pepsi decides to put the 'ugly' in 'fugly' 2

I discussed my dismay with the recent rollout of new "pepsi" (lowercase) brand logos, but was somewhat indifferent on the new Tropicana packaging. I wasn't crazy about it -- and I liked the previous design -- but I wasn't repulsed by it either. On the computer screen I thought it was fine and fresh, but once I saw it on store shelves, it seemed to disappear into the background.

I was more concerned that this coincided with eliminating the "low acid" variety of orange juice, which sat better with my stomach in the morning. Since Tropicana apparently provided the only low acid OJ sold at Giant Eagle, this meant I was no longer compelled to stick with that brand. I've since switched to Simply Orange, which makes a great orange-pineapple juice that's worth the extra 30 cents. Edited to add: According to their website, Tropicana does still make the low acid variety, but the four closest locations are a few Target stores scattered across northeast Ohio. Not really worth my time.

But I digress. Apparently, enough consumers were turned off by the new Tropicana packaging that Pepsico is reverting to the previous design. As Armin from Under Consideration says,

In terms of design justice coming down upon crappy design, this day is as big as it gets. Every year from here henceforth, on February 23rd, corporations should be allowed to take back a design mistake and repent... a branding Yom Kippur if you will.

Ha! Perhaps we can set up a hotline for marketing VPs to call: 1-888-OOPS-LOGO.

city of angels 3

Here's the second "backstage pass" video for City of Angels. This one includes a brief interview with me as well.



The rehearsal process has been less hectic than with other shows, because we're only going three nights a week (for more weeks) rather than the usual four or five. This means one can do laundry or pay the bills on the in-between nights, rather than putting everything off until Saturday. Especially now that I am living on my own, I appreciate this. Sometimes I'll even cook a double serving of dinner on my off night so I can reheat leftovers on a rehearsal night.

Something else new with this show is that we had our first cast party three weeks into rehearsals. The reasoning for this was that Jason (the host) has a karaoke system, and didn't want us to blow our voices out during the run of the show. Plus, I can speak from experience that building camaraderie among the cast early on helps everyone (see also: Forever Plaid, 2002). Our next party -- sans karaoke -- is a week from now, and we still don't open for another two weeks after that. :)

One might think that this rehearsal schedule would allow me to, say, take down the remainder of my scant few Christmas decorations, but one would be mistaken. Maybe that will be a task for today.

city of angels 2

Here's a video snippet of our quartet that our director put together:

(Note: While playing, click the little triangle in the bottom right and select "HQ" for a higher quality video.)


I figured I'd post this as well: This is from the 1990 Tony Awards, and features two songs from the show (somewhat out of context, although Kathleen Turner gives some narration to explain what's going on).

City of Angels at the 1990 Tony Awards

Incidentally, BlueGobo.com is a great place to find video clips of professional musical productions.

city of angels

Here's a "backstage" look at the show for which I'm currently rehearsing, City of Angels. Eventually there will be a promotional video featuring the quartet I'm in, but for now this will give you an overview and a peek behind the scenes:

(Note: While playing, click the little triangle in the bottom right and select "HQ" for a higher quality video.)


The show runs the last three weekends of March: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

kix v. cocoa puffs

I maintain that Kix engages in false advertising. What kid really wants that bland, tasteless cereal? My friend Justin maintains it's slightly sweet and that he liked it as a kid. We were noting that Cocoa Puffs are just chocolate Kix, but harder.

J: kix is soft
J: cocoa puffs are like a rock tumbler
J: lol

B: you and your f*cking kix
B: I swear to god
B: lol

J: {eviscerate mouth roof!}
J: kid-tested, mother-approved, and bryan-despised
J: lol

B: you ruin it for the rest of us who just want to eat a bowl of sugar qubes for breakfast

J: f
J: I like the corn crunch, b*tch
J: lol,
J: a bowl of sugar cubes
J: I'm imagining pouring that into a bowl
J: {clink clink!}
J: {dissolve in milk?}

B: lol yeah
B: {also have a vitamin!}

(For an explanation of "have a vitamin," watch this Homestar Runner toon.)