Friday, March 30, 2007

Hey bloggers! It is Friday afternoon and everyone here is ready for the weekend! We have had a great week with lots of exciting new opportunities and connections. Within the next few weeks, we hope to have a major announcement on a couple of large land-based projects that are in the works. Can't say any more than that now, but say a prayer that things go well!

We are really excited to have the cast of the Orient Line's "MARCO POLO" cruise ship coming in this weekend! This will be the initial handover of the Marco Polo for us to manage the entertainment in the future. The Marco Polo is a unique vessel - it is one of the few remaining "liners" in the world and has one of the most loyal followings of any cruise ship. The itinerary is fabulous, and this cast will have a wonderful experience seeing the Med, the British Isles, and the Baltic. I'll post a shot of the cast on Monday!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Last night, I had the great pleasure of being the keynote speaker at a meeting of the Independent Meeting Planners Association of Canada. After a harrowing day of cancelled and delayed flights, I finally made it to the show site about 20 minutes after the event had started. No worries, though...my hosts were incredibly helpful and understanding and the presentation started right on time. We talked about production companies, hot trends in production and media, and how producers and meeting planners can work together more effectively to maximize ROI for our clients. It was a great evening, especially since several of my buddies from past projects were in attendance. It was wonderful to see all my friends from the Orion / NAPA meeting team! I had been invited to speak by Bettyanne Sherrer, one of Canada's leading independent meeting planners and a leader in the IMPACanada group. A special thanks goes to my good friend Terry Cunningham for coming to the presentation (she had to cancel other plans to be there). Terry is my contact with Orion Performance Group and is one of the best planners I've known. A big SHOUT OUT goes to Jamie Lamont and Carol Ford for their help in making all of the logistical and travel arrangements. And thanks to Michelle for being such a great chauffer! What an outstanding group of meeting and event professionals! Here is a shot of several of us "networking" after the presentation.

To those of you who were at the meeting... I will be be forwarding a digital copy of my presentation to Jamie for distribution to anyone who might want it. Thanks again for being such terrific hosts!

Monday, February 26, 2007

Tonight the new cast of the CONSTELLATION had their farewell dinner. The five singers are going out about a week early to take over for the missing cast members from the current group. The new dancers will be heading out this weekend to join their fellow singer cast members. This is an awesome cast and are sure to have a fantastic contract! They had a great rehearsal today. GMC production manager Garris Wimmer is going out to help the singers get installed into the shows. Here are some shots from today's rehearsal.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

As promised, here are more shots of the incredible spring blooms in my Nashville neighborhood. I took all of these shots today in the space of about 10 minutes...most of them while sitting in the car. It is really stunning this weekend because the Bradfaord Pears are still in bloom, along with cherry trees and redbud. Hope you enjoy!

Saturday, March 24, 2007

This is a tree that just bloomed at the end of my street...beautiful!

What an amazing weekend! The weather has been unbelievable, and most of the trees are in full bloom. The cherry trees are breathtaking, and the Bradford Pears that were bloom-laden last weekend are now starting to turn green with fresh new leaves. Unfortunately, the pollen count is skyrocketing, so allergies are in full bloom, too. Tomorrow promises more of the same...definitely time to head out for a picnic or long walk in the park!

Last night, my wife and I spent a very pleasant evening with Sheryl and Brandon Thomas. They had us over for fondue (which was GREAT, I should add), and an evening of "getting to know you" conversation. Being with the Thomas' reminds me so much of our family not so long ago. They have three fabulous kids (as do we :-) and they are both singers, too. We shared life stories and memories, and laughed a lot. It was nice to get to know them better and make some great new friends! Our mutual friend Lauren came by for a few minutes while we were there..Lauren recently graduated from Belmont University's nursing program and has been a great encourager for Ellen during these past two years. Ellen will graduate from Belmont in May with a second degree in nursing (her first degree was from Belmont in vocal performance back in...well, a few years ago).

I got to do a walk through of a brand new $2 million dollar home today that my friend, David Holloway, is staging on behalf of the builder. It is amazing what a lot of money can buy! David is going to completely furnish the home - including all state of the art electronic and exercise equipment - prior to the home being placed on the market. It was cool to see how the other half lives! It will be an awesome estate home for someone who wants to live out in a secluded area. And there I was without my checkbook....sigh.

By popular demand, I'll try to take some new nature pics to post tomorrow. Have a great Sunday everyone! Ellen and I are doing a duet in church in the morning...say a prayer...I'm not sure I still remember how to sing!

Friday, March 23, 2007

Today the cast of the INFINITY had final rehearsals of two shows...."Let's Rock" and "Celebrate the World". Here are shots from the rehearsals.

Simon Scowl and his panel of critics offer their feedback - did we ask for your opinion?

Andy "Bruce" Lee doing his interpretation of the disco classic "Kung Fu Fighting"

What the....????

Defying gravity

Choreographer Bruce Stegmann and Asst. Choreographer Claire Williams accept going away gifts of appreciation from the cast. Bruce is going out to the ship with the cast...Claire is staying behind to work with one of the other upcoming casts.

Final words of wisdom from Bruce. Break a leg you guys! Have and awesome contract!

Friday, March 23, 2007

Last night was the farewell dinner for the INFINITY CAST. We had a great time, and the cast was in a very positive, upbeat mood! Jackets were presented to our first time cast members, and a good time was had by all. Here are shots of the cast and production team members. Bruce Stegmann, our choreographer, was on the phone with Marcus Collins, one of our favorite alumni singers from all four of the Millennium class ships. Marcus was haging out in NYC with JC Fisher and his new wife and baby.

The old pros hanging out after dinner!

Luda and Roman are first time cast members from Russia. They are awesome dancers, and are a strong addition to the team! "Spaceba"!

Is this a great looking cast or what!? We wish them the very best for an exciting and rewarding contract. Can't wait to see them in action on the INFINITY later this summer - Bon voyage!

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Tonight is the big going away dinner for the cast of the INFINITY. They are an awesome group and will be a huge hit on the ship! A BIG SHOUT OUT to Michael Kilgore, our new singer who just joined the cast a couple of days ago. He is going to be a great addition to the cast. Please say a prayer for him...he has a lot to learn in a very short amount of time!

Check back late tonight or in the morning. I will have some pics of the dinner posted by then.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Tonight one of our long time favorite singers, Denise Hoey, hosted the cast of the INFINITY at her home in Nashville. It was a perfect night and the weather gave everyone a huge case of spring fever. Here's Denise in the den of the historic home she and her sister renovated themselves (with a little help from their friends and family!). Great house, Denise!

Denise and me on her deck. Dang, how did I get all that gray hair?

Here's a pic of Travis chilling (literally) on the back porch. He's a great dancer and a first time cast member for us. Thanks for joining our team, Travis!

More cast members at Denise's house. That's Garris Wimmer in the background. He is out newest staff member and is responsible for production managing the rehearsal process when the casts are in Nashville.

Wesley Roberts, one of Denise's friends, is a science teacher - he brought an egg to show us how this is the only day of the year when an egg can be stood on its end without toppling over. Tonight was the vernal equinox (better known as the first day of spring) when the earth is perfectly aligned on its axis with the sun - apparently this creates a gravitational phenomenon that allows the egg to stay balanced. To every one's amazement, the egg stayed there the entire evening. Go ahead...you know you want try it!

Monday, March 19, 2007

The casts of the INFINITY and CONSTELLATION had a good day of rehearsals. Several GMC staff members and friends of the performers came to watch and cheer everyone on. It was the first time they had an "audience" and it definitely helped them step up their performances. The INFINITY cast has 4 more days before leaving for the ship. The CONSTELLATION CAST was supposed to have two more weeks of rehearsal, but it looks like we will be sending the new singers out early to take over for the outgoing cast (that's a story for another time). The new cast is working hard, though, and will be ready to take the stage when the time comes. A big thanks to Kelly Hirt, Bruce Stegmann, Claire Holding, Garris Wimmer, Jeff Lisenby, Stephen Kummer, Mindy Johnson, and David Patton for their dedication to getting the shows prepared in such a short amount of time! Here are a couple more shots from rehearsals...

Thanks to those of you who emailed me about the photos of the trees and flowers from yesterday. I'm glad you enjoyed them! The real life spring foliage was quite amazing!

Sunday, March 18, 2007

If you've never experienced springtime in Tennessee, you've really missed something special. There is nothing like those few days in March when the Bradford Pear trees are in bloom, along with the forsythia and tulip poplars. I took these pictures this afternoon during a quick ride around the office park where our cast is staying in Brentwood, Tennessee (just south of Nashville).

God is good!