Dana, just to let you know, it looks like I will not have the funds or time to head to Houston for the concert.

I'm pretty disappointed, but I keep reminding myself... House! HOUSE!!!

Aw. Well, I'm sure I won't shut up about it for a while, so you'll experience it vicariously.

At rehearsal Tuesday, I picked up on the fact that we're even singing in Rohirric (right adjective?) and heard a little bit of the Rohan theme in the accompaniment.

Dies from envy.

Yes, I could swing the tickets, but when I added up the time and money for a hotel it just slipped out of the realm of possibility.

My loan papers are hopefully going forward even as I type, though, so that's a pretty good consolation prize.

For any Chicagoland LotR fans, it looks like there will be a LotR Symphony concert (not with the CSO, however), on October 8 and 9 at the Auditorium. Tickets go on sale this Monday, June 14th, with prices ranging from $35 to $80.

CHICAGO, June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, October 8 and Saturday, October 9 at the Auditorium Theatre (50 E. Congress Parkway), Chicagoans will take a musical journey to the realm of Middle Earth as more than 200 musicians and singers take the stage in a spectacular performance of Academy Award-winning composer Howard Shore's "The Lord of the Rings Symphony: A Symphony in Six Movements" featuring the World Festival Symphony Orchestra, an adult and children's choir, guest vocalist Sissel, and a special appearance by Shore.

The multimedia event features music from all three films in the motion picture trilogy "The Lord of the Rings." The presentation will also feature original concept and storyboard artwork from the films by artists Alan Lee and John Howe. Projected images will chronologically align with the music as the story of the hobbits' journey unfolds.

Both performances start at 8:00 p.m. Tickets, which range from $35.00 to $80.00, will be ON SALE MONDAY, JUNE 14, and may be purchased at the Auditorium Theatre box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, [link] , or by calling (312) 902-1500.

"After sold out shows around the world from New Zealand to London, we are pleased to be able to present this extraordinary event," said Steve Traxler, Jam Theatricals president. "Whether you're a classical music fan or a fan of the movies, the spectacle of the event will be enjoyed by everyone."

Howard Shore has composed the scores to more than 60 films and received the Oscar and Grammy Awards for Best Original Score for "The Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring." The soundtracks for "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers" have sold over 3 million albums worldwide and both albums have remained on the Billboard Top 100 Soundtracks chart since their original release in 2001 and 2002 respectively.

I'm definitely going to go--email me here at my profile addy if you're interested in getting tickets!

What excellent news!

Kathy -- I believe that Sandy and I will be formulating a plan over the weekend. Even if we don't buy tickets together -- it would be fun to maybe go to dinner or something pre-or post concert.

From gimp to chimp.

Wow, typecast as "MoCap Guy."

Did anyone else know this:

Boyd on 'Blow Out' 6/16/04, 7:43 pm EST - Xoanon

In 'they'll put anything on TV' news Jeff writes: I just wanted to let you know that Billy Boyd appeared on Bravo channel's "Blow Out," a reality show about hair stylist Jonathan Antonin's (sp?) construction of a new salon. Mr. Boyd made an appearance at Jonathan's grand opening party.

They'll repeat, right?

(I found this news on TORN.)

A job listing that caught my eye.

(dusts off portfolio, starts researching apes)