canbelto

I agree that with Bolt his times have been increasing steadily and he also seems to be a different kind of runner (slim, tall, reminds me a bit of Michael Johnson) and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that some people are just superhuman. I think he'd be great at the 400m. I think the most memorable moment this Olympics might have been a smallish one: after the women's pole vault final, the silver medalist, a U.S. athlete, went over to her coach who gave her the most horrifying dressing down/chewing out that I've ever seen publicly at a huge competition. It was a very uncomfortable moment but reminded me of the sacrifices athletes have to make in sports that don't get much prime-time coverage. I also ended up really liking the women's gymnastics competition, which unlike the men's spill-fest, ended up being a tight competiton between Liukin and Johnson. No room for error from either lady, which is how gymnastics should be.

I did, it was horrible to see. She had the race in the bag too. I also agree that Bolt is terrifyingly fast, and I pray that he isn't doping, because if he isn't, he really is superman. I am pulling for the last U.S. boxer to win the gold. He delivers beer in the morning and works nights at Red Lobster.

I felt absolutely horrible for Lolo Jones yesterday. Now she's someone who despite her good looks got to the Olympics the hard way. She was born very poor, and was a cashier at Home Depot. She was doing so well and then to see her crying after the race reminded me of Gail Devers. Poor girl.

I am so happy for Shawn too. She looked so disappointed after the All Around, fighting back tears. I always love the Summer Olympics for that reason. There's something so unscripted about it, despite the media's best efforts. For instance, after watching the incredible men's 4x100 swimming relay, I saw the ecstatic celebration of the Americans and the camera panned over to the French swimmer, crying uncontrollably and barely able to get out of the pool. NBC couldn't buy that kind of drama if it tried.

I felt horrible for Alicia Sacramone last night. Just horrible.

I'm of two minds about this. One is that for a ballet like La Bayadere, having 32 perfectly trained Shades that are all sprung from the same School is breathtaking. If you don't believe me see the POB and Kirov dvd's. The ABT will never have that kind of perfect uniformity. Even if they did, say, Symphony in C, their corps de ballet will never look as natural as the NYCB, or even the Kirov, who dance in the style of the School no matter what. On the other hand, at the ABT there is a feeling of Marco-Polo-esque wonder. When East meets West, North meets South. This kind of meeting of disparate styles has produced some of the greatest partnerships, and it would never happen at companies where everyone is from one School, and Outsiders Not from the School are not welcomed. For examples of great partnerships that happened when two dancers of disparate Schools met, there's Fracci and Bruhn, Makarova and Nagy, Fonteyn and Nureyev (well they weren't ABT but you get my point), and in more recent times, Bocca and Ferri, Acosta and Rojo, Cojocaru and Kobborg, etc, etc. This year when I saw Marcelo Gomes and Veronika Part dance together, I realized "only at the ABT would this happen." Two dancers from two totally different places and schools, dancing like soulmates. What I do think could be VASTLY improved with the ABT is the quality of their productions, from Swan Lake to Sleeping Beauty, and their programming/repertoire.

The 4x100 m relay last night has to go down as one of the greatest races in Olympic history.

Kate Winslet a few years ago might have been able to do it. Maybe she still can. She can do anything.

Many of the more "complex" recitatives are cut (including the enchanting intro to "If I Loved You") as well as several songs, including "You're a Queer One, Julie Jordan." Gordon MacRae was not the first choice for Billy -- it was Frank Sinatra, but that for some reason didn't work out. Back to MFL -- I wonder who would be Higgins.

Yes, I think for the story to have any resonance (despite what Shaw would always insist -- and I think in this case the lady doth protest too much), Higgins has to be somewhat likable, despite his obnoxiousness. Leslie Howard near well ruins GWTW too -- I just find him a very cold actor. Although more age appropriate than Harrison technically, Harrison has a kind of joie de vivre that makes him seem younger and jauntier in spirit. Stanley Holloway is also a favorite and saves much of My Fair Lady. A musical that desperately needs a remake is "Carousel." The 1950s movie was inhibited by the strict codes of the time, which prevented much of the darker themes to surface. Gordon MacRae was handsome but couldn't act, and the slashing of the score to ribbons was unjustifiable.

I admit to admiring the Hiller/Howard movie more than liking it, if that makes sense. I love Hiller as Eliza, although I think Hepburn was very underrated as Eliza. But Howard does nothing for me -- I find him cold and dull, and his Higgins is too mean. I love Harrison's more genial interpretation. I actually like Kiera Knightley. I loved her in Pride and Prejudice and think that with the right coaching and guidance she could make something of the part.

I think Tamara Karsavina looks a bit like Kay Francis.

Also it's interesting to compare memoirs. The best example being Beverly Sills' two memoirs. The first, "Bubbles," is as sweet and bubbly as the title would suggest. It also, looking back, seems rather fake. Her next memoir, "Beverly Sills," showed a tough as nails, ambitious diva. People who were described lovingly in the first book (Marilyn Horne, Rosa Ponselle, Julius Rudel), undergo sharp criticism. She comes across as someone you do not want to cross under any circumstances.

Not to mention alcoholism. The most famous example being, probably, the universally beloved Erik Bruhn. Yuri Soloviev as well.

There is one sad but probably all-too-true in Villella's "Prodigal Son" about Kirkland and Bissell. One night after a performance with Villella somewhere Bissell and Kirkland stayed after the performance and downed a bottle of vodka together. When they ran out they broke into the stage manager's office and got another bottle. They then downed what Villella euphemistically calls "controlled substances." Kirkland wandered off, and a very intoxicated Bissell slashed his wrists, which earned him a trip to the hospital. The next day they danced beautifully. To me, that kind of story deserves pity, and not hatred. Beauty and talented wasted.

I too saw her Emeralds this year and she was excellent. Not exactly ethereal, but always compelling and graceful. I think she could be a very good Giselle. Not a traditional one, but Giselle lends itself well to different interpretations. I can see her Giselle being a bit like Vishneva's -- no shy peasant girl, but a strong forceful woman and a stern, implacable Wili in the second act. I wish her luck. The irony behind the Balanchine Trust's hyper-vigilant attitude not only towards youtube but towards complete releases of their ballets is that Mr. B was very encouraging of his dancers to appear in films. His attitude towards his ballets was famously generous -- he wanted them to belong to the world, and not just the NYCB.

Ironic, considering that if Balanchine ever had a male "muse," it was Villella, in the sense that Balanchine created many ballets catered to Villella's specific talents. But you'd never know it from any of the commercially released Balanchine.

Villella is quite adamant that he does not want his videos to be released, ever. What's more frustrating is that he mentions a bunch of performances he danced in and/or produced on television. He won an Emmy for Harlequin, and I believe was producer for "Dance in America" for several years. If you ever see the "Midsummer's Night Dream" and watch his scherzo, you'll see that his privacy is our loss. His elevation, ballon, and almost Bournonville-like batterie (watch those entrechats!) reminds me almost of Yuri Soloviev, although they were obviously very different dancers temperamentally and with different training. Villella also, incredibly, took 4 yrs off to go to college before finally joining the NYCB. By 1958 he was a soloist, by 1960 he was principal.

I remember our high school class revolting against the teacher because of 'Ethan Frome.' I was the only person who liked it, but I love all Wharton novels. On the other hand, Odyssey ... I feel guilty even saying this.

I'm reading the book and reading it is a bit like being taken to a five-star restaurant and saying, "You can smell but not eat." Villella talks at lengths about his numerous appearances on Firestone, the Ed Sullivan Show, and the Dance in America series. He even mentions that he won an Emmy for a production of "Harlequinade." He also mentions starring in a tv Nutcracker with Patricia McBride. He mentions what a sensation his Oberon solo created. But AFAIK he is adamant that none of this is ever released. As a friend mentioned, the two-part documentary on Balanchine contains not a single clip of him. Neither do any other NYCB-related documentary I've ever seen. While I certainly respect his wishes it's a bit frustrating thinking that clips of his legendary Tchai pdd, Oberon, Prodigal Son, Rubies, et al. are sitting in some vault. He is not a modest man -- it seemed as if throughout the book he demanded things from Mr. B that no one else dared because he could. Still, an excellent book, and a great look at life inside a ballet company. It's maybe the most vivid account of the politics, intrigues, trials, tribulations, and artistic achievement of the NYCB, of all the "Mr. B and Me" autobiographies I've read. He also describes more vividly than almost any other dancer the rush and joy of performing, combined with the pain. One thing that does puzzle me is that Villella is repeatedly described by himself as "too short." But he says he's about 5'8" which made him taller than Baryshnikov and about the same size as Nureyev. Certainly not "short short."

I'd say Vishneva or Osmolkina. Vishneva's Giselle would not be, as susan mentions, for "everyone" but I personally thought it was the best performance I'd ever seen of this role, anywhere, anytime.

I also tried "War and Peace" multiple times, and never was able to make it past the first half. Another one is "David Copperfield" but I suspect that's one I can give another shot to, because I know how many people say that they tried it as a teen and couldn't make it, but it was easier as an adult. Oh, "Divine Comedy." I tried. I really did. The biggest heresy though is "Diary of Anne Frank." We had to read it in school and I admit after awhile I just used the Cliff Notes. On the other hand there are "classics" that I breezed through. Great Expectations, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Don Quixote, Huckleberry Finn, and Great Gatsby are good examples.

I could never get through Scarlet Letter. And believe me I tried.

I thought that the best Joseph Stalin biographies were the two-part biographies by Simon Sebag Montefiore. One was about Young Stalin, and the other about his brutal Soviet rule. They are both riveting to read, and filled to the brim with facts I had never heard about before.

Where did she mention that? I thought that when the film was made the two were still married.