Baltimore21201.Com - The Blog

Very Special Video: "You Can't Take it With You" - from Baltimore's Everyman Theatre

Fireworks, police raids, and a xylophone are just the tip of the iceberg in this zany Kaufman and Hart comedy classic. It's a comedy that's often listed in the madcap category because it is, it really is. If there was a magnificent category it would be listed there, also.

Meet the Sycamore family, politically independent with healthy distrust of government. They open their New York City home to all sorts of free spirits. When their daughter Alice, decides to invite her conservative boyfriend’s family to dinner, they promise to be on their best behavior. However…!

 

This extraordinary production stars an all-star Everyman cast. This production ends June 17th and it you only see one show at Everyman this season, please make it this one. I've posted a few highlights from some of the reviews of this production below. I'll add mine here.

"BRANDHAGEN PLAYS XYLOPHONE!
SMOKE, SETS, LOVE, AND LAUGHTER!
The best ticket in town; the finest set you've ever seen."
-Stephen Brockelman, Baltimore 21201

The Cast:         

Megan Anderson* — Essie
Clinton Brandhagen* — Ed
Chinai Hardy — Rheba
Deborah Hazlett* — Mrs. Kirby
Brianna Letourneau —  Alice Sycamore
Wil Love* — Mr. De Pinna
Bruce Randolph Nelson* — Kohlenkov
Caitlin O'Connell — Penny Sycamore
Jon Odom — Donald
Barbara Pinolini — Gay Wellington
Steve Sawicki —  Henderson
Kimberly Schraf — Olga
Matthew Schleigh — Tony Kirby
Carl Schurr* — Mr. Kirby
Stan Weiman* — Martin Vanderhof
Tom Weyburn — Paul Sycamore
and
Michael Leicht
Evan Moritz
Kyle Jackson  — Three Men
*Everyman company member

“COMIC DYNAMITE!
DELICIOUSLY RADICAL!”
-Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun

“FIVE STARS!
NOT TO BE MISSSED!”
-DC Metro Theater Arts

“TERRIFIC!
HILARIOUS!
I definitely recommend. You’ll laugh throughout.”
-Eddie Applefeld, WCBM 680 AM

“UPLIFTING! DELIGHTFUL! LIVELY!
‘You Can’t Take it With You’ has Everyman favorites in roles that they seem born to play!”
-Mike Giuliano, Patuxent Papers

“HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!”
-DC Theatre Scene

“Leaves you hankering for a place at the family's dining room table!"
-Judy Rousuck, WYPR Maryland Morning

“Thoroughly enjoyable...a really fun evening at the theater. Buy tickets now because it's likely to sell out very quickly!"
-MD Theatre Guide

Tickets. Get your tickets here.

Wolcott - Woolcott; Tomato - Tomahto

Twice a month I attend writer's meetings in Owings Mills. The Thursday meetings are typically white-crystalline-xanthine-alkaloid-induced exchanges of ideas, concepts, best practices, and minutiae. Our writer's meetings cover broad topics, focus down to the asterisks-level, and often take sudden turns to the personal and the obscure. The meetings could—easily and fondly—be called I knew that; no, I didn't.

For me, the hour is a colorful confetti of the cutting-edge, the historic, the questioning, the remembering and reflecting, the literary, and, the do-you-remember. (Sometimes we even discuss gardening.)

A couple of Thursdays ago, the dozen-or-so of us attending got into an exceptionally broad exchange. I was in a great conversation—about Kodak, financial big baths, and the gray snow in Rochester—with a fellow writer when I heard—from the other end of the table—David Ogilvy being discussed and I spun my head around so fast that whiplash was a possibility. Could the conversations get better?

Yes. They could. And they did. Sort of.

In yet another conversation, I heard an author's name that brought me to one of these two gents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I heard a name: Woollcott.

And, I chimed in with gusto. I injected myself into the conversation with stories about Alexander writing for the New Yorker, his bringing story-telling to his theatre reviews on radio, being a gifted member of the Algonquin Round Table (albeit a long-winded one), and his friendship with the acerbic Dorothy Parker.

My insightful stories were received with blank stares and at least one gaping mouth. I believe that one of the group even cocked her head in that all-too-telling 'I don't think so' pose.

I was saved from certain lifetime, literary humiliation by a fellow writer across the table. He looked at me, looked down, paused, and said, "Oh, you're thinking of Alexander. We were talking about James Wolcott, you know, from Maryland. He wrote Lucking Out - My life getting down and semi-dirty in seventies new york."

Whoops. Yes, big whoops moment.

(I immediately ordered Wolcott's Lucking Out. It's next up on my reading list.)

I've I looked for an Alexander book to share with the writer team and with you, one that was written by "my" Woollcott. I discovered that there are few books, even fewer that are worth a serious read unless you are an ardent and tireless fan of New York theatre, of Broadway. Alexander Woollcott's command of language is extraordinary and his magazine pieces are written gold.

Sadly, the man just wasn't cut from the same writer-cloth as a long-form author. But, the man could review and quip with the best of the best. He once opened a review this way, "The play, Number 7 opened last night; it was misnumbered by five." 

Late in life, Woollcott retired to Neshobe Island in Lake Bomoseen,Vermont. Shortly before Alexander Woollcott died, he admitted: “I never had anything to say.” 

Judge for yourself. 

Here's an Alexander Woolcott book:  

Feel free to pass this book along to your theatre and literary friends. I recreated it from public domain documents. OK then, I'm now off to test-drive the writing of our Maryland Wolcott, James.

Have an Irish Setter? Taylor - Royall Casting is Looking for Your Furry Actor.

You know your doggie should be in films. Hey, he does all those cute things that everyone adores. Your Setter is so amazing that he should pave the way to your retirement by just being his own sweet, amazing, talented self.

This gig won't make you or your Setter rich in actual dollars, but think of the on-screen face-time and the bragging rights.

Details from Taylor - Royall:

We're in need of a trained Irish Setter who is able to perk his ears/be expressive, and cover his face with his paw as if dismayed on command for a commercial shoot.

Auditions are being held on Tuesday 5/15 in Baltimore and the shoot is scheduled for Tuesday 5/22 in the DC area. This job pays $675.

To be considered, please email agents@taylorroyall.com. Include your name, phone number, a photo of your dog, and details about what your dog is trained to do.

A New Baltimore Casting Notice. It's Union, SAG-AFTRA. (I won't use visuals.)

Calling men for a TV commercial. Men with hairy backs. Also, men with chiseled chests. Men willing to show off the goods.

Here are the details from my friends at Taylor-Royall Casting in Baltimore:

We're submitting talent to audition for a SAG-AFTRA commercial requiring some specific body types. Please see the descriptions below and follow the submission instructions if you qualify for either role. 

- Caucasian men, age 20s to 40s, must have hairy backs & be willing to be shirtless for a beach/pool scene.

- Caucasian men, age 20s/30s, good looking, sculpted chest, must be willing to be shirtless for a bedroom scene. Should be able to have a vain "I'm the man" look and also act sheepish/embarrassed.

To be considered, please email agents@taylorroyall.com. Include your name, phone number, headshot/photo, resume, union or non-union, and please note which role you are submitting for.  

That's it, guys, go forth with gusto! If you've got it, give it up for the glory. (And a nice pay-day, also.)

[To my fellow SAG-AFTRA members, remember Rule One.]

Baltimore Casting Notice: Know How to Use Knives? Chop, Slice, Dice? Female?

If you know your way around these guys you're in a good position to submit for this two-day commercial shoot.

                                Photo courtesy Wusthof, Inc.

This just might be the casting notice you've been waiting for.

The details, the specifics, from Taylor-Royall:

Caucasian females age 20s-40 with nice hands needed for a non-union video shoot.

Must be proficient in cooking and cutting, comfortable with kitchen work.

Need not be a professional chef, just need to be comfortable chopping, slicing, dicing and overall handling a knife while the prep work happens in the video.

This shoot is scheduled to take place on Thursday 4/19 AND Friday 4/20 in the Baltimore area and pays $500 flat per day.

You MUST be available for both dates if you submit. If you would like to be considered, please email agents@taylorroyall.com with the subject "Hand Model".

Include your name, phone number, headshot, current photos of your hands, and a resume detailing any cooking/chopping/food prep experience with your submission.  

Casting Notice 4-9-12: MGH Advertising is Searching for the Voice of Baltimore

At first glance, I thought, "Hey, that's me!" Then, reading closer, I discovered that I'd qualify on only one count. According to my buddy, Ryan Goff at MGH, "The ideal candidate will be over 40—the older the better." (I was pinning my hopes on the 'older-the-better' line.)

                 Graphic courtesy MGH Advertising, Owings Mills

To me, this looks like the fun-gig of a lifetime. And, working with MGH could never be anything but a great time. Here are the details directly from the horse's Ryan's mouth:

BECOME THE VOICE OF BALTIMORE!
You could be featured in a future MGH ad campaign.

Audition Today

Now through April 30, we're auditioning residents of Charm City and the surrounding area in an effort to discover someone we're calling the "Voice of Baltimore." This is a man or woman who eats, sleeps and breathes Baltimore – and has a genuine "Bawlmerese" accent to match. If we find this person, he or she may be hired as the voice of a future MGH ad campaign.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR:

• You must have a genuine Baltimore accent – not a silly one you do at parties, but the real thing.
• The ideal candidate will be over 40 – the older the better – although anyone 18 or older will be considered.
• You should be passionate for Baltimore and have lived in the city or surrounding area your whole life.
• You should be outgoing with a great sense of humor.
• Don’t try to be funny. Just be genuine.

Here's the script for you to read and record:

I’ve lived in Baltimore all my life. I grew up on Bel Air Road and used to root for the Colts with my dad, who worked at Bethlehem Steel in Sparrows Point. We’d also watch the Orioles at Memorial Stadium. After high school, I drove an ambulance, and I made a lot of friends on the police force. Sometimes after a shift I’d say, “Did you eat yet? Let’s go down to Little Italy.” I don’t leave town much. Had to go to Washington a few times. Didn’t care for it. Wow, reading this made me thirsty. You got a glass of water?

All of the details are here. Check them out. Read through the script a couple of times. Record it, and submit your best effort. Again, check the official MGH rules and regulations.

Good luck to everyone and to my SAG-AFTRA union friends, remember Rule One!

Who's the Elephant Insurance Guy? Well, That Would Be Dave Parker from Virginia.

If you live most anywhere in the mid-Atlantic region, I'll bet you've seen this commercial for Elephant Auto Insurance. In the Baltimore area it seems like it's on every fifteen minutes.

 
              "Easy buddy, there's not much left up there."

The first few times I saw the Elephant spot, I thought, "What an unusual casting choice for a spokesperson." I didn't know who the guy in the commercial was, but he really worked. On camera he provided an unusual combination of sincerity, innocence, and humor.

After a few weeks my curiosity got the best of me.

Let me introduce you to Virginia's own Dave Parker, weatherman, family man, talk radio host, Radford alumnus, and Elephant Auto Insurance front-man. Oh yes, he's a country music DJ, also.

                   Dave Parker's Twitter Photo — @daveparkr

Dave Parker's Bio —

Dave's fond of the quote, "Like what you do, do what you like!"

Dave is a native of the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. As a graduate of Kempsville High School, Radford University, and additional studies at Mississippi State University, he has spent most of his life in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Many people recognize him as the long-time Chief Meteorologist at WTKR NewsChannel 3, where he worked for almost a decade. Viewers named him the area's Best Weatherman, and he's also picked up awards from the Associated Press in West Virginia and Ohio for his forecasts.

Dave has also appeared on CNN, The Today Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, and even The Dating Game.

Parker's first book was published in 2001, titled, "History Next Door, Stories of World War II by Hampton Roads Veterans."

After 18 years of television weather, he decided it was time for a change that would allow his family to stay in Virginia, close to extended family.

Having worked in radio since 2006, Dave was given the chance to pursue his love of country music by becoming one of the initial staff at US106.1, WUSH. You can hear him weekdays from 10 -3. He's also on Talk Radio AM790, WNIS. You'll also hear his voice and see his face in local and national commercials. Dave lives in Va. Beach with his wife, two teenage daughters, and their two crazy dogs.

You can follow Dave Parker on Twitter: @daveparkr

About Elephant Auto Insurance:
Elephant Insurance is a subsidiary of Admiral Group plc. Admiral Group is the third largest auto insurer in the United Kingdom with eleven brands extending into three additional European countries. Admiral operates a direct-to-consumer business model, serving customers via the phone and internet, and has nearly 2 million customers worldwide. Admiral Group plc is consistently listed among the top places to work for by UK and EU national publications. More information is available at www.admiralgroup.co.uk.

HBO's Movie: 'Game Change' - Watch the Full Trailer, the First Full Promo Here

 
          Game Change, the HBO movie, the trailer

This new HBO film follows John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, from his selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, to their ultimate defeat in the general election. "Game Change" premieres on March 10th.

Lots of Baltimore folks might be on-screen. Could be fun. Watch.

Postcards Were Like Tweets: An Early 20th Century Baltimore Christmas Card

     [signed in script: A Merry X Mass to you all (Will)]

What ever you have to say about good ol' Will, you can't call him sentimental. And, he certainly wasn't into waxing bucolic.

No sir, no snowy scenes of Baltimore, no holiday theme, no close-ups of churches for Will. Nothing at all warm and fuzzy.

He appears to have been a cut-to-the chase kind of guy.

I wonder who he was? I wonder why he was in Baltimore?  I wonder who his family was?

Vintage postcards fascinate me in much the same way that Twitter fascinates me. Both are forms of extremely short communication that can be read by most anyone who happens to see it. They both convey and publicly display personal messages, sell products, add to an organization's marketing mix, and many times carry photos along with bragging rights. Both forms of communication let friends know where you are, where you've been, and what you did there.

             Fort McHenry Centennial Postcard, Baltimore 1912

Postcard writers and Twitter authors use a form of highly abbreviated writing that would almost never be acceptable in another format. The language for postcard writers is actually called Postcardese. And, both postcards and Twitter can create a highly charged impact; sometimes the message is vital and urgent.

The postcard business in the United States became a full-on craze between 1903 and 1915, reaching its zenith around 1906.

And a look back at some of the early postcards is just plain fun, if not educational. Here's a 2-and-a-half-minute look at old Baltimore via the picture postcard.

 

One day someone may look back at your Tweets and photos and make a fun little show like this one. Hey it could happen. Remember that...

...every public tweet, ever, since Twitter’s inception in March 2006, will be archived digitally at the Library of Congress. That’s a LOT of tweets, by the way: Twitter processes more than 50 million tweets every day, with the total numbering in the billions.

Enjoy. And that's song is a cute little ditty, yes?

Baltimore Casting Notice. Urgent Background Call.

 

Taylor Royall casting for commercial shoot Tomorrow, February 1st.

Here's the email:

Dear Stephen,

Please feel free to pass this email along to people you know who might qualify.

We're looking for non-union actors to work background on some commercial spots shooting tomorrow, Wednesday 2/1, in Baltimore. Approximate call time is 6:30am and the shoot will be a full day. The rate is $250 flat.

If you are available ALL DAY tomorrow and would like to be considered, please email julie@taylorroyall.com with the following:

Subject: 2/1 BG work 

Name

Phone #

Age Range

Attach a current headshot/photo

We will be in touch later today with more details if you are selected. If you are not available all day/evening, please don't submit.

Good Luck! And to my fellow SAG Members, Remember Rule One.

The 2012 SAG Awards - A Backstage Look at the Massive Production by the Numbers

                    18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

When a production fact-sheet mentions the word "Deco" in the set description, it gets my attention. When a press release mentions nearly 500 Magnums of Taittinger Brut La Française Champagne I'm all over it.

The 2012 SAG Awards show is going to be bigger, brighter, and more beautiful than ever.

The event will take place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. And, for each and every event the Shrine needs some serious attention. Here's the backgrounder:

To create a dramatic arrivals area, impressive set and intimate dinner setting for the world’s leading actors who are gathering on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012 the SAG Awards staff must transform the Shrine Auditorium entrance and the adjoining Exposition Center. The Shrine complex is Los Angeles landmark built in 1920 in Spanish Colonial Revival style with Moorish detailing. It’s grandiose and beautiful on the outside, but the inner space of the Shrine’s Exposition Center, with its 34,000 square foot wooden floor, paint-trimmed overhangs and bare columns, has to be redefined for each event.

So then, what will the SAG Awards be bringing to the table for 2012?

FOR THE STAR STUDDED ARRIVALS AND TO TRANSFORM THE SHOWROOM

The SAG Awards will:

• Lay 15,872 square feet of red carpet in the arrivals area, edged by 585 lineal feet of hedges
• Accommodate 300 fans in three-row six-foot high bleachers placed along an 180’ section of the red carpet arrivals area
• In the event of rain, protect the red carpet from the elements by 23,530 square feet of tenting
• Post five 10’ Actor® statues along the red carpet and onstage.
• Lay 11,800 square feet of black carpet in the interior Shrine entrance and the showroom.
• Drape the interior Shrine entrance with 4,575 square feet of charcoal/silver shimmer fabric
• Post three 10’ Actor® statues along the red carpet.
• Cover the showroom walls with 15,000 square feet of black drape to create a neutral background and block sunlight.
• On the stage, install 700 feet of steel tubing to support 120 running feet of 22’ high set walls punctuated by eight gold and platinum fluted columns and a central radiating backlit golden sunburst. Two stepped deco arches will be accented by 30 feet of translucent etched fins. Crowning the stage will be 400 feet of gold-leafed and copper-leafed deco molding, illuminated by 400 feet of warm white neon tubing.
• Float a 20’ wide “silver screen” framed by a platinum and gold screen-surround illuminated by 80 feet of embedded LED lights at center stage in front of 200 running feet of 30’ high fiber-optic star cloth.
• Line the stage floor with 150 '4’x8’ sheets of black Formica.
• Above the stage hang a 5-foot square crystal beaded art deco chandelier that will be echoed by the four chandeliers hung from the Expo Hall’s ornate ceiling.

TO SET THE DINNER TABLES, the SAG Awards will:

• Place over 3,600 Opus champagne, wine and water glasses, 2,400 pieces Scalini silver flatware and 1,200 square glass dinner plates, on 86 rectangular dinner tables and over 2,400 glasses at two 16’ beverage bars and two wine tasting bar.
• Create custom table coverings from 1306 linear yards of gunmetal crinkled organza, complemented by 1,200 silver satin matte lined napkins
• Soften 1,200 Silver “Simply X” Chameleon chairs with 1,200 black suede seat cushions
• Create a stunning visual setting through the use of florals. This year's inspiration is a return to the roots. It is an organic approach using the various elements of foliage creating a textured landscape in shades of greens.  The compositions incorporate thousands of stems of various foliage, green dianthus, various grasses, calathea, equisetum highlighted with hundreds of succulents, complimented with over 3,000 blossoms of miniature green cymbidium orchids and 4,000 white miniature cala lilies. Each of the arrangements is made in a glass container lined with frosted glass adding a slightly contemporary look to the textured landscaped style.  It is the look of a newer Hollywood.

THE DINNER MENU

Guests will dine on antipasto plates conceived by James Beard Award-winning chef Suzanne Goin, deliciously prepared and artfully arranged by Lucques Catering, consisting of:

MAIN PLATE:

• Slow-roasted salmon with yellow beets, spicy carrot salad and raita
• Roasted root vegetables with quinoa and persimmon salsa
• Grilled chicken breast with black rice, pea shoots and tangerine vinaigre

VEGETARIAN PLATE:

• Spicy carrot salad with yellow beets, cucumber and black mustard seeds
• Roasted root vegetables with quinoa and persimmon salsa
• Black rice salad with english peas, pea shoots and tangerine vinaigrette

To prepare this menu, Lucques' order for the SAG Awards from their select group of purveyors. Their order includes:

• Baby Carrots, 625 bunches, McGrath Farms
• Beets, 468 bunches, McGrath Farms
• Black Rice, 14 gallons, Provvista
• Black pepper, 12 cups, Michael Phung
• Bread, 95 loaves, Tavern
• Butter, 8 cups, Provvista
• Chicken, 156 chickens, Premier
• Cous Cous, 10 gallons, Provvista
• Cumin, 2 cups, Provvista
• Fleur de sel, 5 cups, Forever Cheese
• Garlic, 7 heads,Schaner Farms
• Jalapenos, 75, Pacific Exotic Mushrooms
• Lemon, 175, Schaner Farms
• Mustard Seed, 8 cups, Provvista
• Olive oil, 12 gallons, Provvista
• Parmesan, 150 lbs, Forever Cheese
• Parsley, 175 bunches, Rutiz Farms
• Persimmons, 630, J.J.’s Lone Daughter Ranch
• Rutabagas, 600 bunches, Flora Bella Farm
• Salmon, 120, Ocean Jewels
• Salt, kosher, 4 cups, Sysco
• Shallots, 400, Schaner Farms
• Sherry vinegar, 1.2 gallons, Provvista
• Tangerines, 435, Schaner Farms
• Tarragon, 3 cups, Pacific Exotic Mushrooms
• Thyme, 5 cups, Rutiz Farms
• Turnips, 690 bunches, Flora Bella Farms
• Yogurt, 2 gallons, Pacific Exotic Mushrooms
• Yogurt, greek, 2 gallons, Pacific Exotic Mushrooms

But wait, that's just the food. Are you thirsty?

THE BEVERAGES

Champagne Taittinger and Dry Creek Vineyard are providing champagne and wine for the SAG Awards for the 12th consecutive year. Both are multi-generational family-owned companies. Taittinger and Dry Creek are generous supporters of the SAG Foundation, as is the SAG Awards newest beverage sponsor, FIJI® Water.

Champagne Taittinger is serving:

• 1 magnum of Champagne Taittinger Brut La Française for the Champagne Taittinger toast that opens the SAG Awards Red Carpet. Each magnum contains 500 million bubbles!
• 234 magnums of Champagne Taittinger Brut La Française in the showroom
• 144 magnums of Champagne Taittinger Brut La Française at the post-Awards gala

Dry Creek Vineyard is serving:

• For the tables: 126 magnums of Dry Creek Vineyard’s 2006 Endeavour, a Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, rated 91 points by Wine Enthusiast Magazine and 252 bottles of the 2010 Sonoma County Fumé Blanc, rated 90 points by Winereviewonline.com.
• Dry Creek Vineyard’s wine-tasting bars will offer a selection that includes the newly released 2009 Russian River Valley Foggy Oaks Chardonnay and the 2007 The Mariner from the Dry Creek Valley, rated 93 points from Winereviewonline.com. A total of 132 bottles will be available for tasting.

FIJI Water is serving:

• 2760 liters of FIJI’s natural artesian water served in the showroom and at the post-Awards Gala
• Another 15,120 third-liters served to staff, crew and the more than 800 media and 300 fans in the bleachers as well as placed in the Gala gift bags.

The above is just the tip-of-the-iceburg of what it takes to put together the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards for 2012.

More details to come. Stay tuned.

What's All the Big Fuss About Marketing Automation?

Marketing automation, marketing automation, marketing automation. You can’t go five minutes in an accredited marketing class without someone mentioning this ‘phenomenon’. Everyone is discussing the concept using ten-syllable words.

Marketing automation is certainly effective when done right, but it's not brain surgery. I learned all about it when I was a kid.

What do Cutty Sark, Santa Claus, Kentucky Bourbon, Stag Beer, and Hammond Organs all have in common? Marketing automation, of course.

And, it all begins with a little puppy just like this:

        Hankscraft Motor - The Answer to Marketing Automation

This little video is your single source for everything you need to know about marketing automation.

[By the way, I shared this video with Tom Rowe at Visit Baltimore last week and he said, "I feel like I'm watching the future."]

 

So there you go, now you have it.

You now know all you need to know about marketing automation. Feel free to pass this information along to the less informed. And when you do, be certain to have your tongue firmly implanted in your cheek.

A Case of Unmistakable Identity

                         AMC TV's Mad Men - Branding Success

When branding is brilliant, few words—if any—are needed. Congrats to AMC and Mad Men for doing such an extraordinary job in creating iconic imagery. And, a damn fine television series.

Every idea sounds better when you're dressed sharp. Slow down. Have a drink. Seduce, don't sell.
                              —Josh Weltman, Mad Men Consultant