Cambria Rose

I finally had the chance to meet my great-niece two weeks ago when Tashena and Tucker were in town for a family funeral.  To say that I am smitten with her would definitely be an understatement!  I think she is the most adorable baby ever and I loved every minute that I got to spend holding her (I even got to feed her).  Marilyn and I plan on spoiling her (we already went on a big shopping spree while she was here) and we can't wait to take a road trip to Washington to see her again soon!  Here is more from her newborn photo shoot.

To add to the cuteness overload, here is the sweetest video of the sweetest baby ever!

Arsenic and Old Lace at the Empress Theatre

Last night I could not stop laughing at the Empress Theatre's entertaining production of the classic madcap comedy Arsenic and Old Lace. Two elderly spinsters, Abby and Martha Brewster (Rose Lagos and Diana Sorensen, respectively), are known in their Brooklyn neighborhood for their numerous acts of charity. However, their charity includes poisoning lonely old men who come to their home looking for lodging with their homemade elderberry wine. Their nephew Teddy (J.D. Robison), who believes that he is President Theodore Roosevelt, helps them by burying the men in the holes he digs for the Panama Canal in the cellar. Chaos ensues when their other nephew Mortimer (Marc Reading) discovers one of their victims in the window seat and when their estranged nephew Jonathan (Mike Brown), a homicidal maniac, suddenly appears wanting to dispose of one of his victims in the same window seat. It takes an unwilling accomplice (Ryan Munsey), a bumbling policeman who really wants to be a playwright (Adrian Young), and a curious fiancee  (Rachel Felt) to end the mayhem. This show features a lot of physical comedy and the entire cast does a brilliant job with it. I especially loved Reading because his Mortimer is hilariously overwrought as events spin wildly out of control (I laughed out loud every time he shrieked in panic), Brown because his Jonathan is so menacing as he looms over everyone, Robison because his Teddy is completely over the top as he charges up the stairs fighting the Battle of San Juan Hill, and Young because their Officer O'Hara reenacts the play with a frenetic energy that is fun to watch. It is also so much fun to watch Lagos and Sorensen because their facial expressions are an absolute hoot (another laugh out loud moment came when Sorensen skipped to the cabinet to get the elderberry wine) and I loved the chaotic scenes involving the dead bodies in the window seat. There was also an amusing mishap last night involving the police officers and a baton but Brad Goodman (as Lieutenant Rooney) played it off so well it was a highlight of the show for me (the actors could barely hold it together as they exited the stage). The set for this show is impressive and filled with all of the fussy period furniture and objects you would expect two elderly spinsters to have in their drawing room. I loved the attention to detail, especially the books on the cabinet (the lady sitting next to me kept picking them up to look at them) and the cut glass decanters and goblets. My favorite elements were the wood wainscoting and family portraits along the upstairs hallway and the elaborate picture window and seat. I also enjoyed the period costumes, particularly those worn by the Brewster sisters (I loved the black bombazine gowns). Getting a ticket to this show (go here) is a guaranteed fun night out and it is a great way to support one of my very favorite community theatres!  Performances are on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through April 18.

Jazz vs. Nuggets

I always pick the Denver Nuggets game when my friend Angela offers me my choice of Utah Jazz tickets because I really love to hate them (I have lots of friends and family who live in Denver so it is a bit of a rivalry).  Last night's game is most likely going to be my last for the foreseeable future so I tried to enjoy myself despite the fact that I knew the Jazz would lose (more on that later).  As predicted, the Nuggets took an early 17-3 lead when they got 12 unanswered points, including three 3-pointers from Jamal Murray, in the first four minutes of the first quarter.  Several baskets from Brice Sensabaugh and Kyle Filipowski got Utah to within 30-27 but Murray continued to impress with a dramatic half-court buzzer-beater to end the quarter up 39-28.  Sensabaugh, who ended the night with 28 points, and Filipowski, who added 25, continued to score for Utah but Cam Johnson's 14 points and more from Murray, including a really pretty step back three, put the Nuggets up 68-54 to end the half.  The Jazz stayed with the Nuggets to start the third quarter and, when Ace Bailey hit a pull-up three, they cut their lead to six which got the crowd cheering (I have to admit that I spent more time talking to Angela than watching the game but this play definitely got my attention).  The Jazz held the Nuggets to that six point lead until Nikola Jokic (who was pretty quiet during this game with just 15 points) scored and Murray hit another one of his 3-pointers (he ended the night with ten) to bring their lead to 14.  The Jazz got a bit of chaotic momentum late in the third to cut the lead to 97-90.  I have been very critical of how the Jazz have been tanking in the fourth quarter but I think they put forth a good effort last night and I was impressed by Cody Williams (9 points), Bez Mbeng (7 points), and Kennedy Chandler (16 points) off the bench.  The Nuggets still ended up winning 130-117 which means that they swept the Jazz for the second year in a row.  I hate it when the Nuggets beat us but, as always, it was fun to watch the game with Angela.  She has decided not to renew her tickets next season (it is disheartening to pay so much money to see them lose every game) so it looks like I will be attending more Mammoth games!

The AI Doc: or How I Became an Apocaloptimist

Up next in the double feature with my nephew last night was The AI Doc: or How I Became an Apocaloptimist.  I didn't really want to watch this documentary because I already have a lot of existential dread about the topic but my nephew talked me into it and it is probably a good thing that I did.  Award-winning filmmaker Daniel Roher decides to investigate what will happen if, or more likely, when Artificial Intelligence reaches its maximum potential after he learns that he and his wife, filmmaker Caroline Lindy, are expecting a baby because he is nervous about the kind of world his son will inherit.  He interviews several ethicists and critics of A.I., including Tristan Harris, Aza Raskin, and Eliezer Yudkowsky, who all warn that the technology is moving too fast and that it poses a threat on par with global nuclear war.  They also suggest that it is too late to do anything about the impending catastrophe.  These interviews leave Roher feeling incredibly anxious so Lindy urges him to find some hope.  He then interviews other experts who are optimistic about A.I., including Peter Diamandis, Guillaume Verdon, and Ramesh Srinivasin, and they suggest that it has the potential to solve the greatest problems facing humanity by discovering alternative sources of energy, creating scientific and medical breakthroughs, and providing automation to free people from the burdens of labor.  This gives Roher a measure of comfort but then he interviews Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, and Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Google DeepMind, who are all in a race to create Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), which would exceed human intelligence to the point that humans would no longer be needed, because the first company to do so would gain untold money, power, and control.  The documentary concludes with a call to action for people to demand transparency, regulation, and cooperation (which might be impossible with the current geopolitical situation).  Roher's intention is to present a balanced approach to the topic but, in my opinion, the optimism isn't earned because he fails to discuss access.  I have no doubt that A.I. is capable of improving lives (I recently watched the documentary The Thinking Game about how Google DeepMind solved the protein folding problem and its implications for science) but it is almost certain that only the elite will benefit from these discoveries.  He also fails to discuss the economic displacement that automation is sure to cause.  I think Roher is much more successful with his goal to provoke conversations about the topic (my nephew and I discussed it at length) and, even though this is a very difficult watch, these conversations are necessary.

They Will Kill You

Last night my nephew and I had a double feature and we started with They Will Kill You.  Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz) takes a job as a maid at The Virgil, an exclusive high-rise apartment building in New York City.  She arrives and meets the eccentric building manager Lilith Woodhouse (Patricia Arquette) and, while the building and its wealthy inhabitants seem odd, she soon settles in for the night.  What Asia doesn't know is that The Virgil has been a temple to Satan for the past 100 years and the inhabitants must periodically perform a human sacrifice in return for their immortality.  She is selected for the ritual so Kevin (Tom Felton), Sharon (Heather Graham), Bob (Willie Ludik), Tall Steve (David Viviers), and Short Steve (Gabe Gabriel) attack her in the middle of the night but they are shocked when she is able to defend herself and kill them.  What the inhabitants don't know is that Asia is not who she pretends to be and has come to The Virgil to find her younger sister Maria (Myha'la).  Carnage ensues when Asia is forced to kill the inhabitants over and over again to keep her sister safe until they can escape.  The action sequences are hyper-stylized with a tone that is incredibly surreal and they become more and more unhinged as they go on (even if they do become very repetitive).  The kills are extremely gruesome (one involves a detached and bloody eyeball) but they are really fun to watch (my favorite is when Asia uses a burning ax to kill everyone single-handedly).  Beetz is great as an action star (I find her to be very compelling) but, when she isn't punching, kicking, stabbing, crawling, and climbing her way out of secret passages and locked rooms, she shows a lot of emotion as a someone trying to make amends for past mistakes.  There are flaws but it is entertaining and I really dug it.