So a few weeks ago, I was at yet another library sale in town, and found an old VHS copy of “How to Succeed in Business…,“  a 60′s Broadway musical starring a one Robert Morse.  It follows the metoeric rise of a young man from the mailroom to the board room in a matter of days.  The play is humorous and crisp, with fantastic visuals and modern songs.  It also playfully describes and exploits the typical 60s business workplace, with all female secretaries, a president’s mistress, and all old men at the top.

The lead actor, Robert Morse, does an excellent job.  He’s funny and creates a very lovable character that you really wish would win in the end, despite the sort of sneaky nature in which he accomplishes his tasks.  He can sing, the dancing is pretty good, and he also playing the character originally on Broadway.

But where did this guy come from?  What has he been in since its release in 1968?  I’ve watched quite a few musicals and didn’t recognize this dude from anything, so I decided to investigate, and this what I found:

ROBERT MORSE PLAYS BERT COPPER ON MAD MEN

The same dude who plays in a contemporary 60s musical about the corporate rise of a regular dude in 60s NYC ends up playing an ad partner in a contemporary 00s drama about a 60s office in NYC.

Way to blow my mind, Universe.

Dirk Fowler of F2-Design has a great collection of show posters he’s created, most with sly visual puns and super style.  I found these over at GrainEdit, who pointed out that they, like many people, start into graphic design creating things like band posters, and I have to totally agree!  That’s how I started in design, when back then, all I had were magazine clippings, a marker, and a photocopier.  (Those were the days….so much glue, so little time!)

Here’s some more that I really like:

(PS: This one is totally for a show in Indy, my [sort of] hometown!)

You can see more over at Gigposters.com, where you can also make a purchase to make one or more of these your very own.  Also, check out his F2-Design site, which has even more awesome work, including letterpress and design work.

Cheers!

So, like most every other American, European, Canadian, or some one with access to a radio or another human being, I become a fan of the Beatles in middle school.  I was 12 and had just watched “A Hard Day’s Night” at my grandparents with an older cousin.  And at that point, I knew that for the next million and a half years, I had to become obessed with this band.

This is a line that not all people cross–most stay somewhere between “Yeah, they’re great” and “Yeah, I have almost every album and have seen one of their movies.”  This is a reasonable amount of love.

But I become crazied with everything that had to do with the Beatles.  I read every book that our library had (Including “The Beatles” by Hunter Davies, the first offical biography, started when they were still playing music), had 15 t-shirts, could rattle off facts better than my multiplication tables: It was insanity.

Yet, they also become something sacred.  I watched the Anthology when it aired on PBS for the first time and cried when it was over.  I would defend their honor, their music; tell people that they weren’t just being high all the time;  that Magical Mystery Tour held some kind of secret philosophy about life and love and that all the answers of the universe could be found in the grooves of Sgt Peppers on vinyl.

And then came Across the Universe.  I went to see it opening week, and after convincing myself that my soul wasn’t really crushed into nothing by the end, I realized that they had become so legendary in our culture that not many yielded to the artistic respect that they deserve.

BUT ANYWAYS, I said all that to say that they are coming out with a Rock Band comprised entirely of Beatles’ songs, and it LOOKS AWESOME! (You can also see this bigger/better over at the website.)

Double High Five to you, Rock Band! This looks awesome and I may think about getting an XBOX just so I can play this.

Cheers!

So, sort of related, but not really: I started writing on a semi-consistent (like at least once a week or so, if not more) about 2 years ago, when I was still in college.  I would write just about my day or school or whatever other post-adolescent idealist idea that I had and needed to share on paper.  ANYWAYS, I would first, thought, start a page in the very center of the notebook that would contain a list of movies that I needed to own and then to see.  That let’s just say that this list started as a brief jotted bullet list, and has turned into pageS of movies.  And because I’m the one in charge around here, I figure I could start sharing those movies with YOU! Cheers!

Now, I’m not going to review movies I’ve already seen–I’m not so good at that.  I toss around “film terms” that I don’t understand and then talk about the ‘cinematography’ and the ‘stylization’ of ‘the’ ‘sets,’ BLAHBLAHBLAH.  I leave that up to the professionals: I’m talking to you, Rotten Tomatoes commentors! BUT I do like to talk about movies that I want to see.

So the first movie I’m going to give reasons why I’m excited to see it is 500 Days of Summer.

so I know that I’m “that girl” when I say that I”m stoked to see this movie.  I’m that girl who also saw Juno in the theatre (and tried to get into a screening, but failed); I’m also the one who really wanted to see Nick and Norah’s Infinate Playlist but didn’t and went to see the Darjeeling Limited BY HERSELF in the theatre, opening weekend.  I GET IT, OK!?  But I can’t help it that I’m white, I work in an artistic field, and like Arrested Development and Michael Sera, and am single, Ok? So lay off. (I don’t know why I sound angry all of a sudden…)

ANYWAYS, I really think that 500 Days of Summer is going to be great.  Well, maybe not super great, but cute and heartwarming.  It’s got Zooey Deschanel (or do I say, my identical twin???….no, not true. sad face.),  Joseph Gorden-Levitt, (ie that other guy in 10 things I hate about you), it was presented at Sundance.

Just watch this trailer:

CLASSY! it’s got the Smiths, and an animated bird/dance sequence in the trailer, and they RUN THROUGH AN IKEA STORE.  Yeah, I’m probably going buy this.  It’s like trying say that I’m going to hate Away We Go. Come ‘on, get real.

This is sweet and heart warming for sure.

Found via SwissMiss

This is BY FAR one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a long time: A huge group of awesome people put together an Improv Everywhere type event at the Central Station in Antwerp (WHERE I’VE TOTALLY BEEN), dancing to “Do, a Deer.” THIS IS AWESOME! ALL CAPS AWESOME!

And can I just say that I’m the ultimate sucker for things like this, surprise things when complete strangers get together for something and just be awesome for the sake of the other strangers experiencing it. I just love that whole idea of camaraderie between strangers and appreciation for us as people for the sake of everyone and the art of being human….I just love it!

Poster Cabaret wheels and deals awesome show posters screened and printed by some of today’s coolest artists and designers.  With a steep collection of everyone from Billy Idol to The Decemberists, the prices range from cheap to deep, with a huge selection of bands and styles.  They also sell art prints that are non-band related.

Great work!

(found via grain edit)

The Indianapolis Civic Theatre is totally putting on West Side Story as their spring musical, and guess who has good seats at the show tonight??  ME! (and my mom). I heard it should be good.  I’m stoked!

Over on Hulu, you can watch a bunch of Sesame Street clips, which is sweet. But what is even sweeter is that they have a BUNCH of their animations, which just totally made my days. These where always some of my favorite parts of the show as a kid

QUESTION: Does anyone else get this song in their head? I do, all the time. Which is probably a good thing, if I were a toddler. But I’ve been able to tie my shoes for a long time now…

Cheers!

Ben Gibbard * plaid shirt + John Krasinski / Celtics = best Last.fm photo ever.

You’re welcome.