What's Up Magazines

L to R: Sam Lloyd, Paul F. Perry, George Miserlis, and Philip McNiven

Whatsupmag.com's Mitch Malone had a chance to speak with two zany individuals today—Sam Lloyd and Philip McNiven of the crazy-talented and well-known acapella group The Blanks. You are probably familiar with these guys from their roles in the hit NBC and later ABC show Scrubs. Sam Lloyd played the hilariously depressing hospital lawyer Ted Buckland and Philip McNiven, along with the rest of the Blanks, made several appearances as a member of Ted's in-show band The Worthless Peons. The Blanks specialize in fun renditions of ...

Four actors, a few clever props, and well placed lights are all that is needed to bring to the stage the recreation of a Hitchcock movie classic--The 39 Steps. Well, perhaps I am hasty in writing, all that is needed, for it is really the innovative writing, directing and technical prowess that make this production a success. Direct from the Broadway stage, winner of Tony awards for Best Lighting Design and Best Sound Design, The 39 Steps is currently playing at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore through June 13th.

Laughter filled the theater, last night, which was opening night, as ...

Entertainment comes in all shapes and forms. Sometimes just a walk around a beautiful place is entertainment enough for me and this weekend the city of Annapolis will be looking its best with lovely May Baskets hung on the doors of residences and businesses in the historic district. These baskets are usually made with both locally grown perennials and colorful flowers purloined from florists. They often also contain sweet-smelling herbs, colorful annuals, and the baskets  themselves are decorated with lots and lots of ribbons.

 Take a stroll on May first and see what you find!  The Garden Club of Old ...

Last night the four remaining members of the Grateful Dead, including Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kruetzmann (known colloquially as the “core four”), took the stage at D.C.’s Verizon Center for a purported sold out performance (though that remains unconfirmed). Joined by lead guitarist and workingman Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule) and organist Jeff Chimenti (Ratdog) for this spring ’09 tour, the band sounded as though they hadn’t missed a beat since their 2004 summer gigs—in fact, they sounded better, more rehearsed. They also decided that this show would be a spaced out affair that tested ...

I didn’t know what to expect when I took my seat to watch A Bronx Tale, currently playing at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore through April 26^th. It’s a one-man show, approximately 90 minutes in length with no intermissions. But one man can do amazing things. Chazz Palminteri, author and actor is working with familiar material—a script he wrote himself about his youth growing up in a tough neighborhood in the Bronx. Of Sicilian parentage, the son of a bus driver, Palminteri has several close brushes with wise guys, cops, and hoods. He tells his tale with ...

I just picked up a copy of Metallica's newest offering, Death Magnetic, from Best Buy (for about $5 cheaper than anywhere else) and after a couple spins, I'm not only impressed (it's hard not to be), but also feel like a rejuvenated fan.

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I clearly remember in 1988 when And Justice For All . . .hit the airwaves. I was at summer camp and the song “One” was played over and over again in the rec room on the radio. It was heavy, hook laden, and simply awesome. I was a fan then and have since seen Metallica grow into their metal megastardom over ...

Once again, the Bay Theatre Company has demonstrated that you don't need a large stage and crew to produce a riveting production.

There's a picture of a toaster on the program cover of True West by Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard, currently playing at the Bay Theatre Company in Annapolis. True West portrays a slice of life, or perhaps what might be considered a slice from the loaf of bread representing the relationship between two brother in the nine scene play set in a Southern California suburb. Austin, played by Michael Feldsher is the successful talented brother. An ivy league ...

While I tackle my honey-do list tomorrow, the rest of you can enjoy many great activities taking place. The weather will be some of the best we've seen this year, making it the perfect weekend to visit:Maryland Renaissance Festival in Crownsville, Md. 

New Sant Ocean Hall at Smitsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C.

Fright Fest opens at Six Flags American in Landover, Md.

18th Annual Fall Craft Festival at Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds in Crownsville, Md.

Do you have a great suggestion? Please share it with everybody.

--James Houck, Managing Editor Annapolis

As Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Annoying Rain Hanna bears down upon this weekend (and hopefully not for long), why not go see a movie.

 

This weekend will be one of the last to catch The Dark Knight, the lastest spinoff of the Batman series. The hype and reaction has been HUGE and deservedly so. Christian Bale's commanding role as the caped crusader and Heath Ledger's insanely convincing Joker are awesome. This movie is draws from the animated Batman television series moreso than any other, save for the very first installment starring Michael Keaton as "a Bat man" and Jack Nicholson as ...

Four lovely sirens serenaded locals last night along the shores of Back Creek beneath the fading pink sky of a warm July evening.  Their beautiful voices and folk music drew in quite a crowd to the grassy pavilion called Cap’n Herbie Sadler Park outside Eastport’s Maritime Museum as part of the establishment’s summertime concert series.  These ladies, clad in sea-foam green skirts adorned with shimmering, mermaid-esque sequence, make up a Celtic band called the OCEAN Quartette.  Their music, which is both traditional and contemporary, focused on the water, whether through the adventures of a sailor out at sea or the woes of ...

By Katie Dodd

I have been going to see plays at the Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre for many years.  I’m not sure how many performances I’ve seen there—they’ve started to blur together.  Some performances have blown me away; others I did not return to after the intermission.  However, this June’s show, On the Town, directed by Debbie Barber-Eaton, made me laugh more than any others I’ve seen at ASGT. 

I hadn’t seen On the Town until Saturday’s 8:30 p.m. showing.  Seated in my evergreen lawn chair beneath a clear, starry sky, I had an open mind about the musical, which ...

At: Andy’s
In: Chestertown
Call: (410) 778-6779
Make way for the Swamp Boogie! Barbecue Bob & the Spareribs is bayou blues with its hair on fire, with twanging guitars, stinging harmonicas, and enough testosterone to fuel a Peterbilt. BBQ Bob and his boys are another quality offering from the excellent Country/Rockabilly scene that’s been growing like a bourbon-soaked seedling in NYC.

The overwhelming theme flowing from BBQ Bob’s sound is ENERGY, which spikes and surges almost like a punk rock show. But punk this ain’t-it’s a cotton field, juke joint, rebel war cry. Fans of Rev. Horton Heat, John Hiatt, ...

An earlier version of this post included the wrong phone number. The number has been corrected.
-Ed.

“The Goat, or, Who is Sylvia?” is currently playing at the Bay Theatre in Annapolis now through June 14th.

A few months ago, Ashley Raymond, production manager at What’s Up? sent around an e-mail to gauge everyone’s interest in joining the Annapolis Sports and Social Club Kickball League. Since the last team I had played on was tee-ball, I was a bit nervous at the idea of being on an organized sports team. I forwarded the e-mail to my boyfriend, Victor, secretly hoping he would say he wasn’t interested but within minutes he had written me back, “I want to do this. Make it happen.” After being reassured by Trish Sharpe, events and production assistant at What’s Up? (and ...

In recent history it was the O.J. Simpson trial that had many Americans glued to their television sets, but if you were alive 60 years ago the real life courtroom drama that had everyone attentively listening to their radio was the trial of Richard Bruno Hauptman.

Hauptmann, the play by John Logan is currently playing at the Colonial Players in Annapolis through May 24th and it is an excellent production, both thought provoking and entertaining.
The 1930’s when the story takes place was the time of the Great Depression. Charles Lindbergh, a national hero lauded for his solo flight ...

During the dreadful downpour of early Sunday afternoon, my wife and I headed to the movies for an early showing (12:30 p.m.) of Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Judging from it's description online, it seemed like the right pick for light fare, which we sought. In other words, I didn't want to think too hard. The comedy centers around love-lost Peter, whose CSI-esque TV star girlfriend dumps him. He's love torn and apparently is in need of a break . . .from everything. What better way to get over a breakup than to fly westward to Hawaii? He does, but coincidentally his ...

By Andrew Keatts, What's Up? Eastern Shore Events Editor< p>

Show dates: 4/8 and 4/9, Rams Head Live, Baltimore.

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In the years since Jerry Garcia’s death, Deadheads have got their fix in a number of ways. Some settled for similar bands like Phish,Widespread Panic, the String Cheese Incident, and (though I don’t personallysee the similarities) Dave Mathews. Others relied on the efforts of remaining members of the Grateful Dead, among them The Other Ones, The Dead, Phil Lesh and Friends, and RatDog. Though too young to have ever tasted the real thing,RatDog has always been my outlet to experience the iconic ...

If you had to pin down one band on which to carry the collective torch of jambands across the U.S. of A right now, Widespread Panic would be an easy target. The Athens-bred band, which for a good sum of the '80s and '90s was sort of in the exploratory, jamband shadow of their Northern counterparts, Phish, and to an extent the Grateful Dead (until Jerry Garcia's passing in '95 gave both bands a jolt of new, if not aging, fans), is perhaps the biggest of jamband brethren still touring the country relentlessly, season after season. Their recent stop at ...

I recently saw singer-songwriter Andy Davis perform at Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis. He performed as special guest before Dave Mason. Unfamiliar with his music, I first checked out his Web site (www.andydavisonline.com). The site opens up with some of Andy’s tunes and within a few seconds I thought, “Oooh I like Andy Davis.” When I got to Rams Head, I quickly realized that I was easily the youngest person there—and likely the person closest in age to 25-year-old Davis. Seeing as Dave Mason, made famous in the 70s performing with the band Traffic, has a following ...