HAPPY ANNIVERSARY !

31 Years and still going.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY

THE LION KING

Last night Deana and I attended what would technically be called our first Broadway Musical. The Lion King performance at The Stranahan Theater was visually amazing. Having only seen high school musicals, the obvious differences in production values made for a very enjoyable evening.

Based on the Disney cartoon, The Lion King is the story of Simba, the baby cub destined for greatness as sole heir to Mufasa the current Lion King. The play's Act One depicts, the childhood of Simba, the death of Mufasa, deviously planned by Scar, Mufasa's brother, and Simba self-imposed exile from his rightful kingdom.

In Act Two, Simba finds Timon and Pumbaa a fun-loving meerkat and gas expelling warthog respectively. Timon and Pumbaa add the comic element in the play. Simba as he grows older becomes restless with his current surroundings. Nala, a lioness, strikes out on her own from Pride Rock, Simba's original home in search of food. The two unite, fall in love and decide to return to Pride Rock to overthrow Scar who has now assumed power. As expected Simba finds that part of Mufasa in himself and defeats Scar to become the rightful Lion King.

Visually, this play was outstanding. I swear I heard Deana say "Wow!" at the close of every scene. The cast performed in the audience as well as on stage. The set design and costumes stole the show. In a combination of make-up, sophisticated puppetry and colorful costumes, the play paid special homage to a Disney animated classic.

The only downside I could find was the music. Written by Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice of "Jesus Christ Superstar" fame, there wasn't one song you found enduring enough to hum or sing along to. I guess the closest one would be "Circle Of Life" or "Can You Feel The Love Tonight".

For a better insight into the production values of this play, check out the official website at The Lion King.

IRON MAN MOVIE

I can't wait to see this movie. I grew up reading Iron Man comics and next to Spiderman is one of my all-time favorites. Check out the latest trailer and tell me it is not awesome!

Iron Man Exclusive Trailer

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DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!

Todays primary is very important for the future of this country. It is also the first time a woman and an African-American are being considered for the highest office in our government.

With that being said, I thought I would post a few humorous remarks about each of the candidates made by our hosts of late night TV. Enjoy!

BARACK OBAMA

"I don't know if you have seen this. It's everywhere. They have a controversial photo of Barack Obama wearing a turban. It's been circulating on the Internet. Yeah, the turban photo should help Obama with a key group of voters, the New York taxi drivers." --Conan O'Brien

"The founders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream are endorsing Barack Obama instead of Hillary Clinton, which makes sense because Baracky Road is a catchier name for an ice cream than Pantsuits and Cream." --Conan O'Brien

"Congratulations to presidential candidate Barack Obama. He won a Grammy last night for best spoken word album. Boy, there's four words you haven't heard in the same sentence in a while — 'presidential' and 'best spoken word.'" --Jay Leno

HILLARY CLINTON

"All the other Democratic candidates are continuing to attack Hillary Clinton. In fact, in the debate the other night, they accused Hillary Clinton of having things both ways. Which is ironic, 'cause Bill's been trying to talk her into that for years." --Jay Leno

"Hillary has a big lead in the Democratic race for president. Political insiders are speculating that if Hillary Clinton wins the nomination, she may choose a Hispanic running mate. When he heard about this, Bill Clinton yelled, 'How 'bout Salma Hayek?'" --Conan O'Brien

"A new novelty item is now being sold. Get this, it's a Hillary Clinton nutcracker that cracks nuts between its legs. Yeah, Hillary calls the nutcracker silly, and Bill Clinton calls it chillingly lifelike"--Conan O'Brien

"Hillary Clinton's campaign is trying to embarrass Barack Obama. Have you seen this? They have circulated pictures of Obama wearing tribal dress. Obama wanted to strike back, but there are no pictures of Hillary wearing a dress." --Craig Ferguson

JOHN McCAIN

"How about that John McCain, huh? John McCain looks like the kind of guy who brags that his new denture adhesive allows him to eat corn on the cob. He looks like a guy who parked his RV overnight at Wal-Mart." --David Letterman

"As you know, last week the big rumor, according to the New York Times, is John McCain was allegedly sleeping with a a young, attractive lobbyist. Well, that story has pretty much gone away. In fact, the only one trying to keep it alive now? John McCain." --Jay Leno

"How about this John McCain, huh? Whoa, my gosh - doesn't he look like the old guy at the barber shop? He looks kind of like a Wal-Mart greeter, John McCain. He kind of looks like the neighbor who says, 'Oh, that dead tree is on your property,' one of those guys. He's the guy who is always early for the early bird special, that's what he looks like. He looks like a mall walker, ladies and gentlemen. He looks like the guy at the supermarket who is confused by the automatic doors. He looks like the uncle who pretends to remove his thumb." --David Letterman