That’s all I can think about….
Sunset Blvd 2015…
Please, God….Don’t let this give Demi any ideas for a re-make….
The body of a 21-year-old man was discovered in the swimming pool at Demi Moore’s Beverly Hills home on Sunday morning, PEOPLE has confirmed. The news was first reported by TMZ.
More: Man Found Dead in Demi Moore’s Pool: Reports : People.com.
Filed under Movies
Let me start by saying, I love Anne Hathaway. I find her extremely talented, likable, poised and attractive. She is one of my favorite actresses and I see everything she does.
Criticizing her is almost like kicking a kitten….
But….
I’ve never seen such a blatant Oscar campaign as the one waged on her behalf this year….
She was very good in “Les Miz”, but not great….and that’s partly the Director’s fault. Too many tight shots over blew the performances quite a bit and I was not thrilled with some of his other choices. I thought Samantha Barks and Eddie Redmayne gave the best performances in the film.
“Lincoln” was also a flawed film, but with some great performances-especially by Daniel Day Lewis. If I could vote, I wouldn’t vote for it for Best Picture either-“Argo” would be my choice. But I would surely vote for Sally Field, over the lovely Anne, for Best Supporting Actress. Ms Field was just wonderful as Mary Todd Lincoln and did the almost impossible- made me forget I was watching Sally Field.
Again, I love Anne Hathaway. Her day on the podium will come, realistically, probably in a couple of weeks. She’s definitely still the favorite.
But it should be later and for a better role and performance in a better film.
And unexpected upsets to the front runner have happened before. Ask Lauren Bacall….
Anyway, what do I know?
In any event, here is a great parody of Anne’s campaign by the very talented Emma Fitzpatrick.
Thanks to my FB friend, Chris, for first posting it for me to see….
Filed under Broadway, Entertainment, Movies, Uncategorized
I keep having a recurring thought….
I may be alone here, but stick with me and we’ll see….
I first heard “Les Miserables” on an actual record album when it opened on Broadway in 1987. It would be several more years before I actually saw it on stage. I was in my 20’s and facing something I never thought I would face a that time in my life….
Death. Young people I knew were suddenly dying….
AIDS was at it’s most deadly peak and I was starting to see people disappear. They did that then. They disappeared to die quietly in small towns and big cities while the rest of us were stunned and not sure how to go on with this new normal….
Most of America was still trying to work through this while so many young men just …..disappeared.
I think that’s why the song that stood out for me from “Les Miserables” then was “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables”. We didn’t realize it was a revolution then, but it was….
A quiet, deadly one….
We weren’t all brave and selfless, but we couldn’t miss the empty chairs at empty tables…
It was quite a different context, but it seemed to resonate with me– and I think quite a few others.
And it changed our world….
I think that may have been what made “Les Miz” relevant to our generation….
I think this subtle, subliminal, un-intentional subplot meant more to a lot of us than we realized then and may have added a gravitas for us that the rest of the show may not have otherwise reached….
With this one song, the show became part of the time and place for so many of us…it made it real and in the moment for just that moment.
Like I said, you may not be with me on this, but I think more Gay men may have had this reaction- whether or not they were aware of it- than they realized….
I know I did…
I loved how Eddie Redmayne performed this song in the movie- even if I had issues with the movie as a whole- but his very real version is not on YouTube yet. But Michael Ball’s excellent concert version is…
Filed under Gay, Movies, Uncategorized
This is just too rich- and trashy- for words…
A Republican Congressional Aid partying with Lindsay Lohan and assaulting her?
The Conservatives and the Religious Right are going to love this….
Or they may just be happy, at least this time, it’s a Republican misbehaving with a woman….
This time…..
From RawStory.com:
Christian LaBella, who is listed as a legislative correspondent in the office of Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) and who staff confirmed “has worked” for the Congressman, was arrested Sunday morning on charges that he assaulted actress Lindsay Lohan after a night of partying. The charges were dropped and the arrest voided on Sunday afternoon, reportedly because Lohan did not received medical attention.
The dispute allegedly arose after a night of clubbing in New York City when Lohan discovered that LaBella had taken pictures of her on his cell phone and attempted to delete them. Lohan reportedly told police that he threw her on the bed and scratched her, after which she fled her room at the W Hotel in Union Square. She then apparently told police that LaBella attempted to choke her outside of her hotel room, and she pulled the fire alarm.
LaBella was picked up by police upon exiting the stairwell.
via Republican Congressional aide arrested for assault on Lindsay Lohan | The Raw Story.
I’ve always been a student of History, so I’m excerpting a bit from a very interesting article on the history of male stripping from Slate.com…
Hot topic- in more ways than one- since “Magic Mike” opened last weekend.
Being a History major in College, I was there the first day “Magic Mike” opened to be sure it was historically accurate. That was a a key concern for me. I’ll probably have to watch it a couple of more times on DVD to double check a few things…
And, all kidding aside, it really is a surprisingly good film….
With some really hot guys who strip…
When Magic Mike shimmied its way to almost $40 million at the box office this past weekend, it wasn’t the first time that men stripped down on screen. Male strippers have been a recurring plot point in recent decades, tearing off their pants in everything from Summer School to The Full Monty to a wide range of sitcoms and a legendary Saturday Night Live skit. This past May the New York Times even declared that male stripping was finally “hitting the mainstream.”
When did men start stripping professionally?
The mid-to-late 1970s. While musclemen have been paid for popping their pecs and otherwise showing off their bodies since at least the late 19th century, it’s only in the ’70s that stripping became a co-ed profession. And there are only a few known reports of male strippers before the late ’70s. In 1973 Jet told of one such dancer who “peeled down to a black G-string, handcuffed himself to the fence outside” Big Ben and bore a banner labeling him as “The body divine—Angel, the lovely male stripper. Book him.” According to the article, no producers came calling, but the cops did. This was a common problem for the early male stripper. Another early appearance of the term comes in a 1974 report on Deviant Behavior, mentioning male strippers in a report on “Marginally Illegal Occupations and Work Systems.” Through the mid-’70s men who took off their clothes in public were likely to receive a citation for indecency.
However, over the course of the late 1970s male dancers became a regular feature at strip clubs across the country. Some strip clubs reserved a few nights each month for male strip shows, with audiences restricted to “ladies only.”
More: The real Magic Mikes: Who were the first male strippers? And what are male strip shows really like?.
Filed under Entertainment, Movies
The news just broke this morning that Andy Griffith has died….
Most people will always remember Andy Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry….
I’ll always remember him for his great performance as Lonesome Rhodes in the great film “A Face in the Crowd.”
He should have at least gotten an Oscar nomination for this….
And I wish more people would watch the film today….
Rest in Peace, Andy….you won’t be forgotten….
Filed under Broadway, Entertainment, Movies, Television
This is truly scary…
Who knew Cher could write? Period?
Still, I would be so tempted to see this….
Or run from it…
From Playbill.com:
Producers are at work developing a Broadway musical based on the life of Academy and Grammy Award-winning performer Cher, the pop star recently tweeted.
The star states that the musical will incorporate songs from her career, with three different actresses set to play her at various stages of her life. One actress will play a young Cher through her “Sonny and Cher” years, while another will play the icon through the “Believe” tour, with a third to inhabit the star at the current point in her life.
The show will incorporate a theatrical conceit that allows all three actresses to talk to one another and perform together.
Cher also revealed that she is part of the writing process on the musical, which has been in development for “quite a while.” Broadway is the goal.
via Cher Developing Broadway Musical Based On Life and Career – Playbill.com.
Of course, I always thought she had already told her story in song:
Just kidding!!!
Filed under Broadway, Movies, Uncategorized
If you haven’t gotten your loved one a gift yet, here is some timeless advice from the Goddess of Valentine’s Day…
Filed under Holidays, Movies, Uncategorized
Another icon of my youth….
He’s 56 years old today….
Here are a few of clips from some of his greatest hits to celebrate his birthday….
And, little known fact, he was the voice of the Beast in the Disney cartoon “Beauty and the Beast”.
Here is a clip from 2010 where he discusses that and where he is today:
I haven’t yet seen the film, but this clip from “The Iron Lady” with Meryl Streep couldn’t help but make me think of Faye Dunaway in “Mommie Dearest”….
I’m going to have to force myself to see this movie. I can’t imagine 2 more hours of Margaret Thatcher after we had to deal with her for 11 years in power….
I just hope I’ll be pleasantly surprised and “The Iron Lady” is at least half as entertaining as “Mommie Dearest”- even if I’m sure it’s not as campy….
At least Faye delivers the message more succinctly, if less elegantly….
Filed under Movies, Uncategorized
Lost in the 21st Century 