From Goofball to Gentleman: Adam Sandler

There are many comedians, who go out into world just to make their audience laugh. Some comedians have found ways to reinvent themselves in order to gain new fans. Other comedians make a great first impact and use that to establish their success. Unforunately, there are some comedians, who die out when their time has run out. Luckily for Adam Sandler, he'll never have to worry about that. For the people who grew up in my generation, I think we'll always remember Adam Sandler as the comedian, who grew up with us.



If we rewind the clock back 14 years, Adam Sandler was going back to school and telling everybody, "you ain't cool unless you pee your pants." Billy Madison was the film that kicked off Sandler's post SNL career, although critics would tear apart Sandler and the film. Nowadays, Sandler has still left a bad taste in the mouths of many critics, but he has come a long way since. He's currently starring in Judd Apatow's Funny People, which comes out tomorrow and from the looks of the previews, it looks like he gives a good performance at the least. Funny People, which is about an established comedian (Sandler), who decides to take an amateur comedian (Seth Rogen) under his wing after learning that he has a terminal illness. The film also contain a love triangle between Sandler, Leslie Mann, and Eric Bana, which will win the Sandler fans over if the comedy portion falls flat.

Funny People is not the only film, where we have seen Sandler's growth as a mature funny man and actor. The earliest example, in my opinion, is the Wedding Singer, which remains one of my favorite Sandler movies. Sandler's later films, including Click, 50 First Dates, The Longest Yard, Punch Drunk Love and Reign Over Me, display his growth as an entertainer. Even You Don't Mess With The Zohan, which contains many immature, crude jokes, handles the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict really well. Whether he is being goofy or playing the down on his luck guy, or Operaman or playing The Hanukkah Song, Adam Sandler has always been one to make me laugh. And for that, all I have to say is thank you for growing up with me and may you make us laugh for many, many years.



I couldn't find the original version from weekend update online, which is funnier. It's the same lyrics, but he sings it in a low voice.



This has been Ian Feldmanika, who celebrates Hanukkah, speaking words of wisdom.

Who Remembers... Xanga

Before MySpace and Facebook became huge social networking crazes, there was the blog site that never got enough steam with the public mainstream and will remain no more than a tiny cult following of people, who had something that they felt was important to say. I'm glad to say that I was one of those people, who posted entries on Xanga and sometimes I wish it's popularity would return. Unfortunately, the site is only good if you enjoy blogging and honestly not everyone likes to blog.

If you are unfamiliar with the site, you can check it out here. And you can check out my Xanga as well. I had an old one but I deleted it and I had far better stuff on it, including my botched business partnership, Feldnelli's. Good times, good memories. Anyway check it out and enjoy.

This has been Ian K Feldman speaking words of wisdom.

Musicals You Might Not Know About Unless...

You Went to French Woods.

I know it's been almost two weeks since I last updated my blog. Last week, i went to visit my brother, who attends French Woods: A performing arts camp. For those, who have never heard of French Woods, it's a unique camp that give its camper a wide variety of choice to do the things that they enjoy. French Woods offers everything from Theater, Music, Circus, Sports, Dancing, Horseback Riding, Arts and Crafts and so much more. If you've ever seen a French Woods Theater production, you know that everything is taken seriously and professionally. I've seen shows at French Woods,which were done far better than the actual Broadway show. Some of you may have seen that MTV Camp'd Out special about French Woods. Sadly, MTV has portrayed French Woods in a completely different light then to what it is actually like. I have had the privilege of attending French Woods for six years and it was the best six summers of my life.

I learned a lot of things during my experience at French Woods. While many of them were personal things, there were many other things that I learned, which were not so personal. French Woods has introduced me to a bunch shows that I had not heard much about before. While, I was unfamiliar with a majority of the musicals when i first started camp, I have seen a number of productions done at French Woods, some of which have not caught on big with the mainstream world. If you asked people to list some musicals that they have heard of they'll give you the same typical answers. Phantom Of The Opera, The Lion King, Beauty and The Beast, Cats, RENT, Aida, etc. But there are several shows out there that you might have never heard of and they're just as good, maybe even better than those shows.

Jason Robert Brown - A Music composer and a former Frenchwoodite, who has a huge loyal fanbase within the French Woods community, is probably the most popular lesser known Broadway composer. His most recent show, 13, ran on Broadway from October 2008- January 2009 was met with positive reviews. As of this weekend, French Woods will have put on productions of all four of Jason Robert Brown's major shows and although I've only heard the songs from 13, i absolutely loved each of his shows and they're all worth a good look.



Parade - I saw the 2003 French Woods Premiere of this powerful musical, which is based off of a true story and it was one of the best musicals that i have ever seen. When French Woods did the show again during my last summer in 2007, The camp director, Ron had wanted me to be in the show, but since I had to get things ready for college, I had to switch to On The Town. However, I did get to see a pit rehearsal run through of the show and not only was it powerful, it left me in shock. Parade tells the true story about Leo Frank, a Jewish factory manager living in Georgia, who's falsely accused of raping and murdering 13 year old employee, Mary Phagan. You could read more about the real story online. The musical, which ran on Broadway back in 1998/1999, did receive positive reception when it opened and even picked up two Tony's, including best score. It's a beautiful show and if it ever happens to come your way i recommend that you see it.



Songs for A New World - If you ask me about French Woods Cabaret Troupe, there are two years themes that come to mind. Ain't Misbehavin' the most recent Cab Troupe theme blew me away when i went to see them perform this summer. The other was in 2006, when they took on JRB's Songs For A New World. Like Ain't Misbehavin' or Smokey Joe's Cafe, it's a musical revue, a show consisting of songs from a composer, which are usually connected by a specific theme. This features some of my favorite songs from JRB, including "The Stars and The Moon", "Just One Step", "I'm Not Afraid Of Anything", and "King Of the World." It's definitely a fun show to do and I'm hoping that a lot of people will get word of this show because it's amazing.



The Last Five Years - While not a favorite of mine, if you like the other shows by Jason Robert Brown, then chances are you will enjoy this musical. It's a one act that only features two characters, who happen to be married. The female character narrates from the end to the beginning, while the male character narrates from beginning to end. It is an interesting show and you should check out the musical, but I still don't love it as much as JRB's other shows.



Floyd Collins - Another powerful tragic musical, Floyd Collins tell the story of a man, who get trapped in a cave in Kentucky and the efforts that his family and the town use to rescue him. It's not the typical subject for a musical and I wonder what it may look like if it was done as a drama. Written and composed by Tina Landau and Adam Guettel, you should add it to the list of shows that you should try to check out. Warning: Floyd Collins happens to be one of the only shows where most of the audience was in tears at the end.



Joe, The Musical - This show has become some so under the radar that I only managed to find one link to this show. Written by former Frenchwoodites Dan Lipton and David Rossmer, Joe! The Musical was one of those shows that never got a chance to pick up steam, but it was indeed a hilarious show. The concept is about Joe, a drama actor, who has grown up to hate musicals. It's a total nightmare when Joe wakes up one day and finds that his life is a musical, with his family and friends singing and being all happy and cheery. It's a really good poke at the light hearted tone that is cliche in many shows. I'm hoping that this musical does gain some more attention and if you get word of it then you should definitely check it out.

There are plenty of other shows that you should check out but I might save those for another time. Until then forget about Phantom and try out some new, under the scope shows.

This has been Ian Feldman speaking words of wisdom.

Into The Vault: Suboxone - A Walk Through The Candy Store

Into The Vault: Suboxone – A Walk Through The Candy Store

I have created a new segment for my blog and it’s called “Into The Vault.” “Into The Vault” will feature articles and blogs that are related to the medical field, especially on the pharmaceutical end. I work as a pharmacy technician and overall, at this point in my life, I’m satisfied with my job. Working in a pharmacy has allowed me to learn a lot about various kinds medications and how they work. Most importantly, I come into work and try my best to ensure that our patients get the best help they need. Unfortunately, not every person who comes into our store is seeking for the best help and that’s where we try our best to prevent those problems from getting worse. Needless to say, I’m sure for pharmacies and doctors in general, it doesn’t always work. This is why I felt a need to create this segment and alert people of certain medical concerns that are often overlooked or ignored. Without any further delay, here’s the first segment of “Into The Vault.”



Suboxone – A Walk Through The Candy Store

It was about three months into my job that I typed my first Suboxone (Buprenorphine/Naloxone) prescription. I verify the prescription with the pharmacist and make sure we have the medication in stock I tell the kid it’ll be ready in 25 minutes. Yes, a kid. He must have been 22 or 23, but all of the drug abuse that he did in the past few years sucked a lot of life out of him. You can see it in his glassy eyes and you want to feel bad for him because he’ll probably never amount to anything now. The funny part about is that whenever they get their medication, they walk away smiling like a kid in a candy store.

I’ve been working in the pharmacy for nearly two years and I have seen many people come into the pharmacy with a prescription for this medication. The faces of Suboxone users and their exuberant appreciation of me when I give them their meds don’t bother me anymore. Lately, it’s the drug itself and the doctors, who believe it to be a cure all for opioid dependency that has been bugging me lately.

Suboxone, or Subutex, which doesn’t contain Naloxone, are both used to “treat” patients, who have suffered from an opiate addiction, such as heroin or Oxycodone. According to the Controlled Substance Act, Buprenorphine is classified as a Schedule III Narcotic and the FDA has monitored it to a point where only certain doctors are licensed to write prescriptions for it. Suboxone is mainly prescribed to go hand in hand with opioid dependent therapy. Now that patients can go get it at their local pharmacy, Suboxone is the incentive for going to the opioid dependent therapy.

Even though I think the leash over Suboxone is tighter than Vicodin or Percocet, which is a little ironic, there are still many problems with it. The drug supposedly weans opiate addiction, which is a good thing, but it doesn’t solve the problem. Now they’ll be addicted to Suboxone instead of Percocet. What some of these doctors don’t seem to realize is that they removed one problem and put another problem in its place. This is where I am having a lot of problems because taking a big issue and masking it with a smaller issue is not the way to stop a drug addiction.

Suboxone and Methadone, a much stronger opioid dependent, can be just as dangerous as having an opiate addiction. I have seen that for myself and to me that’s sweeping the problem under the carpet. I can’t say a good thing about Suboxone and hope that one day, someone will find a way to permanently get rid of opioid dependence without any need of medication. Maybe everyone will have enough brains to stay away from them at that time. However, I’m not going to keep my hopes up. Until then I’ll stare at the glassy eyes of life’s disappointments and watch them trade “Hershey’s” for “M & M’s.”

I want to reiterate that prescription drug abuse is a very serious issue and should be handled like any other drug abuse problem. If you know of anyone that is abusing Suboxone, Methadone or any other prescription drugs please make someone aware of that problem. The number of prescription drugs abuse cases grows larger every year and you have the power to slow it down. It’s painful to watch a friend, a relative, or even stranger have their whole lives fall apart because of an addiction, but you’ll feel relieved knowing that you played your part and made the right call.

This has been Ian Feldman speaking words of wisdom

Oh Yada! Oh Yada! Oh Yada! : A Porn About Nothing? Legit!

This is something that I came across on The Dog and Pony Show Website, a Staten Island based group of humorists, bloggers, and so much more, which you should check out. In the latest bit of somewhat weird but interesting news, a porno was recently released based on the TV sitcom Seinfeld. Yeah, I know. As funny as this may sound, it's also very sad that porn producers have to turn to Seinfeld for inspiration. I mean a proper porn spoof of Seinfeld would have them utter the show's most famous lingos and catchphrases. "Master of my Domain!" For example, there's that one episode where Jerry and Elaine decide to do friends with benefits and they keep on using "this" and "that" as clever term for sex. So it would go like this.

Jerry: We could do it like "this", and then we can do "that".

Elaine: That's a good idea.

Jerry: Or, before we do "this", we can do "that".

Elaine: Ok. But what do we do after "that."

Jerry: We do "this."

I could go on, but you get the point. Seinfeld is probably the weirdest choice for a porn spoof. This sadly means that someone out there has fantasized about these characters and I'm sorry but I can't bring myself to ever doing that. I mean someone out there has fantasized about George Costanza. (I'm not saying anything bad about Jason Alexander because I think he's a brilliant and he stole the show.) I just can't imagine the character itself stimulating erotic thoughts.

Seinfeld wasn't the only TV show that recently got a porn adaptation, The Office and Scrubs got one too. Either I have the same favorite tv shows as pornstars, or the industry has really become that desperate. I guess a scrubs and office spoof sounds better than the Seinfeld one, but they're all shows that I love. Which brings up an interesting question, why is the porn industry turning to sitcom television for inspiration? Are they trying to convince people to fantasize about their favorite tv show characters? Before you turn around, they'll be spoofing drama shows like 24, heroes, and house, if they haven't done so already. The porn industry is stepping in my laugh zone and I don't like that. Seinfeld is great because of it's natural flow of dialogue and I don't think an adult screenwriter will be able to get that humor to work in their movie. So it's probably best if the porn industry remains to do what it has always done successfully and that is to entertain men and women with boyhood or girlhood fantasies. Seinfeld = not so much boyhood fantasy. Seinfeld = Comical Inspiration.

Speaking about Seinfeld, all four cast members will be reappearing on Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm in character for several episodes, which is going to be awesome. And yes it will be uncensored too.

This has been Art Vandelay speaking words of wisdom.

I Was Born On The Fourth Of July With A Six Gun In My Hand

It's that special time again when we all become patriotic and praise our country's glory. We will all gather around and have nice barbecues. Many of us are going to go to parties or watch our bratty neighbors set off bottle rockets. You can also go into your closet and pull out all of those firecrackers that you brought in Pennsylvania last September. If fireworks and firecrackers are not your style, you can always watch the twilight zone marathon on the syfy channel. Yep, it's another holiday in which we celebrate our joy of being American citizens. As holiday traditions become more focused on barbecues and American pride, they're slowing beginning to look pretty much the same.

It was only a little over a month ago that we celebrated Memorial Day, which was all about barbecues and being proud to be an American. Instead of fireworks, we had huge parades to compensate for it. In September, we have Labor Day, which seems to become a bigger holiday every year. When I was younger, Labor Day meant for us New Yorkers, Summer's off, get your mind focused back to school. In June, we have Flag Day because someone in American history felt that we needed a day for everyone to put out their flags and say I'm proud to be American. Well, correct me if I'm wrong but shouldn't every day be flag day? If you were born and raised in America, then you should have at least some pride to be an American.



It annoys me when I hear people, exclaim "America sucks." No, I'm not talking about people who grew up and lived in other countries. I'm talking about the ones, who were born, raised, and made in America. I'm talking about people, who are 100% American and talk so negative about our country. You can't truly grasp hold of the term "America Sucks" if this is the only country you ever lived in. Making a trip to another country doesn't count because there is a fine line between being an outsider and actually experiencing it first hand. Does America has its flaws? Most certainly. But every country has its problems. It's just that the media makes it seem like we're the center of the universe, although most of us have figured that out by now. If you haven't, you might want to check out Team America: World Police to get a better understanding. The point I'm making is that you should have some pride as an American citizen and appreciate how far we've come. Is it a crime for us to have barbecues, set off fireworks and march in parades? Hell no. You should do whatever you want to do today. Just don't forget why we're doing it. Remember after 233 years, America is still here and we should be proud of that. So go have fun and as long you don't decide to test the law, you'll have a wonderful July Fourth.

This has been Ian Feldman speaking words of wisdom. (And common sense.)

Fire on The Hudson: Macy's Movin on Up

This Fourth of July, Macy's Fireworks Spectacular is movin' on up to the West Side, (literally). The fireworks show, which has been hosted in the greater New York Bay Area since 2001, will be relocated to Pier 84 in Hudson River Park to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson sailing up the river, which bears his name today. While it is good that Macy's is going for a bit of a change this year, it's not too fun for Staten Islanders, who like to drive down to Bay Street and get a good view of the display. Unfortunately, the best places to view the display is by heading to the city and standing along the piers between 23-59th streets. Another option would be to head up to North Jersey, but I think that it's not worth it. Finally, you could do what I usually do and watch it on NBC. Anyways, I'll try to do a Fourth of July post later in the week, but until then I hope you plan to have a fun and awesome Fourth of July weekend. Remember fireworks and firecrackers are quite amusing to watch. Just leave it to the professionals and the crazy guy down the street to put on a show for you.

This has been Ian Feldman speaking words of wisdom.