 "Always be yourself....unless you suck."
- Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon is the writer/director who created such iconic television shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and my personal favorite, Firefly. His career doesn't stop there, however, he also created the TV show Dollhouse, wrote the Firefly spin-off movie Serenity, and created the Time Magazine Top 10 Web Series Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog. At the start of his career, he wrote two movies which were huge in my childhood, Toy Story and Titan A.E., and most recently he is a writer/producer of the horror movie hit The Cabin in the Woods and is the writer/director of the new record-breaking box office hit The Avengers.
Before his two most recent movie hits, Joss Whedon was a bit of an enigma. He has a rabid fanbase, who fight tooth and claw to support every project he signs on to, and yet none of his projects besides Buffy, Angel, and Dr. Horrible have been very successful. Firefly was cancelled after only 13 episodes, and despite a couple of seasons, Dollhouse received lukewarm reviews from critics and fans alike. Despite all this, the members of the Whedonverse (as diehard fans call themselves) have always spouted his praises to anyone who will listen (myself included). There was a period of time, however, that Joss was underground enough that people who liked knowing new, undiscovered movies and tv shows would jump on the chance to learn about Joss Whedon. He was like The Shins after Garden State, he was hip and cool to know about. Then Joss Whedon got just large enough to lose those people. Suddenly there were newer, lesser known "genius'" and no one was willing to explore Joss Whedon anymore. Everyone had heard of him, but he had so many flops that people felt he must not be very talented. Despite my cries of his genius, and at the injustice of the canceling of his tv shows, no one was willing to give Joss the time of day anymore. I did what any good member of the Whedonverse did when such a moment arises, I sat down and watched Firefly from start to finish followed by Serenity, I watched the entirety of Buffy, and I cursed the world that ignored my celebricrush, and waited until next year's Comicon in order for Joss to reveal something awesome for me to look forward to.
Then something strange happened, Marvel announced that Joss was their man to write/direct the culmination of all of these superhero movies, The Avengers.
I sat up a little in my seat. "I'm sorry, who? My man? Joss Whedon? The guy who creates everything that is good and holy for television/movies, but the studios never like it so they fire him and cancel his shows? Marvel Studios is trusting The Avengers to him? They're trusting Joss with Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, and Edward Norton as The Hulk? Dear sweet jesus this is going to be the greatest movie of all time, and no one but me is going to like it! Wait, what? Oh they fired Edward Norton and hired Mark Ruffalo? Well he's gonna suck in that role." All of those thoughts went through my head. I told everyone Joss was taking it over, and predictably, everyone told me that like all the rest of his movies and tv shows, this would be underwhelming, and only a select few people would get it.
Guess what didn't happen?
 I'm losing my faith in the educational system. Of course, right now, I am a senior in college at a small liberal arts college, with aspirations of one day going to get a master's degree, I am from the upper middle class, I am white, and I went to a small private school in Portland Maine. In other words, I am considered to be the stereotypical college aged kid, and I am following the system to a t, so therefore I don't really get the authority to criticize it since I am the poster child. Fine, I accept that. However I think my issue with the educational system has to do with everything I hear and understand about the schools that I did not attend. I have been fortunate, unbelievably fortunate in my experiences and opportunities in this world. However every step of the way, I look back at what I received, and then look at what those institutions are giving to the students arriving in my wake, and it is different. Very different. I could get into the specifics, but I love my current school and my old school and I have no interest in being critical of what I am sure were important, and difficult decisions which came from a place of much more experience than I have. Instead I'll talk about what I received, and what I see happening these days. When I was in school, I was given a well-rounded, reason based, education which also focused on introducing kids to athletics, music, art, performance art, as well as various cultures, races, religions, creeds, and ideas. It's entire purpose was about a educationally hands on approach, while still allowing kids the space to utilize their knowledge to make their own discoveries and understandings about life. Instead of being lectured at, we were brought into conversation, and the teachers were skilled in leading conversations to outcomes they intended us to arrive at. What has changed? On the surface, nothing. However what brews under the surface is much more important. I was schooled in school, I took part in extra-curricular activities, and when I was at home I was away. What was important is that I was taught how to think, but rarely taught what to think. I'm now taking a class at Ithaca College called "Social and Cultural Foundations of Education" and I find the class absolutely fascinating. It comes at education from an idealistic place, so that instead of allowing pure cynicism about the faults of the educational system, it uses the negative as opportunities to create more positives. Through the class, and different explorations of aspects of the educational system every week we hope to create a set of standards which school's could adapt to possibly better themselves. However, I'm having trouble believing in them. Here is my issue:
 Sometimes I'm just like Calvin Hey everyone,
Today I am learning a very valuable lesson, making an honest assessment and being okay with the fact that "I can't." Let me back up. Currently I'm enrolled in 9 separate courses, 6 of which have a ton of outside of class work, cast in a major Main Stage musical, hold two jobs, am fight coordinating and starring in a senior Thesis film. Now this is not necessarily new for me, in fact I've taken on more in the past, but this is the most classes I've taken with such a substantial amount of outside of class workload.
With all of these classes, I've made a valuable lesson this morning, which is I can't do everything. Even before the school year has officially kicked off, I'm already ready to have my skull implode, because at least 6 of those things require substantial outside of class work. That on top of my two jobs, and extra-curricular interests have forced my hand. I can either be mediocre in all of them, or I can drop one and successfully do the work for the other five. For the first time in my life I'm swallowing hard and admitting that I can't do it. In the past I've viewed my admitting of this fact as a weakness, but now I'm happy i'm making the choice. Just by dropping one of the courses, I'll have an extra 5 or 6 hours a week to distribute among the rest of the major classes, and managing 5 classes is significantly easier than a full six.
 Whew, the week of auditions is over! It all started this time last week, when the senior BFA Performance majors had to audition for our showcase in May. After spending all of break going over materials, I sang a Michael Bublé song, a duet from Edges with John Gardner, a monlogue from Five Days to Friday by John Patrick, and a scene from Kiss Kiss Bang Bang with Danny Bristoll. I'm still waiting to hear from the faculty about how they felt those pieces went, however there was no time to breathe, because the next day Main Stage callbacks began. Over the course of the week, whoever auditioned for the shows this semester would trek to Dillingham to find out their callback list for the night, pick up their sides, go to classes, learn their sides, and then later in the evening come back and take part in callbacks until 10 or 11 at night. This happened every night, culminating in the cast lists being posted friday morning. I have been fortunate enough to have been cast in Ithaca College's Main Stage production of Working by Stephen Schwartz as Frank Decker along with a variety of other roles. I'll be getting to sing my favorite song in the show, "Brother Trucker" which is very exciting! Our choreographer, Mary Corsaro, is very excited about this casting because it means she can force me to be an Indianapolis Colts fan, which will take a great deal of acting on my part. Speaking of football, I am gearing up for this weekend! My housemate John (same John from above) is a die hard Giants fan, and the Tom Brady vs. Eli Manning talk is just going crazy right now. We're throwing a super bowl party at our house which will probably culminate in too much beer, too many wings, a very possible game of Fireball Island, and of course one of us heartbroken. I'm banking on him, since I already got my knock around courtesy of the Giants in the Super Bowl. It's their time. Plus Tom Brady is out for vengeance, and Eli Manning is too gooberish to fight back.
 Okay, so today's my last, second day of school. I was lazy last night, and didn't want to blog, so shoot me. But really, it's a very strange feeling that I'm going through right now.
Yesterday I purchased my school books for the last time (in the forseeable future), I went to school, and got my Main Stage callbacks from what is my final audition week at Ithaca College, I received the first of my last syllabi that I will receive from teachers. All of these days keep happening to me. The last _______, or the final _______. It's going to keep happening right up until May 20th, graduation day.
It's at this point that I'm reminded of all my previous first days. I don't remember my first day at Waynflete, back in September of 1992. I wish I remembered those cliche days where my mom sent me off to school with a bag lunch in hand, ready to take on the world. Unfortunately, I've discovered that I have a bad memory of most things prior to 6th grade. I remember faces, names, minor events, snapshots, but there are so many memories that I wish I could get back, but unfortunately I was to young to understand that they mattered.
 You know it's amazing. Everyone I know will tell you, oh lovely reader, that I am a perfectionist. I commit myself to more projects than I feasibly should, and I manage to complete them all at the result of my sanity. (Not to mention the sanity of my girlfriend, thanks for putting up with me Pri!) However I have never quite experienced my amazing ability to throw all things aside to fix a small, minute, remarkably unrecognizable detail, like I have when building this website. It doesn't matter what I'm working on, it will take far too long. I have rewritten my " About" page more times than I care to say, I spent literally 3 hours perfecting my photos page only to discover my friend Danny had done it better, and I learned his amazing ways and promptly threw mine out. I have spent countless hours perfecting every line, every word, every picture, every single place that a picture, a paragraph, and a column didn't match up. After all that, you'd think I'd learn to listen to words of reason, "Ned, the average person, and even the average above-average person won't notice." You'd think, but I don't. Instead here I am. Sitting at my computer at 1:56AM (though by the time I'm done perfecting this blog post, it'll be 4am, most likely) typing a blog post about nothing important. Except that I wanted to. That's enough, right?
 Like that movie with the dead people kid...only not. Most people know the term "pay it forward" because of that movie with the kid who saw dead people. While a good movie, that's not really the reason I'm posting today.
Everyone in this world has friends, people they like, people they don't like, acquaintances, etc. The other day, I helped someone on my "don't like" list to get a great opportunity theatrically. Before I go farther, it's important to note that this "don't like" goes both ways, we are both aware that we see differently on many things, and are quite happy co-existing in this world. Please don't let this post become about that previous statement. What's important here, is that there was an opportunity that I knew of, he was perfect for the role, and I sent him in that direction. He now has a final callback for a national tour thanks to that opportunity. I have a lot of friends who know us who asked me, "why?" I'm not going to lie, I was struck by the question. You see I believe firmly in paying it forward. Life is about helping other people when you can, and accepting help when you need it. I would hope that you help others enough that when you need help, it's either there, or easily accessible because you can ask for it.
 Most people know this about me, because (funny enough, like with Pentatonix and the last post) I tend to announce, loudly, that I'm from Portland, Maine. One of my favorite parts about Maine is the snow. I have been horribly saddened by the lack of snow this winter, because I haven't gotten to perform one of my favorite activities. No it's not snow angels, it's not snowball fights, and it's not even sledding, though inner-tubing makes my top ten activities list.
One of my favorite activities is sitting inside, near a window, while it snows, wearing sweats, and pondering on the deep philosophies of life. Immanuel Kant, move over...it's time for Ned Donovan to take a stab at deep introspective, horribly confusing thoughts.
Here we go. *cracks knuckles*
It's a bit humbling to know that (god willing) in 4 months and 7 days, also known as 128 days, I will be a college graduate. I will have my diploma. I will received all the training courtesy of Ithaca College, and I will be well on my way towards being an actual human being. Where does that leave me, then? Well a lot has to happen in the next 128 days including:
- Auditions for Main Stage, MT Workshop, and Showcase
- Casting (god willing), and the subsequent work that each of those projects entails.
- Various film projects, right now I have one very large one, and the possibility of another equally large one.
- Schoolwork, because I really do take classes. I'm taking three intense classes (on top of my other regular ones), including Directing II, Fiction Writing: Short Story, and a Gen Ed which I can't remember what it is. Which is mildly embarrassing, and only proves that I truly am a theatre major. It has something to do with Educational history, I know that.
- Next Broadway Star - yes, it is indeed still going, and while they are slacking on telling me the dates, I have to be ready for whatever dates they decide to give me.
- Field Studies - Coming at you the week before Spring Break, I'll be making a trip to NYC to meet with industry professionals and begin to get a feel for this crazy profession.
- Showcase - Coming at you on the weekend of May 5th, myself and the 23 other members of the Ithaca College BFA Class of 2012 will be on display in front of many industry professionals looking for agents, casting, and general salivation over our various talents.
- NETC auditions, as well as the numerous other summer stock auditions I'll be attending. There's a big call for Cortland Rep, the Hangar Theatre, Merry-Go-Round, and the new Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival in two weeks. That'll be my first stop.
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