Posted by Harvey Ostroff on Thursday, November 25, 2010,
I've spent almost forty years as a teacher of the performing arts and have had to judge countless presentations. Some young people had that undeniable spark and some worked at it to such a degree that they were able to transcend the footlights and connect with the audience.
Poor Bristol Palin, victim of the haters and buoyed up by the tea party supporters was incapable of creating that invisible connection. She never should have been on the dance floor past week four. Brandy had it. Rick Fox h...
Posted by Harvey Ostroff on Monday, November 22, 2010,
Obamaland
Health care? We don’t want it. Control over the banking
industry that has taken us to the brink of disaster. Nope, that could be
construed as interference in the capital marketplace. Extend the unemployment benefits to those who were
devastated by the aforementioned banking collapse? Are you kidding? That
is…socialism… oooh! Lets have a war in Afghanistan because Osama just might be
there...or near there. The Taliban, who took down the twin towers, actually
came fr... Continue reading ...
Posted by Harvey Ostroff on Thursday, February 4, 2010,
Donald Sutherland' s rich baritone caresses your auditory sensitivity. Do you believe?. Well, sorry folks, I don't. Not a whit. In fact I am such an unbeliever that I will be leaving town on Feb. 11 and will not return until the fiasco in the snow ( if there is any snow) is done with. I don't care whether a slalom skier, Canadian or otherwise, flies down a hill 1/200th of a second faster than another. I don't care whether the figure skating judges play politics or play fair. I do care that ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Harvey Ostroff on Wednesday, May 13, 2009,
I'm sorry that the NDP fared so poorly in the election yesterday. Unfortunately, they blew what could have been a decent showing or even a victory because they failed to capture the imagination of the electorate. The first error was the carbon tax claw-back plan. They made that the capstone of their platform, obscuring some excellent proposals in the 50 page doc. They were, in other words, "green-shifted" out of contention. People simply didn't care as much as they had when gasoline was $1.50... Continue reading ...
Posted by Harvey Ostroff on Saturday, April 25, 2009,
In less than a week, I will be a senior. Despite my general
demeanor, I have been dreading this birthday. I don’t really know why. It’s
just a number isn’t it? I was, earlier this year in a bit of ... in a deep
depression. Not my style. We had a great time on Maui. I have been work-shopping
more than usual . I love my little Zozo so much that her smile lifts me into
the sky. Margie is well. I am healthy. What
happened was that my Monologue book was rejected after more than a year o... Continue reading ...
Posted by Harvey Ostroff on Monday, April 20, 2009,
Wonderful memories glitter in the mind. The best memories
are shared with others. It is with this in mind that I write today’s blog.
I have been to many concerts; had moments in the theatre when
tears tracked down my face because of the sheer joy (or pain) of the experience,
I am easily moved by a painting or a sculpture.
A partial list includes: Rodin’s garden in a Parisian mist,
Michaelangelo’s Pieta, Picasso’s Guernica at the Sofia in Madrid, The Martha Graham dancer... Continue reading ...
Posted by Harvey Ostroff on Friday, April 17, 2009,
My book of monologues will be sold at Biz books in Vancouver starting next week. Oooh! I'm pretty excited.
Liberals are ahead in the upcoming B.C. election and I'm pissed. There is no way they have such a commanding lead. Gordo in a megalomaniac who will ruin the salmon run, has done nothing to eradicate the Pine Beetle, and has no idea of the final cost of the Olympics. They will create a monstrous debt for the Province.
Unfortunately, The NDP platform is straight out of the 90's with a rather... Continue reading ...
Posted by Harvey Ostroff on Thursday, April 9, 2009,
I don't know about the rest of you, but I am still enthralled by the new attitude espoused by the President of my neighbor to the south. Not only is he a take charge guy but his method is inclusion rather than the superior posturing that W used to treat his allies and his enemies. There seems to be a realization that America under Bush/Cheney was nearly universally hated and that reparations are needed.
I was pleased to read that Obama hosted the first 'seder' in the White House. I am neithe... Continue reading ...
Posted by Harvey Ostroff on Wednesday, April 1, 2009,
I am a left-wing, former beatnik (that's pre-hippie) who wrote poetry and read philosophies. I am a peace loving, ban the bomb marching, environmentalist who is constantly disappointed in the failure of my generation to solve or resolve all of the ills of our society. This is my background, so the fact that I own several houses, travel the world and, despite paper losses, am somewhat unfazed by the recent stock market melt-down, belies my foundations. Unlike Jerry Rubin who became a stoc... Continue reading ...
Posted by Harvey Ostroff on Monday, March 16, 2009,
In a depression such as this, laughter is hard to come by. There are a great many topics that are tabu while people are waiting for financial recovery or at the least, a few signs of stability. I hear no Geithner jokes or Bernanke jokes. Even Madoff, who 'made off' with so many people's life savings, has been mostly exempted from skewering by the comics.
Those of us who are all right for the time being, and I include myself on my teachers pension, are meeting at social gatherings and not t... Continue reading ...
Posted by Harvey Ostroff on Thursday, March 12, 2009,
asl;kdngwe'khnwsn mkn az b„" spells fish Continue reading ...
Posted by Harvey Ostroff on Thursday, March 12, 2009,
" A salesman's got to dream. It comes with the territory." Arthur Miller in Death of a Salesman
I wasn't lyin' I was dreamin' Richard Nash in The Rainmaker
"A dream is a wish your heart makes" Jiminy Cricket in Pinnochio
I think, by nature, the creative individual has to be a dreamer. As a child, I was captivated with the Wizard of Oz series by Frank l. Baum. The books, which he wrote beneath the spires of the Hotel Del Coronado, came out each year just before Chrismas. They were the gi... Continue reading ...
Posted by Harvey Ostroff on Sunday, March 8, 2009,
This trial and error bit of work has been exciting to produce. For a guy who grew up before television this is quite an achievement. Yep that's right, I said before television. I was ten years old before the first 12" black and white TV appeared on our block. Sunday night's we used to go over to my aunt Hilda's place and " watch the radio." I guess I can't think of myself as a luddite anymore even though I haven't got a cell phone or a blackberry. I can compute!!!
Last night I went to the ... Continue reading ...
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I intend to use this site to register my thoughts about theatre and the world in general.
Come on along.
