Fighting Scalping is All the Rage.

Email from my friend HB:

Sick of not being able to purchase a ticket to a concert or an event before the scalpers do? And then having to pay quadruple the price??

Me too!!!

Stub hub tried to sell me a ticket for $250,000 to Pearl Jam this morning. So I got angry and started a petition.

It takes 2 minutes… so please sign if you agree, and share if you feel like it.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/put-stricter-laws-concertevent-ticket-selling-scalpers-and-other-secondary-market-ticket-exchanges/j1TDD1Cb

Yeah I know this isn't work related, so thanks for your time and attention. I know you're busy folks.

No Pearl Jam jokes please. They were very big when I was in high school. 

Carry on.

-HB

Going Solo

In the time since Joey B and I have parted ways (romantically) I have rediscovered all the reasons why I love being single.  I enjoy doing what I want, when I want.  I enjoy not being accountable for how I spend my time. I enjoy not having to compete for the remote/DVR.

I understand that these reasons are fundamentally selfish, and maybe don't paint me in the best possible light, but I'm trying to make a point here. The truth is that 95% of the time I love being single, and am not in any hurry to change my relationship status.  The other 5% of the time, however, is getting rough.

I miss having a default plus one for weddings, functions, happenings and hootenannies. I miss impromptu dinners and lunches at new restaurants.  I miss having someone to mock the crazy Drag Race queens with.

Even when I was single, in the past, I always had Ianovitch or TwoPaul as my wing man - or Janie, or Kumar or Joe O.  The reality is that, being single in your mid-30s is very, very different than being single in your mid-20s, in that the number of single versus committed people in my life have reversed polarities.

Although I know a large number of people, and am very lucky to have many close friends, I have always focused most of my downtime on one or two "besties" who I do almost everything with.  Unfortunately none of them live in Chicago.

Also, most people don't have huge amount of unstructured time - another luxury of ones mid-20s. When Mitt-man lived with me in Chicago, part-time, it was like rediscovering the old days - minus playing Pokemon Puzzle for hours at a time.  We were more likely to have a beer or two on the deck.

I guess the bottom line is that, on rare occasions, I get lonely.  This is very new for me, and an embarrassing confession - even if it's only 5% of the time.

Let's Have a Kiki...

This Sunday the About Face Theatre Associate Board (including me), are hosting a Kiki at Sofo Tap (4923 N Clark St) at 2pm.

A portion of the proceeds from every drink sold will benefit the Youth Theatre program, which is a cause very near and dear to my heart.  If you're in the Chicago area, and want to hang with some really, really incredible people, then get your asses to Andersonville and we'll have a Sunday Funday you'll never forget.

Check out the instructional video below, so you'll be prepared - it's going to be a wonderful Kiki.

INVITATION: https://www.facebook.com/events/300010530128621/

Super Smash Kittens

This is even better than laser cats.  Yes, you heard me - LASER CATS!

OMG...OMG...OMG

A new extended trailer for Game of Thrones' latest season has been released!  Check it out.  I am almost embarrassingly excited.  There may have been some hand waving and a chair-dance.

The Best Shows You Aren't Watching

There are some really, REALLY, incredible shows on TV right now.  Some seem to be everywhere, and constantly talked about, but we've lost some amazing, ground-breaking, hilarious shows already this season (ahem, Don't Trust the B_ in Apartment 23) so i'm going to provide you with a list of some awesome shows that you probably aren't watching - but should be.

Have I ever steered you wrong?

HAPPY ENDINGS

Originally billed as a Friends for the second decade of the 21st century, this show has evolved into a sharp, quick and surprisingly heart-warming ensemble comedy.  Ostensibly based in Chicago (ignore the Hollywood hills outside of Brad & Jane's apartment) the show really does capture the inter-connectedness (read: codependence) of many a group of late twenty-somethings roaming the streets of Chicago.

The first season was palatable (it appeared as a mid-season replacement)  but in the second season the show hit it's stride.  I often have to pause and/or rewind the show because I was laughing so loud I missed the two or three jokes that followed.

I heartily suggest you start at the beginning, to fall in love with the characters, but catch up as soon as possible.  Much like 30 Rock and Community, the show's ratings do not reflect it's high quality.

THE AMERICANS

This FX series premiered a short while ago and I am already hooked.

Centering on an imbedded KGB couple who are posing as a typical American couple - owners of a local travel agency in the 1980s and living in the suburbs.  The couple - played with an impressive mix of affection and antagonism - by the likable Matthew Rhys and the delicious Keri Russell are raising two children (who are completely oblivious to their parents actual careers) while carrying out kidnappings, poisonings and various other espionage.

The writing is quick and the show manages to be highly suspenseful, without being overwhelming.  Russell (who can hold a close up better than any actress on TV) is the true believer, while Rhys doesn't mind life in America and even advocates flipping to the American's cause.  The fact that an FBI Officer, Stan Beeman (played by the always impressive Noah Emmerich) and his family just moved in across the street ratchets up the potential for drama.

The show balances the political atmosphere of the Cold War perfectly with the everyday issues that families face (kids growing up too fast, etc) and the examination of a marriage that is not what it seems in every way imaginable.

If this show doesn't get renewed for a second season I am holding you personally responsible.

THE MINDY PROJECT

I resisted the Mindy Project when it first premiered.  I have always found Mindy Khaling, Creator and Star, a little much.  In all honesty, the first couple of episodes proved that my initial instincts were correct.  Then something magical happened.  The show found it's pace, Khaling calmed down, and the show blossomed into an infinitely watchable and altogether charming examination of a driven overachiever who finds herself a partner in an obstetrics practice in Manhattan but without a meaningful romantic partnership.

The show also showcases the blurred lines between professional and personal relationships in the modern workforce.  Her professional partners Danny (the charming Chris Messina) and Jeremy (the pedestrian but very cute Ed Weeks) reflect two unique, and very different, states of male single life.

The supporting cast is outstanding, I have to give Khaling credit for choosing wisely and never being afraid to let others shine.  This show is my favorite new comedy of the year.  Hands down.

THE OUTS

While not an "actual" TVshow (The Outs is a web-based mini-series) this engaging, moving and impressive show is the much, much better than anything I've seen on TV in a long time.

I have heard it described as a gay version of HBO's Girls and a Brooklyn based Will & Grace - both of which miss the mark by a long shot.  The show is an examination of modern friendships and romantic relationships that is impeccably  almost painfully, honest.  It doesn't pull any punches, and is funnier and much more engaging as a result.

The show was actually funded via a kickstarted campaign, so the lack of censorship and network oversight has resulted in a show that is frank, fresh and absolutely genius.  The best part is that you can watch all the episodes right here and now!  Enjoy!

Metropolitan Diary: Guns and the Pulpit

By: ALESSANDRA LONGO

Dear Diary:

The pastor flings excited beads of sweat from his brow as he preaches to the packed pews of his Harlem congregation at First Corinthian Baptist Church. His enthusiasm echoes in a shared buzz of gratitude. We are happy to be alive. Happy to come together on this Sunday, a day unique to all those anteceding and all that will follow.

The change in mood is sudden. Spontaneous “Amens” and “Thank yous” ripple into silence. The pastor has posed a request: “I want all those who have lost a loved one from gun violence to walk to the front.”

Half the congregation rises from their pews and files toward the pulpit.

I stay seated. I am one of a handful of white faces scattered among the crowd. My friend hugs her 8-year-old son tightly. To her, he is the world. To the world, he is another young black male, teetering on the edge of morbid statistics. Today she avoids the long walk to the pulpit, but tomorrow holds no guarantees. His future and the future of this community are being decided in other parts of town.

I turn my head to the left. The pew stands completely empty. A moment before, those same seats were filled with flesh-and-blood people who have become eclipsed by data and information trends. I gaze across the barren sea of crushed red velvet with tightness in my chest. How will we find a unified decision when half of us are gone?