Friday, January 15, 2010
Other Entertainment Consumption of 2009
So I figured that, since I'm writing down all of the books I read and the movies I watch, I might as well keep track of other forms of entertainment consumption. I actually have been doing this for a year or two, though this is the first time I've reported it on my blog. I have kept track of stuff in a couple of different categories: TV, etc. (this doesn't include every TV show I watch, but rather only complete seasons or miniseries or groups of TV shows); live concerts; live plays; and live sporting events. I have ranked the entrants in each category, though the lists weren't very long. I note that all four of the plays I saw and four of the nine concerts I saw were free. I must either be a cheapskate or really good at finding bargains.
TV, etc.
1. The Office, Seasons One (2/25/09), Two (5/16/09), Three (7/2/09), Four (10/10/09), and Five (11/23/09). This was the year of The Office, which we turned to when access to Northern Exposure proved difficult. It has been a very enjoyable year getting to know the Dunder Mifflin crew (my favorite character is Creed - nearly every one of his infrequent lines make me bust a gut). I kind of liked the second and third seasons the best - when Pam and Jim were still just flirting without hope. We've also watched every episode of the sixth season that has been released to date, and this need to wait for new shows to come out has made me think back fondly to our West Wing run, where we were able to just watch it all the way through because it was over.
2. Planet Earth, Complete Series (2/6/09). A fascinating and beautifully filmed documentary series about nature and natural life. There are shots of things you've never seen before in a nature documentary, like a great white shark snatching a sea lion off the top of the water, and a whole family of snow leopards. Absolutely wonderful and enthralling.
3. John Adams, Complete HBO Miniseries (2/13/09). This miniseries, based on David McCullough's biography, was graphically real and completely compelling. It was amazing how accurate the sets were (I've visited Adams's house in Quincy, Mass.) and how well the roles were played (the guy who played Washington could have come straight off a one-dollar-bill). Once again it reminded me of the important role Adams played in the founding of our country.
4. Northern Exposure, Season One (1/1/09). I remember watching this show often back when it was on the air in the early 1990s. So I convinced Shelly to watch the first season with me once we finished The West Wing. we had to borrow it from a friend because even Blockbuster's online mail-order service doesn't have enough copies of it. It was fun to relive all the quirkiness and Alaskaness of the show. And there were a couple of times, when the themes became very mature, when I wondered why the high-school me liked it. I would like to continue watching later seasons of this show.
3. The Three Little Pigs, Burke Lake Park (7/25/09). This was a silly little puppet show at a state park. It was mildly funny, but the kids liked it and it was free, so no harm done.
Concerts
1. National Symphony Orchestra, Symphonie Fantastique et al, Kennedy Center (1/23/09). Fantastic. I have been a fan of Berlioz's masterwork for many years, but this was the first time I heard it live. The program contained other wonderful French music. I hope this will prove to be the first of many symphonic performances Shelly and I attend in coming years.
2. Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Saint-Säens Organ Symphony et al, Strathmore Hall (2/19/09). The second symphonic performance didn't take too long in coming. The music was wonderful, but the real star was the concert hall. This was my first time in the BSO's Strathmore Hall in Bethesda, and I must admit that in choosing future symphonic performances, I might give Strathmore performances an unfair advantage. It's just a beautiful, beautiful space - the perfect setting for beautiful music.
3. BYU Ballroom Dance Ensemble, GWU Lisner Auditorium (5/20/09). Who knew that to see a BYU group perform, I'd have to go to GWU? The audience must have been at least two-thirds Mormon (I recognized a surprisingly large number of people), and they started with a prayer, so it felt like just being back in the DeJong Concert Hall. The dancers were, as expected, awesome. My favorite piece was danced to an instrumental version of "If You Could Hie to Kolob," where the dancers were dressed as stars twirling through space. I really felt the Spirit. I need to see more dance performances - it's a beautiful and moving art form when done well.
4. NSO Pops Holiday Concert, Kennedy Center (12/10/09). A Christmas tradition with me and Shelly. This year, more so than in past years, there were a lot of guest performances by everyone from a Howard University jazz choir to a pair of pre-teen ballroom dancers. It's getting to the point where it won't feel like Christmas until Marvin Hamlisch leads us in a singalong.
5. U.S. Air Force Band, DAR Constitution Hall (12/5/09). We took my mom to this free concert, which featured Christmas music from movies and musicals (a choice that I found a little disappointing, as it ruled out a lot of the familiar and wonderful Christmas music out there). I spent a lot of the time in the hall or the upper rows with a fitful Annie (it was way past her bedtime), but the music was fabulous.
6. Martinsburg Jazz Orchestra, Bluemont Concert Series, Winchester (7/17/09). A big band concert in the park during our romantic getaway to Winchester. It was fun to see the senior citizens who showed up, to recognize certain popular tunes, and most of all to decide that we wanted to get back to our hotel before the concert ended and to just barely make it inside before the skies opened up and it poured rain on everyone who stayed for the whole concert.
7. Merry TubaChristmas!, Kennedy Center Milennium Stage (12/14/09). Another rock-solid Christmas tradition. I'm getting to the point where I feel very familiar with the all-tuba arrangements of Christmas songs they do. The initial weirdness of hearing 300 tubas play has worn off on me, but it's one of the best evenings of the year.
8. National Concert Band of America, Mt. Vernon (7/4/09). We decided to spent the Fourth of July at Mount Vernon this year, and there was a free concert by a concert band on the lawn just before the daytime fireworks (which were, frankly, a bit underwhelming). The best part was Ellie getting up and dancing to the music in front of just about everyone (we were on the front row).
9. Fairfax Symphony Dixieland Band, Lake Accotink Park (6/26/09). There's a summer concert series put on by Fairfax County, and this was the only one we managed to make it to. We were expecting a military band (as that is what was announced), but this group of old codgers wasn't half bad. The girls got restless, so we got up and caught fireflies as the band swung on. That memory is precious.
Sporting Events
None. Yes, I went an entire year without seeing a live sporting event. I watched plenty on TV, but I guess either all my favorite teams play in Utah (the Jazz came to Washington in November 2008 and aren't due to return until March 2010), or I just like being able to fast-foward between football plays and during basketball foul shots.
TV, etc.
1. The Office, Seasons One (2/25/09), Two (5/16/09), Three (7/2/09), Four (10/10/09), and Five (11/23/09). This was the year of The Office, which we turned to when access to Northern Exposure proved difficult. It has been a very enjoyable year getting to know the Dunder Mifflin crew (my favorite character is Creed - nearly every one of his infrequent lines make me bust a gut). I kind of liked the second and third seasons the best - when Pam and Jim were still just flirting without hope. We've also watched every episode of the sixth season that has been released to date, and this need to wait for new shows to come out has made me think back fondly to our West Wing run, where we were able to just watch it all the way through because it was over.
2. Planet Earth, Complete Series (2/6/09). A fascinating and beautifully filmed documentary series about nature and natural life. There are shots of things you've never seen before in a nature documentary, like a great white shark snatching a sea lion off the top of the water, and a whole family of snow leopards. Absolutely wonderful and enthralling.
3. John Adams, Complete HBO Miniseries (2/13/09). This miniseries, based on David McCullough's biography, was graphically real and completely compelling. It was amazing how accurate the sets were (I've visited Adams's house in Quincy, Mass.) and how well the roles were played (the guy who played Washington could have come straight off a one-dollar-bill). Once again it reminded me of the important role Adams played in the founding of our country.
4. Northern Exposure, Season One (1/1/09). I remember watching this show often back when it was on the air in the early 1990s. So I convinced Shelly to watch the first season with me once we finished The West Wing. we had to borrow it from a friend because even Blockbuster's online mail-order service doesn't have enough copies of it. It was fun to relive all the quirkiness and Alaskaness of the show. And there were a couple of times, when the themes became very mature, when I wondered why the high-school me liked it. I would like to continue watching later seasons of this show.
Plays
1. The Taming of the Shrew, Washington Shakespeare Theatre (9/7/09). I was a bit skeptical when I heard that they were moving the annual Shakespeare Free-For-All indoors, but wow, the new Shakespeare Theatre is awesome, and we didn't have to worry about mosquitoes. Plus, the production was excellent (Sondra Huxtable played Kate), and made my experience of reading the text really come alive. As I mentioned in my books post, I need to see more Shakespeare plays, and the Washington Shakespeare Theatre might be a good way to do it.
2. Ace of Hearts Magic, National Theatre (9/19/09). This was a free kids' performance at the National Theatre on a Saturday morning. I took Ellie and Annie via the Metro, and we had a really fun daddy-daughter-daughter date. The magician was more of a stand-up comedian for kids than he was a magician, but he did perform some pretty impressive illusions, and the sound of an entire audience full of kids just rollicking with laughter for an hour by itself made the experience worthwhile.3. The Three Little Pigs, Burke Lake Park (7/25/09). This was a silly little puppet show at a state park. It was mildly funny, but the kids liked it and it was free, so no harm done.
Concerts
1. National Symphony Orchestra, Symphonie Fantastique et al, Kennedy Center (1/23/09). Fantastic. I have been a fan of Berlioz's masterwork for many years, but this was the first time I heard it live. The program contained other wonderful French music. I hope this will prove to be the first of many symphonic performances Shelly and I attend in coming years.
2. Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Saint-Säens Organ Symphony et al, Strathmore Hall (2/19/09). The second symphonic performance didn't take too long in coming. The music was wonderful, but the real star was the concert hall. This was my first time in the BSO's Strathmore Hall in Bethesda, and I must admit that in choosing future symphonic performances, I might give Strathmore performances an unfair advantage. It's just a beautiful, beautiful space - the perfect setting for beautiful music.
3. BYU Ballroom Dance Ensemble, GWU Lisner Auditorium (5/20/09). Who knew that to see a BYU group perform, I'd have to go to GWU? The audience must have been at least two-thirds Mormon (I recognized a surprisingly large number of people), and they started with a prayer, so it felt like just being back in the DeJong Concert Hall. The dancers were, as expected, awesome. My favorite piece was danced to an instrumental version of "If You Could Hie to Kolob," where the dancers were dressed as stars twirling through space. I really felt the Spirit. I need to see more dance performances - it's a beautiful and moving art form when done well.
4. NSO Pops Holiday Concert, Kennedy Center (12/10/09). A Christmas tradition with me and Shelly. This year, more so than in past years, there were a lot of guest performances by everyone from a Howard University jazz choir to a pair of pre-teen ballroom dancers. It's getting to the point where it won't feel like Christmas until Marvin Hamlisch leads us in a singalong.
5. U.S. Air Force Band, DAR Constitution Hall (12/5/09). We took my mom to this free concert, which featured Christmas music from movies and musicals (a choice that I found a little disappointing, as it ruled out a lot of the familiar and wonderful Christmas music out there). I spent a lot of the time in the hall or the upper rows with a fitful Annie (it was way past her bedtime), but the music was fabulous.
6. Martinsburg Jazz Orchestra, Bluemont Concert Series, Winchester (7/17/09). A big band concert in the park during our romantic getaway to Winchester. It was fun to see the senior citizens who showed up, to recognize certain popular tunes, and most of all to decide that we wanted to get back to our hotel before the concert ended and to just barely make it inside before the skies opened up and it poured rain on everyone who stayed for the whole concert.
7. Merry TubaChristmas!, Kennedy Center Milennium Stage (12/14/09). Another rock-solid Christmas tradition. I'm getting to the point where I feel very familiar with the all-tuba arrangements of Christmas songs they do. The initial weirdness of hearing 300 tubas play has worn off on me, but it's one of the best evenings of the year.
8. National Concert Band of America, Mt. Vernon (7/4/09). We decided to spent the Fourth of July at Mount Vernon this year, and there was a free concert by a concert band on the lawn just before the daytime fireworks (which were, frankly, a bit underwhelming). The best part was Ellie getting up and dancing to the music in front of just about everyone (we were on the front row).
9. Fairfax Symphony Dixieland Band, Lake Accotink Park (6/26/09). There's a summer concert series put on by Fairfax County, and this was the only one we managed to make it to. We were expecting a military band (as that is what was announced), but this group of old codgers wasn't half bad. The girls got restless, so we got up and caught fireflies as the band swung on. That memory is precious.
Sporting Events
None. Yes, I went an entire year without seeing a live sporting event. I watched plenty on TV, but I guess either all my favorite teams play in Utah (the Jazz came to Washington in November 2008 and aren't due to return until March 2010), or I just like being able to fast-foward between football plays and during basketball foul shots.
Comments:
We also recently watched John Adams and were amazed at how much he did and found it interesting that he doesn't have monument in DC (like Washington and Jefferson).
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