I am a Shocking Nerd

Shocking, I tell you.

So I had seen a trailer for a movie about Frank Gehry, and was interested in seeing it. Upon my return from New Mexico, I checked out the theater to find that the movie had finished its run. I guess there isn't a ton of perceived demand for documentaries about architects. No matter; as I perused the theater site, I discovered another movie playing which had caught my eye: Wordplay, about the people who create and solve the New York Times crossword puzzle.

Now, I've never been a "crossworder" (or pehaps they prefer the more generic "puzzler", which seems a little less cumbersome as well, if a little less specific), but I have to tell you - after watching this movie, I was filled with a zeal for crosswords the likes of which I have never experienced. Chances are in the near future I will challenge the Times crossword, if only to increase my already bulging stocks of useless knowledge and my vocabulary, two things which I am always looking to increase.

On a completely unrelated and perhaps even nerdier note, I also recently purchased the Elaine Stritch at Liberty cd, only to find there's a goddamn dvd which I could have (and have since) Netflix'ed. It is, of course, brilliant; the musings and performances of a woman who has survived and thrived in the acting profession. I wish I knew what it was about musical theater (really good musical theater, mind you - I caught bits of Camp the other day and was continually distracted by both the editing and the insanely inappropriate selection of musicals - I mean, come on, a teenager singing "Ladies Who Lunch"? Or "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going"? Ludicrous. I understand that such things go on all the time, but they damn well shouldn't, if you ask me, which of course no-one did.) that captures me. Musical theater sure doesn't seem to love me as much as I love it, which kind of sucks.

I've come to terms with that fact, with the apparent fact that the only way I'm going to make it onto Broadway in a musical is to become a "star" (minor or major) on film or TV and then moonlight in a musical. But the problem with that is that all such forays are treated with (at worst) derision or (at best) mildly amused curiosity; certainly not the artistic interest I would hope to generate. But then, if you get people in the seats and then can show artistic integrity, does it matter why people came in the first place? Perhaps this is a lesson for me, to not instantly judge people from other mediums taking roles on Broadway. Lord knows I'm critical enough of stage actors and singers in productions. But that, of course, is the subject for a whooole other post.