“Hamlet” Spoiler Alert: Everyone Dies!

Posted on March 15, 2012 | 3 comments

Calypso makes Odysseus build “the US Airways of rafts.”

After 10 years — or the time it takes to read this story — Odysseus returns to his homeland of Ithaca.

Odysseus’ crew makes the Titanic staff look like NASA.

That’s The Odyssey in a nutshell. Say goodbye, Cliff Notes. Adios, Spark Notes.

Say hello, HighSchoolSummary.com!

Max Lance

The website — offering 4-minute summaries of high school English class standbys like The Odyssey, A Tale of Two Cities and Macbeth in clever web-video cartoon form — is the brainchild of Max Lance.

Before graduating from Staples in 2002 — and going on to NYU, USC film school and a career as a stand-up comic, screenwriter and author of the best-selling Amazon Kindle Single Crazy Girls — Max read his share of those English class, um, staples.

Now he’s turned them into an internet sensation.

“Hamlet” is about an emo teenager who is bad with confrontation.

Spoiler: Everyone dies.

Max — who lives in Los Angeles — works with his brother Dan (Staples ’05), a New York-based cinematographer, video producer and part-time editor for Fox News.

The first step, Max says, is to actually re-read each book. “When I was in high school, I could care less,” he says. “Now I think they’re pretty neat.”

He writes a one-page plot summary — straight up, no jokes — and then adds humor. There are sly asides, pop culture references, and plenty of sexual innuendoes.

After 4 or 5 drafts, Max tapes his shtick. He emails the sound file to Dan, who animates the summary to sync with the audio.

The site has caught on. Within 2 days of the Great Gatsby posting, it had 10,000 hits.

Max markets the videos through Reddit, BuzzFeed, CollegeHumor, his own blog, and  tweets and Facebook posts. But many students find it just by — desperately — searching for the books they were supposed to have already finished reading for an essay due tomorrow.

“That’s not why we did the site,” Max says. “We just thought we’d put up funny summaries for people who know the books. But if that’s part of our audience, fine.”

“1984” is a really inaccurate portrayal of the year 1984.

Dan Lance

Of course, the brothers hear from folks who accuse them of butchering their favorite books. As a stand-up comic, he’s used to people who don’t think humor is funny.

Next up: Huck Finn. The website also offers a list of future suggestions, for users to vote. It includes classics like Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies and Grapes of Wrath.

But already, Max and Dan have branched out beyond high school literature. “Art History” includes these observations:

The Phoenicians [illustrated with a map of Phoenix, Arizona] and Greeks perfected the technique of boring pieces of chipped pottery, which we ignore in museums.

Four Renaissance artists — Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello — are better known asNinja Turtles.

Chiaroscuro is an SAT word!

(To see all the HighSchoolSummary videos, click here.)

3 Comments

Posted in Arts, People, Staples HS, technology

Tagged , , , , ,

Wacky Weather On March 14

Posted on March 14, 2012 | 12 comments

The temperature soared near 70 today — more than a month earlier than normal. Buds sprouted, car tops came down, shirt tops came off.

The scene was dramatically different just 2 years ago. On March 14, 2010 Westport reeled from the effects of a deadly windstorm the night before. A woman was killed by a falling tree on Park Lane; much of the town lost power, and trees pierced dozens of roofs.

What a difference 2 years makes.

As for tomorrow…

…beware the Ides of March.

Dozens of residents of High Point Road were trapped for days by this downed transformer.

Not far away on High Point Road was this weird scene.

Travel was impossible on South Compo Road, not far from the fatality on Park Lane.

This Woody Lane scene was repeated all over town.

The backyard of a Caccamo Lane home -- a typical March 14, 2010 scene.

12 Comments

Posted in Looking back, Places, Weather

Tagged ,

Na Na Hey Hey — It’s Chris Robison!

Posted on March 14, 2012 | 3 comments

Like many teenagers in 1964, Chris Robison watched the Beatles on “Ed Sullivan.” Like many too, he says that appearance transformed his life.

For most, that transformation meant listening to a new kind of music or growing hair. Some picked up guitars, and tried to strum.

Chris embarked on a lifetime of music.

Chris Robison, back in the day.

He hitchhiked to Burlington to see the Searchers and Zombies. (Rod Argent is still his hero.) In Boston he watched Van Morrison, Jeff Beck and Ronnie Wood.

He started a band. In Provincetown they opened for the garage group The Barbarians — of “Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?” fame.

Eventually Chris recorded with John Lennon, Keith Richards, Papa John Phillips and Gene Simmons. (Not all at the same time, obviously.)

Steam -- at least, one version of it, with Chris Robison.

While living in the East Village, he got an offer to join Steam. There was no real band of that name — just a bunch of studio musicians who’d recorded a song called “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.” When it rocketed to #1 in 1969, a group was formed to tour under that name. They burned themselves out, so Chris was asked to join Steam’s 2nd incarnation.

They played 28 states on grueling 3-week tours of 1-night stands, TV shows and festivals, sharing the bill with Bob Seger and MC5, among others. “Steam” played all original material; the only obligation was to start and end each set with “na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, goodbye!” (“Now you see how the 1st lineup evaporated,” Chris says.)

Chris’ next gig was Elephant’s Memory, the politically active band best known for backing John Lennon and Yoko Ono. They opened for Aerosmith, Rare Earth and Billy Preston too, and once played a Circle Line tourist boat gig — hosted by the Hell’s Angels — with Bo Diddley and Jerry Garcia.

Then it was on to the New York Dolls — a key influence on later punk, new wave and glam metal groups like the Ramones, Blondie and Talking Heads — and a tour of Japan with Jeff Beck and Felix Pappalardi. A crowd of 55,000 jammed Tokyo Baseball Stadium to hear them play.

Later Chris formed his own band, Stumblebunny, which toured the UK and Germany with the Hollies.

But — even if they never stop playing music — rock stars eventually grow up, get married, have kids and move to the suburbs. (Hey there, Keith Richards!)

Chris Robison a few years ago, with his sons Dex and Tiger.

In 1990 Chris came to Westport, in large part for the schools. He added teaching — piano, keyboard, folk and electric and bass guitar, bass guitar, even songwriting — to his resume. (He’d studied composition, music theory and classical guitar at the New England Conservatory.) He’s the founder and director of Half Mile Studios, here in Westport.

“I’m a natural teacher,” he says. “When my kids had playdates, I’d show everyone the difference between black and white keys on the piano.

“It may sound corny, but I like making a difference in someone’s life.”

He’s seen plenty of bad teachers. Some are “too pedantic or strict.” Others are disengaged — “it’s like, ‘I’m just doing this while I’m not on tour.'” Chris truly loves to teach.

He’s been a role model to many. “Your free-spirited attitude, calming presence and thoughtful perspective on life has helped create a special connection,” is a typical comment on his website. “You have helped create a bit of who (our children) are and are becoming to be — just by being you.”

Chris Robison, from his "lost rocker" days.

But — just as Chris’ old stagemate Bob Seger sang — plenty of people “still like that old time rock and roll.”

Documentary filmmakers Paul Rachman and Steven Blush — makers of “American Hardcore” — are in post-production with “Lost Rockers.” It “peeks under the dusty rug of music history and tells the stories of great forgotten musicians.”

Of course, I wouldn’t mention “Lost Rockers” unless Chris is in it.

And he’s put his old band Stumblebunny back together.

“It’s all fun,” he says. “Playing, teaching, working with kids — I love it.”

Just take those old records off the shelf…

…and just don’t play Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.

3 Comments

Posted in Entertainment, Looking back, People

Tagged , , , ,

Taking Teen Actors “Into The Woods”

Posted on March 13, 2012 | 4 comments

David Roth is a Stephen Sondheim aficionado.

In the spring of 2002 Roth was in his 2nd year as director of Staples Players. In the aftermath of 9/11 — with Americans still shell-shocked and saddened — he replaced his original spring production choice with “Into the Woods.”

The Sondheim musical weaves together several popular fairy tales. It’s funny and uplifting. A major theme — how people from different walks of life band together in the face of crisis — fit well with the country’s post-9/11 mood. It won the prestigious Moss Hart Award — one criteria of which is “social relevance.”

Ten years later, Staples Players are again producing “Into the Woods.” This time, though, 9/11 has faded from most Americans’ memories.

And something else has changed: Two years ago, Lucy Roth was born.

Amanda Horowitz (Little Red Riding Hood) and Clay Singer (Jack, of beanstalk fame), in the 2012 Staples Players production of "Into the Woods." (Photo/Kerry Long)

Being a father — and working with co-director Kerry Long, who plays dual roles as his wife and Lucy’s mother — has caused Roth to examine “Into the Woods” with fresh eyes.

“I realize now there’s another theme: the legacy parents leave for their kids,” he says.

“After Lucy was born, Kerry and I see how our actions are reflected in her.”

Songs like “Children Will Listen” have influenced the couple’s direction of the current production, Roth says.

A tale of 2 princes: Cinderella's (Charlie Greenwald, left) and Rapunzel's (Tyler Jent). (Photo/Kerry Long)

In fairy tales, Roth now realizes, “there are almost no fathers.” Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, Cinderella — all referenced in “Into the Woods” — have forced the director to think deeply about fatherhood.

In the show’s “new” fairy tale, a baker and his wife try to begin a family. They finally succeed —  but the wife dies, and the baker must bring up the child alone.

“We’re focusing on those things more,” Roth notes. “Last time we concentrated more on the havoc the giant was inflicting on people, and how they overcame it.”

Roth and Long have used their insights as parents to help their teenage actors understand the dreams their parents have for them. “We share some of our own personal experiences,” he says. “We describe our discoveries as parents, and how we’re learning about life through Lucy.”

Joanna Gleason — who won a Tony Award for her portrayal of the baker’s wife — spent time with the Staples cast. She too discussed how the show resonates with her as a parent. (Then she went into the studio, to tape some audio. She will be heard on the Staples stage, as the voice of the giant.)

David Roth and Kerry Long have taken their young — but very talented — Staples actors on a long journey “Into the Woods.” This weekend and next, audiences will marvel at how far they’ve all come.

(“Into the Woods” is performed at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and  Sunday, March 16, 17, 23 and 24, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 18. Click here to order tickets; click here for more information.)

4 Comments

Posted in Arts, Children, People, Staples HS, Teenagers

Tagged , , , ,

Happy 100th, Girl Scouts!

Posted on March 12, 2012 | 11 comments

In 1962 — to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of the USA — officials asked Stevan Dohanos to paint a portrait.

The noted illustrator — a Westport resident — chose the most typical Girl Scout in town he could find to model. Her name was Betsy Beardsley.

Twenty-five years later — in honor of the 75th anniversary — Judy Frey tracked down both Betsy (in Florida) and the picture (in storage at national headquarters).

Because Judy was a longtime Scout leader, active in both Westport and Connecticut activities, she arranged for a permanent loan to the state’s Southwest Council.

Right now — to celebrate the Girl Scouts’ 100th anniversary — it’s hanging in Westport Town Hall.

Westport Girl Scouts Christina Meehan, Shanti Wimmer, Malini Wimmer and Sarah Sherts pose proudly in front of Steven Dohanos' painting, now hanging in Town Hall.

It’s hard to imagine any Westporter more associated with Girl Scouts than Judy Frey.

A Scout herself as a child in the 1950s — in many troops, because her father was in the military and moved often — “girls didn’t get to do a lot of things,” she says. That’s why the Scouts’ outdoor activities were so welcome.

When she moved to Westport from Minnesota in 1978, she’d already had experience leading her daughter’s troop. She called Scout leaders, met “wonderful” people (including another famed leader, Betty Roberts), and began her long involvement here.

Judy Frey, with the plaque in her honor at Camp Aspetuck.

When her daughter was in 7th grade, Judy met Nancy Peach. They began bringing troops to Camp Aspetuck, in Weston. “Some of the girls were scared to go out at night,” Judy recalls. “It was great to take them out of their comfort zone. Making girls stretch is so important.”

Then it was on to the Appalachian Trail. “Nancy taught me so much about the outdoors,” she marvels. Today, Judy takes adults on outdoor adventures, from the White Mountains to Corsica.

But she continued working with Girl Scouts, long after her daughter’s graduation from Staples in 1987. Judy was involved with the high school troop, 8 or 10 girls a year who enjoyed learning skills, camaraderie, and taking trips to places like London. The typical Girl Scout, she says, is “driven to achieve things.”

Judy also volunteered with the district office. A building at Camp Aspetuck now bears her name.

She calls the state of Girl Scouting in Westport “pretty good. There are some very enthusiastic people involved.” Earlier this month, 500 Scouts and adults met for a “Thinking Day” at Bedford Middle School.

Judy Frey, in her beloved outdoors.

Of course, she wishes more women were involved as leaders. “Not as many women stick around long-term as before,” she says. “We need help with camping events. There’s more to Scouting than just taking trips to the fire station.”

Over the years, Girl Scouts have changed. The cooking badge now emphasizes nutrition, and where service projects once were Westport-specific, now the Scouts make dresses for girls in Africa.

Today marks the actual 100th anniversary of the founding of Girl Scouts in America. A small display is set up at the Westport Library.There will be a low-key flag-raising at Town Hall. Second selectwoman Shelly Kassen will issue a proclamation.

No word on whether those delicious cookies will be served.

11 Comments

Posted in Children, Organizations, People, Staples HS, Teenagers

Tagged , , ,

Oops! (Heh Heh)

Posted on March 11, 2012 | 10 comments

What would you or I think if we saw building plans for a new home with a 3-car garage, but no driveway?

Unbelievable oversight, right?

But here in Westport, architects and homeowners think differently.

They think: Gotcha!

Apparently, zoning regulations do not always require a driveway. And without a driveway, builders can gain hundreds of extra square feet of coverage.

Of course, no one builds a 3-car garage without planning to use it.

So the next step, after the home is built, is an appeal to the ZBA for a waiver. To build the driveway that was needed all along.

This is a true story. But now we’re on to the ruse.

Gotcha!

Dude, where's my driveway?!

10 Comments

Posted in Real estate, Totally random, Westport life

Tagged ,

My 15 Minutes

Posted on March 10, 2012 | 19 comments

I often give shout-outs to Westporters who land in the New York Times. It’s nice to celebrate those random, local-national connections.

But that’s it: A link on “06880,” a brief description of the story, then it’s on to the next post.

Last Sunday, I was the Westporter in the Times.  And despite all the hand-wringing about the current state of journalism — print and online — one thing is certain: the New York Times still has juice.

Staples' Dylan Evans (right), in one of the many exciting moments from Staples' 2011 season. (Photo/Carl McNair)

A few days earlier, I’d been interviewed by a sports reporter. The subject seemed arcane: Several years ago the governing body of American soccer organized a new, highest-tier form of youth teams (the “Development Academy”). Recently they lengthened those teams’ seasons to 10 months, and decreed that Academy players can no longer play for their high school teams.

The Times turned to me — the Staples High School boys soccer coach, with a few Academy players on our roster — for insights.

We talked for 45 minutes. I knew that much of what I said would land on the editing floor; I hoped what survived would be pithy, helpful — or at least not inane.

I had no idea when the piece would run.

On Saturday afternoon, I started getting emails. “Saw your quote in the Times!” they said. “Nice job!”

The story had been posted online — 15 minutes earlier. I have no idea how so many people found it so quickly, but I was not complaining.

I was mentioned briefly — only 4 paragraphs’ worth.

Dan Woog, the boys soccer coach at Staples High School in Westport, Conn., recalled the night his team won a league championship several years ago and a group of players showed up at a diner afterward with their championship medals around their necks.

Suddenly, the other customers in the diner — a majority of them Westport residents — stood up and spontaneously gave the players a standing ovation. The players beamed.

The 2009 FCIAC champs -- before the medals were awarded.

“They’re going to remember that the rest of their lives,” Woog said. “They felt like kings. That’s not going to happen in the academy.”

Woog added: “We should be in the business of letting kids be kids. Not forcing them into thinking they’re going to be playing for Arsenal or Manchester United two years from now.”

Fortunately, that was the money quote.

Dozens of people emailed me. Many appreciated what I said; a few took issue. The debate — mirroring one that’s gone on all over the country — was taking shape.

Then came Sunday morning.

The story ran on the front page of the sports section — above the fold. The headline — “High School Players Forced to Choose in Soccer’s New Way” — attracted attention from millions of readers. Soccer fans, anyone with a connection to high school, even people with no skin in the game — all seemed intrigued by the story. After all, it has ramifications for athletes in many other sports, and discussed side issues like competition, education, and adolescent development.

Then the blitz really began.

By late morning, over 150 comments had been posted on the Times website.

The 2011 team, in a typical high school pose. (Photo/Carl McNair)

I’d received at least as many emails and phone calls. They came from former athletes, dimly remembered ex-Stapleites who recognized my name, current players, parents of current and ex-players, and Westporters who were simply excited to read my name in the paper.

Most of those who contacted me directly agreed with what I said. That’s natural.

The Times page was filled with diverse opinions. Early comments favored the Academy approach; later, they became 50-50. A few people wrote so obtusely, I wondered if they read any part of the story at all.

Then the media descended. I gave a number of interviews to other papers, blogs and outlets. All of a sudden, the Times story became national news.

Just as quickly, of course, it subsided. By yesterday, the American soccer world (and the media that covers it) had moved on to other topics. I was old news.

Someone else was enjoying his or her 15 minutes of fame.

And I’m left to wonder, still, about Academy teams, high school soccer, and kids walking into the Sherwood Diner with championship medals around their necks.

(Click here to read the entire Times story.)

A small portion of a large crowd at a Staples soccer championship match.

19 Comments

Posted in People, Sports, Staples HS, Teenagers

Tagged , , ,

Eric Ryder’s “Avatar”

Posted on March 9, 2012 | 4 comments

You may have heard about the lawsuit filed in December against James Cameron, alleging that James Cameron stole a science fiction writer’s story, then turned it into “Avatar.”

I did.

But what I did not hear until a couple of days ago was that the plaintiff was Eric Ryder.

As in Eric Ryder, Staples Class of 1979.

According to Courthouse News Service — what, you don’t read it regularly? — Eric’s Los Angeles Superior Court suit alleges that he worked with Cameron’s production company, Lightstorm Entertainment “for almost 2 years” to develop Eric’s story, “KRZ 2068,” into a 3-D movie.

Courthouse News reports:

"Avatar" was my idea, says Westport native Eric Ryder.

Ryder’s story followed “a corporation’s colonization and plundering of a distant moon’s lush and wondrous natural setting, the corporation’s spy sent to crush an insurrection on the distant moon among anthropomorphic, organically created beings populating that moon, and the spy’s remote sensing experiences with the beings, emotional attachment to one of them in particular, and eventual spiritual transformation into a leader of the lunar beings’ revolt against the corporation’s mining practices,” according to the complaint.

Eric says he pitched the story to Lightstorm in 1999.

Ryder says he also provided the production company with “treatments, photographs, 3-D visual representations and imagery, character and scene development, story element and production ideas, and screenplay development assistance, in anticipation of the motion picture’s production.”

But after 2 years of development work, Ryder says, the production company told him the film could not be made “because no one would be interested in an environmentally themed science fiction feature film.”

Hah!

Eric seeks punitive damages, and a share of the profits.

That would be substantial. “Avatar” was the highest-grossing film of all time.

4 Comments

Posted in Entertainment, People, Staples HS

Tagged ,

Halfway Home

Posted on March 9, 2012 | 13 comments

When groundbreaking was held Wednesday for the new Halfway House at Longshore, it marked the end of a long campaign.

And the start of a new organization that could impact much more than just golf here in Westport.

This week’s ceremonial shoveling was the result of a team effort that raised private funds and developed construction plans. The building came in on time and way under budget thanks to leaders Fred Hunter and Mark Holod; donations of time, material and money from Westporters; a major gift in Cliff Ross’ name, and a tournament organized by Skip Lane and the Haberstroh “boys” (Chuck and Steve).

Longshore golfers will soon have a halfway house worthy of the course -- and the entire park.

The umbrella organization — Friends of Westport Parks & Recreation — is a non-profit that encourages tax-exempt private donations for a public purpose. With its 1st project nearly complete, the Friends group is now looking for other projects through which private individuals or groups can improve the town’s recreational opportunities and infrastructure.

No word yet on what those projects might be — a new ramp for kayaks and canoes? A bone for the Winslow dogs? A new clubhouse at Longshore?

But with over 2 dozen parks and athletic complexes around town — each with its own constituencies and concerns — there should be no lack of ideas.

What’s yours? Click “Comments” to give our Friends some friendly input.

(In other golf news, the Longshore course opens today. Tomorrow morning, the Longshore Men’s Golf Association sponsors its annual course cleanup day. Golfers, their kids, the Staples golf team — all put in a few hours to spiff up one of Westport’s crown jewels.)

Breaking ground on Wednesday (from left): Mark Holod, Katherine Ross, Jeff Mayer, Janis Collins, Fred Hunter, John Cooper.

13 Comments

Posted in Longshore, Organizations, People, Sports

Tagged , , ,

8800 Sq Ft, Water Vu, 6 Washer/Dryers

Posted on March 8, 2012 | 10 comments

The rich are different from you and me.

The rich have 6 washers and dryers.

At least, Phil Donohue and Marlo Thomas do.

Their Beachside Avenue property is on the market.

Phil and Marlo's home. (Photo/John Videler)

For a mere $27.5 million, you get:

  • Welcoming gates and a long drive
  • A 3-bedroom, 3-full and 2-half-bath Nantucket-style home with expansive water views
  • A separate 2-bedroom guest wing with a bath and private entrance
  • Another building on a pond, with a fully equipped gym and “hand-crafted, tropical-designed sauna”
  • A screened gazebo for “complete peaceful relaxation and bird watching”
  • Environmentally friendly features, ensuring “the least waterfront maintenance possible”
  • Sophisticated geo-thermal heating, a/c, electric, security and drainage systems “engineered toward the future”
  • Mahogany-framed, “wind-tested” windows.

Oh yeah. And 6 washer-dryers.

Two cops were on hand today, directing brokers to areas of the estate they could and could not see.

It was all very hush-hush. Unless, of course, you had to shout to be heard over all those washers and dryers.

One of the few rooms without a washer-dryer. (Photo/John Videler)

10 Comments

Posted in Entertainment, People, Places, Real estate

Tagged , ,