Friday, 26 March 2010
Room 36
I watched this rather unusual film the other night. I'm not a film buff and don't know if Room 36 is widely known. If not, then it certainly is deserving of recognition.
Room 36 has been described as a film noir, a horror, a comedy and a farce and it is indeed all of these things. Imagine a black and white Brian Rix farce with lots of blood and a few 'f'words.
Amongst the blood and gore it has some great comic moments. I particularly liked Paul Herzberg as the tidy-obsessive hitman and Frank Scantori as the large, naughty underwear salesman.
Cursed from the beginning, it took 11 years to make Room 36, causing problems with continuation, ie. aging actors! There is a heartwarming documentary which accompanies the film - telling a tale of sheer determination of director/writer Jim Groom to complete the project.
Visit www.room36movie.com for more information and a synopsis.
Other news:
It's my 50th birthday this summer and a few years ago, Trevor and I planned to celebrate it in the USA. We hadn't known then, of course, that we'd be flat broke in 2010. This year I resigned myself to inviting family members over for a glass of pop and a sandwich.
Well there's no need for me to butter any bread because my fantastic parents have bought us a week's holiday to Jersey in the Channel Islands! I lived there for a couple of years in the 1980's and have always longed to return. We'll be staying in a hotel - I hope we're not in Room 36.
Thursday, 11 March 2010
National No Smoking Day - 10th March 2010
I wrote a blog article last June about how I gave up smoking in 2004. This article was picked up recently by a producer at the BBC Coventry & Warwickshire radio station. She invited me to go into the studios on 'National No Smoking Day' (yesterday,10th March) for a live interview with the morning presenter, Annie Othen.
The programme is available to listen to on BBC iPlayer, only for about a week I think, if anyone is interested,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p006qwgt/Annie_Othen_10_03_2010/
I'm on air 8 minutes 45 seconds into the programme until 26 minutes 51 seconds. Annie Othen is such a lovely, interesting person you may want to listen to all of her programme!
The programme is available to listen to on BBC iPlayer, only for about a week I think, if anyone is interested,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p006qwgt/Annie_Othen_10_03_2010/
I'm on air 8 minutes 45 seconds into the programme until 26 minutes 51 seconds. Annie Othen is such a lovely, interesting person you may want to listen to all of her programme!
Making a Drama out of a Crisis
Gaslight
Playing Bella Manningham at the Rugby Theatre 6-13 February was a tremendous experience. After a 7-year break from stage acting, it was good to tread the boards again. Here is a small selection of photos from the 90 or so that were taken during 2 dress rehearsals.
I don't know about my performance but that wig deserved a standing ovation. it managed to stay on, in spite of me throwing myself around the stage! I called it 'Fido' and fed it twice a day.
Moving wallpaper - or furniture anyway
Referring to my last blog post on 21st February - the crisis is over. It sounds over-dramatic I know, but a few weeks ago I thought I'd never feel happy again. Business was slow in 2009, resulting in mounting debts and the need to drastically reduce our monthly outgoings. We made enquiries to let our house and before we knew it, it was advertised and snapped up with tenants wanting to move in within 2 weeks! We weren't in a financial position to turn it down and it meant we had to find somewhere else much cheaper to live, and find it quickly. As luck would have it, a flat was available to rent in the same road, just 65 yards away at an affordable price. Extremely lucky, you might be thinking, and you'd be right, the flat is fabulous BUT... no dogs allowed! If we'd had time to consider it all properly we would NEVER have parted with our 2 gorgeous little dogs, but we had to make an urgent decision, so the dogs went. Trevor, my daughter Lucy and I never expected it to be as painful as it was and we all cried buckets for days after we gave them to another family.
However, just over a week ago, we contacted the family and they agreed to us taking the dogs out for a few hours. It was lovely but when we returned them, the pooches seemed so pleased to be back with their new family, we accepted they aren't ours any more and it was time to let go. Crisis over and happy times have returned :)
Playing Bella Manningham at the Rugby Theatre 6-13 February was a tremendous experience. After a 7-year break from stage acting, it was good to tread the boards again. Here is a small selection of photos from the 90 or so that were taken during 2 dress rehearsals.
I don't know about my performance but that wig deserved a standing ovation. it managed to stay on, in spite of me throwing myself around the stage! I called it 'Fido' and fed it twice a day.
Moving wallpaper - or furniture anyway
Referring to my last blog post on 21st February - the crisis is over. It sounds over-dramatic I know, but a few weeks ago I thought I'd never feel happy again. Business was slow in 2009, resulting in mounting debts and the need to drastically reduce our monthly outgoings. We made enquiries to let our house and before we knew it, it was advertised and snapped up with tenants wanting to move in within 2 weeks! We weren't in a financial position to turn it down and it meant we had to find somewhere else much cheaper to live, and find it quickly. As luck would have it, a flat was available to rent in the same road, just 65 yards away at an affordable price. Extremely lucky, you might be thinking, and you'd be right, the flat is fabulous BUT... no dogs allowed! If we'd had time to consider it all properly we would NEVER have parted with our 2 gorgeous little dogs, but we had to make an urgent decision, so the dogs went. Trevor, my daughter Lucy and I never expected it to be as painful as it was and we all cried buckets for days after we gave them to another family.
However, just over a week ago, we contacted the family and they agreed to us taking the dogs out for a few hours. It was lovely but when we returned them, the pooches seemed so pleased to be back with their new family, we accepted they aren't ours any more and it was time to let go. Crisis over and happy times have returned :)
Sunday, 21 February 2010
Moving On...
It's been a manic few weeks.
We find ourselves in reduced financial circumstances. We have let our house and are renting a flat over the road....moving today.
Our 2 dogs were given to another family on Tuesday, which has been traumatic for all of us......
"Gaslight" went well... more about that and photos in a future post.
We will have no internet access until 1st March.
XX
We find ourselves in reduced financial circumstances. We have let our house and are renting a flat over the road....moving today.
Our 2 dogs were given to another family on Tuesday, which has been traumatic for all of us......
"Gaslight" went well... more about that and photos in a future post.
We will have no internet access until 1st March.
XX
Sunday, 20 December 2009
Gaslight
Well, here we are, 5 days until Christmas and I'm 2 weeks into rehearsal of "Gaslight". Click here for a synopsis.
Despite initial nerves, I found the first week enjoyable. The other actors are talented and easy to get along with. There is Keith, who plays my deranged manipulative husband, Mr Manningham; Howard is the kindly, efficient and delightfully eccentric retired Inspector Rough; Barbara plays a kind and helpful servant and Rebecca is a flirty and impudent teenage servant. In charge of us all is Steve, impressively making his debut as a director.
Friday 8th January 2010:
Postscript: I have deleted the second half of this post and all comments, but will endeavour to post news and photos, as soon as I get some time!
Despite initial nerves, I found the first week enjoyable. The other actors are talented and easy to get along with. There is Keith, who plays my deranged manipulative husband, Mr Manningham; Howard is the kindly, efficient and delightfully eccentric retired Inspector Rough; Barbara plays a kind and helpful servant and Rebecca is a flirty and impudent teenage servant. In charge of us all is Steve, impressively making his debut as a director.
Friday 8th January 2010:
Postscript: I have deleted the second half of this post and all comments, but will endeavour to post news and photos, as soon as I get some time!
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
New Look
Welcome to my new-look blog, previously called 'Running for Carers' and now simply 'Annie'. Trevor and I have finished fund-raising for Carers UK so I'm not quite sure what to do with this blog.... I probably will just share snippets of news from time to time.
Graham Kendrick
In the last month Trevor and I have been busy organising a Graham Kendrick concert, which will take place at the Coventry Methodist Central Hall on 8th December. It has been a massive financial risk for the church as we needed to sell 550 tickets just to break-even. We've had to pay for Graham and his musicians, sound engineers, their hotel accommodation and meals, posters, fliers, newspaper adverts.. oh the list goes on!
Thank God, at the time of typing this, 600 tickets have been sold and there's still a week to go.......
Gaslight
I used to work as an actress but due to a change of direction, I have not performed professionally on stage since March 2003. It is something I would very much like to return to in 2010, as I approach my 50th birthday. I recently auditioned for a small part in an amateur production of Patrick Hamilton's Victorian thriller,"Gaslight" at a local theatre (6-13 February 2010). Amazingly I've ended up with the main part as Mrs Manningham, a woman brought to the brink of madness by her manipulative husband. Ingrid Bergman played this part in the 1944 film. First rehearsal tomorrow - SCARY!!!!!!
Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer in the 1944 American MGM film version of "Gaslight"
Ingrid Bergman
Diana Wynyard and Anton Walbrook in the British 1940 version, called "Murder in Thornton Square". This is my favourite of the two films.
Graham Kendrick
In the last month Trevor and I have been busy organising a Graham Kendrick concert, which will take place at the Coventry Methodist Central Hall on 8th December. It has been a massive financial risk for the church as we needed to sell 550 tickets just to break-even. We've had to pay for Graham and his musicians, sound engineers, their hotel accommodation and meals, posters, fliers, newspaper adverts.. oh the list goes on!
Thank God, at the time of typing this, 600 tickets have been sold and there's still a week to go.......
Gaslight
I used to work as an actress but due to a change of direction, I have not performed professionally on stage since March 2003. It is something I would very much like to return to in 2010, as I approach my 50th birthday. I recently auditioned for a small part in an amateur production of Patrick Hamilton's Victorian thriller,"Gaslight" at a local theatre (6-13 February 2010). Amazingly I've ended up with the main part as Mrs Manningham, a woman brought to the brink of madness by her manipulative husband. Ingrid Bergman played this part in the 1944 film. First rehearsal tomorrow - SCARY!!!!!!
Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer in the 1944 American MGM film version of "Gaslight"
Ingrid Bergman
Diana Wynyard and Anton Walbrook in the British 1940 version, called "Murder in Thornton Square". This is my favourite of the two films.
Monday, 26 October 2009
Fast Forward
Has someone pressed the fast-forward button? Only a short while ago it was July and we were preparing the garden for the barbecues we didn't get around to having. We were waiting for the glorious summer that must have been over in a flash. Did I miss something? All of a sudden it is almost November... Christmas is coming and the goose is starting to gain a little weight.
Well, our series of races for Carers UK has finally come to an end. Sorry we didn't quite make the £3000 target but our fund-raising page is open until the 30th November so I still live in hope of raising another £300.
Trevor and I ran in the Great North Run in September which was an amazing experience. After this event, Trevor decided to hang up his running shoes. The impact from all the running has aggravated an old knee injury. However my knees were well enough to participate in the Northampton 10K run in September and the Coventry Half-marathon yesterday.
There are no more races planned for this year so I shall be putting my energy into a more dramatic project (a stage play). In the meantime, will someone please stop fiddling with that perishing fast-forward button?
Well, our series of races for Carers UK has finally come to an end. Sorry we didn't quite make the £3000 target but our fund-raising page is open until the 30th November so I still live in hope of raising another £300.
Trevor and I ran in the Great North Run in September which was an amazing experience. After this event, Trevor decided to hang up his running shoes. The impact from all the running has aggravated an old knee injury. However my knees were well enough to participate in the Northampton 10K run in September and the Coventry Half-marathon yesterday.
There are no more races planned for this year so I shall be putting my energy into a more dramatic project (a stage play). In the meantime, will someone please stop fiddling with that perishing fast-forward button?
The Great North Run finished in South Shields20th September
Trevor, tired but glad it's all over
'The Run 09' at Sixfields Stadium, Northampton (10K)4th October
Coventry Half-Marathon25th October
Nearly there!
Just a few more yards!
All over!
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