And now, some commentary from you the readers, and our reaction to your notes.
I’m really upset at you guys! There is a whole lot going on that I have yet to read anything from your texts. There’s a major election that seems to be scary. There are great people that have recently died from musical artists to prizefighters, and now there are mass shootings to ponder on! Why aren’t you guys saying anything about all of this stuff? Don’t you even care…?
The above message is one of many others we have received from time to time that speak for current happening around the nation and perhaps around the world. Many of these events tend to be of something that are of major concerns that do affect much of the population at large, while a few only cater to those that hold interest.
Granted, the elements expressed in the above letter that was received last June 13th by a reader that didn’t give their name, are of a concern. The news sources do report on what is going on. Some are good and pleasant, while other are indeed sad, tragic, and perhaps hold a notion of fear and uncertainty. And thanks to the media, from traditional sources to those delivered on an independent social media basis, one can receive the news or its updates within seconds! It’s a far cry to what radio or TV once delivered where those updates arrived that the major players (i.e. news reporters and the like) could provide. And with radio and to a lessor extent, television, that is somewhat portable, social media outlets do feed small electronic devices (smartphones mostly) that provides two way communication. If one is attending a political rally somewhere, one can “tweet” what’s going on while it occurs, allowing those to share and thus, to spread the news.
Because of this news everywhere method of communication, we were at Accessibly Live Off-Line receive more information than we know what to do with it! And that news we receive is perhaps the same way that anyone can grab it. We don’t have any exclusive source or outlet for information, unless it’s something of a lessor importance such as a budding media creator’s new moving imagery production, or something that involves a person that this writer personally knows or knows of.
In spite of what’s been going on, we don’t report on every element of note, good or otherwise! We have never been toted to be a traditional news source. In fact, when we we started out back in 1996, our goal was to be an alternative to traditional media that existed at the time. Newspapers were working in a much larger and somewhat different scope as they are today. Radio and TV were also in the same method. The internet was forming and wasn’t necessarily portable. Social media as we know it now didn’t even exist! The only form of social media at the time consisted of “chat rooms” and static “bulletin boards” where one can post topics of interest. News of the day were represented, but much of what was discussed consisted of trivial topics, from Star Trek episodes to new fangled computer machines.
However, when something dose occur of notice, we at times make a note to the event(s) in question, assuming it’s something within our scope. If we don’t make any notice, that doesn’t mean we don’t care or just not interested! It just means that it’s something that is far beyond the range of what we do.
The only time we did express or points of a major event of purpose was shorty after 9/11. This event is when the internet received its place in the electronic media world as a “real” news source–the same method that radio was awarded that role during the attack of Pearl Harbor in 1941, and television’s news entry during the Kennedy assassination in 1963. But thanks to the said social media, the notation of world, national, and even local news goes far and beyond on what we can do with the sources on hand.
Whatever the case, we still strive to become the news you desire. It may not have anything to do with the election, sport scores, or the latest celebrity red carpet event, but if we can’t do out part, then it’s social media to the rescue with all of its millions of users and abusers!
With these facts being said and done, if you want to contact us, we would love to hear from you! Please check the last page of this edition, and all editions for that matter, on how you can place your two cents worth! We do read your comments (one posted by actual people rather than robots) and we try to comment on them whenever we can!
So until then, keep those virtual cards and letters a-coming!
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NEWS AND REVIEWS
Theatre 40 of Beverly Hills opens their 2016-17 season with Peter Coke’s BREATH OF SPRING, a British comedy about a group of up-in-years lodgers living in the same household who device a scheme to “borrow” fur coats they lifted, only to return them for worthy causes!
Taking place in the London based homestead of Dame Beatrice “Bee” Appleby (Melinda DeKay), she is given a mink coat by the housekeeper Lilly (Alison Blanchard) that supposedly was taken from the neighbor living in the flat next door. Although the fur is returned before it’s discovered missing, Bee finds this get-and-give procedure rather adoring. So she, along with her fellow lodgers band together to develop a plan of action to nab furs, only to fence them off and give the proceeds toward a charitable cause. Bee’s band of players consist of Albert Rayne (Lary Ohlson) a long retired military brigadier of the English Army who becomes the leader of the pack, Nanette “Nan” Parry (Flora Plumb) a theatre vocal coach, Elizabeth Hatfield (Jean Kauffman), a china plate restorer, and Alice Miller (Katherine Henryk). This rather well seasoned rogues gallery of contenders plan out their heists thanks to the military style delivery of Brigadier Albert to get things going. Before long, they have hatched a number of plots to nab their fur coats and stoles. That is, until the Scotland Yard police gets wind to their conspiracy. Although they are far from being criminals as only Lily the maid had professional experience in this kind of work that did land her a stint in the Big House, they develop yet another plot to get themselves out of the trouble that they wond up in!
This humorous (and rather obscure) play written by Peter Coke, is a theatre piece that plays out as akin to a 1950’s-era movie comedy produced by Ealing Studios–the kind that takes its time developing its comical timing and pacing, yet still remains entertaining and appealing throughout. This method of comedy is what one will find in this play. The cast of its main players perform their parts as a collection of carefree souls that hold the sprit and momentum of youthful kids, but are far older that physical children! (Perhaps senior citizens can get away with more, or at least in the later 1950’s when this play was first presented!) With the additional cast support of Joshua Olkowski and Richard Carner as the Scotland Yard police offers assigned to the case of the coming and going furs, this play provides plenty of comic interludes throughout. It does take a little time to get the humorous hijinks going. Once it does, one will witness the kind of light heartiness that shows through to its climax without using sitcom style jokes and gags. Its howl potential is more of the comical “cute” variety, rather than a line of knockabout belly laughs!
WIth such a play comes the set design by Jeff G. Rack, filling the flat with older style antiques and other later era pieces, suggesting that the living spaces hasn’t been decorated since 1945 or thereabouts; A rather common dwelling situation governed by older folks! Joseph “Sloe” Slawinski’s sound design provides amusing “heist” music bed scores through some scenes, giving this show a sense of excitement and adventure than at first imagined.
And speaking of scenes, there is a rather amusing and entertaining break in the action where a musical number is presented by two of the cast members, complete with soft-shoe choreography as acknowledged to Jean Kauffman. This number is presented to provide a costume charge for the players that would normally take place at the break between acts two and three. However, this Theatre 40 presentation is showcased as a two-act play where the second act provides the ramped up “action”, running longer than its first. (The previous notation can be called as a “spoiler alert”, although nothing in the play’s plotting was ever reviled!)
This stage production as hosted by Theatre 40, is the first of six shows that will be presented throughout the year, ranging from comedies, dramas, and even a pair of world premiers! Performing in their intimate 99 seat theatre space located within the campus of Beverly Hills High School, one will find an eclectic roster of shows rarely seen elsewhere, if not seen for the very first time anywhere! It’s a great method to discover this form of theatre found in the area. And there’s plenty of complementary parking in the underground garage, meaning there are no parking fees to ponder about! Not many playhouses within the region can even boast this form of connivence!
BREATH OF SPRING, presented by Theater 40 performs in the Reuben Corova Theater located on the campus of Beverly Hills High School, 241 South Moreno Drive (off Santa Monica Blvd.) Beverly Hills, until August 21st. Showtimes are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8:00 PM, and Sunday matinees at 2:00 PM.
For ticket reservations or for more information, call (310) 364-0535, or via online at http://www.Theatre40.org
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BAD MOMS (STX Entertainment) stars Mila Kunis as Amy Mitchell. She lives in a middle class post-modern suburban community with her husband Mike (David Walton) and a pair of kids, Dylan (Emjay Anthony) and Jane (Oona Laurence). She is also a mom, making sure that her kids are shuffled off to school and to and from their various pre- and post-school activities. She also works for a living in am urban-hip coffee company where her fellow co-workers are of the Millennium demographic. Although she is rather young for what she is (middle 30‘s), she states in the opening narrative that she gave birth to her first child at age twenty! Nevertheless, she feels that she is overworked in both her office duties and in her domestic life, nearly coming toward her emotional breaking point. But she isn’t the only mom that feels this way. At her kids’ school, she meets two other domestic types: Kiki (Kristen Bell) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn), who are just as stressed out with their lives. So this trio joins forces to become the bad moms they always wanted to be, from going on drinking junkets to just being overly rowdy. However, there’s another clique they must face. It’s not about their spouses or their kids. It’s about the president of the PTA at the school, Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate) and her troupe of devoted and perfect moms- Vicky (Annie Mumolo) and Stacy (Jada Pinkett Smith). Gwendolyn finds Amy and company’s freewheeling attitudes too out of line. So she attempts to make Amy’s life miserable. But Amy and her girls find their own revenge by challenging Gwendolyn in running for PTA president. It’s the battle of the moms as these women make their attempt to have it all while having it out mom style!
This feature film written and directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, creators of the surprise hit from a few years back The Hangover, revives the movie sub-genre “raunchy comedy” where comic episodes occur with plenty of sexual references (if not out and out nudity), extensive cussing, and other vices that would earn an “R” rating. Unlike these kind of features that cater to young(er) males, this film caters to more of a female demographic–the kind that might enjoy such humor and situations but won’t necessarily admit it! These would be the type that are moms themselves; overworked, underpaid, and wired to the max! Much of the comedy involves Amy and her “girls” being anything but kind and submissive. They are not mean per se, but more wildly comical using a lot of slapstick and can be borderline annoying and obnoxious! Out of the lead players that star in this film, the only role worth watching for is Christina Applegate as the “queen bee” Gwendolyn, who doesn’t appear to be as a stressed out mom. Her character is more akin of a rather spoiled middle aged woman that can be label as a “housewife”; Not the classic version of this so-called occupation but more of the “The Real Housewives of _____” order. In fact, all of its characters and surrounding are more of the upper class variety. They all live in larger homes, driving upscale vehicles, and doesn’t appear to be struggling in the finance department. Perhaps this angle brings the fantasy ploy up a notch or three as middle aged women hold a secret desire to live their lives as depicted. Then again, since this writer isn’t a middle aged mom-type, this theory is only an assumption. However, this is just a review for a movie featuring characters and events that really don’t exist! So much for the truth to it all!
In spite of the hard(er) comic episodes depicted, this title may be more of a hit as seen through home video (steaming video no doubt!) as with the other features of this ilk, from Universal’s Bridesmaids, to Tri-Star’s Mom’s Night Out. (The former title is the film that kickstarted the raunchy comedy movie genre, while the latter was more of a PG-13 friendly flick with a hint of spiritual overtones thrown in!) Then again, does moviedom need another super hero action adventure pic? I though so!
This feature is rated “R” for cussing, nudity, drug and sexual references, and excessive drinking. Now playing at the usual multiplexes nationwide.
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