The Hamilton Polka (Weird Al Yankovic)

It's what everyone's talking about!  Hamilton is streaming on Disney+, as of 3:00 this morning.  Probably a lot of bleary-eyed people walking around in the world right now, and rightfully so.  I have my work cut out for me, attempting to get the app on my TV today, or sometime this evening.  I thought it would be easy but, as with all good things, it's not...  :-)

I have friends who have seen the stage play a double-handful of times (they *do* live in New York, though).  Others have every song/line/word memorized and sing along with wild abandon.  It has become a national and global phenomenon.  I subscribed to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts a few years ago, so that my husband and I would be able to view it in Ft. Lauderdale.  I think the backstory is absolutely fascinating (I mean, who picks up a historical biography in the airport, brings it with them on vacation, and writes a hip-hop play about it?!?), the lyrics/dialogue fast-paced as well as brilliant!

Perfect timing on the eve of our nation's birthday.  Hope you're able to appreciate, wherever you are, and please wish my technoweenie self luck getting in to "the room where it happened"...  :-)

As is tradition, five items below of beauty, interest, and humor (all Hamilton-related) to brighten your day/weekend/week.  Enjoy!  



~ Experience the original Broadway Production of Hamilton, streaming exclusively on Disney+ on July 3 (Official Trailer):  Hamilton is the story of America then, told by America now. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, Hamilton has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre—a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education. Filmed at The Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in June of 2016, the film transports its audience into the world of the Broadway show in a uniquely intimate way.


~ Lin-Manuel Miranda 'Literally Gave Two F--s' About Swearing in 'Hamilton' Before Musical Lands on Disney+:  Before Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda appears as Alexander Hamilton on Broadway fans' screens when the musical debuts on Disney+, he had some choice, uncensored words to say about it.


~ Beach Read to Broadway! How Lin-Manuel Miranda Turned a History Book into Hamilton:  The historical hip-hop musical Hamilton, which played an acclaimed Off-Broadway run earlier this year, has taken a circuitous route to its highly anticipated Broadway bow. Take a look back at the show's road to its own historical opening here. [Hamilton" would win 11 Tony Awards, including best musical.]


~ Lin-Manuel Miranda Performs at the White House Poetry Jam:  Writer and star of the Broadway musical In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda performs "The Hamilton Mixtape" at the White House Evening of Poetry, Music, and the Spoken Word on May 12, 2009. Accompanied by Alex Lacamoire.


~ Sorry, You're Not Hamilton - Randy Rainbow



SONG:  ‘The Hamilton Polka’ - Weird Al Yankovic:  February's #Hamildrop collaboration with Weird Al Yankovic is out!  Listen to ‘The Hamilton Polka’, a remixed medley of ‘Hamilton’ hits, featuring Weird Al’s twist on songs like ‘My Shot,’ ‘Wait For It,’ ‘The Schuyler Sisters,’ and more.

BOOK:  Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeremy McCarter

POEM:  Love Letter to Elizabeth Schuyler by Alexander Hamilton

Immediately after dinner, I stole from a crowd of company to a solitary walk to be at leisure to think of you, and I have just returned to tell you by an express this moment going off that I have been doing so. You are certainly a little sorceress and have bewitched me, for you have made me disrelish every thing that used to please me, and have rendered me as restless and unsatisfied with all about me, as if I was the inhabitant of another world, and had nothing in common with this. I must in spite of myself become an inconstant to detach myself from you, for as it now stands I love you more than I ought—more than is consistent with my peace. A new mistress is supposed to be the best cure for an excessive attachment to an old— if I was convinced of the success of the scheme, I would be tempted to try it— for though it is the pride of my heart to love you it is the torment of it to love you so much, separated as we now are. But I am afraid, I should only go in quest of disquiet, that would make me return to you with redoubled tenderness. You gain by every comparison I make and the more I contrast you with others the more amiable you appear. But why do you not write to me oftener? It is again an age since I have heard from you. I write you at least three letters for your one, though I am immersed in public business and you have nothing to do but to think of me. When I come to Albany, I shall find means to take satisfaction for your neglect. You recollect the mode I threatened to punish you in for all your delinquen[c]ies.

I wrote you a long letter by your father. I suppose you will wait his return before you write. If you do I shall chide you severely and if you do not write me a very long and fond one by him, I shall not forgive you at all. I have written you a short letter since that.
We are now at Dobbes ferry.

I would go on but the General summons me to ride. Adieu My Dear lovely amiable girl. Heaven preserve you and shower its choicest blessings upon you. Love me I conjure you.

QUOTE:  “Those who stand for nothing fall for everything.” ~ Alexander Hamilton

I Lost on Jeopardy (Weird Al Yankovic)

I'm taking a bit of a break from the weariness of the world (which will still be here tomorrow) to celebrate the joyfulness - three really amazing things have happened/are happening and I had to honor them...

First of all, I finally took the online Jeopardy test - my friend Judi told me about it at book club the other night, and there was one more evening left to try out. For as long as I can remember, I've watched the challenging game show and tested my wits against the three nightly contestants - I always remember to phrase my answer in the form of a question, even in the informality of my family room... and, considering I don't have that pesky eye-hand-coordination buzzer to contend with, I do a respectable job of appearing knowledgable. I'm not claiming to be that smart but I have a font of useless information cluttering up my brain - every once in a while it comes in handy, such that, whoever is in the room usually says with enthusiastic awe, "you really should try out to be on the show!".

So.. as soon as I got home from book club, I registered and read the rules... and logged on the following evening 20 minutes beforehand to test out my Flash player, get settled, etc. Thirty seconds before the test was scheduled to begin (8 PM Pacific, 11 PM Eastern), the familiar Jeopardy theme song began... as did my stomach butterflies - they tell you in advance to pay attention to the category, you do not have to follow the in-the-form-of-a-question format and you have 15 seconds to type in your answer, at which point you can hit Enter or allow the test to capture whatever you've managed to type thus far.

It was fun, in that weird, stressful, time-limited kinda way - some felt like no-brainers (who wrote the Oz books? - jackpot!)... a few others were above my level of comprehension (something about x, y, domain, function?!?). A few I totally blanked on, and most I tried to at least submit *something* - you quickly find out that 15 seconds feels like no time at all to process much less enter trivia, and I tried to allow my intuition to take over (don't second-guess) and not get discouraged if I didn't know something (which could have affected my answers following). They say that they will not disclose your score, one way or the other and that they will notify you if chosen - the next step would be an in-person tryout in the city of your choice (Miami, in my case). Out of 50 questions, I actually think I got more than half right - wish me luck (oh, to be able to meet Alex Trebek is one of my heart's desires!).
Secondly, Boyhowdy at Cover Lay Down has been suffering from inner ear problems for a few months and, in his words, "last week, in a spate of concern about losing a week of posting to my continuing tinnitus, I asked a few of my favorite folkbloggers to donate 'a fave coversong or two, and a short write-up to accompany it'. The plan was to collect coverfolk from bloggers I trust, on the likely chance that I could not blog as my best self for a while, and have it ready to share with you as a celebration of my blogging peers and influences." - I was one of the people he asked to submit a guest blog (!). Big honor (major understatement) - part 1 can be found here...
Thirdly (be still, my heart!), I will be leaving the house shortly for the Dar Williams concert at the Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale - we've organized quite a contingent of South Florida folks and I've been promoting the show like crazy. It's at a local rock club and we may end up standing all evening - we're troopers and she's worth it (win/win!).

SONG: I Lost on Jeopardy by Weird Al Yankovic (a parody of the song Jeopardy by the Greg Kihn Band)

BOOK: Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs by Ken Jennings
POEM: Follow Your Bliss by Joseph Campbell

The divine manifestation is ubiquitous,
Only our eyes are not open to it.
Awe is what moves us forward.

Live from your own center.
The divine lives within you.
The separateness apparent in the world is secondary.
Beyond the world of opposites is an unseen,
but experienced, unity and identity in us all.

Today the planet is the only proper "in group."
Participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world.
We cannot cure the world of sorrows,
but we can choose to live in joy.

You must return with the bliss and integrate it.
The return is seeing the radiance is everywhere.
The world is a match for us.
We are a match for the world.
The spirit is the bouquet of nature.

Sanctify the place you are in.
Follow your bliss. . . .

QUOTE: "Life must be aromatic." ~ Gwendolyn Brooks