I love hearing from all of you. I know there are A LOT of theatre blogs out there (I read a ton of them myself), and I know that you must really feel strongly when you take the time to write to me. Thankfully, a lot of you have written to say very nice things and to share your personal experiences with different shows. In fact, that is probably the number one thing I've come to learn about theatre through this blog: when the houselights go down, attending live theatre becomes such a profoundly personal experience for all of us. I love that unique bond between audience member and live performance. What I have learned from writing this blog is that those of us who feel that singular bond love to share that most personal experience, even when sharing means opening yourself up to the scrutiny of others who share your passion. I am so grateful that so many of you care what I have to say, and am just as grateful to those of you who share your thoughts.
Of course, with that caring and sharing also comes its share of criticism. Isn't it great when people see a work of art and have such completely different emotional responses to it? I've often said that I'd rather absolutely hate a show than leave it not caring one way or another. So it is perfectly OK with me that you hated Lysistrata Jones and I loved it. (Though I have to say that had the actual attendance at that show been proportional to the number of emails I got about it, it would still be running...)
But my favorite emails and Tweets are those that offer suggestions about what to include, what to stop and what to keep, but maybe do a little less of. And that is what the rest of today will be about.
BROADWAY BOYS AND LADIES
This monthly feature is by far the most popular feature of this blog. It will stay as is, no worries. And you have asked for more pictures. I do my best. As for more "shirtless" pictures, I will post what I can find that still maintains the dignity of the person being profiled. This not a porn site. (Please stop asking for the Spider-Man actor who regularly posts pictures of his penis. You obviously know where they are; I don't need to post them here, too.)
What a lot of you have asked for has been for more ways to "interact" with the blog - not just stuff to read, but to do and think about as far as Broadway theatre. Let me point out some features of this blog that allow you be interactive. And then, take advantage of them!
JKTS INTERACTIVE:
- Rate each blog. You can rate each and every entry at the bottom of each entry. One click is all it takes.
- Leave comments. Just below the rating is a place for you to leave your comments. Unless you are spamming me or are profanely critical, I post anything you write there. And, in case you are worried about security, I cannot see your email or personal information.
- Email me directly. My email address is posted at the end of most of my blogs. Say what you want there, and I'll write back. Nothing you write there will be posted on this blog without your permission. It is just between us! And I do not give out or sell email addresses.
- Tweet me. Follow me and I'll follow you! And if we both follow each other we can "chat" privately. And I can send you poll questions and special offers.
- Contests. The more of you who participate, the more contests I get offered. It is simply supply and demand. Nothing is really free, of course, which is why I ask you to follow the blog over several days or click on icons to answer questions to enter. It's more fun that way!
- Take the monthly poll. I found a really cool new poll function that I can embed. It will be on the left column, and will run from the 1st to the last of each month. You can only vote once, but please do!
- Use the links. There are links to great stuff all over this blog. Embedded in the blog entries, links are usually like this: Click HERE. There are also links on the thinner columns to the left and right of the daily blog entry. To the left: Contest Icons to click for contest info, the HOT and HOTTER Icon (see below for more about that), links to my reviews of currently running shows, CDs, books and DVDs, the monthly/yearly archive list and keyword search function, and at the very bottom, links to what I think are the best theatre blogs out there. On the right, icons to the monthly Mr. and Ms. Broadway, plus one-click links to most of the Broadway show websites, as well as a few of my favorite Broadway sites. You can also become a follower there, as well as follow what I've Tweeted.
- Use the pages. At the top are tabs that link you to pages about several topics. There, I have created pages with links to all related blogs. The good news is that Blogger allows me more pages than it used to, so I can add things you like as they come up.
- Like the pictures? Double-click them. Within each blog, if you double-click a photo, you can see - usually - a larger version AND a slideshow of all the pictures in that blog.
As popular as Mr. and Ms. Broadway is, the one thing I keep hearing from you is that I seem to pick people that are "Hollywood pretty" or pin-up girl in looks. Well, I'd be lying if I didn't say that sex appeal is part of my choice, but the truth is that talent trumps looks. Still, I try to focus on up and comers, mostly, and they tend to be the "lookers." But in the interest of full disclosure, I don't pick people just because I find them attractive, but I do consider selecting people that will appeal to most of you.
That said, I have begun the search for Broadway's most uniquely hot guy! Objectifying, sure, but all in good fun. Each week, I'll post a pair of guys that are not your typical Aaron Tveit or Jeremy Jordan, and ask you to rate their "hotness." (The poll will post each Saturday and end the following Friday at noon. The idea is that they are ALL super guys, super talented and charismatic, but not your typical guy, either. It will work like a bracket system for sports. I'll have 8 pairs. Then the winners from those pairs will go against each other, and so on until we are down to one pair, then one winner. The first pair of hot/hotter guys are American Idiot's John Gallagher Jr. and Van Hughes. Click on the picture under "Hot or Hotter" in the left column to rate these guys.
So, you asked for more "to do" and I'm giving it to you! Please:
- send in your nominees for Mr. and Ms. Broadway
- send in your ideas for "Hot/Hotter"
- take advantage of everything on the list above
- enter the contests
- take the polls
- and continue to share your love of the theatre with all of us!
Jeff
3.152
No comments:
Post a Comment