ctliveannarbor

Cinematic Titanic LIVE! - Michigan Theater
Ann Arbor, MI 7/1/2010-7/2/2010

Cinematic Titanic returned to Michigan to perform at the venerable Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. This event was particularly exciting to me since I lived in Ann Arbor for the better part of five years while I attended the University of Michigan. I have a wealth of fond memories of my time there and I was looking forward to adding a few more. It was also great to be able to meet up with some old and new CT friends for dinner and the shows.

The following is a recap of my Cinematic Titanic experience, including some of the memorabilia I gathered up from the shows. I have also included some pictures from around the beautiful college town of Ann Arbor.

The Cinematic Titanic shows took place in the middle of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, which is a month long series of movies and musical events at venues around the town including an outdoor screening of Plan 9 From Outer Space and a Sing-a-Long Wizard of Oz.

Unlike many of the earlier CT shows, there was quite a bit of advertising for this event, although you still had to know where to look for it. This ad was in the 6/30-7/6/10 Metrotimes, a Detroit area entertainment paper.

These fliers were in a display outside the Michigan Theater.

And this announcement was in the official Ann Arbor Summer Festival Guide.

Looking down Liberty Street at the Michigan Theater. At the end of the street you can see the State Theater with the Burton Tower in the distance.

Here is the marquee on 7/1/10 for the panel discussion.

What's left of my ticket stub to this free event.

I grabbed a seat right up front and found myself almost sitting in the with the panel. We spent the next hour participating in a lively Question and Answer session. There was a very good mix of questions and information about their early days, MST3K. the differences in the MST and CT writing processes and even some news about some upcoming DVD releases.

I arrived in Ann Arbor on 7/2 in the mid-afternoon with plenty of time for a short walk around the campus before dinner and the first show. (For any MSU fans you can just skip the next few pictures if you like.)

This is the 212 foot Burton Memorial Tower designed by Albert Kahn that features a magnificent 55 bell carillon.

West Hall, known as West Engineering in my day, was where I took most of my early engineering classes. I appreciate it much more in hindsight than I did during the actually time I was there.

One example of the extraordinary architecture of the Law Quad. Of course the only time I spent there was when I worked as a greeter at the Lawyers Club Cafeteria. (Hey, I had to pay the bills somehow and that was a pretty decent paying job.)

West Quad, where I lived my first two years as a student. Two remarkable years that I choose not to elaborate on any further.

The Cube. This 15 foot statue is 2400 pounds of steel that can be easily rotated with just a gentle push. This offered hours of enjoyment to me during times of altered conciousness.

It was on the steps of the ivy covered Michigan Union on October 14, 1960 that President John F. Kennedy first announced his proposal for the Peace Corps.

This imposing structure is Angell Hall, another Albert Kahn design. Some of my liberal arts classes were held here behind the Doric columns. (See, I learned something from liberal arts. They are Doric? Right?)

And finally, Nickels Arcade. This stretch of stores and antique shops is capped by a glass skylight that runs the length of the arcade.

A number of fans from Twitter and the various message boards decided to meet up at Ashley's on State Street for a bite to eat.

If one word could sum up the dinner atmosphere that word would be Stilton. Yes, dinner turned out to be a delicious, yet some what pungent, bleu cheese fest. Burgers, salads and French fries were all topped with Stilton.

Pictured left to right are Doug, Ryan, Sarah, Dan, his wife Patti, Tony and myself. Doug drove up from Louisville and picked up Sarah in Dayton on the way up. The rest of us are Michiganders.

After downing a few breath mints it was off to the Michigan Theater for the evenings featured attractions.

Here is a picture from later in the evening so you can see the marquee lit up.

Below are the ticket stubs for East Meets Watts at 7:30PM and The Oozing Skull at 10:00PM.

The Michigan Theater printed up a nice program for the evening. Hopefully the thumbnail is large enough so you can read the write up for each of the Titans.

I waited until after the second show to get something autographed by the crew. I always try to have something a little unusual for them to sign that still has something to do with the locale, but I think I really caught them off guard when I asked them to sign a copy of my diploma. Now I finally feel that I can proudly display it.

I finally took the time to talk to Dave (Gruber) Allen a little. I'm not sure why I've always felt more shy to introduce myself to him than to the Titans themselves. He is a truly funny man and adds so much to the show. Between us is Samantha, who served as the moderator for the panel discussion the previous night. (By the way, Sarah and I are both standing up one step from Gruber, but this seemed to balance out the picture nicely.)

After all the signing was done and the theater was clearing out the Titans were gracious enough to allow me to get this picture. I can't thank them enough for another wonderful and memorable evening.

As they locked the doors behind us we continued to chat outside not wanting the evening to end. Along with the earlier dinner guests we were joined by a few of the fine folks I had met at the CT shows in Chicago in 2009. Left to Right, Dawn, Dan, his wife Kaylene, myself and Tony.

	The Cinematic Titanic shows took place in the middle of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, which is a month long series of movies and musical events at venues around the town including an outdoor screening of Plan 9 From Outer Space and a Sing-a-Long Wizard of Oz.
	Unlike many of the earlier CT shows, there was quite a bit of advertising for this event, although you still had to know where to look for it. This ad was in the 6/30-7/6/10 Metrotimes, a Detroit area entertainment paper.
	These fliers were in a display outside the Michigan Theater.
	And this announcement was in the official Ann Arbor Summer Festival Guide.
	Looking down Liberty Street at the Michigan Theater. At the end of the street you can see the State Theater with the Burton Tower in the distance.
	Here is the marquee on 7/1/10 for the panel discussion.
	What's left of my ticket stub to this free event.
	I grabbed a seat right up front and found myself almost sitting in the with the panel. We spent the next hour participating in a lively Question and Answer session. There was a very good mix of questions and information about their early days, MST3K. the differences in the MST and CT writing processes and even some news about some upcoming DVD releases.
	I arrived in Ann Arbor on 7/2 in the mid-afternoon with plenty of time for a short walk around the campus before dinner and the first show. (For any MSU fans you can just skip the next few pictures if you like.) This is the 212 foot Burton Memorial Tower designed by Albert Kahn that features a magnificent 55 bell carillon.
	West Hall, known as West Engineering in my day, was where I took most of my early engineering classes. I appreciate it much more in hindsight than I did during the actually time I was there.
	One example of the extraordinary architecture of the Law Quad. Of course the only time I spent there was when I worked as a greeter at the Lawyers Club Cafeteria. (Hey, I had to pay the bills somehow and that was a pretty decent paying job.)
	West Quad, where I lived my first two years as a student. Two remarkable years that I choose not to elaborate on any further.
	The Cube. This 15 foot statue is 2400 pounds of steel that can be easily rotated with just a gentle push. This offered hours of enjoyment to me during times of altered conciousness.
	It was on the steps of the ivy covered Michigan Union on October 14, 1960 that President John F. Kennedy first announced his proposal for the Peace Corps.
	This imposing structure is Angell Hall, another Albert Kahn design. Some of my liberal arts classes were held here behind the Doric columns. (See, I learned something from liberal arts. They are Doric? Right?)
	And finally, Nickels Arcade. This stretch of stores and antique shops is capped by a glass skylight that runs the length of the arcade.
	A number of fans from Twitter and the various message boards decided to meet up at Ashley's on State Street for a bite to eat.
	If one word could sum up the dinner atmosphere that word would be Stilton. Yes, dinner turned out to be a delicious, yet some what pungent, bleu cheese fest. Burgers, salads and French fries were all topped with Stilton. Pictured left to right are Doug, Ryan, Sarah, Dan, his wife Patti, Tony and myself. Doug drove up from Louisville and picked up Sarah in Dayton on the way up. The rest of us are Michiganders.
	After downing a few breath mints it was off to the Michigan Theater for the evenings featured attractions.
	Here is a picture from later in the evening so you can see the marquee lit up. Below are the ticket stubs for East Meets Watts at 7:30PM and The Oozing Skull at 10:00PM.

	The Michigan Theater printed up a nice program for the evening. Hopefully the thumbnail is large enough so you can read the write up for each of the Titans.
	I waited until after the second show to get something autographed by the crew. I always try to have something a little unusual for them to sign that still has something to do with the locale, but I think I really caught them off guard when I asked them to sign a copy of my diploma. Now I finally feel that I can proudly display it.
	I finally took the time to talk to Dave (Gruber) Allen a little. I'm not sure why I've always felt more shy to introduce myself to him than to the Titans themselves. He is a truly funny man and adds so much to the show. Between us is Samantha, who served as the moderator for the panel discussion the previous night. (By the way, Sarah and I are both standing up one step from Gruber, but this seemed to balance out the picture nicely.)
	After all the signing was done and the theater was clearing out the Titans were gracious enough to allow me to get this picture. I can't thank them enough for another wonderful and memorable evening.
	As they locked the doors behind us we continued to chat outside not wanting the evening to end. Along with the earlier dinner guests we were joined by a few of the fine folks I had met at the CT shows in Chicago in 2009. Left to Right, Dawn, Dan, his wife Kaylene, myself and Tony.