TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE

MY VERONA PRODUCTIONS

presents

a play by Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom

TUESDAY WITH MORRIE

based on the book by Mitch Albom

StarringRAY GABICA and ADAM MICHAEL LEWIS

...and the piano and vocal stylings of Ms. Kitty Karn

APRIL 28-MAY 6

Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m.

DIRECTED by Tristan L. Tapscott and CJ Langdon

SOUND DESIGNER Jacob Schenk

STAGE MANAGER Gary Baker

PRODUCED by Sean Leary

through special arrangement with DRAMATISTS PLAY SERVICE, INC.

Comedy Sportz/My Verona Theatre

1818 3rd Avenue

The District

Rock Island, Illinois

For more info check out seanleary.com or tristantapscott.com

YOUR FAVORITE BAND Cast Announced!

Here it is... the cast list for My Verona's up-coming feature film YOUR FAVORITE BAND. Filming begins in August with a release expected in December....

OFFICIAL CAST FOR ``YOUR FAVORITE BAND''

JUDE PAGE…………..Rick Davis
GINA MARKHAM……………Jamie Em Johnson
LEAH PAGE……………….Kylie Jansen
ADAM COPELAND……………….Adam Lewis
DAMON STRODE…………………Chad V. Holtkamp
BARRETT SPADER………………..Sean Leary
MARLEY…………………………Tristan Layne Tapscott
ALLMAN BAKER……………….Tom Walljasper
JACK FREED…………………….Don Hepner
AMBER…………………………Jessica Nicol
RHIANNON………………….Marianna Caldwell
BILLY JOE…………………….Gary Baker
JERRYMANIA (SEINFELD IMPERSONATOR)………….Drew Pastorek

WOMAN AT BAR / SCENE ONE……………. t.b.a.
FIRST MAN HITTING ON WOMAN/SCENE ONE…….Kyle Cassady
SECOND MAN H.O.W./S.O. ………………CJ Langdon
THIRD MAN H.O.W. / S.O. AKA TUPAC………….Chris White
BARTENDER SCENE ONE………………………….Bobby
LAVONDA/WOMAN IN BATHROOM……………… t.b.a.
MAN FROM BATHROOM…………………..Greg Kerr
BARTENDER / SCENE TWO…………………..Jim Siokos
LURLEEN……………………………………. t.b.a.
JERICHO GRAYE…………………………..Chris Rice
BIG LOUIE………………………………Brian Nelson
BLUES NARRATOR…………………………Walter Smith
TACO WOMAN……………………………… t.b.a.
ROOSTER JUICY…………………………..Justin Marxen
CHICKENZILLA………………………….Chickenzilla
BOUNCERS…………………………….Brad Morris, Charles John, Chris Zerbonia
THE SILVER FOX……………………. Ed ``Jonesy'' Jones
DRAKE DARCY…………………………….Darren Pitra

CLUB PATRONS, EXTRAS, ETC. ………………. Brad Morris, Charles John, Chris Zerbonia, CJ Langdon, Kyle Cassady, Jessica Duncan, Jessica Stratton, Alyssa Grimes, Jillian Kate Weingart, Kate Farence, Lionel Marcoux, Kathleen Myers, Lauren Kapolnek, Michele Stine, Julia Sears, Angela Zerbonia, Indigo Carroll, David Truitt, Mitch Payne

KIDS IN LEAH'S BAND……………………. Jack McNeil, James McNeil, Rhythm Rice, Amanda Merritt

KIDS WATCHING LEAH'S BAND………………. Garrett Larsen, Mackenzie Larsen, Ellie McNeil, Gina Sears

For more info, check out seanleary.com or tristantapscott.com

OSCAR picks

the Oscars - My Predictions

*picks in bold

ACTOR -- LEADING
Leonardo DiCaprio – BLOOD DIAMOND
Ryan Gosling – HALF NELSON
Peter O'Toole – VENUS
Will Smith – THE PURSUIT
OF HAPPYNESS
Forest Whitaker – THE LAST KING
OF SCOTLAND

ACTOR -- SUPPORTING
Alan Arkin – LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jackie Earle Haley – LITTLE CHILDREN
Djimon Hounsou – BLOOD DIAMOND
Eddie Murphy – DREAMGIRLS
Mark Wahlberg – THE DEPARTED

ACTRESS -- LEADING
Penélope Cruz – VOLVER
Judi Dench – NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Helen Mirren – THE QUEEN
Meryl Streep – THE DEVIL WEARS
PRADA
Kate Winslet – LITTLE CHILDREN

ACTRESS -- SUPPORTING
Adriana Barraza – BABEL
Cate Blanchett – NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Abigail Breslin – LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jennifer Hudson – DREAMGIRLS
Rinko Kikuchi – BABEL

ANIMATED FEATURE
CARS
HAPPY FEET
MONSTER HOUSE

DIRECTING
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
THE QUEEN
UNITED 93

SCREENPLAY -- ADAPTED
BORAT
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE DEPARTED
LITTLE CHILDREN
NOTES ON A SCANDAL

SCREENPLAY -- ORIGINAL
BABEL
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
PAN'S LABYRINTH
THE QUEEN

BEST PICTURE
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
THE QUEEN

YOUR FAVORITE BAND

YOUR FAVORITE BAND


My Verona Productions presents

YOUR FAVORITE BAND
The Movie!

Wanna read part one of the script? CLICK HERE.
Details to come...

In the meantime.....
Get Listed In The Credits
of a movie! For just FIVE BUCKS!

How would you like to have your
name listed in the credits of a
film?

A film that'll be released
worldwide on DVD, that will be
screened at Quad-Cities and
Chicagoland theaters, and will be
sent to film festivals across the
world?

And all for the cost of a beer or
four?

Okay, if you're still reading, here's
the deal : We're looking for
investors in My Verona's new film,
YOUR FAVORITE BAND.

And if you donate money to the film, you'll get your name in the
credits. It's really that simple.

For more info, visit SEANLEARY.COM

Be sure to check out TRISTANTAPSCOTT.COM as well.

YOUR FAVORITE BAND

My Verona's debut film YOUR FAVORITE BAND is currently in pre-production.... Check out the script by clicking HERE.

For more info on the film be sure to visit tristantapscott.com or seanleary.com.

Update on the film and other projects coming soon...

A 'Dick Tracy' Christmas, or the Year I Found Out Santa Wasn't Real

A 'Dick Tracy' Christmas, or the Year I Found Out Santa Wasn't Real

I miss believing in Santa Claus.

I really do.

I fondly remember the excitement I used to feel on the days leading up to Christmas Eve. I would swear to myself that I would be in bed by like 4 p.m. (because everyone knows that time goes by much faster when you're sleeping) only to have so much energize that I would fly around my house. Not literally, of course, as I was not Peter Pan (but still wish to be someday). That's a whole other story.

But Santa… I miss believing, etc… yes…

A typical Christmas Eve experience in the Tapscott house (pre-divorce, of course) was a VERY cool deal. We would have dinner, and then talk our parents into letting us open one present. (It is to be noted that as child we were given masses of presents. We were poor back in the day but man did we have presents.) Then we would proceed to play with that toy (for me, it was often some really kick ass Hotwheels or Matchbox collector sets. - they rule) until my parents would put on some classic Christmas movie. Regulars in our house were the likes of "It's a Wonderful Life," "White Christmas," or one of the many classic from what I call the early clay-mation series or many of the traditional cartoons. And always, and I mean ALWAYS, "The Grinch who Stole Christmas." I am talking pre-Howard and Carrey here; the classic film narrated by THE Boris Karlof. Brilliance, indeed…

Following that my brothers and I would be off to bed. Though we had our own rooms, we would often build a triumphant blanket fort with bunk beds in one of our rooms. It was a truly spectacular event. For about the first hour, we would desperately try to fall asleep. Of course, this never worked because my brothers and I have an unbelievable ability to make each other laugh. And I mean, laugh like no holds bar, arms flailing, knee slapping laughter. It was insane. (We still do this today and oddly enough, usually around Christmas time.) We would then quietly and carefully retreat to the top bunk of my brother's bed and peer out the window at the moon, which I awkwardly remember always being full on Christmas Eve. We would sit for hours and wait for Santa to fly over the moon. My brothers would inevitably fall asleep around 4 a.m. Not me: I wanted to see that sleigh glide across the sky. There were moments when I would drift off, but I would always wake up and wait anxiously for the big fat man and the eighty tiny reindeer to fly through the sky. I wanted to see that silhouette in the moon's glow. Sadly, I never did.

Year after year, until I was maybe 7 or 8, I was convinced that I had missed in those few moments of shut-eye. I think part of me did not want to admit to the fact that maybe Santa did not exist. Many things challenged my belief in him (or her to completely PC here - I don't want any scary feminist on my back about this one) but I remained a faithful believer in the 'Ole St. Nick.

I held onto because I had really never seen anything that could prove the idea otherwise. I always compared it to religion and this Jesus character. In the church, we are told that this person existed and this thing happened, but nobody can really prove it. Yet we still believe. I took that same approach with Santa. No one really had any proof of it yet as children we all still believe. The odd thing is we all stop believing in Santa yet still believe most of what we're told in church. But you have to ask yourself, is there really much difference? They are both referenced heavily in books, movies, songs…

Only major difference? Santa is celebrated once a year. Jesus and all the religion stuff is celebrated year round. It's because Santa is fat isn't? And Jesus is a fox. It's a fat issue. Ok. Anyway, moving along…

So, I remained a firm believer in Santa until I stumbled upon something that really changed my view. Until now, my parents had been amazingly successful in hiding the "Santa" gifts that would magically appear on Christmas morning. This year, however, they were rather sloppy. I found them. I found all of the classic Dick Tracy stuff I had asked for that year while rifling in the back of their closet. My dad kept his Playboys there and every now and then I would like to take a peek (yes, I was an early bloomer). I went in turned on and ready to see some naked girls, but I came out limp with shattered dreams. I didn't even take a look at any girls in cute college cardigans. That's how devastated I was. I quickly told myself that maybe Santa dropped the toys off early this year or maybe he was punishing me because I looked at nudey women. I couldn't help the fact, however, that maybe my… big gulp… parents were, in fact, Santa.

I kept this to myself. I didn't tell anyone. Not my friends at school. Not my dogs (who I would tell things to occasionally). And especially not my brothers. Christmas Eve came and while I still had the same amount of energy and excitement, it had been lessened by the afore mentioned occurrences. This is what I believe to my first big acting gig. I had to act like nothing was wrong and it was Oscar worthy. I did everything the same. Everything. I was bound and determined to find the truth.

My brothers and I were watching the moon as always when they fell asleep. Lucky for me, it was a little earlier than usual. That's when I heard a sound I'll never forget. My parents were up. Had they always done this? Obviously, but I had never heard them before. It was rather odd. I waited until they were both in the living room and rummaging around. This was my shot to see if what I felt was actually true. I crept off the bed and to the door. Luckily, the bed room was at the end of hallway that led to the living room and if I positioned myself just right I could see what was happening. I did. I saw everything. My mother setting out my collectible Dick Tracy sleeping bag, my Father setting out some random Police stuff for brother Jared, and other random toddler things for Ethan. My heart started racing. I began to sweat. I must have let out an audible groan because my mother stopped and stared my way. She made a weird face. I just stood there stunned. Did she see me? I quickly backed away and shut the door quietly. To this day, I don't know if she saw me. (After she read this, she confirmed that she did see me...)

I then closed the curtain, got back into bed, and just stared at the ceiling. I felt a sudden relief come over me. I giggled. It was oddly reminiscent of that scene in Jim Carrey's "Man on the Moon" when he finally realizes that the "cure" was a hoax. I had cracked the code, but did I really want to?

No. I don't think so. I enjoyed believing in that aspect of Christmas. I always believed in the whole family togetherness, giving and sharing thing but this was a very cool thing.

I am still convinced that my Grandpa is the real Santa Claus. "Miracle on 34th Street" my ass… this guy is it.

And another thing...

Who is to say that Santa doesn't exist? A man flying around the world in one night with 8 reindeer is not any crazier than that whole Noah and his Ark business.

Happy Holidays!

Peeking in on me in my PJ's....

I work retail during the holidays.

Need I say more?
(and I WILL but later...)

And what can no store be without around the holidays? (Insert cheesy game show music here) That's right... Christmas music! The thought of it stuns me to the core. Ok, that's a bit strong. I don't hate Christmas music. In fact, some of its ok... but when you're forced to listen to the same holiday station that plays that same song at least 4 times in one hour it can get a little old. Of course, by little I mean RRRREAAAAALY, RRRRREEEEAAAAALY fucking old.

Such is the case with a little jingle called "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." (Small note: for the longest time I was convinced Claus was spelled with an "e" at the end. Damn you, Hollywood! Moving on...) With this ever popular holiday song (which has a millions different version, many of which sound exactly the same...) comes many concerns. It's sad, really...

Around 3 p.m., in the midst of the craziness that was December 23 in the coveted John Deere Store, I was listening to what was my 26-28 dose of this yule tide number and suddenly something changed. I was actually listening to the lyrics. I've always known them, and known them by heart but had never actually listened to them before. Man, I was really listening... and wow...

"He sees you when you're sleeping..."
WHAT? Great! So , I gotta fat man peeking in on me in my PJ's. Wonderful! Just what I need is some other dude watching me sleep! I can see it now in households across America... "Jimmy, are you gonna be ok in your room all alone?" "It's ok, Mom, I've got some hippy named Jesus and fat guy with a beard watching me while I sleep. It's just fine."

"He knows when you're awake..."
So, two dudes are watching do everything else during the day. Perves, I say, perves! It's like a holiday version of Brokeback Mountain. Yeah, come on... Santa is Ennis and, well, Jesus is Jack Twist for obvious reasons. Think about it.

Perhaps I have been thinking about this too much. Perhaps I have said "Happy Holidays" to one too many people. Perhaps I am sick of people really getting the wrong idea about this holiday... ?

I don't know.

All I know is... for me:
It's not about presents. It's not about how much someone spent on you. It's not about impressions. It's not about the food (although, I do love the food... even if it is tacos with my Dad - ha!).

It's about family. It's about friends. It's about love. It's about being together. It's about being ok with imperfections (let's be honest, perfection is boring anyway). It's about realzing that you're doing alright...

It's about being able to say it's a wonderful life...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Spring Awakening

This new rock musical just opened on Broadway...

It kicks ass.

Check it out.

springawakening.com

Baby put through X-Ray machine at LAX

Baby put through X-Ray machine at LAX


I worked retail for 8 hours in Redneck heaven, spent close to 45 minutes in a wretched combo of holiday traffic and Walmart (please, don't get started on that one) mania where I stood in line wedged in between some yokels with maybe 7 teeth between the 2 awkward parents and 4 obese children and a 400 pounder who thought she was Rachel McAdams, and then I get online only to see this as a headline...



Baby put through X-ray machine at LAX

1-month-old checked, cleared by hospital after grandmother's mistake

-Associate Press

LOS ANGELES - A one-month-old baby has been checked and cleared by a Los Angeles hospital after being put through an airport X-ray machine.

Authorities at Los Angeles International Airport say an inexperienced traveler mistakenly put her grandson through a carry-on luggage screener.

A startled security worker noticed the shape of a child and immediately pulled the baby out.


A spokesman for LAX says the incident Saturday was an innocent mistake.



Ok. Wow. Really? A baby through an x-ray machine? Really? REALLY? So... All I wanna know is...

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?

I honestly don't get it...

Happy Holidays!