The funniest Sondheim reference I have ever seen is in the movie Camp when the straight jock dude looks at a picture of Sondheim and asks the guy who has a crush on him (who is Puerto Rican), "Is that your father?" After he says, "No, that's Stephen Sondheim," straight guy just shrugs his shoulders. The look of shock and amazement on the gay kid's face is priceless.
Stephen has made some masterpieces in his time. But he's also made some BIG mistakes. Luckily, I was reminded of his masterpieces when I saw a production of Assassins in Hollywood last night, featuring my friend Julie from Into The Woods (wow she must like her Sondheim).
To put it simply, Assassins is just BRILLIANT, and this production was very well done. All of the characters were deliciously insane, and it was so much fun to watch. The rollercoaster of humor and intense drama kept everyone riveted throughout the show, which was 2 hours and performed without an intermission. It was quick and painless (a rareity for Sondheim), which made it all the more enjoyable.
I think it's safe to say that Into The Woods is my favorite Sondheim musical. Now maybe that's because it's the only Sondheim musical I've performed in (twice), and I'm not counting West Side Story, which he wrote the lyrics to. But there's also something brilliant about the show and its story (which isn't necessarily the result of Sondheim, but you get my drift). Assassins is also similar to Woods in the respect that it blends many different characters that are seemingly unrelated to each other. I wish I could have been in NYC during the Sondheim festival so I could see every Sondheim work.
He has many many masterpieces, including A Funny Thing...Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Merrily We Roll Along (I want to play Frank!), Sunday In The Park With George, and Sweeney Todd (I want to play Toby!).
But then there are the poor exceptions to his genius. Mainly, his more recent works, including Frogs, and Bounce. I think my parents saw Frogs in New York, which is something because it played all of 92 performances. Needless to say, they weren't impressed by anything other than the cast, and maybe the lighting. And I recently acquired the soundtrack to Bounce, and I'm not quite sure what to do with it. There are a few choice highlights to the score (which have very typical Sondheim sounds to them), but the story seems really lame, and a lot of the music is quite forgettable.
So what's the deal, Stephen? Are your glory days over? Were you too brilliant too early in your career, and now you're struggling to create another masterpiece? Do you blame it on the times? Are you out of fresh story ideas? I guess in the meantime you can always live off of royalties for Woods, and Assassins, two of your most frequently reproduced works.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Invincible Summer Walkout Shocker!
Oh. My. God.
One of my biggest fears as an actor is to have people walk out of a show while I'm on stage (it used to be to hear someone snoring while you're on stage, but now I've been there, done that).
Mike Daisey was performing his current one-man show, Invincible Summer, when 87 audience members walked out in protest. Apparently, they were members of a Christian group and did not realize the show contained strong language and adult material. And (according to one member who commented after initial reporting of the incident), because they were attending as a group, even those who wished to stay could not.
What's even more shocking is that on their way out, someone poured water all over Daisey's original outline of the show which was sitting in front of him (the show is unscripted, so he has an outline and videotapes it for reference every night).
You HAVE to watch this video. Every time I watch it I get really uncomfortable. My pulse starts racing and I sweat. But I have to keep watching!
One of my biggest fears as an actor is to have people walk out of a show while I'm on stage (it used to be to hear someone snoring while you're on stage, but now I've been there, done that).
Mike Daisey was performing his current one-man show, Invincible Summer, when 87 audience members walked out in protest. Apparently, they were members of a Christian group and did not realize the show contained strong language and adult material. And (according to one member who commented after initial reporting of the incident), because they were attending as a group, even those who wished to stay could not.
What's even more shocking is that on their way out, someone poured water all over Daisey's original outline of the show which was sitting in front of him (the show is unscripted, so he has an outline and videotapes it for reference every night).
You HAVE to watch this video. Every time I watch it I get really uncomfortable. My pulse starts racing and I sweat. But I have to keep watching!
Legal Matters
There have been a number of celebrity arrests lately...in fact, two just today!
Hugh Grant was arrested for attacking a paparrazzi with a can of baked beans, and Eve was arrested on suspicion of DUI after she crashed her Masarati.
In addition, a court in India issued an arrest warrant for Richard Gere for this little stunt with Shilpa Shetty. It'll be interesting to see where that goes!
What a tabloid GOLDMINE!
Is it just me, or do celebrities automatically assume that they can get away with murder (quite literally, in some cases), and at the very worse be slapped on the wrist and given fines and probation charges, or maybe a little bit of community service?
Here's a list of other celebs who have gotten DUI or possession charges and basically gotten off scott-free: Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton (who has been seen driving on a suspended liscence after getting 2 separate charges brought against her!), Snoop Dogg, Willie Nelson, Pete Doherty, Robert Downey Jr., Ryan O'Neal, Boy George, Mike Tyson, Jeff Timmons, Mel Gibson, the list goes on...
I think DUI charges should be stricter in general, even for first time offenders, but these people who party hard every night of the week get special treatment because it's not a major offense!
Then there are those with violence issues. That Jason kid from Laguna Beach & The Hills can't seem to get it together. He hits police officers! Who does that?! Then there's poor Snoop, who has already been mentioned once in this post. And that Blues Traveler guy was arrested with a car full of firearms! Also, Hugh Grant's little stint (not to mention his run in with a prostitute a while ago), Naomi Campbell, Denise Richards...these people get community service and are bound to cause a second offense (*ahem* Naomi Campbell).
Then, Joe Francis (creator of Girls Gone Wild) is apparently getting out of jail soon on his first guilty charge...only to go BACK on trial for failing to file $200 million in taxes! Hey, at least he's getting some jail time!
Do I need to continue? Was Kobe Bryant found innocent of raping that woman? If not, how did he get off scott free? Then there's Michael Jackson and OJ Simpson...who knows if their celebrity status and high profile cases played a role in their verdicts. And now there's Phil Spector, who was quoted as saying, "I think I killed someone," is pleading not-guilty to charges of murder.
Do celebrities get off too easy? Do they pay their way out of sticky situations? Are they treated too harshly? Are they not able to get away with as much because they are constantly under the watchful eye of the media and being scrutinized by the public? How much of all this is a result of their own actions, and how much can paparazzi, the media, and the general public interest be blamed for their actions or behavior?
Hugh Grant was arrested for attacking a paparrazzi with a can of baked beans, and Eve was arrested on suspicion of DUI after she crashed her Masarati.
In addition, a court in India issued an arrest warrant for Richard Gere for this little stunt with Shilpa Shetty. It'll be interesting to see where that goes!
What a tabloid GOLDMINE!
Is it just me, or do celebrities automatically assume that they can get away with murder (quite literally, in some cases), and at the very worse be slapped on the wrist and given fines and probation charges, or maybe a little bit of community service?
Here's a list of other celebs who have gotten DUI or possession charges and basically gotten off scott-free: Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton (who has been seen driving on a suspended liscence after getting 2 separate charges brought against her!), Snoop Dogg, Willie Nelson, Pete Doherty, Robert Downey Jr., Ryan O'Neal, Boy George, Mike Tyson, Jeff Timmons, Mel Gibson, the list goes on...
I think DUI charges should be stricter in general, even for first time offenders, but these people who party hard every night of the week get special treatment because it's not a major offense!
Then there are those with violence issues. That Jason kid from Laguna Beach & The Hills can't seem to get it together. He hits police officers! Who does that?! Then there's poor Snoop, who has already been mentioned once in this post. And that Blues Traveler guy was arrested with a car full of firearms! Also, Hugh Grant's little stint (not to mention his run in with a prostitute a while ago), Naomi Campbell, Denise Richards...these people get community service and are bound to cause a second offense (*ahem* Naomi Campbell).
Then, Joe Francis (creator of Girls Gone Wild) is apparently getting out of jail soon on his first guilty charge...only to go BACK on trial for failing to file $200 million in taxes! Hey, at least he's getting some jail time!
Do I need to continue? Was Kobe Bryant found innocent of raping that woman? If not, how did he get off scott free? Then there's Michael Jackson and OJ Simpson...who knows if their celebrity status and high profile cases played a role in their verdicts. And now there's Phil Spector, who was quoted as saying, "I think I killed someone," is pleading not-guilty to charges of murder.
Do celebrities get off too easy? Do they pay their way out of sticky situations? Are they treated too harshly? Are they not able to get away with as much because they are constantly under the watchful eye of the media and being scrutinized by the public? How much of all this is a result of their own actions, and how much can paparazzi, the media, and the general public interest be blamed for their actions or behavior?
Dear American Idol,
Ho, ho, ho. Don't you think you're clever?
Just wanted to thank you for wasting TWO full hours of my life last night (you don't even need two hours for a performance show, let alone a results one, and making me guilty for living in America. I thought I was done with watching those montages of Simon and Ryan in Africa, Randy in New Orleans, Paula in Oklahoma or wherever she was...I'm sure even she wasn't sure).
But no. In addition to the AI cast, I also had the privelege of seeing Madonna, Carrie Underwood, Ellen, Hugh Laurie, Teri Hatcher, and the like make pleas and pretty much rip my heart out, making me feel guilty for having an education and a secure job.
The night wasn't a complete loss, however. During your broadcast (which I normally Tivo and start 20 minutes into the broadcast, allowing me to fast forward though the commercials and other nonsense. Last night, however, I was so excited to see Ellen and Kelly and the others that I decided to watch in real time. Big mistake), I was able to complete the following while I occasionally paused the live program so I could fast forward later:
Just wanted to thank you for wasting TWO full hours of my life last night (you don't even need two hours for a performance show, let alone a results one, and making me guilty for living in America. I thought I was done with watching those montages of Simon and Ryan in Africa, Randy in New Orleans, Paula in Oklahoma or wherever she was...I'm sure even she wasn't sure).
But no. In addition to the AI cast, I also had the privelege of seeing Madonna, Carrie Underwood, Ellen, Hugh Laurie, Teri Hatcher, and the like make pleas and pretty much rip my heart out, making me feel guilty for having an education and a secure job.
The night wasn't a complete loss, however. During your broadcast (which I normally Tivo and start 20 minutes into the broadcast, allowing me to fast forward though the commercials and other nonsense. Last night, however, I was so excited to see Ellen and Kelly and the others that I decided to watch in real time. Big mistake), I was able to complete the following while I occasionally paused the live program so I could fast forward later:
- 3 loads of laundry (no joke.)
- The last 50 pages of the book I put down a month ago and haven't been able to pick back up
- 7 Sudoku puzzles
- My nightly practice of taking out my new contact lenses...took me 30 minutes.
- Clean out my wallet and
man-pursesmessenger bags - Wash and condition my hair.
- Relace all of my tennis shoes
Ok, so maybe I was embellishing with those last two. The point is, American Idol, last night's show was boring. Here are some things I could have done without:
- The cheesy "Heal The World," "What's Going On?" or whatever song it was the top 6 contestants sang. I usually fast forward through these group performances because I can't stand the cheesy choreography and camera work. But they were all wearing white, my eyes were drawn to the brightness.
- The LAME Beegee's montage of random C & D-list celebrities lipsynching to "Stayin' Alive" including Marc Antony, Teri Hatcher, Hugh Laurie, Jason Biggs, Lisa Kudrow, Chris Kattan, and Ryan Seacrest himself. There were others, too, but I think I dozed off for a minute in the middle somewhere.
- Celine Dion singing a duet with Elvis Presley. The last time I checked, Elvis has been dead for 30 years. Let's keep it that way. Celine probably felt the same way...she looked bored to death as she was singing a harmony with a guy who doesn't even exist anymore.
- The lamest elimination in Idol history...more on that later.
Don't get me wrong though, the show had its redeeming moments, including:
- Seeing Ryan and the other contestants freshly shaven.
- Kelly Clarkson...she's amazing singing a crazy rock anthem and a mellow folk tune.
- Ellen as host of the show at the Disney Concert Hall. From her beginning line, "Am I being voted off? What's going on?" to her closing words of wisdom that sent me over the edge, I can't get enough of that woman.
- Josh Groban's performance of "You Raise Me Up" with a chorus of African children. I was bored up until the kids started singing. I'm sure they had no idea what they were saying, but damn was it cute.
Now, let's talk about the elimination. Promised to be the most shocking elimination in Idol history, it actually turned out to be the lamest and cruelest. As the contestants were singled out one-by-one and informed they were safe, I knew once Ryan passed over Phil and Lakisha that nobody was going home. But to single out Chris and Jordin, fool Jordin into thinking she's going home, and then say that two people will go home next week instead? That's just cruel, Nigel! Good idea to not eliminate anyone during a charity show, carry the votes over, and eliminate two people, but a cruel trick to play on America's favorite 17 year-old. And you weren't fooling anyone (except Jordin, of course). I like to think we've smartened up since the Chris Daughtry fiasco, and you blatantly tried to capitalize on it once more. Well ha, AI. It didn't work. I saw right through your little scheme. But in the end, I lost out because I actually watched all the way through to the end, if anything so I could write this educated and unnecessarily long letter to you.
Well, onward and upward, I say. On to rock week. I'm guessing if Sanjaya hadn't already gone home, this would be the week he would. Wait, didn't we already have a rock week with Gwen Stefani? I'm confused. I'm guessing Chris and Blake could have a good week, while Phil and Jordin will barely squeeze by. But I'm wishing the best for Kiki and Melinda. They've got their work cut out for them.
Love,
Me.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Rosie's View
Rosie O'Donnell announced today that she is leaving her position as moderator on The View in mid-June when her initial contract with the show expires. Apparently, she was unable to reach an agreement on a contract renewal with ABC. Despite her leaving the show, creator, producer, and fellow co-host Barbara Walters says they are leaving on good terms.Too bad. As much as I think she can be a heinous bitch at times (and look how sweet she looks in this picture...there is a certain sense of fire underneath her smile though, isn't there?), I was quite enjoying her comeback to TV. And the increase in Broadway performances she brought to The View.
She should create a new form of The Rosie O'Donnell Show...one where she doesn't have to be so sappy sweet. I think she ruined that image of herself after the show ended. She's really great with talk shows, though. I'd like to see her make a full comeback.
Kerry Washington's not perfect
Actress Kerry Washington has a spread in People's 2007 Most Beautiful People issue. She said something that really struck a cord with me:
"When I first started meeting with agents, I remember one immediately telling me all the things I had to change: I'd have to get my teeth fixed, lose weight. Then I met with another agent two weeks later who was like, 'You're perfect – let's start.' That's a good rule to follow: Go where the love is."
Now, granted, she is one of People's Most Beautiful People, so she has that going for her. But I think if you have the tolerance and the confidence in yourself, that's a really good rule of thumb. Every person is going to tell you something different. Why waste time making all the changes to yourself if the next person you talk to isn't going to notice that imperfection, but rather something else?
"When I first started meeting with agents, I remember one immediately telling me all the things I had to change: I'd have to get my teeth fixed, lose weight. Then I met with another agent two weeks later who was like, 'You're perfect – let's start.' That's a good rule to follow: Go where the love is."
Now, granted, she is one of People's Most Beautiful People, so she has that going for her. But I think if you have the tolerance and the confidence in yourself, that's a really good rule of thumb. Every person is going to tell you something different. Why waste time making all the changes to yourself if the next person you talk to isn't going to notice that imperfection, but rather something else?
A lovely bunch of Coconuts?
Not to be outdone by its Broadway counterpart, the West End staging of Monty Python's Spamalot broke the record for the world's largest coconut orchestra April 23 in Trafalgar Square.
The Broadway and Shubert Alley crowd set the record March 22, 2006 as 1,789 fans banged complimentary pairs of coconut halves together to the tune of the familiar Monty Python anthem "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" to celebrate the show's one year anniversary. Londoners — celebrating St. George's Day — toppled the record with 5,567 people, as verified by the Guinness Book of World Records.
I'm sorry, but who cares?
Article from Playbill.com
Photo from Broadwayworld.com
American Idol Top 6 Recap!
This week is the long awaited Idol Gives Back concerts at the CBS studios and the Disney Concert Hall. Not sure if they did something at the Disney Concert Hall last night too, but tonight Ellen Degeneres is hosting and the last minute added artist is Kelly Clarkson. And I will be sitting at home. Watching on my television. Right.
Being the over-analytical freak that I am, I was thoroughly amused by the ploys the producers took in their attempts to make this show subdued and successful. Let me start this by saying that I think it's a great idea for Fox and American Idol to do charity work like this, and to make it so accessible to the American public (if they reach 500 million votes this week, some company will donate $.10 for every vote to their causes, totaling $5 million if you're like me and could not calculate that fast enough in your head before Ryan Seacrest clarified it). We've been seeing short clips of Ryan and Simon visiting Africa and different charities and poverty stricken areas in the U.S. all season, and hopefully after last night we can be done with them, because we watched it all YET again.
What I found so humorous is that the episode of American Idol last night should not have been dubbed Idol Gives Back, but rather Idol Gives Back Their Razors, or something to that effect. As far as I could tell, the producers decided to tone down the show by featuring an unshaved Ryan Seacrest, Chris Richardson, Blake Lewis (sans crazy-hot faux hawk too), and Simon's chest hair (hanging out of his white button down shirt in full glory). Apparently the way these fools give back is to not shave for a day and give serious smoldering looks into the camera. Stick that up with simplified lighting and orchestrations, and you've got yourself a charity show!
Being that this was the first night without Sanjaya in the competition, Simon and Randy each remarked that it felt like it was the beginning of the true competition. It was also the first night with 2#'s for each of the performer's, which always seems to up the stakes.
Chris Richardson~ It's always hard to open the show, especially the week after you were reamed by Simon for your vocal quality that is part JT part Fran Drescher. Fran's essence was still there (how could it not be?), but he also had the JT meets Jason Mraz thing going on. Singing Eric Clapton's "Change the World" was a good song choice, if anything because it showcased his mellower, toned down performance where he could still show off his riffs without over doing it. And of course, how can I argue with his great style and presence while he performs? But he'll most likely be in the bottom 3 (and he barely makes mine, simply because there's no one left to take the last spot on my list). Don't think he'll go home, though.
Melinda Dolittle~ Someone stole my slogan! There was a sign last night that said "Melinda Dolittle can do lots!" (of course, it's not the most original slogan, but I would still appreciate some credit!). This girl, I swear to God. She proved this week that she can do nothing but stand in the middle of the stage and sing, and still command a standing ovation. I thought she was the best performance of the night, and literally the only blocking she had was move from center to down center in the middle of the song. She's unhuman. And she looked gorgeous too. She sported a simple look, but that was not a simple performance. And she is starting to realize she's better than everyone else too. There's always someone who doesn't have to do the stupid finger waving when Ryan reads their phone #, and this season it's Melinda. She just looks at the camera with a smile, and BOOM! She's safe.
Blake Lewis~ If there was ever a night when Blake looked like a certain someone who keeps popping up in my life, it was last night. But I digress. Blake reached kinda high and sang "Imagine." Which on the one hand was a smart choice to tone it waaaaay down and show off his vocals rather than his VP and performance abilities. But come on now, it's "Imagine." It wasn't his best vocal of the season, and for some reason I kept thinking 'holiday album' during his performance. I guess we can look forward to an Idol follow-up from Claiken's bomb of Merry Christmas With Love. Eh, Blake was bound to have an 'ok' performance sometime. Still, his scruffy, toned down look and his relaxed but sincere performance were fitting for the night. He will never be in my bottom 3, but he has been in the bottom 3 before, and I'm afraid it could happen again this week.
Lakisha Jones~ I'm very big on taking breaths at the right moments in a song. You don't want to let me catch you taking a breath in the middle of a phrase, because I will ream your ass! Enter Lakisha, singing a song from a past Idol for the second week in a row (which I equate to singing a song from a musical you are auditioning for...you just don't do it Kiki!). After taking breaths at two inopportune moments, I tuned out. "Reach for...a star..." "Rea...lize" (not kidding about that second one. She actually took a breath in the middle of a WORD). The judges criticized her for not being comparable to the original, and it is impossible not to compare her to one of the more successful Idols (I can guarantee if she were to have sung something by Ruben Studdard or Taylor Hicks no one would have noticed). But despite Kiki hitting two of my biggest pet peves, "Believe" by Fantasia is more the style of song she should be singing in this competition, and I hope she can continue to make smart choices like that. Otherwise, she'll be gone gone gone gone gone. Which she may be this week. She's in my bottom 3, and she will be in America's, too.
On a side note: Ever noticed how short Ryan Seacrest is? Pretty sure he's only 5'6" or something. It's funny to see everyone always TOWERING over him. But last night I noticed that he was actually a head taller than Lakisha! Crazy, because I would have thought Kiki to be much taller than I guess she actually is.
Phil Stacey~ Phil has such a great quality to his voice. I almost like it when it's a little raspier (you can tell his voice is getting tired). It's like a deeper Michael Bolton with a tiny bit of country twang (which I never noticed until he sang during country week last week). His best notes come when he sings with he really opens up and relaxes (but when he does that I'm pretty sure he unhinges his jaw. Last night I was afraid he was going to swallow the microphone AND Paula Abdul in one bite!). I'm not sure if he will be able to make it as a country artist, though. He may have the sound, but country music is largely based on telling a story, and with the lack of stage presence and emotion he has when performing, I am skeptical of his ability to move an audience with his emotion and energy. He'll be in the bottom 3 and may go home by default.
Jordin Sparks~ Just when I was on the fence with this girl, she busts out some CAROUSEL! How can I not like her now? She sang "You'll Never Walk Alone," which is a very moving and haunting ballad. Poor Simon just can't get away from movie/soundtracks week that he always hates between Melinda's "Home" a few weeks ago and Jordin's choice this week. I love it! Jordin looked beautiful--her hair, dress, makeup, everything. It wasn't her strongest vocal of the season, but she still manages to pull out these crazy notes at the end of her songs. I was watching her thinking 'there's no way she is going to hit that crazy high note with the last "You'll NEVER walk ALONE!"' But she did it. And she did it well! Her voice is starting to remind me of Daphne's a lot. But Daphne has a better vibrato. She'll definitely stick around till next week, and possibly even the finals, if the Blaker Girls start to fall behind in their voting.
So my bottom 3 should reflect America's bottom 3: Chris, Lakisha, and Phil, with either Phil or Lakisha going home. I don't think Chris deserves to go yet.
Being the over-analytical freak that I am, I was thoroughly amused by the ploys the producers took in their attempts to make this show subdued and successful. Let me start this by saying that I think it's a great idea for Fox and American Idol to do charity work like this, and to make it so accessible to the American public (if they reach 500 million votes this week, some company will donate $.10 for every vote to their causes, totaling $5 million if you're like me and could not calculate that fast enough in your head before Ryan Seacrest clarified it). We've been seeing short clips of Ryan and Simon visiting Africa and different charities and poverty stricken areas in the U.S. all season, and hopefully after last night we can be done with them, because we watched it all YET again.
What I found so humorous is that the episode of American Idol last night should not have been dubbed Idol Gives Back, but rather Idol Gives Back Their Razors, or something to that effect. As far as I could tell, the producers decided to tone down the show by featuring an unshaved Ryan Seacrest, Chris Richardson, Blake Lewis (sans crazy-hot faux hawk too), and Simon's chest hair (hanging out of his white button down shirt in full glory). Apparently the way these fools give back is to not shave for a day and give serious smoldering looks into the camera. Stick that up with simplified lighting and orchestrations, and you've got yourself a charity show!
Being that this was the first night without Sanjaya in the competition, Simon and Randy each remarked that it felt like it was the beginning of the true competition. It was also the first night with 2#'s for each of the performer's, which always seems to up the stakes.
Chris Richardson~ It's always hard to open the show, especially the week after you were reamed by Simon for your vocal quality that is part JT part Fran Drescher. Fran's essence was still there (how could it not be?), but he also had the JT meets Jason Mraz thing going on. Singing Eric Clapton's "Change the World" was a good song choice, if anything because it showcased his mellower, toned down performance where he could still show off his riffs without over doing it. And of course, how can I argue with his great style and presence while he performs? But he'll most likely be in the bottom 3 (and he barely makes mine, simply because there's no one left to take the last spot on my list). Don't think he'll go home, though.
Melinda Dolittle~ Someone stole my slogan! There was a sign last night that said "Melinda Dolittle can do lots!" (of course, it's not the most original slogan, but I would still appreciate some credit!). This girl, I swear to God. She proved this week that she can do nothing but stand in the middle of the stage and sing, and still command a standing ovation. I thought she was the best performance of the night, and literally the only blocking she had was move from center to down center in the middle of the song. She's unhuman. And she looked gorgeous too. She sported a simple look, but that was not a simple performance. And she is starting to realize she's better than everyone else too. There's always someone who doesn't have to do the stupid finger waving when Ryan reads their phone #, and this season it's Melinda. She just looks at the camera with a smile, and BOOM! She's safe.
Blake Lewis~ If there was ever a night when Blake looked like a certain someone who keeps popping up in my life, it was last night. But I digress. Blake reached kinda high and sang "Imagine." Which on the one hand was a smart choice to tone it waaaaay down and show off his vocals rather than his VP and performance abilities. But come on now, it's "Imagine." It wasn't his best vocal of the season, and for some reason I kept thinking 'holiday album' during his performance. I guess we can look forward to an Idol follow-up from Claiken's bomb of Merry Christmas With Love. Eh, Blake was bound to have an 'ok' performance sometime. Still, his scruffy, toned down look and his relaxed but sincere performance were fitting for the night. He will never be in my bottom 3, but he has been in the bottom 3 before, and I'm afraid it could happen again this week.
Lakisha Jones~ I'm very big on taking breaths at the right moments in a song. You don't want to let me catch you taking a breath in the middle of a phrase, because I will ream your ass! Enter Lakisha, singing a song from a past Idol for the second week in a row (which I equate to singing a song from a musical you are auditioning for...you just don't do it Kiki!). After taking breaths at two inopportune moments, I tuned out. "Reach for...a star..." "Rea...lize" (not kidding about that second one. She actually took a breath in the middle of a WORD). The judges criticized her for not being comparable to the original, and it is impossible not to compare her to one of the more successful Idols (I can guarantee if she were to have sung something by Ruben Studdard or Taylor Hicks no one would have noticed). But despite Kiki hitting two of my biggest pet peves, "Believe" by Fantasia is more the style of song she should be singing in this competition, and I hope she can continue to make smart choices like that. Otherwise, she'll be gone gone gone gone gone. Which she may be this week. She's in my bottom 3, and she will be in America's, too.
On a side note: Ever noticed how short Ryan Seacrest is? Pretty sure he's only 5'6" or something. It's funny to see everyone always TOWERING over him. But last night I noticed that he was actually a head taller than Lakisha! Crazy, because I would have thought Kiki to be much taller than I guess she actually is.
Phil Stacey~ Phil has such a great quality to his voice. I almost like it when it's a little raspier (you can tell his voice is getting tired). It's like a deeper Michael Bolton with a tiny bit of country twang (which I never noticed until he sang during country week last week). His best notes come when he sings with he really opens up and relaxes (but when he does that I'm pretty sure he unhinges his jaw. Last night I was afraid he was going to swallow the microphone AND Paula Abdul in one bite!). I'm not sure if he will be able to make it as a country artist, though. He may have the sound, but country music is largely based on telling a story, and with the lack of stage presence and emotion he has when performing, I am skeptical of his ability to move an audience with his emotion and energy. He'll be in the bottom 3 and may go home by default.
Jordin Sparks~ Just when I was on the fence with this girl, she busts out some CAROUSEL! How can I not like her now? She sang "You'll Never Walk Alone," which is a very moving and haunting ballad. Poor Simon just can't get away from movie/soundtracks week that he always hates between Melinda's "Home" a few weeks ago and Jordin's choice this week. I love it! Jordin looked beautiful--her hair, dress, makeup, everything. It wasn't her strongest vocal of the season, but she still manages to pull out these crazy notes at the end of her songs. I was watching her thinking 'there's no way she is going to hit that crazy high note with the last "You'll NEVER walk ALONE!"' But she did it. And she did it well! Her voice is starting to remind me of Daphne's a lot. But Daphne has a better vibrato. She'll definitely stick around till next week, and possibly even the finals, if the Blaker Girls start to fall behind in their voting.So my bottom 3 should reflect America's bottom 3: Chris, Lakisha, and Phil, with either Phil or Lakisha going home. I don't think Chris deserves to go yet.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
New title, anybody?
By the way, I hate how boring "Brian's Pop Culture Blog" is, so if anyone can think of a better title, you...will be more clever than I am.
Wicked is EVERYWHERE!!
I cannot seem to get away from Wicked. It seems like recently it has been poppin up everywhere, including:
- The Jay Leno show the night I decided to randomly Tivo the show (the LA cast performed a rather mediocre version of "What Is This Feeling?"...and by mediocre I mean reserved performances by Eden Espinosa and Megan Hilty...I know they are powerhouse performers, but the ensemble danced and sang CIRCLES around them!)
- My optometrist randomly mentioned to me he recently read the book and talked to me about it for 20 minutes, without knowing if I had even heard of it.
- Since the Los Angeles production opened in February, I cannot go anywhere or do anything without seeing a billboard or advertisement for the show. I haven't driven past the theater since it opened, but everyone has either seen it or has tickets to see it, and there are huge billboards all around town. I can't even get my daily dose of trashy celebrity gossip via perezhilton.com without seeing multiple advertisements on his site! I know he's gay, but who knew he was so cultured (or just a sucker for an extra buck through publicity). You gotta hand it to the marketing department over at Broadway LA...
- Between the Broadway, Chicago, national tour, London, and Los Angeles productions being as successful as they are, you'd think the creative team would be sitting pretty. Well, they are, but apparently it's not enough. There is also a 30-minute version of the show at Universal Studios in Osaka, Japan, and full productions in Japan, Germany, and Australia will be popping up in the next two years. There are also rumors of future productions in Canada and the Netherlands. Who do they think they are, The Lion King? Les Miserables?
And now, the greatest of them all...
- On Goldstar (an amazing discount ticket website, you should all check it out), I saw a listing for a production of The Wizard Of Oz going up in Los Angeles in July. The tagline for it actually said "What happened after Wicked: The Classic Tale of The Wizard Of Oz."
Can you believe that? I was floored. Wicked's clever slogan is "So much happened before Dorothy dropped in." But now The Wizard Of Oz, a title that has stood on its own for decades, is being billed as a sequel to Wicked.
Brian's Pop Culture Blog -- A Brief Introduction
Here I am. Finally deciding to create yet another online profile for myself. So far I've conquered the world of LiveJournal, Friendster, Facebook, Myspace, Downelink (a brief jaunt), Connexion, OkCupid...ok now I'm just sounding desperate. But Blogger doesn't make me sound petty and desperate, right? Right?
Here's the thing...I'm a pop culture whore. I'm a Broadway whore. And sadly, I would probably rather stay in with a bottle of wine, a dinner consisting of carbs and sugar, and my Tivo loaded with shows I need to catch up on, or a stack of DVD's. That's the truththewholetruthandnothingbutthetruthsohelpmeGod. No, seriously God, help me. I'm a sad individual.
I feel like I'm always so enamored by how pop culture affects the world we live in. And obviously I feel a little dedicated to it, since I moved to Los Angeles after graduating from college in an attempt to sign my life away to showbiz. In fact, I tried to major in Communication in college, partly because I was fascinated by the study of mass media, and partly because if I didn't choose acting as a profession, I wanted to get involved in marekting/advertising (way to pick two of the most competitive professions in the world, buddy). And since my school had nothing in the way of a Marketing/Advertising major, I had to stick with Communication. Of course I didn't have to stick with it too long, since I failed to meet the GPA requirement for the 4 pre-req's (I was probably too busy watching TV or singing to showtunes to study. Or even go to class at all). So I chose Sociology as my double major (along with Dramatic Art, duh). This was mostly because it was the closest thing to Communication my school offered, but also because the GPA requirement was significantly lower, and I calculated that I could sleep through or not attend over half of the classes in order to still be accepted into the major. I also took a Sociology course in high school (the cool kids took Psychology. Hence why I took Sociology), and I found it compelling, so I thought 'What the heck?!' In the end, though, I ended up really getting into my major, and was able to combine my passion and interest in pop culture, mass media and communication with my studies in order to gain an insight on how the goings-on in Hollywood and all it produces affects how we think and live our lives as a society.
Which brings me to this blog. Up to this point, it probably sounds like I am going to try to solve the world's problems and issues with showbusiness and mass media. And yeah, I may try to do that every once in a while. But you're more likely to get the full lowdown on:
Here's the thing...I'm a pop culture whore. I'm a Broadway whore. And sadly, I would probably rather stay in with a bottle of wine, a dinner consisting of carbs and sugar, and my Tivo loaded with shows I need to catch up on, or a stack of DVD's. That's the truththewholetruthandnothingbutthetruthsohelpmeGod. No, seriously God, help me. I'm a sad individual.
I feel like I'm always so enamored by how pop culture affects the world we live in. And obviously I feel a little dedicated to it, since I moved to Los Angeles after graduating from college in an attempt to sign my life away to showbiz. In fact, I tried to major in Communication in college, partly because I was fascinated by the study of mass media, and partly because if I didn't choose acting as a profession, I wanted to get involved in marekting/advertising (way to pick two of the most competitive professions in the world, buddy). And since my school had nothing in the way of a Marketing/Advertising major, I had to stick with Communication. Of course I didn't have to stick with it too long, since I failed to meet the GPA requirement for the 4 pre-req's (I was probably too busy watching TV or singing to showtunes to study. Or even go to class at all). So I chose Sociology as my double major (along with Dramatic Art, duh). This was mostly because it was the closest thing to Communication my school offered, but also because the GPA requirement was significantly lower, and I calculated that I could sleep through or not attend over half of the classes in order to still be accepted into the major. I also took a Sociology course in high school (the cool kids took Psychology. Hence why I took Sociology), and I found it compelling, so I thought 'What the heck?!' In the end, though, I ended up really getting into my major, and was able to combine my passion and interest in pop culture, mass media and communication with my studies in order to gain an insight on how the goings-on in Hollywood and all it produces affects how we think and live our lives as a society.
Which brings me to this blog. Up to this point, it probably sounds like I am going to try to solve the world's problems and issues with showbusiness and mass media. And yeah, I may try to do that every once in a while. But you're more likely to get the full lowdown on:
- funny and ridiculous news stories in the entertainment world (Britney Spears as the Mother of the Year, anybody?)
- Celebrities and Figures I think are a) talented, b)entertaining, c)trashy, d)all of the above
- The goings-on in Hollywood and Broadway (as my dear friend Alana (holla!) says, "You know more about Broadway than people who are on Broadway")
- Summaries, spoilers, and commentary on my favorite television shows, films, theatrical productions, musical artists, etc.
- And maybe some thoughts or insight on issues in pop culture affecting us today
So, if I haven't already bored you to tears, sit back, relax, turn off all cellular devices, no flash photography as it is distracting to the actors, please unwrap any candy now before the film begins, and enjoy the show!
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