Forty-Three Ties and Counting

Nothing Special About This Pizza Joint

2009-11-23T16:05:00.000-05:00

Originally written for and published at TheColumbiaCool.com

I like to consider myself a pretty adventurous eater. I'll try just about anything once, and I like a variety of foods. But there are three foods that I love. Make that, love with a capital L-O-V-E. If you broke down my dietary habits into a pie chart, three items would each claim about 30 percent of the pie: pizza, buffalo wings and chicken sandwiches. There's 90 percent of my diet right there. Everything else is about 10 percent. To illustrate, last night for dinner I had chicken wings. The night prior...pizza. The night before that...oh god, it was chicken wings. I think I have a problem. And today for lunch...pizza. I do eat other things, I promise. Not very often, but it does happen. In my defense, however, I had pizza for lunch today for you, reader. You see, I needed to try this new pizza place that just opened in Columbia so I could tell you all about it.

I am sorry to say, however, that the news is not good. The Pizza Joint, newly opened on Forest Drive, does not meet the expectations that I had built for it. You see, The Pizza Joint was originally established in 1996 in August, Georgia where it developed some popularity and eventually branched out to Evans, Georgia and Aiken, South Carolina. I used to notice their wrapped Scion driving around town and wondered "What is The Pizza Joint and when can I try it?" Today was the day, and I was considerably disappointed.

The food isn't bad. It's just not...great. I described it to my friend Katie as kind of a nostalgic throwback to middle school pizza. No, it isn't square shaped, but it has that same flavor. That same generic, no spice, nothing-special-about-it, it's-just-another-slice-of-pizza flavor. That's not necessarily a bad flavor, but it isn't enough to bring me back. I want my pizza to have some personality to it, something special that makes it stand out from other pizzas. I also had some garlic knots that didn't quite meet my expectations. And I don't even have high expectations of garlic knots, short of that they should taste like garlic...which these did not. I was hoping to have better news to report on their salads, but when I asked Katie if her salad was good she responded, "Yeah, it was ok."

But it isn't all bad news. The atmosphere was really great and they had a variety of beers on draft. Also, their prices are really great so if you're not a pizza snob like me, it might be worth checking out. But if you expect great things from your pie, then my advice to you is to pass on The Pizza Joint and go enjoy a slice from Village Idiot or Mellow Mushroom instead.

The Pause Button

2009-10-20T21:07:00.003-04:00

So I think it's been like two months since my last genuine blog post. I guess I just haven't had that much to say. Or much time to say it for that matter. Lately all I've been doing is working, studying and sleeping. I am completing my graduate practicum at WACH FOX 57 in Columbia. It's ironic since that is the one place I was trying to leave. Although I don't live there, but I don't know if that makes it more or less ironic. I'm still living with the parentals in Greenville, which actually has turned out a lot better than I expected. I haven't spent longer than a week or two staying with them since 2004, so it's been really nice hanging out with them (and not having to pay any rent). On top of all that I've been studying for my comprehensive exams. So, in summation, I don't have a lot of free time.

I was talking to my friend Patrick today and he reminded me that I hadn't written anything in here in a while. I actually kind of forgot about it for a while, which doesn't make me a very effective blogger. I doubt any of you have been chomping at the bit for new scoop anyways. But, like I said, I really just don't have that much to say. It's funny. When I moved back in with my parents, it kind of feels like someone hit the pause button on my life. It's like I've gone backwards a little, but I'm still moving forward. But I feel somewhat stagnate because I live in the room I grew up in. My life changed so much after I moved out of this house, and being back here just makes me realize how grown up I am. Is there a place for that new me in this house? I won't lie, I was worried this arrangement would be a disaster. But it's brought me and my folks closer together (not that we weren't close before). But it is difficult to dwell on that bright side when I have friends in Germany, DC, Paraguay or any number of places. And I'm sleeping in the same bed I did when I was four. The world moves on around me.

I certainly will be glad to become a part of it again. That's the point of all this, isn't it? The problem is (was, and continues to be) that there is no certain moment in my future when I hit the play button again. I know what the moment will be: when I get a job. But not knowing that when is what bogs the whole thing down. Will I still be living with my parents in two months? I certainly hope not, but there is no way for me to know that right now. All I can do is hope, and I'm doing plenty of that. I apply for jobs every chance I get (none of which are in the Southeast...so far). So I may not have a lot to update you on at the moment, but hopefully I'll be regaling you with tales of my new life very soon.

Revente and Sid Nancy Redefine Shopping in Columbia

2009-09-08T15:57:00.002-04:00

Originally written for and published at TheColumbiaCool.com

I've lived in Columbia for six years, and I am ashamed to admit that there is a lengthy list of Columbia landmarks that I've never visited. Can you believe that I've never been to a play at Trustus Theater or eaten one of Sandy's hot dogs? Today, however, my list was shortened by two when I walked into Revente and Sid Nancy in Five Points for the first time. I never really considered going to Revente because, being a man, I'm not exactly their ideal customer. I've walked by Sid Nancy many times in the past and considered walking in, but something always held me back. That something, ladies and gentlemen, was fear. Fear of consignment shopping. I can proudly say that this fear has been erased after meeting the woman behind Revente and Sid Nancy, Debbie McDaniel.

Debbie is no stranger to Columbia retail, having worked at many Columbia boutiques in the past. Back in the early '90s, she noticed the tide turning in retail and decided to branch out on her own with something new...selling something old. She opened Revente in 1992 with very little knowledge of running a consignment shop and even less money in her pocket. "I opened the store on $5,000 and a lot of sweat," she told me, chuckling. A Google search today produces thousands of results to help those getting into the consignment business. But back in '92, Debbie was all on her own.

And her hard work paid off. Today, Revente is a Five Points staple and it has been awarded the title of Number One Consignment Shop in Columbia since 1995 by The State newspaper, Columbia Metropolitan Magazine and the Free Times. Revente is a consignment store specializing in higher end fashions and designer merchandise. As their Web site says, "If you love luxury labels in clothing, shoes & bags such as Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Kate Spade, Jimmy Choo and St. John," then Revente is the place to shop. Browsing the racks, I could see that this was definitely a few steps above Plato's Closet, with high quality, designer clothes, shoes and handbags. And, with a few exceptions, all of the merchandise comes from sellers in South Carolina. Some of Debbie's oldest consignors have moved away, but still sell to Revente because of the superior service they receive there.

And Debbie's success is growing. Just two doors down from Revente, Debbie opened Sid Nancy, an alternative "Buy-Trade-Sell" consignment shop that she describes as "Urban Outfitters meets Hot Topic." Sid Nancy opened it's doors three years ago and has found success with a variety of demographics, ranging from high school and college students to bands, tattoo artists and musicians that pass through Columbia.

One of my favorite things that I noticed at Sid Nancy was a book exchange. Anyone can walk right into the store and take a book from the shelf, as long as they replace it with one of their own. And the bookshelf offers a gamut of selections wide enough to please any literary mind. The book exchange is mostly left to its own, but sometimes the staff will have to veto a book left behind. Sid Nancy manager Ashley told me that once a person left several wiccan books, which they appreciated by decided to donate to a book collector in the area.

So if you're in the market for a Louis Vuitton handbag or a pair of vintage Western boots, stop by Revente or Sid Nancy (respectively) and browse their racks. You'll easily find what you're looking for, and probably some things you didn't even know you wanted.

Give Me a Break

2009-09-07T16:46:00.001-04:00

Yesterday evening, my mom and I were flipping through the channels and came across The Sound of Music, a mutual favorite of ours. As gay as it makes me, I never get tired of watching that movie, or any movie with Julie Andrews for that matter. Even her later work. I absolutely LOVE The Princess Diaries. That probably makes me more gay…But maybe it’s that whole making out with dudes thing that makes me more gay. Or it could be a toss-up. The Princess Diaries is pretty gay. But I digress.

We tuned into the movie about an hour into and watched for another hour and a half or so. While watching it, I realized that movies have lost something that I think we should bring back. About halfway through the film, the Baroness Schrader tricks Frauline Maria into leaving the Von Traps and returning to her abbey. As she leaves, the camera pans out and an orchestra plays a climaxing tour de force. A young man such as myself watching The Sound of Music in a theater back in 1965 would begin to stretch his legs and shift in his seat, readying himself for the coming intermission.

It must have been nice to not have to sit through a two-and-a-half to three hour film without a break. Why were intermissions taken out of movies? Who decided that they should be limited to the stage? I say that we bring the intermission back to the multiplex. I mean, who really wanted to sit through Peter Jackson’s King Kong (running time 3 hours and 7 minutes) without a bathroom break? But who really wanted to sit through King Kong in the first place?

With movies getting longer and longer, how about studios offer us a chance to get some air, use the bathroom and refill our popcorn? It’s really in the theaters’ best interest to do so. Think of the concession sales they’d make during intermissions. Here’s how an intermission exchange during ET: Extra-Terrestrial might have gone if the movie had had one:

Bob: Wow this movie is really good.

Martha: Yes, that alien is very lifelike.

Tiny Tim: It gave me a craving for Reese’s Pieces.

Martha: Yes, me as well.

Bob: Well, since we have ten minutes of intermission, why don’t we go get some from the concession stand?

It’s a travesty that theaters and studios are not realizing the potential revenue they’re missing out on.

So here are my parting words for the movie studios: bring back intermission. James Cameron’s Avatar is set to open on December 18. It’s a safe bet that it will run at least three hours. How about building a ten-minute bathroom break into that for us, James? I’m sure our bladders would appreciate such consideration.

Experience Columbia's newest cuisine at Cupcake!

2009-09-02T22:04:00.001-04:00

Originally written for and published at TheColumbiaCool.com

Cupcakes. In my opinion, they are probably the best and most practical dessert (or snack) option on the planet. They're the perfect size. They give everyone a chance to have something different. And, as Kristin Kuhlke, the founder of Columbia's newest cupcake bakery explains, "they have the perfect icing to cake ratio." I couldn't agree more. And Cupcake, newly opened in the Vista across from The Blue Marlin, is the perfect place to get your cupcake fix. I tried it out for the first time this morning, and I'm honestly considering going back by this afternoon after work. That Red Velvet cupcake is seductively calling my name.

Kristin founded Cupcake in Charleston, SC in March 2006. She was inspired to do so after living in New York City, where she frequented the famed Magnolia Bakery with friends. When she relocated to Charleston, she realized that there was nothing like a cupcake bakery in the Lowcountry, and decided to introduce us all to it. Her flagship bakery was so popular that she soon opened another location in nearby Mount Pleasant before setting her sights on Columbia. And now here is she is, and if what I tasted today is any indication, we are all in for quite a treat.

"A lot of flavor ideas come from just walking down the ice cream aisle in the grocery store," Kristin told me about the wide variety of flavors Cupcake offers. Other cupcakes are Kristin's own family recipes. Kristin's personal all-time favorite is her Aunt Barbara's pumpkin cupcake, which will be offered in the fall. Other flavor options include vanilla, key lime pie, chocolate almond, cinnamon swirl, white chocolate raspberry...the list goes on and on. And a friendly FYI for the health-conscious out there: all of the chocolate cupcakes are Vegan-friendly...with the exception of the icing, of course.

Kristin is just as excited to have expanded her business to Columbia as I'm sure the city will be to have Cupcake set its roots in town. She chose Columbia as her first out-of-Lowcountry location because of its centrality n the state and because she liked the atmosphere of the Vista as well as the city itself. She told me that getting started here as been a really pleasant experience and all of her neighbors have been very welcoming. When asked what the next step is, Kristin laughed and told me that she's pretty set right now. "Maybe Greenville at some point," she confessed. I think I see a national cupcake empire on the horizon...

Cupcake is located at 1213 Lincoln Street in the Vista

(803) 212-4949

My Three Weeks as a Deadbeat

2009-08-27T20:43:00.002-04:00

Sometimes, when I have a lot going on and I'm feeling really stressed, I will say to myself, "How nice it would be to have nothing to do and just be able to relax." Well I am eating those words now. For the past three weeks, I have been living a purposeless life at my parents' house. It has confirmed for me what I have always suspected: that I need purpose and structure to my days in order to remain mentally stable. This coming Monday, I will be re-endowed with such a purpose as I begin an internship with a television station in Columbia (yes, you heard me right. Columbia). I'll continue to live at my parents' house and commute to Columbia for the job, which will last until I graduate in December (assuming I pass my comprehensive exams, of course). Monday cannot come soon enough, though, and I have one more weekday of aimless existence. I wish I could say that I have been productive organizing all of my belongings that I moved up here and establishing some order in my newly re-established residence here in Greenville. But that is far from the truth.

My typical day as a deadbeat usually goes like this:

8:30 - 9:00 am: Wake up, put in contacts, eat breakfast, brush teeth
9:00 - 11:00 am: Watch three episodes of Charmed on TNT (this is Loser Point Number 1)
11:00 - 12:00 pm: Watch an episode of Mad Men on demand
12:00 - 12:30 pm: Eat lunch and watch a movie on demand (Loser Point Number 2)
2:00 - 5:00 pm: Amble around the house for a while, run any errands or go see a movie (Loser Point Number 3)
5:00 - 7:00 pm: Watch Bones on TNT (Loser Point Number 3)
7:00 - 8:00 pm: Eat dinner with the parents
8:00 - 11:00 pm: Watch tv with the parents and drink a glass of wine
11:00 - 12:30 am: Get ready for bed and read
12:30 - 8:30/9:00 am: Sleep

I have seen a total of six movies in the past three weeks, which is beyond sad. I'll rate them all using one word for each film. Don't judge me:

Julie and Julia - Cute
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra - Watchable
(500) Days of Summer - Poignant
The Time Traveler's Wife - Moving
Ponyo - Enchanting
District 9 - Riveting

Please, don't judge me.

But, happily, all of this (or most of it) will come to an end as I must complete 450 hours of in-field practicum work in order to complete my graduate work. And thus, my three weeks as a deadbeat end, and my four months as a lowly intern begin.

It's Been a While

2009-08-12T20:39:00.003-04:00

Good evening, my long lost, oh-so-devoted blog readers. I deeply apologize for my prolonged absence in your lives. I hope that you all found some way to cope without me, but never fear, for I have returned. It is drawing close to one month since you last heard from me, an inexcusable lag time in the blogosphere. While there is no forgivable excuse for this, I will attempt to explain why I have been gone so long. First of all, and please excuse my language, summer classes kicked my ass. July was a rough month for me. Between my management class and my campaigns class, I had almost no time for anything else. Throw in searching for fall internships and I was simply overwhelmed.

But now all that is over and I have left Columbia, my home for six years, and have temporarily moved back in with my parents in Greenville, SC (if you'll remember from my last post, there is a strong emphasis on the 'temporarily'). So that's where I am now, waiting to discover my next stop on the road of life. Until I get an internship, there is not much else for me to all day but watch TV, go running, ride my bike and miss Columbia. And there's a lot I'm going to miss. Stay tuned for my reflections on the last six years...

Road to Anywhere

2009-07-15T22:12:00.002-04:00

Like many people my age, I am in the unnerving position of having no idea what my next step in life will be. In exactly 24 days, I will be vacating my house, moving all of my possessions into a storage unit and taking up temporary residence at my parents' house. I cannot emphasize the 'temporary' descriptor enough. I love my folks dearly, but I have lived autonomously for too long to become a permanent resident there ever again. So you can imagine my discomfort with the ambiguity of the label 'temporary resident.' How short of a time is temporary? One month? Two? Only time will tell, and that uncertainty makes me weak in the stomach.

The cause of my soon-to-be purposeless life is the completion of my graduate coursework. Over the past year, I have been working towards a Master of Mass Communication degree at the University of South Carolina. On August 8, I will have completed all of my coursework, after which I have to fulfill an in-field practicum placement. So why move? Why not do my practicum here? As much as I enjoy living in Columbia, SC I have been here for six years, and it is time for a change. I believe that starting a career in a new city will further my professional and personal development. So I'm looking for internships elsewhere. When you compare me to others in my program, I am certainly behind...which is no one's fault but my own. Several people who are also planning to do their practicums this fall have already arranged their placements. That's not say I haven't been looking. I already have my application at my number one choice, and there are many other internships for which I am in the midst of application writing. The problem I have run into is that all of my choices won't be making their decisions until the middle of August. So while I don't know where I will be living in two months, I do plan on it not being my parents' house. As I said, that will be temporary. I hope. I pray.

I may be the odd man out when compared to my cohort, but I am certainly not an anomaly in today's economic climate. According to the CBS Evening News, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates is 4.3 percent (http://tiny.cc/mgnr1 ). So while my friends and I may be faring better than other age brackets, the job market does not look all that inviting. So what can we do? How can we beat the odds and land a job (or in my case, just a little ole internship)?

I suppose it varies for different industries, but I think one constant rule for everyone to follow is to be fearless. Don't be afraid to go after something just because the market is a little dismal. Make calls, send out your résumé, knock on doors...do something. I am attempting to market myself and deliver my personal brand through as many avenues as possible (hence this blog you're reading with oh-so-rapt attention). I am networking myself through Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and my own personal Web site (feel free to browse at www.samuelstokes.com, but don't be too critical because I'm not quite done with it yet). Will all this help? I certainly hope so.
So when you're done reading this blog, pass it along to your advertising, public relations or marketing friends. Was that a shameless plug or just some playful sarcasm? Let's go with whichever answer you like better. Honestly, I'm not concerned with what gets me a job (or even an interview) as long as I get one.

I Lived to See 24

2009-06-28T23:12:00.004-04:00

I have no idea if Coolio ever had his question answered, but I can at least say that I lived to see 24. Birthdays really are an interesting thing to me, especially ones that are not a milestone. And, let's face it, once you've passed 21 all the really good milestones are gone. After that it's all pretense and celebrating simply for the sake of celebrating. Don't misread that and think I don't like birthdays. I love the fact that there is a day every year that is all about me. Of course June 28 is not just about me. It's also a day for Kellie Pickler, Chayanne, Mary Stuart Masterson, Gilda Radner (oh wait, she's dead now) and Kathy Bates. And let's not forget that on June 28, 1914 the Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, an incident that ignited World War I. You see, June 28 is worth remembering for a lot of reasons.

And how did I spend my birthday? Well, since it fell on a Sunday this year and just happened to be the day before a sizeable Media Economics presentation, my birthday was somewhat low-key, which I did not mind at all. I spent the day doing homework, eating lunch with my family at The Melting Pot and checking Facebook for my birthday wishes. It struck me today just how many ways a person can be wished a happy birthday. There's 1) in person, 2) a card in the mail, 3) e-cards, 4) text message, 5) phone call, 6) Facebook message, 7) Facebook wall post, 8) Twitter shout-out...The options are endless.

Facebook trully has revolutionized birthday interactions. For one thing, I don't ever have to remember when anyone's birthday is. Facebook will give me two days' notice. Why waste perfectly good brain cells remembering countless dates when I can just remember to check the birthday feed daily? Also, and probably my favorite perk to Facebook, I can wish someone a happy birthday without ever having to talk to them. It's wonderful. I get "good friend" points without ever making any kind of genuine effort. I don't want to hear what your plans are or how your day is going. I just want to let you know that I am a good friend and wished you a happy birthday. Thank you, Facebook. You have found the most impersonal way to personally wish someone a happy birthday, and I love you for it. The beautiful thing about Facebook is it lets you know who your closest friends are. My best friends don't write "Happy Birthday" on my wall, and if they did they would be crappy best friends. I know the people who write on my wall are doing it for the same reasons I do it to others: because they want me to know that they thought about me but they don't care enough about me to call me to do it. (Disclaimer: If you are reading this and you wished me a happy birthday on my facebook wall, don't worry. I'm not talking about you. Just the others. You're the greatest). It's not about me. It's totally about them, but it makes us all feel better about ourselves. I get to scroll down my Facebook profile and say to myself, "Look at all these people who like me. I'm well-liked. People who look at my profile will think to themselves 'Wow, this Sam guy must be really well-liked. A lot of people wished him happy birthday. I bet he's cool.'" And I say to those people now...You're right. I am cool. Thank you, Facebook, for letting the world know and giving others the opportunity to express how cool they think I am.

Social media tools like Facebook and Twitter have revolutionized communication and information sharing. Do you know how I found out that Billy Mays died this morning? My friend Brett's facebook status. I found out that Michael Jackson had gone to the hospital on Twitter. I found out he had died from my roommate...who probably saw it first on Twitter. Why do I need to read or watch news media outlets when I have my entire social network keeping me apprised on the goings-on of the world. Of course, that is usually very superficial news. But that's because I apparently have a superficial social network...Which is fine by me. I still read the news daily, but it does say something about the proliferation of social networks and the decreasing importance of the label of "journalism." Today, people can know everything that is going on in the world around them without ever picking up a newspaper or turning on a TV. All it takes is the right group of friends in their social networks. And, like the Facebook birthday messages, it allows us to share a part of ourselves with the world. I have a whole online presence that may or may not reflect who I actually am. People can exist completely online now, experiencing and seeing things thaty they've never seen before. There are people who actually make their living through their avatars on Second Life. They don't even have to get out of bed to make money.

And, let's face it, making a living is what it's all about. After all, that's how this little endeavor got started. A professor suggested that communications professionals extend their Web presence to make themselves more accessible to employers. Do I believe this blog will actually help me a get a job? Not a chance. However, a boy (maybe it's man now that I'm 24) can dream. I am hoping that my penetration in social media tools and my eventual Web site will help me reach out to potential employers. It certainly can't hurt...I hope.

It is now two minutes to midnight and thus the conclusion of my birthday. In another 364 days, I invite all my Facebook friends to wish me a happy 25th birthday and feel better about themselves for the good deed they will do. I will conclude my birthday by finding out if Coolio was as lucky as me to live to see 24...Good news: Coolio made it to 24. And now he's a healthy 45 so good for him. His birthday is coming up so be sure to send him a little birthday Tweet August 1st.

The Robots Return

2009-06-24T17:07:00.012-04:00

Michael Bay's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen opened Wednesday with an estimated $16 million in midnight ticket sales. Reviews thus far of the film have been slightly on the negative side, with an average 21% on Rotten Tomatoes as of today. That's not too surprising since critics typically don't look too favorably upon action/sci-fi movies, especially when they involve Michael Bay, who has a 7% average rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

Despite the drawbacks of the director (who I generally despise), I was a huge fan of the first film and loved ROTF even more. The film picks up two years after the events of the first Transformers with Sam Witwicky going off to college and the Autobots working with the military to protect the planet from the Decepticons. The Decepticons are searching the planet for Energon, their life force. Megatron is resurrected by followers of the Fallen, he goes after Sam and Megatron, and madness ensues. Just describing the plot of the movie makes me feel like a nerd, but if you can take it for what it is then it's a fantastic film.

Shia LeBeouf delivers a fantastic performance and probably displays more range in his acting than he has in any other role to this point. Other returners from the first movie are Megan Fox running around and looking hot, Josh Duhamel shootings things and looking hot, and John Turturro acting like a doofus and not looking so hot. Sam's parents also have an extended role in this film, due in large part to their popularity in the first (After all, who didn't love his mother when she said "I'm sorry, it's just been a weird night. I've had a little bit to drink"?). But the real stars of the movie are the Transformers themselves. Bay dedicates a lot more screen time to the autobots this time around, focusing particularly on Megatron, Bumblebee, and the newly introduced Twins, Mudflap and Skids. One of the more heartfelt moments of the film is when Bumblebee confesses to Sam that there is no one on the planet that he cares about more than him, made even more touching with quotes from Forrest Gump.

Films like Transformers draw criticism for their blatant product placement, and I will admit that it basically is a two and a half hour GM commercial. With movie admission dropping every year, producers are having to accept product placement as a necessary means of financing for their films. Most of the time, product placements are awkward, completely interrupting the flow of a film or television program. Michael Bay's 2005 The Island is probably the best example of product placement overkill with over 35 different products, including gratuitous close-ups of Michelob Lights and Aquafinas. But not all product placement is bad. Some programs have found a formula for success. Take NBC's 30 Rock for example. While the product placement on that show is blatantly obvious, it is written into the creative storyline (The slanket episode, anyone?). In my opinion, Transformers can get away with their advertising because the cars are a focus of the film. The autobots have to transform into something, so why not make it the Chevrolet Trax or Beat? If you have to have a certain type of product in a program, you might as well make some money off of it and make it a branded product. So, despite the criticism, at least Transformers isn't having Optimus Prime pop open a Vitamin Water in the middle of a battle. Yes, I'm talking about you Gossip Girl. Shame on you.

A Musical Resurgence

2009-06-17T23:03:00.004-04:00

My parents raised me right. I'll go right ahead and say it that I think every child should be raised with an appreciation of music. I consider myself very lucky to have been raised by two parents who were quite musical themselves. Both of my parents were in the marching band at their high schools and in college, which is how they met. They also have been active members of their church choir for the last twenty years. They love music, and they have a special place in their hearts for musicals, a sentiment they passed on to me. I remember going on road trips when I was little and we would listen to classic Broadway shows like Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, or Sunset Boulevard. Sometimes we would even listen to operas, although I didn't appreciate those as much at the time. My father is partial to Carmen and Die Fledermaus. Suffice it to say, my parents raised a good gay son who dreams of life as a musical...Although maybe that's a little too gay. Some of my favorite movies are musical classics: My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, Singin' in the Rain, and An American in Paris. I grew up on these movies. And I remember as a child that the only current musicals out at the time were Disney films mostly. Sure, there was the rare exception like Grease, but for the most part, musicals were non-existent. But one man and one movie changed all of that.

The return of the musical genre into mainstream media (and popularity) can arguably be attributed to Moulin Rouge. Baz Luhrman's musical epic took an entirely new spin on what was considered by the masses to be an outdated construct. But Luhrman's fusion of Top 40 music into the soundtrack made the movie relevant and incredibly successful. Made for $50 million - certainly chump change by today's standards - Moulin Rouge! earned $180 million worldwide. More musicals soon followed, starting with Rob Marshall's adaptation of the Broadway play Chicago followed the next year, which went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture. In the seven years since, musicals have risen in popularity, driven mostly by Broadway adaptations like Rent, Hairspray, The Phantom of the Opera, and Mamma Mia! Clearly Hollywood has found a recipe for success, and film versions of more hit shows - Wicked, In the Heights - are currently in the works. A man such as me, who longs to be center stage, could not be more thrilled at this resurgence. Alas, I will never be in a musical because lead roles go to tenors and I'm about as bass as you can get. The whole reason I got to thinking about this though is that I watched two new musical programs today.

This afternoon I came home from class and avoided starting my Media Economics midterm by breaking open my latest arrival from Netflix. I had been eagerly awaiting Were the World Mine in my mailbox ever since I first saw the trailer for the film last year. For those of you unfamiliar, Were the World Mine is a loose musical interpretation of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. The film tells the story of Timothy, an angst-ridden gay man at an all-male private high school. He is constantly ridiculed by his classmates for his orientation and longs only to fit in and feel the love of another person. All of the boys are forced to participate in the school play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Timothy lands the lead role opposite his crush Jonathon. This being a gay-themed movie, all of the men are of course gorgeous, but Timothy's attraction to Jonathon is centered on the fact that Jonathon is the only person in his class that doesn't make fun of him. In rehearsing his lines, Timothy discovers a recipe for a love potion within Shakespeare's text (it sounds ridiculous, I know, but give it a chance!). He uses this potion to turn everyone in the town gay so they can know how he feels every day. The film is an interesting commentary on the internal struggles of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders and the external forces that do not understand them. Visually and musically, the film is reminiscent of Velvet Goldmine. I immediately downloaded the soundtrack from iTunes and have been listening to it nonstop since. What I loved so much about Were the World Mine was the coupling of this social issue with a quite unexpected, and much underplayed, love story.

After completing one question of my Media Economics exam, I rewarded myself by finally watching the pilot episode of Glee. What a musical day it has been for me! If you have not watched Glee yet, stop reading and go to Fox.com right now and get to it! It's so nice to see something from Ryan Murphy, the creator of Nip/Tuck, that isn't gratuitously sexual and repulsive. Glee is about a high school Glee club, an assortment of misfits and one jock who just want to be special. Glee is set to premier this fall, but Fox decided to preview the pilot episode early to build hype. And, boy, did it work. The pilot drew an average of 10 million viewers, and the climactic cast ensemble version of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" has been downloaded by over 177,000 people within its first week on iTunes. Fox has issued the standard order of a 13 episode run for the first season, with an option to renew midway. I have a feeling they know their sitting on a hit though. The fact that a musical has broken into television, and on one of the Big 4 no less, solidifies it for me: musicals are cool again.

If You're Going to Jump, Don't Land on Me

2009-06-08T16:37:00.001-04:00

This weekend my mother convinced me to join her and my father at our lake house in Anderson (more specifically Townville), South Carolina. This marks the sixth weekend in a row that I have seen my parents for some occasion or another. I’m not complaining. I love my family, and I enjoy seeing them. But six times in six weeks is probably more times I’ve seen them in the past six months. I’m hopefully moving to New York in a couple of months, and it seems my mother is trying to get in all the time with me she can before I leave. On the very scenic drive up Interstate 85, I was reminded of one of my very odd fears (one of many, believe me). Whenever I drive under a bridge, I always experience a small sliver of concern that someone will commit suicide by jumping off the bridge, smashing into my windshield. It is, without a doubt, the most irrational concern on the planet. I’m not saying that I genuinely believe it will happen, but I think it is good to mindful of the possibility. If it does, I’ll at least be somewhat prepared to react accordingly. I hope it doesn’t though. What an incredibly rude way to kill yourself. Granted, I think suicide is an inherently rude thing to do. You’re leaving a huge mess for someone else to clean up. But by jumping off a bridge, you’re leaving that mess for someone that doesn’t even know you. It’s just plain thoughtless and disrespectful. So if you’re thinking about killing yourself, don’t do it like that…And you probably shouldn’t seek this blog for any kind of help.

My Collection

2009-06-02T21:21:00.003-04:00

Everyone collects something. Some people collect shot glasses. Others collect stamps. Some even collect sexual partners. My friend Ashley collects picture frames from cities she's visited. My ex-boyfriend collects wine corks. I collect ties. It wasn't a conscious decision on my part to start a tie collection. It's just something that sort of happened. My first tie that I will consider my own (I don't count clip on ties I wore when I was a child) was my grandfather's. My mom decided to give one of his ties to me after he died. I have no idea why and I didn't wear it for about three years. I really wasn't interested in wearing ties when I was in high school. I first purchased a tie when I was a freshman in college. I joined a fraternity and would be required to wear a tie at our Chapter meetings. I grew very accustomed to dressing up in business attire one night a week, and a tie was my way of putting my own individuality into my ensemble. Over the three years I was a member of the fraternity, formal chapter meetings became less frequent, and thus my opportunity to wear a tie diminishing. I mean, who wants to wear a tie to class?

Of course, bar hopping and clubbing presented new occasions to deck myself out. Like any self-respecting man, I always want to dress to impress. And I do love to stand out in a crowd. Believe me, wearing a tie out in Columbia, SC definitely helps a person stand out. I began develop a slight obsession for my ties. I can't walk into a mall (hell, I can't walk into a Target) without checking out the tie selections. I love every tie I own, some more than others admittedly, and each one has a story of its own. So while some people collect stamps or koozies, I collect ties. I'm up to 43 so far. That number should be 44, but sadly I lost one of my favorite Geoffrey Beene tie somewhere between Harrah's and McDonald's in Lake Tahoe. That was a sad night.

I'm very proud of my tie collection, yet, despite the title of this blog, I'm not going to blog about ties. This blog is intended to be a new collection for myself: a collection of my thoughts. It doesn't have a theme exactly. If there is something I wish to share with the world, I'll put in here. I'm hoping that it will be cathartic for me and interesting for you as well. And if it's not interesting...Hey, no one is making you read it. Until next time.