i heart......

JOHN WILLIAMS

I am no longer a New York Philharmonic virgin. On Friday night, I headed to Lincoln Center and saw them conducted by none-other-than-prolific-film composer-John Williams. It was fantastic. I can't even tell you what its like to see him conduct the music from HOOK, HARRY POTTER, STAR WARS, JAWS, INDIANA JONES and ET. He actually came to Eastman while I was there, and I remember breaking into tears when he did the downbeat at the concert and none other than RETURN OF THE JEDI starting playing. So, after being such a wreck a couple of years ago, I decided to go out there and try to face him like a man. The crazy part is this event turned into something else entirely. Yes, it was breathtaking to hear all of his music...but at the concert, they were honoring a director named Stanley Donen. He directed a couple of small films.....SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS, ANCHORS AWEIGH, IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER, and a hand-ful of others. Donen was there, and he came out and told little stories about Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire and doing these films. Then, they would take a scene from a movie (SINGIN' IN THE RAIN from SINGIN' IN THE RAIN) and they had a screen where they would project it. After the singing stopped and dance break began, they would fade out the sound from the movie, and the Philharmonic would take over. It was simply magical. When you are as much a movie lover as I am, and a musician to boot, you can't help but be overwhelmed by the music. And in Avery Fisher Hall, sitting there, I couldn't help but be swept away by the magic of it all. It was a fantastic evening, and definitely in my top-10 theatrical(ish) events.

Final thoughts: Did you know that he composed the end of the NBC Nightly News? Usually it sounds like a quick brass chord progression...well, he actually wrote a whole song that has never been used. He played it as his final encore.

MANDY MOORE

I have a major girl crush on Mandy Moore. Okay, let me go back and clear some stuff up for you. A girl crush is defined as having a "crush" on the member of the same sex, although you are not gay. You may think they are beautiful, have an amazing life/career, or you are just drawn to them. I have many girl crushes including my BIG one, Kate Winslet of course, and also Liv Tyler. After buying Mandy's new album WILD HOPE and loving it, I decided to go and check out her concert which was at the Fillmore down on the East Side. So, pop music is not really my scene...considering that I didn't know that you don't even have seats at these sorts of things, but instead just stand in a clump. So, I clumped up, and rocked out to her fantastic show. First, she looks like a movie star...she is beautiful, and very natural on stage. Her band was fabulous, and she even revisited her infamous "Candy" to end the show. Watching her, I felt totally inspired to try to get back to songwriting. In my life, I have written exactly one song. Yeah....I know. Sad, isn't it. The truth is, I first want to get a guitar, then get to songwriting. I know so many fantastic musicians including my Uncle Steve (who plays upstate like every weekend) and my friend, Robert German, with whom I used to work. They have always really inspired me, but last night, maybe because she's a girl (?), I just really wanted to put something out there. We'll see if I can find a hook. At any rate, the show last night was fantastic, and I am totally rocking out in my head.

Final thoughts: Mandy knows how to work a stage...and sell a fabulous show!