Weekend is Over. Progress Made.

Whose Live?

Whose Live is it Anyway? was fantastic last night! Marv and I laughed our butts off. The show was hilarious. There was a good crowd of 20-somethings and 30-somethings at the casino. Greg Proops started off the show chatting with the audience and finding out (funny) facts about potash and potash mining (potash mines are a big employer in our province). Then he introduced Chip Esten (cutie, great singer and former actor on The Office as Josh Porter, Regional Manager of the Stamford Branch who eventually jumped ship and went to Staples). Then Jeff Davis was introduced, he was on a few televised episodes of Whose Line? Davis is best known for deadpan wit, Christopher Walken impressions and his great singing voice. Then, perhaps saving the best for last, Greg Proops invited Ryan Stiles to come out on stage to a big ovation from the audience (Ryan Stiles is a recurring cast member of Two and a Half Men, as Judith's husband Herb Melnick). Very funny guy. He wore normal looking shoes for this show. Rounding out the troupe was Bob Derkatch, playing background music and piano to different improv games, and of course, for Greatest Hits.

The four cast members performed Song Styles, Film TV & Theater Styles, Number of Words, Jeopardy, Quick Change, Whose Line, Tag, Moving People, Soap Opera and Greatest Hits. Best game -- Greatest Hits. Chip and Jeff can really sing. All the guys were hilarious. There were times when the performers couldn't contain their own laughter at the zany scenes and lines the others came up with. Who knew that potash, Costco, Bollywood, Shakespeare, hockey rinks and soap operas would be combined into one funny show? We'll definitely see them again if we get a chance!

Dancing with the Stars Update

People.com reported today that Melissa Rycroft will be replacing the injured Nancy O'Dell on DWTS and will be performing live on the premiere tomorrow. Jewel is also out with an injury and will be replaced by Holly Madison. I think Melissa has singlehandedly stolen the drama factor away from Denise Richards even before the show premiered. Maybe this is ABC's way of redeeming themselves after the whole Bachelor finale debacle....or Melissa is right where she wants to be. hmmn.

Renos

Marv and I are in the middle of every homeowner's current favorite task (besides taxes).....HOUSE RENOS. YIPPEE. Our goal date for listing our house is April 2nd. Here's hoping we complete our renos before then! Correction: We WILL complete our house renos by April 2nd. What's left to do? Well, we just got the new bathroom floor installed on Friday. We are waiting for quotes from our tile/plumber guy and our painter. Our hardwood floors will be redone on Friday (right before we leave to visit Renata and her family). And Marv is away this week on business. So guess who gets to clean up all the rooms before Friday?

Yours truly,
Lacia

Stacia Fired Debbie Downer!!

Stacia DID IT! She fired Debbie Downer! Problem Bridesmaid is GONZO!!!!

I'm so proud of Stacia. After reporting earlier this week that Debbie Downer had fallen off the radar, she emerged with a vengeance a couple of days ago complaining to Stacia about money and the orange colour of the bridesmaid dresses. She actually told Stacia, "I'm upset to buy a dress that I will not be able to wear again cause I hate orange and anyone who knows me knows I will NEVER wear it".

WHOA.

Ok, first of all, who really cares what you think, it's Stacia's wedding! Secondly, you know damn well the colour orange is Stacia's favorite colour.... so there was a huge possibility you would be wearing an orange dress. Heck, I knew that 4 years ago!! Thirdly, you don't tell the bride that you hate her wedding colours if you are in her bridal party. Fourthly, I distinctly recall Stacia having to fork out $$$ for a bridesmaid dress for Debbie Downer's wedding (after one of her bridesmaids quit or got fired, one or the other!) Stacia knew she will probably never wear that dress again, but she went along with it without complaining. (I've since suggested to Stacia to sell the dress on ebay).

Anyway, Stacia confronted Debbie Downer for the last time about her behaviour. DD's first response was clueless....like "what did I do wrong?? I don't know?" (I'm serious, that was her summed up response). Stacia explained to her in detail again what went wrong. This time, DD didn't even dispute what Stacia had said after Stacia spelled it out for her. DD basically accepted that she is gone from the wedding party.

I know that was a tough thing for Stacia to do, I've been there too. We've both had to fire bridesmaids from our weddings, which isn't the most pleasant thing to do when people are involved and emotions are high. My constant advice to Stacia throughout has been to trust her gut, it never lets you down. I firmly believe that, no matter what anyone else thinks or believes.

Go Stacia!!

Whose Live Anyway??

My husband Marv and I are going to the Casino Show Lounge on Saturday night to see Whose Live Anyway?, the touring version of Whose Line is it Anyway? I can't wait! This was my favorite show 9 or 10 years ago and I still have my old VHS tapes full of the funniest episodes I taped way-back-when. I think my favorite episode was from 2000. It consisted of Props (my fav!), Telethon (with Brad Sherwood making the best impression of Fred Schneider ever! -- "the guy from the B-52's!!!"), Film TV & Theater Styles and Superheroes. As for the other games, I love Greatest Hits, Scenes from a Hat, Multiple Personalities, Let's Make a Date and Three-Headed Broadway Star. All simply hilarious!

Marv and I saw Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood in a similar live show a few years ago at the Show Lounge. It was so funny, we laughed our asses off the entire time. I think this show with Ryan Stiles, Chip Esten, Greg Proops and Jeff Davis will be just as hilarious, if not more!

Fleetwood Mac begins their 2009 Tour

photo: David Brewster, Star Tribune

Fleetwood Mac is my favorite band ever. My sister Renata and I are huge fans of Stevie Nicks. It was Renata who introduced me to Fleetwood Mac and Stevie's solo music when I was 16 years old (on the Edge of Seventeen...?? ok, I couldn't resist that one!!) We always said how cool it would be to go to a Fleetwood Mac concert. We finally got the chance in 2004. It was a phenomenal concert! The whole occasion was definitely one to remember. We still talk about it as if it happened last week. Renata and I drove 8 hours to Calgary for the concert, all the while dealing with cruddy weather (it was beautiful when we left home but freezing and windy in Calgary in July, which was ODD!), a decapitated bird stuck on our windshield, lack of sleep and not really knowing where the heck the Saddledome was and which train we were supposed to be on to GET to the Saddledome. We eventually found it. We shopped and hung out for the afternoon, went for supper at an awesome Chinese Restaurant, took the LRT to the concert and had a blast. Then we took the LRT back to the mall where our car was parked and proceeded to drive 8 straight hours back home, stopping for coffee at Timmy Ho's about 3 times on the way. Then Renata drove an extra 2.5 hours to her place. ALL IN ONE DAY. Talk about a marathon trip!! Renata says she was up for 29 hours straight. I catnapped on the way home off and on. Call us crazy. Call us insane. Our parents thought we were nutso. But it was all for Stevie and Fleetwood Mac. And it was the best concert I have ever been to.....that is, until last year, when my husband and I saw Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in concert (Stevie's friends), who topped them.

Anyway, Fleetwood Mac is on tour again this year and I jumped at the chance to get tickets immediately after finding out about it on Ticketmaster. I did end up buying tickets for a concert in May, which I am excited about, but I wasn't so excited to pay $199 (each!) for good available tickets........especially with the state the economy is in. Oh well. I know this may be the last time I see FM in concert, so I am justifying it.

An early review of the Twin Cities concert was good but Stevie's review was so-so, her voice apparently wasn't in top form. I hope her health is ok and that her voice will improve as the tour goes on. It would be very disappointing if her voice wasn't up to par.

I did sneak a peek at the early tour setlist and Stevie is performing my favorite FM song ever, "Sara". That is cause for celebration! She performed it at the Calgary concert and I cried during the whole song. I knew from the opening chords what the song was going to be and she even wore the famous red 'Sara' shawl, reserved to be worn only while singing "Sara"....while the original 'Sara' concert video from 1979 played on the screen behind her. At that time, she hadn't performed the song live in 14 years (I knew that fact from nicksfix.com), so that was a big bonus for me -- the highlight of the concert.

An interesting note about this setlist - it includes "Storms" from Tusk (1979), which is possibly the first time Stevie has performed that song live on tour. I love "Storms".....very raw, very beautiful. I wish "Seven Wonders" could be included as part of the setlist (LOVE THAT SONG!!), "Thrown Down" from Say You Will and "Oh Daddy" as a duet between Stevie and Lindsey....one can dream though, right?

Stacia's Bridesmaid Dresses

I first wrote about my cousin Stacia's upcoming fall wedding a few weeks ago. Problem Bridesmaid is still causing a few issues but has basically fallen off the radar as there are other problems occupying her life right now. I haven't heard from her since the bridal shower discussion about what Stacia did/didn't really want.

Anyway, one change that Stacia did make: all the bridesmaids will now be wearing the burnt orange bridesmaid dress with a brown sash instead of the original orange dress/brown dress split. We are ordering the dresses next weekend! Here's a photo of the lovely dress from the Alfred Angelo website: