Thursday, April 26, 2012

Yet Another Les Miserables Update

Here is a picture of Amanda Seyfried as Cosette. Not quite what I was expecting. I kind of like the fact they went for a more authentic, unglamorous look.

Here is a video of the cast filming the finale. I think it sounds great. I am just that more excited to hear the rest of the music. 229 Days!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Behind Enemy Lines at BYU

So next year BYU is putting on a production of Phantom of the Opera.  They recruited a kid i went to High School with to play the Phantom. His name is Preston Yates and he is actually a student at the University of Utah. I don't know why they recruited from their enemy rival school but Preston has an amazing voice.  All of you who are able to should definitely come and see this show. 
I was in the pit orchestra with a few of the productions at Lone Peak and Preston is so great. But don't take my word for it, here's some video proof. 
Here is Preston singing Bring Him Home

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Titanic


This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Sinking of the Titanic.  So I thought I'd dedicate a whole post to the R.M.S Titanic.

                                                            goldfastfactsonblack
1.  The White Star Line was the company that built the Titanic, and was owned by J.P. Morgan, an American tycoon.  It cost $7.5 million to build the Titanic.  It was the most luxurious ocean liner of its time.  The price of a first class ticket cost each passenger $4,700 which was a HUGE amount of money for the time.  It would be about $57,000 today.
2.  As the Titanic was leaving the port, the suction it caused actually snapped the ropes of a nearby docked ship, the S.S. New York.  Tugboats had to race to the scene to prevent the New York from colliding with the Titanic. Some people felt this was a bad omen.
3.  There were six iceberg  warnings received by Titanic on the day of the collision. They were all ignored by the wireless operator.  Unfortunately, that operator was preoccupied with transmitting passenger messages. The night the collision occurred was moonless and the water was still.  Both of these facts made it very difficult to see into the dark night and black ocean.  The iceberg that the Titanic struck was not very big.  It did not even come up as high as the bridge of the ship.
4.   The Titanic was traveling 22.5 knots. This was just .5 knot from her maximum speed capability.  The ship was clearly traveling too fast for conditions.  The collision occurred at 11:40 P.M. on Sunday, April 14, 1912.
5.  The captain ordered the engines reversed which sealed the Titanic's fate. A ship as large as the Titanic turned more quickly the greater her forward motion. Had the Titanic proceeded ahead and turned, it is most likely that she would have avoided hitting the iceberg all together.  The gash that the iceberg cut into the hull of the Titanic was between 220 to 245 feet long. The total length of the ship was approximately 882 feet.  Recent evidence shows that an opening the size of a refrigerator is what allowed water to enter the ship.  Also, the "watertight" compartments of the Titanic's hull were not actually watertight. They were open at the tops, which made the disaster worse.  The ship could have stayed afloat if only four compartments flooded, but five actually flooded.
6. A total of 1,503 people died, including passengers and crew. Only 705 people survived.  Only 1 child from first class died, while 49 children from steerage died.  Many dogs were also aboard the Titanic.  Two survived.  Charles Joughin was the only person to survive the ice cold Atlantic water.
7.   Law required a ship the size of the Titanic to have 962 lifeboat seats. The Titanic had 1,178 seats, but 2,208 lifeboat seats were needed to get everyone off the ship.  Many of the lifeboats left the ship only half full. There were 472 lifeboat seats not used. Not many people went down with the ship.  Most of the people went into the Atlantic Ocean with life jackets on.  However, the water temperature was only 31 degrees, so most people froze to death in the water.
8.  The Carpathian was the ship that responded to the Titanic's distress call, but she was 58 miles and 4 hours away.
9.  Orders from the Captain were that, women and children were to board the lifeboats first. One man, Daniel Buckley, disguised himself as a woman to get aboard a lifeboat.  The band played music up to the last few minutes before the ship went under. None of the band members survived.
10.  The Titanic lies 12,600 feet at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.  The two pieces of the Titanic lay 1,970 feet apart from one another on the ocean floor.  The Titanic was rediscovered on July 14th, 1986, seventy-four years after it sank.  Since the death of Millvina Dean, May 31, 2009, there are no longer any living survivors of the Titanic tragedy. Millvina Dean was just nine weeks old at the time of the Titanic's sinking.
Click  Here for even for fun facts!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

In honor of Conference and Easter this coming Week I feel I share my testimony best through song!

I stand all amazed



His Hands


My favorite Hymn of All time

I know that My Redeemer Lives

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Les Miserables Update

I am so excited I can't even stand it. I am going to be giddy when I actually get to see a trailer for the Les Miserables. I think I'll be a full blown basket case when I finally get to see the movie. 255 days! Yes I am a little obsessed.



Actor Hugh Jackman unleashes his "Wolverine" as Jean Valjean in an emotional scene of "Les Miserables" on March 21, 2012 in the United Kingdom.

and yes, Anne Hathaway chopped her hair off for the movie. Fantine, Hathaway's character, sells her hair for money.
PIC: Anne Hathaway Chops Off Her Hair