Mukilteo Musings

Six Degrees of Separation or Tangled Web or It's Really a Very Small World

1. The movie, "United 93" opens today with fabulous reviews in all three of my newspapers--4 stars. I do not plan to see it because it hits too close to home. So many of us have some sort of connection to the horrors of September 11; our family is one. My husband was on one of the last cross country flights late in the night of September 10 out of Washington, D.C. He was scheduled to be in a meeting in the White House on September 11 to educate and advise Bush advisors on arsenic levels in our drinking water. Fortuitously, he had another meeting here in Seattle so he left his colleagues to report at the White House. My husband got home at 2 AM on September 11. The next flights to take off were hijacked. And his friends had to run for their lives from the White House. A slightly different set up on hubby's palm pilot could have put him in an attacked White House or on a hijacked flight and I do not want to think about it let alone see a movie.

2. Speaking of "United 93", one of the stars is Cheyenne Jackson who plays the hunky hero rugby player we have all heard about--Mark Bingham. It just so happens that Cheyenne Jackson is from Spokane and he started his career in the "biz" here in Seattle. He has performed in musicals at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle and the Village Theater in Everett. My daughter and I had the good fortune to see him portray Tony in "West Side Story" at the Village Theater about three years ago. His performance was so damn hot that I dropped all of my belongings under my seat and didn't notice the whole time. His voice is gorgeous and mesmerizing and his muscles.....ah....he is very popular in Seattle. In the same way Apolo Ohno is Seattle's favorite sexy sports star, Cheyenne Jackson is Seattle's favorite sexy stage star. So now, he is in a major movie after hitting it big on Broadway. I told Kaley during "West Side Story" that Cheyenne had "it", whatever "it" is and we'd be hearing more about him. My gut feeling was right on.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/artsentertainment/2002955396_cheyenne27.html


JONATHAN OILEY / UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Cheyenne Jackson, who honed his acting craft at Village Theatre, the 5th Avenue Theatre, Civic Light Opera and other local [Seattle area] stages, is part of an ensemble cast in "United 93."


3. Speaking of musical theater in Seattle, in January, we went to see "The Wedding Singer" at the 5th Avenue Theater. It was being pulled together and tweaked here in Seattle before heading to Broadway. My husband and I enjoyed it--well, I liked it. It is full of 80's kitschiness and the entire set was mauve and teal. As we left the theater, I said a little too loudly, "Oh my gosh, we so need to update the wallpaper in our powder room! And reupholster our living room couches!" The gay couple behind us seemed to enjoy my comment.


No, this is not from the set of the Wedding Singer--though it totally could and should be!

Anyway, the "Wedding Singer" hit Broadway and opened last night. Word has it from the online web that Apolo Ohno, Seattle's sexy sports star, attended the debut performance in New York?! Interesting. What is that about?
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=wedding28&date=20060428&query=Wedding+Singer

http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/FrameSet.aspx?s=ImagesSearchState%7c0%7c0%7c-1%7c28%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c1%7c%7c%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c7%7c%7cApolo+Ohno%7c1125084063323127%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0&p=7&tag=1


4. Speaking of the 5th Avenue Theater, my daughter's high school won the 5th Avenue's Best High School Musical last year for "Pirates of Penzance". This year, as I have stated a number of times, they are doing "Grease". This week's edition of our local newspaper featured female members of the cast right on the front page. These kids, including my daughter, have all performed on the 5th Avenue stage and the same stage as the Village Theater in Everett but their school production will take place at the Performing Arts Center of Kamiak High School. Who knows? Maybe Cheyenne or Apolo will show up for opening night?? No, I'm doing the tickets and I know who is coming. Oh well! But maybe, just maybe some of the Kamiak kids will end up on Broadway or in the movies. Who knows? But thank goodness this has absolutely nothing to do with "United 93" or the other fateful events of that terrible day. And I am grateful beyond words that Kaley's Daddy is here to see her perform in "Grease". My heart goes out to the victims who were on that airplane and their families who miss them terribly.


My daughter---yes, it is her--- as Rizzo on the far left.

Wow! And I did not even mention Kevin Bacon!