2009 Tony Award Predictions!

Whoops, I completely forgot about this blog already.  Oh well.  I'm back just in time for the Tony Awards!

And here they are...my Tony Award predictions!

How I Did:  20-7

Best Play

Dividing the Estate

God of Carnage

Reasons to be Pretty

33 Variations

Actual Winner: God of Carnage

Best Musical

Billy Elliot, The Musical

Next to Normal

Rock of Ages

Shrek The Musical

Actual Winner: Billy Elliot, The Musical!

Best Book of a Musical

Billy Elliot, The Musical - Lee Hall

Next to Normal - Brian Yorkey

Shrek The Musical - David Lindsay-Abaire

[title of show] - Hunter Bell

Actual Winner: Billy Elliot, The Musical - Lee Hall

Best Original Score

Billy Elliot, The Musical - Elton John & Lee Hall

Next to Normal - Tom Kitt & Brian Yorkey

9 to 5: The Musical - Dolly Parton

Shrek The Musical - Jeanine Tesori & David Lindsay-Abaire

Actual Winner: Next to Normal - Tom Kitt & Brian Yorkey

Best Revival of a Play

Joe Turner's Come and Gone

Mary Stuart

The Norman Conquests

Waiting for Godot

Actual Winner: The Norman Conquests

Best Revival of a Musical

Guys & Dolls

Hair

Pal Joey

West Side Story

Actual Winner: Hair

Best Special Theatrical Event

Liza's at the Palace

Slava's Showdown

Soul of Shaolin

You're Welcome America: A Final Night with George W. Bush

Actual Winner: Liza's at the Palace

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

Jeff Daniels - God of Carnage

Raul Esparza - Speed the Plow

James Gandolfini - God of Carnage

Geoffrey Rush - Exit the King

Thomas Sadoski - Reasons to be Pretty

Actual Winner: Geoffrey Rush - Exit the King

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Hope Davis - God of Carnage

Jane Fonda - 33 Variations

Marcia Gay Harden - God of Carnage

Janet McTeer - Mary Stuart

Harriet Walter - Mary Stuart

Actual Winner: Marcia Gay Harden - God of Carnage

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Gavin Creel - Hair

Brian d'Arcy James - Shrek The Musical

Constantine Maroulis - Rock of Ages

J. Robert Spencer - Next to Normal

Actual Winner: The Three Billys!! :)

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

Stockard Channing - Pal Joey

Sutton Foster - Shrek The Musical

Allison Janney - 9 to 5: The Musical

Alice Ripley - Next to Normal

Josefina Scaglione - West Side Story

Actual Winner: Alice Ripley - Next to Normal

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play

John Glover - Waiting For Godot

Zach Grenier - 33 Variations

Stephen Mangan - The Norman Conquests

Paul Ritter - The Norman Conquests

Roger Robinson - Joe Turner's Come and Gone

Actual Winner: Roger Robinson - Joe Turner's Come and Gone

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

Hallie Foote - Dividing the Estate

Jessica Hynes - The Norman Conquests

Marin Ireland - Reasons to be Pretty

Angela Lansbury - Blithe Spirit

Amanda Root - The Norman Conquests

Actual Winner: Angela Lansbury - Blithe Spirit

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

David Bologna - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Gregory Jbara - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Marc Kudisch - 9 to 5: The Musical

Christopher Sieber - Shrek The Musical

Will Swenson - Hair

Actual Winner: Gregory Jbara - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

Jennifer Damiano - Next to Normal

Haydn Gwynne - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Karen Olivo - West Side Story

Martha Plimpton - Pal Joey

Carole Shelley - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Actual Winner: Karen Olivo - West Side Story

Best Direction of a Play

Phyllida Lloyd - Mary Stuart

Bartlett Sher - Joe Turner's Come and Gone

Matthew Warchus - God of Carnage

Matthew Warchus - The Norman Conquests

Actual Winner: Matthew Warchus - God of Carnage

Best Direction of a Musical

Stephen Daldry - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Michael Grief - Next to Normal

Kristin Hanggi - Rock of Ages

Diane Paulus - Hair

Actual Winner: Stephen Daldry - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Choreography

Karole Armitage - Hair

Andy Blankenbuehler - 9 to 5: The Musical

Peter Darling - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Randy Skinner - Irving Berlin's White Christmas

Actual Winner: Peter Darling - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Orchestrations

Larry Blank - Irving Berlin's White Christmas

Martin Koch - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt - Next to Normal

Danny Troob and John Clancy - Shrek The Musical

Actual Winner: TIE!!  Martin Koch - Billy Elliot, The Musical AND Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt - Next to Normal

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Dale Ferguson - Exit the King

Rob Howell - The Norman Conquests

Derek McLane - 33 Variations

Michael Yeargan - Joe Turner's Come and Gone

Actual Winner: Derek McLane - 33 Variations

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Robert Brill - Guys & Dolls

Ian MacNeil - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Scott Pask - Pal Joey

Mark Wendland - Next to Normal

Actual Winner: Ian MacNeil - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Costume Design of a Play

Dale Ferguson - Exit the King

Jane Greenwood - Waiting for Godot

Martin Pakledinaz - Blithe Spirit

Anthony Ward - Mary Stuart

Actual Winner: Anthony Ward - Mary Stuart

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Gregory Gale - Rock of Ages

Nicky Gillibrand - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Tim Hatley - Shrek The Musical

Michael McDonald - Hair

Actual Winner: Tim Hatley - Shrek The Musical

Best Lighting Design of a Play

David Hersey - Equus

David Lander - 33 Variations

Brian MacDevitt - Joe Turner's Come and Gone

Hugh Vanstone - Mary Stuart

Actual Winner: Brian MacDevitt - Joe Turner's Come and Gone

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Kevin Adams - Hair

Kevin Adams - Next to Normal

Howell Binkley - West Side Story

Rick Fisher - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Actual Winner: Rick Fisher - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Sound Design of a Play

Paul Arditti - Mary Stuart

Gregory Clarke - Equus

Russell Goldsmith - Exit the King

Scott Lehrer and Leon Rothenberg - Joe Turner's Come and Gone

Actual Winner: Gregory Clarke - Equus

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Acme Sound Partners - Hair

Paul Arditti - Billy Elliot, The Musical

Peter Hylenski - Rock of Ages

Brian Ronan - Next to Normal

Actual Winner: Paul Arditti - Billy Elliot, The Musical

already so bad about updating this.

musical is DONEEEE.  thank buddha i have my life back.  as much stress, breakdowns, and tears this production has caused, in the end i think it was worth it.  what could be better than performing and directing with really talented, (most of the time) friendly people?

so a little about the show:  it's called I Love You Because.  yup.  already sounds like the cheesiest musical ever, right?  it's (very VERY loosely) based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (and when i say loosely, i mean the writers stole the names from the book...and that's about it).  but it's such a hilarious show, great music, fun scenes, awesome.  we also got to meet the composer's family, who had nothing but good things to say about the show, that "it was such an honor to see such a professional production of his show."  i was thrilled.  all of the compliments every single night saying that "this was the best student-run production they had ever seen" really made everything worth it.

anyways, so that's a week gone already (yes, yes, i know i'm really bad about updating this thing, but who even reads this anyways? ...HI DORY!).  right now, i'm sitting at home with a huge headache.  recently, i've been leaving my job extremely exhausted and fed up about something or another.  margarita and i (yes, that's her name.  like the drink.  and as awesome as the drink. she's from peru.  which is sweet.  moving on.) had a venting session about how we hate our jobs, and i told her that i was leaving.  she's the first person that knows this.  she doesn't blame me; we're both doing like 5 people's jobs right now because our boss WON'T FREAKING HIRE ANYONE ELSE.  all we get are temps who end up either being fired (because they have shit for brains or are just plain annoying) or they quit because, oh yeah, our jobs suck.  but anyways, it was her birthday today, so i got her a gift card to oasis day spa.  hopefully she'll return the favor next week and get me one for MY birthday...because i need a massage so bad right now.  like it's essential.  or i might crawl into a hole and die.  not literally.  but i might pull all of my hair out and look ugly.  ew.

speaking of jobs, i'm still job hunting.  haven't heard back from anyone except Studio Theatre, which I probably won't take because they only give $100/week.  what the hell.  well, they DO offer housing, but i've already decided i'm living with DJ, so i'm going to decline that offer.  i REALLY want this imagination stage job (children's theatre, bethesda, $1400/mo with benefits).  not bad pay for an apprenticeship.  i also applied for 4 other jobs today.  that brings my count to about 20.  hopefully i'll hear back from some of them soon because i'm about to lose my mind.

anywayssssss, what else?  my birthday is next friday. i'll be 23.  OLD.  i can't believe i'm that old.  once i hit 25, i'm going to freak.  and it won't be pretty.  mom and dad got me....

yup.  a wii.  i'm already obsessed.  all i'm asking for now are wii games.  so i can be even more obsessed.  and gain 50 pounds.  but not really because i have...

yup.  wii fit.  i rule.  i've already started working out with it.  i did a 45 minute abs workout the other day, and look how toned my abs got!

..........ok fine.  but still, i feel great.  and i'm starting to get SOME definition.  BOOYAH.

alright, i'm rambling.  anyone want a tootsie pop?

me.

Hello world.

Because I realized that I have trouble remembering what I did weeks, even days, ago, I decided to start documenting my life. To quote one of my favorite musicals A Tale of Two Cities (oh yeah, and it was a book, too, I guess), being a twentysomething is apparently "the best of times and the worst of times," so I wanted to outline my accomplishments, my struggles, my successes, my failures, my laughter, and my tears during this transitional period to becoming a real grown-up. I feel like I never remember the smallest yet most meaningful aspects of life, and hopefully this blog will help me to document the little things that happen in my life, the things that really make me happy to be alive.

I felt the need for some sunshine and rainbow action.

First thing's first, time for an introduction. My name is Myles. I'm a recent graduate of the University of Virginia (class of '08) where I majored in music and psychology. Music is my life. My whole world revolves around singing, playing, whatever music I can get my hands on. Throughout college and especially over the past few months, I've really begun to recognize how powerful music can be, how unique that power is, and how easy it is to use music to ease troubled minds and hearts, make political points, turn war upside down, cure pessimism with hopeful optimism, even make drastic changes in our sometimes messed-up world. I work as a Project Coordinator of a longitudinal child psychology research study examining high-risk children and their development. In Lehman's terms. I hope to leave this post in a few months and resort to a job more fitting for my background and my true passion: music.

Music makes the world go 'round.

One other thing you must know about me: a lot of people say I look like Christian Siriano.

fierce.

Before I get into anything else, I need to talk about one person in particular that has changed my life forever: my boyfriend of more than three years. DJ. He has transformed my life in ways that even he will never know. His gaze and his smile lift me to heights I have never even imagined before. I am so in love, and I've decided that I must be the luckiest man in the world to be blessed with such an angel. He is truly, in the simplest terms, perfect.

Wine tasting on Valentine's Day 2008.

DJ just found out that he will be working for the Georgetown Learning Center as a tutor in a few months at Georgetown University in DC. Our plans to move to DC together and start our lives are finally starting to come together. I'm trying my damndest to find a music job in DC so we can start apartment hunting...and dog hunting as well! (Wait, but, not like shooting dogs...hunting FOR a dog!) We want a cute little boy Sheltie. We've even already named it. Theodore. Or Theo for short. I can already picture him in my mind, and I get giddy just thinking about this life that I had dreamed about for so long! If only music jobs in DC were easier to find... I've mainly been looking at jobs with theatre companies, but I may eventually have to expand my boundaries, since I haven't gotten job offers from anywhere yet. And it's frustrating because most of the jobs I'd love to have pay next to nothing. So I can either get a job I wouldn't really love doing and get paid 30-40,000. Or I can get a job I know I'd love and get paid 15,000. At the most. Isn't that how it always works out though? Hrr. Anyways though, currently I'm waiting for a reply from Studio Theatre, Signature Theatre, NCTA, APAP, and Atlas Performing Arts Center. Others on my list that I haven't yet applied for: Arena Stage, Wolf Trap, Woolly Mammoth, Imagination Stage (my first choice!), Kennedy Center, WPAS, and Choral Arts. Any assistance or advice is much appreciated. Even though like 2 people will see this blog. Oh well.

I found this and thought it was funny. Kind of relevant. I'm the toilet paper roll.

I also have a best friend named Dory (yes, like the fish in Finding Nemo. no, she can't speak whale. yes, she is as awesome as Ellen DeGeneres). She's currently on a road trip to nowhere right now (and I'm saying that in a good way...trips with no destinations are sometimes the most worthwhile). She's in Lubbock, TX right now. So far she's made it to Charlotte NC, Charleston SC, Savannah GA, Pensacola & Tallahassee FL, Mobile AL, somewhere in Mississippi, New Orleans LA, and Midland TX. She hopes to get to Santa Fe NM eventually but is enjoying her time being the spontaneous girl she is. I wish her the best of luck. LOVE YOU.

Our last hug before she ran away.

Short term plans. I'm going to NEW YORK this weekend to visit one of my best friends ever: Olivia AKA Oface She seriously IS my life, and I don't know what I'd do without her gchats at work every day. I probably would have killed myself by now.

The (female) love of my life.

I'm going up to Fredericksburg on Thursday after work to stay with DJ and his parents (which I'm also really excited about, because most of the trips up there consist of rum & cokes and wii. Best nights ever!) --- and then Friday morning I'm taking the drive up to New York, stopping once in Philly to pick up the sexy, the fun Gulotta (known by her last name...her first name is really Sarah, but there are too many Sarahs to keep track of in my life). Friday plans include seeing a show (hopefully either Billy Elliot or Happiness [a new musical directed by Susan Stroman with music and book written by the same guys that wrote Grey Gardens {my other favorite musical} and starring Joanna Gleason {BAKER'S WIFE!}]) and chilling with wine and beer...and Bananagrams, obvi. Saturday we will shop, go to the Brooklyn Museum and hopefully others, eat at Bon Chon (this really great Korean fried chicken place apparently), and get crunk & go karaoke-ing (more epic Oface & Myles duets!) Sunday I'll be coming home for rehearsal for the musical I'm in, which I'll talk about in a later post (lots to talk about there!)

Happiness the musical. WOO.

Alright, that's enough of a rant for one blog post. I wanted to end this post with an explanation for the title of my blog. I came across a song today called Many the Miles by Sara Bareilles. The first few lines of the song were the spark that ignited this idea to start writing a blog. Ironically, my name is mentioned in the song...and it's misspelled. So I corrected her. I'll leave you guys with this:

There's too many things I haven't done yet.
Too many sunsets I haven't seen.
You can't waste the day wishing it'd slow down.
You would've thought by now I'd learned something.
I made up my mind when I was a young girl:
I've been given this one world, I won't worry it away.
But now and again I lose sight of the good life.
I get stuck in a low light.
But then love comes in...

End. [But, it's only the beginning.]