Received this email today asking me what it’s like to work for Cirque Du Soleil.
Hi Mr. Askland,
I am curious to know how it is to work at Cirque? What are the hours you work as a musician? How long do you have to prepare for an audition after they choose you to be part of the show?
Please let me know.
Best regards
Daniel
You’d think I’d be posting this as a joke, but it’s true. Check out the article on CNN:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/07/11/china.dogmeat.ap/index.html
For the record, yes I have eaten dog meat. Not in China (that I know of), but many years ago when I toured in South Korea. Tastes like a cross between Bald Eagle and Harp Seal…. 🙂
Snoop Dogg 08 at the Ottawa Blues Festival on July 6, 2008. Photos by my friend Gemcee – a female emcee that reps Canada on my RapDogs.com hip hop forum.
Mount Vernon, WA – If you have ever been involved with a Theater Arts Guild Production, You Are Invited to our TAG Family Reunion! Please join us on August 2nd at the Conway Muse for fun, music, food and hangin’ out with fellow cast and crew members from every show we’ve ever done.
For more information and ongoing updates go to the newly renovated TAG Website at http://www.theaterartsguild.org.
A friend asked me for help on how I prepare music for musical theater so here’s a couple notes that may be obvious, or not. These notes are for community theater productions which in my experience usually have about three months of rehearsal time before opening.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTHvTSBhl5s
My cousin sent me this. Dare you to watch it and not be moved…
A son asked asked his father, ‘Dad will you take part in a marathon with me?’ The father who, despite having a heart condition, says ‘Yes’.
They went on to complete the marathon together.
Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying ‘Yes’ to his son’s request of going through another race together.
One day, the son asked his father, ‘Dad, let’s join the Ironman together.’ To which, his father, as always, said ‘Yes’ too.
For those who don’t know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile marathon along the coast of the Big Island .
Father and son went on to complete the race together. Watch the video to see them both in action…
(If video is not showing on this page, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTHvTSBhl5s )
Starbucks coffee announced it will be closing 600 stores and relocating employees to existing stores. Very sad news for all us coffee lovers. A moment of silence?
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/07/01/starbucks.closings.ap/index.htmlÂÂ
 
A friend sent me this. An actual tombstone from a front lawn. “Here he lies all stiff and hard – The last darn dog that crapped in this yard.”
Hancock starts playing July 2, 2008. Starring Will Smith – The story of a super hero that has some personal issues. Looks very funny. Check out trailers and the official Hancock movie site at http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/hancock/
For locals in Macau – it will start playing at the Macau Tower on July 3, 2008.
Update – Oops – Hancock film gets a bad review:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/07/01/review.hancock/index.html
Freddy Fender Song in Movie – Hey! A friend wrote me that they thought one of the songs used in the movie was interesting. I saw the movie and in one of the jail scenes heard Freddy Fender’s “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights”! That was a nice surprise. I think I played that song about a thousand times when I was touring with Freddy. RIP Freddy – we still love you and remember you!
