Just after the match, I checked out Get Smart with Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway and The Rock … uh I mean Dwayne Johnson. I never watched Mel Brooks’s spy comedy spoof Get Smart, I was even born then but besides, the only 60’s agent/spy show I was a fan of as a kid was The Man from U.N.K.L.E.. Not knowing the movie, I was entertained by Steve’s comedy delivery, although underused (I was told that the original Maxwell Smart character was more inept than capable as Steve portray’s his character). Unfortunately like most all of Hollywood’s bullshit blockbuster movies, Peter Segal’s version added the “guy gets the girl” cliché at the end and I was equally annoyed by Anne Hathaway’s presence, character and acting on the screen (over used – judging by the promo poster, you can tell whom the studios are pushing as the headliner). The miscast of the movie is James Caan as a president modeled on the frat boy styled George W. Bush.
While in the theater, I got a text from the Law that she had acquired free tickets to Carnegie Hall (thank you Riza!). Not knowing the show, I still wanted at least an opportunity to check this historic place out. Built entirely of masonry (without a steel frame) in 1891 and named after Andrew Carnegie, it is one of the most famous venues in the US for classical and popular music. Sunday’s showing was a Distinguished Concerts International New York performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Vesperae Solennes de Confessore” (K. 339) and guest conductor, Hank Dahlman.
Not that any of this rings a bell to the uninformed, me included, however, I still enjoy a good live show (yes even that Brooks n Dunn one in high school) in a respected forum and this particular one didn’t disappoint. Unfortunately because I was already at the movies, I had to run home, get out of the summer flip-flops and boardshorts to get a little more “respectable” for the Carnegie crowd (unfortunately the fat-assed midwesterners we sat behind had no concept of respect while chatting throughout the concert – and tourists wonder why NYers hate them). We didn’t get back until Intermission but the last half that we did catch was auditory entertainment. Notably the Soprano, Kristen Plumley had an excellent voice for her unexpectedly small frame. The acoustics for Carnegie are excellent and the Italian renaissance decor with vivid red velvet seating create a fantastic venue for such events. I look forward to the next opportunity to catch Foo Fighters, um I mean another classical music event here again.
Braving hurricane style flash storms, I headed up to Hell’s Kitchen for the 
This year it was an exciting tournament. I watched many of the group stages with the French the surprise losers and Croatia and Turkey the surprise winners through the quarterfinals. The Spanish swept through their group and after a shoot out with Italy in the quarterfinals, they didn’t have any trouble taking out Russia again. Germany on the other hand were tournament favorites, even through they lost to Croatia and just taking out Portugal in the quarterfinals. Even though Turkey had several players hurt or on suspension, Germany struggled to close them out until the end. 
The final was set. Germany, the tourny favorites vs. Spain, the team of superstars, but could they come together as a team. Not being part of Europe, I selected Portugal and Spain early on. The English aren’t fans of the Germans, to say the
