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Tell us your NCM Fathom Events story!

Hold that answer. We should explain our question first.

NCM Fathom has many New York Times fans on staff.  One of the more fun sections in the Times, which we’ll take a glance at from occasionally, is the Metropolitan Diary.

What’s that, you ask? Their tag line says it best: “Reader Tales From The City.” That’s right – readers, like yourself, submitting a few paragraphs on an experience they had – out to dinner, in the park, at the theater, or an NCM Fathom Event, for example.

Lo and behold, just a little while back, we were reading the Metropolitan Diary, paging through the Times, when we saw this wonderful piece.

Published April 17^th, 2012 New York Times, Metropolitan Diary Section:

This piece got us thinking and, eventually, writing this post.

Between the L.A. Phil and concerts, The National Theater performances, MET: LIVE IN HD! Seasons, Wimbledon in 3D, Fight Nights and everything in between, one thing stands out: NCM Fathom Fans are many, diverse, and devoted.

Because of your diversity and passion, we know there has to be great stories out there, just like June’s, but untold so far. Now, we want you to tell them.  Whether it’s the epic blizzard you fought through to see an event. Or, the ticket you wouldn’t give up – not on your life – and what you had to do to hold onto it.

Whatever the details are, share with us the unexpected, crazy experiences you braved for that must-see NCM Fathom Event. All it takes is a paragraph or two, in the comments section below, and we’ll post the best with the NCM Fathom community!

“We’re blessed from time to time, with a spontaneous generation of humor and insight….[Ira Glass] finds—uncovers—drama and humor in the most pedestrian of places.” — David Mamet

This Thursday, May 10^th, BY Experience and NCM Fathom are thrilled to bring you THIS AMERICAN LIFE LIVE! – WBEZ Chicago’s hit radio show – broadcast LIVE to select movie theaters nationwide (check local listings for time.)  TAL creator and host Ira Glass, with some of the show’s most popular contributors, will bring radio to life through their signature style – as well as a host of other surprises that you could never do on radio like dance, animation, video and more.

If you don’t have tickets yet, click HERE before it’s too late!

First broadcast from WBEZ in Chicago in 1995,  a significant part of THIS AMERICAN LIFE’s popularity and charm is traceable back to the man who conceived the idea for the show, fought to get it on the air, and hosts it each week – Ira Glass. A public radio veteran, despite his young age, Ira Glass’s curiosity, humor, and familiar voice serve as the framework through which TAL’s indelible contributors tell their stories. It’s with good reason that in 2001, TIME magazine named Ira Glass “America’s best radio voice.”

It’s with Ira Glass’s impact on American lives through his unique talents; that we thought we’d take a closer look at the man behind the microphone with these fast facts:

• “Glass has worked in public radio for some 30 years. At 19 he began as an intern at National Public Radio’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. He was a reporter and host on several staple NPR programs, including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Talk of the Nation.”

• “As a reporter, Ira Glass spent two years reporting on the Chicago Public School System—one year at a high school, one year at an elementary school.”

• “In high school, Glass wrote jokes for Baltimore radio personality Johnny Walker.”

• “In 2006, he served as one of the executive producers of the feature film Unaccompanied Minors. It is based on the true story of what happened to This American Life contributing editor Susan Burton and her sister Betsy at an airport on the day before Christmas.”

• “Glass is the first cousin once removed of composer Philip Glass, who has appeared on Ira’s show and whose music can often be heard on the program.”

It’s radio brought to life with THIS AMERICAN LIFE LIVE!

BY Experience and NCM Fathom are delighted to present THIS AMERICAN LIFE LIVE! – WBEZ Chicago’s hit radio show – broadcast LIVE to select movie theaters nationwide on Thursday, May 10 @ 8:00pm ET/ 7:00pm CT and tape delayed to 7:00pm MT/ 8:00pm PT.  Featuring revered host Ira Glass, some of the show’s most popular contributors presenting stories; along with dance, animation, video and more – things you could never do on radio – it promises to be a night to remember!

From the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, THIS AMERICAN LIFE LIVE will feature stories by David Sedaris, David Rakoff, Glynn Washington and Tig Notaro, as well as a new short by Mike Birbiglia, dance by Monica Bill Barnes & Company, and music by the band OK Go. Attendees will even be able to play along with OK Go on a special, free mobile app created specifically for the live show!

If you don’t have tickets yet, click HERE before it’s too late!

THIS AMERICAN LIFE is broadcast to over 500 public radio stations to over 1.8 million fans and is downloaded as a podcast by an additional 700,00, every week. So, why do a live version of the radio show? We thought this blurb, from host Ira Glass, the man behind TAL, explains it all and highlights why this event is must-see:

“I saw this amazing dance performance by Monica Bill Barnes’ company, and I thought – that is totally in the style of our radio show. But obviously you can’t have dance on the radio. Then I realized, we have to do another cinema event! We’ve built this lineup of stories mixed with super visual things, including the dancers I saw, so it’s going to feel like the radio show but also totally unlike anything we’ve done before. I really can’t wait to see how it turns out.”

We can’t wait either, Ira! That piece was taken from THIS AMERICAN LIFE’s official blog, which is linked below. In addition, as the blog post points out, and some may recall:

“We did a show like this in 2009, and were blown away when 50,000 people came out to see it. A lot of you have asked us if we’ll be doing it again. So yeah, we’re doing it again!”

THIS AMERICAN LIFE was even kind enough to put together a trailer for the event, available on their blog through the link provided, which provides an excellent glimpse into what will most certainly be a night to remember!

This American Life – live in movie theatres! May 10th! | This American Life.

“Mr. Lepage’s “Rheingold” is the most intensely anticipated new production the Met has mounted in years.”

New York’s Metropolitan Opera and NCM Fathom are thrilled to present an encore broadcast of Wagner’s DAS RHEINGOLD. Initially broadcast as part of THE MET: LIVE IN HD’s 2010 season this special encore will be shown on Wednesday, May 9, 2012, at 6:30 PM (local time) in select movie theaters nationwide. DAS RHEINGOLD stars Bryn Terfel as Wotan, lord of the gods, with beloved Met Opera conductor James Levine and celebrated stage director Richard Lepage in a fresh, revitalized staging.

If you don’t have tickets yet, click HERE before it’s too late!

In DAS RHEINGOLD, Wagner’s prologue to the epic Ring Cycle, the dwarf Alberich steals Gold from the depths of the Rhine River. His plan is to use that gold to forge a ring meant to give him unlimited power. Though, unforseen to Alberich, the theft sets in motion a course of events that eventually alters the order of the universe.

To celebrate this encore presentation of DAS RHEINGOLD, we thought we’d share the initial New York Times review of the performance. The full read, which is linked below, is highly recommended. Here are a few select highlights:

• “For the most part it was an impressive success: an inventive, fluid staging and a feat of technological wizardry that employs sophisticated video elements without turning into a video show.”

• “But let me start with Mr. Levine and the splendid performance he drew from the superb Met orchestra, which played brilliantly, and the excellent cast, as strong a lineup of vocal artists for a Wagner opera as I have heard in years.”

• “Almost as if determined to prove something, he [Mr. Levine] conducted the score with exceptional vigor, sweep and uncommon textural clarity. Inner details emerged, but always subtly folded into the overall arching episodes and spans of the opera.”

• “Mr. Lepage deserves credit for coaxing vivid portrayals from his cast. And most of the action is played on an apron of planks that extend from the stage, which brings the singers into exciting proximity.”

James Levine Returns as ‘Rheingold’ Opens Met Season – NYTimes.com.

“Susan Froemke and Bob Eisenhardt’s doc focuses on the Metropolitan Opera’s expensive new production of the ‘Ring’ cycle.”

The Metropolitan Opera and NCM Fathom are thrilled to present the documentary WAGNERS DREAM to theaters across the nation on May 7^th, 6:30 p.m. local time.

Filmmakers Susan Foemke and Bob Eisenhardt take you deep inside the Metropolitan Opera’s bid to stage a new production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Undeniably Opera’s most rigorous challenge, , the quest to mount a perfect Ring Cylce has stymied directors, including Wagner himself, since the epic Opera debuted on stage over 130 years ago.

If you don’t have tickets yet, click HERE before it’s too late!

A masterpiece that runs 16 hours, this timeless story features gods and mortals as they struggle for power and are annihilated by greed requires firestorms, flying warriors, underwater fighting, and heavenly actions in its true form, as Wagner imagined it.

Experience first-hand as visionary stage director Robert Lepage’s embarks on a five-year journey to achieve the impossible – stage the first complete Ring Cycle, as Wagner envisioned it, in Metropolitan Opera history.

In eager anticipation of this special look inside such a grand and inspired quest, we thought you’d enjoy this look at WAGNER’S DREAM from the Hollywood Reporter, who viewed the documentary at last month’s Tribeca Film Festival. Here are some excerpts, followed by the link to the full article. Enjoy!

• “Rising well above the typical making-of feature, the doc will fascinate buffs when shown alongside the operas themselves (on May 7, via the “Met in HD” theatrical program) and should stand on its own on home-vid…”

• “The four-opera, sixteen-hour cycle — in which characters swim underwater, fly, and wield the power of gods — has flummoxed companies since it was composed. As one subject here puts it, Wagner “wrote it knowing it would be impossible to stage.”

• “Lepage’s staging — built around a 90,000 pound machine whose independently moving planks twist to evoke myriad mythological settings — is technically daring enough to occupy the documentary’s first hour. Initially, it’s difficult to believe the thing will work without killing anyone.”

Wagners Dream: Tribeca Review – The Hollywood Reporter.

On Cinco De Mayo, in a marquee Main Event for the ages, Boxing superstar Floyd “Money” Mayweather battles World Champion Miguel Cotto, defending WBA Super Welterweight World Champion, for the undisputed Title.

In celebration of Cinco De Mayo, Golden Boy Promotions, O’Reilly Auto Parts and NCM Fathom a thrilled to present the epic LIVE fights – Ring Kings: Mayweather vs. Cotto plus Alvarez vs. Mosley on select movie screens nationwide on May 5 at 9:00pm ET/8:00pm CT/7:00pm MT/6:00pm PT/5:00pm AK/4:00pm HI.

If you don’t have tickets yet, click HERE before it’s too late!

Broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, boxing superstar Floyd “Money” Mayweather climbs into the ring against World Champion Miguel Cotto, who will defend his WBA Super Welterweight World title in the bout. Plus, you won’t want to don’t miss WBC Super Welterweight World Champion and Mexican sensation Canelo Alvarez battle Six-Time World Champion Sugar Shane Mosley in fight that promises as much, if not more action than the Main Event.

To get ready for the unbelievable, ringside action; we thought you’d enjoy this report for Mayweather and Cotto’s training camps. With the fight fast approaching, it’s time to check in on the boxers. Here are some excerpts, just click on the link below for the full article at eastsideboxing.com:

• “It feels good to be fighting again,” said Mayweather. “I am getting great work from my sparring partners and the energy in the gym is perfect for training hard every day. I am aware of Miguel Cotto’s record and success. I am not taking him lightly. I am working hard to get ready for the fight on May 5.”

• “Mayweather will be fighting Cotto at 154 pounds, a weight that some believe may pose a problem for the seven-time world champion. However, Mayweather is not worried stating, “My body feels great. I always fight around the weight I carry when I am not fighting.”

• “Training is going great,” said Cotto. “I am having fun and enjoying it more than ever. I love it here and I feel at home. I have the same focus and mentality to obtain a victory as I did when camp started. [Trainer] Pedro [Diaz] is a magnificent strategist.”

• “The memory of my father is the biggest motivation in my life,” said Cotto. “I feel more motivated at this point than any other in my career. I feel more motivated to beat Mayweather than I did when I was training for my first world title.”

“Ring Kings: Mayweather vs. Cotto” Camp Notes.

In her first Violetta, Natalie Dessay wears the red dress for Willy Decker’s stunning production of Verdi’s LA TRAVIATA at The Met.

The Metropolitan Opera and NCM Fathom  are excited to present an encore performance of Verdi’s LA TRAVIATA on Wednesday, May 2^nd, at 6:30 p.m. local time.

Initially broadcast live as part of the Emmy and Peabody award-winning sixth season of THE MET: LIVE IN HD; this encore will be the last chance to experience one of Verdi’s most celebrated Opera’s performed by the world-renown Metropolitan Opera in stunning HD on select movie screens across the nation.

If you don’t have tickets yet, click HERE before it’s too late!

Second only to THE MAGIC FLUTE on the Operabase list of the most-performed operas worldwide, LA TRAVIATA is a standard of almost every Opera company and is one of the most beloved Opera’s of all-time. In honor of this last chance to experience this classic, performed by The Met, on the big screen; we thought we’d share this review from the venerable New York Times of this production. Here are a few selections, with the link to the full review below.

“And before she uttered a note, Ms. Dessay, who had originally intended to be an actress, made a wrenching impression as the fatally ill courtesan.”

“She brought ethereal sound and a searching character to the soft phrases of “Ah, fors’è lui.” Then, smashing a glass of Champagne against the wall and kicking off her heels, she slapped sense into herself and delivered a defiant “Sempre libera,” declaring that she will never be fettered to anyone, at least romantically.”

“In the final act her performance of “Addio, del passato,” Violetta’s farewell to dreams of happy days past, while not a model of technical refinement, was mellifluous and achingly real.”

“At the end, when the lights came up and Ms. Dessay stood onstage for a solo bow, looking haunted in a frumpy coat over her satin slip, the ovation was huge.”

Natalie Dessay in ‘La Traviata’ at the Met – NYTimes.com.

“What’s Opera, Doc?”

The Metropolitan Opera and NCM Fathom’s Emmy and Peabody series, THE MET: LIVE IN HD, closes out its acclaimed sixth season with an encore presentation of Verdi’s LA TRAVIATA on Wednesday, May 2^nd, at 6:30 p.m. local time.

Initially presented; this re-broadcast will be the last chance to experience one of Verdi’s most celebrated Opera’s performed by the world-renown Metropolitan Opera in stunning HD on select movie screens across the nation.

If you don’t have tickets yet, click HERE before it’s too late!

To celebrate another fantastic season of THE MET: LIVE IN HD and to prepare for LA TRAVIATA, we thought we’d take a look at some interesting facts about Opera itself. Some of these facts are about the form itself, as it evolved; others involve some of the most celebrated composers to write Operas; while others still shine a light on the cultural love of the genre. All of them celebrate Opera. Enjoy!

• “Opera’s origins usually are traced to ancient Greek dramas, though the Egyptians were performing the Heb-Sed (or Feast of the Tail) for 2,000 years previously. The Heb-Sed evolved into Passion Plays in which the Egyptians acted out stories from Egypt’s glorious past set to music and singing.”

• “In eighteenth-century opera seria (serious opera), the main singers stood in ballet’s third position, with bent knees and heels together, with one ankle in front of the other. They remained in this position the entire song.”

• “Some composers would hire a group to cheer their works or boo the works of their rivals. This group was called a claque (clapping) and was common at European opera performances.”

• “The first performance of Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly was one of opera’s all-time worst flops. The audience made bird, cow, and goat calls – then booed! Madame Butterfly, however, went on to become one of the best-loved operas in history.”

• “Warner Brother’s 1957 classic “What’s Opera, Doc?” featuring Elmer Fudd chasing Bugs Bunny in a parody of Richard Wagner’s Ring cycle operas, was voted #1 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons.”

• “Wagner revolutionized opera by disposing of existing operatic rules and structures. He also created the “Leitmotif” (or leading theme), which is a musical theme that is associated with a main character.”

• “The La Scala Opera House (inaugurated in 1778) in Milan, Italy, is famous for having the hardest-to-please audience in opera. The audience has been known to make a performer keep singing until he or she “gets it right.” ”

These are just a few fun facts for one of the oldest and most beloved forms of musical theater. Join us for The Metropolitan Opera and NCM Fathom’s encore presentation of Verdi’s LA TRAVIATA, Wednesday, May 2^nd, at 6:30 p.m. local time.

“Play it, Sam. Play As Time Goes By…”

Due to popular demand, Turner Classic Movies, Warner Bros. and NCM Fathom are proud to bring their 70^th anniversary celebration of the timeless Hollywood classic, CASABLANCA, back to select movie theaters nationwide for a one night final showing.

Don’t miss this last chance to witness one of the most beloved studio films ever made, as it was intended – on the big screen, Thursday, April 26th at 7:00 p.m. (local time.)

If you don’t have tickets yet, click HERE before it’s too late!

Also, if you’re coming for a date, with a group of friends, or as a family; don’t forget to check out this special GUIDE to plan a special night together with this incredible film.

This special encore presentation starts off with Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne and a special original production that showcases stories from those who were on set and those who simply admire this timeless classic; taking audience members behind the scenes of this iconic Hollywood picture.

In honor of this encore presentation of CASABLANCA, we though we’d share a piece written by Pulitzer Prize winning film critic, Roger Ebert, one of the foremost authorities on classic Hollywood films, on CASABLANCA and its enduring appeal. Here are some excerpts; we highly recommend you click on the link below for the full article!

• “If we identify strongly with the characters in some movies, then it is no mystery that “Casablanca” is one of the most popular films ever made. It is about a man and a woman who are in love, and who sacrifice love for a higher purpose. This is immensely appealing.”

• “No one making “Casablanca” thought they were making a great movie. It was simply another Warner Bros. release.”

• “The opening scenes dance with comedy; the dialogue combines the cynical with the weary; wisecracks with epigrams. We see that Rick moves easily in a corrupt world. “What is your nationality?” The German Strasser asks him, and he replies, “I’m a drunkard.” His personal code: “I stick my neck out for nobody.”

• “Then  “…of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.” It is Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), the woman Rick loved years earlier in Paris. Under the shadow of the German occupation, he arranged their escape, and believes she abandoned him–left him waiting in the rain at a train station with their tickets to freedom. Now she is with Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), a legendary hero of the French Resistance.”

• “All this is handled with great economy in a handful of shots that still, after many viewings, have the power to move me emotionally as few scenes ever have.”

• “Stylistically, the film is not so much brilliant as absolutely sound, rock-solid in its use of Hollywood studio craftsmanship. The director, Michael Curtiz, and the writers (Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch) all won Oscars. One of their key contributions was to show us that Rick, Ilsa and the others lived in a complex time and place. The richness of the supporting characters (Greenstreet as the corrupt club owner, Lorre as the sniveling cheat, Rains as the subtly homosexual police chief and minor characters like the young girl who will do anything to help her husband) set the moral stage for the decisions of the major characters.”

• “Seeing the film over and over again, year after year, I find it never grows over-familiar. It plays like a favorite musical album; the more I know it, the more I like it.”

Casablanca :: rogerebert.com :: Great Movies.

“I went to Ithaca, found the Grateful Dead and my life was changed.”

The Grateful Dead are back!

On April 19th, come celebrate the Dead’s indelible, rich history at the second-annual GRATEFUL DEAD MEET-UP AT THE MOVIES. For one-night only, in select cinemas nationwide, Rhino Records and NCM Fathom are proud to present this year an iconic, complete show from deep inside the Dead Vault: Alpine Valley Music Theatre on July 18, 1989.  This famous performance was the show that directly followed the Dead’s legendary DOWNHILL FROM HERE performance.

Featuring over two and half hours of unbelievable music, this set highlights the classic, late Dead line-up of Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Brent Mydland, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart. At the peak of their musical abilities that July in 1989, the Dead were experiencing a critical and musical resurgence, delivering an unforgettable set of old and new tunes, beloved equally by their dedicated nation of fans.

If you don’t have tickets yet, click  HERE before it’s too late!

In honor of this wonderful musical event, we thought it’d be great to first share the set list from that night:

The Evening’s Set List:

Touch of Grey

Jack Straw

Jack-a-Roe

New Minglewood Blues

Friend of the Devil

Stuck Inside of Mobile

Bird Song

Promised Land

Sugar Magnolia

Scarlet Begonias

Man Smart/Woman Smarter

Eyes of the World

Drums

China Doll

Dear Mr. Fantasy

Hey Jude Reprise

Throwin’ Stones

Sunshine Daydream

Quinn the Eskimo

As well as a link to an excellent piece about the second annual GRATEFUL DEAD MEET-UP AT THE MOVIES and this year’s extras for Deadheads in addition to the concert. Here are a few quick excerpts, please click on the link below for the full piece!

• “Before the start of the concert, movie theater audiences will also be treated to a slideshow of rare photos of the band, along with a previously unreleased live track recorded in the spring of 1990.”

• “The concert dates back to July 18, 1989 and was recorded at Alpine Valley Music Theatre the night after the Dead’s legendary Downhill from Here performance in East Troy, Wisconsin.”

• “The never-before-seen footage from Alpine Valley Music Theatre, which clocks in at two-and-a-half hours, will be broadcast to 550 movie screens on April 19.”

Grateful Dead 1989 Concert Unearthed, Set for One-Night Theatrical Event – The Hollywood Reporter.