By Nicole Barley

This week, I had the great pleasure of going on a “whirlwind” shopping spree. Oh, yes! My cache of goodies included a cobalt blue, Italian leather, Marc by Marc Jacobs bag from Footloose and a cute-beyond-belief Burberry cardi (the sleeves have the daintiest plaid ruffles!) from Larrimor’s. I snagged a lovely, laminated-fabric tote by Orla Kiely at H. Baskin Clothier, and some seriously gorgeous diamond hoop earrings from Louis Anthony Jewelers, too! Alas, all of this swag was not for my wearing, but for this week’s WHIRL Wednesday on KDKA-TV’s Pittsburgh TODAY Live.

Watch the segment now!

WHIRL’s editor in chief Christine Tumpson, PTL host Brenda Waters, and I went to town. In addition to bringing bags and bags bursting with clothes, purses, cologne, and jewelry, I also brought along the female mannequin from WHIRL’s photo studio — “Sylvia,” as she’s named by photographer Megan Wylie — to do some modeling.

"Sylvia," Jon, and Brenda signing off.

At show’s close, Sylvia made an encore appearance, with PTL host Jon Burnett carrying our girl off set and Brenda waving goodbye with the mannequin’s detachable hand. Gotta love live TV!

Still stumped for gifts? Check out WHIRL’s 8th Annual Gift Guide for +350 gift ideas!

I put my iPod on shuffle, and these are the 10 tracks that first came up….

1. Footloose – Kenny Loggins

2. Fortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival

3. Foreign Land – Eskimo Joe

4. Please Don’t Leave Me – P!nk

5. Champagne Supernova – Oasis

6. I Don’t Feel Like Dancing – Scissor Sisters

7. Never Be The Same Again – Melanie C

8. Lucky Star – Madonna

9. Mercedes Benz – Janis Joplin

10. Summarize – Little Birdy

Now it’s your turn – shuffle!

It’s been a rather long time since Las Vegas Backstage Access has written on the Dancing With the Stars Julianne Hough- on April 6, 2009 to be exact, when she garnered awards at the Academy of Country Music Awards show in Las Vegas. 

Hough, 21, who as a Las Vegas youth attended the Las Vegas Academy and whose mom still lives here, is reportedly recording a CD that will reflect her musical influences (such as U2 and Coldplay), and she’s also making two movies, the remake of Footloose, as well as Burlesque, starring along with Cher and Christina Aguilera.  If that’s not enough, she also has a cardio ballroom dance workout DVD, Dance with Julianne, due out in January. 

Is she done with Dancing With the Stars?  

“Never say never,” Hough says, “but at least for the next two seasons.”

Irene Cara in Alan Parker’s Fame (1980)

Hot Lunch Jam number

Jennifer Beals in Adrian Lyne’s Flashdance (1983)

She’s a Maniac number

Kevin Bacon in Herbert Ross’s Footloose (1984)

Footloose number

John Scott Clough and Don Franklin in Sidney Poitier’s Fast Forward (1985)

How Do You Do number

Lorraine Bracco and Peter Dobson in Richard J. Baskin’s Sing (1989)

Something to Believe in number

]]> http://edwinmcfee.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/a-quickie-with-dickie/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:06:06 +0000 edwinmcfee http://edwinmcfee.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/a-quickie-with-dickie/

A couple of weeks ago I interviewed Dick Valentine from Electric Six for a regular column in Hot Press called “A Quickie With.” I expected him to be a bit “wacky,” but really didn’t expect him to be quite so much of a maniac/bin lid. Still, he was good fun, if a little unhinged. Here’s the reprint…

A Quickie With…

Dick Valentine from Electric Six  

Where are you now and what are you doing?

I’m sitting in the passenger seat of our van and I’m in the middle of driving from California to San Francisco.

First record to send a shiver up your spine?

I would have to go for U2’s first record. It was called Pop [author’s note-yes we know Pop wasn’t their first album…].

First gig you ever attended?

I went to see the Doobie Brothers with my mom in 1977. It was an outdoor amphitheatre kinda thing. It was the 70s, my mom was a young mom and I was like five years old and during the intermission they said they were going backstage to roll up a doobie and everyone cheered.

First gig you played?

It was at the Troy High School Talent Show. I was actually playing the drums for my friend-I didn’t even go to that high school. I was just laying down the beats. At that time the Sundays and Echo and the Bunnymen were really big then and we played jangly Rickenbacker pop kinda stuff. He didn’t even have lyrics-he was just doing instrumentals. I was happy playing in a band so I didn’t really question it.

 Embarrassing thing you’ve done while drunk?

I haven’t done this in a long time-but during my college days I would get belligerent and pick fights with women. Thankfully that’s all behind me and I now have incredible relationships with women. Now I’m getting old I’m becoming more like the Hugh Hefner type. I’m very nurturing to women now.

Favourite Spinal Tap moment?

There are times when you’re at a venue and you can’t find your way to the stage and so forth, but believe it or believe not our band doesn’t have many of those moments (he says as we drive off the road…). No I’m just kidding [Dick puts on his best serial killer laugh].

Last record you bought, blagged or downloaded?

I haven’t bought a record in 97 years. Maybe if I go and see a friend’s band I’ll maybe buy a record then, but probably not.

What shite jobs have you had in the past?

The worst job I ever had I only kept for a day and half. I was a fish scaler. I worked in the fish freezer and I scaled fish using a scaling machine. They said that if I worked hard enough I’d get to be a driver someday and deliver the fish to the restaurants but then I was told by somebody who worked there for four years that he still didn’t get made a driver so I walked out.

Song you would like to have played at your funeral?

I would like to have ‘Almost Paradise’ by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson [taken from the Footloose soundtrack]. There’s a lyric that goes “We’re knocking on heaven’s door” and I’d like to think that Mike Reno will be escorting me to heaven’s door some day.

Electric Six play the Academy, Dublin on December 5.

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

Like mostly everyone who is into The Swell Season (Glen Hansard of The Frames with Markéta Irglová), I got into them via the movie ONCE.  They came through Eugene after I had moved to town, but before I had gotten into them.  My brother made me watch it when we were home for my other brother’s wedding (July 2008), and I suppose I should thank him for that.   With The Swell Season’s original 2009 Strict Joy tour date press release, they didn’t have a Eugene date, but I’m glad they added one…

The opener was Doveman’s frontman Thomas Bartlett.  He played about a half of an hour of whispy piano tunes.  He seemed slightly shy, rarely looking towards the crowd… but maybe that’s just his style or how the piano was set up for him.  Due to his whispy vocals, he struck me as similar to Jeff Hanson or slimmer, beardless Sam Beam of Iron & Wine – but on piano.  He’s worked with The Frames, Swell Season, Antony & the Johnsons, Laurie Anderson, Arto Lindsay, The National, and Yoko Ono in the past – so that put him in my “he’s cool” book.  Songs he played included “Angel’s Share ” (about whisky), “The Burgundy Stain” (about wine), and a medley to the Footloose soundtrack.  The Footloose songs were fantastically mournful and sad.  Classic!

The show opened with Glen and Markéta coming out and crouching down in front of the center mic.  I wasn’t close enough to see if someone was playing the electronics / keyboards, but they started out with “Fallen From the Sky” – staying crouched down for the whole song.  Luckily that didn’t continue for the rest of the show (or my continued photos would have been lame).

After the initial song, the band came out.  The band was made up of the rest of The Frames, Glen’s band that was the precursor to Once and The Swell Season.  I’m very rapidly becoming a serious fan of Glen’s vocals… which I suppose means that I need to get The Frames’ back catalog.  Vocally Glen reminds me a lot of my buddy, Ashley Peacock.  Most of the set was Glen on vocals, but Markéta covered lead vocals for “If You Want Me,” “Fantasy Man,” and “I Have Loved You Wrong.”  As far as most powerful vocal performance… I’ll have to go with “Say It To Me Now,” where Glen played solo and off microphone.  A few songs later, Glen was killin’ his guitar on Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks,” and he shredded at least a couple of strings – luckily his roadie was on top of things and brought out a replacement guitar right away.

Setlist: just over 2 hours

• Fallen From The Sky
• Lies
• Low Rising
• In These Arms *a fave of the night*
• The Rain *a fave of the night*
• The Moon
• If You Want Me
• Fantasy Man
• Say It To Me Now (Glen solo, off mic) *a fave of the night*
• Leave
• Lay Me Down
• Astral Weeks [Van Morrison]
• The Blue Shoes (Colin solo violin song)
• I Have Loved You Wrong
• Once *a fave of the night*
• When Your Mind’s Made Up *a fave of the night*
• Encore: Falling Slowly *a fave of the night*
• High Hope (new song)
• High Horses
• Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy
• It All Falls Down (with Doveman)
• Red Chord [The Frames]
• The Parting Glass [The Clancy Brothers]

After leaving the venue, I bet everyone thought they got their money’s worth… a great show, great vocals by Glen & Markéta.  While I know this was a break-up record of sort, I’m glad that they’re still able to work together.  And while it may be a long shot, I hope they do continue to work together in the future.

many more pictures below

The “Low Rising” video directed by Sam Beam (from Iron & Wine):

The Swell Season’s new record, Strict Joy, is better than the Once soundtrack, if you ask me.  You can get it at Amazon below:

The Appropriate Linkage:

• The Swell Season’s Site
• The Swell Season on MySpace
• Jason Segel guesting with Swell Season (in L.A.) (youtube link)
• The Frames’ Site
• The Frames on MySpace
• Doveman’s Site
• Doveman on MySpace
• McDonald Theatre

Check out more tour dates below.

~Dan – np: Pearl Jam – Backspacer

THE SWELL SEASON & DOVEMAN PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Higher Resolution (8 pics)

Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (30 pics)

Tour Dates
1 – Milwaukee, Wisc. @ The Pabst
2 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ Clowes Memorial Hall
3 – Toronto, Ontario @ Massey Hall
4 – Montreal, Quebec @ L’Olympia de Montreal
6 – Boston, Mass. @ Berklee College of Music Performance Center
7 – Providence, R.I. @ Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
8 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Merriam Theater
9 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
12 – New Orleans, La. @ House of Blues
13 – Houston, Texas @ Warehouse Live
14 – Dallas, Texas @ Palladium
15 – Austin, Texas @ Paramount Theatre
17 – Mesa, Ariz. @ Mesa Arts Center
18 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Wiltern
20 – San Francisco, Calif. @ The Paramount
22 – Seattle, Wash. @ The Paramount
23 – Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre
24 – Portland, Ore. @ Crystal Ballroom
25 – Vancouver, B.C. @ Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts
27 – Boise, Idaho @ Egyptian Theatre
28 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ Jeanne Wagner Theatre
29 – Denver, Colo. @ Ogden Theatre
30 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Uptown Theater

December 2009
3 – Chicago, Ill. @ Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University
4 – St. Louis, Mo. @ The Pageant
5 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ State Theatre

Sorry for the non-posting that’s been going on lately.  I suppose it’s really nothing to be sorry for though, but compared to my usual output I feel kinda bad that I haven’t had anything to remark.  Or rather, haven’t got off my butt to put something coherent together.  Crap’s there …but it just hasn’t evolved past the crap stage if you know what I mean.

The Footloose thing has been eating up some time too.  The travel for the gig takes me though Edmonton rush hour traffic and the commute one-way is sometimes close to an hour.  That plus the 9 shows/rehearsals over this past week as well as me having to be at the shop 5 or 6 days a week to make up for our missing repair guy all kinda adds up.  Excuses, excuses though.  The show is fun however.  The kids are pretty good (all high-school) and the crowds are nice as well.  Out of curiosity I asked what the rental fees on the scores are …could you believe about $600 for the scores (with scripts) and over $3000 just for the license/rights to perform the musical!  And all in US funds.  That’s kinda crazy I think …in my non-qualified theatrical opinion that is.  It seems they track this kinda stuff too, and I heard that if you change/alter/omit any of the pieces you stand the chance of having the license revoked and possibly fined.  Talk about creative control.  Heck, they even forbid you to take pictures during the performance.

*shhhh …you are not about to see what you see*

not a photo of the show from the bass player's pov.

]]> http://kdamo.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/doveman-footloose/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:28:29 +0000 kDamo http://kdamo.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/doveman-footloose/

Doveman - Footloose

There are plus points to having a broken MP3 player. Since the screen on my Creative Zen imploded back in February, I can’t see anything that’s going on. This makes basic operations very difficult indeed but it also means that I can’t choose what I listen to. I carry around a big, fat lump of a thing that does an over-priced impression of an iPod shuffle with the thousands of songs stored within. On one hand, it’s annoying and frustrating, but on the other, it kind of forces me to listen to stuff I wouldn’t have chosen to. This makes for many accidental reminders of songs I had long since forgotten or downloaded and never really listened to.

Doveman’s cover of the Kenny Loggin’s “classic” is one I had certainly forgotten about. His minimal, moody and breathy delivery makes the song virtually unrecognisable from the chirpy original that made Kevin Bacon twirl around uncontrollably in a town where dancing is outlawed. Really if you weren’t to know this was the same song, only a thoroughly embarrassing knowledge of the lyrics would help you to identify it. Doveman is a peculiar little band/person. The moniker is essentially a pseudonym for Thomas Bartlett, though the band officially includes a few other members including the exceptional Sam Amidon. Head honcho Bartlett is also credited as having worked with Antony and the Johnsons, Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, Yoko Ono, The National, and even our own lads, The Frames. Bartlett actually recorded his own version of the entire Footloose soundtrack but it eventually got some lawyers in a tizzy and was taken down from his site. You can however, stream the whole thing at imeem. I’d also recommend checking out another of their foot-tapping hits, “Dancing”.

MP3: Doveman – Footloose (Kenny Loggins cover)

Rachel Zoe may be the most well-known celebrity stylist out there, but not for long. Julie Weiss, stylist to the stars and mentor on MTV’s newest reality show Styl’d, is gonna give that skinny style maven a run for her (oodles of) money.

Weiss may look like your typical fun and laid back L.A. girl, but when it comes to style she means business. She’s tough, she knows what she wants, and she gets it, because when it comes to fashion, this girl knows her sh*t. Though it was a slow start full of long hours for very little pay (her first assignment was a full day shoot for only $75!), Weiss worked her way up from assisting at department store fashion shows to dressing Hollywood’s finest. She’s styled stars like Kanye West, Britney Spears and The Pussycat Dolls.

And now she’s passing on her fashion knowledge to 6 aspiring celebrity stylists. And by “passing on her knowledge,” I mean, “trying to get these kids to stop being so lazy and start putting some clothes on people.” Julie’s a busy gal, but we tracked her down last week (on a break from getting Julianne Hough ready for the CMAs!) to get her take on trends, her role on reality TV and, obviously, her favorite song to blast in the car while roaming those crazy L.A. streets.

5 Questions We Ask Everyone:

1. What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
[I was driving home after] I was at a bar and I had a few drinks. We had left Mexican food in the car that we had eaten before and I was shoving a quesadilla down my throat when a cop pulled us over. I started freaking out. I’m like “Omg, I had some drinks, it’s 2 AM, I’m going to get a ticket.” So he makes me take a sobriety test. He looked at my eyes with the flashlight and I had to walk the line and everything.  I was freaking out. Thank god I passed. And then he asked me out! He was like “Can I have our number?”  And he let me go.

2. Name 5 things you can’t live without:
My car, my flats/flat boots because I run around a lot, my cell phone, my Chanel purses and French Vogue.

3. Do you have any advice or personal motto you live and work by?
I don’t really have a motto, but I like honesty, respect and good character in people. I respect people that try and work hard; it doesn’t go unnoticed. Even if you’re not doing a great job, it’s important to try and improve.

4. What is your Favorite song to belt out in the car or alone at our house?
I love that new Fergie song Meet me Halfway.

5. Finish this sentence: In ten years I will be _____?
I will have a clothing line in Wal-Mart. I’d like to have clothes that everyone can afford in all financial backgrounds that are trendy and cool. I would want to do something creative and stylish that everyone could have a piece of.

5 Questions Just for Julie…plus a bonus one:

1. On the show Styl’d it looks like you’re a take no crap kind of a woman. Are you doing this for TV or is this your way of teaching the junior stylists?
I’m definitely tough on them but not for no reason. This is what’s going on and this is my response to the actions that are seriously happening on the job; the cameras are going all day, but we are working for real. These are real people; real things; a real, normal day and they are messing up and not listening. I’m trying to mentor them too, of course; like I said earlier, I see potential if you’re trying to improve and trying to learn. I understand this is new to them, but at the same time they’re here and they’re so lucky to be in this position, so work hard and try to maintain it and make us feel like we made the right decision in choosing you over all these other kids.

2. Obviously having a sense of style is important in being stylist, but what else is does it take to be successful in the field?
You need to be able to multitask, make quick decisions, and just be smart. You have to be well organized and take high pressure throughout the day, every day. You have to keep going and make everyone happy – the publicist, the record label, the management, the commissioner for the music video, the actual celebrity… So many people have a say and it’s really high pressure and lots of opinions [so] you have to know your limits.

3. Who is your favorite celebrity client thus far in your career?
Right now I’m working with Julianne Hough and I’ve worked with her for a while. She’s a star in the upcoming film Footloose, she was on Dancing with the Stars, she’s a country singer. She’s really changed; she’s gotten more rocker edgy. When I met her she was more country. When we did her first album it was all boots and jeans. Now we’re going a lot edgier, rocker country. I love how we’re transitioning and where her image is going and that I’m going along for the ride with her. She’s really evolving.

4. What is your biggest go-to fashion item or trend right now?
Buckle boots are really big right now. I love boots. There are so many of them – you can get really edgy ones that criss-cross with a bunch of buckles and a high heel, to over the knee, to a flat boot. It’s a huge trend for fall, wearing them with or without tights. They are accessible in all price ranges and styles that are comfortable for all kinds of people; everyone can find a boot for them and have a boot for fall

5. What’s the biggest fashion mistake that people make?
Some people really want to be trendy so these kids put 18 things on, all at once. It’s too much. It’s overkill. It’s like, chill, you can get it in in a week, not in one night. It’s all about balance.

Bonus: Do you have any tips for college kids? A way for them to always look pulled together on a limited budget?
Definitely with accessories. You can easily change up different looks. I just got the cutest scarf from Forever 21. It was $5.50 and it’s amazing. I’ve gotten three compliments already. It’s a vibrant plumby-purple and it looks like it could be $150. Scarves are big for fall; they are fun accessories that you can find from H&M to Target to Forever 21. You can take that scarf and be casual during the day for class and then you can go out to a bar and have it around your neck for some color with a cool jacket and a dressier top and jeans, or with a dress or a skirt and tights. Oh and tights, too. You can find them at all price rages and there’s such fun tights out right now. It brings a fun element of fashion to a look. It’s a small price, but it makes a big statement.

[Catch Styl'd - and all the fashionista drama that comes with it - Tuesday nights at 11pm EST on MTV.]

The main thing that a typical dance movie is missing would have to be good acting.  I refuse to believe that there isn’t an amazing dancer out there that can’t also act. 

With the exception of movies like Chicago and Footloose which are also musicals, the strictly dance movies could use some help with their lines.  However here is a list of some of my favorite dance movies.

10. Take the Lead. Good story about using dance to straighten up the trouble students.

9. Stomp the Yard. Once again, dance starts as a fun activity and turns into a way to change the main character’s life after his brother is killed.

8. Step Up. This was interesting the way they incorporated an untrained freestyler with a trained female lead role. Step Up 2 however, had worse acting than You Got Served. Wow.

7. Save the Last Dance. Great and inspiring story, breaks boundaries, and turns a terrible situation into a happy ending using dance.

6.You Got Served. Terrible acting but awesome dance battles.  Worth watching strictly for the dancing.

5. Footloose . Classic. You go Kevin Bacon. Fight for dance! His warehouse dance scene is awesome.

4. Chicago. My personal all time favorite movie, musical, everything. Love the style, the execution and the story line.

3.Center Stage. Great ballet movie. Ballet tends to bore people but with the story line it keeps the viewer intrigued. Very inspiring.

2. Honey. This movie made me want to be a choreographer and touch children’s lives with the power of dance.

1. Dirty Dancing. Nobody puts baby in the corner.  This movie is a classic for obvious reasons. Rest in Peace Patrick Swayze.

writers_block

Ack! I’ve got Writers Block, what should I do?

Calling all you NaNoWriMo Writers.

Don’t sweat it!

Just take a few minutes, go for a walk, pop in a CD and dance around your office.

Read the newspaper, or watch TV for about 30 minutes.

Start writing anything about what you’ve just watched or listened to.

This will get your writing  juices going.

It should help with what your working on.

Or it will give you a brand new idea of what to write about next.

Ideas are wonderful and music is inspiring.

I find typing to 80’s music is the best thing in the world.

Try and keep up with the tempo, it’s fun!

I had a hunch
that we were similar. You
loomed, a slice of rabbit

moon, earmarked. Your exit
tape became a fashion: hotel
thread. Teen denim

hems. I stopped to count:
one hundred ships means
many

push-ups in the shadow
of Footloose. We all knew
you.

6 days!!!

New Moon Quote-of-the-day: “Here’s to responsibility twice a week, and recklessness every day in between.” –Jake, Chapter 7

If you missed Stephenie Meyer on Oprah today, you can watch it here. On Monday (Nov 16), don’t miss Kristen Stewart on The Tonight Show, Taylor Lautner on The Jay Leno Show and Dakota Fanning on Ellen!

Hollywood believes that the masses prefer familiar plots and characters, so that they can get easy entertainment without putting too much effort into it. This theory does have some sense to it – this is the generation of instant gratification. God forbid we read a book when we can get a quick shot of entertainment in the form of a 30 minute TV show or two-hour movie. This same mindset appears to go into the production of the plethora of remakes and book adaptations that fill the silver screen year-round. One is hard pressed to find a movie today that isn’t a remake, sequel or book adaption – or sometimes a combination of all three – and it can be argued that this methodology has gotten out of control. The number of sequels in certain franchises has reached astronomical levels. Sam Raimi has signed on to direct the fourth and fifth installments of the Spiderman franchise. Saw 6 came out in October, Rambo 5 is in the works for 2011, with the possibility of a Rambo 6 to follow at a later date. DenOfGeek.com also speculates that, following the success of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, there will certainly be a fifth installment in the franchise. A fourth and fifth Shrek film have also been confirmed. Virtually every successful movie produced today is followed by at least one sequel. Even movies that were really intended to be a holiday one-hit-wonder and weren’t created with a sequel in mind, such as the Christmas event film Alvin and the Chipmunks, have fallen prey to Hollywood’s penchant for recycling. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel hits theatres Christmas 2009.

Furthermore, it seems no film is off-limits, no matter how long it has been since the original was released. According to DenOfGeek.com, the 80’s cult classic Heathers has a sequel in the works, though no release date has been set. For series based on books or comic books that have a set number of installments and thus a finite potential for sequels, Hollywood has resorted to making prequels, such as The Hobbit, which precedes the enormously successful Lord of the Rings trilogy, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, prequel to the successful X-Men franchise.

The decision to adapt The Hobbit for the silver screen points to another trend: Book adaptations have run rampant. According to ChasingTheFrog.com, 30 novels a year are adapted for the big screen. In recent years, the number has far exceeded the average. About.com reports that in 2006, 50 books were made into movies, and in 2007 that number rose to 70. Some of the better-known adaptations include the Harry Potter series, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and, more recently, the Twilight Saga. These adaptations prove what the movie industry is only just beginning to realize – fantasy novels, an underappreciated genre in written form, make excellent movie fodder. The appeal of book adaptations is understandable – books already have preexisting fan bases that are certain to turn out at theatres to support the movie version of their favorite book. Plus, many action or fantasy novels are geared toward special effects and sequels, which are two key ingredients in the Hollywood formula for success.

However, it is often the case that movie incarnations of popular novels are inferior to the print version, which serves to outrage loyal fans rather than win them over, but incensed fans are not enough to stop the Hollywood’s production machine if they think they can make a buck or two. In what EW.com has dubbed the “Twilight Effect,” a slew of similar book-to-film adaptations are on deck for upcoming years, such as James Patterson’s teen-oriented Maximum Ride series, because the Twilight film, based on author Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novel of the same name, has done for the fantasy genre what Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey did for science fiction. The teen hit also proved to Hollywood what, deep down, they’ve known for years: If a movie can draw in a teenage audience, the demographic with the most free time and disposable income, it’s sure to be a smash hit.

However, Hollywood has recently started to dip into genres and books less appealing to the teenage crowd, as well as less well-suited to franchises, action thrillers, and special effects. The film incarnation of Jodi Picoult’s popular novel My Sister’s Keeper premiered last June. While the film featured a blockbuster cast of Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin and Joan Cusack, the story of a young girl battling cancer and her sister’s fight for the control of her own body is not typical summer blockbuster fare. Hollywood has even gone so far as to turn a children’s bedtime story book into a film set for released in October: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. This is not the first time this particular book has been adapted for the big screen; another version was released in 1973. Nor is this a record for remakes. Many films have been remade multiple times, most frequently films who have their origin in classic novels. For example, IMDb.com shows that Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte has been adapted as a movie four times, not counting multiple made-for-TV versions, and is set for yet another remake in 2010. The same is true of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, which is set for an eighth remake in 2011.

Films based on classic books are not the only genre in danger of being remade these days. Hollywood has now turned its eye towards cult classic films, such as Footloose, Fame, Dirty Dancing and even The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which all beg the question: Is nothing sacred? One would be hard-pressed to find a film that doesn’t have roots in a novel or previous film, or sometimes both. It was once said that there is nothing new under the sun, and in today’s Hollywood it rings truer than ever. In fact, the only original cinematic attractions in modern Hollywood are the movies full of gross or ridiculous humor, such as You Don’t Mess With the Zohan, and the movies that mock other films, such as the Scary Movie franchise. However, even these movies draw upon the films they parody.

In short, Hollywood today isn’t producing anything that’s going to last. Hollywood’s Golden Age seems to be over – the age of stars like Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn, whose films are still favorites with modern audiences. But this phenomenon isn’t isolated to just the film industry. The modern age also isn’t producing lasting literature comparable to that of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen, or revolutionary music like the Beatles, who still have die-hard fans, even though two of the band members are dead. Perhaps Hollywood is not the only problem; perhaps modern audiences are demanding less by repeatedly shelling out 10 bucks to see the same film they’ve seen a hundred times before, packaged under a different title. Nevertheless, Hollywood cannot be completely absolved. Film studios, producers and directors have found a formula that works and don’t want to risk their financial security in these uncertain times by generating radical or revolutionary films that have the potential of shocking or alienating audiences. But it’s been proven a hundred times before – the only way to make progress is to push boundaries and move into new territories that have never been charted before. Audiences will love it or hate it, but hey – at least they tried it.

What do you guys think of the “Twilight Effect”? Is it getting out of hand? I’m really starting to wish they’d leave my favorite series alone! They’re turning all my favorite books into sure-to-be-substandard adaptations. The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld and the A Great and Terrible Beauty series by Libba Bray (both of which I highly recommend) are set to be adapted in 2011 and 2010, respectively. How do you guys feel about this recycling-gone-amok?  Discuss in the comments! Plus, don’t forget to follow on Twitter!

6 days!!!

My Never

PS – Click on the image to buy this hott American Library Association poster (that sounds strange, I know lol):

January 13, 2004

Me: “Honey, how cute are we?! Sharing a dessert…this feels romantic!”
Eric: “That’s funny…’cause to me, this feels like competition.”

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So, the other day I was considering our social outlets in Kuwait with no bars and no discos. Hmm…a place where you can’t drink and can’t dance. Oh…my…god! I’m living in “Footloose!”

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Reasons to love our maid:
1. She folds my underwear into neat little pantie pockets;
2. She irons pleats into Eric’s pajama bottoms and hangs them on hangers;
3. She encourages me to cook an entire weekends’ worth of meals (how little she knows me) on Tuesdays, so that she can clean everything on Wednesdays so that I don’t have to lift a finger while she’s gone over the weekend;
4. She wipes my dog’s mouth after he eats and slobs;
5. She yelled “hooray” when I was forced to rescind my offer to give her several paid days off.

I have the sneaking suspicion that these will heretofore be referred to as “the good ol’ days.”

Dance com as Estrelas? Balela. Primeiro porque é necessário definir antes de tudo o que são e quem são as estrelas. Ao meu ver, assistir um bloco televisivo dominical de dança com pseudo-atores e pseudo-atrizes das novelas brasileiras se caracteriza enquanto uma falsidade absurda: “estrelas”? Onde?

Mas não, nós do Ao Sugo, dado o nosso requinte, garbo e elegância trazemos para vocês um verdadeiro espetáculo de dança com as estrelas, direto da Disney. Até poderia ser da Bela e a Fera ou da Branca de Neve, mas não, não, não… Surpreendam-se!

Victor Hugo, o Dançarino Jedi

  เริ่มกันที่สองหนังเพลงเอาใจวัยรุ่นขาโจ๊กันก่อน เรื่องแรกเป็นหนังรีเมคที่ดังเอามากๆในอดีต FoOtlOose ของผกก. Herbert Ross นั่นเอง ที่ส่งให้ดาราหนุ่ม Kevin Bacon ดังทะลุฟ้าในสมัยนั้น และเมื่อ Paramount มีแผนจะเอามันมาทำใหม่ ก็สมควรแล้วที่ Zac Efron จะถูกวางตัวให้รับบทนำ ที่มาพร้อมผกก.ผู้ปลุกปั้นจาก High School Musical ในเวอร์ชั่นใหม่นี้ ซึ่งถ้าหนังได้ฉายจริงๆ หนังต้องได้แฟนหนังรุ่นเก่ามาช่วย พอๆกับที่ความแรงของดาราหนุ่ม Zac Efron ต้องเกื้อหนุนอย่างเต็มที่ และหลังจากผ่านงานมาทั้งซีรี่ย์ฉายตามทีวี มาจนถึงหนังโรงฮิตๆไปแล้วสองเรื่อง รวมทั้งหนังอินดี้ขนาดเล็กแต่ฝีมือใหญ่คับจอ Efron ต้องพกพลังดารามาขึ้นจอพร้อมแรงเชียร์อีกมากที่จะทำให้หนังดังระเบิดอย่างที่มันควรจะเป็น เป็นข้อได้เปรียบกว่า Fame ฉบับพ.ศนี้เป็นแน่

แต่ก็นั่นล่ะอย่างที่รู้กันว่า Chace Crawford ดาราหนุ่มขวัญใจสาวๆทางจอแก้วอีกคนนึงก็เข้ามาแทนที่ทันที หลังจาก Efron ให้เหตุผลในการออกจากโปรเจคส์ว่า ไม่ต้องการให้ผู้ชมจำภาพเขาในฐานะนักเต้นอีกแล้ว และถึงเวลาที่จะไปโลดแล่นในวงการด้วยฐานะนักแสดงมากฝีมือเสียที Crawford ที่มาแรงจากการเล่นซีรี่ย์ Gossip Girl ในขณะนั้นก็มีโอกาสจะได้เป็นดาราดังและมีหนังฮิตของตัวเองเสียที และมั่นใจได้ว่าเขาจะพกพาความเป็นผู้ใหญ่กว่าและน่าจะทำให้หนังได้ใจผู้ชมผู้ใหญ่ไปพร้อมๆกับแฟนๆรุ่นเล็กๆ ซึ่งเป็นข้อได้เปรียบกว่า Efron เห็นๆ ซึ่งหนุ่ม Zac เองก็พยายามอย่างมากเช่นกันที่จะสร้างภาพให้ตัวเองดูเป็นผู้ใหญ่ขึ้นเช่นกัน แม้ว่าในหนังใหม่ทุนเล็กของเขาจะเปิดทางให้โชว์ฝีมือมากขึ้น แต่ก็ยังวนเวียนอยู่กับละครเวที ที่ต้องร้องเล่นเต้นรำอยู่นั่นเอง แล้วมันจะดีกว่าเรื่องนี้มั้ยเนี่ย?

แต่แล้วข่าวล่าสุดรายงานมาว่าผกก. Kenny Ortega ได้ตัดสินใจโบกมือลาไปแล้วอีกคน หลังจากพระเอกคู่บุญของเขาจากไปได้ระยะนึง ซึ่งนั่นแปลว่าหนุ่ม Chace จะได้ผู้กำกับคนใหม่ และโปรเจคส์นี้จะไม่มีคู่หู HSM มาเกี่ยวข้องและหนังเพลงรีเมคเรื่องนี้จะเริ่มงานโปรดักชั้นในเดือนมีนาคมปีหน้า หลังจากหาตัวผู้กำกับสำเร็จ ก็ได้แต่หวังว่ามันจะกลายเป็นหนังรีเมคในระยะหลังๆที่ไม่น่าผิดหวังตามพี่ๆน้องๆก่อนหน้านี้ละกัน

ตามมาด้วยหนังเพลงภาคต่อที่ภาคแรกเพิ่งฮิตทั่วโลก สร้างปรากฏการร์ แจ้งเกิดสองดารานำ และทำเงินอย่างเป็นประวัติการณ์ และถ้าไม่ใช่เรื่องนี้ เราคงไม่ได้เห็น Meryl Streep ออกเสตปให้เราได้เห็นเป็นบุญตาในวัยหกสิบนิดๆอย่างนี้เป็นแน่ๆ พูดมาขนาดนี้ถ้ายังไม่รู้ว่าเป็น Mamma Mia! ก็แย่แล้ว และใครที่ยังประทับใจหาดสวรรค์ บทเพลงเพราะ และเรื่องราวดีๆอยู่ล่ะก็ คงต้องดีใจเตรียมซ้อมร้องเพลง ABBA อีกครั้งนึง เพราะภาคสองมันกำลังจะมา!

ได้ฟังแล้วคงดีใจแต่อดประหลาดใจไม่ได้ ก็แหงล่ะ หนังมันสร้างจากละครเวทีนี่นา แล้วเนื้อเรื่องก็ถ้าตามที่แสดงกันจนฮิตกันทั่วโลกก็จบไปแล้วเรียบร้อยในภาคหนึ่ง แล้วถ้าจะมีภาคต่อ ก็แปลว่าจะเป็นการสร้างเรื่องราวออกไปอีก ซึ่งต้องมาคิดกันใหม่สด แต่ยังไม่สำคัญเท่าเพลงที่จะใช้ในเรื่อง เพราะ Mamma Mia! เป็นละครเวทีจุ๊กซ์บอกซ์ที่มีจุดมุ่งหมายคือนำเพลงของวง ABBA มาร้อยเรียงสร้างเรื่องราว ซึ่งในหนังภาคแรกก็ใช้เพลงไปอย่างคุ้มค่าถึง 22 เพลง แล้วภาคสองนี่มันจะเหลือให้เต้นให้มันกันสักกี่เพลงกันเชียว

ล่าสุดหนึ่งในนักแสดงนำของเรื่องอย่าง Colin Firth ยืนยันมาแล้วว่าตัวหนังกำลังอยู่ในขั้นตอนดำเนินการสร้าง และเขายังเผยให้ฟังว่าทางผู้สร้างกำลังหารือกันว่าจะใช้เพลงจากวงอื่นกันดีมั้ย ซึ่งเขาก็เห็นด้วย “ ทำไมจะไม่ได้ล่ะ แต่นั่นยังเป็นเพียงแค่การคาดเดา “ สอดคล้องกับคำสัมภาษณ์ของ Benny Anderson หนึ่งในสมาชิกวง ABBA ที่เล่าว่าเขาไม่ได้อยากให้ภาคสองมีแต่เพลงของวงเขาอย่างเดียวหรอกนะ

 และถ้าเป็นอย่างนั้น…ก็น่าจะเป็นอย่างนั้นขึ้นมาจริงๆ ก็แปลว่าเราจะได้ฟังเพลงจากวงอื่นๆ และนั่นต้องช่วยขยายขอบเขตเรื่องราวออกไปกว้างขึ้นแน่ๆ แต่ยังไงซะก็ต้องมีเพลงของ ABBA อยู่ด้วยแน่นอน ตามที่นักแสดงนำหญิงของเรื่อง สาวน้อย Amanda Seyfried บอกกับสำนักข่าว BBc อย่างจริงจังไว้ว่า “ ฉันคงทำ Mamma Mia! 2 ไม่ได้โดยปราศจาก Benny and Bjorn (สองสมาชิกวง ABBA นั่นเอง ) หรอกนะ “ ….แต่ไม่ว่าผลจะออกมาเป็นอย่างไร พวกเราในฐานะแฟนเพลงและคอหนังก็ยังอยากดูหนังอยู่ดี จะมีใครบ้างล่ะที่ไม่อยากกลับไปเกาะสวรรค์นั่น ที่เต็มไปด้วยผู้คนหัวใจหนุ่มสาว รักอิสระ และมีเสียงเพลงกู่ก้องในหัวใจ

ที่น่าคิดอีกอย่างนึงคือ เมื่อตอน Mamma Mia! ยังเป็นแผนการสร้างนั้น Meryl Streep คือกุญแจสำคัญที่ทำให้มันได้สร้างเป็นหนัง และถ้าภาคสองเรายังไม่ได้เห็นเธอด้วย ก็คงจะยังไงอยู่ ซึ่งรายังไม่ได้ข่าวจากปากนักแสดงมากฝีมือคนนี้เลย

พูดถึงนักแสดงมากฝีมือแล้ว เราอาจรวมบุรุษสามคนนี้ว่าเป็นนักแสดงมากฝีมือในยุคปัจจุบันด้วยได้ ทั้ง Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp และ George Clooney และที่เราพูดถึงพร้อมๆกันนั้น เพราะทั้งสามคนกำลังเป็นตัวเลือกในหนังเรื่องเดียวกันอย่าง Sinatra อยู่น่ะสิ โปรเจดส์หนังชีวประวัติคนดนตรียิ่งใหญ่ระดับโลก ที่จะถูกกำกับโดยผู้กำกับระดับตำนานเช่นกัน
ย้อนไปในเดือนพฤษภาคม Universal ได้รับสิทธืสร้างหนังเรื่องนี้มาจาก Mandalay Picture และวางตัว Martin Scorsese ให้มากำกับชีวิต Frank Sinatra ฟังดูเป็นงานช้างที่น่าสนใจมาก ทั้งเนื้อเรื่องคนใหญ่คนดังและเรื่องราวที่ย้อนไปในอดีต ล้วนเป็นองค์ประกอบในหนังมาร์ตินมาแล้วเท่านั้น คำถามที่น่าสนใจต่อมาคือใครจะได้รับบทนี้ และจากตัวเลือกสามคนที่ได้ฟังมา ล้วนน่าสนใจไปคนละแบบครับ และมีความเป็นไปได้ในแบบที่ต่างกันออกไป

ถ้าถามตัวผู้กำกับมาร์ตินเอง เขาก็ต้องการ Leonardo DiCaprio นักแสดงที่ร่วมงานกันบ่อยมากในระยะหลังๆ และไปกันได้ดีสุดๆ รวมทั้งหนังเรื่องใหม่อย่าง Shutter Island ด้วย

และถ้าถามสตูดิโอ ซึ่งหลังจากได้ผ่านสายตาไปกับ Johnny Depp ในบทบาทจอมโจรผู้ยิ่งใหญ่ใส่หมวกใส่สูทหรู ดูเข้าท่าสำหรับบทนี้ไม่น้อยเช่นกัน

แต่ถ้าถามลูกสาวของ Sinatra เอง เธออยากได้นักแสดงมากฝีมือและอาวุโสด้วยอย่าง George Clooney ครับ

และในเรื่องนั้น ทีมงานเลือกที่จะใช้เสียงของ Sinatra เอง โดยที่ไม่ต้องใช้ความสามารถในการร้องเพลงของนักแสดง แต่อาศัยความเนียนเป็นพอ เหมือนที่ Marion Cotillard ทำใน La Vien Rose นั่นเอง ทำให้ความสนใจในการเลือกคนแสดงในตอนนี้พุ่งไปที่ความเหมือนและกิริยาท่าทางมากกว่าความสามารถอื่นๆ

แหล่งข่าวบอกมาว่า DiCaprio ที่ร่วมงานกับผกก.มาแล้วหลายครั้งอาจไม่ได้บทนี้หากดูจากเกณฑ์ข้างต้น ส่วน Depp นั้น เราได้เห็นเขาทั้งในเสื้อผ้าหน้าผม และการโชว์พลังเสียงใน Sweeney Todd มาแล้ว รวมทั้งสามารถแสดงด้านมืดอย่างที่สตูดิโอออกมาด้วย และยังเป็นนักแสดงที่งานชุกมาๆในปัจจุบันด้วย อาจจะเป็นตัวเลือกที่ดีได้  ส่วนที่มีชื่อ Clooney ติดโผมานั้น เพราะลูกสาวของแฟรงค์ต้องการให้หนังโฟกัสมาที่งานเพลง ไม่ใช่เรื่องของความรุนแรง เพศ และอาการดื่มเหล้าหนักๆ เธอเลยคิดว่าคลูนี่ย์อาจช่วยทำให้พ่อของเธอในเรื่องดูอ่อนโยน สุภาพขึ้นมาได้ แต่แน่นอนว่าสตูดิโอต้องการทั้งด้านดีและด้านร้าย Depp จึงมาวินในการจะได้บทนี้ไปในณ วินาทีนี้ และถ้านี่เป็นจริง คงไม่ต้องบอกนะว่ามันจะน่าสนใจมากๆแค่ไหน

Sort of. A word of advice to anyone who cares to listen. Don’t tell the people you love how you really feel about anything ever. Really. Just keep it to yourself or, I don’t know, a little seceret between you and your cat. If you don’t want to be at a party because you feel like you’re only there because it’s your job, just grin and bare it. Chances are, someone else feels the same way, find them. I am telling you this so you don’t have to punch in walls of toolsheds or hyperventalate behind dumpsters to feel better after you told someone something you shouldn’t have.

No one really cares how you feel. Unless it’s inconvenient for them. So just make everyone’s lives easier: just shut up and pretend to love every moment of your life.

Love,

Maya

• The Los Angeles Times has “five burning questions” on 90210. Spoilers already revealed the answers to numbers 3 and 4 but it’s still worth a read.
• Greg Vaughan (Cliff, Beverly Hills 90210) tweeted that he’s “making his return to the new 90210.”  I guess that means he’ll be playing Cliff?  Who knows, though, considering 90210 2.0’s inconsistency.  Last month, Vaughan was fired from General Hospital.
• So apparently AnnaLynne McCord (Naomi, 90210) and Kellan Lutz (George, 90210) are together!
• Charles Rosin (executive producer, Beverly Hills 90210) did a blog post about the progress of his current project, showbizzle, and linked back to the interview we did together.
• Brian Austin Green (David, Beverly Hills 90210) was also a victim of the same thieves responsible for robbing Rachel Bilson (Summer, The O.C.) and other celebrities.
• Candy Spelling (wife of Aaron and mother to Tori and Randy of Beverly Hills 90210 fame) will reportedly appear on a reality show being made by Ryan Seacrest.
• According to TVGuide.com, Gossip Girl is in danger of cancellation.
• In interviews with Entertainment Weekly, Kenny Ortega says he has confidence in Chace Crawford (Nate, Gossip Girl) appearing in the Footloose remake (even though he’s no longer directing it) and co-star Julianne Hough called him a “cutie.”
• The CW Source has podcasts for last week’s Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill.

Footloose — Kenny Ortega, the director behind the upcoming remake of 1984’s Footloose, has quit the production citing tone and budget differences. I would like to re-iterate, once again, that each day I have to live in a world that doesn’t have a Footloose remake is another day that happiness means nothing and the laughter of children is empty and hollow. I hope you’re listening, Paramount.

Link: Ortega Exits Paramount’s “Footloose” (Variety)

Gervais, Ricky – UK funnyman and purveyor of the original Office has been announced as the host of this upcoming January’s Golden Globe Awards, ensuring that this year’s ceremony will be casually glossed over by most of mainstream America but fervently revered by a cult faction of viewers. It also reverses the universal order and should, to keep balance, signify that the British equivalent of the Golden Globes will also be very good, if broader, jokier and more conventional. 

Link: Ricky Gervais Tapped as Host of Golden Globes (USA Today)

Hogan, Hulk — Hulkamania is poised to overtake the WWE once again as Hulk Hogan has announced his return to the squared circle with TNA Wrestling. Though initial press states that the Hulkster’s specific role “will be announced in the near future,” that role is expected to be “the guy who breaks his hip immediately upon returning to pro wrestling.”

Link: Hulk Hogan Returning to Pro Wrestling (The Live Feed)

Muse — British trio Muse were annointed 2009’s “Best Act in the World Today” at Britain’s Q Awards. Yes, seriously. In other news, the secret robed individuals who presumedly will stop at nothing to plant gratuitous references in all media outlets extolling Muse’s greatness are high-fiving each other, because there’s no way Muse is the “Best Act in the World Today.”

Link: Best Band Muse (contactmusic)

Short Circuit — Steve Carr, the director of Paul Blart: Mall Cop has signed on with Dimension films to helm a remake of 1986’s robot comedy Short Circuit. I would like to re-iterate, once again, that each day I have to live in a world that doesn’t have a Short Circuit remake is another day that happiness means nothing and the laughter of children is empty and hollow.

Link: Carr to Drive “Short Circuit” Remake (Variety)

Sublime — 21 year-old frontman Rome Ramirez debuted in place of the late Brad Nowell at a California concert as Sublime reunited for only the second time in the thirteen years since Nowell’s death. This came as horrible news to  fellow pot-rockers 311, who can only assume their excessive ripping off of the band and usurping of their fans for the past 13 years has woefully come to a close.

Link: Sublime Debut New Singer at SmokeOut Festival Despite Nowell Family Protests (Rolling Stone)

White, Ron — Blue Collar Comedy Tour-er White has signed a deal to star in an animated feature for Comedy Central called “Hounds,” in which he’ll play a character described as “a countrified Yoda with a bottle of Jack and a bag of weed.” The hosting network will promptly change its name to “Only Very Mildly Amusing, And Even Then Clichéd Central.” 

Link: Comedy Central Inks Two Talent Deals (Hollywood Reporter)

Dogstar vs   BON JOVI &  KEANU REEVES vs Jon Bon Jovi

Do you know Dogstar? Keanu Reeves played the bass and toured with the band for 11 years. The band was founded in 1991 and broke up in 2002. But Keanu has been in movies since 1985.

Dogstar. First from the right, Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves became even more popular with the Matrix Triology. Dogstar what?

 Dogstar even has a picture with Bon Jovi, at the backstage of a concert where the band performed as the supporting act. And how many of you think Jon Bon Jovi as an actor? Sure, he has done some interesting films like The Leading Man and Little City but to most people, he is a rocker, a musician, the frontman of his band Bon Jovi.  Keanu Reeves always remained as an actor who liked to play bass and play rocker in his free time to his fans and the name Jon Bon Jovi can sell shitloads of concert tickets but it ain’t that strong when it comes to box office.

Bon Jovi have been together for about 25 years.

One of the many movies Jon has starred in.

KEVIN BACON vs The Bacon Brothers

Kevin Bacon has a band called The Bacon Brothers where he plays with his brother Michael. They have 3 albums but I didn’t even have a clue before I watched a special on the actor’s life. His movies? His movies are good. He is a theater trained actor who can play the good guys (Footloose, a classic dance movie) but thanks to Hollywood, he made a name for himself as the actor who best plays the bad guys. He has played good guys (Footloose, She’s Having a Baby, wrongly convicted and/or sexually molested prisoners (Murder in the First, Sleepers), kidnappers , murderers…the list goes on. You probably heard of Mystic River, JFK, A Few Good Men, Flatliners, Stir of Echoes… Did you by any chance get a hold of his albums? I actually heard him play during that show about his life. He sings and he is good. But it is OK. I know quite a lot of singers with great voices. But I think Kevin Bacon is a uniquely talented actor. I for one am glad he stuck with his acting career.

The Bacon Brothers

Here's the mean-looking Kevin we all know and love

 COMING UP:  John Travolta, Shane West, Bruce Willis and David Bowie

Para quem gosta de ter filmes em casa, sugiro sempre muita atenção. Várias vezes eu comprei barbadas nos balaios de supermercados… Comprei no Bourbon, por exemplo, “O Show de Truman” (The Truman Show, 1998, de Peter Weir) por inacreditáveis R$ 9,90. Também comprei no Bourbon, do Almodóvar, “Tudo Sobre a Minha Mãe” (Todo Sobre Mi Madre, 1998) e “Fale com Ela” (Hable com Ella, 2002), os dois juntos por R$ 19,90. São barbadas mesmo, filmes para se ter em casa…

Outras barbadas se encontra em sites. Semana passada alguém me disse que as Americanas.com estavam em promoção. Eu então naveguei por lá um pouquinho… e acabei comprando NOVE filmes. Quatro do Woody Allen, a trilogia “De Volta Para o Futuro” e mais dois filmes. Tudo isso me custou, pasmem: R$ 109,00. CENTO E NOVE REAIS por NOVE FILMES. E frete grátis, BTW. Entregue na porta da minha casa. Ainda online, agora mesmo acabei de olhar na Saraiva.com: Baita box com cinco dvds da trilogia Matrix por… adivinhem? R$ 39,90. Isso mesmo. Até eu, que não gosto da trilogia (o primeiro filme é bom, mas os outros dois…), estou pensando em comprar…

Ontem eu fui passar um tempo no Moinhos Shopping, antes da minha aula de francês, e dei uma passada na Saraiva. Para que, néam? Um monte de filmes com preços bem bacanas! Uma coleção de caixinha verde de clássicos (Os Dez Mandamentos, Como Era Verde Meu Vale, Crepúsculo dos Deuses, Os Brutos Também Amam…), cada um deles por R$19,90. Acabei comprando um dos filmes da minha vida, o Assassinos por Natureza (Natural Born Killers, 1994), por ridículos R$ 12,90. Só não faz uma boa videoteca quem não quer. Aliás, eu precisava de umas prateleiras bonitinhas para por meus filmes todos…

(Parêntesis: os filmes que eu comprei pelas Americanas)

O Dorminhoco (Sleeper, Woody Allen, 1973)

A Rosa Púrpura do Cairo (The Purple Rose of Cairo, Woody Allen, 1985)

Crimes e Pecados (Crimes and Misdemeanors, Woody Allen, 1984)

Hannah e Suas Irmãs (Hannah and Her Sisters, Woody Allen, 1986)

Footloose – Ritmo Louco (Footloose, Herbert Ross, 1984)

Elizabeth (Elizabeth, Shekhar Kapur, 1998)

De Volta Para o Futuro (Back to the Future, Robert Zemeckis, 1985)

De Volta Para o Futuro II (Back to the Future Part II, Robert Zemeckis, 1989)

De Volta Para o Futuro III (Back to the Future Part III, Robert Zemeckis, 1990)

(Haja pipoca para ver isso tudo…)

From Playbill.com:

“High School Musical” director and choreographer Kenny Ortega has withdrawn from the film remake of the 1984 film “Footloose.”

Variety reports that Ortega and Paramount Pictures could not come to agreement on the tone or budget of the remake. Ortega reportedly sought a $30 million budget for the film that would employ elaborate musical numbers, while Paramount production chief Adam Goodman saw the project as an edgy drama with less emphasis on the songs and coming in at under $25 million.

Ortega, who is also the director of the new Michael Jackson film “This Is It” which debuts this week, is the latest to depart the film project. “Gossip Girl” cast member Chace Crawford was announced to replace “High School Musical” star Zac Efron in the central role of Ren McCormack last May.

Country singer Julianne Hough will co-star in the film as Ariel Moore. Paramount is currently seeking a replacement to direct “Footloose,” which is still on track to begin filming in March of 2010.

Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Susannah Grant (“Erin Brockovich”) has penned the latest adaptation of “Footloose.” Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who delivered such films as “Chicago,” Hairspray” and “A Raisin in the Sun” for television, produce with Dylan Sellers.

Previous reports stated that new songs are being written for the “Footloose” remake, which will also include many of the hits from the original, including “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” “Almost Paradise,” “Holding Out for a Hero” and the title track.

The original film starred Kevin Bacon and was later adapted into a 1998 stage musical under the direction of Walter Bobbie.