Cadets webcast

[chaos001]

The Pursuit of HOPPINESS...doing whatever Hopp wants......

I admire that he can motivate many to become successful students and employees and all of that jazz......

But you can not tell a whole life story in an 11 minute time frame! Well i guess you can....but not with the all the drama it conveys. I felt bad when i found out it was about breast cancer and thought "what a novel idea" but the dialog just does not work for me...it is all over the place.

And as an avid NPR listener......I don't know. I love Ira Glass and everything... but this doesn't seem to fit.

But I may just be proven wrong when i hear it live.

pursuit of hopps desires......just freakin play, drum, and spin and win a championship!! Move em back to Bergen County and drop the playwrite on the way.

As i re-read the description i imagined that clip from SNL when Matt Foley the "motivational speaker" played by Chris Farley said to the father character "Am I seeing things pop?!? Is that Bill Shakespear over there?!?!?!" after David Spades character said that he wanted to be a writer.......

looks like another year where i am left limp by one of my favorite corps, and i will need to rely on the drum corps viagra to brighten things up again. God bless the Blue pil---er Bluecoats. *SIGH*

and i thought they were going thru the troubles of finding DECENT writing and something short n sweet...

WRONG!

[CoHmempho04]

OK, I found a 3:45 minute video, is that it, or is it another video???

[Bevinator]

They first played all the music in a stand still. Then they marched as much as they feel was ready for show and then stopped at a point and just finished at a stand still. I would say they probably marched 80% of the show.

[BigSnareline]

I thought the Madison Scouts 1982 show was a neat premise overall.

Awesome....

[BigSnareline]

and i thought they were going thru the troubles of finding DECENT writing and something short n sweet...

WRONG!

Man, I was really hoping I'd like the Cadets this year. Doesn't look promising. Hot dog corps again.... Too Bad.

[G-Rott]

Sounds to me like they're looking for the emotional connection...I think it has potential, but I can't say I agree with the conclusion...the message they are sending about happiness.

[bawker]

If we're going for a NPR vibe, couldn't they just read some David Sedaris instead?

[BigSnareline]

If we're going for a NPR vibe, couldn't they just read some David Sedaris instead?

[luvs me sum mello!]

For those who don't know, Cadet's are rebroadcasting a couple more times.

See the DCP homepage for details.

[pags]

The Narration:

…. In Pursuit of Happiness

SARAH: Sometimes I wish I could just … XXX SNAP my fingers …. And I would be happy

<3 Seconds>

IRA … This week, An American Life, looks at Happiness. The idea is everywhere. In Books, Songs ….. At Harford, the best attended class is a lecture on How to Be Happy. It does appear that today more than ever, Americans are in pursuit of happiness.

BIG HIT

<33 Seconds>

IRA: Sarah Jones proved to be the most interesting of the many people we interviewed for this program Sarah is successful, married, has two of her own children, a great job, … and …… she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2006.

SARAH: I did the Chemo, the radiation …. It was a tough time. But… TODAY, I am well. I am a survivor. And I must say …. Life today …. What is important today … is different.

The cars, the home, the job, the money …. I really was chasing a dream. I wanted the good life. I wanted to have it all.

<4 Seconds>

IRA:

My name is Ira Glass and this is an AMERICAN LIFE!!! . In Happiness magazine folks were asked to rate their level of happiness on a scale of 1-10. The average of 47,000 responses …. 5.5

Tonight … we talk to Sarah Jones, and we take a look, At Happiness

Beginning of Nitro!

Brass entrance (Mellos)

Sarah: I loved going off to college. I was on my own. The dorms, the parties, doing what I wanted when I wanted! Now this was the life I’d been waiting for.

Brass Entrance (Trumpets)

Sarah: How could it be better than this? I DID go to class of course, but … Being independent, was just incredible. This was my dream come true

Percussion …. Then brass fanfare to the end of the hit ….

Before the accelerando

Sarah: But I never imagined how hard it would be to fit in. There were so many different kinds of people. And life was so fast … so incredibly fast …. It was tough to just keep up.

During transition material to the beginning of Round 4

(I need 15 seconds of music …. At 80 beats per minute … that’s only about 24 counts of transition music JAY!!!!

I do not think we need to say anything else …. … so we?

IRA: School and independence appear to go hand in hand for many people. But ... what also happens, sometimes at school, and sometimes later on, is a new pursuit … something a bit more exciting.

Sarah: Oh yes …. After a few years out of school I definitely went on the hunt for a man who could make be happy! Strong, smart, wealthy even … oh yes … I was definitely looking for the man of my dreams.

Tympani starts right at the release of the word dreams … if we want an additional line during the set up

Sarah: I hit the clubs on a weekly basis.

And away the tune goes …

No more talk through all of ROUND 4

Break before the beginning of VESUVIUS ---

(Music still to be created … will be in the spirit of Round 4 as it fades and transforms itself into VESUVIUS)

IRA: Sarah’s first marriage lasted three years.

Sarah: He was a wonderful man … he IS a wonderful man. And I was happy ….. it was fabulous ….. just wonderful …. But ….

IRA: Sarah went off to work and made a name for herself on Madison Avenue. It seemed she had a flair for the fashion world.

?I loved the job. The power, the speed, the perks … I just loved dressing in a suit, going to the office, being a part of all that was around me. Happy Hour, lunches, dinners, receptions, big meetings, and even bigger decisions (I need 15 seconds for this one ….. at 180 or so …. That’s 48 counts of groove.

We will start with the words … her marriage lasted three years – and then we step off. The only issue will be waiting for the crowd to die down.

VESUVIUS -- there may be some music adjustments here, due to time … but I am going to fill in per current layout ….

Where MELLO SOLO IS ---

Sarah …. I had always thought that MONEY …. Would make all of the difference

Mellos Answers …

Where Trumpet Feature is ….

Sarah …. I had everything I ever wanted. Everything!!!

Trumpet answers …

And then the build ….

Editors note … during the build , we need to bring to the visual table an endless array of images that would translate to success.

Transition down into the ballad …

Keyboard Ballad Conversation

Sarah – Holding a job on Madison avenue, and being a mother was not easy.

IRA … Sarah had remarried and had two children. I could sense as we talked that balancing work and family was a huge struggle for Sarah .. even 20 years later

Sarah …. I do love my daughters. I wanted to be there for them ...and I did get to games .. I saw my daughters at Cheerleading … I sent them off to the prom. I made the time. But …. Ohhhhhh …. The job was so intoxicating. It just felt so good.

( we turn all images back to work and money) …. Some kind of sequential …. During the brass deal would be great ….

And finally … during the build … the accelerando.

IRA …. Money, great Jobs, great clothes, Love, Independence … America seems to look for happiness through what we own!!!. We want it all! We want all we can hang onto.

And then we play all to the end of the tune

AND FINALLY.…. The EPILOUGUE

IRA --- So Sarah … Life has been quite interesting for you! But it sounds like …. You have discovered an answer. You actually sound happy.

Sarah -- Well, I think so.? I did what I did, and I loved it. If I have a regret, I think it’s that I never really enjoyed where I was … I was always looking at tomorrow.

IRA …. So what’s the secret? Is there a secret?

Sarah --- hmmm …. I think … for me … Happiness was really not a destination. It was always there … always a part of my life. I just needed to choose …. I needed to enjoy!!!! I can see now … I had a great life. I HAVE A GREAT LIFE

Some break for music ….

And as it winds down …

IRA – So now what? What happens tomorrow?

Sarah – I have a feeling …. Happiness is not something we need to pursue … it is something we are here in the world to have. And getting it … may indeed … be as simple as ….. SNAP.

Hmmm, if ALL of that is actually in the show, then I feel it's a bit much. My first thought when seeing this script is a comment my dad made immediately following The Cadets' show in San Antonio last; he looked at me immediately and said, "Y'know, there's a GREAT show somewhere behind all that talking," and I find myself wondering if this year is going to be similar.

I, for one, feel that narration can be used effectively (such as BD 2005 and Crossmen 2006, where the use of voice was more like a radio host), but I feel that THIS much ends up explaining the theme as opposed to exploring the theme.

Now, they edited quite a bit from what I remember last year, and this is just the early version, so I'll be interested to see how this plays out over the summer. At the very least, based on the brief things I've seen and heard, there is no reason to think that they will struggle competitively. It seems that a number of people are willing to admit that this year's narration is at least better than last year's, and they almost won with it last year, so if all the other areas are as strong as what I've been hearing, they will still be in prime contention.