High School Musical 2!

I'm a bad tweeny. I waited until the morning after the premier to watch HSM2. But now I'm watcing it as we speak, and I am already going crazy for this movie. It's like exactly like the original, only the stars are more glammed, and they have twice as many extras.

This movie is supposed to pick up right where the original film ended. So that means that Troy gets a fake tan, gets rid of his highlights, and gets a hipper wardrobe (what kind of high schooler wears Diesel jeans, anyway?), Gabriella manages to look even dorkier, Sharpay gets even bitchier (didn't she have some sort of revelation at the end of the OG?), Ryan somehow becomes EVEN GAYER, Taylor actually starts to look cute, Kelsi goes back to dorkidom, and Martha is upped to supporting role status. Disney is right, character development is so overrated.

Anybody else notice that Yearbook signing at East High greatly resembles an autograph session?

I love how the sound engineers who worked on this soundtrack didn't even attempt to mask the artificial pitch perfection. I mean, who knew Ashley Tisdale can magically duplicate her voice? And sing her own backup without even opening her mouth?!

God, the sexual tension between Troy & Gabriella is driving me insane. Why don't they just bone already?! Oh, right. Disney. (How scandalous would it be if Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens came out with a sex tape?!) But aren't they SO talented? I mean, both in the original and the sequel, they can magically learn the songs that Kelsi teaches them without needed the sheet music. And what kind of piano does Kelsi play on that can create bass, guitar, synthesizer and percussion in addition to piano?

The golf scene is hilarious! First of all, who knew Troy was not only a Basketball star, brilliant with singing and dancing, and a golf genius to boot?! And secondly, Troy reminds me of every guy i've ever been interested in...TOTALLY. OBLIVIOUS (as Taylor puts it, "Just because he's a nice guy doesn't mean he's not prone to 'Boy Disease,' forgetting things you shouldn't forget). It annoys me almost as much as Sharpay's tiara. But despite the tiara, Ashley Tisdale steals the scene with her giggling, prancing, and slapstick with Lucas Grabeel and Corbin Bleu.

Ooh, and the plot thickens. Sharpay's new way of winning Troy's heart is to ambush him with dinner reservations, convert him to a golf protoge, and use her parents to get him thinking about scholarships. Very cunning and deceptive, Sharpay. But a date in the pool with Gabriella calls, and I think I can guess which one Troy will choose in the end. But keep it up with those pink golf balls and those amazing hair style, Sharpay, and you may have a chance! You are "skin tone compatible" afterall.

I love Ryan's plotline in this movie. I love how he is "sticking it to the man" and showing up Sharpay with the other Wildcats. I loved his number on the baseball field with Chad (although Corbin Bleu kind of drives me crazy) , and how they are going to perform in the country club's talent show together. And I love how Troy seems to think that something is going on between Gabriella and Ryan (what did I say--TOTALLY. OBLIVIOUS. Too funny).

Sharpay's greatest line of the movie: "Give me a beat!" (She needed the beat to make a dramatic exit. Priceless.). Second favorite: "To tell you the truth, I like you more than I like myself right now. [gasp] Did I just say that?!" And I'm loving the fight scene between Gabriella and Sharpay. FINALLY we see some of the true issues in high school--catty girls, relationship drama, wet and shimmery concrete, dramatic exit lines, bad transitions into breakup songs...maybe I'm getting a bit carried away.

What would a HSM movie be without Vanessa Hudgens sulking as she sings up against a locker, wall, staircase, etc.? And Troy chasing after her (only this is the sequel, Troy! Chasing after her isn't going to work this time! You really screwed up, with your golf swing and Univ. of Alberquerque Letterman's jacket. What you need is a good pep talk with your dad, Coach Bolton, over some burnt hamburgers and some cheesy dialogue. Oh look, here it comes now).

Well here's something I wasn't expecting: A dramatic plot developing breakout song where Troy jumps from climate to climate (grassy field, mountains, sand, back to grass, pond lined with trees, back to grass, finishing up with a cocked knee, arms up in the air on top of the mountain with a mesa in the background...very effective). And of course Troy realizes the error of his ways, and sets things right with everyone. He's Troy Bolton, afterall. Practically perfect in every way. And just to show you how great you are, we'll allow you to kiss Gabriella (FINALLY!) at the end of this one. And that kiss went on and on. Let's hope, for the sake of Disney's wholesomeness, there isn't a third installment to this series. Who knows HOW far they'll go next time!

Aw, I knew everything would turn out well in the end. All it took was a cheap "Breaking Free" rip off, complete with the rest of the Wildcats (and ultimately the entire country club) joining in for the grand finale. Ah, Disney, you destroy me every time. But next time, but a little more effort into the deigital effects. Stars do NOT twinkle like that, and shooting stars also do NOT look like that. And since when do jpanese lanterns float away on their own? Oh, am I getting ahead of myself again?

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows

Harry friggin' Potter and the Deathly friggin' Hallows. It took me a bit longer to read this book than I wanted it to. The book was just too bulky for me to carry across the country, so I opted to wait for Tina to bring her copy to me once she finished it. Which means I looked a bit goofy reading it on the subway after everyone had already read it, ducking and running away from any spoilers that might cross my path. But it was sooooo worth the wait. I used to say Year 3, ...the Prisoner of Azkaban was my favorite installment of the series. But no longer, my friends. ...The Deathly Hallows is by far the best of the series, and I think everyone will agree with me when they say it was a great way to go out.

By the way, the rest of this post is going to be loaded with spoilers, so don't read any more if you haven't already finished the book. I mean, like, totally and completely finished it and read every single word. But then again, if you haven't already finished the book, you should not be wasting time reading this! Get to reading, already!

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I think this book should be renamed Harry Potter and the 12,000 Deaths. Seriously. People started dying on PAGE THREE of the book. And it didn't stop until the second to last page of the book. Some were sadder than others (like the first woman who died...we didn't even know who she was). It was sad to lose Mad Eye, but he was missing an eye so it wasn't even like a while person or anything. :) Losing Fred was the saddest, I think, but also Lupin and Tonks. And the non-human deaths, like Hedwig and Dobby. Hell, I can't even keep track of everyone who died.

[By the way, Aaron told me a funny story about his boyfriend, Michael. He was talking to Michael about the books (Michael has never read any books or seen any movies...from the series, I mean), and I think he mentioned Cedric Diggory dying in the fourth book. Michael looked at him, shocked, and said, "Wait, people are dying in these books?!" I just thought it was funny.]

Ok so overall this book was SO intense. Every sentence was important. I contantly found myself having to slow down so I could get the story fully, even though I really wanted to speed up and get through it as quickly as I could. It was that intense!

Things got especially crazy toward the end when the mysteries of the series were wrapped up and everything was revealed. Speaking of that, I'm really glad that everything was answered in this book, because I was kind of embarrassed that I didn't fully get understand the whole story! And I was afraid to admit it, since it's written for kids! But I am happy to say that all of my questions were answered, and I fully understand the prophecy and all that stuff (maybe with a little help from Sarah).

Even though the most intense moments of the book were at the end, I do feel like a lot of stuff was anticlimactic...

Take Snape for instance. We got 6.5 books thinking he is this evil guy (even though he wasn't officially revealed as evil until Year 6, Harry never trusted him, even for a minute). He hardly appears in Year 7 at all, and then there is one chapter where we learn that he is actually Dumbledore's sidekick in the whole prophecy being carried out and he was afctually the least evil of them all. Oh yeah, and we found this out after he died. Um, what?! It was so anticlimactic.

And is it just me, or did Voldemort die kind of quickly? Like, there is this really intense moment where Harry is walking through the Dark Forest, with the ghosts of Sirius, James, and Lily, and he becomes one with himself and realizes he has to die for the sake of the prophecy, and he's ok with it, and Voldemort kinda kills him. And then he and Dumbledore talk on a cloud or something, and we find out that Harry is a horcrux and Voldemort only killed a part of his own soul in Harry, then Harry plays dead, and McGonnagal screams and everyone mourns, Neville cuts of a snake's head, and Harry jumps up to save the day, he puts a protective charm around him and Voldemort so nobody can interfere, and you think there is going to be this really huge crazy battle. But instead, they both fire spells simultaneously and the next thing you know Voldemort is dead. HELLO?! Talk about a whole lot of working up to nothing.

Um, I really hope nobody was reading this who hasn't already finished the book. Because if you haven't, I just ruined it for you.

There were some great funny moments in the book too, and they were definitely a welcomed change from all of the intense deaths and revelations. Ron & Hermione's flirtation cracked me up, and I'm glad Voldemort mocked Harry's power that he got from 'love,' because I always thought that was a bit silly. But I think the greatest part (I literally laughed out loud on the subway) was when Mrs. Weasley came out of nowhere and shouted, "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" It is, perhaps, the single greatest line in the entire 7-book series.

Oh yeah, and the Epilogue kind of creeped me out. Like, it was weird for me to imagine Ginny and Harry getting married, and Ron & Hermione. It made me uncomfortable. And Harry and Ginny named their second oldest Albus Severus? Sandwiched in between a James and a Lily, talk about a Jan Brady complex! Not exactly sure where Ron & Hermione got Hugo and Rose (the only thing I can think of was that the first letters are the same, with the genders switched), but it beats Hugo and Rose. What's with Harry and Ginny getting all Hollywood with the names?!? It's a good thing they didn't have a fourth child, or else it could have ended up Rubius Kreacher (or Myrtle Minerva?)

Needless to say, by the end of this book, I was sobbing. Not, like, tears trickling down my cheeks. No. I broke down with audible wheezes and sobs. I'm not exactly sure why. But I did it, and I'm kind of embarrassed about it. Thank God I wasn't still on the subway by that point. Um, and how amazing is this movie going to be? I hope they don't cut too much out (like they did for the 5th film), and actually have a brilliant script for it. It's going to be super intense. And I won't go see it with Sarah because she might drown me in her tears. But I will DEFINITELY be seeing it in IMAX-3D. If you haven't tried it yet, it's the ONLY was to see HP films!

The greatest thing about J.K. Rowling is that she has this entire world down to a T. Not only has she published the encyclopedia Magical Creatures and Where to Find Them, (fictionally written by a wizard, whose grandson ends up marrying Luna Lovegood), but she also gave further details beyond the Epilogue about what happens to some of the other supporting characters. She revealed all of the info in some online chat, and it was posted by someone on Wikipedia. So here it is, straight from J.K. herself:

Harry becomes an Auror for the Ministry of Magic, and is later appointed head of the department. Harry owns Sirius's motorcycle, which Arthur Weasley repaired for him. Because Voldemort's soul fragment inside him was destroyed, Harry can no longer speak Parseltongue.
Ron works for a time with George at his store, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and eventually becomes an Auror.
Hermione initially works for the Ministry of Magic in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, greatly improving life for house-elves and their ilk. She later moves to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and assists in eradicating oppressive, pro-pureblood laws. She also finds her parents in Australia and removes the memory modification charm she put on them.
Luna Lovegood searches the world for odd and unique creatures. She eventually marries Rolf, the grandson of the famed naturalist, Newt Scamander.
Ginny Weasley plays for the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch team for a time, then leaves her athletic career behind for marriage and family with Harry. She eventually becomes the lead Quidditch correspondent for the Daily Prophet.
George Weasley runs his successful joke shop, helped by Ron. He names his first child Fred, after his late twin brother.
Slytherin House has become more diluted and is no longer the pureblood bastion it once was. Nevertheless, its dark reputation lingers.
Voldemort's jinx on the Defence Against the Dark Arts (DADA) position is broken with his death, and there is a permanent DADA teacher.
Firenze is welcomed back into his herd, who acknowledge that his pro-human leanings were not shameful, but honourable.
Kingsley Shacklebolt becomes the Minister for Magic, with Percy Weasley working under him as a high official.
As part of the changes introduced by Kingsley Shacklebolt, Azkaban no longer uses Dementors. As a result, the world is now a "much sunnier place".
Dolores Umbridge is arrested, interrogated, and imprisoned for crimes against Muggle-borns.
The Quibbler has returned to its usual condition of "advanced lunacy", and is appreciated for its unintentional humour.
A portrait of Snape was not in the headmaster's office as he abandoned his post before dying. Harry intends to fight the absence of Snape's portrait, and reveals to all Snape's true allegiance.

Um, so now what am I supposed to do with my time, sit around and twiddle my thumbs? Maybe I should go back and re-read. Yes. I will re-read the books and then watch the corresponding film immediately. I am excited to actually be able to figure out what was left out and what they changed. I'm SUCH a nerd.

So You Think You Can Dance, Season 3!

The following is a hilarious recap of the third season of So You Think You Can Dance?. I wish I was, you know, not moving across the country, and was able to keep better tabs on the show, and blog about it. Next season, I promise! But for now, I guess I'll just have to watch the finale and enjoy the recap below...

by Adam B. Vary

Danny should win. Yeah, Sabra's brilliance brings us all in, and Lacey's a crack entertainer, and it's the women's turn this year, blah blah. Danny should win. Not just because he's the best dancer So You Think You Can Dance has ever seen, either; as Nigel pointedly noted, this is a competition for America's favorite dancer, and last night, Danny was mine. He should win. And, you know what, I think he actually might.
To be fair, Danny had the best night, in part because, of the four finalists, he had by far the best combination of routines in a night when the choreographers mostly failed to showcase the dancers' strengths. We'll get to all that in a bit, but I also have to say that, really, if any one of these dancers takes home the $250K, I'll be totally happy — one of the few times in any TV reality competition show that I'm able to say that. Which is, all of my snarkiness about costumes and choreography throughout this season aside, reason #1932 why I love this show.
Speaking of clothing — Cat, we need to talk. It's getting serious. At first, Grandma was excited that you were ''borrowing'' her things to wear on the show. But she was really counting on wearing her gold Going Out dress — which she purchased at the Detroit Loehmann's on final markdown in 1972, and such a steal it was then, too! — to the church canteen dance last Sunday, but when she went to her closet to put it on, all she found instead was one of those single pink daffodils you keep leaving behind. So, look, after the show's over, give us a call and we'll set you up with a guy I know. He's really great with people who have your condition — geri-kleptomania, I believe it's called — and Grandma won't press any charges.
Phew. Okay, with that bit of unpleasantness behind us, let's take on each dancer in the order of their solos and sit-downs with Cat-burglar Deeley:
Lacey Pretty much the front-runner entering last night's show, Lacey didn't so much make any major performance missteps — okay, there was that totally unflattering silver dress she wore in her otherwise acceptable solo — as she was just outclassed and outdanced by Danny and, to a lesser extent, Sabra. (Sidebar: I noticed that some of you people on the message board have said you were at Monday's taping of the show, so can anyone tell the rest of us what Adam Shankman yelled out from the audience when he heckled Lacey?) It was telling to me that the producers placed her solo first and chose to remind viewers once again that her brother won the show last year — neither choice did Lacey any favors, and the judges were even a bit muted in their praise for her. It all made me wonder if someone had decided that as much as it would be good for the show for a woman to win this year, it would be just as bad, if not worse, for the sibling of last year's winner to win. Just putting that out there.
Of her partner routines, surprise surprise, I liked Lacey's Viennese waltz with Danny the best — elegant, fluid, classic, and yet, with Avril singing backup, surprisingly modern. The pairing also produced the best line of the night: Lacey giggling, ''My head hit Danny's goodies!'' after her head, well, hit Danny's goodies. And I actually liked Lacey's ''fox'' routine with Sabra; it was certainly unlike anything we'd seen this season, and, for once, I couldn't tell that Wade Robson had choreographed it. Liked, but didn't love; it did seem more like a top 10 number than one for the finale, especially considering Wade's killer group number from last year's top 4 show. And as far as Lacey's Lindy hop with...
Neil, well, I kinda hated it, which I guess makes me a boring person. I actually had to watch it twice; the first time, I completely spaced out as it was unfolding, too busy contemplating how obnoxious I found Lacey counting down the number of times she fell during rehearsal. Best I understand, falling is to dancing what typos are to writing — it happens, a lot, and I could see on Neil's face how wearying Lacey's complaints were becoming. Thing is, Neil took that weariness to the stage; he caught his partner, sure, but I'm pretty sure the Lindy hop is supposed to be about four times faster, and the kicks about four feet higher. And yet the judges raved.
Maybe they felt bad that they'd harped so much on Neil's ''tricks,'' or that, of the four, Neil is the only dancer pretty much guaranteed not to win, even if he was peaking at the end of the season. Not that he really got a chance to prove that theory; other than his solid solo, Neil was either felled by exhaustion (performing a Lindy hop after doing four other routines learned in less than 96 hours), sidelined by lackluster choreography (Shane Sparks' disjointed hip-hop), or asked by Mia Michaels not to dance so much as act royally pissed off while being taunted and thrown around by
Danny, who, it seemed to me last night, could do no wrong — and, more important, was finally comfortable enough in his own skin to drop his guard and just be himself. Which, it turns out, is a shy, doofus-y kid with a pretty awesome family. My favorite moment from last night, in fact, was after Danny's (powerful, masterful, insane) solo, when the camera cut to his brother Travis jokily razzing him from the stands before rocking all the way back into his chair and then forward again, his cheeks expanding in a gasp of deep pride and amazement. Sorta said it all, really. (Anyone catch Ivan from season 2 sitting with Team Danny? Anyone catch Ivan's totally ridiculous hair? Just wondering.)
Indeed, if Neil's talent was supposedly peaking at the right time, Danny's personality was never more relaxed and appealing than during rehearsals for the last — and best — routine of the night, Danny's cha-cha with...
Sabra Poor Sabra. Despite the judges' unending praise and acclaim, she really only got to shine once, with Danny — though, boy, did she shine brightly, between a dress so hot it had me contemplating switching teams and a routine (choreographed by this season's true breakout discovery, Bette Midler — I mean Melanie La Patin!) that finally brought the unexpected, crowd-pleasing panache missing from the rest of the finale (save Danny's solo). So of course the judges had to get all nitpicky and technical about it even as they tried to say that nitpicky technicalities aren't important anymore.
Otherwise, however, Sabra was saddled with the aforementioned lackluster Shane Sparks hip-hop number and Wade's love-it-or-hate-it time with the foxy ladies. Even her solo was a little underwhelming, especially after her final flip, which looked to me like she landed a bit wrong on her ankle, causing her to dribble through the rest of her allotted time. Not the best turn of events for the dancer who came into the night the not-so-underdog to win.
And yet I think she still could. Really, this is a three-way race. If the votes are based mostly on last night's performance, I'd give the edge to Danny. If, however, voters heed Nigel's surprisingly direct pleas to take into consideration the dancers' growth through the season — and that a woman ought to win — then I'm going to go out on a limb and place Sabra a hair above Lacey.
Who do you think will win? Who do you think should win? If your favorite lost, would you be upset? And how many of you can't wait to see Nigel and Cat cut a rug on tonight's season finale?

The Top 4: Danny, Sabra, Neil, Lacey

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

There's only one way to see the Harry Potter movies these days. That's right, I'm talking IMAX-3D. This movie was LARGER THAN LIFE!!!

Of course I refer first and foremost to Richard Griffiths, who only seems to be gaining weight by the hour. At this rate, he'll need his own theater to perform Equus on Broadway next season. Daniel Radcliffe and the rest of the cast next door. And seeing him on an IMAX screen doesn't make him look any skinnier. Luckily he did not appear in any of the 3D scenes.

All fat jokes aside, this movie was weird. The 5th and 6th installments of the 7 book series are the darkest and serve mostly as development and set-up for the final book, so the book was largely uneventful until the final 15 minutes or so. Regardless, the dream sequences with Voldemort, and the dilectably evil Dolores Umbridge reminded me how tense I can get while watching these movies, especially on the big screen (man, the 7th movie is going to be INTENSE!).

I am always so amused by some of the interpretations the films take on characters, images, and scenes that I inevitably conjure up to be completely different in my head. The dementors and Death Eaters were so different from my vision that it was like I was watching something completely different. And Luna Lovegood was so glam! Do you remember the Disney cartoon Recess from Disney's One Saturday Morning? Well, I pictured Luna to be like that awkward bean pole of a girl with stringy brown hair, glasses and bucked teeth. Anybody?!

This was the shortest movie in the series thus far, but it's the longest book. Needless to say, they took some liberties adapting it to the silver screen. The movie was entertaining overall, especially the final battle scene and Harry & Cho's liplocking session (gives mistletoe a completely new meaning). But it wouldn't be a Harry Potter movie if I didn't feel like I would be completely lost had I not read the book. They details are already blending together from book to book in my mind, and I can't figure out what will come in the next film, what they expect the viewer to know already, and what they are leaving out altogether. Looks like I've got some re-reading and re-watching to do!

P.S. Can you imagine if Daniel Radcliff and Emma Watson pulled a High School Musical and got together like Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens? Or would it be Emma and Rupert Grint? Either way, they just seem too sophisticated for something like that, no?

Is it sick that I am transfixed everytime I see a photo of Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens together (in other words, am I 13 years old?)? I am just fascinated by this new power couple. Think about it...they are the new Britney and Justin.

Everyone is transixed by them. They are stars of the biggest pre-teen/teen movement of this generation. They probably get freaky in the bedroom but have to keep it clean in public for their 11 year old fans (um, did I just write that?).

They are definitely the publicist's dream: the perfect looking couple. What many teens will try to live up to. Like Joni and Chachi. And I can't wait until their scandalous breakup, and their songs about the other one cheating on them ("Cry Me A River," anybody?)

But I guess everyone is allowed to be freaky every once in a while (how bizarre is this photo?!):

Rent Rent Rent Rent Rent We're Not Gonna Pay Rent

That creaking sound that you hear must be Jonathan Larson rolling in his grave....

London's Duke of York Theatre will be the home of a newly re-worked version of Rent beginning October 16th.

The Director, William Baker, says "Because of Jonathan Larson's untimely death at the first preview, the show has become frozen as a kind of sacred text. It looked and sounded very much of its time. Audiences have changed since then, and I think it needed reappraising for a London audience." Baker added his Rent is a "digital production for a digital world — more a pop opera than a rock opera." Each song has been reorchestrated to match the character who sings it. "All great songs can always be remixed," Baker explained. "We've kept the vocal melodies, but the sound is completely different."

Oy.