn. I don't care what kind of writer you are, and Mailer was a damn good one - if you can hold your own with Artie from The Larry Sanders Show, you're something: