Wotcher think?

There is nothing like seeing a much anticipated movie for the first time. Seeing the "Star Wars" logo, hearing the strains of the "Harry Potter" theme music, recognizing a favorite scene from a beloved book. But The Lord of the Rings trilogy made me a re-watcher. Watching a movie over and over, and not just when the DVD comes out. It is when the movie has just been released. My sister saw "The Return of the King" multiple times when it came out, more than I ever did. For one thing, searching for MovieMistakes on re-watching is an incredibly geeky but fun thing to do. It can be continuity mistakes, spotting a crew member or movie equipment or factual errors. I found this blog entry about rewatching movies and she says that re-watching involves a type of love. You can never recreate the feeling you got the first time around but you do find new things, identify with another character, laugh at something you missed or just didn't appreciate on first viewing. (By the way, "Hot Fuzz" is coming out on DVD this Tuesday. I saw it twice in the cinema. It's hilarious.)

Goodbye HARRY!!!!

The seventh and final installment of the Harry Potter series....Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows have finally come and gone. I'm sure a lot of you have read this most excellent book........it is so far my favorite of the series. BUT what do we, Pottermaniacs have to look forward to now? Well, there's an interview of JK Rowling this sunday on Dateline and this collector's issue from Entertainment Weekly that just came out......

The magazine has some cool features:

discussion of book 7

a muggle's guide to all seven of the books

background on JK Rowling and her "Team Potter" (her team at Scholastic the US book publisher)

guide to the magical creatures of the book

BUT the best of all is The HOGWART'S YEARBOOK!!! Go run and get a copy!!!!

Random Eeeexcellent! movie news

From IGN: Paramount Pictures released the first poster artwork for the movie version of "Sweeney Todd" starring Johnny Depp as the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The tagline reads: "Forget Nothing. Forgive Nothing." It is a mini Harry Potter actors' reunion with Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett, Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin and Timothy Spall (Peter Pettigrew) as the Beadle. The movie is scheduled for limited release this December and everywhere by January 2008.

For the latest news on screen adaptations of musicals, visit MovieMusicals.net.


One day more...until The Simpsons Movie opens! Woohoo! (photo from Wikipedia)

Quizzomania

What Broadway Musical Are You?

Les Miserables Take this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Miscellaneous

Two-time Tony winner Cherry Jones will join the cast of "24" in January. She will play the first female president in the show, President Allison Taylor.



Marc Shaiman's actually fielding questions about "Hairspray". Here is the message thread from Broadwayworld.com. By the way, "Hairspray" had the biggest opening for a movie musical, even accounting for ticket price inflation.


Raul Esparza will play Ian McShane's son in the revival of Harold Pinter's "The Homecoming" at the Cort Theatre. Previews begin November 16 and it will officially open December 4.


And finally, the New York Post reports that a stage adaptation of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, might be headed to the West End or Broadway. Unfortunately, there will be no ABBA music, as they are said to despise the movie.

Sonata for a Good German Film

(Martina Gedeck photo from Rotten Tomatoes)
I was rooting for "Pan's Labyrinth" to win the 2006 Oscar Award for Best Foreign Film. After seeing "The Lives of Others" today, I agree with the Academy's choice. It is a fictional but realistic look at the lives of East Germans before the reunification, specifically of a Stasi officer spying on a playwright and his actress-girlfriend. It is a gripping political thriller, an indictment of the corrupt dictatorship. It poses questions about loyalty and patriotism. But I think ultimately it is a drama about the choices we make in the face of life's ambiguity. The movie ends on a hugely emotionally satisfying note. The performances are excellent, especially Ulrich Mühe as the agent, Sebastian Koch as the playwright and Martina Gedeck as his lover. (The whole time I thought she looked like singer Shoshana Bean.) The DVD comes out August 21, 2007.

Midnight Madness

I went to Borders during my lunch break to get a wrist band and secure my place in line for the midnight debut of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", the final installment of the history-making book series. I was number 74. The Grand Hallows Ball began at 930 PM with kids and adults dressed up as characters in JK Rowling's universe. The atmosphere was very festive and I am so glad I decided to come for the first and last time. They had raffles, games, a costume competition, a debate on whether Severus Snape is friend or foe to our young wizard. At 1130 PM we started lining up. A loud cheer erupted at midnight, and at 12:01 AM, they started selling. I even got a free poster. I went home and started reading. I have finished it and it is brilliant. It was an emotional roller coaster ride; I laughed out loud but mostly sobbed like a baby. Plenty of references to spells, events and characters in the previous books...all questions answered. A most satisfying and fitting end to the saga of The Boy Who Lived. As I told my sister, what am I supposed to do now...get a life? I hope Ms. Rowling writes many more books. Harry would probably be hard to top but she is very talented and could probably come close.

Broadway in Bryant Park

For five weeks in the summer, you can have lunch in Bryant Park and enjoy music from some of Broadway's hottest musicals. The free concerts are on Thursdays from 1230 to 130 PM. There are tables and chairs or you can bring your own blanket and sit on the grass. Bryant Park is located between 5th and 6th Avenues and 40th to 42nd streets.

Dearly beloved, we gather here to say our goodbyes

via text from Pinky:

The Moondance Diner, a SoHo landmark, closed its doors on July 1,2007. Playwright Jonathan Larson, creator of the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical "Rent", waited tables here. The diner will supposedly move to Pennsylvania---as a museum exhibit. In its place, luxury residential condominiums will rise :(

Hairspray hullabaloo

"If a 4-foot-11, chubby, New York girl can be a leading lady in a Broadway show and win a Tony,then anything can happen!"---Marissa Jaret Winokur, 2003
This is one of my favorite Tony Awards acceptance speeches ever. I watched "Hairspray" shortly after, but missed seeing Marissa. It is a lively, feel-good musical with serious underlying themes of discrimination and racism. I was not a fan of the original 1988 John Waters film but liked the Broadway show. The new movie is coming out this Friday. The cast members have been doing the rounds of television talk shows. The Today Show is even celebrating Hairspray week, culminating with a performance by the cast on Friday. I'm always a little wary of movie musicals, but hopefully this version will be brilliant.

Harry Potter All Grown Up

I'm sure you've heard from the grapevine that Daniel Radcliffe was in a play in London called Equus. It's very dark and disturbing and completely on the opposite side of the spectrum from his Harry Potter films. Well, here's a really good interview of Daniel Radcliffe discussing the play, his nude scenes, including how he deals with having to act while naked infront of an audience. Yes, Harry Potter has grown up and watching this interview you'd see a very charming and witty young man.

World Series

Pop culture addicts rejoice! Season 2 of "The World Series of Pop Culture" has been airing on VH1. It premiered on July 10. Teams of three with names like 3 Men and a little lazy, Carlton Banks Dance Academy, Twisted Misters and Wocka Wocka play for the grand prize of $250,000 and the honor of being masters of pop. Play along and see how you fare.

The Slip of Doom

So......you get to the theatre......they hand you a Playbill and you quickly find your seat. Then as you've just sat down this white slip falls onto your lap......whenever that happens my heart always skips a beat........it always makes me nervous specially if I came to a show wanting to see a particular actor/actress. It's definitely the first thing I check when I get to my seat. It's called the "Slip of Doom" - a term conjured by someone from the So Beautiful (Idina) Forum. As far as I can recall my slip of doom was for Jersey Boys......it was a sunday matinee.....John Lloyd Young wasn't our Frankie Valli :(

It's hard to discribe that feeling when you see that slip BUT from the Wedding Singer thread of So Beautiful, here's a perfect discription:

It’s like opening a birthday card from a flaky relative, wondering if something green will slide from between its fold or all you’ll see within its overly-sappy depths are a few signatures and a half-assed note. Only in this moment, if you see that paper come fluttering out you won’t rejoice. No. Your heart will sink in your chest and you will shake your fist at the sky, cursing Dionysus for the unkindness he has done to your soul, as the Slip of Doom settles gently at your feet, the slam of a prison door.

^^ ha ha i love that!

Anybody else have a slip of doom experience? Please comment.....

What Is It About HER?

Julia Murney.....

NY theatre fans know her from her thrilling performance as Queenie in Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party but she's now gaining recognition around the country since she played Elphaba in the Wicked Tour last year. I had stumble upon her a few years ago by listening to The Wild Party cast album. But it was in seeing her in the Actors Fund Benefit of Chess that sealed the deal. I was definitely enthralled by the rich and rangy voice of Julia Murney.

But as one of the songs from The Wild Party goes.......what is it about her?

• Is it her vibrato?


• Is it the versatility of her voice --> her ability to sing any musical genre from country to pop to rock to power ballads and the list goes on....... (just check out her solo CD I'm Not Waiting)


• Is it her amazing stage presence that captures your attention when you see her perform?

Well, it's all that and her trademark of incredible breath control........

Check her out singing the popular Streisand song People from Funny Girl where she doesn't breathe. Towards the end of the song she sings the lines:

People who need people......then she doesn't breathe and proceeds to sing........Are the luckiest people.....in the world (and holds the last note forever! Amazing!)

To see the video please click here: PEOPLE

But what's even more admirable is how incredibly insightful and WELL grounded she is as a person. Listen to her interview from Broadway Bullet Podcast. If you don't want to listen to it, the transcript of the interview can be found here. (It's actually more fun to listen as she is hilarious! And there's a bonus at the end of the podcast of broadway abridged featuring Wicked - equally hilarious)

Truth will out

Author JK Rowling's themes of fighting evil and injustice in the Harry Potter books has struck a chord among its young fans. The HP phenomenon has spilled over into the arena of youth activism. The HPAlliance was founded by Harry Potter fan Andrew Slack to generate awareness of social issues and encourage involvement. From Veritaserum: This July the group is organizing house parties around the world to discuss not just "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", but the genocide in Darfur. It sounds kinda quirky but the situation in Sudan deserves all the attention it can get. This quest for social justice would make Hermione proud.

Happy Friday the 13th

Actors tend to be a superstitious lot. On this Friday the 13th, here are some theatre superstitions:

• No whistling onstage or backstage. It probably stemmed from the time when sailors were used as crew members and they had a whistle signal system. Anyone whistling for his own entertainment may inadvertently cue a crew member to change the scenery.
• Theatre managers do not admit a "comp" or someone with a free ticket until a paying customer has entered the building.
• Don't speak the last line of a play until opening night. The show is not considered finished until it is performed for an audience. They get away with it by inviting friends and family members to the dress rehearsals.
• It is thought to be bad luck to mention the name "Macbeth" inside a theatre. They refer to it as "the Scottish play". People thought that the Weird Sisters' incantations were real. The play also has many swordfights and battle scenes that could lead to accidents onstage. Another possible origin is that failing theatres would select this play to draw audiences.
• Saying "Break a leg" instead of good luck to a performer may refer to the actor doing well that he or she will need to take many bows. "Leg" also refers to the curtain, so the phrase could mean that a successful show will have so many curtain calls that it will break the machinery that brings the leg up and down.
• Many theatres are supposedly haunted. Theatres keep the stage illuminated with ghost lights to ward off spirits but the more practical reason is to prevent accidents in the dark. Another superstition is to close the theatre once a week to allow the ghosts to have the stage to themselves. Of course, the actors get a day off, usually Monday.
• Mirrors were considered bad luck on stage. Probably not so much as bad luck but more to maintain lighting design and not have light reflected into the audience. The famous mirror scene from "A Chorus Line" surely trumps this superstition.
• Black cats are traditionally considered bad luck, but not in theatre.
• Real flowers are considered bad luck on stage. Again the real reason is probably because they will wilt under the lights and it would be too expensive to change them. It is also bad luck to give flowers to an actor before the play opens.
• It is considered good luck to pinch an actor before their first entrance. It is also good luck for a performer to trip on his or her entrance on the first night.
• If you haven't had enough, here are some more.

Mister Potter

I went to see the 5th Harry Potter movie after work tonight. As all Harry fans know, each movie gets darker and darker, and this is the most adult of all the films so far. There are secret meetings, torturous detentions, authoritarianism, violence and much mayhem. Comments?

• Whattup with Mr. Weasley's hair? Although Lupin and Mrs. Weasley also looked worn out. My sister said it was because of all the work they're doing for the Order since the Dark Lord's return.
• Not enough Neville.
• No Professor Trelawney back story.
• Not enough Tonks.

Reasons I loved the movie:

• The Potter movies always feature the who's who of British acting royalty. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix serves up wickedly delicious performances from Imelda Staunton, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs and Helena Bonham Carter. Mr. Fiennes relishes being a villain, methinks. Ms. Staunton as Dolores Umbridge is brilliant. Pink is this year's black! Who knew sensible shoes and kittens could be so scary?
• Daniel Radcliffe's growing acting abilities.


• The little clues/nods to future plotlines.
• No Dobby but not enough Kreacher. He looks like a proper, old, bad-ass house elf.


• I always admire the screenplay writers' abilities to condense the books. The films cannot contain all the material from the book but it's still nice to see them try.


• The epic battle scene between Dumbledore and Voldemort. Reminiscent of Yoda and Count Dooku, Gandalf and Saruman.
• Sirius Black and his fabulous coat. I never noticed all his tattoos before either; mementoes from Azkaban.


• I heart Luna and Harry. LunaHarry-shippers unite!

God.....I Hope I Get It

I just wanted to point out this awesome website called I HOPE I GET IT.com. It's an online documentary about the theatre.......a Theatreholic documentary. They have really cool behind the scenes video of the lottery......TKTS and discounted tickets and of course theatre fans......my personal favorite is the episode on Flop Fanatics and Ex-RENTheads.........you can also subscribe to new episodes via itunes. Check it out!!!

(photo from IHopeIGetIt.com)

Sigaw's a scream

In a previous post, I mentioned that the Filipino movie "Sigaw" is being remade here in the US. My brother-in-law finally tracked down a copy of the film and we watched it last Sunday at my sister's house. The basic premise is that of a haunted house and we guessed the plot early on. It could have been a little more sharply-edited and the acting was only adequate. There were unanswered questions by the end of the film, but overall it was engaging enough. The cinematography, music, choice of locales and sound are the film's strong points. It had genuine scary moments that made me jump. My sister and brother-in-law were hiding behind pillows for most of the movie. It made you uneasy, especially scenes with the child. Creepy kids like the one from "Ringu", "The Shining" and "The Grudge" scare me the most. Some of the film's images still linger with me. My brother-in-law asked if I would get a copy of the movie; I said absolutely not. It's not something I would want to watch by myself. Isn't that the true measure of a really scary movie? I can't wait to see Hollywood's version.

Playbills

Theatre lovers collect playbills....actually even their ticket stubs BUT how do you store them? Some put it in a binder.....others in a box..........but I prefer to use them as wall art. For me.....it's a record/momento of the shows that I've enjoyed the past seasons. Just recently I have been painting my apartment and TODAY just finished the 2nd bedroom.....well with the Playbills adorned on the walls, that room now is known as the Broadway Suite ha ha!

SPF4

With a heat wave prevailing over most of the U. S., how about a little SPF? The 4th Summer Play Festival that is. It kicks off July 10 at the Theatre Row Complex on 42nd St. and 9th Ave. The hot tickets sell for only $10 each. You can watch 16 sizzling new plays for 27 days until August 5th. Now that's a cool way to spend the summer.

Save Darfur

From the Save Darfur coalition email update:


On July 9th at 8 pm, the Public Theater will be holding a one night only FREE reading of Winter Miller's play, "In Darfur" in Central Park's Delacorte Theater. A post-show discussion will follow. Speakers include: Mark Hanis, Daoud Ibarahaem Hari, Omer Ismail, Nicholas Kristof, Samantha Power and John Prendergast.

Working as Research Assistant to Nicholas Kristof, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist from The New York Times, playwright Winter Miller is immersed in the issues surrounding the ongoing genocide in Darfur, Sudan. In Darfur is the provocative account of three intertwined lives at a camp for internally displaced persons in Darfur. The story follows an aid-worker's mission to save and protect lives, a journalist's pursuit to deliver a Page One story and a Darfuri woman's quest for safety. It is a searing story of urgency and international significance.

More than meets the eye

I went in to see "Transformers" not expecting much because of its summer blockbuster tag. It turned out to be very entertaining and satisfying, if a bit on the long side. The action was loud, fast and furious. The CGI was amazing and there was plenty of humor and intelligence in the script. And with Steven Spielberg as executive producer, Bumblebee's and Sam's friendship brought back memories of "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" . Hugo Weaving is still as disdainful of humans as ever as the voice of Megatron. If you want to see a great summer movie, see this instead of Spiderman.

a little elevator humor

This has nothing to do with anything but I told my friend I'd blog about it. We stayed at the Embassy Suites this past week. We had daily complimentary breakfast (continental, hot buffet and specially ordered omelettes). On our last day we were going back to our room after the usual hearty breakfast and all the elevators were packed. We took one that was going down just to get on one. On the first floor, three people came in. There was a beeping sound and the elevator wouldn't budge. One of the three newcomers said that the elevator didn't seem to like them and got off. We were all puzzled by this because the sign said the weight limit was 3000 pounds. Here's a recap of the dialogue: (if memory serves me right)

Female passenger: We can't be 3000 pounds.

My friend: I've never seen an elevator do that.

Me: So judgmental... ( laughter from fellow passengers)

We got back to the second floor and a family got on. Same thing happened. So the mother got off and the father said he'd take the kids up.

Father: I told her she needs to go on a diet. (laughter)

Me: Maybe it was too much breakfast buffet. (laughter)

It was a pleasant way to start the day. It reminded me of an old Garfield comic strip where he got on their talking scale and the scale said:" please step off. Only one person at a time." (or something like that).

Colma the Musical

Colma the Musical, a Fil-Am movie, opens today in Greenwich Village. The New York Times gave it a favorable review. It was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and San Diego Asian Film Festival. It was nominated for the Gotham Award ("Best Film Not in a Theater Near You") and the Independent Spirit Award ("Someone To Watch Award").

Lottery vs Cancellation line

Some popular Broadway shows offer $25 front row seats by lottery. Come to the boxoffice 2 and a half hours before the curtain rises; your names will be placed in a hat. 30 minutes later, names will be drawn with sales limited to 2 per person. Other sold out shows release a limited number of day-of-performance tickets if you're willing to stand in line that day for at least 2 and a half hours. This week, I had friends visiting from out of state and for the first (and definitely last) time, I went on a cancellation line. We arrived at the New Amsterdam Theatre hoping to score Mary Poppins tickets around 525 pm. There were already 8-9 people ahead of us. Between trying to schedule a dinner date with a relative, two hungry and exhausted kids with their frustrated parents, it was quite an experience. I thought it would be like the lottery where you can find out half hour after lining up if you got tickets or not. So I figured we'd have time to meet up with his cousin. She wisely told him that we won't know until minutes before the performance. Dinner with her was out of the question. So we set a time goal, deciding to wait until 7 pm then leave. Unfortunately, the guy from the boxoffice came out around that time and sent my hopes soaring when he sent half the people home. I never wanted to see Mary Poppins as badly as I wanted to that night! Eventually, he'd come back with offers of 2 tickets, but one upstairs and one downstairs. If someone refused them, he'd move on to the next person in line. Everyone pretty much refused them. Around 815 pm it was over; my hopes were dashed. It was stressful yet it wasn't so unpleasant because we got to talk to the other people in line. Most notably an elderly couple visiting from merry old England who sailed in on the Queen Mary. We all cheered and clapped when they did finally snag the last tickets. The gentleman managed to take a bow before he went and forked over $110 to the ticket agent. We all ended up in fairly good spirits afterwards. My friend's husband joked that it seemed like we were on a reality tv show testing human endurance ( I immediately thought of "Boiling Points"). So if you have the time and perseverance, try the cancellation line. Otherwise, order ahead of time or try the TKTS booth. (early, natch)

To Be or Not To Be......

There is a new phenomenon on Broadway (not so much in the West End) where the audience would applaud upon the stage entrance of an Actor/Actress they enjoy and respect. I've experienced it and was also carried away in the frenzy: with Natasha Richardson in A Streetcar Named Desire, Cherry Jones in Doubt, Christine Ebersole and Mary Louis Wilson in Grey Gardens, and hey even with the Green Witch on Broadway (Idina Menzel and Julia Murney). Here is a very interesting article about Entrance Applause from the NY Times.