Jersey Boys

I saw the movie 'Jersey Boys' last year and really enjoyed it.  John Lloyd Young is very handsome and has a good voice.  The rest of the cast was fun and it appeared everyone appeared to have a good time.  Clint Eastwood directed and it's hard to argue with his success.  JLY is not a great actor and that my have more to do with the flaws of the movie than anything.  I very much enjoyed the music and the story is interesting.  There were small flaws though.  I thought Frankie singing 'My Eyes Adored You' to his daughter was a smidge creepy.  And I did not see any romantic chemistry at all between Frankie and either girl.  And I know he was a cheater and his wife not putting up with it was inevitable but he seriously did not have any emotion while leaving his home and children.  And then Lorraine left without a real "don't go" of any kind.  Maybe the actor thought he did but he didn't.  I'm surprised either stayed as long as they did.  Hard to know though if it was Frankie or John. .  I read later that Frankie's  last wife punched a restaurant owner over a bill.  And he's divorced from her too now. So maybe marriage just wasn't his thing.

Then on Saturday, I saw the stage show.  I love the stage and the movies but do realize there is sometimes a big enough difference to make them a somewhat different story.  The stage obviously is more limited but the energy of a live show overwhelms me.  The actor who played Frankie--, and I'm
not sure of his name exactly because the program was confusing, but I think he was the understudy--did a good job but he did not have John Lloyd Young's voice.  The rest of the Four Seasons were ok too. Mary was not the siren from the movie or as mean.  And when they split he sang 'My Eyes' to her and she sang back and I felt some regret.  And same when Lorraine left I felt some hurt there too and it was just a touch of his hand.

I liked seeing then sing 'Beggin' & Frankie singing 'Fallen Angel', one of my favorite songs.  Although I always wonder if he'd "forgive her anything"...I doubt it but that's another subject.

That being said, I loved the stage show and I like the movie alot.  

Weekend of old friends

I reconnected on Facebook recently with a friend from high school and on Saturday we met for lunch and had a nice visit.  Back when I was a sophomore in high school I met this person who also lived across the creek from us.  Our parents were old friends but we had never met.  I actually only remember one time when she was in our house, right before I started school and although she mentioned me coming to her house, I never actually remembered that.  We rode the bus together most days and she was one grade ahead of me but I truly never considered us friends no enemies.  I was pretty much ignored.  I went to a small school where the people had been together most of their lives and while they never made fun of me or put gum in my hair or threw rocks at me like others had done when I tried to fit in at other schools after we moved to Texas, I was not exactly accepted either.  They were always kind.  But while my friend talked about how much fun she had with all her friends and parties and slumber parties, I never saw high school that way.  And in the long run, it pretty much shaped me as a loner who truly cares little about what others think.  And that is not necessarily a bad thing.  I have a couple of people that I worry about being in their late 50's who long for high school and that perplexes me.  I did enjoy my time with my friend though.

Then today, I had breakfast with John's parents and it hit me that as John is retiring this year and they live in Minnesota and they are over 80 years old that this may be the last time I ever see them and that made me sad.  I am very fond of both.  I guess we'll see.

I am  at a stage where those leaving seem to outnumber the ones coming and I hate that.