Podcasts about les mis

BOSSes, get ready for an inspiring conversation with a true powerhouse of performance. In this episode of the VO Boss Podcast, we welcome the incredibly talented Stacia Newcomb, a veteran voice actor and performer who has been lighting up the mic and screen for over 20 years!   00:01 - Speaker 1 (Announcement) Hey bosses, if you're ready to start that demo journey, let's craft your professional demo together. As an award-winning professional demo producer, I'll collaborate with you to showcase your talent in the best possible light. From refining your delivery to selecting the perfect scripts to showcase your brand, I'll ensure your demo reflects your skills and personality. Let's create a demo that opens doors and paves the way for your success. Schedule your session at anneganguzza.com today.  00:33 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) It's time to take your business to the next level, the Boss level. These are the premier business owner strategies and successes being utilized by the industry's top talent today. Rock your business like a Boss a VO Boss. Now let's welcome your host, Anne Ganguzza.  00:52 - Anne (Host) Hey, hey everyone. Welcome to the VO Boss Podcast. I'm your host, Anne Ganguzza, and today I'm here with a very special guest who's been lighting up the mic and the screen for over 20 years. Who's been lighting up the mic and the screen for over 20 years?  01:09 Stacia Newcomb is a powerhouse voice actor, performer and creator whose work spans just about every medium, let's say television, radio, video games, audiobooks and even puppetry. You might recognize her as the star voice See what I did there and fuzzy face of star from the Good Night Show on Sprout, where she's brought warmth and comfort to bedtime for kids for over a decade. Not only that, but she's voiced characters for Disney, nickelodeon, pbs, kids and Cartoon Network. And, of course, you've heard her in campaigns for brands like Geico, verizon, subway and Dunkin'. She's made her mark on stage and screen from a memorable appearance on 30 Rock, which I found to be quite interesting We'll talk about that in a minute to sold-out off-Broadway comedy shows like Can I Say this? I Can Shit Show and Potty in the USA. I can't say that because it's my podcast. Yes, these days she's running her own studio in the Berkshires Sound and the Furry where she produces family-friendly content and helps other performers find their voice. Welcome to the show Stacia.  02:12 - Stacia (Guest) Wow, thank you. That was quite the intro.  02:15 - Anne (Host) I'm like wow, I was like wow, I don't think 30 minutes is enough time for us, Stacia, to go through everything that you've done. Let's not, then We'll talk about whatever we want to. It's just, it's so amazing. I mean, so you've been in the industry for over 20 years, which actually to me, I've been in it just the voiceover aspect for like 18. And so 20 years feels like it was yesterday to me. But talk to us a little bit, talk to the bosses and tell us a little bit how you first got into performance. I assume performance was before voiceover.  02:50 - Stacia (Guest) Yeah, yeah, hey, bosses. Yeah, I started as an actor. I wanted to be an actor for as long as I can remember, I mean when I was little. My mom still tells a story about how I performed for all of my five-year-old friends at my fifth birthday party, which sounds like still a good party to me, right? So, yeah, so I started as an actor and through that I tried to just branch off into any direction that I could, to be living a creative life and be able to continue performing in whatever medium I could. You know.  03:34 - Anne (Host) So what was one of the first things that you did? Performance wise, professionally, yes, professionally.  03:38 - Stacia (Guest) So I this is so random, but there is. I'm from Massachusetts, that's where I grew up. In Newport, rhode Island, which I don't know if there are any Gilded Age fans out there there was a mansion, the Astors Beachwood, and the Astors Beachwood was owned by the Astors at the time when I graduated high school. At the time, for about 10 or 15 years, I think they had. They hired actors from all over the country to live there and perform as both aristocrats and servants of the 1890s the year was 1891. And we yeah, it was all improv, like some days I'd be an aristocrat and some days I'd be a little housemaid.  04:22 - Anne (Host) Wow, that sounds so interesting. Now you said Massachusetts. Now see, I'm originally a New York State girl, right, and I've been up and down the East Coast, so Massachusetts would suggest that you have an accent in there somewhere. Yeah, I sure do.  04:37 - Stacia (Guest) It's right there.  04:38 - Anne (Host) Yeah, and of course I feel like, because I had a very New York State accent which was kind of similar, believe it or not, not quite as I don't know, not quite as accented as, not as ugly. Is that what you're trying to say? Oh no, because I would say things like car and water and it would be like really flat with my A is water.  05:01 And when I moved to New Jersey, oh my gosh did they make fun of me, and so I should not make fun of you?  05:04 in New Jersey, in New.  05:04 - Stacia (Guest) Jersey, they say, they say water.  05:05 - Anne (Host) They say water, what's water, and so I literally like and I think you're, I think possibly at the time this was before voiceover I said, oh gosh, all right, so let me try to tame that, and so I did my own taming of my own accent and then ultimately, I got into voiceover.  05:36 And back when I got into voiceover it was a thing to neutral, to quote, unquote, neutralize, whatever that means, neutralize your accent. And I said it was in a pink envelope and I brought it to the backstage door and so I heard myself say that and I was like and so from then on I just I started pronouncing my R's and have never looked back.  06:02 I imagine once you do, you have family that's still in the area.  06:05 - Stacia (Guest) Yes, in fact, we just moved my mom out of the area.  06:08 - Anne (Host) Yeah, when you go to family reunions and I think that when I get around my you know, my family in New Jersey, like we all start talking quicker and then we start, you know, well, let's talk about you know, we just like get into that accent and it just happens inadvertently but outside of the accent. So that's a really cool first gig. And so then did you go to school for theater?  06:33 - Stacia (Guest) We did OK. So I had done a little dinner theater and then I but I had been auditioning in New York. I had a big callback when I was like 18. I was called back for Les Mis and it didn't happen, unfortunately. But it's cool because it led me on other adventures.  06:52 - Anne (Host) Sure, that was one of my first shows by the way that I saw that. I saw that. I was in a show. No, yeah. No, I can't claim that, but but a callback for Les Mis is really awesome.  07:01 - Stacia (Guest) Yeah, it was a big deal, I and I, so I always. The plan was always to move to New York City, but it just takes a while to get on your feet and New York City is very expensive and a little scary when you're you know, sure is Absolutely Very scary.  07:15 Yeah, and so I ended up getting there eventually. But I did go to college and then I quit college because I realized at some point, like I'm getting a degree in musical theater and what am I going to do with that degree? And I'm spending so much money, but when you're 19 years old you don't realize what you're signing on the dot. You're signing your name on the dotted line for thousands upon thousands of dollars and it's the program itself ended up falling apart. And there were all these promises that were made to me, like you know I, because they gave me a bunch of credits because I'd already been working as an actor, and then I was going to go to London and then they were going to give me my master's so I should have had my master's within five years master's in theater performance. They also had a program where, like I would get my equity card and they do theater during the summers. But it was a small liberal arts Catholic college in Minnesota and the program sort of fell apart and I escaped. I was like this is not.  08:21 - Anne (Host) I had to get out of there. I escaped. That was a lot of that was a lot of words, and I'm not going to make this political at all, but that was a lot of words when you said Minnesota Catholic theater. Coming from a Catholic girl.  08:35 - Stacia (Guest) So I get that. Yes, so it was run by these two incredible gay men who were. They were amazing, but as you can imagine the politics at the time and just yeah, they were amazing, but as you can imagine the politics at the time and just yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely, and so all right.  08:48 - Anne (Host) So you quit college. And then what? I quit college.  08:53 - Stacia (Guest) But I got a job before I left, so I needed the impetus and the excuse to get out, which so I ended up working for Goodspeed Musicals, which is in Connecticut and they're a really pretty famous like regional theater. They'd won a lot of awards at the musical Annie started there, so I went there to be an intern in costuming and then I left that because I was like this is not what I want to be doing, I want to be performing. But it got me back east, which was great, and then from there I ended up taking like odd jobs, living with my parents for a little bit until I landed a show that took me on tour as a one person it was actually two different one woman shows for this company that's an educational theater company, and so I did that for like five years and while I was doing that I was able to make enough money to move to New York City and just keep going.  09:47 - Anne (Host) Now, what shows were those that you did that? The one woman shows, because that's quite a thing to do, a one woman show.  09:53 - Stacia (Guest) Yeah, and they're educational. So we would go to I would go alone really, I would travel all over the country, and one of them I played the fictional best friend of Anne Frank, and then the other one I played this young Irish girl who came over during the great wave of immigrants in the early 1900s. So I would go to, like schools and libraries and small theaters, and it was.  10:16 - Anne (Host) It was really incredible, an incredible job for a learning experience Now, at any given time at this point in your life. Did your parents or anyone ever say to you well, okay, so when are you going to get a real job? Do you know what I mean? Is it that? Was it ever like that for you?  10:35 - Stacia (Guest) I mean, yeah, I mean, I think probably in my own mind I thought not real job, but like when's the real, when are we gonna you know, and certainly when I would do my? You know, when that really happens is like around March or April, when you start doing your taxes and you're like exactly, theater doesn't pay, and so yeah, but I didn't get pressure like that from my parents. I got, I was lucky to get their support.  11:05 - Anne (Host) Yeah, that's wonderful.  11:06 - Stacia (Guest) I mean, they didn't have to support me financially and that's, I think, all that mattered to them.  11:10 - Anne (Host) Well, that's actually huge.  11:12 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) And.  11:12 - Anne (Host) I love that Because you had support to be able to go out and follow your creative dreams, which, I mean, my gosh, you, you've actually I mean you have the gamut of of creative things that you've done, and I imagine that just gives you such wonderful experience, because you're so rounded in all the areas that would make it important for you to be successful in any of those business areas.  11:38 - Stacia (Guest) Thank you, I think it's it's. It's also like trying new things and being new at things and, um, trying to not get be stagnant. You know, like just um, and and even always in my voiceover career, it's like I have to remind myself to uh, like that I get to do this and that that this is what I love, and just to to make it. How do you make it fresh when you've been doing it for so long?  12:08 - Anne (Host) For so long, absolutely.  12:11 - Stacia (Guest) And it's a different thing when you look at whatever you're about to experience or do with fresh eyes or like beginner eyes or like from a beginner experience, because you immediately are like, whoa, I love this, you know, and sometimes I think that can easily bring back the magic to whatever you're working on.  12:34 - Anne (Host) Yeah, yeah. So, these days are you mostly doing voiceover, doing voiceover and performing.  12:41 - Stacia (Guest) Yeah Well, so the pandemic changed a lot of things for me. We, because I've been in New York City and you know I'm still. We still have our apartment in New York City, but I'm mostly up at our house in the woods in the Berkshires. Yeah, I am still auditioning, I am still doing voice, a lot of voiceover. So yeah, I'm kind of all over the place and sort of open to whatever happens. I'm not I think I haven't been fully steering my own ship. I've kind of been like I don't know where are we going to go, Whatever you know, and just being open to whatever.  13:15 - Anne (Host) And there's so much good to be said in that though.  13:18 Yeah kind of allowing it to happen. I, I think for me and I don't know, I don't know what to call it, but for me I've always followed my gut or my intuition, and a lot of times, if things don't come right away, I know they will at some point, but I don't. I try not to rush myself to get to any specific spot, because I know that if it's going to happen, it's going to happen, and and the time it takes to kind of evolve the solution or the you know, to actually say okay, yes, now I know I have more, I have more direction, and now I'm heading in this direction. So I love that you said that. I love that Because you're not always sure right, you're not.  13:55 - Stacia (Guest) You're not. And you know the business has changed so much over the last, you know, over the last five years. I mean it's. It's kind of crazy. It's a new world and it's different. Navigating it is different, even though I'm with the same agents, even though I'm, you know, still in the business and I know the casting people or the producers that I know and have worked with. It's just, it's different. Approaching it like, hey, yeah, I don't have to rush. I really love that, Anne, because I feel like there is a rush.  14:30 - Anne (Host) There's always a rush I want it now. Yeah, no, I agree, I think so many of my students are always. They want it, they want it now, and I'm like, well, there's something to be said to letting it marinate and letting it evolve and letting it happen.  14:43 - Stacia (Guest) And also like looking in the other direction or seeing what else you know, I think. I think a lot of times, artists, especially if you're focused on one particular medium, you just focus on that one thing. And I, I recently started painting. Am I good at it?  15:01 - Anne (Host) No, I love it. I love it, but I don't think anybody could ever accuse you of not like experiencing or exploring different mediums, but it keeps you alive, it keeps you like, creative and happy, and that's what I want.  15:14 - Stacia (Guest) It'd be exactly that like lightens you up and it opens you up to when you are approaching commercial copy or whatever. It is Right Because you're, because you haven't been like. Why am I not looking? Why am I not? What am I? Who do I?  15:31 - Anne (Host) need to be for this piece of copy and you're just, you're just letting it, you're letting it happen. Yeah, yeah, I love that. Oh my gosh. So what? Before I actually talk to you about, let's say, some character, I want to. I have some character questions to ask you, because I think you're always a character in voiceover and no matter what genre you're working on. But I do want to talk about puppetry and what got you into that?  15:51 - Stacia (Guest) I had been doing Pokemon. I was very lucky. When I moved to New York I worked as a cater waiter when I wasn't doing the that one of those one woman shows and a friend had introduced me to the studio that that at the time was recording Pokemon. So you know how it's like things trickle Around. That same time this show was off Broadway it was called Avenue Q and then that musical came to Broadway, which is where I was finally able to get tickets, because you could not get tickets to it and it was crazy and it was such a special show. It's just so funny. The music is great and touching. It has so much heart to it. I mean it's a little dated now, but at the time it was, it was just extraordinary.  16:38 - Anne (Host) And it's still yeah.  16:39 - Stacia (Guest) So in that show for anyone who any of the bosses out there that that haven't seen it or don't know about it in that musical you see the full-on puppeteers playing the puppets on stage and it's so revealing. And me, as a young woman, I always loved puppets. I had puppets as a kid. I had like an Alf puppet from Burger King. I had a Kermit the Frog puppet. I loved puppets. Never thought that it could be a career, never thought in a million years. And when you think about it there aren't a lot of. It seems like there aren't a lot of female puppeteers. There are and there are more, but as I was growing up it was all men really, and then you would have like even the female characters. I mean Miss Piggy's, like one of the most famous women female characters of all time. She's played by a man and so you know the idea of being able to play a, be a puppet. It just was not. It never, you know. And so I saw that show and it was just incredibly revealing to me. It was like a light bulb moment. So I immediately got a puppet and started training.  17:52 I actually was so lucky that I got into a class that John Tartaglia had been teaching at that point in the city and I got to study with him, which was amazing and he's a beautiful human being, and so from there it was just kind of magical. Somehow this show was uh happening. I did another little uh on camera thing, but then this show the good night show happened. I auditioned for it and I had already created this little four-year-old girl character. They wanted me to change it up and make it a boy character. Well, those voices are going to be very similar, because a four-year-old boy and girls can sound pretty similar oh yeah yeah, Actually I was listening to it, I was trying to figure out.  18:35 - Anne (Host) You know, I felt like it could have been either yeah, right, right, because it's so young.  18:41 - Stacia (Guest) So yeah, so I auditioned for it and I booked that job and it became a huge part of my life. I ended up creating a part of the show and writing for the show and helping create the spinoff of the show, and so there's your, there's your acting, your puppetry, your your voiceover.  19:00 - Anne (Host) I mean you're, I mean production, I mean it's all aspects.  19:04 - Stacia (Guest) Yeah, absolutely yeah that's, that's amazing. It was, it was a really it was a really special show and a beautiful community and even now I, michelle who, michelle Lepe, who was the host on the show she still gets messages about, you know, from the kids who grew up with it, just like how much it meant to them, which is very sweet. I don't because no one, because I don't look like this.  19:29 - Anne (Host) Well, you know, I can say something similar because I was a teacher for 20 years and so I watched my kids grow up and I literally had one of them contact me just recently on LinkedIn thanking me for setting them on the path, and I was like, oh my gosh, like that just meant the world to me, and so I think that's beautiful.  19:49 Right, and that's one of the reasons why I love doing any educational voiceover. Sure, because I feel like there's, and not just e-learning, but like medical, like I mean anything that educates an explainer that can help someone, and even corporate. Do you know what I mean? Because you're always come at it from an aspect of how can I help you, the person that I'm talking to, you know, look better, feel better, be better, you know, and really that's commercial too, because it really should be about how you're helping the person that's listening to you, yeah, and connecting in that way, and not necessarily what you sound like while you're doing it, yeah.  20:31 Let's not get wrapped up in that, yeah, no. And so with that, it's a good segue to start talking about characters, because you've done so many characters, but you also have done commercials. So when it comes to characters in voiceover, let's talk a little bit about that. How is it that you prepare for any given piece of copy? Is it always a character?  20:56 - Stacia (Guest) Is it always a character you mean like with?  21:00 - Anne (Host) character copy or what you mean, or any kind of copy. Do you create a character for any type of copy, any type of copy, I think?  21:06 - Stacia (Guest) for me, my approach to commercial copy is it depends on the spot but it also is like how you know the age old question how would I talk to? A friend about this sitcom, you know, like whatever it is, but I and so it's just about bringing my authentic self to it. But also there's a there's. I think there is a musicality to it, but also it really depends on what's on the page right or what we're selling, you know do you ever envision?  21:37 - Anne (Host) do you ever envision yourself as the um, the, the? On camera the zip cream or the character zip cream or the. The person on camera. The character Zipcreme or the person on camera.  21:47 - Stacia (Guest) Sure, yeah, I think I mean I love when you get any kind of visual or if they give you the break of what is gonna be on screen and then you can kind of I love visualizing. I think visualizing because what it does for me is it brings my imagination to life, which immediately I'm having way more fun in the booth yeah. Yeah, and it's enjoyable, even when the copy is like maybe a little like dry or sad or whatever, like liven it up by visualizing what's happening.  22:26 - Anne (Host) Yeah absolutely Believe it or not. That's a big thing. Even if I'm doing e-learning, I'm imagining that I'm the teacher, because I was a teacher for so long and so I can draw upon that experience, and it's better for me to talk almost like a one-on-one coaching with a student. And if I try to envision myself in front of the class, even when I was a teacher, I was always looking at one person at any given time. Yes, so it made it much more personal, of course, and so for e-learning, I'm a character Corporate narration. I'm a character because I work for the company and I'm trying to provide a solution that is going to help the person that I'm talking to, which makes it a whole lot more interesting than if you're just reading about it to someone.  23:15 - Stacia (Guest) Totally yeah, or sound, trying to sound like someone who reads these kinds of things. Right, it's like, because it's a really I think what it comes down to is connection and we, as actors, need to connect right copy, which means I probably need to understand it. That's, that's excellent.  23:25 - Anne (Host) So yeah, so how? What are your steps for connecting to copy?  23:28 - Stacia (Guest) It really depends on the piece. Recently I had to do what was pretty lengthy and I had to do the spot in 15 seconds and it was like okay, I don't usually read things over and over and over again because they feel like there's an element of um, uh, over overdoing it you know, I agree I agree.  23:52 So my booth is here behind me. That's why I'm pointing behind me, in case anyone's wondering Um, and so sometimes when I get in there, I will run it a few times like that particular spot because it had to be so quick. But at the same time, of course, they're going to want it to sound like I just talk, like that, you know, and so it's like it's marrying those two things right when I want it to come off like it feels like me. I'm just sort of having this talk, but I'm also. It's very quick and rapid and it falls within the 15 seconds. Yeah, so my approach is not always the same thing. It really depends on what I'm working with, and sometimes there isn't enough time, like in that 15 seconds, there's not enough time to visualize or do this. It's wall to wall copy and it's also I'm talking about this cool thing that you're going to love, and so it's just about like who sometimes I like playing with? Who am I talking to? Where am I? Proximity is such a fun thing to play with too.  24:57 - Anne (Host) You can do that in a minute or two, totally Right. Yeah, and that's the thing I always try to emphasize to my students is that it doesn't take a whole lot of time to figure out who you are and who you're talking to and maybe set a scene up, yeah, and to get yourself rolling on that. I mean it's nice if you have the entire scene as it progresses through, because that allows you to help tell the story. But if you don't have all the time in the world, but a lot of times we're auditioning in our studios. I mean, we're not live auditioning as much as we used to. Gosh knows that's the case, right? Um, and unless we're like in front of a, we're being live directed. That's a different story, right, but if we've got the time before we go into the studios, I mean, what do you take five minutes?  25:37 - Stacia (Guest) if you put different scenarios on it, because you're probably sending more than one read on this commercial copy and we don't know. But the thing that I've loved playing with recently is I really love doing a take. That's for me what do I want?  25:53 to do with this? How do I want to bring myself to this? Because I think that what makes us viable, that what makes us marketable, is us. We are not disembodied voices. We are human beings with lived in experiences, and so we're not just bringing our incredibly gorgeous voices. We are human beings with lived in experiences, and so we're not just bringing our incredibly gorgeous voices. We are bringing ourselves to this copy and what our lived experiences and our lives, and so that that's really fun to to, just like I would. I would, I would encourage everyone to just do one for you. What do you want it to sound like?  26:29 - Speaker 1 (Announcement) Exactly.  26:30 - Stacia (Guest) Because that's the most empowering feeling is to be like I want to do this with this, and that's when you're collaborating too Sure sure, and is that the take that you submit first?  26:42 - Anne (Host) Not necessarily. Is that take one, or is it the second take?  26:46 - Stacia (Guest) Like lately I have been exploring it and I just feel like I just want to be a little more playful, yeah, and so, yeah, I mean, I say not necessarily.  26:56 - Anne (Host) The truth is I lean towards that one, unless I've worked with the people before.  27:00 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) Yeah, and I know what they're looking for. You know what I mean then I'm gonna just give them what they want.  27:04 - Anne (Host) But uh, if I don't know, and it's not like a critical like I, I always think like it's kind of like gambling for me, right, sure we're all gambling.  27:13 - Stacia (Guest) We're just all right, we're all gambling, right.  27:15 - Anne (Host) So I'm just gonna like, well, you know what, I'm just gonna do my best and I'm gonna, and I'm, and I'm gonna, just, you know, send it and forget it, that kind of thing. So I'm not gonna put so much stock in like, oh my god, did I do the right thing? Did I give them what they wanted? Am I going to get this? I try never to like hope and wish in that way for any job.  27:35 - Stacia (Guest) If you're saying I want to do this and that's where I'm like no, both of those takes are for me. It's not that it's for me, but it's like I'm going to give you what I want to give you, and then I'm going to give you another take of something different that I want to do with this.  27:53 And of course I read all the specs and of course I read and I'll even, you know, watch other spots that they've done to get an idea. Like we got to do our homework right, but then it's like you asked me to do this. I'm going to got to do our homework right, but then it's like you asked me to do this. I'm gonna do it my way. See, it's fun. I'm gonna have fun with it. I'm gonna. It's so much easier to let go when you like, because if you hold on to what you like, if you, if you don't give the what you want to do with it, read, then it's like you might live with regret yeah, you know, or like it sounds like everybody else's yeah right  28:29 at the end of the day maybe even they're all gonna sound somewhat the same, anyway, you know, but it's like at least you know you had fun with it. You felt like your authentic self and you and you played yeah yeah, you know.  28:43 - Anne (Host) So, being a singer, which I, that was the other part of the medium that I didn't really talk to you about, but I mean, I can actually hear just your talking voice, although I've never heard you sing. Except I did, I did go, you know, I did my homework, I did my, I did my YouTube. You have a gorgeous voice.  28:58 Oh, thank you, but I can hear that.  29:00 I can hear that in your voice as you speak to me, and it's so funny because I think that no one should have to try, right.  29:10 I think that no one should have to try right to create a voice that somebody thinks they want to hear. Because when we're connecting right and I actually listened to quite a different number of songs that you did in different styles, and one was from your potty show, and so you had such a range there and what was so cool is that you were just undoubtedly yourself and just like in all aspects of yourself, and that was just so cool because it was connecting and that was what I was looking for as a human being. I was looking for that, that connection in the voice and while you were on stage and while you were communicating to me, and I feel like it's the same exact thing. It's the same exact thing for voiceover, right. It's all about like your voice is beautiful, no matter what you're you know what I mean, no matter what you're doing, you don't have to try and so just connect with me, and that's really what I'm looking for as a human being, and I think that's what most casting directors are looking for.  30:04 And they tell me over and over again, that's really what they're looking for. Is connection, not necessarily the sound.  30:11 - Stacia (Guest) I think we get caught up in the sound. The sound or I flubbed on this, or I you know this or that, whatever it is, and it's like I. I don't want to be listening and I am because it's so hard when you're doing this yourself.  30:28 - Anne (Host) It is hard not to listen.  30:30 - Stacia (Guest) You have to take off the director hat while you're the actor, and then you have to take off the engineering.  30:39 - Anne (Host) You know you have to compartmentalize, because if you don't, and you don't because you'll, and then when you come back, Because if you don't and you don't because you'll, and then when you come back and you're the engineer slash director and you listen back and you're like, oh, as an actor, I really loved that last take, that's weird. I don't like listening to it, like I don't. I don't have that feeling brought this up because it's hard. It's hard for us to separate the ears, right. It's like you have to develop an ear, right, you have to develop an ear as an actor, you have to develop an ear as an audio engineer and you have to be able to separate them.  31:13 And it's funny because I've always maintained back, when I was really, you know, moving on this in this career, I was in a place where they were doing construction outside my home and I had, when I was in my studio, I had my headphones on. I had to keep them on because I had to make sure that there was none of that sound coming in, and so I had my headphones on a lot of time. And if, if you get good at it, I always say the headphones are just amplifying your voice, and so if you can not listen to your voice and just you know what I mean, like you can record with your headphones on. I mean, right, you got to do it when you're live directed anyways. So I'm always saying people are saying, oh, I don't wear my headphones because I try to listen to myself.  31:53 I'm like I could listen to myself with my headphones off. Do you know what I mean? But you've got to be able to compartmentalize, and I love that you said that, because that is a skill and it's a skill that I think takes a little bit of time for for people to to really really get to be able to to say, okay, this is my, this is my actor ears. Yeah, versus what do I sound like?  32:16 - Stacia (Guest) right, it's that constant like don't listen what you sound like and it's. It's also like there's because there is that judgment that comes in you and that when you are wearing cans, if you aren't telling your self limiter I talk about this a lot and we'll talk about it when when we work together with everyone, but if you aren't challenging them and saying I don't need you here right now, it's very powerful to send them away, to send that voice to me. For some reason, it's right here.  32:48 - Anne (Host) It's just very like right, that's like the magic secret Stacia, I mean I love that it works for me. So, I want to say that we are going to be having you as a VO Boss workshop guest director, so, and and we are going to be talking character creation. So will we be discussing, talk a little bit about what we're going to be talking character creation. So will we be discussing, talk a little bit about what we're going to be doing in that class.  33:08 - Stacia (Guest) What I would love to do is see where everyone's at, what they want to play with, and, of course, do that, but also, I think, for everyone, I would love to share the self limiter and what I, what I do to get rid of that sort of you know, it's a, it's a protection right. That's what that voice is doing. It's trying to help you, but it's not helpful. I love that.  33:34 - Anne (Host) Oh my gosh, that's like secret sauce.  33:36 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) Yeah, yeah, I think so.  33:38 - Anne (Host) I know how hard that I mean. It's just, it's so hard. I mean, and you do have to, you have to be able to, you have to be able to separate it, you have to wrangle that?  33:46 - Stacia (Guest) Yeah, because that that voice that's trying to protect you inevitably is is keeping you safe. It's keeping you safe, it's doing its job and you don't. You do not want anyone keeping you safe when you're in your booth. Yeah, it is not a place for safety.  34:04 - Anne (Host) It is a place to play.  34:06 - Stacia (Guest) If you're playing safe and you're in a dramatic role for a video game and you're, you know you're about to I don't know shoot up some monsters, or you're afraid for your life or it, or you're, you know, some silly little kid like you got to be a little kid, you got to be playful and you know, or you got to be scared of those monsters or whatever's on that page. It is not a place for you to be protected or be playing it safe.  34:33 - Anne (Host) Yeah, yeah, I love that. Did I just get on a soapbox? I think I did. I think that, no, I love that and and all right. So, from a different perspective right, I mean a different perspective, it the way that it hit me, but I love that. You teach that because I am.  34:47 You know, I've had health issues, right, I had cancer, and before I was diagnosed, I was like so worried about what I was sounding like and what. You know how the audition went and did. Should I have done it this way? Should I have you know? And then all of a sudden, it was like whoa, like what was I? Like that just didn't seem important anymore. I shouldn't be.  35:09 Why was I so worried about what I sounded like when, in fact, I just, you know, I'm fighting this disease right now, and so it gave me such a license to permit myself to be free. Yeah, just not worry and not have that self-judgmental voice on me all the time. It was an amazing thing that happened to me and unfortunately I mean well, I mean fortunately I'm here and everything's good, you know. So nobody, nobody, has to worry about it. But in reality, it was one of the best things that could have happened for my performance, for my actor, my actor self, was to say what the hell was I so damn worried about? What was I? What was I trying to be? You know what? Just screw it Like, isn't it incredible?  35:47 - Stacia (Guest) how? So empowering? So it's like grief is off. Grief is awful and we all, as humans, live through it and the way that it can have some magical elements and empowerment in it is really incredible. Talking about that and how you're like I don't care, Like I don't. Why am I going to concentrate on what I sound like? That was not a priority.  36:16 - Anne (Host) No, Well, what I sounded like is not a priority anymore.  36:19 - Stacia (Guest) No, no no, it was amazing, because it's like a reminder of who you are, who your soul is Like. You want to connect with people and that's what you do. I love it.  36:29 - Anne (Host) Oh, my God, I'm so excited, so excited for you to join us. So, bosses, make sure that you check out the show notes and I'll have a link to the VO. Boss, or just go right to the VO Boss website.  36:41 - Stacia (Guest) Is it down here? Is it? Should I point to things?  36:45 - Anne (Host) I'll be putting it in the post. So it's on VeoBosscom. You guys check out the events and sign up for Stacia, because it's going to be an amazing class. And, stacia, I just want to say thank you, this has been so much fun. Thank you so much for joining us.  36:59 - Stacia (Guest) It was a pleasure.  37:00 - Anne (Host) Yeah, it's been wonderful Really getting really getting to know you even better. I'm so excited.  37:05 - Stacia (Guest) Back at you. You're an incredible interviewer. It's really what a joy.  37:10 - Anne (Host) Thank you Well thank you, I appreciate it. Well, look, bosses. I'm going to give a shout out to our sponsor, ipdtl. You too can connect and network like bosses, like Stacia and myself. Find out more at IPDTLcom. Bosses have an amazing week and we'll see you at Stacia's class right. Yay, in August. I'll be there and we'll be with you next week with another episode. Thanks, so much.  37:33 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) Join us next week for another edition of VO Boss with your host, Anne Ganguzza, and take your business to the next level. Sign up for our mailing list at vobosscom and receive exclusive content. Sign up for our mailing list at vobosscom and receive exclusive content industry revolutionizing tips and strategies and new ways to rock your business like a Boss. Redistribution with permission. Coast to coast connectivity via IPDTL.   

Acteur en zanger Freek Bartels is deze zomer te zien in ‘Willem & Frieda: Roze Verzet', een voorstelling over twee moedige queer verzetshelden die tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog betrokken waren bij de beroemde aanslag op het Amsterdamse bevolkingsregister. Eerder was Bartels te zien in musicals als ‘Les Misérables', ‘Sister Act' en ‘Ja, ik wil'. In 2021 vertolkte hij de hoofdrol van Jezus in ‘The Passion'. Presentatie: Sacha Bronwasser

It's musical theatre week in the Flamingo Lounge! Doug Kern and Leigha Marie Eichhorn from Rocking Horse Productions joined Rockabilly Greg on July 22, 2025, to chat about their journeys in theatre, including the world of musical theatre, and how they've thrived in a challenging industry. Rocking Horse Productions is a community theatre company based in Buffalo New York, established in 2006 by Douglas Kern. The company is dedicated to presenting high-quality live theatre, ranging from musicals and classic plays to new works, with a mission to inspire, entertain, and challenge audiences. They prioritize developing local talent, providing equal opportunities for both seasoned and novice performers. Rocking Horse Productions has a history of diverse productions, including musicals like "Les Misérables" and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," and dramas such as "12 Angry Men" and "A Few Good Men." In 2019, they were recognized as a theatre group in-residence by the Williamsville Arts and Culture Committee, leading to their "Theatre in the Village" season at The Meeting House in Williamsville.

Galatians 4: From Law to Sonship—Living in the Freedom of Grace In this episode of the Exploring More Podcast, Michael Thompson and SJ Jennings continue their journey through Galatians, unpacking the powerful contrast between life under the law and life as sons and daughters of God. Using the characters of Les Misérables—Javert and Valjean—they illustrate the stark difference between rigid justice and transformative grace. Michael and SJ reflect on Galatians 4 and the metaphor of the law as a guardian or tutor—meant to lead us to maturity, not define our identity. With personal stories and biblical insight, they explore the theme of adoption into God's family, emphasizing both the legal authority and intimate connection that come with true sonship. The conversation calls believers to grow from spiritual slavery into spiritual maturity—moving from performance and obligation into freedom and responsibility, led by the Spirit. Grace isn't just forgiveness—it's the empowering presence of God that brings about real transformation. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their own journey with grace, and to prepare their hearts for the next step in the series: the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. We hope you enjoy this episode and invite you to connect with us!

Matthew James Thomas opens up in this heartfelt conversation about his journey from a rebellious, bullied teen in the English countryside to finding truth and belonging on stage. Growing up feeling misunderstood, he found safety and purpose in acting, discovering early on that truth-telling through performance was his way of making sense of the world. He shares the emotional weight he carries playing Harry Potter on Broadway, how he navigates the show's intense emotional peaks night after night, and why live theatre never gets old — even after over 135 performances. We also dive into the legacy of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, his love-hate relationship with social media, and why he believes musicals are only great when they get it exactly right. And yes, there's some mutual fan-girling over Severance, a hilarious attempt at explaining Les Misérables, and plenty of insight into what makes live theatre both terrifying and electrifying. Matthew James Thomas is a British actor, director, and songwriter. He originated the title role in the 2013 Broadway revival of Pippin, starred as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, and has appeared in Accused, Summer of Rockets, Britannia High, Billy Elliot, and About a Boy. He currently stars as Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway. Connect with Matthew: Instagram: @mattjamesthomasyes Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support the podcast on Patreon and watch video versions of the episodes: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter & Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@theatre_podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheTheatrePodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Alan's personal Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@alanseales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Message from Hubert Dixon on July 20, 2025

On the Saturday July 19, 2025 edition of The Richard Crouse we meet Louise Pitre. Often hailed as Canada's first lady of musical theatre, she is a Tony-nominated actress renowned for her powerful performances on Broadway and across North America and Europe. Best known for originating the role of Donna Sheridan in “Mamma Mia!,” she has also played Fantine in “Les Misérables” and Edith Piaf in “The Angel & the Sparrow” among many others. Today we talk about “Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812,” an innovative musical from Mirvish that follows Natasha's scandalous affair and Pierre's existential crisis amidst the backdrop of 19th-century Moscow, drawn from Tolstoy's “War and Peace.” Then, we'll meet British author, academic, and adventurer Robert Macfarlane. A Cambridge University fellow, Macfarlane's work often reflects his deep engagement with wild places, from ancient pathways to subterranean realms, earning him acclaim for his evocative prose and environmental advocacy. Today we talk about his new book “Is a River Alive?” a book that suggests rivers are not mere matter for human use, but living beings, who should be recognized as such in both imagination and law.

Hey everyone, James Scully here, producer and host of Breaking Walls, the docu-podcast on the history of US Network Radio Broadcasting. I wanted to let you know about a new webinar I'm doing this Thursday July 17th, at 7PM on Orson Welles' early career of Orson Welles through the end of 1941. If you can't make it live this Thursday July 17th at 7PM, don't worry, I'll be emailing every person who registers a video of the webinar once it's over. Here's a link to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/orson-welles-career-part-1-from-boy-wonder-to-trouble-maker-webinar-tickets-1445315741289?aff=oddtdtcreator Some more information: Throughout the last one-hundred years of American entertainment, few people have gotten as strong a reaction as Orson Welles. A rare quadruple threat: writer, director, actor, producer, Welles found immense success on stage, in films, on television, and in radio. In fact, he took center stage in the United States on more than one occasion… and not always to a positive reaction, but always with pushing the creative envelope in mind. Welles managed to alienate the newspaper industry, the Hollywood studio system, and occasionally even the broadcasting networks, but he rarely had a door closed in his face. Welles was known to work himself to the bone, and party even harder. He had romances with some of the most famous and attractive women in the country, including Virginia Nicholson, Dolores del Rio, and Rita Hayworth. He was hailed as a genius, a charlatan, a magician, an incredible friend, an a***hole, a hard-driver, a steady worker, and a man who drank too much. Welles liked to joke that he began his career on top and spent the rest of his life working his way down. Such a strong-willed, creative person deserves an in-depth look. In Part 1: From Boy Wonder To Trouble Maker (1931-1941) we'll explore Welles' early life, through his explosion of success in the 1930s all the way to the end of 1941, complete with audio clips and highlights including: • Beginnings in Illinois and China — How they helped shape Orson • The Todd Seminary School — His first exposure to theater and Radio • Connections and Early Breaks — How his mentor Roger Hill, Thornton Wilder, Alexander Woollcott, and Katharine Cornell helped Orson get to Broadway • Orson meets John Houseman and Archibald MacLeish, and first appears on the March of Time • 1935-1937 — From the March of Time to the Columbia Workshop, and how Irvin Reis taught Orson how to create for radio • How the US Government shaped the opportunity for Orson to write, direct, and star in Les Misérables on the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1937 • The Shadow Knows! — Agnes Moorehead and Orson Welles' one season on The Shadow • The birth of the Mercury Theater on the Air as First Person singular. How its success led to the most infamous night in radio in October of 1938 • Mainstream success with Campbell's Soups • Orson goes to Hollywood, and signs the greatest autonomous film contract in history at 24 • Citizen Kane — How William Randolph Hearst and RKO shaped the film • Lady Esther Presents — Orson comes back to radio in the autumn of 1941 • Pearl Harbor Day and collaborating with Norman Corwin • How Joseph Cotton introduced Orson to Rita Hayworth Afterward, I'll do a Q&A — any and all questions are welcomed and encouraged! Can't attend live? Not to worry! I'll be recording the event and sending the video out to all guests who register so you can watch it later. See you (virtually) there!

The bearded geek is with me this week, and we are finally sitting down to talk about a few characters from Victor Hugo and the lessons they have for us today. Joe Dea and I are discussing the characters of Bishop Myriel from Les Misérables, Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the Disney add-on of the Archdeacon of Notre Dame. What do these characters and stories, written by a 19th-century French Humanist, have for us in the modern-day American Church.For more information on Thoughts From A Bearded Geek: https://www.kfmbroadcasting.com/shows/thoughts-from-a-bearded-geek For more information on Ministry Misfits visit www.ministrymisfits.comTo become a Patron for Ministry Misfits visit www.patreon.com/ministrymisfitsFor more from KFM Broadcasting: www.kfmbroadcasting.com To support the KFM Broadcasting network: www.patreon.com/kfmbroadcasting Send us a textSupport the showFollow us on: TWITCH: twitch.tv/ministrymisfits INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/ministrymisfit FACEBOOK: facebook.com/ministrymisfit YOUTUBE: YouTube.com/@ministrymisfits

The bearded geek is with me this week, and we are finally sitting down to talk about a few characters from Victor Hugo and the lessons they have for us today. Joe Dea and I are discussing the characters of Bishop Myriel from Les Misérables, Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the Disney add-on of the Archdeacon of Notre Dame. What do these characters and stories, written by a 19th-century French Humanist, have for us in the modern-day American Church.For more information on Thoughts From A Bearded Geek: https://www.kfmbroadcasting.com/shows/thoughts-from-a-bearded-geek For more information on Ministry Misfits visit www.ministrymisfits.comTo become a Patron for Ministry Misfits visit www.patreon.com/ministrymisfitsFor more from KFM Broadcasting: www.kfmbroadcasting.com To support the KFM Broadcasting network: www.patreon.com/kfmbroadcasting Send us a textSupport the showFollow us on: TWITCH: twitch.tv/ministrymisfits INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/ministrymisfit FACEBOOK: facebook.com/ministrymisfit YOUTUBE: YouTube.com/@ministrymisfits

From the stages of Broadway to school classrooms and men's ministries, J. Mark McVey's journey is one of persistence, transformation, and service. Best known for his role as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, J. Mark brings not only vocal talent but also deep wisdom on living a life with purpose and impact. In this episode, J. Mark shares how his upbringing in Huntington, West Virginia, shaped his love of music and gratitude. He reflects on the grind of New York theater life, how faith transformed his approach to performance, and why leading from a place of humility—not ego—is his guiding principle. You'll hear about the unexpected audition that changed his career, a powerful 22-year collaboration with legendary composer Marvin Hamlisch, and how he's now channeling his talents into helping the next generation discover their gifts. Through music, mentorship, and ministry, J. Mark shows what it means to perform for an audience of one—and how living with intention creates lasting ripple effects far beyond the spotlight. “You're either going to step on people on the way up—or you're going to help them climb.” – J. Mark McVey “At the end of my life, I want to hear ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.' That's the only audience I'm focused on.” – J. Mark McVey “A great leader doesn't end up on the mountaintop alone. That's not a leader—that's a hiker.” – J. Mark McVey This Week on The Wow Factor: How a childhood filled with song and gratitude shaped J. Mark's artistic identity The six-year college journey that led to a bold move to New York City What it's really like to perform on Broadway under constant pressure Why storytelling at a 12-year-old's level is J. Mark's secret to audience connection The pivotal moment that transformed his faith and redirected his career Behind-the-scenes stories from Les Misérables and singing for presidents The unlikely invitation that led to decades of collaboration with Marvin Hamlisch How J. Mark uses performance and prayer to lead with love backstage His new mission: helping students identify their gifts and find confidence early in life J. Mark McVey's Word of Wisdom: A great leader is always in a supportive role. Leadership isn't about being at the front—it's about listening well, serving others, and keeping your hand out to help the next person up the ladder. You don't climb alone, and you don't perform alone. The best impact comes from giving, not taking. Connect with J. Mark McVey:Visit jmarkmcvey.com to learn more about upcoming concerts, speaking events, and his work with schools and ministries. Connect with The Wow Factor:  WOW Factor Website  Brad Formsma on LinkedIn   Brad Formsma on Instagram   Brad Formsma on Facebook   X (formerly Twitter)  

Episode Notes For the Uniform: Michael Eddington is a smarmy bastard. Marooning is cruel and unusual punishment. The Maquis. Experimental Holo-Zoom. Jude gets angry about Starfleet's DevOps. Odo reminds them that Eddington is their problem because they didn't trust Odo. The Defiant as submarine. Eddington has freshman philosophy major energy. The wrestling theory of heat. Warcrime Airhorn 1: Biogenic weapon Warcrime Airhorn 2: Les Mis, the novel Warcrime Airhorn 3: WMDs on a civilian population Warcrime Airhorn 4: Firing on an unarmed civilian transport Warcrime Airhorn 4: WMDs on a civilian population Warcrime Airhorn 0: Faking a distress signal BabSpace9 is a production of the Okay, So network. Connect with the show at @babylonpod.page Help us keep the lights on via our Patreon! Justen can be found at @justen.babylonpod.page Ana can be found at @ana.babylonpod.page, and also made our show art. Both Ana and Justen can also be found on The Compleat Discography, a Discworld re-read podcast. Jude Vais can be found at @jude.athrabeth.com. His other work can be found at Athrabeth - a Tolkien Podcast and at Garbage of the Five Rings. Clips from the original show remain copyrighted by Paramount Entertainment and are used under the Fair Use doctrine. Music attribution: Original reworking of the Deep Space 9 theme by audioquinn, who stresses that this particular war crime is not their fault. This show is edited and produced by Aaron Olson, who can be found at @aaron.compleatdiscography.page Find out more at http://babylonpod.page

It's hard to believe that after a career as iconic as Anne Hathaway's—whether as the ambitious intern in The Devil Wears Prada, the beloved royal in The Princess Diaries, or the tormented Fantine in Les Misérables—her most challenging role, by her own admission, is still to come. The August cover star of Vogue, Hathaway opens up to writer Maya Singer about transforming into a global pop sensation in the upcoming film Mother Mary. On this episode of The Run-Through, Chloe and Vogue's Deputy Editor Taylor Antrim chat with Maya about what it was like spending time with Anne (they bonded over their favorite Criterion Collection films), what this transformative moment in her career means, and her adorable friendship with actor Bradley Cooper.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In a world that punishes the poor and rewards betrayal, Les Misérables shows us that love, grace, and solidarity are revolutionary acts. This week, we'll explore the daily choices that shape us—will we join the people singing for liberation, or cling to systems that cannot save us?

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://relay.fm/material/523 http://relay.fm/material/523 Andy Ihnatko and Florence Ion It's been a miserable week for Google. So, before we get into it, much ado about Nothing. It's been a miserable week for Google. So, before we get into it, much ado about Nothing. clean 3914 It's been a miserable week for Google. So, before we get into it, much ado about Nothing. This episode of Material is sponsored by: Vitally: A new era for customer success productivity. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. Links and Show Notes: Nothing Phone (3) Nothing Headphone (1) Google hit with $314 million US verdict in cellular data class action Racist AI-generated videos are the newest slop garnering millions of views on TikTok Google kills the fact-checking snippet Simplifying the search results page Support

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://relay.fm/material/523 http://relay.fm/material/523 Les Misérables 523 Andy Ihnatko and Florence Ion It's been a miserable week for Google. So, before we get into it, much ado about Nothing. It's been a miserable week for Google. So, before we get into it, much ado about Nothing. clean 3914 It's been a miserable week for Google. So, before we get into it, much ado about Nothing. This episode of Material is sponsored by: Vitally: A new era for customer success productivity. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. Links and Show Notes: Nothing Phone (3) Nothing Headphone (1) Google hit with $314 million US verdict in cellular data class action Racist AI-generated videos are the newest slop garnering millions of views on TikTok Google kills the fact-checking snippet Simplifying the search results page Support Material

Two universally important musicals that changed the game forever.

MEPHISTO IS HERE!! Ironheart Full Reaction Watch Along:   / thereelrejects   Visit https://huel.com/rejects to get 15% off your order Ironheart Reaction, Recap, Commentary, Analysis, Spoiler Review, Breakdown, & Review!! Greg Alba, Coy Jandreau (DC Studios), & Aaron Alexander react to Ironheart Episodes 4, 5, & 6 (season finale), where the Marvel Cinematic Universe finally reveals Mephisto (played by Sacha Baron Cohen from Borat, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Les Misérables) and unveils Riri Williams' (Dominique Thorne – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) new Ironheart suit and origin of The Hood (Anthony Ramos – In the Heights, Hamilton). This Disney Plus Marvel series continues to expand the MCU with key players like Parker Robbins/The Hood, Mephisto, and the Wakandan legacy of Ironheart. Also featuring Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story), Lyric Ross (This Is Us), Shea Couleé (RuPaul's Drag Race), Harper Anthony (Vengeance), Manny Montana (Good Girls), and Regan Aliyah (XO, Kitty). The story dives deep into technology, magic, grief, legacy, and identity. This season ties into Thunderbolts (just covered on our channel), as well as setting up for Avengers: Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars, Young Avengers, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Daredevil: Born Again Season 2. Ironheart's new suit is a fan-favorite moment, while the Hood's origin and Mephisto's long-awaited appearance are game-changers for the MCU's mystical future. Follow Aaron On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealaaronalexander/?hl=en Follow Coy Jandreau:  Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@coyjandreau?l... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coyjandreau/?hl=en Twitter:  https://twitter.com/CoyJandreau YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwYH2szDTuU9ImFZ9gBRH8w Intense Suspense by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ Follow Us On Socials:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/  Tik-Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reelrejects?lang=en Twitter: https://x.com/reelrejects Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ Music Used In Ad:  Hat the Jazz by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Happy Alley by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Head Editor: https://www.instagram.com/praperhq/?hl=en Co-Editor: Greg Alba Co-Editor: John Humphrey Music In Video: Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Follow TheReelRejects On FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM:  FB:  https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thereelrejects Follow GREG ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thegregalba Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

durée : 01:28:32 - Une saison exceptionnelle de Cabarets 42e rue - par : Laurent Valière - Company, Les Misérables, Starmania, Gypsy ou Sweeney Todd : retour sur une saison exceptionnelle de Cabarets 42e rue au Carreau du Temple cette saison. Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

In this episode, we dive into the gripping second and final season of Andor, the critically acclaimed Star Wars series on Disney+. We unpack the emotional stakes, powerful performances, and how the story masterfully bridges the gap between rebellion and Rogue One. From character arcs to thematic depth, we explore what made this series stand out—and why it may be one of the best things Star Wars has given us in recent years. Plus some fandom news and your feedback! Our Linktree: https://linktr.ee/FiveishFangirls #FiveishFam  TIME STAMPS 00:00:24 Intro 00:01:16 News 00:10:18 Feedback 00:37:20 Andor Season 2 01:46:30 Closing Thoughts 01:49:10 Outro Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

On this dazzling episode of Friends Talking Nerdy, Professor Aubrey and Tim the Nerd put on their tap shoes and warm up their vocal cords for a deep dive into the world of musicals—both on stage and on screen. From Golden Age classics to rock operas and cult comedy gems, the duo shares their personal favorites and discusses what makes each musical special to them.The conversation opens with a look at the glitz and glam of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and the iconic performances of Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell, before taking a hard left into irreverent territory with Trey Parker and Matt Stone's Cannibal! The Musical and South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, celebrating their unique ability to blend satire with catchy tunes.The pair reflects on the cultural impact and rebellious spirit of Hair, the groundbreaking score of Jesus Christ Superstar, and the emotional gravitas of Les Misérables. They also take time to honor musical legends with There's No Business Like Show Business and Singin' in the Rain, breaking down the artistry and historical significance of these silver screen staples.And of course, no musical conversation is complete without a nod to rock, as Tim the Nerd and Professor Aubrey discuss the stylized storytelling and sound of The Who's Tommy, as well as the Beatles' innovative entry into film musicals with A Hard Day's Night.Whether you're a die-hard musical theater fan or just dipping your toes into showtunes, this episode offers laughs, insights, and a playlist-worthy celebration of one of entertainment's most expressive art forms. Curtain up—tune in and sing along!As always, we wish to thank Christopher Lazarek for his wonderful theme song. Head to his ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for information on how to purchase his EP, Here's To You, which is available on all digital platforms.Head to Friends Talking Nerdy's⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for more information on where to find us online.

Marcus Collick co-hosts The West End Frame Show!Andrew and Marcus delve into the controversy surrounding Rachel Zegler's balcony performance in Jamie Lloyd's production of Evita at the London Palladium. They also discuss Miss Myrtle's Garden (Bush Theatre) and their favourite West End LIVE performances (Trafalgar Square) as well as the latest news about Broadway closures, Marisha Wallace and Billy Porter transferring to Cabaret in New York, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button closing and lots more.Marcus' US theatre credits include White Christmas and Damn Yankees. Since moving to the UK they have been in Spring Awakening (Phoenix Arts Club) and Zanna, Don't! (Old Joint Stock Theatre). Most recently they performed in the West End at ATG's flagship creative learning program PLAYground at the Savoy Theatre!Earlier this year Marcus hosted the Stalls to Stage Awards at the Bush Theatre and now they're teaming up with Emmanuel Akwafo to co-produce and host The Blackprint Concert: A Fearless Declaration of Black Artistry Taking Up Space at the Phoenix Arts Club. The concert has a killer line-up including Koko Alexandra, Lauren Azania, Tanasha Chege, Elan Ayana Davies, Cameron Benard Jones, Idriss Kargbo, Claudia Kariuki, Leah St Luce, Paige Miller, Georgina Onuorah, Jordan Shaw and Jaz Terry. Musical supervision and orchestrations are by Sean Green.You can see The Blackprint Concert: A Fearless Declaration of Black Artistry Taking Up Space at the Phoenix Arts Club on 3rd August 2025. Visit www.phoenixartsclub.com for info and tickets.Follow Marcus on Instagram: @_markyyymark_This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins. @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening!Email: andrew@westendframe.co.ukVisit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dena is joined again by Ashley, friend of the pod, for an exciting episode. Dena's return from London (where she saw Beyonce, Les Mis, etc.) had them comparing London's weather to the current NYC weather (@jrue17). And of course, there was more Beyonce content - this time surrounding the Grammy's news (@beysus.christ). And the newest Blue vs. Gold dress argument is Blue vs. Gray couch (@im.krispy). Spoiler: it's gray. Dena shared her Amanda Bynes jump scare video (@amandabynesupdates) which had Ashley vowing to never get a manicure from the Nickelodeon queen. And it wouldn't be an episode without broadway content, this time from the West End, London with #EvitaTok (@joshplaysthepiano, @ashleyhufford). Ashley's FYP is a combination of random linguistics videos (@kwaku2k), the NYC Democratic Primary (@yochrisjames), yadda, yadda, yadda. Then they get into NYCTok with the pigeon pageant (@mickmicknyc); new creator spotlight with @misfitsandmatcha, and FoodTok with a video by @juliakatzin and a watermelon “flight” by @sloanecoe. Tune in to hear more!  Check out all the videos we mention and more on our blog (2old4tiktok.com), Instagram (@2old4tiktokpod), and TikTok (@2old4tiktok_podcast). 

Host Jodi Katz sat down with two women at the forefront of redefining health care as we know it: Liz Josefsberg, Founder & CEO of Target 100 Inc and Sarah Pesce, COO of stealth-mode wellness startup Radence.Despite wildly different paths—Liz went from Broadway star to Weight Watchers executive, while Sarah pivoted from nurse practitioner to health-tech builder—both share a mission: to help people move from “sick care” to well care.Liz's early career was center stage—literally. She spent years performing in Showboat and Les Misérables, all while privately battling weight fluctuations. That struggle led her to Weight Watchers, first as a member, then as a team member, and ultimately as their Director of Brand Advocacy. She helped build programs, consulted for the CEO, and guided celebrities like Jennifer Hudson and Charles Barkley through their own wellness transformations.But Liz wanted more than just the Weight Watchers playbook. She authored Target 100, a behavioral weight loss book that evolved into an app platform connecting hydration tracking, biometrics, and movement. Her mission? To give people a simple, evidence-based way to understand their bodies—and stay in the game without guilt or shame.Sarah began in cardiology, treating patients already facing chronic illness. It didn't sit right. She saw an opportunity to move upstream—to build better systems for prevention. That led her to advanced degrees, hospital innovation work, and eventually to launching wellness labs that deliver “digital twins” of users through biomarker testing, wearables, and environmental data.Now, at Radence, Sarah's team is developing a member-based preventative screening experience backed by a powerhouse science team. Her focus? Making cutting-edge longevity care accessible, personalized, and understandable—without needing an advanced medical degree to interpret your own labs.Liz and Sarah agreed on nearly everything: that bio-data is only helpful if it's explained clearly. That technology is outpacing consumer understanding. That shame is a sales tool used too often—and that emotional support is what most health programs are missing. Whether it's using AI to build “Liz in your pocket” or designing a membership that meets people where they are, their north star is clarity, context, and compassion.As Liz put it: “No woman has ever come to me and said she doesn't know an apple is better than a Snickers. The problem isn't information. It's behavior—and how we stay in the game.”

In our final hour, we are joined by The Press Times along with Kelsey Denae. Kelsey is a hometown talent from Ashwaubenon, who shares her journey from local choir performances to starring in “Les Misérables” at the Kennedy Center. After a whirlwind career that took her to New York City, she's back, joining the popular band Big Mouth and the Power Toolhorns. To end the show, co-hosts John Maino and Jim Schmitt delve into the evolution of athletic prowess in sports, the charm of picnics, and the quest for a healthy candy bar! Maino and the Mayor is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-9 am on WGBW in Green Bay and on WISS in Appleton/Oshkosh. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with Maino and the Mayor! Guest: Kelsey Denae

Join Opie and the crew for a wild ride at Gebhards Beer Culture, where the conversation veers from crooning about "Blue Christmas" to debating Michael Bublé's lisp and the genius of Brian Wilson's Pet Sounds. The gang dives into pizza controversies, pineapple toppings, and a bizarre beachside Christmas tree fantasy. Things get gritty with Ron's oozing foot reveal—eczema or something worse?—and a heated rant about overblown riots and Broadway musicals (spoiler: Phantom gets no love). From Trump's questionable taste in Les Mis to Fiddler on the Roof sing-alongs, this episode is a chaotic mix of laughs, music trivia, and questionable hygiene. Grab a Miller Lite and tune in for the madness!

Dear Humans, The latest episode of the God Pod is now available ad-free, exclusively for Letters from God Substack subscribers. To support ad-free episodes like this, please consider joining as a paid subscriber today! Today Jesus and I are joined by writer and author of “On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down” James Fell! James has a dirty mouth and was a natural fit with God as the trio discusses James' many creative Trump nicknames, the latest news including Donold's latest TACO moment, an upcoming rainy weekend in D.C., and much more! On this episode of the God Pod: God, Jesus, and James discuss the GOOD thing that happened on this day in history, James' piece “Why Some Long for a King to Rule Them All.” and we take a break from all the serious news by having a laugh over Donold getting booed at The Kennedy Center (Does he even know the plot of Les Mis, by the way?) Don't forget: God and Jesus stream daily. Catch God Pod LIVE every weekday at 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT. And next week on God Pod Live: Wednesday, June 18 at 3:30 PM ET: Leah Litman, author of “Lawless: How the Supreme Court runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes”! Thursday, June 19 at 2 PM ET: Comedian Brent Terhune! Friday, June 20 at 2 PM ET: Comedian Zach Zimmerman! Tune in. Tell a friend! Remember to add the God Pod wherever you listen to podcasts, like Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Henry tackles the films of director Tom Hooper including The King's Speech, Les Misérables (2012), The Danish Girl, and Cats (2019), plus BONUS reviews of Eddie Redmayne's The Theory of Everything, Hugh Jackman's The Greatest Showman, and Disney's Hamilton (2020).0:00 - Intro1:32 - The King's Speech12:31 - Les Misérables22:43 - The Danish Girl32:07 - Cats40:45 - The Theory of Everything51:19 - The Greatest Showman56:39 - Hamilton1:04:12- OutroFollow Film Buds:LinktreeFaceBookTwitter / XInstagramYouTubeWebsiteFollow Henry & Elle on Letterboxd:Henry's ProfileElle's ProfileBuy Our Premium Podcasts:BandcampSponsors / Inquiries:FilmBudsPodcast@gmail.com

June 16-22Many years ago, I read Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo: the unabridged version which is 1,463 pages long. Next to the scriptures, it was the greatest reading experience of any book I have ever had. I became so close to the characters, Jean Valjean, Monsieur Charles-François-Bienvenu Myriel—the Bishop of Digne (‘deen'), Fantine, Cosette, Gavroche, Marius, Javert and many others that I wept for a long time after I finished the book because I was so sad, I would not be able to meet them in the Spirit World! Maurine reminded me they were fictional characters. I was completely transported into their hearts, their world, their times, their pain, their burdens. Maurine and I even went to Victor Hugo's home in Guernsey Island off the coast of Normandy in the English Channel to get a sense of where he wrote this classic novel. Do you want to know my very favorite moment from the entire 1,463 pages? It has to do with our lesson in this episode.

Audience boos Trump at Kennedy Center ‘Les Mis,’ CSC announces season featuring ‘Meadlowlark’ and Ethan Slater, Noblezada sings ‘Maybe This Time’ Since 2016, “Today on Broadway” has been the first and only daily podcast recapping the top theatre headlines every Monday through Friday. Any and all feedback is appreciated:Grace Aki: grace@broadwayradio.com | read more The post Today on Broadway: Friday, June 13, 2025 appeared first on BroadwayRadio.

It's our Friday News Roundup! We're talking about the logistics and symbolism of this weekend's military parade, the latest twist in the Eleanor Holmes Norton story, and the mystery of the abandoned casket. Plus, in our member's-only fourth topic, the scene at The Kennedy Center this week when Donald Trump went to see Les Mis. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this June 13th episode: PaintCare Alliance Francaise InKind - Get $25 off your next order of $50 or more! Gala Theatre Nace Law Group Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's being called the miracle in seat 11a. Initial reports about that devastating jumbo jet crash in India presumed all 242 on board were dead. Then a man in a white t-shirt, emerged from the wreckage... and just walked away with minor injuries. And a mix of cheers and boos greeted President Trump and first lady Melania as they arrived at the first big Kennedy Center event since Trump overhauled the iconic arts venue. It was opening night for Trump's favorite musical Les Mis... but at least one of the cast members refused to go onstage. Plus, another high-profile athlete has been targeted in a home invasion. This time it's the Mariners star center fielder and his girlfriend, a professional soccer player. She was home alone when she heard three intruders, so she hid in the bathroom and called 911. And now some sad news ... Ananda Lewis who rose to fame as an MTV VJ and then had her own daytime talk show has died of breast cancer. She had publicly shared her journey including mistakes she said she made along the way that gravely impacted her health.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-- On the Show: — Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) joins David to discuss Trump's authoritarian power grabs, Senate resistance, and what happens next — Trump's anti-war image goes up in flames as he floats war with Iran after sabotaging the working nuclear deal and now pretends there's no other option — Millions expected to protest across 1,500 cities on Trump's birthday in the largest mobilization since his return to power, as tanks roll through D.C. and he threatens peaceful demonstrators — Trump stages a Soviet-style military parade on his birthday with tanks, 7,000 troops, and 50 helicopters while most Republicans quietly skip the event — Gavin Newsom demolishes Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders with facts after she claims Trump values “order”—even though Arkansas has double California's homicide rate — Trump's press secretary Karoline Leavitt calls a question about protesters “stupid,” makes up stats about violence, and pretends Biden's autopen is a criminal offense — Trump suffers an unhinged Truth Social meltdown, claiming L.A. would be a “crime scene” without his troops and bragging about an economic bill that actually explodes the deficit — Trump gets brutally booed at the Kennedy Center, cluelessly fumbles a Les Misérables reference, and insists Fox News is wrong about nationwide protests—even though it's Fox's own data — YouTube caves to Trump and quietly changes moderation rules to allow more hate, lies, and violent content as long as it's “political,” squeezing out independent media like this one -- On the Bonus Show: MAGA boycotts Walmart over “No Kings” ad, David Hogg quits the DNC amid backlash, and Rand Paul whines about losing respect for Trump after being uninvited to a picnic, much more...

Michael Cohen reacts to Trump getting booed while attending Les Misérables at the Kennedy Center. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The co-hosts weigh in on how President Trump was received at last night's Kennedy Center production of "Les Misérables." Then, they weigh in after some were unhappy with pop star Sabrina Carpenter's upcoming album cover for "Man's Best Friend" where she's on all fours next to a man who has her by the hair. Next, they discuss one social media influencer's viral post inviting perimenopausal women to join her "I don't care" club. Gerard Butler tells us about adding a new dimension to his role in the live-action reimagining of the animated classic, "How to Train Your Dragon." "RuPaul's Drag Race" winner Bob the Drag Queen shares how he's giving American hero Harriet Tubman a hip-hop remix with his new novel, "Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert: A Novel." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thursday, June 12. The seven stories you need to know today.Read today's briefing.If you're not a subscriber, click here to start.

An L.A. curfew was implemented amid protests against ICE raids there. Elizabeth Findell from the Wall Street Journal looks at the marching orders from the White House that started the migrant crackdown. Reporting from NPR’s Jasmine Garsd details the unsanitary conditions migrants are facing in an overcrowded ICE facility in Florida. ‘Les Misérables' is a story of the downtrodden. It’s also a musical loved by Trump. The Atlantic looks at its appeal for him. Plus, the Smithsonian agreed to review all of its museums for bias, some promising news on fentanyl use, and the many benefits of singing. Today’s episode was hosted by Yasmeen Khan.

In the 8 AM hour, Larry O'Connor and Julie Gunlock discussed: Continued Lawlessness and Disorder in Los Angeles Unhinged Wealthy, White Leftist Women WMAL GUEST: Kennedy Center Spokesperson Roma Daravi on Les Miserables' Opening Night Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow Podcasts on Apple, Audible and Spotify Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @JGunlock, @PatricePinkfile, and @HeatherHunterDC Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Website: WMAL.com/OConnor-Company Episode: Wednesday, June 11, 2025 / 8 AM HourSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

‘The Brick' is finally finished! Kate and Sheila discuss Les Miserables in its entirety… (spoiler alerts galore-avoid if  surprises you adore) …it has taken us a bit, but so totally worth it!Victor Hugo shows readers that, “Heroes come in all shapes” from the unbelievable bravery of young Gavroche to the mysterious motives of the misunderstood Jean Valjean. Hugo can bloviate like no other author, from Waterloo to the sewers of France! He can also pack quite a punch in  few words:“One cannot goad people into moving faster than they are prepared to go. Woe to him who tries to force their hands.” People will rise to the level of expectations but we must let them rise (like bread in the making) we cannot force anyone's progress! Victor nailed it!“What is Progress? We have just said it. It is the permanent life of all people. But it sometimes happens that the momentary life of individuals is opposed to the eternal life of the human race.”Do we oft times put the pebbles in first? Do we worry and fret over the trivial? Eternal life is one that is lived in harmony with God❤️He is our Rock He must come first!“But a civilizing race must be a masculine race…Those who become effeminate bastardize themselves.” In our society young men are committing suicide 4 times the regular population! The war against toxic masculinity has wreaked havoc by giving young men false  identities, leaving our society with boys.Readers are taken on a journey starting with injustice and evil and falsity and darkness toward justice and goodness and truth and light! What an emotional roller coaster ride for determined readers! Warning: Not for the faint of heart! Let's put on SCUBA gear before embarking on this deeper than deep dive! Thanks for joining us on our quest to read the best! May you have a day that is blessed with a book, a cuppa, and  friends! 

Rob Madge grew up staging living room musicals with wigs, smoke machines, and the unwavering support of their parents and grandmother—but what started as childhood play eventually became the viral, heartfelt, and Olivier-nominated solo show My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?). In this episode, Rob shares how those home videos evolved into a theatrical sensation, and how a show born during lockdown has become a powerful celebration of queer joy, family, and radical acceptance—now heading to New York City Center for its limited U.S. debut. We talk about everything from queer theory and comedy as activism to being a theater kid in a small UK village and why their grandmother was the ultimate co-conspirator. Rob opens up about the emotional weight of visibility, the importance of letting kids be themselves, and the unshakable confidence that comes from being loved early and completely. Plus, they reflect on their journey from Gavroche to leading their own story—and the joy of tweaking the show for each new audience. Rob Madge is a writer and performer whose solo show My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) earned an Olivier Award nomination following its West End run. They began their career as a child actor in Mary Poppins, Oliver!, and Les Misérables, and trained at Sylvia Young Theatre School before studying English Literature at Warwick University. Rob also stars as the Emcee in Cabaret on the West End, and continues to explore themes of identity, family, and theatricality through their writing and performance. Connect with Rob Instagram: @robmadge02 Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support the podcast on Patreon and watch video versions of the episodes: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter & Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@theatre_podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheTheatrePodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Alan's personal Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@alanseales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TONY AWARD®, United States Congressional Record & National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress, Hollywood Walk of Fame InducteePresidential Life Time Achievement Award, In Addition, Joseph Biden Public Service Award.The Music Historian in ME Loves to Talk to the Legends.Melba has a Music Compilation called "Imagine'. Already Topping the American & British Soul charts.Melba Moore has done it all, twice. At the tender age of 10, Melba notes that it was then that she was introduced to music and that “I didn't have any music in my life before my mother married my stepfather. He introduced music into our home and into my life.” From that moment forward, Melba began to develop her 5-octave, note-holding soprano that would soon bring audiences to their feet. Theater: Won a Tony Award for best featured actress in a musical for her role in the musical "Purlie," Replaced  Diane Keaton in  the Broadway musical "Hair" Was first African American woman to play the female lead in the musical "Les Misérables" on Broadway. The Newark, NJ Arts High School graduate started doing recording sessions after a chance meeting with singer/songwriter/composer Valerie Simpson (of Ashford & Simpson).  That opportunity in the studio led Melba in the company of the Broadway musical “HAIR!” First in the ensemble of the show, Melba's name was tossed into the conversation when actress Diane Keaton left the show and Melba took the female lead and broke all the rules, being the first Black woman to replace a white actress in a featured role on Broadway. The journey of Melba's career took her meteorically from there to the lead of “PURLIE,” a musical adaptation of a play written by acting husband and wife pioneers Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee.  That role and its musical soundtrack would earn Moore a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist in 1971 and a Tony Award for Best Featured ActressTelevisionStarred in her own sitcom, "Melba Melba's Career continues with2024  Live Apperances at 54 Below in New York City this Spring.   MelbaMoore.com© 2024 Building Abundant Success!!2024 All Rights ReservedJoin Me on ~ iHeart Media @ https://tinyurl.com/iHeartBASAmazon ~ https://tinyurl.com/AmzBASAudacy:  https://tinyurl.com/BASAud

Joe Baggs (star of Gogglebox and social media!) and his boyfriend Kaine Ruddach (theatre star and now keen gardener on social media!) join us this week! From meeting at a birthday party (with some very heavy breathing involved) to moving in together after just 6 months, these two spill ALL the tea about modern gay dating.We put them through our Red Flag, Green Flag, Beige Flag game where they accidentally call out each other's worst habits - from Joe's need to win every argument to Kaine's plant obsession that's literally taking over their house. Plus, Joel reveals why he ghosted his therapist mid-session and Kaine explains how he converted his anti-plant boyfriend into a secret plant lover.Joe Baggs: https://www.instagram.com/joebxggs/?hl=enKaine Ruddach: https://www.instagram.com/kaineruddach/?hl=enIn this episode:

In this episode of Welcome to Cloudlandia, we kick off by reflecting on a recent trip to the UK, where London's unexpected warmth mirrored the friendliness of its black cab drivers. Our visit coincided with the successful launch of the 10 Times program in Mayfair, which attracted participants from various countries, adding a rich diversity to the event. Next, we delve into the advancements in AI technology, particularly those related to Google Flow. We discuss how this technology is democratizing creative tools, making it easier to create films and lifelike interactions. This sparks a conversation about the broader implications of AI, including its potential to transform industries like real estate through AI-driven personas and tools that enhance market operations. We then shift our focus to the political arena, where we explore the Democratic Party's attempt to create their own media influencers to match figures like Joe Rogan. The discussion centers on the challenges of capturing consumer attention in a world overflowing with digital content, and the need for meaningful messaging that resonates with everyday life. Finally, we touch on aging, longevity, and productivity. We emphasize the importance of staying engaged and productive as we age, inspired by remarkable individuals achieving significant milestones beyond 60. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS In our recent trip to the UK, we experienced the unexpected warmth of London and engaged with the local culture, which included charming interactions with black cab drivers. This atmosphere set the tone for a successful event launch in Mayfair with global participants. We discussed the sparse historical records left by past civilizations, such as the Vikings, and how this impacts our understanding of history, drawing a parallel to the rich experiences of our recent travels. AI advancements, particularly Google Flow, are revolutionizing the creative landscape by democratizing filmmaking tools, allowing for lifelike scenes and interactions to be created easily and affordably. The potential of AI in the real estate market was explored, using the example of Lily Madden, an AI-driven persona in Portugal, which highlights the challenge of consumer attention in an ever-saturated digital content environment. We analyzed the Democratic Party's approach to media influencers in the 2024 election, noting the need for genuine engagement with voters' lives amidst fierce competition for attention in today's media landscape. The discussion shifted to aging and longevity, focusing on productivity and engagement in later years. We emphasized the importance of remaining active and contributing meaningfully past the age of 60. We wrapped up the episode with excitement about future projects, including a new workshop and book, highlighting our commitment to staying creatively engaged and inviting listeners to join us in future discussions. Links: WelcomeToCloudlandia.com StrategicCoach.com DeanJackson.com ListingAgentLifestyle.com TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Dean: Mr sullivan it has to be recorded because it's uh historic thinking it's historic thinking in a historic time things cannot be historic if they're not recorded, that is true, it's like if, uh, yeah, if a tree falls in the forest yeah, it's a real. Dan: It's a real problem with what happened here in the Americas, because the people who were here over thousands of years didn't have recordings. Dean: They didn't write it down. They didn't write it down. Dan: No recordings, I mean they chipped things. Dean: They didn't write it down. Dan: They didn't write it down no recordings, no recordings. Yeah, I mean, they chip things into rock, but it's, you know, it's not a great process really. Dean: I think that's funny, you know, because that's always been the joke that Christopher Columbus, you know, discovered America in 1492. But meanwhile they've been here. There have been people, the sneaky Vikings, and stuff. How do you explain that in the Spaniards? Dan: Yep. Dean: Yeah. Dan: Yeah Well, writing. You know, writing was an important thing. Dean: Yeah, yeah. Dan: We don't know much. We don't, yeah, we really don't know much about the Vikings either, because they didn't they weren't all that great at taking notes. I mean, all the Vikings put together don't equal your journals. Dean: That's true. All the Viking lore's the not what's happening. So it's been a few weeks yeah I was in the uk, we were in the uk for a couple weekends for uh-huh okay, it was great, wonderful weather, I mean we had the very unusual. Dan: It was great, wonderful weather. Dean: I mean we had the very unusual weather for May. It was, you know, unseasonably warm 75, 80, nice bright oh my goodness. Dan: Yeah, really terrific. And boy is the city packed. London is just packed. Dean: And getting packed dirt, huh. Dan: Yeah, yeah, just so many people on the street. Dean: I always, I always laugh, because one time I was there in June which is typically when I go, and it was. It was very funny because I'd gotten a black cab and just making conversation with the driver and he said so how long are you here? And I said I'm here for a week. He said, oh, for the whole summer, because it was beautifully warm here for the whole summer. Yeah, that's so funny, I hear hear it's not quite. Dan: They're fun to talk to. Dean: Oh man for sure. Dan: Yeah, they know so much. Dean: Yes, I hear Toronto. Not quite that warm yet, but get in there I think today is predicted to be the crossover day we had just a miserable week. Dan: It was nonstop rain for five days. Oh my goodness, Not huge downpour, but just continual, you know, just continual raining. Dean: But it speeded up the greening process because I used to have the impression that there was a day in late May, maybe today like the 25th, when between last evening and this morning, the city workers would put all the leaves on the trees like yesterday there were no leaves, and but actually there were. Dan: We're very green right now because of all the rain. Dean: Oh, that's great yeah. Two weeks I'll be there in. I arrived 17th. Dan: Yeah, yeah, I'm trying to think of the date I'm actually arriving. Dean: I'm arriving on the 6th A strategic coach, you're going to be here, yeah we're doing on Tuesday. This month is Strategic Coach. Dan: Yeah, because of fathers. Dean: Right, right, right right, so we're doing. Yeah, so that Tuesday, that's exciting. Dan: Tuesday, Wednesday, Of course, our week is 19th, 18th, I think it's the 17th 17th is the workshop day and we have a garden party the night before and the day I know we have two parties. Dean: Yeah, I love I can't go wrong yeah and hopefully we'll have our table 10 on the. Uh well, we'll do it at the one, we'll do it at the one, that's great. You've been introduced to the lobster spoons. I hear. Dan: It's been good, that's a great little spot. I didn't overdo it, but I did have my two. I had two lobster spoons Okay, they're perfect. Dean: I took one of my teams there about uh, six weeks ago, and we, everybody got two we got two lobster spoons and it was good, yeah, but the food was great service with service was great. Dan: Yeah, yeah, yeah all right. Dean: Well then, we got something I'm excited about. That's great. So any, uh, anything notable from your trip across the pond no, uh, we um jump things up um. Dan: Last October we introduced the 10 times program in London so uh 25 to 30. I think we have 25 to 30 now and uh, so when I was there um last two weeks, it'll be, um, um two weeks or last week no, it was last week. Um, I'm just trying to get my, I'm just trying to get my bearings straight here. When did I get home? I think I got home just this past Tuesday. Dean: This past Tuesday. Dan: So it would have been the previous Thursday. I had a morning session and afternoon session, and in the morning it was just for 10 times and in the afternoon it was just for 10 times and in the afternoon it was for everybody. So we had about 30 in the morning and we had about 120 in the afternoon. Dean: Oh, very nice yeah. Dan: And you know a lot of different places. We had Finland, estonia, romania, dubai, South Africa quite a mix. Quite a mix of people from. You know all sorts of places and you know great getting together great. You know couple of tools. You know fairly new tools A couple of tools, you know fairly new tools and you know good food good hotel, it's the Barclay, which is in. Mayfair. Okay, and it's a nice hotel, very nice hotel. This is the third year in a row that we've been there and you know we sort of stretched their capacity. Dean: 120 is about the upper limit and what they've been to the the new four seasons at uh, trinity square, at tower bridge. It's beautiful, really, really nice, like one of my favorites no, because the building is iconic. I mean Just because the building is iconic. I mean that's one of the great things about the. Dan: Four Seasons. Dean: Yeah, and about London in specific, but I mean that. Four Seasons at. Dan: Trinity it's beautiful, stunning, love it. Yeah, we had an enjoyable play going week um we did four, four, four musicals, actually four, four different. Uh, musicals we were there one not good at all probably one of the worst musicals I've seen um and uh, but the other three really terrific. And boy, the talent in that city is great. You know just sheer talent. Dean: What's the latest on your Personality? Yeah, personality. Dan: Yeah, the problem is that London's a hot spot right now and there's a queue for people who want to have plays there. Oh okay, Actually they have more theaters than Broadway does Is that right On the West End yeah, west End, but they're all lined up. Problem is it's not a problem, it's just a reality is that you have some plays that go for a decade. You know, like Les Mis has been in the same theater now for 20 years. So there's these perennials that just never move. And then there's hot competition for the other theaters, you know I wonder is Hamilton? Dean: there, I don't think so, I just wonder about that actually, whether it was a big hit in the UK or whether it's too close. Dan: Yeah, I'm not entirely sure why it was a great play in the United States. I went to see it, you know. I mean it bears no historical similarity to what the person actually was. Dean: No. Dan: So you know, I mean, if people are getting their history from going to that play, they don't have much history. Dean: That's funny, yeah, and I'm not a rap. Dan: I'm not a fan of rap, so it's not the oh God. I'm not the target, definitely not the target audience for that particular play. But we saw a really terrific one and. I have to say, in my entire lifetime this may have been one of the best presentations, all told. You know talent, plot, everything. It's cook. It's the curious case of Benjamin Button button, which is okay. Yeah, I've seen the movie which you. You probably saw the movie. Dean: I did. Dan: Yeah, and this is Fitzgerald. It's Fitzgerald. Dean: Yes. Dan: And it is just a remarkable, remarkable presentation. They have about, I would say, 15 actors and they're literally on stage for the entire two and a half hours. And they are literally on stage for the entire two and a half hours and they are the music. So every actor can sing, every actor can dance and every actor can play at least one musical instrument. And they have 30 original songs and then you know the plot. And they pull off the plot quite convincingly with the same actors, starting off at age 70, and he more or less ends up at around age 25, and then they very ingeniously tell the rest of the story. And very gripping, very gripping very moving and very gripping, very gripping very moving, beautiful voices done in. Sort of the style of music is sort of Irish. You know it takes place in Cornwall, which is very close to you know, just across the Irish Sea from Ireland. So it's that kind of music. It's sort of Irish folk music and you know it's sort of violins and flutes and guitars and that sort of thing, but just a beautifully, beautifully done presentation. On its way to New York, I suspect, so you might get a chance to see it there. Dean: Oh wow, that's where it originated, in London. Dan: No, yeah, it's just been. It was voted the number one new musical in London for this year, for 2025. Yeah, but I didn't know what to expect, you know, and I hadn't seen the movie, I knew the plot, I knew somebody's born, old and gets younger. Yeah, just incredibly done. And then there's another one, not quite so gripping. It's called Operation Mincemeat. Do you know the story? Dean: No, I do not. Dan: Yeah, it's a true story, has to do with the Second World War and it's one of those devious plots that the British put together during the Second World War, where to this was probably 1940, 42, 43, when the British had largely defeated the Germans in North Africa, the next step was for them to come across the Mediterranean and invade Europe, the British and Americans. And the question was was it going to be Sicily or was it going to be the island of Sardinia? And so, through a very clever play of Sardinia, and so, through a very clever play, a deception, the British more or less convinced the Germans that it was going to be Sardinia, when in fact it was going to be Sicily. And the way they did this is they got a dead body, a corpse, and dressed him off in a submarine off the coast of spain. The body, floated to shore, was picked up by the spanish police, who were in cahoots, more or less, with the germans, and they gave it to the germans. And the Germans examined everything and sent the message to Berlin, to Hitler, that the invasion was gonna be in Sardinia, and they moved their troops to Sardinia to block it. and the invasion of Sicily was very fast and very successful, but an interesting story. But it's done as a musical with five actors playing 85 different parts. Oh my yeah. Dean: Wow, 85 parts. Dan: Yeah. Dean: It sounds like. Dan: I thought, you were describing Weekend at Bernie's Could be. Dean: Could be if I had seen it If I had seen it. It was funny? Dan: Yeah, it's kind of like Weekend at Bernie's right, right, right, I don't know. I don't know what I'm talking about, but I know you are. And three of them were women who took a lot of male parts, but very, very good comic comic actors, and three of them were women who took a lot of male parts, but very, very good comic actors. It's done in sort of a musical comedy, which is interesting given the subject matter. And then I saw a re-revival of the play Oliver about Oliver Twist, a re-revival of the play Oliver about Oliver Twist and just a sumptuous big musical. Big, you know, big stage, big cast, big music, everything like you know Dickens was a good writer. Dean: Yes, um, dan, have you? Dan? Did you see or hear anything about the new Google Flow release that just came out two or three days ago? I have not. I've been amazed at how fast people adopt these things and how clearly this is going to unlock a new level of advancement in AI. Here thing kind of reminded me of how Steve Jobs used to do the product announcement. You know presentations where you'd be on stage of the big screen and then the. It was such an iconic thing when he released the iPhone into the world and you look back now at what a historically pivotal moment that was. And now you look at what just happened with flow from a prompt. So you say what you describe, what the scene is, and it makes it with what looked like real people having real dialogue, real interactions. And so there's examples of people at a car show talking like being interviewed about their thoughts about the new cars and the whole background. Dan, all the cars are there in the conference. You know the big conference setting with people milling around the background noises of being at a car show. The guy with the microphone interviewing people about their thoughts about the new car, interviewing people about their thoughts about the new car. There's other examples of, you know, college kids out on spring break, you know, talking to doing man-on-the-street interviews with other college kids. Or there's a stand-up comedian doing a stand-up routine in what looks like a comedy club. And I mean these things, dan, you would have no idea that these are not real humans and it's just like the convergence of all of those things like that have been slowly getting better and better in terms of like picture, um, you know, pick, image creation and sound, uh, syncing and all of that things and movies, getting it all together, uh, into one thing. And there, within 48 hours of it being released, someone had released a short feature, a short film, 13 minutes, about the moment that they flipped the switch on color television, and it was like I forget who the, the two, uh in the historic footage, who the people were where they pushed the button and then all of a sudden it switched to color, um broadcasting. But the premise of the story is that they pushed the button and everything turned to color, except the second guy in the thing. He was like it didn't turn him to color and it was. He became worldwide known as the colorless man and the whole story would just unfolded as kind of like a mini documentary and the whole thing was created by one guy, uh in since it was released and it cost about 600 in tokens to create the the whole thing and they were uh in the comments and uh, things are the the description like to create that, whatever that was, would have cost between three to $500,000 to create in tradition, using traditional filmmaking. It would have cost three to 500,000 to create that filmmaking it would have cost three to 500,000 to create that. And you just realize now, dan, that the words like the, the, the um, creativity now is real, like the capability, is what Peter Diamandis would call democratized right. It's democratized, it's at the final pinnacle of it, and you can only imagine what that's going to be like in a year from now, or two years from now, with refinement and all of this stuff. And so I just start to see now how this the generative creative AI I see almost you know two paths on it is the generative creative side of it, the research and compilation or assimilation of information side of AI. And then what people are talking about what we're hearing now is kind of agentic AI, where it's like the agents, where where AIs will do things for you right, like you can train an AI to do a particular job, and you just realize we are really like on the cusp of something I mean like we've never seen. I mean like we've never seen. I just think that's a very interesting it's a very interesting thought right now, you know, of just seeing what is going to be the. You know the vision applied to that capability. You know what is going to be the big unlock for that, and I think that people I can see it already that a lot of people are definitely going down the how path with AI stuff, of learning how to do it. How do I prompt, how do I use these tools, how do I do this, and I've already I've firmly made a decision to I'm not going to spend a minute on learning how to do those things. I think it's going to be much more useful to take a step back and think about what could these be used for. You know what's the best, what's the best way to apply this capability, because there's going to be, you know, there's going to be a lot of people who know how to use these tools, and I really like your idea of keeping Well, what would you use it for? Well, I think what's going to be a better application is like so one of the examples, dan, that they showed was somebody created like a 80s sitcom where they created the whole thing. I mean, imagine if you could create even they had one that was kind of like all in the family, or you know, or uh imagine you could create an entire sitcom environment with a cast of characters and their ai uh actors who can deliver the lines and, you know, do whatever. You could feed a script to them, or it could even write the script I think that what would be more powerful is to think. I I think spending my time observing and thinking about what would be the best application of these things like ideas coming. Dan: I think that somebody's going no no, I'm asking the question specifically. What would you, dean jackson, do with it? That's what. That's what I'm saying oh not what? Not what anybody could do with it, but what? Dean: would you? Dan: do with it um well, I haven't. Dean: I haven't well for one let's let's say using it. I, years ago, I had this thought that as soon as AI was coming and you'd see some of the 11 labs and the HN and you'd see all these video avatars, I had the thought that I wonder what would happen. Could I take an AI and turn this AI into the top real estate agent in a market, even though she doesn't exist? And I went this is something I would have definitely used. I could have used AI Charlotte to help me do, but at the time I used GetMagic. Do you remember Magic, the task service where you could just ask Magic to do? Dan: something, and it was real humans, right. Dean: So I gave magic a task to look up the top 100 female names from the 90s and the top 100 surnames and then to look for interesting combinations that are, you know, three or four syllables maximum and com available so that I could create this persona, one of the ones that I thought, okay, how could I turn Lily Madden Home Services into? How would you use Lily Madden in that way? So I see all of the tools in place right now. So I see all of the tools in place right now. There was an AI realtor in Portugal that did $100 million in generate $100 million in real estate sales. Now that's gross sales volume. That would be about you know, two or $3 million in in revenue. Yeah, commissions for the thing. But you start to see that because it's just data. You know the combinations of all of these things to be able to create. What I saw on the examples of yesterday was a news desk type of news anchor type of thing, with the screen in the background reporting news stories, and I immediately had that was my vision of what Lily Madden could do with all of the homes that have come on the market in Winter Haven, for instance, every day doing a video report of those, and so you start to see setting up. All these things are almost like you know. If you know what I say complications, do you know what? Those are? The little you know? All those magical kind of mechanical things where the marble goes this way and then it drops into the bucket and that lowers it down into the water, which displaces it and causes that to roll over, to this amazing things. I see all these tools as a way to, in combination, create this magical thing. I know how to generate leads for people who are looking for homes in Winter Haven. I know how to automatically set up text and email, and now you can even do AI calling to these people to set them on an email that every single day updates them with all the new homes that come on the market. Does a weekly, you know video. I mean, it's just pretty amazing how you could do that and duplicate that in you know many, many markets. That would be a scale ready algorithm. That's. Dan: That's one thought that I've had with it yeah, you know the the thing that i'm'm thinking here is you know, I've had a lot of conversations with Peter over Peter Diamandis over the years and I said you know, everything really comes down to competition, though. Dean: Everything really comes down to competition though. Dan: The main issue of competition is people's attention, the one thing that's absolutely limited. Everybody talks everything's expanding, but the one thing that's not expanding and can't expand is actually the amount of attention that people have for looking at things you know, engaging with new things. So for example. You asked me the question was I aware of this new thing from Google? From Google and right off the bat, I wouldn't be because I'm not interested in anything that Google does. Period, period, so I wouldn't see it. But I would have no need for this new thing. So this new thing, because what am I going to do with it? Dean: I mean, I don't know. But I recall that that was kind of your take on zoom in two months. Dan: Yeah but, uh. But if the cove, if covet had not happened, I would still not be using zoom yeah, yeah, because there was nobody. There was nobody at the other end that's exactly right. Dean: You didn't have a question that Zoom was the answer to. Dan: Yeah. And I think that that's the thing right now is we don't have a question that the new Google Flow Because this seems to me to be competition with something that already exists, in the sense that there are people who are creating, as you say, $500,000 versions of this and this can be done for $600. Dean: Well, in that particular field, now I can see there's going to be some fierce competition where there will be a few people who take advantage of this and are creating new things advantage of this and are creating new things, and probably a lot of people are put out of work, but not I. I what is so like? Dan: uh, you know, no, and it's not it's not based on their skill and it's it's on their base. There's no increase in the number of amount of attention in the world to look at these things. Dean: There's no increase there's no increase of attention. Yes, the world to look at these things. Dan: There's no increase. There's no increase of attention. Dean: Yes, which it's so eerily funny, but in my journal last night, after watching a lot of this stuff, I like to look at the edges of this and my thought exactly was that this is going to increase by multiples the amount of content that is created. But if I looked at it, that the maximum allowable or available attention for one person is, at the maximum, 16 hours a day, if you add 100% of their available attention bandwidth, you could get 1, 1000 minutes or 100 of those jacksonian units everybody that we only have those. We only have 110 minute units and we're competing. We're competing against the greatest creators ever Like we're creating. We're competing against the people who are making the tippy top shows on Netflix and the tippy top shows on any of these streaming things. I don't think that it's, I think, the novelty of it to everybody's. It's in the wow moment right now that I think everybody's seeing wow, I can't believe you could do this. And it's funny to look at the comments because everybody's commenting oh, this is the end of Hollywood, hollywood's over. I don't think so. Dan: Hollywood's been kind of over for the last five or ten years. I mean it's very interesting. I think this is a related topic. I'm just going to bounce it off you. The Democratic Party has decided that they have to create their own Joe Rogan, because they now feel that Joe Rogan as a person, but also, as you know, a kind of reality out in the communication world tipped the election in 2024. Dean: Who have they nominated? Dan: Yeah, that Trump being on Joe Rogan and a few other big influencers was the reason, and so they're pouring billions of dollars now into creating their own Joe Rogans. But the truth of it is they had a Joe Rogan. He was called Joe Rogan and he was a Democrat. Dean: Yeah, and he was a Democrat. Dan: Yeah, so you got to work out the problem. Why did Joe Rogan Democrat become Joe Rogan Republican is really the real issue question. And they were saying they're going to put an enormous amount of money into influencers because they feel that they have a fundamental messaging problem. Dean: Look how that worked out for them, with Kamala I mean they had all the A-listers. Dan: Well, they had $2 billion I mean Trump spent maybe a quarter of that and they had all the A-listers. They had Oprah. They had, you know, they had just Beyonce, they just had everybody and it didn't make any difference. So I was thinking about it. They think they have a messaging problem. They actually have an existential problem because nobody can nobody can figure out why the democratic party should even exist. This is the fundamental issue why, why, why should a party like this even exist? Dean: I I can't I? Dan: I don't know, I mean, can you answer the question? I can't answer the question I really don't know why this party actually exists. So it's a more fundamental problem to get people's attention. They have no connection, I think, with how the majority of people who show up and vote are actually going about life, are actually going about life. So you have these new mediums of communication and I'm using Google Flow as an example but do you actually have anything to communicate? Dean: Right, it all definitely comes down to the idea. It's capability and ability. I think that that's where we get into the capability column in the VCR formula. That capability is one thing is why I've always said that idea is the most valuable, you know? Dan: um, yeah, because you know, execution of a better idea, a capability paired with a better ability, is going to create a better result but if it's just a way of selling something that people were resisting buying and they were resisting buying in the first place have you really? Dean: made it. Dan: Have you really made a breakthrough? Dean: Have you really made a breakthrough? That was my next journey in my journal was after I realized that. Okay, first of all, everybody is competing for the same 1,000 minutes available each day per human for attention each day per human for attention, and they can't you know, do you can't use all of that time for consuming content there has to be. They're using, you know, eight hours of it for, uh, for working, and you know four hours of it for all the stuff around that, and it's probably, you know, three or four hours a day of available attention. Dan: Boy, that would be a lot. Dean: I think you're right, like I think that's the thing. I'm just assuming that's the, you know, that's the. Well, when you, you know, in the 50s, Dan, what was the? I mean that was kind of the. There was much less competition for attention in the 50s in terms of much less available, right, like you look at, I was thinking that's the people you know, getting up in the morning, having their breakfast, getting to work, coming home, having their dinner and everybody sitting down watching TV for a few hours a night. That's. That seems like that was the american dream, right? Or they were going bowling or going, uh, you know it was the american habit yeah, that's what I meant. That that's it exactly, exactly. The norm, but now, that wasn't there were three channels. Yeah, and now the norm is that people are walking around with their iPhones constantly attached to drip content all day. Dan: Well, I don't know, because I've never Not. Dean: you drip content, all well. Dan: Well, I don't know, because I've never not you and I have never. I've never actually done that, so I don't actually, I don't actually know what, what people are do, I do know that they're doing it because I can? I can observe that when I'm in any situation that I'm watching people doing something that I would never do. In other words, I can be waiting for a plane to leave, I'm in the departure lounge and I'm watching, just watching people. I would say 80 or 90 percent of the people. I'm watching are looking at their phones, yeah, but. Dean: I'm not, but I'm not yes, yes, I'm actually. Dan: I'm actually watching them and uh, wondering what are they? Doing why? Dean: no. Dan: I'm. I'm wondering why they're doing what they're doing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And, for example, I never watch the movie when I'm on an airplane, but I notice a lot of people watching the screen. Yeah, so, and you know, if anything, I've got my Kindle and I'm reading my latest novel. Yes, that's basically what I'm doing now, so so, you know, I think we're on a fundamental theme here is that we talk about the constant multiplication of new means to do something. Constant multiplication of new means to do something, but the only value of that is that you've got someone's attention. Yes, and my thing, my thinking, is that google flow will only increase the competition for getting yes, attention, attention that nobody, nobody's getting anyway. Dean: That's exactly right, that's it. And then my next thought is to what end? Dan: Well, they're out competing some other means. Dean: In other words, there's probably an entire industry of creating video content that has just been created, too, based on this new capability. I so I just think, man, these whole, I think that you know, I'm just, I'm just going. Dan: I'm just going ahead a year and we just got on our podcast and it'll be you. It won't be me. Dan did you see what such and such company just brought out? And I'll tell you, no, I didn't. And they say this is the thing that puts the thing I was talking about a year ago completely out of. Dean: Isn't that funny, that's what I'm seeing. It probably was a year ago that we had the conversation about Charlotte. Dan: Well, no, it was about six months ago. I think it was six months ago. Dean: Maybe yeah. Dan: But we were talking about Notebook, we were talking about Google. Dean: Notebook. Dan: I had one of my team members do it for me three or four times and then I found that the two people talking it just wasn't that interesting. It really didn't do it so I stopped't want to be dismissive here and I don't want to be there but what if this new thing actually isn't really new because it hasn't expanded the amount of tension that's available on the planet? Dean: biggest thing you have to, the biggest thing that you have to increase for something to be really new is actually to increase the amount of human attention that there is on the planet, and I don't know how you do that because, right, it seems to be limited yeah, well, I guess I mean you know, one path would be making it so that there it takes less time to do the things that they're spending their time other than it seems to me, the only person who's got a handle on this right now is Donald Trump. Dan: Donald seems to have a greater capacity to get everybody's attention than anyone anyone in my lifetime. Mm-hmm, yeah, he seems to have. Dean: I mean you look at literally like what and the polarizing attention that he gets. Like certainly you'd have to say he doesn't care one way or the other. Dan: He doesn't really care love or love, love or hate. He's kind of got your attention yeah one thing that I'm. He's got Canada's attention yeah. Dean: I mean really. Dan: That and $7 will get you a latte today getting. Canada's attention. Dean: It won't get you an. Americano, but it'll get you a Canadiano, okay. Dan: Yeah, it's so funny because I just I've created a new form and. I do it with perplexity it's called a perplexity search and give you a little background to this. For the last almost 20, 25 years 24, I think it is I've had a discussion group here in Toronto. Dean: It's about a dozen people. Right. Dan: And and every quarter we send in articles and then we create an article book, usually 35, 40 articles, which is really interesting, and it's sort of the articles sort of represent a 90 to 180 day sense of what's going on in the world. You know, you kind of get a sense from the articles what was going on in the world and increasingly, especially since AI came out. I said, you know, these articles aren't very meaty. They don't know it's one person's opinion about something or one person's. You know, they've got it almost like a rant that they put into words about some issues so what I? resorted to is doing perplexity search where, for example, I have one that I've submitted. This was the week when we had to submit our articles and we'll be talking about them in July, the second week of July. So they have to be formatted, they have to be printed. July, so they have to be formatted, they have to be printed, they have to be the book has to be put together and the book has to be sent out. Usually, everybody has about four weeks to read 35 articles. So my articles I have four articles this time and they all took the form, and one of them was 10 reasons why American consumers will always like their gas-fueled cars. Okay, and there were 10 reasons. And then I say, with each of the reasons, give me three bullet point, statistical proof of why this is true. And it comes out to about five pages, and then I have it write an introduction and a conclusion. This is a format that I've created with Propoxy. It takes me about an hour to start, to finish, to do the whole thing, and I read this and I said this is really, really good, this is really good. You know this is very meaty, you know it's got. You know it's just all fact, fact, fact, fact, fact, and it's all put together and it's organized. So I don't know what the response is going to be, because this is the first time I did it, but I'll never get an article from the New York Times or an article from the Wall Street Journal again and submit it, because my research is just incredibly better than their research, you know. And so my sense is that, when it comes to this new AI thing, people who are really good at something are going to get better at something, and that's the only change that's going to take place, and the people who are not good at something are going to become it's going to become more and more revealed of how not good they are. Yeah, yeah, like the schmucks are going to look schmuckier, the schmuckification of America and you can really see this because it's now the passion of the news media in the United States to prove how badly they were taken in by the Biden White House, that basically he, basically he wasn't president for the last four years, for the last four years there were a bunch of aides who had access to the pen, the automatic pen where you could sign things, and now they're in a race of competition how brutally and badly they were taken in by the White House staff during the last four years. But I said, yeah, but you know, nobody was ever seduced who wasn't looking for sex. You were looking to be deceived. Yeah, you know, all you're telling us is what easily bribe-able jerks you actually are right now, and so I think we're. You know. I'm taking this all back to the start of this conversation, where you introduced me to Google Flow. Yeah, and I'll be talking to Mike Koenigs in you know a few days, and I'm sure Mike is on to this and he will have Mike, if there's anybody in our life who will have done something with this. Dean: it's Mike Koenigs that's exactly right. Dan: You're absolutely right. Dean: Yeah. Dan: Mike will have three or four presentations using this. Yes, but the big thing I come down to. What do you have that is worth someone else's attention to pay attention to? Do you have something to communicate? Dean: Do you have something to communicate that? And my sense is it can only be worth their time if it's good for them to pay attention to you for a few minutes. You're exactly right, that is an ability. Do you have the ability to get somebody's attention? Because the capability to create that, content is going to be. Dan: There's's going to be only a few people at the tippy top that have well, that's not going to be the issue that's not going to be the issue that's not going to be the issue, that's the how is taken care of. Yes, that's exactly it. The question is the why? Dean: yes, I put it, you were saying the same thing. I think that that it's the what I just said, the why and the what. Why are we? What? To what end are we doing this? And then, what is it that's going to capture somebody's attention? Uh, for this, and I think that that's yeah, I mean, it's pretty amazing to be able to see this all unfold. Dan: Hmm. Dean: You know, yeah, yeah. But there's always going to be a requirement for thinking about your thinking and the people who think about their thinking. I think that people this is what I see as a big problem is that people are seeing AI as a surrogate for thinking that oh what a relief I don't have to think anymore. Dan: Yeah. Dean: I saw a meme that said your Gen Z doctors are cheating their way through medical school using chat GPT. Probably time to start eating your vegetables, it's probably time to start living healthily. Exactly yes. Dan: It's very interesting. I was interviewed two or three days ago by New Yorker magazine actually. Dean: Really Wow. Dan: Fairly, and it was on longevity. Dean: OK, because you're on the leaderboard right. Dan: The longevity, yeah, and, and they had interviewed Peter Diamandis and they said you ought to talk to Ann Sullivan, nice guy, the interviewer. I said the biggest issue about, first of all, we're up against a barrier that I don't see any progress with, and that is that our cells reproduce about 50 times. That seems to be built in and that most takes us to about 120,. You know, and there's been very few. We only have evidence of one person who got to 120, 121, 122, a woman in France, and she died about 10 years ago. I do think that there can be an increase in the usefulness of 120 years. In other words, I think that I think there's going to be progress in people just deciding well, I got 120 years and I'm going to use them as profitably as I can, and I said that's kind of where I that's kind of where I am right now and, uh, I said, uh, I have this thing called one 56, but the purpose of the one 56 is so that I don't, um, uh, misuse my time right now. Right, that's really, that's really the reason for it. And I said you know, at 81, I'm doing good. I'm as ambitious as I've ever been. I'm as energetically productive as I've ever been. That's pretty good. That's pretty good because when I look around me, I don't see that being true for too many other people and see that being true for too many other people. It was really, really interesting, I said, if we could get half the American population to be more productive from years 60 to 100, a 40-year period. I said it would change the world. It would totally change the world. So I said the question is do you have actually anything to be usefully engaged with once you get to about 60 years old? Do you have something that's even bigger and better than anything you've done before? And I said you know, and my sense is that medicine and science and technology is really supporting you if you're interested in doing that. But whether it's going to extend our lifetime much beyond what's possible right now. I said I don't think we're anywhere near that. Dean: I don't either. Yeah, I think you look at that, but I think you hit it on the head. That of the people who are the centenarians, the people who make it past a hundred. They're typically, they're just hung on. They made it past there but they haven't really had anything productive going on in their life for a long time since 85 years old, very rare to see somebody. Uh, yeah, you know, I mean you think about Charlie Bunger, you know, died at 99. And you look at, norman Lear made it to 101. And George Burns to 100. But you can count on one hand the people who are over 80 that are producing. Yeah, you're in a rare group. Where do you stand on the leaderboard right now? Dan: I was number 12 out of 3,000. That was about four months ago. Dean: That was about four months ago. Dan: I only get the information because David Hasse sends it to me. My numbers were the same. In other words, it's based on your rate of aging. Dean: That's what the number is when I was number one. Dan: the number, was this, and my number is still the same number. And when I was number one, the number was this and my number is still the same number. It just means that I've been out-competed by 11 others, including the person who's paying for the whole thing, brian Johnson. But you know useful information, yeah. Dean: But you know useful information. Dan: Yeah, you know and you know. But the big thing is I'm excited about the next workshop we're doing this quarter. I'm excited about the next book we're writing for this quarter. So so I've always got projects to be excited about. Dean: I love it All righty, I love it Alrighty. Okay, dan, that was a fun discussion. I'll be back next week, me too. I'll see you right here. 1:03:42 - Dan: Yeah, me too. Awesome See you there. Okay, bye, bye,

Thu, 22 May 2025 21:15:00 GMT http://relay.fm/rd/261 http://relay.fm/rd/261 Apparatus Tycoon 261 Merlin Mann and John Siracusa Your hosts finally discuss The Apparatus. Your hosts finally discuss The Apparatus. clean 5332 Your hosts finally discuss The Apparatus. This episode of Reconcilable Differences is sponsored by: Grist: A modern, open source spreadsheet that goes beyond the grid. Try it for free today. Links and Show Notes: Things kick off with some Billy Joel talk. Merlin thinks he's hearing double, but John's not so sure. Anyway, be sure to hang that graduation on the wall. In follow-up, John shares a listener's collection of colorful zipper nudges from around the world. Next, Merlin's kid continues to unintentionally learn how to do computer things. The legends and lore of YouTube engagement strategies are considered. This week's main topic is The Apparatus. In which your hosts investigate a fascinating and evolving contraption that appeared in Merlin's neighborhood. Things wrap with some anecdotes about places in Merlin's neighborhood where people have made numbers one and two in gross, anti-social ways. (Recorded on Tuesday, May 13, 2025) Credits Audio Editor: Jim Metzendorf Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano Music: Merlin Mann The Suits: Stephen Hackett, Myke Hurley Get an ad-free version of the show, plus a monthly extended episode. Billy Joel - "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" (Glass Houses, 1980) Billy Joel's Allentown vs. Levittown vs. Bethlehem “He thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.” On My Own, as sung by Kaho ShimadaThe best version of On My Own, according to John. It's from Les Misérables (Highlights from the Complete Symphonic International Cast Recording) Les Misérables (Highlights from the Complete Symphonic International Cast Recording) ATP Top Four: Game Consoles The Apparatus Makeshift AC outlet adapter meme What Roy Wood was capable of. | Everybody's a critic. | FlickrMerlin's kid has a history of forging technological desire pa

Thu, 22 May 2025 21:15:00 GMT http://relay.fm/rd/261 http://relay.fm/rd/261 Merlin Mann and John Siracusa Your hosts finally discuss The Apparatus. Your hosts finally discuss The Apparatus. clean 5332 Your hosts finally discuss The Apparatus. This episode of Reconcilable Differences is sponsored by: Grist: A modern, open source spreadsheet that goes beyond the grid. Try it for free today. Links and Show Notes: Things kick off with some Billy Joel talk. Merlin thinks he's hearing double, but John's not so sure. Anyway, be sure to hang that graduation on the wall. In follow-up, John shares a listener's collection of colorful zipper nudges from around the world. Next, Merlin's kid continues to unintentionally learn how to do computer things. The legends and lore of YouTube engagement strategies are considered. This week's main topic is The Apparatus. In which your hosts investigate a fascinating and evolving contraption that appeared in Merlin's neighborhood. Things wrap with some anecdotes about places in Merlin's neighborhood where people have made numbers one and two in gross, anti-social ways. (Recorded on Tuesday, May 13, 2025) Credits Audio Editor: Jim Metzendorf Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano Music: Merlin Mann The Suits: Stephen Hackett, Myke Hurley Get an ad-free version of the show, plus a monthly extended episode. Billy Joel - "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" (Glass Houses, 1980) Billy Joel's Allentown vs. Levittown vs. Bethlehem “He thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.” On My Own, as sung by Kaho ShimadaThe best version of On My Own, according to John. It's from Les Misérables (Highlights from the Complete Symphonic International Cast Recording) Les Misérables (Highlights from the Complete Symphonic International Cast Recording) ATP Top Four: Game Consoles The Apparatus Makeshift AC outlet adapter meme What Roy Wood was capable of. | Everybody's a critic. | FlickrMerlin's kid has a history of forgin

From Gorman's Les Mis vibes to Bix's trauma and Mon Mothma's political struggle, Jeff Haecker, Kathryn Laffrey, and Jon Koral unpack the moral decay, slow-burn tension, and rising stakes of Andor S2E4. The post Andor: S2, Ep 4: Ever Been to Ghorman? appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Peter Filichia, James Marino, and Michael Portantiere talk about Peter’s trip to London where he saw Oliver!, The Devil Wears Prada, Les Mis, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Richard II, My Masterbuilder, Here We Are (Sondheim), and The Comedy About Spies. Back on stateside, Peter saw A Little Night read more The post This Week on Broadway for May 18, 2025: Peter’s London Trip appeared first on BroadwayRadio.

Connor and Dylan are joined by Grammy Award nominee Brent Comer (The Outsiders, Les Misérables). Celebrating over a year playing Darrel Curtis in the Tony-winning Best Musical, Brent opens up about how his experience with the show has changed over time, ways he's keeping it fresh, and gives insight into his relationship with co-star (and friend of the pod) Jason Schmidt. We get into Outsiders lore, including Patrick Swayze's OG impact as Darrel, Tulsa, and the language of violence in the musical. Brent also reveals his favorite part of every single performance of The Outsiders. Star Wars, The White Lotus, and The Last of Us are discussed at length, as well as Brent's love of documentaries. Respect is put to Miley's “More to Lose” (the LIVE version, mama!), and Ransom Canyon on Netflix is teased. You've been warned. Are you curious about tattoos, Angelina Jolie, and the Broadway season at LARGE? Brent as Stanley Kowalski, George Seurat, or Sweeney Todd??? Stay until the end, y'all. Brent is a meme king, fitness legend, and Broadway star. DO NOT miss him in The Outsiders on Broadway.Follow Brent on Instagram & TiktokFollow DRAMA. on Twitter & Instagram & TiktokFollow Connor MacDowell on Twitter & InstagramFollow Dylan MacDowell on Twitter & InstagramSubscribe to our show on iHeartRadio Broadway!Support the podcast by subscribing to DRAMA+, which also includes bonus episodes, Instagram Close Friends content, and more!

This week on Still Buffering we're sating our hunger for new Hunger Games content by watching the 2023 series installment, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. It's like a musical, with added death and class consciousness, but not Les Mis.  Music: "Baby You Change Your Mind" by Nouvellas